Harold Ford

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, so much has been said about the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay). Not enough can be said. I have happened to have the chance to know him or he has known me all of my life. My dad was his colleague in Congress for more than 22 years. Lacey and Michelle, and I know we cannot campaign from this body, but he is a Democratic nominee for Congress there in the First District, and I certainly wish him the very best of luck. He comes from such great genes. I want to tell just one story, I was in college at the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Speaker, and a group of us started a monthly newspaper there. We sought donations for the start of this newspaper because we wanted to maintain its independence from the university, not in hostility to the university but wanting to have an independent voice on campus. I sent out solicitation letters to all of my dad's friends and all of his colleagues. And he has some wonderful colleagues, the Rangels, the Grays, and the Waters, and there are so many others, the Stokes that he served with, the best friend of the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay). I will never forget going to the mailbox and here I was 19 years old in college, Mr. Speaker, and receiving this envelope from the office of (Mr. Clay), $500 donation, for this newspaper. The newspaper started and was run by young people at the school, and it is still in existence today in the spirit in which he provided all those scholarships for children throughout his district and throughout the State of Missouri. I am also one youngster whose life he touched and impacted. I would not be in the Congress today but for work he did here in the United States in opening doors and creating opportunities and chronicling the history of not only African-Americans here in the Congress but great Americans here in the Congress. On behalf of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) and the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy) and all the young members of Congress, I want to say thank you for his leadership and thank you for his service. Aunt Carol has been a gem and a treasure to all of us here in the Congress, certainly those of us who have grown up around her. I look forward to serving with Lacy and Michelle and Angela and Clay and Michael. I love your grandchildren and I love the family. I just want to say thank you for all that he has done, all that he will continue to do, and all that he has meant to this great body.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, on October 25, yesterday, the House of Representatives passed H.Con.Res. 426, a resolution concerning violence in the Middle East. Like those who supported the resolution, I am profoundly saddened by the loss of life precipitated by the recent outbreak of violence in Gaza and the West Bank. My support for the State of Israel and Israeli people as my voting record has demonstrated during my brief tenure here in the Congress has been unwavering. However, I could not support the resolution in the form it was presented yesterday because in my view it unfairly and broadly assigned blame for the violence in the Middle East. A lasting Middle East peace can only be achieved if all parties demonstrate courage in the negotiation process. Central to this is the immediate renunciation of all violence and an expression of willingness by both sides to return to the negotiating table. Chairman Arafat's words and actions demonstrate his unwillingness to participate. I strongly support President Clinton's efforts to bring both sides to the negotiating table to begin again the slow and often difficult work that is necessary to ensure a lasting and just peace.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, to all of my colleagues, it is interesting when I hear and all of us in this debate about Federal versus local. Let us just deal with the facts for one moment. Ninety-four cents of every dollar raised and spent for public education is raised and spent at the local level. Virtually all the policy setting authority for all of our schools across the country, in my district in Memphis and in districts all across this country, is done at the State and local level. If we want to point fingers or blame people, we have to blame locals for our problem. But I am not in the business of blaming. What my local school districts suggest they want, Democrats, Republicans, conservatives and liberals, big government people and little government people, are actual solutions. They want help. They have problems because kids are learning in trailer homes in my colleagues' districts and in our districts all across the country. They have problems because they have kids learning in closets and bathrooms in schools all across this country. Now, we can sit here and pretend that this debate is meaningful and useful about Federal or local, liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican. Reality is that there are kids that are not learning, there are kids that are caught in bathrooms and closets and trailer homes all across this country, because we would rather debate whether it is a local or Federal problem. This is an American problem. I hope all of my colleagues will do the right thing and pass the education bill.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, this debate can go on and on and on and it probably will sort of ad nauseam. I support the gentlewoman from the great State of Florida (Mrs. Meek). For the life of me, it is difficult to understand where some of my colleagues are coming from when they talk about cutting efforts and reducing resources toward an issue that seeks to expand homeownership. The one sort of valuable asset that most people ever own in their lives, we all hope to invest in stocks that will generate huge yields and make a lot of money for us, but the truth be told, the one major asset, the most valuable asset that most Americans will control or own in their lives is a home. We are close to 5\1/2\ million people. In this Congress, we often use the term ``low income'' to describe some of the folks that will benefit from this initiative. But whether they are low income or middle income or even high income, they are still Americans. There are 5.4 million who have worse-case housing scenarios. Empowerment Zones and Community Development Block Grants really empower cities and local players working with the market and those in the private sector to come up with solutions to help expand homeownership and expand economic opportunity of all Americans. I was on that trip with my colleague from Florida (Mrs. Meek) to New York and did not have the opportunity to visit the New York Stock Exchange as some of my other colleagues did, but have had opportunity in the past. I hear so many of my colleagues often talk about how government is around people's necks and it is squishing innovation and creativity and wealth in America. Let us deal with a few facts for one moment. The Dow has grown three times over the last 8 years. Some people suggest that this President has not been a good one, but I think he deserves just a small bit of credit for not standing in the way of those entrepreneurs and business people from growing this economy. Wealthy Americans have seen their wealth. Some of them have doubled, tripled. Some have even quadrupled. I love that. I support that. That is what distinguishes our Nation from so many other countries around the globe, why so many people seek to come to this great Nation. We in government in a lot of ways have a responsibility to ensure that we bring the market to those communities and those neighborhoods that ordinarily might not benefit and might not, I should say, see the benefits of a strong economy. When we bring the market to communities that ordinarily do not see it, and I applaud the President's new market initiative and even some on that side that have come up with innovative ideas, my colleague from Oklahoma and other members in that caucus on the other side, finding ways to bring more people into this new economy, it would seem to me that Empowerment Zones and Community Development Block Grants would be something that those on the other side would be eager, would jump to support. In many ways, it is the public and the private partnering, working together to empower people who ordinarily might not be empowered. We have an opportunity, unlike any generation of Congresspeople, searching for solutions at a time when we are not running a deficit. We still have an enormous debt that we have to service and ensure that we pay down, and there are plans on the table in which to do that, but we now have a chance to help empower new groups of people and not worry as much as perhaps a generation before. My dad served in this Congress for 22 years. He never had this chance, never had this opportunity. What do my friends on the other side choose to do with this chance and this opportunity? In my estimation and in many of my colleagues' on this side, and I would agree with the young gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek) the nomenclature, the terminology we use here is confusing not only to those at home but even sometimes to those of us in this Congress, we choose, in my estimation, to squander this moment. Instead of taking the opportunity to invest in folks who want an opportunity, who want a chance, we have chosen not to. Shame on us as a Congress. We will have only ourselves to blame if we look back a few years from now and realize that this window is closed and we took no opportunity to expand HOPE, to expand opportunity to hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of Americans crying out for this chance. From a parochial standpoint, I have thousands of people on the section 8 waiting list, Mr. Chairman; meaning they want to own their own home, they want to realize the American dream. All they are wanting is a hand up. We have an opportunity to do that this evening and in the coming days in this Congress. But based on what has been put before this Congress, H.R. 4635, it seems once again we are going to fail not only those in Florida, not only those in Texas, not only these in New York and Tennessee and even my dear friend from New York, but we are going to fail the 5\1/2\ million people scattered across this country who are doing nothing more than asking what every stockbroker in the stock exchange asks for, and I support that, what every high-tech executive in Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley and Austin and Boston and Northern Virginia are asking for, just a chance and just an opportunity. We have a chance in this Congress to do that this evening and in the coming days. I would hope my colleagues on the other side would take a second look at what they propose and make the effort to fix it. This is one way to fix it, to support the amendment of the gentlewoman from the great State of Florida.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate my colleague from Colorado, and I thank certainly the sponsors on this side, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks) and the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter) and others. One great thing about our Nation, as the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tancredo) knows and all of us in this Chamber knows is that there are differences that exist among us. We are tied together with some common threads, but what makes us so great is that there are people who wear different clothing, who cling to different political beliefs. Obviously there are those that harbor different political philosophies, as we see aired on this floor day in and day out. What ties us all together really as Americans is that we all really sort of share the same dreams and same aspirations. I have constituents of mine in the Chamber today, and I can assure the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tancredo) they are good church members. They are members of Princeton Avenue Full Gospel Church back in my district, and all of them want their kids to go to a good school, and all of them want their parents to maintain their health benefits at work, to maintain a job and their health benefits. But there are differences that exist among us that really make America what it is. The NEA and the NEH in many ways helps to foster that, sponsors those initiatives and those efforts, and I might add in my public school system, both NEA and NEH grants have done wonderful things to assist teachers and educators in passing along ideas and teaching lessons to kids who sometimes might not ordinarily get them. We have all seen the stats and the data that clearly demonstrated that kids that are exposed to arts and music early in life do better in their core subjects, the math and the science, the English and the history and the host of other core subjects that are so critical to a young person's development. It is my hope, and I understand my friend from Colorado's passion about this issue, but the facts are the facts. We are not talking about religion here, we are talking about the arts. The Constitution speaks clearly, the founding of this country was predicated upon those seeking religious freedom. So I would say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, and even some on this side of the aisle, think about all of those museums and universities and schools, think about all those nonprofit and community organizations that benefit from these grants. Think of the young people's lives that we impact and touch and improve, and think about the heritage and the ways in which we are able to bring people together, despite our differences, and how these grants and initiatives help to do just that. Seeing the look on a young person's face when they learn about their history and learn about their heritage and how it fits into this larger national fabric is truly phenomenal, as the Speaker knows, and I would hope that my colleague from Colorado knows as well. I would ask all of my colleagues to look beyond the rhetoric from one moment, to look beyond the political contributions for one moment, to look beyond those political constituencies that would lambast the arts and humanities, and let us support an initiative and support an amendment that in many ways helps to bolster and promote what is great about our Nation, our ideals, our democracy and our freedom. Mr. Chairman, I thank the sponsors, and would urge support of this amendment.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Chairman, I would just say to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham), I appreciate the talk. I was elected in 1996. But in 1993, the tax bill that was passed by the Congress, there were those on the other side of the aisle who suggested it would cause unemployment to rise, interest rates to rise, and the economy to move in the wrong direction. But if I am not mistaken, 8 years ago, the DOW was at 3,500; it is now three times that amount. We had a $390 billion projected deficit for last fiscal year. We are now running $180 billion plus surplus. According to the front pages of newspapers around the country, those projections are conservative. I appreciate the gentleman from California trying to take credit. I think there is a lot of credit to be given here, as entrepreneurs and innovators deserve a lot of it as well. But to suggest that we are at fault here, I think, is somewhat of a misnomer.

Mr. FORD. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Porter) will further yield, I would just contend that we all deserve a little credit for that.

Mr. FORD. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey) for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, we get called back here every week to name post offices and to even fund unwanted aircraft carriers, but when it comes time for us to confront education head on we begin to fiddle, Mr. Chairman. We send money from the Federal Government to build roads, to build highways. I am always fascinated when I hear my colleagues on the other side suggest that this is a local issue, this is local control. They did not complain when the home builders came before us recently asking that local land disputes be decided in Federal courts. Neither did I. I supported it. They do not come complaining that building prisons is a local issue when those at the local level say we need more money to throw criminals in jail, which I support. But when it comes time to build schools, to provide children with an opportunity to learn in a safe and clean and learner-friendly environment, they begin to buckle, they begin to flinch. They begin to point fingers and suggest that it is not our responsibility. Name me a prison in America, Mr. Chairman, that closes early, as 30 of my schools do during the summertime because they have no air conditioning. There is not one. I would hope my colleagues on the other side could do better by our kids. We ought to be thankful they cannot write campaign checks like the gunmakers, the insurance industry, and the pharmaceutical industry. If they could, perhaps we could give a better answer than the answer we are giving today.

Mr. FORD. Pardon my passion on this issue, Mr. Chairman, and I ask the House's forgiveness for violating our rules, but it is just hard for many of us to comprehend, and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Porter) is a good man as many on the other side of the aisle are, why we would argue taking precious dollars at a time in which we are moments away from increasing the quota on H1-B visas because we are unable not to find workers but to provide workers with the skills they need to fill the jobs that we are creating here at a record number in this Nation. This program, like many others, seeks to do that. I would hope that the gentleman would rethink his amendment and even those on his side who may support it. I would hope they would reconsider their support of it.

Mr. FORD. Mr. Chairman, we have heard a lot of speakers talk about tax cuts and perhaps using a little bit of their tax cut to pay for some of these initiatives. The gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass) is a good man, but for the life of me I cannot understand how he could be opposed to a program which takes entire groups of kids, classes of kids whom early in life many of us would suggest because of the dire economic conditions and social conditions they may face may have a more difficult time getting to college than perhaps some of their cohorts. Study after study shows that high-achieving students from low-income families are five times as likely not to attend college as high- achieving students from middle- to higher-income families. I do not mean to discriminate against middle- and higher-income families by any means, but we know that kids who come from other circumstances often face different challenges. It amazes me to hear the gentleman from New Hampshire and some of them suggest that we have another program that addresses this problem, because I do not think we can have enough programs to address this problem, Mr. Chairman. I say that understanding that the Federal Government cannot go out funding each and every program, but we offered tax cut after tax cut. I voted for the estate tax reduction. But it would be nonsensical of me to say, Well, we've given people an estate tax reduction so we don't need to give them a capital gains tax reduction. There are different issues and different challenges here. In my State alone, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga received over $200,000 to help identify entire groups of classes to bring them through high school and to help them go to college. The numbers show, as the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling) knows, that a young person's ability to earn over a lifetime increases by $600,000 with an opportunity to go to college, $300,000 at Dyersburg State Community and $650,000 at Memphis City schools. I ask my colleague from New Hampshire, and perhaps we can engage in a colloquy, explain to me why not, if we can do it for wealthy Americans, we ought to be able to do it for poor children in this Nation.

Mr. FORD. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent for 30 additional seconds.

Mr. FORD. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) for his leadership and thank all of my colleagues on this side of the aisle for theirs as well on this important issue. We have heard it mentioned over and over again. We are indeed, I say to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Porter) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling), the chairman of my full committee, at the zenith of our prosperity as a Nation. It is amazing. We have heard those in this Congress criticize this administration. We have heard those in this Congress try to take credit for the amazing growth that has taken place over the last 8 years. It is difficult, it is hard to imagine that we have come so far and that we have accomplished so much considering the rhetoric that goes back and forth. Eight years ago the Dow was at 3500. Today it is three times that. Eight years ago the unemployment rate was hovering at about 8 percent. Now it is around 4 percent. Eight years ago there were only 50 worldwide Web sites. Today there are more than 50 million. We are only at the beginning of this amazing revolution. Many of our companies, American companies are producing more wealth than many countries around the world. But in many communities, including my home of Memphis, talk about the growth of the Dow and even the NASDAQ is almost as foreign as international monetary policy. A few of us on this side had the opportunity, Mr. Chairman, to visit some of our high-tech leaders out in Silicon Valley over the recent break. We can read about it and listen to those talk about the amazing and wonderful things happening out there, but until you actually witness it, it is difficult to grasp, to see young people really at the start of a revolution helping to transform our entire economy and really everything that we enjoy and do in life really to produce a positive benefit. We had an opportunity to meet those who are sequencing the human genome. It is amazing in a few years we might be able to attack breast cancer and prostate cancer and catch those cells early on. I thank the gentleman from Illinois for all his work with the National Institutes of Health. But the common denominator in all that these leaders out there talked about was the need to close the skills deficit that is plaguing our domestic workforce. We will vote in a few weeks, perhaps in a few days on whether or not to raise the quota, and ``quota'' on that side of the aisle is often a profane word, but to raise the quota for H1-B visas to bring in workers to fill jobs here in America because we have not stepped up to the plate to train a new generation of workers. The one issue that came out of all the sessions that we had, Mr. Chairman, the one thing that could jeopardize our prosperity and continued growth is the lack of an investment in a qualified workforce for the future. I support raising this quota in the short term, but it is foolish to believe for one moment that we are going to solve our domestic workforce challenges and problems by bringing in foreigners every year to fill the jobs which we should be training people to do here. With this vote on the Jackson amendment, we make this choice, I say to all of my colleagues: do we wish to continue to be a Nation of entrepreneurs and innovators and workers, or do we want to banish ourselves to a country of temporary workers and low-wage workers? My Republican colleagues have asked for offsets. I suggest that they cut their tax break, make some investments in children and young people throughout this Nation, not just for these young people, but for all of those leaders in industry. I am sure we could go home, and this is not a partisan issue back home, Republican businessmen, Democratic businessmen and business women all say the same thing, and that is that they are looking for more qualified workers. Mr. Chairman, I would close on this note, and perhaps I think the most exciting thing about what the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) is doing, restoring the money for youth opportunity grants and summers jobs programs for kids. The main reason I support summer jobs for kids is because I want your wallets to stay in your back pockets, I want your hub caps to stay on your cars, I want women's pocketbooks to stay on their shoulders. When we teach and train young people and expose them to the rigors and habits of work, good things happen, Mr. Chairman, good things happen, I say to Members on both sides of the aisle. Last week the application period for the Memphis summer jobs program closed, and 800 teens will have jobs for the summer. That is wonderful. That is the good news. But the bad news, Mr. Chairman, is that 3,000 go home without jobs. We will find a way to arrest them if they do something wrong during the summer; we will find a way to process them; we will find a way to prosecute them; we will find a way to house them for a few days or a few weeks. But we cannot find the capacity, we cannot find the wherewithal, we cannot find a solution amidst all the rhetoric, to just give them a summer job, give them an opportunity. I am a little offended when I hear some of my colleagues brag about the job core center; I brag about it too, but they are two totally different programs we are talking about here. Sensible Members on that side understand that; sensible Members on this side understand that. Let us discontinue the name calling and the game playing. Instead of arresting these kids, let us give them a job and an opportunity and in the meantime help prepare them for the demands of this new marketplace.

Mr. FORD. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FORD. Mr. Chairman, I am an exception to that. I had a summer jobs program, and I graduated from law school and my voters elected me to Congress. I would just submit to the gentleman that there are those of us who never attended the job core program, but had a few summer jobs here on the Hill and other places and moved right into the workforce. My voters think I am doing a good job, perhaps some here may not.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, I come from a city that in many ways exemplifies this transition to a global economy, for Memphis is the distribution capital of the United States. Every conceivable product from soybeans to microprocessors lands in our airports, docks at our harbors, or travels our highways. Markets and trade directly affect how people in my district live. This agreement, as it has been said over and over again, only opens their markets to ensure that cotton and wheat and soybeans, jet engines, insurance, automobiles, and even Internet services can be sold to our new friends in China. At a time when family farmers are struggling, it seems to me to be only right that we open up a market where 1.2 billion people live. But our vote today should not be interpreted as a blank check for the deplorable abuses taking place in China. As a matter of fact, trade should not be interpreted as acceptance, but as really a challenge. For trade builds wealth, wealth spreads freedom, and freedom defeats tyranny. In cities across the world our values are followed, our products are imitated, and our culture is envied. Give those in China the opportunity to envy us here in America. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support normalizing permanent trade relations with China. Mr. Speaker, today America has a straight-forward choice to make: whether we want to benefit from a historic opportunity to open China's market to American goods, agricultural products, and services--or whether we want to isolate the 1.2 billion people of China, and in turn, punish America and the American worker. I have scrutinized this legislation to see if it will truly promote American interests and values. Like some who may oppose this legislation, I have long been concerned with human rights in China. I want freedom and democracy to flourish just as much as anyone else. And I have scrutinized this bill's impact on workers here at home. I have listened to those arguments. And I have concluded that normalizing trade relations with China is right for America. It is right for ensuring American engagement as a world leader and safeguarding our national security interests; it is right for promoting American competitiveness abroad; and it is right for the ideals of human rights and democracy. Guaranteeing America's National Security Interests. America has fought three wars in Asia in the last 50 years. I don't want to see us fight another. Cordell Hull, a great Tennessean--who hailed from Carthage and who held the seat that Vice President Gore held and that his father held before him--had a favorite saying: ``When goods don't cross borders, armies do.'' Integrating China into the global trading system will do more for the cause of national security than a fleet of warships could ever do. One must only look at what happen in the recent elections in Taiwan. The power of inclusion in the WTO counseled against any belligerence that the Chinese may have contemplated in the aftermath of the Taiwanese election. China held back, and the cause of peaceful reconciliation was advanced--in no small measure, because China knew that its trading partners were watching. America has genuine strategic interests in Asia, and as Secretary Cohen, Secretary Albright, the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Colin Powell and many others have said, normalizing trade relations with China will greatly advance the cause of peace and security. Ensuring American Competitiveness. China will come into the World Trade Organization and the international economic system whether we like it or not. We cannot stop this process, even if we wanted to. The only question before us is: should we lead and promote our values of competition and fairness or should we sit on the sidelines while other countries profit from selling to the Chinese? Ask the small business owner or farmer in my state, and the answer will be clear: of course, we want to benefit from this deal. For the first time, China is slashing tariffs and barriers to America's superior goods, services, and farm products. Our trade negotiators made absolutely no concessions to China; it is, as the President has said, ``one-way'' deal. We will be able to sell them everything from wheat to jet engines to insurance to Internet services. If we turn our back on that opportunity, we will only be punishing ourselves. And I simply cannot go home to the hardworking people of my state and say that I kicked away a once-in-a- lifetime chance to help them lead, compete, and win. Promoting Human Rights and Democracy. The Chinese people, like all of God's children, deserve the basic dignities and rights that accompany freedom. By making China play by the rules, and by exposing the Chinese people to American values and American know-how, I submit that freedom will inevitably follow. This won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight, and I am a clear-eyed realist. But I also know that no political change can happen overnight. We have to have a toe-hold there, and we have to expand it and build bridges between our two countries. We don't have to approve of everything they do, and we won't. But if we isolate China, we will embolden the hard-liners and the rejectionists. When American companies go to China, they'll pay a better wage, and they'll give workers more freedom. And when the Chinese people click onto the Internet, there will be no stopping the flow of ideas, and we all know that great political transformations have their seeds in the spread of powerful ideas. If we are truly concerned about the cause of human rights and democracy, we must engage China, not isolate it. Mr. Speaker, today in the People's House we have an opportunity to grant PNTR not for China, but for America. This legislation helps American businesses, American farmers, and American workers, and it will help spread the irresistible American forces of freedom, democracy, peace and stability. To those who would rather hold on to a symbolic annual vote, my response is simple: I cannot in good conscience sacrifice American leadership and American businesses, farmers, and workers on the alter of symbolism. We have the power to make the future more profitable and more secure for all of God's children--and history will not forgive us if we fail to do what's right.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, May 18, I was unable to cast a vote for final passage on H.R. 4205, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2001 and 6 amendments. For rollcall vote No. 202, the Skelton amendment, I would have voted ``yes.'' For rollcall vote No. 203, the Sanchez amendment, I would have voted ``yes.'' For rollcall vote No. 204, the Moakley amendment, I would have voted ``yes.'' For rollcall vote No. 205, the Cox amendment, I would have voted ``yes.'' For rollcall vote No. 206, the Buyer substitute amendment to the Taylor amendment, I would have voted ``no.'' For rollcall vote No. 207, the Taylor amendment, I would have voted ``yes.'' For rollcall vote No. 208, Final Passage of H.R. 4205, I would have voted ``yes.'' Mr. Speaker, on Monday, May 22, I was unable to cast votes for H.R. 3852, the deadline extension for construction of a hydroelectric project in Alabama, S. 1236, the deadline extension for construction of the Arrowrock Dam hydroelectric project in Idaho, and H. Con. Res. 302, concerning a National Moment of Remembrance to Honor Men and Women of the U.S. Who Died in Pursuit of Freedom and Peace. For rollcall vote No. 211, H.R. 3852, I would have voted ``yes.'' For rollcall vote No. 212, S. 1236, I would have voted ``yes.'' For rollcall vote No. 213, H. Con. Res. 302, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time; and to my friend, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling), I join with all my colleagues in thanking him for his service over the many, many years. The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling) and I have some things in common, as he and I both know, but perhaps some of our colleagues who might listen to some of our exchanges in the committee may not believe. The gentleman from Pennsylvania came to Congress in 1974, succeeding his father. I succeeded my father in 1996. My father started in Congress the same year the gentleman from Pennsylvania started. Mr. Speaker, I can remember standing with my dad as he took the oath of office here on the floor, and me holding my hand up as well with my dad knowing one day I wanted to come here and serve as well. The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling) obviously had that same passion early in life and was able to not only come here and do a great job representing his constituents but do a good job on behalf of the children around this country. I rise in strong support of this effort today and would join colleagues on both sides of the aisle in searching for ways in which to make this a reality. In fairness to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Chairman Goodling), there are many on both sides who demagogue this issue at times, and in fairness to him, he has been since my short time in the Congress, he has been an outspoken leader on the committee and has been consistent in all of his language. And I appreciate that. I would hope that as the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Chairman Goodling) moves on to do what I would not necessarily say bigger and better things, because I think we are doing important things here in the Congress, but as he moves on to do more fulfilling things in his life, I would hope that those of us here would take seriously what he is asking us to do today. As we propose tax proposals and other revenue generating in other ways in which to further the prosperity or prolong the prosperity of this great economy, I would hope that we would be mindful of the fact that we have initiatives and programs like this, commitments that this Congress made to States including mine, Tennessee; California; Michigan; Pennsylvania; and New York. I would hope that as we offer proposals before this Congress that we would keep in mind that we have obligations and have commitments. I thank the chairman for his leadership on this issue for many, many years. I look forward to even working with him when he leaves this Chamber in continuing to work on behalf of children.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time, and thank our colleagues for bringing this motion to instruct conferees. Mr. Speaker, as I think about the fate of some of our felons in America, they cannot vote; it is difficult to get a job. I often have those who have paid their dues and served time calling the congressional office back in Tennessee asking for assistance in trying to get a job to support their family. They have a hard time getting a job. Yet they can go right across the bridge from where I live, I am from Memphis, Tennessee, Mr. Speaker; and they can go right across the bridge into Arkansas and even parts of my State to a gun show; and, if they are lucky, if it does not come up quite quick enough that they are a convicted felon, they can buy a gun. Now, we do not allow them to get a job to support their family, but if they get mad enough, we allow them to buy a gun to shoot their family. Cannot vote; cannot get a job. This conference committee has not met since last August. We do a lot of talking in this Chamber about caring for American families and American workers. What worker in America cannot go to work for 7 or 8 months and claim that they are on the job? We claim that we are busy around here. We all know better. We know that we are not accomplishing much legislatively here in this Congress. We have a minimum wage bill languishing in the Senate; we have a Patients' Bill of Rights languishing in conference. Finally those on that conference committee have gotten together. We have seniors clamoring for a seniors drug benefit. What is it we are doing that we are so busy we cannot work on this matter? The States of Massachusetts, Maryland, and New York, all led by Republican governors, have all stared down Charlton Heston. Shame on Charlton Heston for referring to the President as a liar. Shame on Wayne LaPierre for suggesting that the President had blood on his hands for the shooting death of the former basketball coach of Northwestern University. I understand tempers can flair and emotions can rise, and perhaps mine is right now, Mr. Speaker. But I am a member of that generation. I come from that generation that would have to deal with the legacy of laws passed here in this Congress. I applaud the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde) for his reaching out in the earlier part of this debate, and I join my colleagues in hoping that a resolution can be achieved between both sides. But that should not stop this conference committee from doing its work. I close with this. Some on the other side suggested we ought to be focused on gun enforcement as opposed to gun safety. We can do both, and we know that. The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) and Senator Schumer have offered something that will allow us to do that very thing. I thank the chairman. I look forward to working with him. I ask the conference committee on juvenile justice to do the right thing, to come together and meet. I do not know of any worker in America who could not go to work for 8 months and ask for a paycheck.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, next month, very soon, we will unfortunately mark the 1-year anniversary of the tragedy at Columbine High School. Unfortunately, sensible gun control or legislation still languishes here in the Congress. Forty-three percent of households in America with children have guns. Nothing is wrong with that. It would seem to me, though, that those of us in this Congress, in the face of horrors and tragedies around the Nation, would feel compelled to act. In my home State of Tennessee, 95 percent of background checks for those who wish to purchase guns take place within 2 hours. Only 5 percent require additional information from law enforcement authorities. Is it that much of an inconvenience, I say to those Members of the other side and even on my side, those in the National Rifle Association, and those in the gun lobby community? Is it that much to wait to ensure that we are able to cut down on human loss? Is it that much to wait to ensure that children, indeed, would be safer? The conferees in the House and Senate have not met since August. I applaud the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren) for bringing a motion to instruct the conferees to meet. Let the leadership in the House and Senate call the meeting of the Senate conferees. Let us do right by our children.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Judge Joe Brown of Memphis. Judge Brown has served as a distinguished jurist and community leader, and has demonstrated the law to millions of Americans via his television program. He is a nationally recognized figure with a reputation for outspoken and hands-on problem solving with urban youth. He is also well-known for his innovative sentencing policies in addition to leading the re-opening of the case against James Earl Ray in the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A graduate of UCLA, Judge Brown became the first African American prosecutor in Memphis. Currently, he unselfishly spends a large portion of his weekends in the toughest neighborhoods in Memphis, following up on probationers and helping teens stay out of trouble. Judge Brown has displayed exemplary dedication not only to the law, but also to the youth in Memphis and across the nation. His accomplishments have earned him a place among our nation's finest as the newest member of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International. Congratulations to Judge Brown.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge this Congress to take steps towards enacting a comprehensive prescription drug benefit. We have heard from so many of our colleagues why this is important, not only to their constituents, but constituents around the Nation. Since the creation of the polio vaccine almost 50 years ago, the United States has been the engine of worldwide medical advancement. The finest doctors in the world are trained at our medical schools. Our government funds cutting-edge research at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control. American pharmaceutical companies are at the forefront of innovation. American innovation in the prescription drug industry is the envy of the world. They are producing new drugs that will allow people to lead healthier, happier, and longer lives. But in America today, those most in need of those life-sustaining and life-saving drugs frequently find themselves on buses bound for Canada to find affordable prescription drugs. Prescription drugs are an integral part of health care, especially for seniors. But at least 13 million Medicare beneficiaries have no drug coverage at all. Seniors often have to pay three times as much for drugs than those under the age of 65. It is unfair and it is wrong. This is an issue that is critical to the citizens of my District and my State. In 1998, Tennessee led the Nation in prescription drug use, with a per capita consumption of 40 percent above the national average. It is time for a Medicare prescription drug benefit. I urge my colleagues to sign the discharge petition.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox), for his, I believe, genuine concern about women in the work force, particularly African-American women. I would hope that his concern for that population of the work force would extend beyond this bill and he would also look to help provide them relief, as well as all throughout the American family, as we seek to fund dollars for after- school programs and ways to keep guns out of schools and out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. I want to see action on this front, like many of my colleagues do. And I applaud the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller) who has been a stalwart on this issue. But I think it is important to note that, as many of my colleagues have, and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) did so eloquently just a few minutes ago, that as a cosponsor of this bill I did it believing that we would present this with an overall plan, and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt) said it so well also; that we would have a budget on the table and we would have decisions made about how we were going to ensure the solvency of Social Security and Medicare. I say all of this as a member of the younger generation of America, and as one who is 14 weeks away from taking his own marriage vows. I certainly have a personal stake in the outcome of this. But we watch day in and day out on CNN and CNBC as large publicly-traded companies have to update their earnings and have to inform their shareholders that they might not meet the expectations that the company might have set for themselves. We have set some pretty lofty surplus numbers for the Nation over the next 5 to 10 to 15 years. I have a concern, as I am sure all of us, about whether or not we will actually reach those projections. If we do, God bless us; and we will have money to give away, to pay down the debt, and do all the things we believe is in the best interest of the people. I cannot imagine a company in America that would give out end- of-the-year bonuses in January, which is essentially what we are doing. I cannot imagine a family in America sitting around a dinner table and talking about their October and November vacation trips in January based on projections that the company that the husband works for or the wife is going to do far better than they might expect. I support tax cuts, but only after we are able to ensure that we can pay down the debt, secure the long-term solvency of the Social Security and Medicare and do what is right for the American people. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle do the right thing today.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Berry) for all his leadership. I want to take just a personal privilege and thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone). When this bill is eventually signed into law, and we hope it resembles the Norwood-Dingell bill, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) should be standing right next to the President. There has not been a greater stalwart in the House in seeing this passed. I thank the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Berry) and all the others, but the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) has been a great leader. Cynicism abounds about what we do in this Congress and what we do not do. We passed a bill here in the Congress some 100 days or more, so many other colleagues have said, with clear instructions as to where this body stood on this issue, reflecting where the American people, regardless of what their political or party affiliations might be. I was delighted to hear my friend the gentleman from California (Chairman Thomas) say that we ought to adhere to what both the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Ganske) and what the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) have said. I would hope that if some of my colleagues on this side choose to vote ``present'' on this bill, and I have not made my mind up, that they might change their opinion on this and support the Norwood-Dingell bill itself, urge the conferees, the lead Senator on the Senate side, Mr. Frist, and all the others to do what is right on this bill, protect consumers and return medical decision making back to the doctors. We have an opportunity here today, I say to both my friend from Iowa (Mr. Boehner) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), to do right by the people and restore some confidence in this House in our ability to do our job.

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, just to respond briefly to my dear friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), all we want on this side are for meetings to be scheduled, for an opportunity for a consensus to be reached to actually be realized. Sure I would like the compromise or the consensus to look like the Norwood-Dingell, but I am not alone. 250 of my colleagues wanted the same thing, including three out of the five Republicans from my own State, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp), the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Jenkins). Unfortunately I cannot convince either of my Senators, Senators Frist or Thompson, to support it; but hopefully if we can arrange the meetings, we can find a consensus. My other colleague mentioned how this would only affect a small number of people, that we ought to be concerned with the uninsured. There is serious and vast concern on this side of the aisle for the uninsured, but why should we ignore the 160 million plus that this bill would cover? I support State tax relief. That would affect a small number of people. I support the capital gains tax relief. That would affect a small number of people. I support special ed, fully funding at the federal level. That would affect a small number of people. Do not act as if we are unaccustomed in this Congress to passing bills or offering public policy that would not affect everyone in America. We have a chance to do what is right. Schedule the meetings and allow an opportunity or a forum for a consensus to be reached. Do not play games, leadership on the Republican side. Do what is right for the American people.