Martin Frost

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I would inquire the time remaining on each side.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer). (Mr. ROEMER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, if it is about the well-being of children, why have we not seen legislation that promotes the best possible public education we can provide in this rich and affluent Nation of ours? Mr. Speaker, I can only guess that the Republican leadership believes that Democratic opposition to school vouchers is a good campaign issue. But I will state unequivocally that the education of the children of this country is not something that should be used to serve a political agenda. Public education is the cornerstone of this great country of ours, and I stand second to no one in my support and commitment to public education. The congressional Republican leadership can politicize the education of the boys and girls of this country all they want, but Democrats, as well as a good many Republicans, know that public education is good for our children and good for our country. This does not mean, Mr. Speaker, that there are not problems that all of us from the Congress to our Governors, school boards and every parent needs to face squarely, but this proposal does not address any of the problems we find in our public schools. In fact, the National Alliance of Black School Educators has said that this proposal constitutes an abandonment of the real issues that affect quality teaching and learning in the worst of our public schools. If the District of Columbia represents some of the worst of our public schools, then how can this Congress turn its back on its children? I would suggest that instead of using the $7 million for a school voucher program, that it would be far better to use half of that money, as the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) proposes, for reading tutors for the 73 poorest-performing schools in the city. I am not standing here as an apologist for the administration of the school system in this city, but I am standing here as someone who is committed, as are my constituents, to strong and effective public education. I fear that this proposal of the Republican leadership is just a first step in the dismantling of public education. Mr. Speaker, this closed rule is unfair to the people of the District of Columbia because their elected Representative of this body has been precluded from offering an alternative to legislation which affects only them, and this bill is unfair to public education throughout this country. I urge the defeat of the rule and the defeat of the bill Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Republican leadership just does not get it. We do not get better public schools by shifting public money to private and parochial schools; and that is, in the end, what the Republican leadership wants to do. They just want to start this grand social experiment in the District of Columbia and use the bill before us to do it. Mr. Speaker, no one denies that there is a need for vast improvement in the schools of the District. But providing vouchers for 2,000 students just will not get it done. And, Mr. Speaker, to make matters worse, this rule shuts out any debate on this matter. This closed rule prohibits the delegate from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) from offering an amendment to a bill that ostensibly affects only her constituents. This rule is unconscionable and deserves to be defeated. Mr. Speaker, the Republican leadership will use words and phrases like school choice, accountability, object lesson to promote school vouchers. The Republican leadership will say that, first and foremost, school vouchers are about the children. Mr. Speaker, if that is, in fact, the case, why have not we seen legislation to provide schools districts with the funds they need to hire more teachers so that we can reduce class size and more readily promote structure and discipline in the classrooms across this country? (Mr. CONYERS asked and was given permission to speak out of order for 1 minute.) Circumvention Of Committee On The Judiciary's Jurisdiction

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.J. Res. 102, Expressing the Sense of Congress on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Founding of the Modern State of Israel. May 14th will mark the 50th anniversary of its independence. I commend the State of Israel which has rebuilt a nation, forged a new and dynamic society, and created a unique and vital economic, political, cultural and intellectual life. I applaud the relationship held between the United States and Israel. This relationship is one that is based on mutually shared Democratic value, common strategic interests, and moral bonds of friendship and mutual respect. The State of Israel has built a nation in the face of adversity and triumphed in assuming a prosperous democracy in their ancient land. The people of Israel have so much to be proud of, these brave people have battled through a new frontier to create a new and thriving world for their children. While I am delighted and quite proud of this fantastic milestone, I am also filled with promise and hope that both Israel and the Palestinians will one day come to a peaceful agreement allowing all of the people of the Middle East to grow and prosper towards another landmark anniversary celebration.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dee Kelly, from Fort Worth, Texas, who is receiving the Blackstone Award on April 30, 1998, for consistent ability, integrity, and courage as a lawyer. Mr. Kelly grew up in Bonham, Texas, the son of a farmer and a mill worker. He knew as early as high school that he wanted to practice law. He became a friend of Speaker Sam Rayburn, who was his Congressman in Bonham, and spent some time working for the Speaker on Capitol Hill. He completed his bachelors degree at Texas Christian University in Forth Worth, Texas, and studied law at George Washington University at night while he was working for the Speaker. After a few years in Washington, Mr. Kelly returned to Fort Worth to practice law. He began his own firm in 1979, which now has about 80 attorneys in Fort Worth and Austin. Mr. Kelly is not a stranger to awards and honors. He has won countless business and civic awards, including the Horatio Alger Award in 1995. He has been included in the book Best Lawyers in America for seven years in a row. The Blackstone Award is special to him because it is given by his colleagues. In addition to the long hours he maintains at his firm, Kelly, Hart & Hallman, Mr. Kelly serves on several corporate boards and has close ties to his alma mater, Texas Christian University, where the alumni center is named after him. Many civil attorneys never receive the widespread recognition that their colleagues in criminal law receive, but Mr. Kelly is one of the few who has. My fellow colleagues, please join me in recognizing Mr. Dee J. Kelly, a truly outstanding attorney and active member of his community.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule. I oppose it because the Committee on Rules Republicans have combined two major legislative initiatives, and in doing so, have denied the House the opportunity to fully examine, debate, and work its will on these matters. H.R. 10, the Financial Services Modernization Act, and H.R. 1151, the Credit Union Membership Access Act, are probably two of the most important and far-reaching legislative proposals this House will consider this year. H.R. 10, the financial services modernization bill, is very controversial and has been the subject of contentious debate in both the Committee on Banking and Financial Services and the Committee on Commerce for the past 10 years. The other bill, H.R. 1151, was reported last week by voice vote from the Committee on Banking and Financial Services. And so in what seems to be an effort to find votes to pass the former, the Republican leadership has tied the credit union fix to it. Mr. Speaker, this tactic should be rejected. The House should have the opportunity to debate the merits of both financial modernization as well as the credit union fix, but the House should not be forced into using H.R. 1151 as the tail that wags the dog of H.R. 10. Each of these proposals are extremely important in their own right and considering them tied together does a disservice to the House. I urge every Member to reject this rule. Compounding the dilemma we now face, the Republican majority on the Committee on Rules has effectively cut off debate on H.R. 10 and has allowed for the House to consider only five amendments to the financial services modernization portion of the bill. In addition, no amendments were made in order to the credit union provisions. Forty amendments were submitted to the Committee on Rules for our consideration, including 19 amendments by Republican Members and 21 amendments by Democratic Members. Only one Democratic amendment was included in the amendments made in order by the rule. While this amendment will be offered by the ranking Democratic Members of the Committee on Banking and Financial Services and the Committee on Commerce, other amendments offered by those two Members, as well as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, were shut out of the process. These Members proposed important and relevant amendments, and in some case those amendments reflected the action of the committees of jurisdiction which were exorcised from the text of H.R. 10 that is before us today. This action on the part of the Republican majority does nothing to open up the process and allow the House to comprehensively debate the issues surrounding this complex and controversial bill. Mr. Speaker, in the years I have served in Congress, it has never been easy for the House to consider banking legislation. But this rule makes it almost impossible for the House to fully consider the merits of these two major legislative proposals. First, by tying the two bills together the Republican leadership may be sabotaging the passage of the credit union legislation which, if considered on its own, might well pass on the suspension calendar. Second, the Republican leadership has denied many Members the opportunity to offer substantive amendments to the text of the underlying bill. For these two reasons I urge defeat of the rule. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kanjorski).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Vento). (Mr. VENTO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell). (Mr. Dingell asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, the Republican Majority is again bringing to the floor of this House legislation designed to discourage voter registration and participation and our electoral process. H.R. 3582 is but another attack on the rights of thousands of citizens to vote, aimed primarily at our nation's Hispanic citizens. Earlier in this Congress, Republicans targeted Hispanic voters in the 46th Congressional District of California during their outrageous investigation of Loretta Sanchez's victory in 1996. What happened there was simply an effort to deny a Hispanic candidate a legitimately won seat in Congress, while attempting to intimidate lawful citizens and discourage them from voting. But that's not all. The Republicans are also attempting to limit the impact of Hispanics in the political process by setting up a Census procedure that will severely undercount Hispanic and other minority populations. They are promoting a method that by all accounts will prevent an accurate Census count, with Hispanics in particular being harmed by their proposal. Now this troubling trend is continuing with this unwarranted provision of H.R. 3582, a provision which could allow state and local officials to drop thousands of American citizens from the voter rolls, solely on the basis of race or an ``ethnic-sounding'' name. I find it incredible and intolerable that the Republicans would so blatantly go after Hispanic Americans and attempt to deny them their rights at the voting booth. Mr. Speaker, Hispanic Americans are watching, and they understand that they are being targeted by the Republican Majority for discriminatory treatment. It is absolutely critical that we stand up to this attack against Hispanic citizens, and defeat this and other provisions promoted by the Republicans that would erect substantial barriers to voter participation and undermine the right to vote. The priority under our Constitution is on citizens' rights to participate in democratic elections. This proposal undermines that right, and it must be soundly rejected.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in reluctant support of this rule, but I do support H.R. 2589, the Copyright Term Extension Act. H.R. 2589 seeks to provide important protections for American copyright holders in the world marketplace. This legislation will extend the term of copyright protection for works created after January 1, 1978, for life of the author plus 70 years after death, bringing this protection into line with the standard in the European Union. This is an especially important protection for U.S. intellectual property since this parity will ensure that American works will receive copyright protection equal to that received in European countries for European-produced intellectual property. Because European countries are huge markets for U.S. intellectual property, this protection is worth hundreds of millions of dollars for works produced by Americans. Mr. Speaker, this rule allows only for the consideration of any germane amendments to the committee substitute which has been printed in the Congressional Record. There is no reason for the preprinting requirement since the underlying bill is relatively free of controversy, and it is for that reason that I only reluctantly support this rule. However, the rule also provides for consideration of a nongermane amendment by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) by waiving the provisions of clause 5, rule XVI against it. Further, the rule does allow for the consideration of germane amendments to the Sensenbrenner amendment, and it is anticipated that the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) will offer a substitute to the Sensenbrenner amendment. Because these amendments relate to music licensing and not directly to the issue of copyright protection extension, the germaneness waiver is necessary. In order that the House may proceed to consider this important legislation, Members should support this rule. In the future, however, I would hope that open rules might be truly open and not bound by unnecessary preprinting requirements. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the rule, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I rise to remember Jim Howard on the tenth anniversary of his death. Jim Howard was a great American and he was a proud Member of the House of Representatives. He embodied the idea of public service and his love for his country, his state and district, and for this institution is a memory none of us who knew him will ever forget. His dedication to the public good, to the betterment of life for every man, woman and child in this country is a testament to his love for his Nation. Mr. Speaker, today, in some circles, there is disdain for the kind of career legislator that was Jim Howard. He was an inside operator, a man who knew the rules, a man who knew how to get the job done. He fashioned a career from serving his constituents and his country and I, for one, think of his service to the United States as honorable and decent and well worth celebrating. Those who disparage public service should look closely at the record of achievement of a man like Jim Howard. As Chairman of the then Public Works and Transportation Committee, Jim Howard was responsible for creating a coordinated program of highway and mass transit transportation to serve our cities and our rural areas; he was a champion of energy conservation as well as public safety on our nation's highways. He understood the need for expanding and upgrading the nation's airports and air traffic control system, and was a prime mover in the deregulation of the airline industry. His legacy also includes the landmark 1987 Clean Water Act, which was passed by the Congress after a hard-fought, but fairly-won, battle and which became law in spite of a Presidential veto. He was a man who knew what he stood for and fought hard for it. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have known Jim Howard. I appreciate the opportunity to salute him on this anniversary of his passing.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, parents throughout Arlington, Texas, which is in my congressional district, received a scare earlier this month when school inspectors revealed that the floor was near collapse in the north wing of Arlington High School. The school, which was constructed in 1955, had to have classes and students rerouted because of the potential danger. The floor damage was noticed by school inspectors who were preparing for a summer renovation of the building. Recognizing the accelerated rate however, at which the floor was deteriorating, the inspectors recommended closing the north wing and beginning emergency repairs immediately. This incident highlighted what has become a national problem, Mr. Speaker, the deterioration of our nation's schools. Many of our nation's public elementary and secondary schools are in substandard condition and need many repairs due to leaking roofs, plumbing problems, inadequate heating systems or other structural failures. The General Accounting Office (GAO), on behalf of several Members, recently performed a comprehensive survey of the nation's elementary and secondary school facilities, and found severe levels of disrepair in all areas of the country. The GAO contacted 10,000 of the nation's 80,000 public schools, and conducted site visits to schools around the country. According to the GAO's report, of the over 6,000 elementary and secondary schools in Texas, 76% percent of them reported a need for necessary upgrades or repairs. Currently, more than 14 million children attend schools in need of extensive repair or replacement, and nearly one-third of our public schools were built prior to the beginning of World War II in 1939. If we want to prepare our children to succeed in an economy where technical skills are increasingly important, we need modern schools, meaning everything from updated science laboratories to computers in classrooms. That same GAO report found that nearly 60 percent of all schools have at least one major building feature in disrepair, such as leaky roofs or crumbling walls. These schools are distributed throughout our communities, with 38 percent of urban schools, 30 percent of rural schools and 29 percent of suburban schools needing repairs. More than half of the schools reported deteriorating environmental conditions, such as poor ventilation, hearing or lighting problems, as well as poor physical security. And 46% of our schools lack even the basic electrical wiring necessary to support computers, modems and other modern communications technology. As well, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), in their 1998 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, gave America's schools an F, based on the urgent need for repairs. Schools were the only infrastructure category to receive a failing grade. ASCE has determined that it will cost about $12 billion to repair, renovate and modernize our schools. Of this amount, approximately $5 billion is needed to fix or remove hazardous substances such as asbestos, lead and radon. Another $60 billion in new construction is needed to accommodate the 3 million new students expected in the next decade. Total annual construction and renovation spending since 1991 has remained between $10 and $12 billion for K-12 schools. In order to address this serious problem, the President has proposed, and I support, a bill to establish and expand tax incentives to help states and local school districts address the need for school modernization. This bill would help states and local schools districts pay for the cost of modernizing and building more than 5,000 schools by creating new School Modernization Bonds. Under the bill, these zero-interest bonds would be available for the construction and renovation of pubic school facilities. The Department of the Treasury would allocate the rights to offer these special 15- year bonds to States that have submitted school construction plans to the Secretary of Education. The federal government would subsidize a total of $9.7 billion per year of these bonds in the years 1999 and 2000. Texas would receive $1.6 billion of this new bond authority. The federal government would pay the interest on the School Modernization Bonds through an annual tax credit to the holder. These credits are allocated to the states, which will determine how to divide the credits. The bonds can be issued by any state or local government, but they are still required to pay the principal. Mr. Speaker, forty-two national groups, including the National Parent Teacher Association and the National School Boards Association support this bill, and support repairing our nation's schools. The students at Arlington High School will have their school repaired this summer thanks to the community. Congress, by passing a school modernization bill, can ensure that all of our neighborhood schools are given that same helping hand.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. House Resolution 382 is an open rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 992, the Tucker Act Shuffle Relief Act. The rule allows for the consideration of all germane amendments and accords priority recognition to those Members who have preprinted their amendments in the Congressional Record. Mr. Speaker, it is especially important that H.R. 992 be considered under an open rule because it was a matter of some controversy during its consideration in the Committee on the Judiciary. It was reported on a vote of 17 to 13, and eight Democratic members signed dissenting views in the committee report. H.R. 992 seeks to simplify the resolution of disputes between landowners whose property has been subject to a government taking and the Federal Government by allowing such suits to be heard in either the U.S. district court or the U.S. court of Federal claims. Under current law, the 1887 Tucker Act, a landowner must go to the court of Federal claims in order to sue for financial award or to a U.S. district court to challenge the validity of the agency action that resulted in the taking. Opponents of this bill make the claim that this legislation simplifies and expedites the process for landowners who seek to challenge the takings of their property. However, the legislation is opposed by the United States Judicial Conference, as well as a wide array of environmental groups, because of the controversy. I support the open rule. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the rule, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 1670.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the tremendous bravery shown by Dawson High School students earlier this year. These students, whose high school is in my district, have displayed an incredible example of courage in the face of danger and given all of us a fascinating story of courage and bravery. Mr. Speaker, on January 6th of this year, students from Dawson High School arose and planned their day as usual. As they waited in their neighborhoods for the school bus, they had no way of knowing about the dangers that awaited them. Because there has been heavy rains in Dawson the previous week, many of the roads were flooded. The school bus that the Dawson students were on, got caught in one of those flooded roads and was swept off into a ditch towards the flooded creek. Mr. Speaker, this would have been a tragic situation, if it had not been for the quick thinking of the older students on the bus. They took the initiative to check for anyone who was hurt, and then they moved all 40 students to the right side of the bus in order to keep it from flipping over. The students who put their fear aside and acted so bravely were: Shelley Wheat, Jessica Hall, Misty Rounsavall, Jeremy Rounsavall, Jasm McCury, Keith Becker, James Stults, Sarah Urrutia, Kevin Ivie, Dorinda Golden, April Dooley, Jennifer Wren, Mandy Houk, Niki Dooley, Krysty Copeland and Sharlaina Hooley. Mr. Speaker, it's hard to overestimate the fear I think anyone would feel faced with a situation such as this. I know I join the people of Dawson in thanking these young heroes and heroines for their courage and their inspiration.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.