Virginia Foxx

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 4674, offered by the distinguished gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore), would designate the Post Office Building in Olathe, Kansas, as the ``Governor John Anderson, Jr. Post Office building''. John Anderson was born near Olathe, Kansas, in 1917. He earned his undergraduate degree from Kansas State University and from there went on to receive his law degree from the University of Kansas in 1944. After serving on the staff of U.S. District Court Judge Walter Huxman for 2 years, John Anderson was successful in running for the position of Johnson County Attorney, a capacity in which he served for 6 years. He was a Member of the Kansas State Senate from 1953 to 1956 and was appointed Kansas Attorney General serving in 1956. In 1960, John Anderson was elected Governor of the State of Kansas and worked tirelessly to revise the State's pardon and parole systems, to create a combined State medical and psychiatric hospital, and to restructure the State's public school system into unified districts. The hard work and dedication of Governor John Anderson, one of Kansas's most important leaders, should not go unnoticed. I urge all Members to come together and honor a man who strived to achieve excellence in government by passing H.R. 4675. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 4674, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4674) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 110 North Chestnut Street in Olathe, Kansas, as the ``Governor John Anderson, Jr. Post Office Building''.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers at this time. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4995) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 7 Columbus Avenue in Tuckahoe, New York, as the ``Ronald Bucca Post Office''.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 4995, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 4811. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers at this point. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4811) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 215 West Industrial Park Road in Harrison, Arkansas, as the ``John Paul Hammerschmidt Post Office Building''.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller).

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 5107, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5107) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1400 West Jordan Street in Pensacola, Florida, as the ``Earl D. Hutto Post Office Building''.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks, and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5107, offered by the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller), would designate the post office building in Pensacola, Florida, as the ``Earl D. Hutto Post Office Building.'' All Members of the Florida delegation have cosponsored this delegation. Earl Hutto was born near Midland City, Alabama, and was educated in the public schools, graduating from Dale County High School in Ozark, Alabama. He served in the U.S. Navy as a seaman first class aboard heavy cruiser USS Bremerton. After graduating with degrees in business, English, and education in 1949, he went on to teach business at Cottonwood High School in Alabama for 2 years. Later in his professional life, Hutto became the program director, sports director and announcer for WDIG in Dothan, Alabama, for 3 years. As his television career developed, he relocated to the State of Florida and became the sports director and State news editor of WJHG-TV in Panama City, Florida. In 1972, he was elected to the Florida house of representatives where he served three terms. In 1978, he was elected to the U.S. Congress and served eight terms until his retirement in 1995. His dedication to Florida politics earned him such awards as Legislator of the Year by the Florida Association of Retarded Citizens, Legislator of the Year by the Florida Community College Association, and was named Watchdog of the Treasury for six straight Congresses. I urge all Members to pay homage to a legislator who was truly dedicated to working for his constituents in every way by passing H.R. 5107. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 4101, and yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4101, offered by the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Bishop), would designate the post office building in Patchogue, New York, as the ``Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy Post Office Building.'' Lt. Michael P. Murphy was a true hero in every sense of the word. At the age of 29, Lieutenant Murphy and three of his Navy SEAL comrades were killed during an ambush by Taliban insurgents while serving our country in Afghanistan. Lieutenant Murphy will not be forgotten, as he was universally loved and admired. In fact, his Navy SEAL commanding officer remembers him as being ``a very focused young man with a terrific attitude, quiet intensity and determination.'' Lieutenant Murphy graduated from Penn State University; and after his military service, he planned to attend law school and was engaged to be married. He truly enjoyed life. As his father recalls, ``He squeezed more life in 29 years than I will ever see.'' I ask all Members to come together and honor this brave young man for his service to this country. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4101) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 170 East Main Street in Patchogue, New York, as the ``LT Michael P. Murphy Post Office Building''.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, House Democrats sure do like to stand on this floor and complain about energy costs, but when push comes to shove, they refuse to do anything about it. In fact, since President Clinton vetoed legislation to open ANWR to drilling in 1995, House Democrats have taken a page out of his book by voting no to energy solutions time and time again. While House Republicans have proven our commitment to lowering the cost of fuel, House Democrats have opposed many measures to increase the supply of American energy. A large number of Democrats voted against legislation expanding clean nuclear energy supplies. Democrats voted against legislation that would encourage refinery expansion. They voted against legislation that would ban price gouging, and many voted against legislation that would promote greater conservation. I cannot for the life of me understand why the Democrats continue to complain about energy when they continue to vote ``no'' on every responsible proposal that would help us produce more American energy at affordable prices. Voting ``no'' is not a sound energy policy.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take Mr. Burton's time.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. English).

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I am a member of several caucuses here in the House. I am very proud to be so. But none of those caucuses, I think, are more important than the Congressional Constitution Caucus. All of us when we came here took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States. It is one of the greatest documents ever written, and one that has guided this country and stood us in good stead over the time that we have been a country. The Congressional Constitution Caucus has a statement of its belief: We ``will be an effective forum to ensure that the Federal Government is operating under the intent of the 10th amendment of our Bill of Rights.'' Those of us on the Congressional Constitution Caucus are very much concerned about the overreaching of the Federal Government. I have spoken on this issue before, but I think it is important that we continue to highlight it for the American people. And I want to read the 10th amendment: ``The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.'' These historic words penned by our Founding Fathers, some of the most ingenious political minds this world has ever known, set forth an important principle. The Federal Government may exercise its specific powers listed in the Constitution, and the States and the people may exercise all remaining powers. Unfortunately, as the authors of the Constitution have long since passed, so, too, have many of their foundations for our system of government. Between an ever-expanding Federal bureaucracy that for decades has crept into many facets of traditionally locally controlled government to a Federal judiciary that time and time again completely ignores the intent of the 10th amendment, the Federal Government has become wildly inefficient and is hemorrhaging tax dollars. Our caucus will point out that not only is State and local control over programs in line with the Constitution, it is a much more cost- effective and efficient way to provide many domestic services to American citizens. It is imperative that we highlight the need to return to a system intended under the reserve clause of the Constitution. And I want to point out several bills that have been introduced in this session that are initiatives we hope that will move us forward in this regard. The first one is the Sunset Commission legislation. Congressman Kevin Brady has introduced two bills, both of which would establish a Sunset Commission to review the continued need for executive branch agencies and programs on a regular basis and make recommendations to the President to rein in the inevitable mission creep. Federal consent decree legislation, H.R. 1229. Congressman Roy Blunt has introduced this legislation, the Federal Consent Decree Fairness Act, that would level the playing field for State and local governments faced with activist Federal judges that are legislating from the bench. Federal consent decrees can be an effective judicial tool, but too often activist judges use them to lock in policy changes long after the State or local official that agreed to the decree has left office. H.R. 1229 would make it easier for State and local governments to amend such decrees. Local control of education. Congressman John Culberson has introduced legislation that would restore State sovereignty over public elementary and secondary education in H.R. 3449. The bill would require that a State specifically authorize operation of any Federal education program for which it accepts Federal funds, waiving the State's rights to act inconsistently with any strings attached to that Federal funding. I am proud to be a cosponsor on all three pieces of this legislation, and in the next few weeks the Congressional Constitution Caucus is going to call attention not only to these bills, but others that we are bringing to the attention of the leadership and the American people to get us back into compliance with the Constitution.