Wayne Gilchrest

Mr. GILCHREST

Mr. GILCHREST. I thank the gentleman for yielding, Mr. Chairman. One quick example. There was a defense contractor in my district that made harnesses for F-14 jets. They shut down, 200 jobs out. Leveraging EDA loans we created a high-technology center which now employs about 200 people that does the same kind of thing in the private sector.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. I would like to ask the body this question: Are there any areas in their districts that are depressed? Is there any section of their district that they would consider in poverty; in need of jobs? If the answer is ``yes,'' then I would like them to find an answer to the following question: What is the Federal Government's role in economic development? I want to give my colleagues three ideas about the Federal Government's role in economic development and include in that a vastly reformed Economic Development Administration where there is no pork. No. 1, the Federal Government's role is to create an environment conducive for economic productivity in the private sector. We would agree with that. No. 2, the Federal Government should enhance the competitive nature of the market economy. Nobody would deny that. And No. 3, our role in that mix is to act as a team player with the community, with superintendents of schools, for example, to create a job base. EDA ensures a market economy. Vote against the amendment.

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

Mr. GILCHREST

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. Mr. Chairman, I would say something about the GAO report. They themselves have concluded that the standards they set for EDA were impossible to meet because no other Federal agency or department in the Federal Government could meet those standards. Can poor communities, poor families build industrial parks? The answer to that is no. We target these resources not only to closed bases, but we target these resources to defense contractors that have left communities. Almost all the increase in these dollars over the past few years have gone to defense adjustment assistance programs where communities need these monies. We vote to cut defense, we vote to close bases. We as a Federal Government should be a part of the team that helps enhance job creation. I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment.

Mr. GILCHREST

Mr. GILCHREST. Madam Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Madam Chairman, I think to a large extent the debate has covered most of the material on why it is important to change the welfare system as we know it today. I do not think there is one person in this Congress that would say the welfare system is working. It has perpetuated the paralysis of poverty far too long. There are some minor disagreements about how we ought to move forward. But at least we as a Congress want to move forward to make a fair assessment, to provide a program so that people have a sense of opportunity for the wonders that this Nation has to offer. This program that the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Shaw] is offering before this Congress does some amazing things. He discovers, in my judgment, the mystery of human initiative, and that is a sense of responsibility and a sense of dignity for all Americans. This is a fair bill, it is fundamentally sound. It will offer opportunity for individuals, whether they are on welfare now or may be on welfare in the future. Madam Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote for Mr. Shaw's bill.

Mr. GILCHREST

Mr. GILCHREST. I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, I am not going to stand here and take up a minute to tell people on the floor how to vote. I think and I hope earnestly that this debate will result in a positive picture for the values of all Americans. But what I want to do is quote from two historical figures to show that none of us, none of us, have all the right answers to all the questions. The first one is a figure that changed Catholicism and evolved it into the Protestant movement, Martin Luther, in which he said, ``We are all weak and ignorant creatures trying to probe and understand the incomprehensible majesty of the unfathomable light of the wonder of God.'' He was saying each of us do not have all the answers. The second historical figure gave a sermon on the side of a mountain. He said, and I cannot repeat all of that sermon because there is not enough time, but I encourage people in the room and my colleagues to read the Sermon on the Mount and especially chapter 7 in Matthew which starts off, ``Judge not lest ye be judged.''

Mr. GILCHREST

Mr. GILCHREST. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House be considered to have agreed to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 198), authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the first annual Congressional Family Picnic.

Mr. GILCHREST

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, what I want to do, very quickly, is to draw attention to this painting again, this faceless bureaucrat, and put a name and a face to it, and it would be me as a schoolteacher, Mr. Gilchrest, who realizes that parents should be involved in every stage of their children's lives, no matter what it is. I encourage Members to vote for the Obey substitute because he reemphasizes the fact that we should involve parents in the situation. As a schoolteacher, I often talked to parents that were very concerned about their children. I also talked to parents where the mother had a live-in boyfriend and she did not care about anything that her child did. I also talked to parents where the father was a drug addict and the mother was an alcoholic and they did not care about their children. I also talked to parents where the father sexually molested his children and abused and beat their mother. There are times, Mr. Chairman, when the school official, which was me in many instances, for years came to the child's aid and counseled them as a substitute parent. So we need all of this. We need parental guidance, love, compassion, discipline, all of that. I encourage the Obey amendment.

Mr. GILCHREST

Mr. GILCHREST. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. GILCHREST. I thank the gentleman.

Mr. GILCHREST. I thank the chairman for yielding me time. Mr. Chairman, I rise to engage in a colloquy with the gentleman from California [Mr. Lewis]. As the chairman knows, my concern is for the construction funding for Perry Point VA Medical Center in Maryland. It has been quite exemplary in treating some of our tragic victims of war. Many of them, as a result of the conflicts they have experienced, have come down with very serious psychiatric problems. The facility was made up of buildings that were designed and constructed during the 1930's and 1940's. Many of these buildings have received little renovation since then. This much-needed construction will address concerns of appearance, quality and efficiency, while meeting serious handicap accessibility standards, patient privacy standards, and replacing these aging utilities. More importantly, there are current fire and safety deficiencies that will be corrected as a result of this project. Unfortunately, funds for this project are not included in the bill before us, despite its being a longstanding priority. These funds are needed for renovation of psychiatric wards that care for some of the most vulnerable veterans in our society, some who suffer from dementia-related illnesses. It is my understanding that the omission of Perry Point as a major construction project has nothing to do with the merit of the project, and it would be my hope that the chairman might give this project further consideration now and before the conference.

Mr. GILCHREST

Mr. GILCHREST. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time. Mr. Chairman, I would like to make sure that I am not here defending any special interest environmental group who may or may not he against all logging or against salvage logging. But I am here as a result of trying to make some sense out of a very complicated issue, logging on our Nation's forests. It is my understanding that in 1987 there were 11.3 billion board feet harvested off of America's national forests. In 1994 that dropped to 3.4 billion board feet. Perhaps in 1987, 11.3 billion board feet was too much. In 1994, as a result of the forest health problems that we are seeing, the 3.4 billion was not enough. As a result of that, we see some pretty severe problems in our Nation's forests. What I would like to say, though, which is my problem with the timber salvage sale, is that I realize we have to get the dead and dying trees out, we have to get the insect-ridden trees out, and we have to create a management scheme that is going to make sure that we manage our national forests so that they can recycle themselves and we can get the wood for America, people can have jobs, and we can still have a suitable environmental condition so that our forests will be sustainable for the future. But the crux of this legislation, the timber salvage legislation, included in it a requirement from Congress that you can virtually eliminate some of those safeguards and best management practices for a healthy forest as far as environmental conditions are concerned. It was said earlier by the gentleman that the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Interior have some discretion about how to manage these things, but let me read from a directive. Here is what a Federal court said about the amount of discretion that both of those Secretaries have: The Kentucky court noted that sales were exempt from all Federal environmental and natural resource laws, something Congress unquestionably has the power to do. And then the court went on to say: As Congress is the fountainhead for all environmental and natural resource laws, it clearly has the power to create blanket exemptions from those same laws. Although the wisdom of such exemptions might be debated, the authority to exempt is incontrovertible. That sends a powerful message to the Secretaries of both of those departments to pull back from more suitable, manageable environmental procedures. I know we have to take those logs out of those forests and we better do it as fast as we possibly can, but we do not want to do it at the damage of other habitat concerns, other environmental concerns, stream concerns, spawning areas for fish. What about other people in those areas and the way they make their living?

Mr. GILCHREST. If I could reclaim my time, when this is evaluated that statement sounds pretty promising, but when it is evaluated as far as the interpretation of the courts is concerned, the ramifications of that are not the same from your interpretation of the language to the court's interpretation of the language.

Mr. GILCHREST. I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I think, just from my judgment, we have managed the National Forest Service over the years in a way that certainly needs improvement. We all know that there are extreme environmentalists out there certainly that do not want any logging in any national forest. I certainly am not for that. What we need is some commonsense, reasonable management practices injected into the whole process. I urge support for the gentlewoman's amendment.

Mr. GILCHREST. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. GILCHREST

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 172) authorizing the 1996 Summer Olympic Torch Relay to be run through the Capitol Grounds, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, and concur in the Senate amendment.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, we would like to expedite this bill. There is only a minor change between what we did in the House and what they did in the Senate. The torch is going to move on. It will not spend the night here so the Senate bill did not reflect the House bill in that way. So we would like to expedite the process and agree with the Senate version of the bill.

Mr. GILCHREST

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3186 is a bill to designate the Federal building in Overland, MO, as the ``Sammy L. Davis Federal Building.'' Sammy Davis is a citizen who distinguished himself in the face of mortal danger. In November 1967, while stationed in Cai Lay, Vietnam, as a cannoneer with the 9th Infantry Division, then Private First Class Davis participated in a fierce ground attack. He personally directed fire at enemy positions with a machinegun, to allow cover for his guncrew to position artillery for direct fire. When his comrades were killed manning this artillery piece, Private First Class Davis took up a position on the howitzer and fired at point blank range into enemy positions. After being injured by a mortar attack, he then rescued his wounded comrades who were trapped across a river, by floating an air mattress to the banks of the far side and pulled three men to safety. He continued his efforts despite wounds suffered during this attack, and joined another howitzer crew and fired upon enemy positions until that force broke contact and fled. His efforts and valor resulted in his receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor. Mr. Davis is currently retired, due to disability. The building being named in honor of Mr. Davis is the U.S. Army Publications Distribution Center, which serves as the center for distribution of technical and supply publications, recruiting materials, forms and testing material, and classified and accountable publications. Mr. Speaker, young Mr. Davis, with his faith, had the courage to do what he did, and because of his courage he gives us renewed hope on a fairly regular basis that the dedication to this country is always worth it. Mr. Speaker, I support this bill and urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3186) to designate the Federal building located at 1655 Woodson Road in Overland, MO, as the ``Sammy L. Davis Federal Building.''

Mr. GILCHREST

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 172 authorizes the use of the Capitol Grounds for the running of the Olympic torch in conjunction with the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, GA. This torch relay is expected to take place on June 20, and while the resolution allows the torch to be kept on the Grounds overnight, the torch will not be kept there. The torch will continue its journey onward to Atlanta. There are safeguards contained in the resolution to prohibit any advertising in connection with the torch relay, and the event will be open to the public and be free of charge. The sponsors of the event will be responsible for any costs and liabilities for this event. I thank the Speaker of the House, the Honorable Newt Gingrich, for sponsoring this resolution, and I am sure I speak for all of my colleagues in wishing the city of Atlanta a most successful olympic event. I support this resolution and I urge my colleagues to support the measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Mascara] for supporting this legislation. I think it is a worthy undertaking, and I look forward to the event in the next couple of weeks. I also want to thank the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Oberstar], for his effort in this endeavor.

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

Mr. GILCHREST

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 153) authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 153 would authorize the use of the Capitol Grounds for the annual running of the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby. This event is scheduled for July 13, and again will be held on Constitution Avenue. This resolution provides for the Architect of the Capitol, the Capitol Police Board, and the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby Association to negotiate the necessary arrangements in compliance with rules and regulations governing the use of the Capitol Grounds. The event will be open to the public and be free of charge. This year marks the 55th year of the running of the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby. Participants range in age from 9 to 16. Winners from this event will compete in the national event to be held in Akron, OH, later this summer. Participants must design and build their race cars, providing young people with an opportunity to gain valuable skills in aerodynamics and engineering. The event promotes teamwork, a sense of accomplishment, sportsmanship, and provides an opportunity for parents and children to work together for a special challenge. I am pleased that our colleagues from Virginia Mr. Wolf, Mr. Davis, and Mr. Moran, cosponsored this resolution, along with Members from Maryland, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Wynn, and Mrs. Morella, and the gentlelady from the District, Ms. Norton. I note that my colleague, Mr. Hoyer, has been a long time supporter of this annual event. I support this resolution and urge my colleagues to support the measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.