Wayne Gilchrest

Mr. GILCHREST

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

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment to section 107, to the section on the crime prevention plan that local housing and management authorities must have to be approved by the Secretary of HUD. The language in my amendment is needed to make sure that the local housing authorities can keep their properties safe and crime-free by invoking local criminal trespass laws. Without this amendment, local housing authorities risk lawsuits from disgruntled evicted criminal tenants, and the entire public housing community is put at risk. In my district, there is a situation where a Federal judge issued a consent decree as part of a settlement in a lawsuit of former tenants against a local public housing authority. Aided by Legal Aid and the ACLU, the former tenants obtained a settlement that states the housing authority cannot ban evicted tenants or other troublesome visitors from returning to the public housing unless required to do so by HUD. HUD has taken no action. Since 1993, the judge's decree and HUD's inaction leave the authority unable to assure a safe, secure community. Mr. Chairman, other housing authorities use notice of trespass with success in keeping evicted tenants and known drug criminals out of public housing, but because HUD is silent, St. Michael's Housing Authority in my district cannot use local trespass laws to provide a safe environment for all other law-abiding, lease-abiding tenants. Mr. Chairman, the bill before us this evening brings historic reforms that will strengthen the management of local housing authorities and give public housing residents more incentives to take care of their communities. Does it not seem reasonable, then, that to carry out HUD's ``one strike and your out policy,'' local housing and management authorities must use local trespass laws to keep out those evicted tenants who have struck out? The Federal judge's ruling in this settlement weakens the ability of St. Michael's Housing Authority to keep evicted tenants and other criminals out. I am told that other housing directors have used such notice and credit it with eliminating drug problems. The situation described is unfortunate and another example of why reforms of HUD's management of public housing are needed. By adopting this amendment we will make sure housing authorities have the tools they need to keep out evicted tenants. The intent of the public housing reforms is to help assure safe communities, and in keeping with this intent, HUD should require housing authorities to do their best to assure that those persons who are ineligible for public housing do not return to disrupt public housing communities. Let's finish the job by allowing authorities to keep out evicted tenants. I urge my colleagues to adopt the amendment. Mr. Chairman, one example of what happens in this particular housing development as a result of this court ruling and this court decree, in order to get an evicted tenant evicted from the premises of this particular housing project, a tenant, not the housing manager or housing authority, a tenant must write a letter to the person that was evicted that is now trespassing. Can my colleagues imagine a 70-year-old woman writing a letter to someone that was evicted because of drug abuse that is now back on the property before any action is taken? Mr. Chairman, I strongly urge adoption of this amendment.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman.

Mr. GILCHREST

Mr. GILCHREST. Yes. To the power that I have and the gentleman has, we will directly communicate that with the Architect of the Capitol. I would say to the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Oberstar], he and I wield considerable power around here.

Mr. GILCHREST. I yield to the gentlewoman from Colorado.

Mr. GILCHREST. Reclaiming my time, I said it is not on the Capitol Grounds proper. In other words, when we say the Capitol Grounds, people right away think it is going to be right in front of the west side or the east side of the Capitol. It is, properly spoken, Capitol Grounds, but we could not see this display from the Capitol. We would have to walk across the street to the other side of the U.S. Senate office buildings before we could see the display. So I wanted to make a distinction. It is not right here on the east front or the west front of the U.S. Capitol. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California [Mr. Cunningham].

Mr. GILCHREST. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, one other quick comment. We do have, and I know this is not on the Capitol Grounds but it is on The Mall, we have the Air and Space Museum that sort of in some indirect way, I guess, promotes air travel and specific airlines. We have the American History Museum. I really do not want to get into a semantic argument here, but I do think we have come up with a fairly consensus bill on both sides of the aisles. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Walker].

Mr. GILCHREST. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania. I might say that I think maybe the largest spectator sport is little league baseball, or maybe it might be a close second there. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that only U.S. manufactured vehicles and U.S. manufactured parts will be a part of this display.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 150, as amended, a resolution authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for a specialty motor vehicle and equipment event. This resolution authorizes the Special Equipment Marketing Association to conduct a public event on the Capitol Grounds displaying racing, restored, and customized motor vehicles and trucks. The event will be part of an American picnic on the Capitol Grounds celebrating 100 years of the introduction of the automobile. Motor sports is a large spectator sports in American drawing millions of fans every year to events. The specialty equipment industry, which manufacturers many of the products used in racing vehicles, employs 500,000 Americans and generates $15 billion in revenue. The bill specifies May 16, 1996, as the date on which the event would occur. It would not detract from the ceremony which will honor our peace officers, which event is now occurring on the 15th of May, and honoring these peace officers who have died in the line of duty will not be interfered with at all. Mr. Speaker, the event is to be free of charge, and the Architect and Capitol Police Board are to specify conditions for the event so as not to interfere with the needs of Congress. The sponsor is to assume full responsibility for all expenses and liabilities associated with the event. The resolution authorizes the sponsor to display racing, restored, and customized motor vehicles and trucks in the condition in which they currently appear. This will allow these special vehicles to be displayed in their original or unaltered state. Many of these vehicles display decals or stickers promoting commercial sponsors. This amendment would permit these vehicles to be displayed without alteration. Subject to the approval of the Architect, the sponsor may erect stage, sound amplification devices, tents or other structures necessary for the event. The sponsor, including its members, may not represent that the resolution nor any activities carried out under it constitutes approval or endorsement by the Federal Government of the sponsor, its members, or any product or services offered by the sponsor or its members. Finally, the resolution provides that the event may be conducted only after the Architect and the Capitol Police Board enter into an agreement with the sponsor and the owners and manufacturers of vehicles to be displayed that prohibits the use of photos taken at the event for commercial purposes. Finally, penalties would be imposed for those violations. This resolution has the support of the resolution's sponsor, the sponsor of the event. I would like to thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for their assistance in crafting compromise language so this event may go forward. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 150) authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for an event sponsored by the Specialty Equipment Market Association, as amended.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I share many of the sentiments of the gentleman from Minnesota in his concerns about commercializing the Capitol Grounds and also I share the concerns of the gentlewoman from Colorado for the same reason. This will not specifically be on the Capitol Grounds. It is across the street and to the rear of the Senate office buildings, so we will not see any motor vehicles right here directly on the Capitol Grounds. I would also like to reemphasize two areas that the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Oberstar] emphasized, as far as these motor vehicles will not be able to use this particular display for profit or for commercializing any of their products. It is the 100-year anniversary of the automobile in the United States, and I know we have troubles through the years as far as gas taxes are concerned, gas crises are concerned, environmental issues are concerned. It is not my intent nor is it the intent of this committee to demean the Capitol Grounds in any way, shape or form by sponsoring motor vehicles and expending more gasoline products. That is exactly the opposite of what we are trying to do. What we are trying to do is to come up with some consensus language on both sides of the aisle so we can have some understanding how to put forth a display which will be off the Capitol Grounds, on property owned by the U.S. Capitol but not on the Capitol Grounds proper, so we can have some sense of history. As a former school teacher, I know that when I have brought students here for many, many years, the students found many fascinating things about Washington, DC, and we could always associate something, some type of display, whether it was on the Mall or up here dealing with the issue of democracy and the issue of debate. We are now engaged in a debate whether or not this is a proper use of the Capitol Grounds. It is my judgment, after consultation with the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Oberstar] and the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Traficant], that we have realized some of these issues and that we will go forward with this event ensuring, with the legislation's specific language, that none of the uses of these motor vehicles, which are all U.S.- manufactured motor vehicles, can be used in any way for the advancement of any particular product.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, if the gentlewoman will continue to yield, what a number of us have been talking about over the past week is the issue of raising a specific criteria, there ought to be some type of specific or some flexible specific criteria that people can agree on for the type of activities that will go on on the Capitol Grounds.

Mr. GILCHREST. It is in the early stages of discussion. We have not had any hearings on it. I think it would be a good idea, whether or not we have hearings on it, at which time, if we did have hearings, we could certainly bring in Members to give their perspective on it.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, it is my understanding that since the Architect of the Capitol issues the permit, we would communicate to him that no foreign manufactured vehicle can be on display.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield further, that is correct. It showcases the American automobile over the last 100 years, showcases racing. The gentleman is correct when he says there are no foreign manufactured products in NASCAR racing. The display goes from 12 noon to 3 p.m. It is not a real long period of time. It is a very short period of time to display the history of racing in the United States.

Mr. GILCHREST. It is completely picked up by the association, not by the U.S. Congress and not by the taxpayers.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Chrysler].

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

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell the gentlewoman, I think there are a lot of people that share her concerns about commercializing the Capitol Grounds and trivializing the Capitol Grounds. This is the Nations's Capitol, which has a great and grand history of legislating for the Nation's good. So I will tell the gentlewoman that in the future, as these things usually come through the subcommittee of which I am chairman, that we will ensure that Members on both sides of the aisle receive this kind of information and notice well in advance. Now, there was information about this for the past several months. I realize we are all very busy with a variety of things and do not pick up on all of the activities that are occurring, but certainly I will assure both sides of the aisle that whenever events like this are coming up, I will do my level best, and I know the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Oberstar] and the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Traficant] will help with this, as well as other members of the committee, to make sure the body as a whole realizes these things are coming up and they can be prepared for them.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. GILCHREST

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on House Concurrent Resolution 150.