Kay Granger

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill. This legislation includes substantial increases for many important health, education, and job training programs. I also want to commend the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Porter) for the work he has done. I want to especially thank him for his commitment to increased funding for the National Institutes of Health. I am proud to be a member of the Committee on Appropriations and a Congress that have made quality health care a priority. From 1995 to 2001, Republicans have increased NIH funding by an average of 11 percent per year, 15 percent per year in the last 3 years. I am also pleased to say we have provided a 33 percent increase in the amount of awards. This funding boosts hope and opportunity for patients across this Nation. With this money, we will continue to lead the world in our quest for cures for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases that wreck families and cause loss of quality of life for our citizens. Mr. Chairman, as a woman, a mother, and a member of the Committee on Appropriations, I am pleased to be a part of this historic NIH increase. I think this is an important day for patients and, also, quality of care.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an honored tradition in the Great State of Texas and in Texas' Twelfth District-- the Annual Chisholm Trail Round-Up. This is the twenty-fourth year for the Round-up which will take place on Friday, June 16, 2000. This classic festival gives folks the opportunity to ``Saddle Up,'' ``Ride on the Old Chisholm Trail,'' and celebrate the western heritage of the City of Fort Worth. Folks bring their own horses, authentic western wear, and zeal for the Old West festivities. This year's theme, ``Salute to the Fort,'' will recognize the U.S. Military and its veterans and will feature the biggest red, white, and blue parade in history. This year promises to be the biggest and best Round-Up ever. From the Big Ball in Cowtown Gala to the traditional Chisholm Trail ride, Fort Worth will be alive with western culture. In addition to great food, there will be great entertainment with Nashville recording artists and the finest Texas music entertainers. The event will also include Old Western Heritage re-enactment groups that celebrate how life used to be in Fort Worth. The Chisholm Trail Round-Up is the biggest event of the summer in Fort Worth. Everyone joins in to continue the tradition and celebrate our western heritage and culture. The Annual Chisholm Trail Round-Up is a wonderful way to unite the community in the rich heritage which ties us all together. I salute this historic event and all the people who give their time and energy to make this event successful.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to the DeFazio amendment. The F-22 is essential to providing U.S. air superiority in future conflicts. Testing and development is ongoing, and the program continues to meet or exceed design goals for this stage of its development. Since World War II, not one of our U.S. land forces has been killed by an enemy tactical fighter. And as our recent history clearly demonstrates, U.S. and NATO policy places an ever greater reliance on U.S. air superiority as a means to reduce casualties and project U.S. power. Unfortunately, I respectfully submit that the information that my colleagues are being provided by the opposition is inaccurate and misleading. Here are the facts: F-22 flight testing is proceeding extremely well and avionics development is well ahead of schedule, a first for a major aircraft development program. The F-22 is technically sound, and the contractor is controlling costs and remaining under the congressionally mandated cost cap. It has been said the F-22 will cost three times as much as an F-15. This is incorrect. Adjusted for fiscal year 2000 dollars, the flyaway cost of an F-22 is $83.6 million. An F-15 is approximately $70 million. Approaching the end of the production run, an F-22 will cost only $61 million. No fighter program in history will have flown as many flight test hours by the time the decision is made to proceed to low-rate production. This is the slowest ramp-up rate in the history of tactical aviation. No fighter in aviation history will have produced fewer fighters in low-rate initial production. The fact is reducing these production numbers will cause massive inefficiencies, will distress small second- and third-tier suppliers and will cause a breach in the congressionally mandated production cost cap, having little impact on the reduction of any technical risks. I urge my colleagues to oppose the DeFazio amendment.

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. (Ms. GRANGER asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize and remember an outstanding civic leader of the 12th District of Texas. Mr. James Houston Doss, Jr., a great business leader and philanthropist, passed away Monday, May 22, at the age of 85. While Mr. Doss's passing is a loss to the community, his life was a blessing to the entire area. Mr. Doss was raised in Weatherford and graduated from Weatherford College in 1934. He spent time at the University of Texas in 1936 and Harvard Graduate School of Business in 1937. Many knew Mr. Doss through his role as a successful banker. Not many realized that he worked his way up from the bottom to enjoy his success. Mr. Doss joined Weatherford's Merchants and Farmers State Bank (now Texas Bank) in 1929 as a janitor earning only $15 each month. After years of dedicated service, he was chosen to serve the bank as president from 1945-55. Mr. Doss then left banking to pursue other interests in homebuilding, shopping center development, and real estate investment but quickly returned to the bank. He served as Chairman of the Board for years and became Chairman Emeritus in 1998. Most recently, Mr. Doss was named ``Banker of the Year'' by the National Institute of Community Banking. In addition to his successful career in the banking business, Mr. Doss taught accounting at his alma mater, Weatherford College. His contributions of time, talent, and resources were responsible for the Doss Student Center, the Doss Scholarship Fund, and many other initiatives. His commitment to education was demonstrated in his service as a trustee of Weatherford College and the Weatherford Independent School District. For 33 years, he was on the Board of Trustees at Trinity University in San Antonio. In 1976, he was named Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce because of his business success and commitment to education. In addition to his service in the education community, Mr. Doss was also very involved in the Presbyterian Church. He was the third generation of his family to serve as a Presbyterian elder in Parker County; and he held many positions within the church including moderator for the Synod of Texas of the Presbyterian Church in the USA in 1964, first president of The United Presbyterian Foundation Synod of the Sun, and trustee of the National United Presbyterian Foundation in New York City. Mr. Speaker, I speak for the entire community when I express our great remorse at the passing of James Houston Doss, Jr. Mr. Doss set a standard for community activism and professional excellence, and he will be greatly missed.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. I thank the gentleman from California for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, Benjamin Disraeli once said, ``The fate of our Nation depends on the education of our children.'' Today I rise to honor the men and women who determine the fate of our Nation and our children, its teachers. These are the men and women who rise each day to make a difference. They go to work early, working with children who need a little extra help. They find the creativity to keep algebra fresh and at the end of the day they even may wipe away a few tears. These are the men and women who teach our children not only how to earn a living but also how to make a life. I have one of those special teachers in my district. Her name is Carole Brown and she is a second grade teacher. Carole was recently nominated Birdville Independent School District Teacher of the Year. Her coworkers wrote in her nomination that Carole is ``the teacher that every child deserves.'' They said Carole finds the time and resources to meet every child's individual needs. One parent of a special needs child said in a letter to Carole: I often think of the difficulty we experienced last year in dealing with my son's disruptive behavior prior to his attention deficit hyperactivity diagnosis. My heart went out to my son and you each day as I observed class. Your encouragement gave me the desire and strength to seek the medical attention my son needed. My son is on the road to success now. My heartfelt appreciation and respect for you is difficult to express in words. I pray that I have conveyed a portion of that gratitude to you. I hope the very best for you and I praise God for your dedication in providing excellence in education. Mr. Speaker, Carole Brown truly believes every child can learn. She is the embodiment of the Texas education philosophy, leave no child behind. Today I salute Carole Brown and the other men and women out there who are molding our future by teaching our children as my own mother did for 47 years and as I did for 9.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1509, which authorizes a memorial to honor disabled American veterans. This legislation, sponsored by my friend and distinguished veteran, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson), honors those veterans who not only risked their lives but gave part of themselves for our freedom. The courage and the conviction that are demonstrated by these heroes is inspiring and uniquely American. Mr. Speaker, the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who defend our country are national treasures. Disabled veterans are brave men and women who deserve to be honored and remembered for their sacrifices. Their sacrifices teach us one lesson above all, freedom is not free. Our national security is preserved because we have men and women who are willing to pay the price, bear the burden, and meet the demand of keeping our country safe and secure. All of us owe a great debt to those who wear the uniform in defense of America. As I like to say every day when I get up, I thank God for my life. And I thank our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines for our way of life. While we can never adequately thank the millions of American disabled veterans, this memorial will stand as an eternal reminder of their honor, service, and sacrifice. These are the heroes who protected freedom in America and ensured democracy for the world.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I have been informed that my voting card did not register during final passage of H.R. 3660, rollcall vote 104. I intended to vote ``yea'' on passage of the ``Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.''

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, due to the severe weather which struck Fort Worth, Texas, last week, I was unable to be present for rollcall votes 81 through 95. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``Aye'' on rollcall vote 81; ``no'' on rollcall vote 82; ``aye'' on rollcall vote 83; ``no'' on rollcall vote 84; ``aye'' on rollcall vote 85; ``no'' on rollcall vote 86; ``aye'' on rollcall vote 87; ``aye'' on rollcall vote 88; ``no'' on rollcall vote 89; ``aye'' on rollcall vote 90; ``no'' on rollcall vote 91; ``no'' on rollcall vote 92; ``no'' on rollcall vote 93; ``no'' on rollcall vote 94; and ``aye'' on rollcall vote 95.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I am glad to join my colleagues who come to the floor of the House today to talk in support of eliminating the marriage tax penalty. As the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller) said, it is unfair and un-American penalty. I want to thank Speaker Hastert and the gentleman from Texas (Chairman Archer), who is doing a superb job in his final year in service to Texas and the Nation, and certainly the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller) who has been a tireless advocate for marriage tax penalty relief. There are a number of items in our Nation's Tax Code that are un- American and unfair and in need of immediate reform. But I cannot think of a tax that is more offensive or unfair than the marriage tax penalty. When couples walk down the aisle to say ``I do'' to each other, they should not be saying ``I do'' to the IRS. I am also pleased that President Clinton has come around to our side in favor of fixing this tax. After all, how could anyone argue that it is fair to require couples to pay more tax simply because they choose to get married? We are not talking about rich or wealthy couples. We are talking about regular, hard-working couples that have no choice but work as husband and wife to pay the bills together, to make ends meet, and to save for a house or start a family. Twenty-five million American families have to pay an average marriage tax penalty of $1,400. In fact, over 60,000 couples in my district alone, in my congressional district, the 12th District of Texas, pay that penalty. Couples should not be penalized because they chose to commit themselves in the holy bonds of marriage. The legislation that will pass the House tomorrow provides four times more relief for working couples than the President's proposal. In fact, the President's proposal will provide up to $210 in tax relief per couple. But our legislation, H.R. 6, provides up to $1,400 in tax relief per couple. The President's plan would double the standard deduction for married couples over 10 years. Our plan would double the standard deduction next year, make it immediate. The President's plan would help about 9 million American couples, but our plan would help 28 million American couples. I want to take a moment to talk especially about how this tax is unfair often to women. The fact is that the marriage tax penalty is biased against the spouse that has the lower income, which, unfortunately, oftentimes is the wife. This happens because the marriage couple's income is pooled, and the first $43,050 of combined income is taxed at 15 percent. Combined income above this amount is taxed at 28 percent. That is highly unfair, because if the married couples were single, both incomes would be taxed at 15 percent. The House bill fixes this problem by doubling the single earner deduction for married couples. I look forward to passage of H.R. 6, the Marriage Tax Penalty Elimination Act, and I look forward to voting that and going back to my district and saying, I have done something to make this Tax Code fairer. I think it is the first step in other steps that we need to provide a tax that people understand, they believe is fair and equitable. I appreciate the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller) very much for his leadership in this stand.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Department of Defense conference report, legislation that deserves overwhelming support in this House. I want to begin by acknowledging the budgetary challenges that the gentleman from California and the Subcommittee on Defense faced in assembling this conference report. Yet I also want to thank this Congress and acknowledge that the Federal Government has no more important responsibility than national defense. This bill is a step in the right direction. I commend the gentleman from California for his leadership. I have been an advocate for a stronger military for many years, but it was not until I arrived in Congress that I realized how hollow our military has become and how important high-tech weapons are to the future of our national security. I want to commend the gentleman for his scrutiny of the F-22 Raptor program. This is an honorable compromise that does not compromise our national security. The F-22 will continue to be developed. That is bad news for America's enemies, but it is good news for America's security. This conference report also funds other programs critical to our national defense, including the V-22 Osprey, the F-16 Falcon, and the 4BW-4BN, H-1 upgrade programs. I thank the gentleman for his work on these priorities. In closing, I would like to remind my colleagues that our national security can be preserved only when we match our greatest asset, which is our troops, with the greatest weapons possible. This bill acknowledges that when it comes to national security, it is better to be safe than sorry. For that reason, I am proud to support this legislation.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to stand up and to speak out on behalf of the Quality Care for the Uninsured Act. I believe this is a commonsense solution to an all too common problem of access to health insurance. As a mother and a small businesswoman, I understand how important health care is to each American and to every employer. The issue of health care is not just about dollars and cents or rules and regulations, or even liability. First and foremost, the issue of health care is about people and their access to doctors. It is about knowing there is someone to call when your 3 year old wakes up with a fever. It is about knowing there is a doctor who understands the reoccurring ear infection. Access has to be the number one goal in this entire health care issue. Today there are 44 million Americans without any health care coverage. These people are not concerned about whether they can sue their HMO, they are concerned about whether they can see a doctor. I am proud to say today may be the day we finally listen to the voices of the uninsured. The Quality Care for the Uninsured Act addresses access with HealthMarts and Association Health Plans, and also full 100 percent deductibility of health insurance. These proposals hold the promise of health insurance for millions of Americans. By increasing the choices and options, we can decrease the number of uninsured Americans, and is that not really the most important issue? I think it is. After all, when it comes to health care, access to a doctor is far more important than access to a lawyer. If we are really serious about expanding access to health care, we will vote for this very important proposal. I urge my colleagues to put the patients' interests ahead of special interests. Too many people are still uninsured. Today we have the chance to change that. In short, this bill will mean more access for more Americans. I encourage us all to lower our voices, to raise our sights, and to reach out for the uninsured by passing the Quality Care for the Uninsured Act.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act, and I give my great appreciation to those who have brought this act to the floor of the House, the gentleman from Florida (Chairman McCollum), the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Pryce), and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). I do so because I believe a society is measured in large part by how it treats the young and the most vulnerable. This bill seeks to help communities to help themselves by giving them the tools to stop and prevent child abuse. The bill would give local and State officials the flexibility to use the Byrne Law Enforcement Act for Child Abuse Prevention, and increase the earmark for child abuse victims out of the crime victims fund. These simple steps are not earth shattering, but they could actually be life saving. By giving our States and local communities increased resources, we decrease the chances of losing our children to the predators of child abuse. Now, that is an investment worth making, and that is legislation I am proud to support. I urge my colleagues to support the Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the fiscal year 2000 defense authorization bill and in opposition to the motion to recommit. I want to commend the gentleman from South Carolina for his leadership on this very important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I support this bill because of a simple principle. History is littered with the wars that everyone knew would never happen. Time and again, we have convinced ourselves that we are safe and secure in a world that is full of despots and danger, and time and again we have had to resort to blood and iron when words and good intentions failed us. Among other things, this bill provides for better pay and better benefits for our men and women in uniform, and it allocates crucial money for our shortfalls in operations, training, and infrastructure maintenance. Finally, it will increase the pace at which our rapidly aging equipment is modernized or replaced. Mr. Speaker, this is an important issue and this is an important bill. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support our national defense, to support our troops and to support this bill. I urge them to vote against the motion to recommit so that we may move forward.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act of 1999. I want to commend the gentleman from Texas for leading the way to the future by lowering the taxes on our people. The gentleman from Texas will be dearly missed if he leaves us after this Congress. This bill represents tax relief of $792 billion over the next 10 years, including the elimination of the marriage penalty, 100 percent deductibility for the health insurance of the self-employed, and lowering the capital gains tax. But this bill is not really about numbers and figures or phase-ins and credits. This bill is about the American people, their hopes for the future and their dreams for their children. To that end, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas for including in this package my legislation to encourage both public and private colleges to establish prepaid college tuition plans. These plans allow parents to begin paying for tomorrow's college education at today's tuition prices. This legislation will allow middle-class families to pay for college out of savings instead of paying for it out of debt. This will make a college education more affordable for more people. I thank the gentleman from Texas for including this in his legislation.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the bipartisan Workplace Preservation Act. I do so because of a very simple premise: we cannot prescribe a solution until we diagnose the problem. Doctors know this. In fact, every day they examine patients' symptoms hoping to discover the underlying disease. But no doctor will ever order a specific medication until he or she is satisfied the actual sickness has been discovered. Mr. Chairman, I believe it would serve us well to remember this analogy as we consider this issue. Workplace injuries is a serious matter. There is no question this issue is an important concern to millions of Americans. But there are a great many questions as to the cause and effect of ergonomics. In fact, over the last few years, many of the country's leading physicians and researchers on injuries of hand, back, and upper extremities have testified before Congress that the causes and impact of these disorders are not easy to discern. Are they caused by too much typing on a computer or too many hours in front of a scanner? We do not know. But we need to know, and we are trying to find out. That is why last year Congress appropriated $890,000 for the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study of all the available scientific literature examining the cause-and-effect relationship between repetitive task and physical pain. The study is scheduled to be concluded by the middle of the year 2001. Yet, amazingly, in a March hearing before the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Health and Safety Administration vowed that issuing an ergonomic standard was the agency's top priority for this year. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues not to confuse motion with action. I am afraid that is exactly what the Office of Health and Safety Administration is about to do. Congress had it right last fall. Let us take our time and let us do it right. Let us put science before politics, and let us determine exactly what the problem is before we prescribe the solution. I hope all of my colleagues will support this common sense bill, which simply requires the Secretary of Labor to wait for the National Academy of Sciences to complete their study before it issues any new regulations. Is this too much to ask? After all, is this not what we expect when we do see our doctors? Why should we expect our Congress to do anything less? Mr. Chairman, let us get our facts straight before we legislate. Let us pause before we determine a cause. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2561, because I believe it is very important that we continue to move the appropriations process forward and because I salute the hard work of the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) on this issue. However, I have some strong reservations about the legislation before us. Let me say that I recognize the very difficult budgetary challenges that the gentleman from California and the Subcommittee on Defense faced in assembling this bill. Every Member of Congress who follows defense closely is concerned with our defense needs and knows that they are underfunded, and I join my colleagues in wanting to see our Armed Services remain the best in the world. So knowing that we share the same goals, I look forward to continuing to work with the chairman to improve this legislation as we proceed to conference. One element of the bill I hope the committee will improve in conference is the decision to pause procurement of the F-22. But make no mistake, there is no pause. A pause in this program will result in the death of this program. A pause tells our enemies the United States has stopped reaching ahead to the future. Some have argued that we do not need the F-22 because there are no other enemy aircraft that can challenge the fighter planes we have today. Others have said the Joint Strike Fighter is all we need for the future. I am here to say that both of those arguments are wrong. Many of the Members here today have attended the Air Force's classified briefings where we have had outlined the current and future threats to our air superiority. I believe the top officers in the Air Force, men who have given their entire careers to the safety of this country, know what they are talking about. I believe the threats that they have outlined are real, and I believe the Air Force is right to make the F- 22 its priority, and the Congress should too. Members should also know the Joint Strike Fighter is not a substitute for the F-22. The F-22 is designed for absolute air superiority; to engage and destroy enemy aircraft at greater stand-off distances, to operate at supersonic speeds without using afterburners, to be stealth, and to save the lives of our pilots. Do not be misled, the F-15 is not stealth. It does not have the same performance range. It is 30 years old. It does a good job, but it cannot be modified endlessly into the future. It cannot be the advanced technology for the 21st century. Likewise, do not be misled into believing that the Joint Strike Fighter is a substitute for the F-22. They are designed to enhance each other's capabilities. The Joint Strike Fighter is a multi-role tactical aircraft, not an air superiority aircraft. It is meant to follow the F- 22 into combat, not lead the charge. In fact, we need both planes. And that leads me to my final point, Mr. Chairman. We cannot just skip the F-22 and go on to the Joint Strike Fighter. Killing the F-22 means the Joint Strike Fighter will also be killed, or at least seriously injured and delayed. Too much of the technology for both planes is being developed simultaneously. If the F-22 is dropped, the Joint Strike Fighter goes too. It is not possible to separate those contracts. My colleagues, the defense budget is simply inadequate. We should not have to choose between today and tomorrow for our armed forces. While it is difficult to balance these needs, it is still possible. We should not be penny-wise and pound-foolish when it comes to our national security. I ask my colleagues to please help us work with the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) to restore the F-22 in conference. In conclusion, I commend the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) for including some very good measures for our military personnel, and I thank him for his commitment to our Armed Services.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I know the U.S. House of Representatives will join me in recognizing a family, company, and corporate citizen of Fort Worth who, for the past 100 years, have not only been significant contributors to the Fort Worth community and the state of Texas but have also made the best pasta this side of Italy. The Laneri family and O.B. Macaroni Company have been a cornerstone of the Fort Worth community; and, as they celebrate their 100th anniversary this year, they are doing so in grand fashion by donating thousands of pounds of pasta to those in need in North Texas and around the world. I want to take this opportunity to recognize the Laneri family, owners and managers of O.B. Macaroni Company, for their longtime contribution to the well being of the community. An outstanding corporate citizen of Fort Worth, this family firm was founded in 1899. From the beginning, John B. (J.B.) Laneri, the family patriarch who came to Fort Worth in 1882, was the link between the company and the community. In 1905, O.B. Macaroni Company was incorporated and J.B. Laneri became president. He was an early member of the Board of Trade, Director of the Fort Worth National Bank from 1902, and a noted philanthropist and local booster until his death in 1935. His home, built in 1921 at 902 S. Jennings Ave., is on the Texas Historical Register. Located at the hub of the vast railroad network which reaches out of Fort Worth, the O.B. Macaroni Company shipped its popular products all across America, as well as provided secure and constant employment to the neighborhood. The company grew; and in 1907 J.B.'s nephew, Louis Laneri, came to Fort Worth from New York City to join the firm. The business continued to expand; and in the 1930s Louis's sons, John and Carl, went to work for the thriving pasta company. Built on strong ties to family and community, the Fort Worth Macaroni Company became one of the leading regional pasta manufacturers and is the only company of its kind still existing in the South and Southwest. The fourth generation of the Laneri family, Louis II and Carlo, continues the pasta operation on the south side of town. Working at the company from their teens, both returned to the family enterprise after graduating from college (Texas Wesleyan University and Stephen F. Austin University, respectively). Louis Laneri, representing O.B. Macaroni, is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Pasta Association and a member of the DFW Grocers Association, the Food Salesman's Association, and the Food Processors Association. Carrying on a tradition of giving back to the community, the family donates regularly to the Tarrant County Food Bank, the Women's Haven of Tarrant County, and various Fort Worth social and religious causes and programs, including education in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth. Once again, Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate and thank the Laneri family and the O.B. Macaroni Company for 100 years of success. Fort Worth is a better place thanks to their family unity, hard work, and charity over the past century.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Chairman, on rollcall No. 287, I pushed the ``no'' button but it did not register. I would have voted ``no.'' Amendment Offered by Mr. Young of Florida

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this transportation appropriation. The business of transportation and appropriations is to fund important national projects, and few are as important as this. Transportation is the lifeline of our national economy. Our roads, our bridges, our highways, our railways and our airports are what connect the various parts of our American family. Product made in San Francisco can reach a market in San Antonio on a safe road in a short period of time, and this propels the economic growth of our Nation and protects the safety of our drivers. So I commend the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) for his leadership on this issue. He has done his best to make the most of this bill, and he and his staff have accepted the very difficult budget constraints we currently work under and produced a bill that we can all be proud of. I am proud to serve on his committee and proud of his work. I am especially pleased to point out to my colleagues that the bill includes a $1.6 billion increase for highway improvements and a $333 million increase for airport improvements. These increases are in addition to a forty percent increase for the Coast Guard's Drug Interdiction Program. These increases represent priority funding for priority goals. I would also like to praise Chairman Wolf's ability to work with the other side of the aisle, identify key transportation needs and still develop a fiscally sound transportation bill. This bill proves that we in Congress can get it done if we get it together. When we lower our voices and raise our sights, it's amazing what we can accomplish. And this bill is proof of that. I am proud to be a member of this important and bipartisan committee and I look forward to working with Chairman Wolf in the future. In closing, I want to commend again Mr. Wolf for successfully steering this bill down the road to passage. And I urge all my colleagues to end this journey by voting this bill into law.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Chairman, in the wake of Littleton, I think many of us are prepared to produce solutions and often guarantee that they will save America. Well, I am going to say that it is more than gun control, it is more than all that we are looking at; it is less violence on television, it is more of the culture of guns and the culture of violence, and we have to address the culture of our country. To be honest, I do not know what the solution is and neither does anybody else. I know that we do not today want to confuse motion with action. I am afraid too many of us are anxious to be seen doing just something about youth violence. I do not want to do something, I want to do the right thing, and I think that is passing reasonable measures and not overbilling the effect that they have. I know one thing for sure, and that is that to do this we have to touch the minds and the hearts of our young people. We also have to touch what is around them and what is entering their mind. That is why I am so supportive of the Hyde amendment. I think it is a very common- sense approach to an all-too-common problem of criminals transmitting sexual and violent material to our children. There is never, ever, ever a reason for pornography to reach the hands and the hearts of our children, and we must stop it, and this will do that.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Chairman, I want to commend Chairman Spence and the members of the House Armed Services Committee for their hard work and dedication to our nation's armed services. Like many members who spoke today, I am very concerned about the current state of our military and the very serious breech of national security information at our nation's Department of Energy Research laboratories. Once again, the Republican Congress has done the best we can to provide for our national defense, but the reality remains that more resources are needed if the United States is going to remain the world's last remaining Superpower. Members who know me, know that I am very supportive of the Marines' MV-22 ``Osprey'' and I believe--like the Acting Secretary of the Air Force--that we need many more new F-16s. But, I never forget the number one asset--and the best weapons--in our armed services: the men and women who proudly serve our nation. I have had the opportunity to visit with our servicemen and women around the world on several occasions since I was elected to Congress. After each visit I have come away with a greater appreciation for the dedication and capabilities of our military men and women. There is no question they are the best trained and most effective fighting force in the world. But we cannot take them for granted. We cannot continue to deploy them at the current rate. We cannot continue to ask them to do more with very old equipment, in some cases. We cannot continue to expect to retain our best officers and enlisted personnel when there is such a substantial pay differential between the military and civilian jobs. There has been much discussion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's list of immediate unfunded requirements--totaling around $20 billion. This is very serious, but it should come as no surprise when you consider the way this administration has vastly increased the operations tempo of our military, while vastly under-funding its personnel, procurement, R&D, and modernization needs. That is a nice way of saying the Clinton administration's military and foreign polices have strained our military to the breaking point, first by failing to adequately invest in our national security and then by committing our forces to a disturbing number of missions around the world. H.R. 1401 deserves the support of every member of the House of Representatives because it addresses many of the disturbing long-term trends in our military, such as: (1) declining service-wide mission capable rates for aircraft; (2) equipment shortfalls; (3) service-wide problems with aging equipment; (4) acute shortfalls in basic ammunition in the Army and the Marine Corps; and (5) personnel shortages. All of these problems are very serious, but let me talk about aging equipment for a moment. The Marine Corps' new MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft will replace a helicopter that is almost 40 years old, the CH-46. How many of you would drive a car that is 40 years old? We're not talking about a vintage car that you take out of the garage on nice, sunny, spring days. We're talking about a helicopter that we pack our young marines into and ask them to accomplish missions in dangerous situations--situations in which there can be no margin for error! This is an intolerable situation. While I applaud the Armed Services Committee's decision to add an additional MV-22 to the president's request, I strongly urge the House conferees to support the Senate's decision to add two MV-22s to the administration's FY 2000 budget request. I also want to thank the administration and the Armed Services Committee for recognizing the need for new F-16s, and that current operations are only increasing the need for new F-16s in the future. I strongly urge my colleagues on the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee to follow that sentiment of the House today, and the Senate, by fully funding the F-16 in fiscal year 2000. In conclusion, it is clear that we cannot continue to willingly send our troops all over the world when here at home we are unwilling to give our troops the equipment and the pay they need and deserve. To those who say we cannot afford to have the best military in the world, I say we cannot afford not to have it. To those who say we do not need the best military in the world, I say the events of the last few weeks show that we do. I am pleased to support passage of H.R. 1401 and I urge all of my colleagues to support our armed forces by voting for this very important legislation.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, it is a parent's worst nightmare when you come in from work and you call out your child's name and she does not answer, and you begin to look for her and you cannot find her; and as you begin to search, your apprehension turns to panic and then your concern turns to pure terror. Unfortunately, that happens in literally thousands of homes in America today. In fact, if you are the parent of an 11-year-old girl, you will be sad to know that that group is the most at risk for murder and abduction in this country today. Unfortunately, there are so many of the colleagues that could speak today who will name the name of a child who is missing in their community. In my case, her name is Opal Jennings. She is a darling little girl who is missing from our community. Unfortunately, a number have been missing from our community. That is what we are talking about today. The Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children Protection Act would do something to help those parents. It would authorize $10 million a year for a period of 5 years for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Among other things, this money would help operate a 24-hour toll free telephone line to report those children and public and private programs to locate, recover and hopefully reunite them with their family. This is something that needs to be done, it should have wonderful bipartisan support in this Congress, and it is the least we can do for our children.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, as a former teacher myself and as the daughter of two teachers it is my great privilege to cosponsor this important resolution, and it is my great pleasure to speak out on its behalf. Someone has said that teaching is not a lost art, but regard for it is a lost tradition. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to praise the guardians of America's future, and those are our teachers. The issue of education generally and teachers specifically is as important as it is timely. I approach this issue from a simple philosophy. Education is a Federal concern, a State responsibility and a local function. Education is a team sport, and it requires all of us to do our part. As a Member of Congress, I believe one of the most important steps we can take to support the schools of our Nation is to encourage the teachers of our schools. I have always believed that teachers are a very special breed. While most people spend their lives building careers, most teachers spend their careers building lives. That is why it is so important that we take the time to honor our teachers as indeed they should be honored. Moreover, we need to be encouraging the very best and brightest to join the teaching profession. We can all agree that teachers do not earn the kind of money they should, but the rewards of teaching cannot be measured in dollars and cents. Teachers see the fruits of their labor in lives that have changed. So today we want to express the sense of the United States Congress that our teachers are an essential part of America's greatness. I know every one of us can point to a teacher in our past who helped to shape us, make us who we are. Though years ago we may have left their classes, their classes have never left us. From the teachers of the past we learned the traits we use today, how to type and how to calculate but how to read and how to write and how to think. These are lessons that have served us all well, and we will all do well to thank those who taught them to us. That is exactly what this resolution does. As we end this century, let us begin a renewed commitment. In the debate over the future of education, there are a few things we can all agree on. Let us commit ourselves to having schools that are safe and curriculum that is sound. Let us commit ourselves to having our children learn to read today so they can read to learn throughout their lives. And let us commit ourselves to having teachers who know the subject they are teaching and the name of the child they are teaching it to. Mr. Speaker, too often in Washington we talk in terms of politics, but this issue is different. Education is not a matter of right versus left. It is a matter of right versus wrong. It is always the right time to do the right thing. Let us pass this teacher appreciation resolution. Let us begin to renew our schools by recognizing our teachers. After all, they literally hold our future in their hands.

Ms. GRANGER

Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 472, the Local Census Quality Check Act of 1999. This important legislation will reinstitute the highly successful Post Census Local Review Program used by the Census Bureau in 1990. Post Census local review is a program both parties have supported in the past. I hope both parties will support it in the future. In short, it is a commonsense way to ensure that our Census is accurate, fair, and constitutional. Let me say at the onset that as a former mayor of a major city, I appreciate and I support the need for an accurate count of all of our citizens. That is why I believe the post census local review is the way to go. Post Census local review is not a new idea, it is a proven product that works. In fact, post Census local review is a Census Bureau program. That is right, the Census Bureau formulated this plan. They used it in the 1990 Census. Here is how it works. Post Census local review gives local and tribal governments a review of housing counts in their area prior to finalization of Census numbers. After all, who knows these areas better, government officials in Washington, or local officials in these jurisdictions? Post-census local review in the 1990 census was highly successful. But do not take it from me. Just look at these facts. A 1990 post- census local review added 80,929 housing units to the census count. It also relocated 198,347 housing units to the right block and removed 101,887 housing units counted in error. This all equates to around 400,000 mistakes corrected as a direct result of post-census local review. Over 124,000 people were added to the census count. For example, in the City of Detroit, they added over 47,000 people, mostly inner-city residents, to its total. Cleveland added more than 10,000 people. Mr. Speaker, these are real people in real cities who are added to the census, not hypotheticals, not guesses. Mr. Speaker, the census is too important to mess around with. Let us do this right.