Dave Hobson

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The conference report we present to the House today for military construction, family housing and base closure recommends a total appropriation of $8.4 billion. This represents a $76 million decrease from last year. It is also $76 million below the House-passed level. Overall, the agreement recommends $3.6 billion for items related to family housing, $4.1 billion for military construction, and $670 million for the implementation of base realignments and closures. As always, I want to express my appreciation to all of the members of the subcommittee and especially my ranking member the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver), for his cooperation in crafting this agreement. This bill represents an investment program that has significant payback in economic terms and better living and working conditions for our military personnel and their families. Mr. Speaker, at this time I will place in the Record documentation regarding this bill. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH29JY99.000 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH29JY99.001 I urge my colleagues to support this conference report. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 262, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 2465), making appropriations for military construction, family housing, and base realignment and closure for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, and for other purposes.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the conference report to accompany H.R. 2465, and that I may include tabular and extraneous material.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to dispute statements recently made on the House floor by Mr. Taylor of Mississippi that mischaracterize the record of Republican support for the men and women who serve this country. First, let me say that the Clinton Administration, not the Republicans, has severely overstretched and underfunded our military. From 1991 to 1998, our military has been deployed 33 times. Compare that with only 10 from 1946 to 1991. The funding increases and commitments needed to sustain these missions abroad has been conspicuously lacking from this Administration. Let me provide some examples. The defense budget presented by the President fell far short of the quality of life needs that our military had requested. For instance, the Administration disregarded requests for new family housing construction in the Continental United States (CONUS) made by the Army and Navy. That was unwise, given the housing backlog that stretches for ten years, and a real property maintenance backlog of almost $1 billion. What's worse, the services provided the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee with an unfunded priority list of over $11 billion for this year alone, and over $150 billion over the next five years. While remaining within the budget caps, the Republican's Fiscal Year 2000 Defense Appropriations bill addresses these shortfalls by providing an extra $2.8 billion above the Administration's request. Some of the highlights of the bill include: $300 million above the budget request for pilot bonuses; $854 million above the budget request for Qualify of Life enhancements; $103 million above the budget request for recruiting; $2.8 billion above the budget request for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation; and 4.8 percent pay raise (above the budget request). Moreover, the Administration proposed in its Fiscal 2000 budget request to split-fund military construction needs, overlooking the dire situation facing many military families and personnel. Instead of providing funding up front for new housing, child care, and work facilities, as the House-passed Military Construction bill does, the Administration put budget gimmicks before the needs of the services. To redress these wrongs, Republicans have provided funding to dramatically improve the quality of life for military families. The House approved by an overwhelming vote of 414 to 4 the Fiscal Year 2000 Military Construction Appropriations bill, which contains several provisions to improve quality of life for our troops. It includes $800 million for new housing, $747 million for new family housing units, and $2.8 billion for operation and maintenance of existing family housing units. In the wake of increased single-parent and dual income families within the military, the legislation also provides $21 million for child development centers. These child development centers will help military families cope with their changing life circumstances. The Republican record of support for our Armed Forces is strong. While there is more to be done to redress years of downsizing, we have provided for the well-being of our troops and the stability of our national security.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 2561, the Department Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2000. This bill carefully balances scarce resources by maintaining readiness, providing a much deserved pay raise for our troops and ensuring that our military continues its technological dominance over potential enemies. I urge support for this bill. Mr. Chairman, this Administration has been dramatically and consistently underfunding our military, while at the same time, asking it to do more with less. Our troops have been committed to more operations in the last ten years than at any time since World War II. This has created a situation whereby we have excessive wear and tear on equipment and facilities. In addition, our soldiers, sailors and airmen are having to spend extraordinary time away from their homes and their families. While our troops have performed admirably, the time has come where they can no longer do more with less. The defense budget presented by the President fell far short of the needs that our military had requested. For instance, in my bill, Military Construction, there was not one request for a new unit of family housing in the Continental United States (CONUS) made by either the Army or the Navy. With a housing backlog that stretches for over ten years, and a real property maintenance backlog of almost a billion dollars, the needs of the services are real. In fact, in hearings before the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, the services provided us with an unfunded priority list of over $11 billion for this year alone, and over $150 billion during the next five years. While remaining within the budget caps, this Defense Appropriations bill begins to address this shortfall by providing an extra $2.8 billion above what the Administration felt would have been adequate. Highlights of the bill include: $300 million above the budget request for pilot bonuses; $854 million above the budget request for Quality of Life enhancements; $103 million above the budget request for recruiting; $2.8 billion above the budget request for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation; and 4.8 percent pay raise (above the budget request) Mr. Chairman, this bill is a step in the right direction. While it does not fix all of the problems that our military is facing today, it does take necessary steps to ensure that funds will be directed first to those items that are broken, and give our troops the tools they need to protect our country and our future. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, to the previous speaker, I would just suggest that he look at the President's suggestions and submission on the defense versus ours and he will see that we do a lot for the troops, including a pay raise, including money for retention of pilots. The President does not do anything.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 11 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 2465) making appropriations for military construction, family housing, and base realignment and closure for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2465, making appropriations for military construction, family housing, and base realignment and closure for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, and for other purposes, and that I may be allowed to include tabular and extraneous material.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. HOBSON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Tiahrt), a member of the subcommittee.

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon) a member of the Committee on Armed Services. (Mr. McKEON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Chairman, it is my pleasure to present the House recommendation for the Military Construction Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2000. Let me begin by thanking the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver), my ranking member, and all the members of our subcommittee for their assistance and interest in putting together this year's bill. The bill presented to the House today totals $8.5 billion, the same as last year's enacted level, and it is $141 million below this year's House passed authorization bill. The bill is within the 302(b) allocation for both budget authority and outlays, and it is in contrast to the administration's split funding budget request, which proposed spreading $8.6 billion over two fiscal years. Considering the budget constraints we worked under, the recommendations before the House are solid and fully fund priority projects for the services and our troops. Within the $8.5 billion provided, we have been able to address the true needs of our troops by supporting projects that improve their quality of life as they serve to protect our country. These priorities include $800 million for troop housing, $21 million for child development centers, $165 million for hospital and medical facilities, $69 million for environmental compliance, $747 million for new family housing units and for improvements to existing units, and $2.8 billion for operation and maintenance of existing family housing units. We believe that these priorities reflect the need to provide our military with quality housing, health care, and work facilities. Also, by targeting adequate resources for new child development centers, we are recognizing the changing makeup of our military force, with the rising number of single military parents and military personnel with working spouses. If we want to keep top-notch people in our military, then we have a reasonable obligation to meet the needs of our troops. Again, I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver) and all the members of our subcommittee for their hard work and effort on this bill. In closing, I want to point out that we have put together an $8.5 billion MILCON bill that is 3 percent of the total defense budget and equal to last year's enacted level. Most importantly, this $8.5 billion directly supports the men and women in our armed services. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Chairman, I include the following material for the Record: [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH13JY99.000 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH13JY99.001 Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill through page 20, line 17, be considered as read, printed in the Record, and open to amendment at any point.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and that I may include tabular and extraneous material on the bill (H.R. 2465) making appropriations for military construction, family housing, and base realignment and closure for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, and for other purposes.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I was not present on June 25, 1999 for rollcall vote 256. Had I had been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as cosponsor of H.R. 853.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time; and I rise today to speak in strong support of the bill before us. Voting ``yes'' today is a vote for our troops. It says definitively that their daily sacrifices will not be downsized or neglected any more. It shows that we can transcend our differences and unite for their well-being. Our troops are in harm's way, so it is our duty and responsibility to muster the resolve to keep them safe. I worked closely with military commanders in the field to make this bill a reality. It is responsible and tightly honed to our most immediate and unanticipated needs in the Balkans and Southwest Asia. Remember that our European infrastructure is a critical staging area. It supports our mission in the Balkans and our training and pass- through for operations in the Gulf and Africa. The time for leadership is now. There simply has been a failure to support our troops living and working overseas under very dangerous conditions. Let us pass this bill and show our troops that the sacrifices they make are worthy of the support of Congress and the American people.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Fiscal Year 1999 Supplemental Appropriations bill that will, among other things, provide disaster relief to Central America. Just a few weeks ago, I led a bipartisan delegation to Central America to assess the damage inflicted by Hurricane Mitch. What I saw was astounding. I saw debris hanging on treetops that reached twenty to thirty feet high. Mud slides buried entire villages, sweeping away homes in one fell swoop. The devastation blocked roads, leaving families without the means to obtain food, water and other emergency materials. Our troops and other relief organizations have been in the region since the storm hit late last year, and have done an outstanding job of providing help and assistance to the citizens there. This bill before us will supplement what they have done so far. The funds we provide will help repair the infrastructure that literally crumbled under the force of Hurricane Mitch, and maintain economic stability in the region, which will bolster ongoing efforts by the U.S. to assist the democratic reforms already taking place there. The assistance in this bill will be provided in a fiscally responsible way. We have to be mindful of our obligation to American taxpayers. We have offset almost all of the funding in this bill with unobligated funds--that is, money that would not have been spent in this fiscal year. Our commitment to offset this money contrasts with the President's decision to forgo offsetting the spending in this bill. It's also important to note that the U.S. is one of 21 countries contributing to disaster relief efforts; so American taxpayers are not shouldering the financial burden entirely on their own. Again Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Having seen first hand the devastating force of the hurricane, I believe we should support the people of Central America in overcoming this terrible disaster.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Ed-Flex proposal before us today and want to thank my colleagues Mr. Castle, Mr. Roemer, and Chairman Goodling for their work on this proposal and their continuing efforts to empower our local school districts. My mother was a school teacher, so I've always placed a high priority on our public schools. When I meet with my constituents, there is widespread support for proposals that give our teachers the tools and flexibility to better prepare our students for the challenges of the 21st Century. Ed-Flex is an example of the type of positive solutions that Congress, the state Governors, and our local communities can work on together. This measure has the bipartism support of our nation's governors, main-street businesses, and education groups. Under this program, states can apply for waivers to burdensome Federal regulations. In exchange, the states then must remove requirements that interfere with our school's main purpose of improving academic achievement. My home state of Ohio is one of the 12 states that participated in the initial demonstration program on which the current proposal is based. During the 105th Congress, I worked closely on this program with Ohio's former governor George Voinovich, who was recently elected to the U.S. Senate. I remain a strong proponent of the program, which has allowed individual schools, freed from the burden of both state and Federal regulations, to focus on their core mission of teaching our children. Under Ed-Flex, communities have successfully reduced class size, expanded title I services, improved student achievement, and reduced paperwork. Too often, the approach Washington has taken is to solve all problems simply by throwing more money at them. In the past, it has been much easier for Congress to create new programs, with new layers of administrative bureaucracy to write pages of guidelines, rules, and regulations for local schools to follow. This program takes the opposite approach. Ed-Flex is a forward- thinking program which recognizes the importance of local control of our schools. Instead of new program rules and regulations, we free our local school boards, administrators, teachers, and personnel to concentrate on what they do best--teaching our kids. I've worked with school boards, administrators, and teachers across Ohio's 7th district. I know firsthand that they are a capable, committed, and caring group of individuals who have dedicated their time and energies to our kids. Let's give these individuals and communities the flexibility they need to ensure our kids are prepared for the challenges of the next century. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan, common-sense bill.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I will vote to impeach the President because by committing perjury he has violated his oath to uphold our Constitution and has undermined the rule of law, which is the foundation of our society. The lifeblood of our legal system is honest testimony. When falsehoods are tolerated then the system cannot function. Perjury, therefore, cannot be dismissed as a minor infraction, but instead is a serious felony offense because it undermines the very existence of our system of justice. Accordingly, I will vote for the first article of impeachment. The second article of impeachment relates to the President's alleged false testimony in a civil lawsuit which has been settled out of court. Perjury in a civil lawsuit is a serious offense as well and, if adequately proven, would warrant criminal prosecution. However, I do not believe the evidence presented is adequate to reach the threshold of an impeachable offense. The third article of impeachment alleges the President obstructed justice by, among other actions, engaging in a scheme to conceal and willingly encouraging his employees to provide false testimony in order to help conceal his pattern of lying under oath. This is a misuse of power and a very telling sign of the lengths to which the President was willing to go to subvert the legal system he swore to uphold in order to hide his crimes. Article III deserves the support of the House. The last article of impeachment charges the President with contempt of Congress for presenting inaccurate testimony in response to written questions submitted to him by the House Judiciary Committee. Though a serious crime, the evidence provided by the Judiciary Committee does not reach the necessary standard of ``clear and convincing'' in order to justify impeachment. The President's lies under oath do a disservice to the memory of those who brought us the freedoms we enjoy and endanger the hopes of future generations who will one day enjoy those freedoms. He has also demonstrated a belief that he is above the law he has sworn to uphold and enforce. Nothing is further from the truth. The success and longevity of our republic are due to its foundation upon principles tested by time, not specific people or personalities. One of those principles is that Americans are equal under the rule of law. No one is exempt from this standard. Our democracy will survive this difficult time because its founding principles will endure long after the players in this current drama pass from the scene, and it will be stronger for having gone through this struggle.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements of four individuals from my district and to support the work being done by the non-profit National Institute for Metalworking Skills, or NIMS. Today, there are approximately 10,000 precision metalworking companies which provide key components for the global market and provide challenging and high-paying jobs for thousands of Americans. These Americans produce high-precision tools, dies, and moldings for industry, as well as the actual components for everything from automobiles to refrigerators. NIMS has recognized the need for leadership in the development of a portable, measurable, and widely recognized skill standards curriculum to maintain the United States' international leadership in precision metalworking. At the same time, employees can continually improve their training and expertise, and in turn their marketability. NIMS was founded in 1995 as a non-profit organization to support the development of a skilled workforce for the metalworking industry through the development of portable skill standards. These standards would be implemented by certifying training programs within the industry and within educational establishments to train employees and students to these new standards. NIMS is actively working with states, schools, and companies to form partnerships to implement this comprehensive employee training program. I am especially proud that four constituents employed in Ohio's 7th Congressional District were the first in the nation to receive the National Skills Standards for Metal Stamping Level III certificates. I would like to recognize the achievements of George Anzek and Tim Conkel from Morgal Machine Tool Company, and Dave Buxton and Kevin Miller from Ohio Stamping and Machine Company. These individuals were recognized in an earlier ceremony in Ohio and were personally awarded these certificates by Ohio Governor George V. Voinovich. My sincere congratulations are extended to these four individuals. I would like to enclose for the Record the following letter by the eight governors of the Great Lakes States. Metalworking is an important component of the economic life of the Great Lakes States, and they have agreed to work in partnership with NIMS to recognize the NIMS occupational standards. Skill standards are really about unlocking the potential of employees, which makes sense for both employees and employers. The companies where these employees work, which are both based in my hometown of Springfield, Ohio, recognized the value of investing in their employees. Morgal Machine Tool Company and the Ohio Stamping Machine Company offer their employees skill training and performance related bonuses. By making significant and continuing investments in their employees training, they have demonstrated the value of these investments in human capital through consistent improvements in productivity. I support these efforts to improve our nation's skilled workforce and look forward to the continued development and utilization of the NIMS skill standards model.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding the time. I want to congratulate the ex-chair for coming forth with this amendment. I think it is very timely and very needed. As my colleague knows, one of the things I hope will be in this study is that the Governor of the State of Ohio has been told that he does not have the power to shut this facility down. Here it is in our State, and we do not have the ability to have any control over what is going on there, except when they escape, we have got to go out and try to find them at the expense of the taxpayers of the State of Ohio and other States.

Mr. HOBSON

Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I want to join my colleagues in expressing my deep grief over the tragic loss of Officer Jacob Chestnut and Officer John Gibson who were lost last Friday in the line of duty. I know that the men and women of Ohio's 7th Congressional District share our grief and I know their thoughts and prayers, as are mine, are with the families and friends of these two officers. I honor the long service of these two officers who died bravely while protecting our Nation's Capitol. Law enforcement is one of the highest forms of public service, and today we are reminded of our deep debt to those individuals who daily risk their lives to protect the public's safety.