Tim Holden

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the rule and of the underlying resolution. I, like all of my colleagues and the entire American people, are outraged at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, who have declared the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional because of the words ``under God.'' Mr. Speaker, patriotism is at an all-time high in rise since September 11 as we stand united behind our Commander in Chief and as we stand behind those brave men and women who wear the uniform daily and are fighting the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and across the world. This decision could not have come at a worse time. This decision was ill advised. It was ridiculous, and we need to send a clear message that we are going to stand as a Congress to see that the words ``under God'' stay in the Pledge of Allegiance, or what will be next? Mr. Speaker, above the Chair's head, ``In God We Trust.'' Will that be the next thing to be attacked? Our currency, ``In God We Trust.'' Will that be the next to be attacked? We need to stand united and send a clear message that we are not going to adhere to this ridiculous decision, and I hope it will be overturned as quickly as possible.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the bill. Those of us from rural districts and those of us from central and northeastern Pennsylvania know that the idea that we are going to turn over the administration of a prescription drug program for our senior citizens to the insurance industry, to the HMOs, and have it be fair and universal is ridiculous. In fact it is a joke. Number one, the insurance industry wants no part of it. As the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner) mentioned before, why would they when every policyholder is also going to file a claim? They are going to lose their shirt in this proposal. Medicare+Choice has failed across the country, but it has failed miserably in rural America. My constituents had to look at commercials coming out of the Philadelphia media market, Cadillac plan for prescription drug coverage and low premiums, and they were not able to participate. The reason they were not able to participate is because they had lower participation and lower reimbursement from Medicare. As a result of it, we did not have universal coverage as Medicare+Choice. We cannot make the same mistake. We need to have a divine benefit. We need to have a divine premium, and we need to have universal coverage for all our senior citizens.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer my support for the amendment offered by the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar). Mr. Chairman, today we are considering what is essentially a good bill, with the exception of one bad provision. Tucked into this bill is a provision that takes approximately $30 million of funding currently available to enhance airport security and uses these funds to reimburse airports for air traffic control towers previously built. These towers were constructed at some of the smallest airports in the Nation under an express agreement that the Federal Government would pay the cost of staffing the tower, but not the construction costs. The Oberstar amendment would eliminate the provision for retroactive reimbursement and keep the funds available for new airport projects to enhance safety and security. I would like to emphasize that I am not opposed to H.R. 1979 insofar as it authorizes the use of Federal funds to support the building of new towers. I had hoped that my objections to the retroactive reimbursement provisions could have been resolved in the subcommittee or full committee markup of this legislation. Unfortunately, they were not, and we find ourselves in the rare situation of amending a bill from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on the floor. What I oppose, Mr. Chairman, is the use of airport capital funds to pay for towers already built. Under the bill, an airport is only required to demonstrate that it has complied with Davis-Bacon, Small Business, and Veteran Preference requirements, but not the rest of the statutory and administrative requirements governing airport improvement program projects. This means that contract towers constructed prior to the enactment of this bill would be reimbursed with AIP funds, but subject to different and lower standards than all other AIP projects, including new contract towers built pursuant to the reported bill. Perhaps the most important reason to oppose the retroactive reimbursement provision is that it sets a bad precedent as we head toward Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization next year. In reauthorization, we will consider new eligibilities for the AIP program. By setting a precedent for retroactive reimbursement, we run the risk of encumbering the AIP program in future years with reimbursements for work that has already been completed. Now more than ever we need to focus on the task in front of us: addressing the aviation safety and security needs of the post-September 11 world. So once again, Mr. Chairman, this is a good bill with one bad provision in it. The Oberstar amendment will fix that. I strongly urge its adoption.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, recently the idea of privatizing the United States air traffic control system has been given a renewed life. Mr. Speaker, that would be a very bad idea. A competent and reliable air traffic control system is vital to the safety of our flying public, and public safety is a responsibility of the Government. Simply put, air traffic controllers perform an inherently governmental function for our Nation. Mr. Speaker, proponents of privatizing air traffic controllers like to cite three countries they consider to be successful examples of privatization: Australia, Great Britain, and Canada. Unless we consider a walkout, a pending bankruptcy and a pending labor strike to be examples of success, I would respectfully disagree. Let us face the fact that privatization of air traffic control does not work. On September 11 of last year, air traffic controllers proved their worth as inherently governmental employees. Our air traffic control system is the envy of the world. Let us keep it that way.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would add Schuylkill and Northumberland Counties to the list of six Pennsylvania counties in section 1404 that were arbitrarily moved to Newberg, NY-PA MSA according to a self-enacting provision in the rule passed yesterday. Section 1404 of this bill directs the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board to deem certain counties in Northeastern Pennsylvania to be located in a more advantageous Metropolitan Statistical Area for the purposes of computing reimbursement under the Medicare program. The two counties in my district are adjacent to the six counties listed in Section 1404 and find themselves in similar economic circumstances. My amendment would simply move the counties in my Congressional District to a new MSA along with the six counties already in the bill. Mr. Chairman, if my amendment has the opportunity to be voted on, I am confident it will pass, based on the success of the amendment adopted earlier today in the rule. I urge its adoption.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to all correctional officers and to honor the Week of May 5th as National Correctional Officers and Employees Week. Correctional officers play an imperative role in my Congressional District and throughout the country. FBI Schuylkill, SCI Frackville, and SCI Mahanoy, as well as three county prisons, are six of the most critical employers in my district. The men and women who work at these facilities have the awesome responsibility of protecting my constituents and the public from inmates. Correctional employees also have the important job of overseeing the rehabilitation of prisoners. They lead prisoners back into the community, supervising the construction of such things like recreation areas and baseball fields for children. As the former sheriff of Schuylkill County, I worked hand-in-hand with the men and women who worked at the correctional facilities. No group of people understands the rigors and challenges of law enforcement greater than those who work in correctional facilities. I would also like to pay tribute to the New York Corrections Department. On September 11, these men and women rushed to the scene of the World Trade Center tragedy to help evacuate the victims, once again proving the vital role correctional officers play in their communities. Every day correctional officers go to work they face more danger than some of us face in our whole lives. It is a great honor to recognize these men and women and to recognize the Week of May 5th as National Correctional Officers and Employees Week.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the conference, report and I want to congratulate and commend the chairman and the ranking member for their hard work and determination in bringing this regionally balanced piece of legislation to the floor. I ask all of my colleagues to support this legislation, but I particularly want to urge my Pennsylvania and the Northeastern and Mid- Atlantic State Members to support this conference report. Historically, we have felt left behind when it comes to USDA policy, but this conference report changes that. We have a true safety net for our dairy farmers. Agriculture is still the number one industry in Pennsylvania, and certainly dairy is the most significant form of agriculture in Pennsylvania. What we have here is a safety net that protects the first 2.4 million pounds of production. That will cover herds of up to 135 cows. That will overwhelmingly cover the majority of milk produced in Pennsylvania. We heard talk of an 80 percent increase in conservation in this conference report. That is so important in Pennsylvania. We have almost a billion dollars in this conference report for farm land conservation. Pennsylvania has already retired 194,000 acres in the Farm Land Protection Program. This will allow us to continue the fight to protect against urban sprawl and to keep our family farmers in business. Rural development. We have over a billion dollars in rural development investment in this conference report; 360 million of that is directed towards the backlog in water and sewer projects. That is so desperately needed in the Northeastern part of the country, something that has also been very valuable in Pennsylvania as we attempt to clean up our streams and rivers and watersheds. Again, I want to commend the chairman and the ranking member and all the conferees and everyone who has worked very hard on this legislation. It is balanced, and it is good for American agriculture.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this Motion to Instruct Conferees. This instruction to accept the Senate language to make permanent Chapter 12 of the Bankruptcy Code, is not only a prudent measure of sound public policy, but it is also a reaffirmation of at least 4 separate votes we have cast in the 107th Congress to help out the family farmer. That's right, 4 times in this Congress, we have voted to sustain the opportunity for family farmers who are down on their luck to reorganize and thus preserve their farms through a streamlined expedited bankruptcy process. In each of those 4 times, the vote was overwhelming. In rollcall vote 17 on February 28, 2001, we voted 408-2 to pass H.R. 256, the Family Farmer Bankruptcy Relief Act. That bill, introduced by the gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Smith, extended Chapter 12 through June 1, 2001. The very next day, in rollcall vote 25, we voted 306-108 to pass H.R. 333, the Bankruptcy reform bill introduced by my friend from Pennsylvania, Mr. Gekas. That bill included a permanent extension of Chapter 12. Skip ahead to June 5, 2001. After having let Chapter 12 expire for 4 days, in rollcall vote 153, we voted 411-1 to extend the provision another few months through October 1, 2001. Last July, the gentlewoman from Wisconsin, Ms. Baldwin proposed a Motion to Instruct the Conferees of the bankruptcy bill to accept the Senate language making the Chapter 12 extension permanent. We passed that motion by voice vote. Mr. Speaker, October 1, 2001 has come and gone, and the provision has expired yet again, leaving family farmers in the lurch yet again. Some of my friends on the other side have held efforts to extend Chapter 12 hostage in hopes of providing momentum for conference action on H.R. 333, the bankruptcy reform bill. H.R. 333 is a good bill and a fair bill. I am proud to have voted for it and proud to be a cosponsor. But the bill remains stalled in conference, just like it did in the 106th Congress, and it doesn't seem likely it will conclude any time soon. So, if you voted yes on any one of the 4 occasions I mentioned here-- and I don't believe there is anyone among us who hasn't voted yes at least once--then there isn't any reason why you shouldn't support this motion to instruct. We have a chance to make Chapter 12 of the bankruptcy code permanent. Vote for this Motion to Instruct. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would first like to commend my friend, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for his diligence in moving this legislation through the House. I would also like to commend the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello), the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, who provided invaluable help and assistance in advancing the bill through the legislative process. Madam Speaker, S. 1206, the Appalachian Regional Development Act Amendments of 2002, authorizes appropriations for the Appalachian Regional Commission for 5 years. The commission works to ensure the people and businesses of the Appalachian region have the knowledge, skills, and access to telecommunications and technology services necessary to compete in the knowledge-based economy of the United States. The bill authorizes the President to establish an interagency coordinating council on Appalachia. Further, it establishes a telecommunications and technology initiative and an entrepreneurship initiative. These two initiatives are geared toward increasing access to not only telecommunications and technology, but also to providing access to business incubator services and to initiate sustainable businesses. The bill also promotes regional skills partnerships. In June, 2000, the Appalachian Regional Commission issued a report that documented the return the American taxpayer gets for its investment in the Appalachian region. $32.4 million in ARC funding for infrastructure produced 23,777 direct jobs and an estimated 20,954 indirect jobs. This same investment produced $576.9 million in wages and $14.3 million in State income taxes. In my congressional district, the ARC approved a grant totaling $350,000 to the Schuylkill Economic Development Corporation for improvements to the Schuylkill Highbridge Business Park that is expected to result in the creating of 600 new jobs and the generation of over $40 million in private sector investment. Just as it has done since its inception, the ARC has proven it provides a fair return, both socially and economically, for the Federal Government's investment. Madam Speaker, the Appalachian Regional Commission works. It has built a successful business strategy on a regional approach and serves as a model for other Federal, State and regional development partnerships. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to support this bill and urge my colleagues to join me in passing S. 1206. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HOLDEN. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time. General Leave

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, first I would like to commend and congratulate the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Combest) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Lucas) and all the members of the committee for the hard work they have done on this legislation over the past 2 years. I would like to thank the chairman for holding a hearing in my district while we were writing this legislation at Cookstown University. Finally, as the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee of Conservation, Credit, Rural Development and Research, I would like to thank the committee and particularly the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Lucas) for their significant increase in funding and investment in conservation. By saying that, Mr. Chairman, I am reminded of the words of our former great Speaker when he said, ``All politics is local.'' Mr. Chairman, not only all politics is local, but all public policy is local. I want the leaders of my committee to know that I take no pleasure in opposing them on this amendment. But at the end of the day, every Member in this body must look at this legislation and see how it effects their State and how it effects their district. When I look at this legislation, even with its increased investment in conservation, the funding distribution is just not fair to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania where agriculture is still the number one industry. I believe it is the number one industry in New York or the Northeastern part of the country. I listen very closely to my mentor and leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) over the last few years, and it is true that as a result of the 1996 farm bill that some of the inequities that Pennsylvania faced and the Northeast faced was brought on by ourselves, by our own producers' unwillingness to participate in traditional programs because we do not grow farm commodities. So I went and worked very closely with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with their Department of Agriculture. I said, What can we do? What can we bring to this floor to try to have a better distribution of Federal investment in agriculture? The message was heard loud and clear that we need to have more with conservation. Even with the increase of 75 or 80 percent that the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Lucas) worked so hard for, the distribution still is not fair. If we can get more money into the conservation title, it will give the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania more options to take up the backlog that they have at EQIP or Farmland Protect or CRP or any of the other programs that we have not been able to utilize significantly. I know this is coming down to a regional vote. I want to commend the leaders for bringing this legislation to the floor, but we all need to look at this. I urge all the Members from the Northeast and from the mid-Atlantic States to look closely at this legislation and examine what it does to each Member's district. I believe we can do better.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to pay tribute to those innocent lives that perished yesterday in an attack on America's freedom. The images of collapsing skyscrapers, a burning Pentagon, and large airplanes diving through our metropolitan skies will scar our memories forever. As a former law enforcement officer, I want to pay particular attention to the thousands of police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and other emergency responders who did their jobs with the utmost professionalism during the tragedies yesterday in New York, the Washington, DC area, and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. In my 7 years as a county sheriff, never did I train for, or conceive of a tragedy of this magnitude. Hundreds of New York City firefighters, police officers, and other emergency personnel who were the first to respond to the World Trade Center, were crushed in the rubble of the collapsing buildings as they were vigorously carrying out their mission--the mission of rescuing people. Mr. Speaker, yesterday's events may have exposed the cowardness of a coordinated and faceless act of terror, but let us take note that it also exposed the bravery and professionalism, the perseverance, and heroism of the many police officers, firefighters, and paramedics who continue to do their jobs as I speak, amid the crushed vehicles and dead bodies of their fallen brethren who were among the first responders to the tragedy yesterday. As we gather here to express our sadness and our anger at the tragedy of these acts of terror, let us also be sure to express our sincere gratitude to the emergency service personnel in each of our districts who continue to do their jobs every day, the job of protecting our lives and the lives of our constituents, so that we can live in an atmosphere of confidence and safety. These men and women are true heros, and they need to know that they are appreciated.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to salute and honor the important work of Hmong and Lao-Americans in my district in Pennsylvania for their efforts on behalf of their community in Reading and their former homeland of Laos. Many of them are veterans, or the family members of veterans, who served with the United States military and clandestine forces during the Vietnam War, and who have now become proud U.S. citizens. As new Americans, the Hmong and Lao people from Reading, and other parts of Pennsylvania, are still very concerned about their suffering families and friends still being oppressed by the one-party Communist regime in Laos. Many of my constituents recently traveled from Pennsylvania to Capitol Hill to participate in the U.S. Congressional forum on Laos. At the forum, they offered testimony and evidence regarding human rights abuses in Laos, including: religious persecution against Christians and Buddhists; the oppression of ethnic minorities; and the crackdown against peaceful student demonstrators. The Lao Veterans of America helped to make this effort a success by raising awareness in Congress about the ongoing problems in Laos. Important community leaders that have participated include Mr. Tong Vue, Mr. Nhia Pao Vue, Reverend Song Chai Hang, Long Yang, and others. I am also very grateful to Mr. Philip Smith for his work in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Congress with regard to Laos and Southeast Asia, and with the Asian American community in my district. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to represent the Hmong and Lao-American citizens in my Congressional district, including the veterans and their refugee families, who were staunch allies of the United States during the Vietnam War. It is important for us to recognize and commend them. It is also important not to forget their relatives and friends who continue to suffer terrible human rights abuses in Laos as a result of their devotion to the cause of freedom and democracy. To the Hmong and Lao-American community, and the Lao Veterans of America, I salute you and thank you for your commitment to the principles of freedom, democracy, and human rights. I appreciate the productive role that you are playing in our community as patriotic new Americans and good citizens.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the amendment offered by the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), not because of the programs that he wishes to fund, but from where he is taking the money from. We are in an energy crisis, and we need to take full advantage of all of our own natural resources. We should be increasing investment in research and development, not decreasing it. I represent the androcyte coal fields of Pennsylvania, and there is a DOE-funded program there taking advantage of a decades' old technology of converting coal and waste coal into gasoline. We need to do that. We are too dependent upon foreign oil. I had the opportunity to visit Penn State University a few months ago and look at the noncombustible applications that are being done there in their research and development, where they can convert coal and waste coal again into graphite, which is strong and light; and the automobile industry and the aircraft industry are looking at it for applications there because of its strength and how light it is. We need to up our investment in research and development of fossil fuels, not decrease it. I urge all of my colleagues to vote against this amendment.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues and Father Coughlin for providing my constituent, Reverend F. Kenneth Hoffer, the opportunity to offer the opening prayer this morning in the House Chamber. Pastor Hoffer resides in Reading, Pennsylvania, and is the pastor at the Mount Culmen Evangelical Congregational Church in East Earl, Pennsylvania. He was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Manheim Central High School. Mr. Speaker, he served with distinction in the United States Navy during World War II. He graduated from Lebanon Valley College in 1953 and went on to study theology at the Evangelical School of Theology in Myerstown, Pennsylvania. He and his wife Anna have been married for 48 years and are the proud parents of a son, Craig, and three grandchildren. On behalf of all of my colleagues, I would like to thank Reverend Hoffer for his spiritual guidance this morning.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. I rise in strong support of this legislation. The gentlemen from Ohio and Illinois and my neighbor from Pennsylvania have already elaborated in great detail about the distinguished career that lasted 23 years for Judge Cahn on the Federal bench. He certainly did serve with distinction not only the Lehigh Valley but all of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and, really, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania during that tenure. I would just like to add for the record that during part of Judge Cahn's tenure on the bench, I served as sheriff of Schuylkill County for 7 years, and I had the great pleasure of being in his courtroom on several different occasions and had my deputies in his courtroom on many, many more occasions. I would just like to say that he was well respected. His reputation for being honest and sincere and hard working was beyond question. I think it is all together fitting and proper we name this beautiful courthouse in Allentown after Judge Cahn for his outstanding service of 23 years. And maybe after that, I say to my friend from Lehigh Valley, we can get a judge in the Lehigh Valley and we can get one to the vacant courthouse in the city of Reading, as we fill these vacancies that are so desperately needed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. But I think this is good legislation. Judge Cahn is certainly deserving of it. I urge all my colleagues to support it.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I wish to pay tribute to Nancy J. Spiker, who recently retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ms. Spiker is the State Director for USDA's Rural Development Mission Area in Pennsylvania. That appointment by President Clinton caps a nearly 40-year career of service dedicated to improving the quality of life in rural America. While most of Ms. Spiker's career in USDA was spent in her native Maryland, I have had the good fortune to work with her since she came to the Pennsylvania state office in February 1993. She arrived as the Chief of Community and Business Programs, and among her accomplishments is the complete turnaround of the state's performance in the programs under her leadership. These programs were critical to rural Pennsylvanians, especially in my district. Yet, before he arrived, Pennsylvania had been regularly turning back much of its funding allocations for programs that provided clean water and safe waste disposal and rural communities, created and saved rural jobs, and financed essential community facilities, such as hospitals, schools, and emergency services. As a direct result of Ms. Spiker's leadership, Pennsylvanians now receive the full benefit of funding available, plus additional funds derived from national reserves. Many rural communities, including my district, have benefitted from her resolve and her hard work. Nancy Spiker has exemplified ``public service'' in the finest sense of the term. She has vigorously protected taxpayers' interests. At the same time, she ensured that those who most needed financial assistance learned of USDA's programs and got whatever help they needed to navigate the application process. Whether it was starting the first minority-owned steel business in Pennsylvania, opening a shelter for battered women in a rural community, or helping the residents of a small town ravaged by acid mine drainage get clean drinking water for the first time in decades, Ms. Spiker has consistently gone the extra mile. She didn't just spend taxpayers' money, she invested it wisely in projects that have touched thousands of lives over her career. As Assistant State Director, Ms. Spiker helped the Pennsylvania Rural Development staff successfully implement a major reorganization, and was instrumental in retraining staff to maintain service to the public. As State Director, she led what has become one of the most robust state operations in Rural Development, and completed a personal journey that began in 1961 as a file clerk. Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues will join me in congratulating Nancy for her exemplary career in civil service, and a lifetime of lasting achievements in rural America.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a distinguished public servant from my Congressional District, former Berks County Sheriff John Kramer. John has been a legend in local politics in my district for many years and has become my close personal friend and mentor. John served as Chief Deputy Sheriff in Berks County, Pennsylvania, until 1975, when he was elected to his first term as county Sheriff. John won the primary election by nearly 10,000 votes, and later that year defeated his opponent by 20,000 votes in the general election. Following that first election in 1975, John was reelected Berks County Sheriff four times, and in three of those elections was top voter of any candidate for office in the county. In 1995, after 20 years in office, he announced he wanted to retire and would not seek a sixth term. John was also a sports figure. He bought the Rising Sun Hotel from his father in 1955 and founded the Rising Sun Athletic Association in 1965. The association sponsored bowling, basketball and softball teams. The Sunners softball team won the national softball championship in 1975, and in 1976 the team became co-world champion. In office and in politics, John Kramer valued loyalty. He enjoyed bipartisan support and was well respected by Republicans and Democrats alike. He is a fine supporter of the Reading Phillies and Philadelphia Phillies and counts among his friends Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose and Gregg Luzinski. John and his lovely wife, Doris, have been married for 47 years and reside in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha) for yielding. Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor to be here as we pay tribute to our retiring colleague, Bill Goodling. The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha) did a great job in elaborating on how Bill Goodling has been a leader in education fights in this House as chairman for the past 6 years, and serving on that committee for 20-plus years. But I want to say that Bill Goodling has done much more than that. He cares so deeply about all of his constituents. I have the privilege of being the only Pennsylvanian on the Committee on Agriculture. Agriculture is the number one industry in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Bill Goodling's district is rich with an agricultural history. I drive by it every week on my drive to Washington. Bill Goodling has been a strong fighter for his agriculture constituents, whether it be for fairer dairy prices for his dairy farmers or whether it be the ability for all of our farmers to have access to crop insurance, because we have such diverse agriculture in Pennsylvania, or N O T I C E Effective January 1, 2001, the subscription price of the Congressional Record will be $393 per year or $197 for six months. Individual issues may be purchased for $4.00 per copy. The cost for the microfiche edition will remain $141 per year with single copies remaining $1.50 per issue. This price increase is necessary based upon the cost of printing and distribution. Michael F. DiMario, Public Printer recently because of his fight against plum pox virus. So many of his fruit growers were affected by that disease and he fought long and hard to see that his fruit growers were protected. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to come forth and pay tribute to our retiring Member who has done such an outstanding job, Mr. Goodling.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask all of my colleagues in the House to join me in paying tribute to my constituent, Kristy Kowal. Kristy recently won the silver medal in the Woman's 200 Meter Breaststroke at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Kristy, the daughter of two very proud parents, Edward and Donna Kowal, is a resident of Colony Park, Berks County, Pennsylvania, and is a graduate of Wilson High School. She is a 21-year-old all-American from the University of Georgia and holds three American records in swimming. As impressive as that may sound, Kristy says she is most proud of the fact that she is also an academic all-American. Her major is education, because her mother is a teacher, and like her mother, Kristy wants to be able to influence people and make a difference in their lives. As Kristy traveled to Australia to compete in this year's Olympics, the many flags and banners displayed around the Colony Park community are a testament to the pride and support that Kristy has in the community. To be specific, there were 365 flags and 30 banners displayed on homes, area businesses, and schools. We are also proud of her accomplishments at Sydney. Kristy, congratulations on a job well done.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation, and I would like to thank the chairmen and ranking members of the full committee and the subcommittee for their help on this legislation as well as my friend, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sherwood), who has been very gracious in including the Schuylkill River Heritage Corridor along with his Lackawanna Heritage Corridor. I appreciate his help. Mr. Speaker, this legislation will give the Department of the Interior the opportunity to highlight the proud history of the Schuylkill River Heritage Corridor from the anthracite coal fields to Philadelphia, a proud history that includes anthracite coal, the fuel that really allowed us to have the industrial revolution in this country. It certainly fueled that and it gave us the resources to win World War I and World War II. Also, this area in the Schuylkill River Heritage Corridor includes a great history of organized labor. The Working Man's Benevolent Association was first formed in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, and I am proud to say that my great grandfather was elected the first president of that organization. That was the forerunner to the United Mine Workers of America. That organization did so much, as was mentioned by the previous speaker, for worker safety, for child labor laws, an 8-hour day, and trying to get a 40-hour work. This is certainly something that will be highlighted by the Schuylkill River Greenway Association. Along with that we will go to Schuylkill Canal, which gave us the opportunity to get anthracite coal and agriculture products to market in Philadelphia. The Reading Railroad also will be highlighted by the Schuylkill River Greenway Association as contributing so much to the development of the United States, particularly to Pennsylvania. We also have such a proud agricultural history in Schuylkill and Berks County, in Montgomery and Chester, and we are going to have the opportunity to talk so much about those achievements, along with the great history of iron ore and textiles. I can remember when I was a kid how many women worked in the factories. If you go back 30 or 40 years before that, the history of textiles in this country certainly was highlighted along the Schuylkill River. I think this legislation will be a great opportunity for the Department of the Interior to highlight a proud history. I would like to thank again the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his assistance and the chairman and ranking member of the committee and the subcommittee. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman and will support her amendment.

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words, and I wish to engage in a colloquy with the gentlewoman from New York. It is my understanding that in the offset for the gentlewoman's amendment, she seeks to defer until 2002 $22 million of previously proposed funds for the Clean Coal Technology Program of the Energy Department. For 15 years, through the Clean Coal Technology Program, the Federal Government has been a solid partner, working jointly with private companies and the States to develop and demonstrate a new generation of environmentally clean technology using coal. Companies were willing to sign agreements with the government because Congress, under the leadership of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Regula), the chairman of the subcommittee, and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks), the ranking member, and others, had the foresight to appropriate the entire Federal share of funding in advance. The companies knew the money would be available, and with that confidence they came to the table ready to commit their own funds. In fact, for every $1 committed by the Federal Government, $2 have been committed by private industry and State agencies. This program is coming to a conclusion. All projects have been selected and all contracts have been negotiated. Can the gentlewoman give me her assurance that the deferral of funds called for in her amendment will in no way inhibit the Department of Energy's ability to fulfill its contractual obligations for fiscal year 2001; and, further, can the gentlewoman assure me that none of the current projects in the Clean Coal Technology Program, for which contracts have already been signed and agreed to by the government, will not be canceled as a result of the deferral of funds in the gentlewoman's amendment?

Mr. HOLDEN. I yield to the gentlewoman from New York.