Johnny Isakson

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson), whose height might be challenging for basketball, but whose spirit is national championship caliber.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 401) congratulating the University of Connecticut Huskies for winning the 2002 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I women's basketball championship.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to recognize the Atlanta Regional Military Affairs Council (ARMAC) on the occasion of their 50th year of serving the people of Georgia. The Atlanta Regional Military Affairs Council was created to foster partnerships, education and a strong working relationship between the business and military communities in the Atlanta area. ARMAC was founded 50 years ago and works closely with each of the military branches. The Atlanta area is rich with military history and structure with its bases: NAS-Atlanta, Dobbins ARB, Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem. Additionally, the Atlanta area hosts reserve units of the Coast Guard and National Guard. The ARMAC executive committee consists of representatives from every major command in the Atlanta area. ARMAC was founded as a partnership with the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. In 1999, largely due to the Cobb County Chamber of Commerces' extraordinary support of the Military, ARMAC found a new home with the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Speaker, as the Atlanta Regional Military Affairs Council begins its 50th year of service to the military and business communities in Atlanta, it is highly appropriate to recognize their efforts over the past 50 years, and wish them well as they begin their next 50 years of service to the people of Georgia.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce for this opportunity. Pension security has two components. First is protecting the workers' investment but also is preserving that investment to exist at all. As we deal with the ramifications of the immoral and possibly illegal actions of Enron executives, and the loss to their employees, we must be very careful not to react in such a way that we destroy the benefits that most Americans have and the wealth that most have created. We have talked a lot about Enron, and some people have painted with a pretty broad brush. It has become almost a corporate America statement. The gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), the distinguished ranking member in our committee, brought us a chart during the debate to raise the question about the disproportionate investment in some 401(k) plans by employees, and a couple of those companies were in Atlanta, Georgia. They were in my district. As we talk about Enron, we must also remember the Coca-Cola Company and Home Depot. Coca-Cola, with 83 percent of the value of its 401(k) in Coca-Cola stock, and Home Depot is 73 percent, and the risk that the gentleman from California (Mr. Stark) kept criticizing about a half an hour ago happened to be rank-and-file Coca-Cola and rank-and-file Home Depot employees who invested in their company and became millionaires because of a program that we in this Congress created to create pension security. Were there bad actors at Enron? Yes. Were there loopholes that need to be closed? Yes. This bill closes those loopholes and brings about responsibility, but we have to be very careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water. We do not need to paint a broad brush that destroys pension security by destroying any incentive for businesses to have pensions and 401(k)s, and we have to be very careful about who we castigate as being rich because, in fact, most of America's wealth has been earned by people who have invested in the sweat and the blood of their businesses and their companies, and they have been treated right. There are bad actors. The Merrill Lynch example sounds bad, but it does not mean that every advice any professional ever gave was conflicted, nor should we sell the American worker short that they are not capable of giving information and making an intelligent decision. I commend the President, the chairman of our committee, the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, and this Congress for dealing deliberately in closing the loophole that Enron used, holding corporate executives example, allowing people to diversify and allowing people the ability to get unconflicted and accurate advice. Let us not castigate all of corporate America nor the great benefits that most American workers have gained by this important program. Let us not throw the baby out with the bath water. Let us not adopt a Democratic substitute. Let us adopt the House pension security plan.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder), and I thank the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) for introducing House Concurrent Resolution 305, and I subscribe to everything that the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) thereafter has said and the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Dunn) has said. President Reagan was an unusually great President of this country. He lowered the burden of taxation on Americans. He in a large measure was solely responsible through his policies and his tenacity for bringing down the Berlin Wall and ending the Cold War. He was a leader of great proportion. But I rise for a different reason, not just to repeat the same. It is really appropriate that we use the Rotunda to present this award to Nancy Reagan, and it is because she and the President are still achieving great things for our country. Mr. Speaker, I lost my mother 4 years ago to Alzheimer's, and I have the greatest of regard for the caregivers of America who today deal with the care and the tragedy of that disease that afflicts their loved ones. I am so proud of the President, President Reagan, in the way he, in such a dignified manner, let the American people know of his debilitating disease; and he met it with the same positive influence that he met every challenge, no matter how great it was, in his life. As President of the United States, he did wonderful things for our country. As First Lady, Nancy Reagan did wonderful things for our country. And when the Gold Medal is presented, it will be for all the positive accomplishments that he made. But at this time in their lives it also recognizes a couple who are a shining beacon to millions of Americans whose loved ones have been confronted with Alzheimer's, who, as caregivers, give every moment of their day to make the life of their loved one as easy as possible. So on the 50th anniversary of their marriage, on their recognition of the accomplishments as First Lady and the President, it is also appropriate that we point out to the American people that even today, as a past President and a past First Lady, Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan continue to be a beacon to the American people in their handling of the most difficult of diseases in the latter years of their lives. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons), and I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder) for yielding me time, and I urge the support of House Concurrent Resolution 305.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the introduction and for yielding time to me, but in particular for his hard work on the Committee on Education and the Workforce on bringing this bill to the floor; and I particularly commend the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon), with whom I have worked for some time now, in seeing this bill actually come to the floor and be passed. I really appreciate the acknowledgment of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews) that the inaction or lack of action in December really had nothing to do with the merits of this legislation. What has to do with the merits of this legislation is ensuring predictable student loans at competitive and favorable rates for American students that otherwise might not or would not get the student opportunity to receive a higher education. Secondly, it is important, as the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews) has pointed out, that we provide the ability to lock in rates and have a fixed rate repayment so those families that are struggling to meet the demands of paying back their cost and ensuring that their child gets a higher education have a predictable, consistent flow and rate. Third, it is important to understand that any time you put indexes and formulas into the law to affect the rates or the guarantees on any program there are going to be periodic needs for adjustment, and now is the periodic need for that adjustment. There are some, in fact, I was questioned on a radio talk show last night as I talked about this bill, who questioned whether or not we ought to be in this business. Well, let me address that for one second because the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) on their hard work on higher education, the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) and I know the same thing, in America the most important thing we can have is to see to it that bright minds who can achieve have the opportunity to further their education, who can then contribute to its fullest to the United States of America. Second, as is the case in most Federal guarantee programs, it actually produces revenue for the United States as long as we are sure we will do a good underwriting job and a good collection job is done. So, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today and endorse this legislation. I thank both sides of the aisle for their hard work on it and say to the students of America who are looking forward to a college education that otherwise would not be within their reach because of finances that we are willing to provide the underpinning and the opportunity for a consistent flow of favorable rate loans for students to further their dreams and reach their goals.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Delaware for yielding me this time. I rise really to praise the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne). This is a man who has written a resolution that is a reflection of the life that he has lived, by being a mentor to hundreds of young athletes, being a father figure for those that did not have them, being a person who demonstrated the difference in right and wrong. This House is fortunate to have the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), and we will be fortunate today to unanimously pass this resolution. In John Kennedy's inauguration, there was a poem by Robert Frost read which ended, ``Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and I took the one less traveled by and that made all the difference.'' For many of America's youngsters, what makes all the difference in the road less traveled by is a positive mentor to show them the light, show them the way, and show them the direction. I praise the author, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne). I am pleased to give my support to this important resolution.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to recognize the distinguished career of Mr. Gary Conrad, who is a member of my constituency in Georgia's Sixth District and has provided countless hours of assistance to the Congress as an employee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia where he has served as the Chief of the Congressional and Legislative Branch in the Financial Management Office. Mr. Conrad is retiring from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after 34 years of service to the agency. His service record with CDC spans his entire career and it is a career that demonstrates loyalty, dedication, quality, and selfless acts to the people of Georgia, the United States and in fact the world. Mr. Conrad has worked tirelessly to provide Congress information about the agency, its mission, and its programs. His work has contributed significantly to our understanding of the agency's mission and the nation's public health needs. Mr. Conrad has had several notable assignments and he can truly be recognized as an individual in the forefront of the public health service. During his career with CDC, Mr. Conrad worked directly with the World Health Organization, Smallpox Eradication Programme in Bangladesh where he investigated potential smallpox cases and implemented disease containment procedures in areas with confirmed cases. His efforts contributed to the worldwide eradication of the disease. For nearly eleven years, Mr. Conrad served as the Director for Sexually Transmitted Disease Control Programs in Atlanta, Nashville, Salt Lake City, and San Juan. In addition he has served CDC as the Deputy Director for the Public Health Service--Region IV, Division of Preventive Health Services. When the CDC began to recognize the cases of the HIV virus early in the epidemic it was Mr. Conrad the agency called upon to serve as the Desk Officer for the Department of Health and Human Services newly designated National AIDS Program Office. During his career, Gary has also represented CDC as an advisor to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the International Organization on Migration, and the U.S. State Department on refugee-based health screening. He also served CDC in Miami on an emergency Cuban refugee screening project during the Mariel Cuban Boatlift. Mr. Conrad's career is truly noteworthy and represents the excellence that exists within the citizens of our community and the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will surely miss the perennial contributions to public health of Mr. Conrad as he retires and it is my pleasure to recognize his efforts today in the Congressional Record.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I come to the well in lieu of the desk so I can look the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the chairman of the committee, and the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), the ranking member, in the eye and say ``thank you,'' not out of courtesy, but out of great admiration for the great job these two men have done. Both had the opportunity to succumb to unbelievable pressures, both partisan and political, and neither did. They kept the interest of America's children and the number one issue of our President paramount. Because of them and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews), the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer), the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon), and the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), and the hard work of Ms. Lovejoy and, for me, without the help of Glee Smith, it would have been impossible to spend the time. I am a subscriber to a great quote: ``Our children are a message we send to a time we will never see.'' The last generation of American politicians, though unintended, sent a mixed message. Our richest and most affluent children have prospered and succeeded and grown, but our poorest and our most disadvantaged have not progressed; and in fact, the gap between them and our best and most affluent has widened. We will send a new message to a generation that we probably will not see with the development of this legislation. Robert Browning said that education is a journey, it is not a destination; and I know from my work in Georgia that it is a process, it is not an event. Over time, the investment of this bill means that 13 years from now when this year's kindergartner graduates from high school, our dropout rate will be lower, our reading comprehension rate will be higher, and America's children will enjoy the promise of America: employment, wealth, and, most of all, self-pride. I could talk for hours about the opportunity this bill gives, but I want to summarize by saying this: to parents, it gives choices of academic enrichment; to students, it gives the investment of resources they have never had; to teachers, the flexibility to use the materials they believe are right; to school boards, it gives the direct order, we are going to leave no child behind. You will have the resources, but you will also have the responsibility. And to America's taxpayer, for the first time, it gives accountability for the dollars that are invested in America's children. Mr. Speaker, I do not know how long I will serve in Congress, and I have been fortunate enough to be in public life for 24 years. Today is the most important day, and this is the most important event, I have ever been a part of; and I would venture to say, regardless of what the future holds, when my career is over, I will say the same. I have had the occasion to work for a great chairman, a great ranking member, and with men and women who are dedicated to leaving no child behind. I am pleased to serve under a President who has led our party in a positive direction toward the education of our children, all of our children, rich and poor alike. We are a great Nation and the generation that we are about to send into the future will be better off because of the efforts of this Congress and this President.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Pryce) for her leadership and for yielding me time. I thank the Members on both sides of the aisle for the words that have been spoken and will be spoken about No Child Left Behind. A year ago next Friday, then President-elect George Bush invited 16 members of House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats, all members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. He expressed his vision for No Child Left Behind, and then did what is so exemplary of our President. He asked all of our opinions on what we thought. And it was from that basis that House Resolution 1 was introduced about 12 months ago and we began the work which results today in the final conference committee report on No Child Left Behind. Everyone had a chance to have their say. Every issue of importance had its chance to have a vote. And in the end, bipartisanship prevailed and the interests of the America's poorest students most in need has been met, and, in fact, I believe exceeded beyond the wildest dreams of me or our President or the other members some 12 months ago. Mr. Speaker, I am very fortunate. I was born to a loving mother and father who nurtured me and made education important, who gave me the resources and the discipline and made the demands to ensure that I learned to read and to write. I owe them very much. On the other hand, I also recognize I owe very much to those who were not nearly as fortunate as I was. No one should mistake what this bill is all about. It is about seeing to it that those who are the most disadvantaged, those who are the most poor, those who are the most at risk are given the resources and the institutions that teach them the accountability to ensure that they are not left behind, that they can read, that they can compute, that they can graduate, and they can realize the American dream. While someone may nitpick over something they did not get in this bill, every child in America and every American taxpayer is getting the benefit of a better, more intelligently, more proud and more self- assured population in the future because we will leave no child behind. And today this Congress will adopt the dream of this President in his most important promise of his campaign just a year ago.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, within days, the Conference Committee on House Bill 1 will complete its work and President Bush's campaign commitment to ``leave no child behind'' will be before Congress for final approval. As a member of the Conference Committee, I am very proud of the months of work, and the tireless efforts of Chairman John Boehner. As a result of John's leadership, America's public schools will have the resources, the tools, the flexibility, and the accountability to close the achievement gap between our best and our poorest performing children. Since its inception thirty-five years ago, Title One of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was designed to improve the performance of America's poorest and most at risk students. One Hundred and Twenty Five Billion Dollars later the performance of these children has not improved and the gap between our poorest and our best has actually increased. America's children and America's taxpayers deserve better, and this Conference Report demands better. In my home district in Atlanta, Georgia, there is a talented and nationally syndicated talk show host named Neal Boortz. Neal is a conservative libertarian whose favorite target for criticism is often public schools or as he calls them, government schools. While Neal sometimes carries his criticism to the extreme, he is often on target. Neal will be happy that this Education Reform requires exactly what he has sought: accountability, competition, and results. There is another reason Neal Boortz should be very happy. His able and talented assistant, Belinda Skelton, is expecting her first child in May, and when that child reaches six years of age America's schools will have improved dramatically because of five major provisions of this reform. 1. President Bush's Early Reading First initiative will ensure that every child reaching third grade will be able to read and comprehend at that level. 2. Every child in third through eighth grade will be annually tested in reading and math to measure the progress of their improvement, identify any problems and provide remediation where necessary. 3. Test results will be disaggregated so that every teacher, every school and every parent knows exactly how each student is performing and progressing. There will be no more hiding poor performers by averaging scores by grade. 4. Schools that fail to improve student performance will be held accountable, and parents of children in failing schools will be given choices including public school choice and parental direction of federal Title 1 funds to public or private supplemental educational services to address their child's needs. 5. Local School Boards of Education will be given flexibility in federal funds to address the educational needs of their children and their community. Federal control and federal mandates are reduced, so schools are held responsible for results in the performance of children and not satisfying bureaucratic red tape. Mr. Speaker, President Bush's pledge to ``leave no child behind'' is a promise to Belinda Skelton's child and every child. It is a commitment to America's future, and an acknowledgement of past failures. I urge each member of Congress to join with me and with the President in our commitment to ``Leave No Child Behind.'' Vote yes for real reform, local control, accountability, and parental involvement in public education.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, 10 weeks ago this Congress, with one lone dissenting vote, granted the President of the United States the authority to send our sons and daughters in harm's way, to root out and bring justice to the terrorists or take justice to them. Tomorrow, this House will have the chance to vote on Trade Promotion Authority for our President, an exact comparable authority for the President of the United States to do for the global economy what we have allowed him to do militarily across the ocean and in Afghanistan. If there were ever a time for us to ensure prosperity in the long- term in the 21st century, it is to give the President the same power to make the American economy the strongest weapon for peace and security and for employment of all our citizens. I urge my colleagues to support Trade Promotion Authority tomorrow when it reaches the floor of the House of Representatives.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick) for the thoughtful approach to this evening and to those individuals who sacrificed their lives on September 11. I have personally noted in the last 10 weeks that September 11 has become a date that was an event. It will never be forgotten by any American nor any citizen of the world that was alive on that day or that will live in the future. But the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick) have done something very important: They have given us an opportunity to also not forget the individual faces and the individual lives of those who were tragically taken on the 11th. One such person was a resident of my district, Michael Gann, 41 years old, born in Smyrna, Georgia, and, upon his tragic death, residing with his wife, Robin, in Roswell, Georgia. On the morning of September 11, Michael and 82 other delegates to a financial technology conference were on the 106th floor of the first tower that was struck. Now, ten weeks later, none of those 83 have been accounted for, nor will they ever be physically accounted for, because of the horrible tragedy, which makes it all the more important that we memorialize the names and the lives of these individuals. You see, Michael Gann was just like a lot of other Americans. He and Robin had been married for less than two months. They were just starting their life together in the promise of America. A graduate of Georgia Tech, a dedicated husband, only in the shortness of their marriage, Robin summed up better than I certainly could ever what Michael was really all about. When asked shortly after his tragic loss, Robin said, ``Michael was the most genuine person I have ever known and ever met. And that's rare. He was definitely a prize.'' Mr. Speaker, the men and women from America and those from 60 other countries who perished on September 11 were unwitting and unwilling heroes. Hopefully the loss of those lives will touch us all to see to it that we strive for such an event to never happen again. It should not pass on us without notice that yesterday a United States flag that flew over the World Trade Center during the recovery period was flown to the United States Marines who landed near Kandahar in Afghanistan. The significance of that event to Robin Gann in remembering her husband should be the memory for all of us of all of those individuals, for it is they for whom we fight today in Afghanistan, and it is for their children and their memories that the United States of America should win forever this battle against terrorism. I thank the gentleman from North Carolina and the gentlewoman from North Carolina, for they have helped us to remember that this great tragedy for our country was a tragedy of individual and immense proportion to men, women and children all over the United States of America, whose names and memory should be memorialized and never forgotten.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, the intentions of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews) in the substitute are as noble as the intentions of the authors of the underlying bill, but I happen to favor the underlying bill for a couple of reasons that, hopefully, Members will listen closely to. To be against the underlying bill and for the substitute, Members have to presume we cannot trust employees or IRA-SEP beneficiaries, independent contractors, to have information and then make a decision. Secondly, and most importantly, Members need to understand that most Americans today, unlike 25 years ago, are going to need to depend on 401(k)s, IRA-SEPs or other self-directed plans for their retirement. I ran as a trustee of a 401(k) plan for my company for 22 years, offered an IRA-SEP plan for the 800 contractors we had. I understand the firewall that prohibits the employer from giving any advice and the limited amount of advice that becomes accessible to either IRA-SEP or 401(k) beneficiaries. It is wrong to presume that an employer would intentionally, willfully or wantfully allow bad advice to come to their employees. To the contrary, it is the security blanket which binds those people to the company. In this time when we are needing the best information possible, we should trust our employees to be able to allow access for their employees and independent contractors to credible, competent financial advice. In the substitute, Members trust the Department of Labor to determine who can give the right advice. In the underlying bill, Members trust the employer, whose most valued asset is their employees, to be able to offer credible advice through advisors to their employees and independent contractors. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to adopt the underlying bill and reject the substitute.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the benefits of H.R. 3005, a bill to renew America's Trade Promotion Authority and support our President's key role in trade. America is the world's most powerful economy. Even prior to September 11, we were facing difficulties. Given our enormous presence in the world, America's leadership in trade is integral, not only to our economic recovery, but to the world's. H.R. 3005 is a bipartisan compromise that focuses on increasing the environmental and labor dimension of U.S. trade policy, increasing the rights of workers and protection of the environment, and opening trade markets abroad for the health of our own economy. Now is an important time for America to be a model for the rest of the world. TPA is necessary to help guide us through these difficult times, both at home and abroad. America has come to represent stability in this uncertain world. Let us pass H.R. 3005 and provide trade opportunities to build our global economy.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) for bringing this resolution, I commend the gentleman from Virginia, the gentleman from Texas, the gentleman from New Jersey, and the gentleman from California. I am not a religious philosopher by any stretch, and I would not stretch to say I am a constitutional expert. But I am reminded, as I listen to this debate, that it is one of the reasons I am most proud to be an American. Both the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentlemen on the other side have raised the consciousness of our country in this debate. Their arguments are not based on grounds that are against religion. They are based on the fundamentals and protection of religion, as our Constitution intends it to be, and I respect that. I am somewhat reminded of a quote from Floyd Patterson shortly before he went into the ring to fight a title bout for the heavyweight championship of the world. Known to be a religious man, he was asked by a sportswriter, ``Mr. Patterson, is God on your side?'' And he said, ``I only hope God knows I am on his side.'' Regardless of the opinions in this debate, it is my conclusive belief that every Member of Congress falls in that same category as Mr. Patterson. While we may have differences on the intent of this legislation, it is patently clear it is permissive, not mandatory; respectful, not dictatorial; and it recognizes that at a time and place of tragedy in our country, it is only appropriate that America's children have the opportunity in their own way to reflect or to pray. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) and those on both sides of the debate. I urge Members to adopt the resolution.

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

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones).

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, could the Chair advise both sides of the remaining time, please.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 239) expressing the sense of Congress that schools in the United States should set aside a sufficient period of time to allow children to pray for, or quietly reflect on behalf of, the Nation during this time of struggle against the forces of international terrorism.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones), the author of this resolution.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask Members to adopt the resolution. I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).