Bill Jenkins

Mr. JENKINS

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, let me say thanks to the committee for their consideration of this resolution and for allowing us to consider it here today. Mr. Speaker, the city of Bristol is two cities: Bristol, Tennessee, and Bristol, Virginia; Bristol, Tennessee, being in the First Congressional District of Tennessee, and Bristol, Virginia, being in the Ninth Congressional District of Virginia, and represented very ably by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Boucher). Mr. Speaker, in the 1920s, when country music was in its infancy, artists from throughout Tennessee and Virginia and the entire region gathered in Bristol to perform. Some of the most important developments in country music took place there. In 1927, the Carter family, which later became the First Family of Country Music, and Jimmie Rogers, who became the Father of Country Music, had recording sessions there, very significant recording sessions there. These recordings became known in time by the country music foundation as the ``Big Bang of Country Music.'' They are credited with propelling the Carter family and Jimmie Rogers and country music itself to a commercially successful venture. Today, country music is enjoyed throughout this country and throughout the world. As the Chairman pointed out, in 1984, the Tennessee Senate recognized Bristol as the birthplace of country music. In 1995, the General Assembly of Virginia recognized Bristol as the birthplace of country music. Today we have this resolution which recognizes the contributions of Bristol and its people to the origins and the development of country music. This, I think, significantly is cosponsored by the entire delegations from the States of Tennessee and Virginia. I ask support for this well-deserved recognition.

Mr. JENKINS

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, due to a death in the family, I was unable to be present to vote on Monday, September 28, 1998, for the following votes: Roll Call No. 473--H.R. 3150--I would have voted ``yea'' Roll Call No. 472--H.R. 4060--I would have voted ``nay''--This contains no funding for the Tennessee Valley Authority to perform navigation and flood control for the citizens of the First Congressional District of Tennessee. This is unfair because navigation and flood control are paid for in every section of the country. Roll Call No. 471--H.R. 4103--I would have voted ``yea'' Roll Call No. 470--H.R. 3891--I would have voted ``yea''

Mr. JENKINS

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to explain my vote on House Resolution 525. Rollcall vote 425 took place on Friday, September 11. I was present and was participating on the floor during the vote, but failed to have my vote officially recorded by the electronic voting device. I wish to affirm that I fully support this resolution and would have been recorded as a ``yes'' if recorded electronically.

Mr. JENKINS

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson, the two brave officers who sacrificed their lives to protect the lives of hundreds of others visiting this scared symbol of freedom. No words can begin to ease the pain and suffering that the Chestnut and Gibson families are feeling at this moment. I hope, however, that these grieving families can take some solace in the outpouring of love and support from grateful Members, staff, fellow police officers, and citizens from across this country. The bravery and sacrifice exhibited by these offices are characteristics of the entire Capitol Hill Police Force. Far too often, all of us take their work in protecting these grounds for granted. We forget that in a moments notice someone intending to cause harm to others can disrupt the order and normalcy that many of us have come to expect as we work here. It is during this time that we depend on those brave men and women who work to ensure that the Capitol remains a safe haven for those working and visiting. Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson did not let us down. At the first sign of trouble, both officers intervened and took the appropriate action. As a result of their selfless and heroic actions, I am confident that many were spared injury or death. Mr. Speaker, it is highly appropriate to see these heroes be given the ultimate tribute of lying in honor in the Rotunda of the building where they served, protected, and perished. No one deserves this honor more than Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson. May God bless each of them.

Mr. JENKINS

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 3137, the Medicare Venipuncture Seniors Protection Act of 1998. This legislation sponsored by Representative Bob Aderholt (4th-AL) would delay implementation of the elimination of the venipuncture home health benefit included in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. In order to determine whether or not the benefit should be restored after the delay, the bill commissions a study of venipuncture benefits. I also want to take the time to applaud the efforts of other Members of Congress who have taken a lead on this important issue. Representative Nick Rahall (3rd-WV) took the first step to correct this error in the Balanced Budget Act when he introduced H.R. 2912, the Medicare Venipuncture Fairness Act of 1997. I cosponsored the legislation which restores the venipuncture benefit completely. Everyone is opposed to fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicare Program. I want to do everything we can to eliminate these items from the program so that we can offer additional medical services and prolong the life of the Medicare trust funds. However, complete elimination of the venipuncture benefit is not a solution to this problem. Unfortunately, eliminating home health visits for the sole purpose of obtaining a venipuncture was included in the Balanced Budget Act passed by this Congress and signed into law by the President last year. This change in Medicare has affected individual States in different ways. Some of the most negatively affected are rural Southern States like Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Kentucky, and West Virginia. In Tennessee, State regulations prevent lab technicians from entering homes and drawing blood under Medicare part B. Further, there is no safety net on the State level which will care for these patients. If our intent is to save money in health care, it does not make sense to discontinue this benefit. Many of these individuals could be placed into nursing homes and onto the Medicaid Program. In Tennessee, one recent study has indicated that an additional 3,000 nursing beds will be needed by the year 2000. More beds will be needed if this inequity is not corrected. Like many other Members of Congress, I supported balancing the budget and getting our financial house in order. When I ran for Congress in 1996, one of my primary goals was working to get the budget balanced. However, I believe that we have gone too far with the elimination of this benefit, and I have no intention of balancing the budget on the backs of our frail and elderly.

Mr. JENKINS

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 599, I was inadvertently detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. JENKINS

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, due to airline cancellations, I was unable to make rollcall vote No. 461. Had I been present I would have voted ``Yea.'' I would have voted ``No'' on vote No. 460.

Mr. JENKINS

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, on June 24, on rollcall 311, I am recorded as not voting. I recall vividly being in the Chamber. It was on the agricultural appropriations bill. I feel that I voted but I was inadvertently not recorded on that vote. Had I been recorded on that vote, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. JENKINS

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1348) to amend title 18, United States Code, relating to war crimes.

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to note that the gentleman from Michigan referred to the remarks of the gentlewoman from California, and I think she appropriately pointed out that there are many people in this country who have deep-seated feelings in opposition to capital punishment. I respect those feelings and I respect the feelings of the gentleman from Michigan. But I believe in, and have always supported, capital punishment, as a legislator in a State legislative body. And I believe that there are occasions when society requires the imposition of the death penalty for certain crimes. I believe that a majority of the people who serve in this House of Representatives agree with that. I believe that a vast majority of Americans across this land support capital punishment in some instances. I would simply say, in respecting the viewpoint of the gentleman from Michigan, that I would disagree. I believe that it is appropriate in some circumstances, and in this circumstance, the circumstance contemplated by this bill, that there be the imposition of the death penalty. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill under consideration.

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, last year the House passed and President Clinton signed into law our colleague's, the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Jones], War Crimes Act of 1996. That bill fulfilled the obligation the United States undertook in 1955 when the Senate ratified the Geneva Conventions for the Protection of Victims of War. The Conventions require that signatory countries enact legislation punishing grave breaches of the Conventions. The Jones bill created a new section 2441 of title 18. The section provides that the perpetrator of a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions taking place inside or outside the United States shall be fined, imprisoned or, where death results, subject to the penalty of death. The section grants jurisdiction to Federal courts where the perpetrator or the victim is a member of the armed forces of the United States or a national of the United States. Today we are considering the Jones followup legislation. At a hearing the Immigration and Claims Subcommittee held last Congress, the State Department and noted scholars of international law urged that we modify the Jones bill by expanding the criminalization of war crimes to cover a number of other offenses. That is what the present Jones bill, H.R. 1348, does. As recommended by the State Department, H.R. 1348 would expand section 2441 to cover violations of common article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and articles 23, 25, 27, and 28 of the Hague Convention of 1907 Respecting the Laws and Customs of War. The United States is a signatory to all those conventions. These provisions forbid atrocities occurring in both civil wars and wars between nations. They cover atrocities that have been recognized by the civilized world as abhorrent such as the torture or murder of civilians and prisoners of war, the use of weapons that cause unnecessary suffering, the bombardment of undefended towns, the unnecessary bombardment of hospitals or religious structures and the pillaging of towns. Also, H.R. 1348 would expand section 2441 to cover other offenses at such time in the future that the United States ratifies the underlying treaties. These would include certain violations of the Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and other Devices, currently before the Senate. Violations would include the willful killing or serious injuring of civilians as a result of the deployment of land mines in civilian areas with no military justification or the booby-trapping of wounded or dead soldiers or of medical supplies. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Jones], sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. JENKINS

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, each year during the month of October, the National Storytelling Association [NSA] holds the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the festival. Considered one of the top 100 events in North America, the festival draws an average of 10,000 visitors per year. The NSA has received 70 percent of the funds required to build a National Storytelling Center in Jonesborough. An estimated 80,000 tourists are expected to visit northeast Tennessee per year generating revenue as well as jobs. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to praise the many educational benefits of storytelling. The art of storytelling allows teachers to develop student interest in literature and history. By telling stories, students learn excellent communication skills while being given the unique opportunity to speak to a large group of people. Storytelling teaches students to be aware of the many diverse cultures in the United States. In addition, many businesses use storytelling to enhance presentations and seminars. In order to further promote storytelling across the Nation, the National Storytelling Association hosts Tellabration on the Saturday night before Thanksgiving. Tellabration occurs in several States and NSA hopes to declare the week prior to Tellabration, National Storytelling Week. I commend the National Storytelling Association on their efforts and wish them continued success.

Mr. JENKINS

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, I missed the Journal vote this morning due to constituent meetings. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. JENKINS

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring the attention of the Congress to an issue of inequity facing my home State, the State of Tennessee. This inequity is the current funding formula of the Federal highway trust fund. As most of you know, there are a number of States in the Union which are called donor States. These States pay into the highway trust fund through various taxes, but receive less money than they remit to the Federal Government. For example, based on the most recent Federal Highway Administration figures, the State of Tennessee receives approximately 82 cents for every $1 contributed to the fund. However, there are a number of States which receive well over $1.50 for each $1 they remit to the trust fund. This is unfair. Tennessee's transportation needs, in many cases, are just as critical as those States which receive a disproportionate lion's share of the trust fund proceeds. There are a number of proposals seeking to reach a more equitable solution to this funding disparity, and I urge all Members of this body, especially those of us in the donor States, to support reasonable changes in the funding formula to ensure that each State's transportation needs receive adequate funding.