Sam Johnson

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in 1898 the Federal tax on telephone service, the tax on talking, was first levied as a temporary measure to fund the Spanish-American War. That war lasted only a few months, and yet the taxes lasted for over a hundred years. Unfortunately, in 1990 a Democratic-controlled Congress made it permanent, which just goes to show us one thing about Washington: once there is a tax on the books, it is almost impossible to get rid of it. But this week we are going to achieve the impossible. We are going to get rid of this Federal telephone tax once and for all. This will provide tax relief to the nearly 95 percent of American households who have telephone service, and it will help keep the Internet free from direct taxation. Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders fought valiantly in the Spanish- American War, but we have long since cleared the ledger on that victory. It is a hundred years later and way past time to repeal this outdated tax on working Americans.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the position on both sides, and I thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer) for offering this amendment. As a veteran and former prisoner of war, I support ensuring veterans have access to the best health care our Nation has to offer. The amendment before us would extend Medicare subvention through 2003 and allow Medicare to pay for military retirees to get the health care they need at veterans hospitals. To suggest that we are abrogating our responsibilities to America's veterans is just plain wrong. Before we make any program permanent, we ought to make sure that all the health care needs of our veterans are being met. We have got to do the right things by our veterans. TRICARE is not working. We are committed to this Nation's veterans and our promise of lifetime health care. Let us make sure it is right when we do it.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, prescription drug coverage is an important issue for American seniors, and Republicans have a plan for those that need coverage to keep it and those who need it to get it. This is in stark contrast to the President's plan. Democrats and the President willingly admit their plan will drive employers out of the market. To stop this, the Democrats bribe employers to keep the coverage they already offer. This just does not make sense. Rather than pay employers to do something they are already doing, I suggest we set the funds aside to actually get drug coverage to America's seniors. The Republican plan accomplishes that task. Medicare beneficiaries deserve choices, not a one-size-fits-all program that wastes money. This Congress must take its responsibility seriously and make sure that seniors can get affordable prescription drugs when they need them. Now is the time.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, seniors deserve prescription drug coverage and Republicans have a plan to provide it for them. Last week, the Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health had a hearing on the President's prescription drug plan. As a member of the committee, I was pleased to learn there are several ways where we can agree. But history must not repeat itself. This issue must not be used in this election to scare our seniors. Scare tactics serve no purpose and do not help one senior get the drugs they need. Republicans are ready to roll up our sleeves and give seniors a choice in their Medicare prescription drug coverage. I welcome my Democrat colleagues and the President to join us in this important effort.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, anyone developing a health plan these days would not think of omitting prescription drugs as a benefit, yet Medicare does. However, despite this lack of coverage in Medicare, fully two-thirds of America's 39 million seniors currently have prescription drug coverage, so any new plan must be voluntary and not force seniors out of their current plans. Seniors deserve the flexibility to determine what type of drug coverage they want and need. A one-size-fits-all program will not work. One thing that is crystal clear to me is that seniors should not have to choose between putting food on the table and buying their medicine. A senior's choice should be the plan that best meets their prescription drug needs.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is a distinct honor for me to place this dedication to Dorothy W. James in the Congressional Record. Her husband, ``Chappie'' James, was a fighter pilot's fighter pilot, an Air Force great and a super American. The death of his wife brings back many memories of a great Air Force career backed by an outstanding wife. Her burial in Arlington Cemetery is a fitting tribute for a woman who gave so much to America. Reflections on the Life of Dorothy W. James Dorothy Watkins James was born on June 27, 1921 to James Andrew and Daisy Hicks Watkins in Tuskegee Institute, Alabama. After a lengthy illness she departed this life on May 2,000. She attended the Chambliss Children's House Elementary School and completed high school on the campus of Tuskegee Institute, Mr. James' mother and father were avid tennis players. Dorothy and her sister Aubrey became involved in the sport at an early age. Dorothy continued to play tennis in high school, and was also a drum majorette in the Tuskegee Institute Band. Additionally, she played piano and was a student of the daughter of Booker T. Washington. While attending college at Tuskegee Institute, she met and married her husband of thirty-six years Daniel ``Chappie'' James, Jr. of Pensacola, Florida and they were married until his death in 1978. As the wife of an Air Force officer, she lived in many locations in the United States, Asia, and Europe. She was involved in numerous charitable endeavors and most proud of her contributions to what is now known as the Air Force Village Retirement Communities. She was a loyal and dedicated supporter of the Air Force community and family support programs. Dorothy and Daniel were blessed with a daughter and two sons and she guided each through the formative years of their lives. As a result of her love, care and persistence and guidance, each has enjoyed a rich and rewarding life. She will be missed by all who have known her for her quiet selfless dedication to family, friends and community. She is survived by her daughter Danice D. Berry, son-in-law Dr. Frank W. Berry, Jr.; son Major General Daniel James III, and daughter-in-law Dana M. James; son Claude A. James and daughter-in-law Diane James; granddaughters Jamie Michelle Berry and Brittany Diane James; grandsons Frank W. Berry III, Max S. Berry and Ryan N. James; a sister Aubrey W. Simms and brother-in-law Robert H. Simms; a niece and nephew, and many devoted extended family and friends.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is a rare occasion when we agree with the Department of Labor on legislation, but today we do. This bill will ensure that all employees, including rank and file workers, are allowed to participate in employee-provided stock option programs. With the advent of new technology and Internet companies that offer stock options to lure the best and the brightest, we must make sure that outdated laws do not stifle our growth and innovation. It is unfair to allow only top executives to participate in these stock options, excluding those who provide the labor for the same company, but on an hourly basis. I believe rank and file employees deserve the chance to make their fortune, secure their retirement, and increase opportunities for savings. The time is long overdue to help millions of workers and employees achieve the American dream.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Manuel Luis Ibanez has been on the Board of Regents. I can vouch for his ability. He is being asked for reappointment to an additional 6-year term with the Smithsonian Institution. He served as president of Texas A&M University in Kingsville and is presently Professor of Microbiology. As a current citizen regent of the Smithsonian, he brings a unique knowledge of science because of his specialization in bacterial physiology. He possesses a broad background in academic and public service and combines that with his institutional experience in the areas of grants, awards, and funding. Dr. Ibanez has been a successful fund-raiser while serving as president of Texas A&M University and lends that experience to an institution that relies on constantly increasing its private fund- raising base. He has also expressed support for expanding the Smithsonian's traveling exhibitions to reach parts of our country that do not normally have access to such exhibits. Dr. Ibanez has served successfully on the Smithsonian's Board of Regents for the past 6 years. I urge my colleagues to support S.J. Res. 42, which reappoints Dr. Ibanez for another 6-year term. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate joint resolution (S.J. Res. 42) providing for the reappointment of Manuel L. Ibanez as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for his comments and I tell him that I appreciate those comments. Because Dr. Ibanez, of course, does live down near the valley in Texas and it is hard to get here, and sometimes those regents come from far away and we are proud to have representation from all over this Nation. It is a great institution. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on S.J. Res. 42.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I appreciate the gentleman's help in getting this through the committee. I appreciate the help from the Democrat side as well. I want to ask my colleagues to support this legislation which I introduced. It is to establish a memorial honoring our Nation's disabled veterans. The memorial expresses our thanks and, at the same time, honors the nearly 2.3 million disabled American veterans in our country today. This memorial would pay tribute to the men and women who have fought in every major conflict this Nation has entered since the great Civil War, including 471,000 wounded in the Civil War; 234,000 wounded in World War I; 670,000 wounded in World War II; 100,000 wounded in Korea; 300,000 wounded in Vietnam; and nearly 500 wounded in the Persian Gulf War. Despite those staggering numbers, they do not even begin to represent those who returned with no visible physical wounds but who suffered more through emotional agonies wrought by war. There are monuments, memorials dedicated to the wars our Nation has fought and to those who lost their lives in the effort to preserve the freedom that we all enjoy. But we have not properly acknowledged the sacrifices of those who went and fought those same battles to preserve the same freedoms and who paid a severe price. We have yet to honor those who returned from battle with the scars and wounds which serve as daily reminders of how just costly a war can be and how precious the privileges that we enjoy in this Nation are. This memorial would be the only one dedicated to disabled American veterans, many of whom are still living, thereby giving the American people an opportunity to honor and express their gratitude to those who have sacrificed so much for each of us. It has been 25 years since the conclusion of the Vietnam War, which we have seen on TV in the past week, and 50 years since the Korean War. Those are two wars in which I fought. And I fear the passage of time is going to allow our wounded veterans to fade from the Nation's memory and conscience. This memorial will ensure that our Nation will not forget the dedication and devotion to duty, honor, and country demonstrated by all disabled American veterans. It is time to honor their commitment to this Nation and to our freedom which we so richly enjoy. God bless everyone. I hope my colleagues can see clear to passing this bill.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate joint resolution (S.J. Res. 40) providing for the appointment of Alan G. Spoon as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S.J. Res. 40 provides for the appointment of Alan Gary Spoon to serve on the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. This 17-member board, which governs the Smithsonian Institution, is comprised of the Chief Justice and Vice President of the United States, three Members each from the House and Senate, and nine citizens who are nominated by the Board and approved jointly in a resolution of Congress. Alan Spoon has served as chief operating officer and director of The Washington Post Company since May of 1991 and was elected president of that organization in September of 1993. Prior to that experience, Mr. Spoon also served as president of Newsweek Magazine. The Washington Post Company's involvement in areas of education and electronic information services, as well as producing technology publications, can prove to be a useful background in his service to the Smithsonian. Before joining The Washington Post, he was a partner with an international consulting firm specializing in corporate strategy. Mr. Spoon also brings previous experience with the Smithsonian as a member of the National Museum of Natural History's board of directors. I believe the Smithsonian can benefit from Alan Spoon's financial, marketing, and management background. I urge my colleagues to support S.J. Res. 40.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on S.J. Res. 40.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, due to a scheduling conflict I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote 115. Had I been present I would have voted ``aye'' on H.R. 4051, Project Exile: The Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act of 2000. This bill would establish a grant program that provides incentives for States to enact mandatory minimum sentences for certain firearm offenses.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues have heard of eliminating the Social Security earnings penalty. Well, we are finally doing it today. It has been a long fight for our seniors, but today we are going to vote to end the Social Security earnings penalty. The gentleman from Texas (Chairman Archer) has been working on that issue since 1973, and I have been working on it since I got in the Congress in 1991. Our seniors deserve the right to work without being penalized by the Federal Government. Senior Americans are diligent, experienced, productive; and they want to work without the fear of losing their Social Security benefits. This country was built by Americans of all ages who labored to realize their dreams. We have always rewarded work in America; and it is high time we rewarded, not penalized, our seniors for their hard work.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank all on both sides of the aisle for their support. Today, 800,000 seniors are one step closer to gaining their freedom to work. It sounds unbelievable, does it not? To think that, since 1935, when Social Security was first proposed, we have been penalizing our seniors for working. That is right. Since the inception of the Social Security system, our seniors have lost $1 in benefits for every $3 they earn over a set amount. Currently, as was stated, seniors may only earn $17,000 before losing their benefits. But today, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the gentleman from Texas (Chairman Archer); Speaker Hastert; the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Shaw), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security, we find ourselves ready to pass the Senior Citizens' Freedom To Work Act, a bill I introduced last year. I know that 64,500 seniors in Texas alone, including Tony Santos and his family, whom I spoke of earlier, are going to celebrate their new- found freedom to work. I fought in both Korea and Vietnam for freedom, and I believe that includes the freedom for our seniors to work without being penalized by the Federal Government. Our seniors are dedicated, experienced workers who have endured this Depression-era law for far too long. We are in a new century, 60 years past the Great Depression, where laws passed in 1935 are no longer relevant. This Nation was built by generations of Americans who believed in the free enterprise system. In the words of Thomas Edison, ``There is no substitute for hard work.'' This legislation will make sure that our seniors have the freedom to work, save, and invest in a better America for tomorrow.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, due to the primary election in my state of Texas today, I was unavoidably detained and missed the following votes. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``Yea'' on H.R. 3699 designating the Joel T. Broyhill Post Office; ``Yea'' on H.R. 3701 designating the Joseph L. Fisher Post Office

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) for his remarks. Mr. Speaker, some people know I served in Vietnam and was a POW there, but I think there are not too many who know that I also flew in Korea 62 combat missions, and we are here because the Korean War is referred to as the forgotten war, but we have not forgotten it. Frankly, I was lucky enough to fly with Johnny Glenn and Buzz Aldrin in the same outfit, and I remember one day we went out on the revetments and watched Ted Williams land a shot-up airplane. He sacrificed his career to fight for America in that war. I think oftentimes we forget there are 8,100 MIA still over there, that we are still searching for their remains. We have not given up. I also have a lot of friends from Australia, South Africa, England, and other countries. That was one of those wars where one made friends from all over the world. This resolution shows our strong support for all of those who fought and the many who died. Today there are millions of Korean War veterans who still remember the horrors of their experiences but would gladly fight again if this country called. They are individuals of honor and integrity, and they deserve to be recognized for their sacrifices to this country, including the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel). I salute them. Our Korean War era Veterans have never forgotten America; and we are here to say today, we will never forget them. God bless America.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller), one of our great committee members. (Mr. WELLER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Well, I thank the gentleman for joining us today. I would just like to say that I want to repeat that this legislation will take effect retroactively, from January 1 of this year, which is important to a lot of seniors. That means you can go to work right now. Republicans agree, we have got to set in motion steps to reform Social Security overall. I think the gentleman is involved in some issues like that. I can think of no better way than by repealing the Social Security earnings limit as a start. I always tell people, you know, I fought in two wars, Korea and Vietnam, for freedom; and I think that that entitles our seniors the freedom to earn the savings they have been putting away and paying for during their years of employment, year after year. I think Nick probably agrees with me, America's seniors need, want, and deserve a penalty elimination. No more penalties. This is a day of freedom. I salute the gentleman and all America. Thank you.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. We can all live to be 100 and earn our Social Security benefits, right?

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. But what you are saying, they will get their money back where they are not now.