Jerry Kleczka

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner).

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. What I would like to indicate at this point is that this is the last tax bill that will be managed by the able chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Archer). I know this is not the tax bill he really wanted to bring to the floor to manage for his last bill but nevertheless that was not to be this session. But I would want to tell the gentleman and the Members who are listening that the gentleman will be missed. He was a real gentleman on the committee. I really appreciated the opportunity to work with him. What was especially heartening was his knowledge of the Tax Code and the fairness with which he treated all members of the committee, both Democrat and Republican. He is moving on to a much deserved retirement. However, with the new administration taking over, there are some of us who would like to put together a letter to recommend to President- elect Bush that he look very seriously upon him as the new Secretary of the Treasury. So if he gives me a wink and a nod, I am sure we can put something together on that score. However, if that is not to be, I personally wish him the very, very best. He is going to be missed sorely in the House.

Mr. KLECZKA. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

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

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (H.R. 5561), which passed as part of the final Omnibus Appropriations package, contains important provisions (Title III, Section 301) needed by institutions that provide blood and blood products to the nation's hospitals. The legislation directs the Health Care Financing Agency (HCFA) to consider the prices of blood and blood products purchased by hospitals in the next rebasing and revision of the hospital market basket to determine if prices are adequately reflected. In addition, the bill requires that Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to analyze the increased hospital costs attributable to new blood technologies and to recommend necessary changes to provide fair reimbursement. These provisions are greatly needed because two recent technologies have been introduced to increase the safety of our nation's blood supply, Nucleic Acid Testing and Leukoreduction. Nucleic Acid Testing allows for the early detection of infectious diseases, such as HIV and Hepatitis C, by detecting the genetic material of the viruses, while Leukoreduction removes white cells and has the potential to shorten the severity of the illness and duration of hospital stays for patients who receive blood. In its first 15 months of implementation, the nucleic acid test detected and intercepted four HIV-positive donations and more than 57 Hepatitis C-positive donations. This means that roughly 150 potential HIV and Hepatitis C infections were prevented, and lives were saved. While these new technologies are remarkable, these innovations have significantly increased costs. Nationally, these new blood safety procedures add approximately 40 percent to the cost of blood. The purpose of the blood-related provisions in this legislation is to determine how much of an update increase may be needed to defray these costs that markedly improve the quality of our blood supply. By restoring the full inflationary update to the market basket index, Congress is providing the nation's hospitals with the means to afford new blood therapies and to ensure that patients are treated with the safest possible products. All Americans deserve the peace of mind of safe blood and blood products, and I am pleased these provisions were included in the final Medicare relief package.

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I wish today to honor Mr. Bob Adams on his retirement from the Social Security Administration after over 33 years of dedicated service. And although Bob's retirement is certainly well deserved, I have met the news with very mixed emotions. He has been my district office's contact at Social Security for as long as any of us can remember, and we will truly miss him. Bob began his career with the Social Security Administration in 1967 as a claims representative in St. Paul, Minnesota, but was soon transferred to Colorado, and then Utah, where he was promoted to the position of Operations Supervisor. In 1977, he came to Wisconsin, where he has remained, first as an Operations Supervisor, and then quite recently as a Management Support Specialist. In his 23 years at the Milwaukee South office in Milwaukee, Bob Adams has provided service to thousands of individuals in a professional, courteous and respectful manner. In addition, he has spent countless hours doing outreach in the community, providing agencies, businesses, schools and organizations with information about Social Security benefits. Bob has also been an effective, caring and fair supervisor to employees at the South office, and an enormous asset to staff in providing assistance with new computer technology. One of Bob's duties at the South office has been acting as a liaison for congressional inquiries. Congressional staffers in our area have for many years benefitted from Bob's amazing knowledge of Social Security programs, and his ability to provide ready answers to even the most complex and technical of questions. He has always been willing to ``go the extra mile'' for my constituents, and has always been a great pleasure to work with. We will miss his extraordinary talents, his dedication to service, his warmth, and his ready wit! Bob's commitment to the community has also played an important part in his personal life. Not only has he been very involved assisting the needy through programs at his church, but he recently also used vacation time to set up a medical clinic in El Salvador with his wife Debbie, who is a registered nurse practitioner. Bob and Debbie will be returning to Minnesota soon and plan to spend more time with each other and with their two grown daughters. But I know that Bob's commitment to helping others will continue to keep him active in his community. Bob, my staff and I wish you well as you take on new challenges. God's blessings to you always, and once again, thank you.

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, first of all, let me thank my colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane), for yielding me this time. I do concur with his explanation of the bill, and I do rise in support of the technical corrections bill. Let me just point out, Madam Speaker, that the bill reflects a bipartisan effort; it reflects the input of individual Members as well as the administration. As the title suggests, the provisions of the bill are of a technical nature; but these are technical changes that will have a real concrete impact on U.S. businesses, farmers, workers, and consumers. For example, the bill suspends and reduces import duties on over 150 items. The bill also includes an important provision to encourage product development by testing those products in the United States. The bill also includes important provisions to streamline the import processing. This will alleviate some of the administrative burden that can delay the shipment of goods from port to consumer. The bill also contains a piece of legislation that I introduced in the House last year, along with Senator Roth. The background of the bill is that the Humane Society of the United States did a study on the importation of dog and cat fur on articles of clothing and children's toys. They went and did this study, and they found, and they made film footage, of animals being slaughtered for their fur. They did document the fact that these articles were brought in and put on our racks and shelves in retail establishments here in the United States. That study was followed up by a ``Dateline'' episode, the ``Dateline Magazine,'' which showed in graphic detail how the slaughters of these animals was done and how the actual articles of clothing got into this country. The bill does contain our legislation, that is, my legislation, Senator Roth's legislation, which does provide a prohibition on importation of these types of goods coming into this country. The bill before us changes a couple items from the original bill. It does leave out the criminal penalties, and, hopefully, the bill will still be effective without that provision. It also changes the labeling. But I think, all in all, the measure that is contained in the legislation is effective, will stop this practice, will also stop any of that type of manufacturing going on in this country. So I do thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane) for his inclusion of this piece of the bill which I think many constituents and the Humane Society of the United States really fought long and hard for. So I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane) for that. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KLECZKA. Madam Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).

Mr. KLECZKA. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Thurman).

Mr. KLECZKA. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

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

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to simply say that I support the resolution and concur with the remarks of the gentleman from Illinois. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an outstanding young man from my district who has recently returned from Sydney, Australia, where he represented his country proudly in Olympic competition. In August Paul Hamm, along with his brother Morgan, became the first set of twins to ever qualify for the United States' men's gymnastics team. At 18, the young men from Waukesha, Wisconsin, are also the second youngest male gymnasts in U.S. Olympic history. Paul's overall performance earned him a 14th place finish in the all around competition. The Olympics are always a time of pride in our nation's athletes, however this was especially true for the people of southeastern Wisconsin this summer. Paul and Morgan's story gave us all another reason to watch and cheer for two of our own. Paul has put years of hard work and dedication into perfecting the skills that have taken him to the pinnacle of his sport. He has worked with his coach, Stacy Maloney, since the age of six to earn the right to compete with the best in the world. To reach the Olympic stature at such a young age and with relatively little experience in major events is truly amazing. Of course Paul would not have been able to reach the heights that he has attained without a strong support system. The natural competition he had with his brother Morgan pushed them both to be their best. Their parents, Sandy and Cecily, are to be commended for the sacrifices that they have made to help their sons reach their goals. From the time Sandy convinced Stacy Maloney to coach his six year old sons to the trip to Sydney, the Hamms have provided their sons with the opportunity to excel. Paul is not only an exceptional athlete, he is also a role model for the young people of America. Despite squeezing two daily practices in between his classes, he is an honor student at Waukesha South High School. Even though he has missed the entire fall semester, he intends to graduate with the rest of his class next spring. Paul's successes, both in the gym and in the classroom, prove just how much can be accomplished through hard work and dedication. And so it is with great pleasure that I congratulate Paul Hamm on his Olympic accomplishments, and wish him all the best as he looks forward to a long career leading the U.S. men's gymnastics team into the new century.

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my good friend, Jim Hill, who is celebrating 25 dedicated years of government service. I've known Jim since he worked as my chief of staff when I served in the Wisconsin State Senate in the 1970s. He came to the job an intelligent, energetic, enthusiastic and strongly principled young man, and quickly became a highly respected name in public service in the Wisconsin legislature. Jim's impressive understanding of issues made him a trusted and valued advisor during my years on the Senate's Joint Finance Committee, and his continued support was critical to my decision to run for Congress in 1984. Jim remained in Wisconsin, and joined the staff of Wisconsin's Dane County Executive Jonathan Barry, where he gained experience in the challenges of county government. But soon he and I had the opportunity to work together again, this time in Washington, DC, where he became my administrative assistant (AA). Jim was a fast learner and an outstanding AA, quickly developing expertise on a myriad of issues while providing strong leadership to a young and inexperienced DC staff. And although I know that Jim enjoyed the challenges of working on Capitol Hill, his first priority was and is his family. Knowing that the job of AA was incredibly demanding and meant frequent long hours, Jim decided to go back to Wisconsin, where he joined the staff of the City of Milwaukee's Department of City Development and later worked for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. Jim's strong sense of social justice and his outstanding management skills then led him to his current employment with Milwaukee County's Department of Human Services, where he serves as administrator of the Division of Management Services. And, after 25 years of public service, he remains a well-respected and active member of our community, a man of unquestioned integrity and dedication. And despite holding positions of enormous responsibility, Jim has always maintained a healthy balance between his job and his family life. He is a dedicated father of two wonderful and talented sons, Patrick (who I am proud to say is my godson) and Daniel. He's also a devoted and loving husband to his wife, Christine. Throughout the past 25 years, Jim has remained one of my closest and most valued friends. He's always been there for me, in good times and in bad, and has been a trusted advisor and an ardent, vocal and hardworking supporter. I thank him for his friendship, and commend him for 25 years of outstanding service to our community, our state, and our nation. Congratulations, Jim!

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to the men and women of Polonia Sport Club, Inc., of Franklin, Wisconsin. Polonia Sport Club was founded to provide an opportunity for recent Polish immigrants to the Milwaukee area to gather for social activities and sporting events--mainly soccer games--and keep alive and flourishing the traditions of their homeland. Today, Polonia Park, located on West Loomis Road just west of Highway 100 in the Milwaukee suburb of Franklin, boasts 23 beautiful acres of parkland and soccer fields, a shaded picnic area and a quaint traditional Polish chapel. The grounds are utilized by young and senior citizens alike, and range from ethnic Polish groups to youth and adult weekend soccer tournaments attracting players and their families from throughout the Midwest. The members of Polonia Sport Club have truly witnessed a revival of it's original intentions of soccer being a unifying outlet for immigrants to the Milwaukee area to the game's present-day emergence as the fastest growing youth participatory athletic event in the US. My family and I have had the privilege of attending and hosting more than a few events at Polonia Park over the years and have always been impressed with the old-world charm of the park's grounds and hospitality offered by the park's managers. On November 4, the founders, active members and guests of Polonia will celebrate the club's 50th anniversary with a banquet at the new Polish Center of Wisconsin. It is my distinct pleasure to recognize this event by bringing Polonia Sport Club's many attributes to the attention of the United States Congress. To the members of Polonia Sport Club, I offer my sincere congratulations on your first 50 years and best wishes for the future. Sto lat.

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I wish to join in the tribute to a true southside Milwaukee landmark, the American Serb Memorial Hall, as the community celebrates the hall's 50th birthday this month. Located at South 51st Street and West Oklahoma Avenue, on Milwaukee's southside, Serb Hall, as it's commonly known, has been a fixture in the city for the last half century for wedding receptions, banquets, lunches and dinners, political rallies and yes, even bowling leagues. When constructed in 1950, Serb Hall was by far the most complete and modem facility of its kind on the south and southwest side of Milwaukee. The hall was expanded in 1987 to accommodate increasing business and renovated in 1999. The hall was originally dedicated on September 1, 1950 to honor the local members of the Serbian orthodox faith who served in the American armed forces. 15 of those young men lost their lives in defense of our nation. They are honored today in a full-wall memorial in the lobby of Serb Hall. I was honored to attend the very moving dedication ceremony for that memorial. Any mention of Serb Hall is not complete without focusing on two very traditional events--the Friday fish fry and visits by political dignitaries. The first fish fry was held at Serb Hall in 1967 and the lunches and dinners continue to this day supplemented by a drive- through window and carry-out service. The line of cars in the drive- through oftentimes circles the parking lot and can even extend into the street during the Lenten season. Without a doubt, many individuals seeking major political office realize the historical and cultural significance of holding a rally at Serb Hall. From Milwaukee mayors, police chiefs, US congressmen and Wisconsin Governors to United States Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush and Clinton, all have spoken at Serb Hall either as elected officials or candidates. It is my pleasure to wish the Milwaukee Serbian community all the best as you celebrate 50 years of Serb Hall success. Best wishes for the next 50 and well beyond.

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I have two points I would like to share with the body today. The first is that I am somewhat confused. I read here in the Congress Daily that the Republican leaders went over to the White House yesterday, talked to the President, and they told the President that they are going to set aside their tax cuts in favor of debt reduction. Any surplus coming in would be used for debt reduction, a plan that the American public supports. Well, that was yesterday. Now today they come back to the floor of the House and try to override this bill they call the marriage tax penalty. Well, let me talk about that for a moment. If in fact we provide relief to those lovely couples that the Republican colleagues are bringing out on the posters, that would cost, over a 10-year period, $95 billion. In the whole scheme of things, that is affordable. The Democrats support that. Republicans support that. The President, in his State of the Union standing behind me, supports that. Then, why are we not doing it? Because the bill before us, Mr. Speaker, costs $290 billion. Well, wait. Marriage penalty is only $95 billion. Where is the other $200 billion going? Seems as the bill made its way through the process, the Republicans added a little rider, they slipped in a little amendment. And that amendment expanded the tax income for the 15 percent bracket. The effect is that the bulk of the $200 billion added to the bill goes to the wealthy. But the Republicans still call it marriage penalty tax relief bill. Well, my colleagues, that is a hoax. It is not marriage penalty tax relief. The bulk of the bill goes to people who do not even pay the marriage tax penalty. So what we have here is a sham, a hoax, a Trojan horse. On one day, out of one side of their mouths, they go to the President and say, no more tax cuts, we were wrong, the American public does not buy it; they want debt relief. Then, they come before the House floor and cry alligator tears for these young, married couples when they know the bulk of the $290 billion goes to their rich friends. That is what is going on around here. The American public has said, Congress, if in fact there is a surplus, and know full well this is all projections, it is a guess over the next 10 years, but if the guess is right, reduce the national debt on my kids and grand kids, which today is over $3 trillion. That is where the emphasis should be, and that is what this Congress should be up to. But it is an election year, so what we have to do is try to sell a bill to married couples which really does something else to help in the election process. I urge my colleagues to not override the veto. Let us get back to what they said yesterday. Let us pitch debt reduction relief.

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to my good friend and a life-long supporter of working men and women, Nick Romano, who retired July 1, 2000 after 42 years of dedicated service to and membership in the United Auto Workers (UAW). Nicholas Romano was hired in 1958 at the Milwaukee manufacturing plant of American Motors. Throughout his years at the American Motors Body Plant, Chrysler and the UAW, Nick has been a progressive advocate for his union brothers and sisters, his neighbors and community. A selfless leader, Nick seized every opportunity available to express the opinions of organized labor to his elected officials locally, on the state level and nationally. Nick organized and participated in many grass-roots lobbying efforts to bring labor-related issues and concerns into the limelight. The union membership granted Nick many official duties, including group steward, head steward, benefits representative, chair of the bargaining committee, member of the Local 75 Executive Board (culminating in the last 15 years as Local President), member of the national UAW negotiating team for the DaimlerChrysler national contract negotiations and a seat on the Wisconsin State UAW CAP Executive Board until his retirement last month. It will be literally impossible to replace Nick Romano and forget all that he has done and meant to the UAW in southeastern Wisconsin, the Midwest and our nation. But let each and every one of us learn from Nick's four decades' worth of leadership to step up and do the best we can to live by his example. May God bless you Nick, Judy and your family. Nick will be honored by UAW International Representatives, Region 4 and Local Representatives, his family and many friends at a retirement dinner Saturday, September 9 in Milwaukee. I personally extend my thanks and well wishes to Nick for all that he's done.

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, today I honor and pay tribute to the Red Arrow Club of Milwaukee. October 15th, 2000 marks the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Army's 32d Infantry Division's call to active duty prior to World War II, and also the 39th anniversary of the October 15th, 1961 call to active duty for the Berlin Crisis. This is a very important day for the club, for those who have worn the ``Red Arrow'' in war, as well as peacetime. Comprised of troops from Michigan and Wisconsin, these soldiers were inducted into federal service at Lansing, Michigan on October 15th, 1940. The ``Red Arrow'' arrived in Australia on May 14, 1942 and participated in a number of heroic WWII campaigns, seeing action in Papua, New Guinea, Leyte, and Luzon, and later in Japan they often withstood bitter hand-to-hand combat, and fought bravely and honorably for their country. During their tour of duty in World War II, the members of the 32d Division laid their lives on the line for their country, asking nothing in return. And once again on October 15th, 1961 the ``Red Arrow'' answered the call of their country to protect our vital interests overseas, this time for the Berlin Crisis. For their bravery, members of the 32d have received a total of ten Congressional medals of Honor and fourteen Distinguished Unit Citations. In addition, the unit has received several decorations including the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. This special day serves to honor the many veterans who answered the call to duty to serve their country in this distinguished division, a number of whom made the ultimate sacrifice and never returned home to family and friends. To the veterans, as well as those on active duty, my sincere congratulations on this very special milestone in the 32d Division's history. It is an honor that is well deserved.

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, and I would like to acknowledge my friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane), and also the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin) for agreeing to include in this bill a ban on the importation, exporting and interstate commerce of items of clothing or toys, children's toys, made from dog and cat fur. The issue was brought to my attention by the Humane Society of the United States, who, for over 18 months, conducted an undercover investigation of not only the conditions of animals but the slaughter of these animals, and then finally the products that were made from the animal fur and shipped into this country. They handed their investigation and the results of their investigation over to the Dateline NBC program, which about a year and a half ago broadcast a long segment on the clothing that is being sold here in this country and the toys being sold to our children made from dog and cat fur. After working with Senator Roth in the other body, we did introduce legislation in both Houses to ban this practice. This legislation, I am happy to say, includes that ban. Mr. Speaker, here in this country, in the United States, over 65 million households have pets, either cats or dogs; and clearly I find it and they find it very deplorable that the clothing they might buy at their local store or the toy they might buy for their children is made in another country from the hide of a domestic dog or a domestic cat. This bill, as I indicated, will ban this abhorrent practice. Again, I want to thank not only the chairman and ranking member, but I also want to publicly acknowledge the hard work of the Humane Society of the United States, which worked tirelessly to bring this to a halt, and I think tonight's action on this bill and subsequent Senate action will do just that.

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, today I honor the Reverend Rembert Weakland, Archbishop of Milwaukee's Catholic Archdiocese, who has been awarded the Milwaukee Ethnic Council's Vision for Milwaukee Award. Each year, this award is presented to an individual or organization for outstanding service to the community, and this year's recipient is certainly deserving of this prestigious honor. The Archbishop began his Religious Life as a Benedictine monk at Solesmes Abbey in France, and was ordained to the Priesthood in 1951 at Subiaco, Italy. His lifelong love of music led him to pursue musical studies in Europe, as well as at the prestigious Julliard School of Music in New York, and Columbia University, where he just recently received a Ph.D. ``with distinction'' in Musicology from Columbia University. First a music teacher at St. Vincent College, he went on to become Chancellor and Chairman of the Board of Directors. In 1967, he was elected Abbot Primate of the International Benedictine Confederation, and was appointed Chancellor of the International Benedictine College of Sant'Anselmo, Rome, Italy. On September 20th, 1977, Rembert Weakland was appointed Archbishop of Milwaukee by Pope Paul VI, and is the spiritual leader of nearly 700,000 Catholics in 10 Wisconsin counties. Although ``Srengthening bridges to harmony, respect and understanding'' is actually the Milwaukee Ethic Council's mission statement, it also very aptly describes Archbishop Weakland's life's work. For nearly 23 years, the Archbishop has served the people of this area with great integrity and humanity. He is one of our community's most respected leaders, by Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Archbishop Weakland has worked hard to strengthen dialogue between area Catholics and members of other denominations. He has fostered an atmosphere of understanding and cooperation amongst the faith community in our area. Always a strong advocate for social justice, the Archbishop has expanded the archdiocese's involvement in anti-poverty issues, providing assistance to inner city families in our area. One of his remaining goals in his final years before retirement is to get the Roman Catholic Church more involved in solving social problems in the central city. At a recent Jubilee-year gathering, Archbishop Weakland joined with other area Christian leaders in support of improved international debt relief for poor nations and increased assistance to the poor and disenfranchised in our own community. It is, therefore, quite fitting that the Milwaukee Ethic Council bestow the Vision for Milwaukee Award upon Archbishop Weakland, for he serves his Lord, his Church, and the people of Milwaukee with great vision and heart. Please join me in congratulating him on receiving this award, so richly deserved. May God's blessings continue to enrich his life and his ministry.

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to the Red Arrow Club of Milwaukee. October 15th, 2000 marks the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Army's 32d Infantry Division's call to active duty prior to World War II, and also the 39th anniversary of the October 15th, 1961 call to active duty for the Berlin Crisis. This is a very important day for the club, for those who have worn the ``Red Arrow'' in war, as well as peacetime. Comprised of troops from Michigan and Wisconsin, these soldiers were inducted into federal service at Lansing, Michigan on October 15th, 1940. The ``Red Arrow'' arrived in Australia on May 14, 1942 and participated in a number of heroic WWII campaigns, seeing action in Papua, New Guinea, Leyte, and Luzon, and later in Japan they often withstood bitter hand- to-hand combat, and fought bravely and honorably for their country. During their tour of duty in World War II, the members of the 32d Division laid their lives on the line for their country, asking nothing in return. And once again on October 15th, 1961 the ``Red Arrow'' answered the call of their country to protect our vital interests overseas, this time for the Berlin Crisis. For their bravery, members of the 32d have received a total of ten Congressional Medals of Honor and fourteen Distinguished Unit Citations. In addition, the unit has received several decorations including the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. This special day serves to honor the many veterans who answered the call to duty to serve their country in this distinguished division, a number of whom made the ultimate scarifice and never returned home to family and friends. To the veterans, as well as those on active duty, my sincere congratulations on this very special milestone in the 32d Division's history. It is an honor that is well deserved.

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, today I honor St. Helen's Catholic Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on the occasion of its 75th Anniversary. St. Helen's was founded on April 6, 1925 by the Rev. Constantine Wasniewski and has been a fixture on Milwaukee's south side ever since. The church, which began with just 50 parishioners, now serves as the place of worship for more than 900 families. The parish school, which opened in 1926 with just four Felician Sisters, teaching in four small rooms, currently boasts an enrollment of 130 students. As a 1957 graduate of St. Helen's, I can personally attest to its dedication to education, high moral standards, and the preparation of its students for the challenges that lie ahead. Polish heritage has always been a cornerstone of the St. Helen's community. In fact, for years Polish language classes were a standard part of the school's curriculum. Through the work of current pastor, Rev. Michael Ignaszak, and many others at St. Helen's parish, that emphasis on our Polish culture and traditions continues to flourish. St. Helen's is known throughout its neighborhood as not just a Catholic parish and parochial school, but as an outstanding member of the community. Since 1972 St. Helen's church festival has been a highly anticipated annual event. Its monthly fish fries, run entirely by volunteers, have become a Friday night tradition. However, St. Helen's community involvement runs far deeper than fish fries and church festivals. It has been home to Boy Scout Pack 264 since 1949. Many clubs, such as the 55 & Over Club and the Christian Women's Group volunteer their time and efforts to numerous community causes. The Human Concerns Committee works closely with the Interfaith Caregiving Network to distribute holiday gifts to the elderly and home bound in the area. And so it is with great pleasure that I join students and parishioners, past and present, in congratulating St. Helen's on the celebration of its first 75 years, with best wishes for the next 75, and beyond.

Mr. KLECZKA

Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, what we are hearing from my Republican colleagues today is true, because what they are talking about is resolving the marriage penalty, and so half the bill does that. What my Republican colleagues are not telling us about is the other half of the bill. Fifty percent of the cost of this bill goes to the people that were referred to before, Shad and his family from Illinois; and that is the part that all of us agree with. If the bill before us did that and solely did that, 435 Members of Congress would vote yes today; and the President would sign the bill this evening. What they fail to tell us about is the other half of the bill, which has nothing to do with marriage penalty. Mr. Speaker, understand that 50 percent of the benefits of this bill go to couples who do not pay a marriage penalty at all. So let's not call it a marriage penalty relief bill if they are getting it and they are not paying it. Call it a tax relief bill for the upper income, because if we look at the cost of the bill, almost 80 percent goes to the highest income wage earners in this country. I have no problem with them doing it that way, but then call it that and sell it that way. But do we know why they do not? Because that bill would not garner support of even Members on their side of the aisle, because at that point, what we would do, Mr. Speaker, is put that proposal here, weigh it against resolving and reducing the Federal debt; if we looked at the two, we would say, no, the debt is more important, get it off the backs of our children and our grandchildren. Then we would put in the next column a drug benefit for those seniors in our country who cannot afford it, so we would weigh a drug benefit or a tax break for the wealthiest, and it would fail on that score. So that is why they have tucked it into this bill and called it marriage penalty relief. My friends, this is only half true. The other half has nothing to do with marriage penalty. Why did they not invite the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) to the conference? Because he might make that point and they would have to think about it. Why did they not involve the President and this administration in those negotiations? Because they might have eked out a deal that the President would buy and a bill he would sign. But that would totally destroy the reason we are here today. Mr. Speaker, we are here today, the number one reason: pass this bill to the President, he will veto it within the next 10 days, and they are going to use this as a prop at their Republican convention in Philadelphia. If the bill would be signed through negotiation and inclusion of the minority party, that prop would be gone. There would be a gaping hole in George Bush's acceptance speech. So know what we are doing here? Yes, they are half right, but like Paul Harvey says, let us tell the rest of the story.