Mark Kennedy

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act of 2002. As I go around my district and talk with seniors, this is one of the top issues that they have for us in Congress, to get a prescription drug coverage within Medicare. This bill is long overdue, and it is very important for our seniors. We need a comprehensive prescription drug benefit under Medicare, and this bill delivers exactly that. No senior should have to choose between groceries and medical care. This plan gives our seniors immediate relief from the rising costs of prescription drug medications by providing a 30 percent discount off the top of their overall prescription drug bill. We guarantee coverage for all seniors who want it in Medicare. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicts that 95 percent of seniors will voluntarily sign up for this benefit. So this is a program that will work that we are putting forth for seniors and that we expect to be beneficial to them. In addition to the immediate discount and basic insurance coverage, which combined should save the average senior about half of their costs for prescription drugs, we are also providing a 100 percent prescription drug coverage for low-income seniors to make sure that those most in need can have the medicines they need to stay healthy. We also have catastrophic protection, at a $5,000 level or so, that will ensure that individuals do not have to deplete their lifetime savings and do not have to choose between other basic necessities in life and pharmaceuticals. We also offer more Medicare choices and savings. Many Americans already have coverage. Most seniors have prescription drug coverage, but this bill is put forth to be a base upon which other plans can build upon to provide stronger coverage for seniors. We are very hopeful that we can get this passed in the House and enacted into law. Continuing the tradition of making important legislation temporary, the majority in the other body recently introduced a bill that expires after 10 years. That is unfair to our seniors, Mr. Speaker. Our approach helps seniors now and permanently into the future. Our plan is affordable and is intended to cover all seniors. The choice is clear. I strongly support passage of this bill, and I urge Members to do the same.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, the previous speaker, the gentleman from California, asked, what are our priorities, and asked us to focus on fiscal discipline and fiscal responsibility. Yes, our priorities include making sure that Social Security is secure for all generations and that we preserve Medicare and add prescription drug coverage. In so doing, I would remind the gentleman that we are the only people who have put forth in the past a budget to keep that fiscal responsibility. But my responsibilities also include, and my priorities include, families and keeping them strong as the bulwark of America. When we do that, the big fear that I have is that my children, when they come to me later on and they decide that they have found someone they want to spend the rest of their life with, because I have taught them about fiscal responsibility, they will say to me, dad, I can save $1,400 if we just live together and do not get married, and we can use this $1,400 a year on all kinds of good and wonderful things, because I have taught them to be fiscally responsible. That is not a question I want to have. We have to take care of Social Security and Medicare. We should not be doing that on the backs of American families. This is not about whether we are spending Social Security; this is about whether we value and put a priority on families as the basis of our American life. I would encourage Members to oppose the substitute and support eliminating permanently the marriage penalty on American families.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for yielding to me, and I thank and commend the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan) for bringing this, along with the gentlewoman from Indiana, to our attention and to the floor. I would recognize also the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) for his leadership on this very important issue. Mr. Speaker, we have many titles, many things we are called over the course of our lives. During school we have a lot of nicknames, and during my time in business I had a lot of fancy titles, and today we are called Congressmen or Congresswomen. But there is nothing more important than to be called ``dad.'' It is the most important title that I have. I have had the opportunity to invest in many things that are valuable to me, whether it be my home, buying a car every now and then, or other things. But as my father would always say, my assets sit around the table, and they are the most important, most valuable things that we have. We have many jobs. I have had many jobs in my life during my 20-year career in business, and I have an important job here serving the people in the Second District of Minnesota. But there is no more important job that I have, no more important job that any father has, than in being a father to their children. That is really what this resolution talks about, is the importance of that, and the need to really reach out and honor that, thank those that do a good job, and encourage those fathers out there to take a more active role in their lives. I have had the example in my life, as many have, and unfortunately, some have not, of having a great father to guide me in this path. I can fondly remember the nights when he would tuck me in at night and come over to my bed and say my prayers. Every night when I am home, which in our role is not often enough, but I always try to take time at the end of the night to go to each child's bedroom, and I am very blessed to have four children, along with my wife, Debbie, and spend time with them talking about their day, saying our prayers, giving them the sign of the cross on their forehead to keep them safe through the night and keep them strong in their faith, and help them grow in their lives. But there are 24 million kids that do not have a father to come and talk to them at night or during the day or anytime. And it is those that we really our hearts go out to them and we should do everything we can to support them in our own way in role models. But the best thing that could happen for them is if their father was more involved. And that is what we are trying to do today, to encourage current fathers and future fathers to play a very important role in their children's lives. As we celebrate Father's Day, we want to encourage them to remember, all fathers to remember that they have a role not just in bringing your child to life, but in teaching them, teaching them and working with them in their school work, working with them in terms of imparting your faith with them, working with them in helping them learn how to play sports, how to deal with some of the tough issues they face in life and dealing with young kids in their challenges that are giving them a hard time and sharing their stories as the struggles you went through. So I would just commend and thank all fathers who are doing that today and commend them to redouble their efforts. I would encourage fathers that maybe have not really focused on that as much to really make a resolution this Father's Day to do that more. And I would also speak to the young men of the world that are not yet fathers to say, listen, if you are going to do that, you ought to take that act responsibly and you ought to have a commitment to those children that you bring into this world to bring them up as someone that you would be as happy to say that this is someone I have invested a lot of my life in and I am very pleased how they turned out. So thanks to the fathers. Thanks again to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson). Thanks to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan) for bringing this forward, as well as to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne).

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. I thank the gentleman from Nebraska for yielding. I also thank and congratulate the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller) for his great efforts on the marriage penalty. There are few issues that I feel more strongly about, and one of my main goals coming here to Washington was to eliminate the marriage penalty. I am very pleased that at least over the course of the next 10 years that we have accomplished that. It is a major goal that we have achieved, but our work is not yet done. I do not understand why we tax marriage. We as a Congress, we as a government, we as a people should be working to strengthen marriage, to strengthen families. Families are the foundation really for the strength of our country. We should do all we can to bolster it. When we charge married couples an average of $1,400 more just for being married, we are discouraging them from getting married. This makes no sense. They should not get that extra gift from Uncle Sam when they say ``I do.'' Something that makes this very personal to me is when I think about my son or daughter coming to me in a few years, maybe after this 10-year period, so I have to get this permanent, and saying, ``Dad, you've taught us well. You've taught us how to look at the numbers really well and we have noticed that it is going to cost us $1,000, $2,000, $3,000 more to be married. So what we are going to do is we are just going to live together, but we are going to put that $1,000 or $2,000 to good use and we'll do good things with it.'' I do not want to have that conversation and no parent should have that conversation and no couple should struggle with those issues. We should be helping them to the greatest extent possible. We should be making this permanent. It is a shame that we were not able to make this permanent before. We were two Senators short, unfortunately, as the gentleman from Nebraska mentioned, and any of many States could have provided us those two Senators. We will not name any States in particular, but this is critical that we get it permanent. It is also bad budgeting. The budgeting after 10 years assumes that we are going to let the marriage penalty go back up. I know if the group that we have in this room and those that have worked so hard on the marriage penalty have anything to do with it, we are not going to let the marriage penalty tax be increased and brought back to life again in 10 years. I strongly encourage all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on tomorrow's resolution to back American families, to back marriage, to help the children that will come from that and to help the strength that comes from taking the bonds of holy matrimony. I again thank the gentleman from Nebraska for having us here today and for his leadership as well as the leadership of the gentleman from Illinois.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Military Appreciation Month. I rise to thank our men and women in uniform for their sacrifice, service and dedication. We show our appreciation by voting them the pay raise they earned and making sure they live in quality housing and have the tools they need to defend us. In addition to our active duty personnel, nearly 82,000 members of the National Guard and the Reserves have been called into active duty since September 11. I appreciate those who serve our Nation, put their lives on the line to defend our freedom. These men and women are heroes. They work side by side with us during the week. Their children go to school with our children, but on weekends and when called upon, they go into active duty to defend our country. I want them to know that America thanks them. I specifically would like to thank General Andreotti and Colonel Dennis Lord of the Minnesota National Guard for their long and diligent service fighting for the interests of the Guard and Reserve. I want to thank the Minnesota National Guard and Reserve. Two weeks ago was their last week guarding the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the St. John's University mens' golf team. As I speak, they are competing in the NCAA Division Three National Championship for the 3rd consecutive year. As a St. John's alum, I take special pride in paying tribute to Coach Bob Alpers and the players on this year's team: Sammy Schmitz, Farmington; Nathan Proshek, New Prague; Paul Ponath, St. Cloud; Josh Sherlin, Glenwood; Ben Goodman, Stillwater. This year's team is currently ranked 13th nationally and won their third-consecutive MIAC title. The best part about the team is that none of the guys are seniors and will, I hope be back again next year. Again, my congratulations to the Johnnies' mens' golf team. May their drives be long and straight and their putts roll true.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, assistance to those in need is not only important, it is vital. However, that assistance must be enabling, not disabling. To me, welfare reform success must be measured by how many people no longer need temporary assistance, food stamps, or Medicaid, and how many are moved to a life of self-sufficiency, dignity, opportunity and hope. Before moving forward, it is useful to review and look back on the welfare reform legislation from 1996. It had three goals. First, reducing welfare dependence and increasing employment. Today 4 million fewer people are living in poverty than when welfare reform was enacted. Second, reducing child poverty. Since welfare reform, welfare dependence has been cut nearly in half. Third, reducing illegitimacy and strengthening marriage. For nearly three decades, out-of-wedlock births as a share of all births rose steadily at a rate of almost 1 percentage point per year. Welfare reform has stopped this trend in its tracks. H.R. 4737 is based on the principles of this past reform. It increases minimum work requirements, but it builds in cushions for sick days and holidays, simulating a typical American work schedule. It makes special accommodation for parents with infants, and for individuals who need a substance abuse treatment, rehabilitation or special work-related training. It provides financial incentives to the States to give as much money as possible to mothers and children, and it directs up to $300 million for programs that encourage healthy, stable marriages, including communications and conflict resolution training. It provides grants to support community efforts to improve parenting skills and promote responsible fatherhood. It encourages State innovation that will help States design revolutionary programs to help bring welfare reform to the next level. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this rule and to support H.R. 4737.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I would like the Record to reflect how I would have voted on Thursday May 9, 2002 during consideration of H.R. 4546. Rollcall 138 Motion that the Committee Rise Nay. Rollcall 139 Motion that the Committee Rise Nay. Rollcall 140 Motion that the Committee Rise Nay. Rollcall 141 On Agreeing to the Amendment (Markey) Nay. Rollcall 142 On Agreeing to the Amendment (Weldon) Yea. Rollcall 143 On Motion that the Committee Rise Nay. Rollcall 144 On Motion that the Committee Rise Nay. Rollcall 145 On Agreeing to the Amendment (Tierney) Nay. Rollcall 146 On Motion that the Committee Rise Nay. Rollcall 147 On Motion that the Committee Rise Nay. Rollcall 148 On Motion that the Committee Rise Nay. Rollcall 149 On Motion that the Committee Rise Nay. Rollcall 150 On Motion that the Committee Rise Nay. Rollcall 151 On Motion that the Committee Rise Nay. Rollcall 152 On Motion that the Committee Rise Nay. Rollcall 153 On Agreeing to the Amendment (Sanchez) Nay. Rollcall 154 On Agreeing to the Amendment (Goode) Yea. Rollcall 155 On Agreeing to the Amendment (Paul) Yea. Rollcall 156 On Agreeing to the Amendment (Bereuter) Yea. Rollcall 157 On Motion to Recommit with Instructions Nay. Rollcall 158 On Passage Yea.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 2646, the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2001, and I commend the chairman, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Combest) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm). This bill does help us increase clean energy. The bill is great for Minnesota agriculture and our many renewable energy sources. With six ethanol plants in my district, I am very familiar with ethanol. Ethanol is not only a domestic and renewable source of energy, it is oxygen rich and, therefore, helps gas burn more completely, resulting in cleaner air for us to breathe. Another source of renewable and domestic, home-grown energy is biodiesel, which can be derived from soybean oil which helps diesel oil burn cleaner. Both ethanol and biodiesel help generate jobs in rural communities, and expand demand for our farmers' products; and I am proud Minnesota has played a leadership role in both of these. I am a strong supporter of expanding both the use of ethanol and biodiesel. Wind energy is also an important energy source in my district. The Buffalo Ridge in southwest Minnesota is one of the most ideal locations in the country for generating wind energy. Many windmills have already been constructed bringing both clean energy and alternative sources of revenue for area farmers. When it comes to alternative energy, these are exciting times in southwest Minnesota. This farm bill includes many provisions that reward farmers and others for using renewable energy sources. Two provisions in the energy title award loans and loan guarantees to individuals and businesses that use renewable energy sources or make efficiency improvements. One of the strongest provisions is the ``Value-Added Agricultural Market Development Grants.'' These grants have been expanded to include wind power. Mr. Speaker, although this bill is not perfect, it is a very good bill for clean energy and a great bill for Minnesota agriculture. I strongly support passage, and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, as basketball great Michael Jordan once said, ``Talent wins games but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.'' It is with great pride that I rise today to introduce a resolution to honor the three Minnesota national champions, the Golden Gophers men's hockey and wrestling teams, and University of Minnesota-Duluth women's hockey team for winning the 2002 NCAA championships. Minnesota has had a long and proud tradition of hockey. This is the fourth time that the University of Minnesota Gophers have won their national championship. I congratulate the team and their head coach Don Lucia. As Don Lucia says, ``Hockey and Minnesota are synonymous with each other.'' The Golden Gophers wrestling team became the first back-to-back Gopher national champions since 1940 and 1941, when the Minnesota Gophers won back-to-back football championships and consecutive national titles. I congratulate the team and their head coaches, Robinson and Morgan. The University of Minnesota-Duluth women's hockey team captured their second straight NCAA championship. In the championship game, they beat Brown three to two. Congratulations to the team and their head coach, Shannon Miller. All three of these should be considered and honored for their academic excellence as well. All three maintained grade point averages above the school average. Their hard work on and off the ice and mat have made them champions in the eyes of all Minnesotans. I congratulate each and every player on these teams and their coaches for their hard work, perseverance and teamwork. The entire Minnesota delegation congratulates them.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, this afternoon I was inadvertently detained and missed rollcall vote No. 78, providing for consideration of H. Con. Res. 353, Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2003. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I am here this morning to show my strong support for H.R. 2146, the Two Strikes and You're Out Child Protection Act, sponsored by my good friend, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Green). This legislation would bring to justice the worst kind of sexual predators in our Nation, those who prey on our children. Statistics have shown that giving these predators two strikes is more than enough for what they are doing to our children. Actual rates of repeat offenders are two-and-a-half times higher than are reported. A study of offenders, as the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Green) was referring to earlier, shows those with two offenses each, in actuality, in one study, were found to have 110 different victims and committed 318 different offenses each. And, sadly, it is obvious that victims of child sex offenders have a higher risk of depression and suicide and are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs. I know this will be a stringent and difficult guideline, but as a man with four children of my own, I think it is time that we crack down. Ronald Reagan said that government's first duty is to protect the people. By passing this important legislation, we stand up and say ``no.'' Now, I know there are some who wish to make some changes in this legislation, like exempting certain groups or geographic areas from its application. We cannot allow that to happen. Exempting some would only create a safe harbor for these predators to prey. If we exempt a certain area, we are saying to those children, Your safety and well- being matters less than our children's. Mr. Chairman, in this time of war, it is important for us to focus on foreign predators who wish to end our existence and our democracy, but we cannot forget to focus on those who wish to take advantage of the fairness and mercy of our judicial system by harming our most vulnerable, our children. Please join me in supporting H.R. 2146.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, and I want to begin by congratulating and thanking the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young), the gentleman from Florida (Chairman Mica), the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) for the great work they have done. This is a good compromise and a great achievement for this body and a win for the American people. As we approach the holidays, the busiest traveling season, we have a bill that will make traveling safer. The number one priority of this body has always been the safety of Americans traveling. I am happy that this bill deals with all areas of security, not just screening. It deals with screening the baggage that is checked. It deals with those that have access to the plane, whether for cleaning or food service. And this bill allows airports to investigate the security models that are best and choose the one that works best for them, resulting in the highest level of security. Mr. Speaker, we owe it to the American people to have the best air security in the world, and I am happy to support this bill that provides it and thanks to those who worked on it.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I also applaud my fellow colleague, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes), for bringing forth this resolution with me. Since September 11, we have seen many heroes in this country. It was Napoleon who said that great soldiers are those that run towards the sounds of the guns and, indeed, we have many that have followed that description in other professions: the firemen, the police, the emergency medical professionals, as well as our fighting men and women overseas. But we also must remember that our Guardsmen and our Reserves do just that when they sign up for duty to defend our freedoms. We have over a million National Guard men and women and Reserve units around our country. These are citizen-soldiers, those that work with us, have children in school with us, that we worship with at church. They are people that live side by side with us, but during the weekend and when called up, they go and they work to fight for our freedoms. They do so many, many things and have done so much since September 11. We see them in our airports as we fly, as I do, back and forth, home every weekend, and they give us the comfort that they are there standing on guard and giving us the security that we seek at these times. In our State in Minnesota, they were called on to do extra duty when we had a recent State workers strike. We had over 30,000 of them called up for active duty doing many things that are vital for our war against terrorism. I had an opportunity to visit our Camp Ripley in Minnesota and be there when our Wilmer Battalion, which has units throughout our district in Litchfield and Hutchinson and Redwood Falls as they practiced their maneuvers, and I could not have been more proud of the professionalism and the commitment that they showed. They really were there for us when we needed them. As the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes) mentioned, they are also here helping to protect us in our Nation's Capital. It is so very appropriate that we are here with this resolution today, the day in the week that our President, George W. Bush, named National Employers Support of Guard and Reserve Week for 2001. As he said, Americans understand and appreciate the importance of our National Guard and Reserve units, but many do not know the contributions their employers make in supporting these civilian soldiers. It is appropriate that we also thank those employers that have made this Guard duty possible. So I am honored to be here to bring this resolution together, along with the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes). I encourage all of the Members to support it, and I encourage all of our citizens, the next time they see a Guardsman, or someone in the Reserves, or someone that employs them, please tell them, ``Thank you from a grateful Nation.''

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I am here to applaud this Chamber for passing the Radio Free Afghanistan bill, because the battle we are in right now is not just to win this war militarily, but we have to win the hearts and minds of those young boys and girls playing out in the street or playing in the dirt and thinking about what are they going to be when they grow up. We cannot have them saying they want to grow up to be a bin Laden; that they want to grow up to be a terrorist. We need to have them thinking about wanting to grow up to be a farmer, to be a teacher, to be a truck driver, a doctor, and get the ideas in their head of the freedom that we enjoy here and have them yearning for that freedom. So this is a country that has spread our way of life and our philosophy throughout many parts of the world. We need to make sure they in Afghanistan know that we hold out our hearts and prayers to them; that there is a better life waiting for them. We need to inspire their young, and all the people of Afghanistan, for the future.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, September 11 was a call to action to strengthen our security. Today, we have a chance to respond to a bipartisan request from our President and our Democratic Secretary of Transportation to pass legislation that focuses on security and nothing else. The American people deserve nothing less. The President and Secretary have asked us to follow a proven path that has long been successful in Europe and in Israel, and we should. The Young-Mica bill expands Federal air marshals, strengthens cockpits, allows pilots to protect themselves and, therefore, the plane, strengthens the screening of checked bags, federalizes supervision of bag screening, federalizes background checks and training of baggage screeners, and federalizes assuring the qualifications and performance of baggage screeners. But it does more, more than the alternative bill. It expedites rule-making. We have been waiting 5\1/2\ years for better, more comprehensive Federal rules on baggage screening. We cannot wait any longer. It also deals with all areas of aviation security, not just baggage screening, including those that are providing food service and cleaning services in the airplanes and comprehensive security in the airports. We need to support our President, we need to support our Secretary of Transportation and pass the comprehensive Young-Mica bill. We owe America nothing less.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate my colleague's compliment in calling Members like me a farmer because I have 60 acres and happen to live on the farm. But if Members look at the book that the USDA put out on food and agriculture policy, they note that this farmer group that we have been hearing the proponents of the Kind amendment talk about, represent that 62 percent of the farmers are rural residential farmers that, quote, ``view farming as an investment opportunity and a way to enjoy rural amenities'' they describe that they have little dependence on the farm economy for their income, and that they typically have incomes comparable to those of nonfarm households. These are the farmers that we are supposedly neglecting in this amendment. We have to focus on the farm bill in the farm bill. I am pleased with the way the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Combest) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) have come up with a bill that addresses the needs of farmers. We have a better safety net for our farmers. There is an 80 percent increase in conservation funding. I am an ardent supporter of conservation programs and have worked on behalf of conservation; and absent the constraints that budgets or public policy would allow, this would be a good amendment. But in this amendment we are pitting farmer against conservationist, and that is not the way to do it. We already have a significant increase in the programs that will allow the backlog that has been talked about to be taken care of. I, like many in my district, understand the importance of a strong agricultural economy. We need to have a balanced approach. This bill is a balanced approach. This amendment would gut the farm program. It would make us have to go back to supplemental assistance every year and be damaging to the budget. We need to create a bill that is based on the consensus that has been developed over the last 2 years. Let us remember to keep farmers in the farm bill. Do not vote for this amendment. Vote for farmers and oppose the Kind amendment.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I am a free-trader, a fair- trader, an original cosponsor of the bill to grant the President Trade Promotion Authority, and I am a strong supporter of markets, if efficient markets exist. But our hard-working sugar producers are amongst the most cost efficient in the world. In fact, our sugar beet growers, including over 600 growers in my district in Southwest Minnesota, are among the lowest-cost producers of sugar in the world. They are willing to compete on a level playing field, but cannot compete against foreign governments that encourage excess production and dump that excess production on the world market. The world dump market price is well below the world cost to produce sugar and is not sustainable. We do need to continue to push for fair trade in sugar. With a level playing field, I am confident that our sugar producers cannot only compete, but they can prosper. But if we sacrifice our sugar farmers now and become ourselves dependent on a dump market price, we will become dependent on foreign producers. If they stop subsidizing those foreign producers, we are going to be paying higher prices for sugar than we are today. Let us not abandon an efficient, cost-effective industry that is providing jobs and incomes for our rural areas. I encourage Members to oppose the Miller-Miller amendment.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I am very impressed by the process that we have used in bringing this bill to the floor. It has been very bipartisan. We passed it by, in essence, a unanimous voice vote in our committee. We sought input from every organization that could have any interest in this bill, whether they be agriculture conservation or otherwise. It is a very balanced bill that maintains the freedom to plant, not making the farmers turn off the last two rows of the corn plan as they go around the field the last time, maintains the market price, gives a better safety net. In the past, we have had to have emergency payments. This tries to come up with a more efficient, effective way of doing that, and I think it does, and we need to make sure that we are not unilaterally disarming when our other competitors in Europe and Japan are providing far more support than we are. It has an 80 percent increase in conservation program investments with good programs like the conservation reserve program, our wildlife habitat and others. We also have efforts in there to get our price ultimately from the market so we do not have to depend on government programs by expending our sales overseas and investing in research, and it does have good investments in there for rural development with high speed telecommunications and others. Many people asked why do we have to do this, but unfortunately, too many of our people around the country think that bread comes from the bakery, that meat comes from the meat counter, that milk comes from the cooler, and that sugar comes in a candy bar, and they have a hard time understanding this and really wonder why. I encourage them to think about who they listen to. When your sink is leaking, you do not call a dentist, and when you have a tooth ache, you do not call the plumber. Listen to those who have listened to their farmers. Many Members of the Committee on Agriculture, like me, have talked to hundreds of farmers since we passed this out of committee. They support this bill. This Congress should as well. I support the farm bill and encourage the Members to do the same.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns on Wednesday, September 26, 2001, it adjourn to meet at 10 a.m. on Friday, September 28, 2001.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns on Friday, September 28, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 2, 2001, for morning hour debates.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday, October 3, 2001.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill. President Kennedy once said in his inaugural address that: ``In the long history of the world, only a few generations of Americans have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shirk from that responsibility. I welcome it.'' We are once again called upon to defend freedom in an hour of maximum danger. My son, Charles, in a recent college application essay, noted that Americans have always risen to the challenge, from settling this rugged land and gaining independence until today. Freedom again is challenged. We owe it to my son, Charles, and all our children to rise to this challenge so that they can live in a land where freedom is safe. We have a responsibility and we will not shirk from that responsibility. We welcome it. It is my hope that, again quoting JFK, ``The energy, the faith, the devotion that we bring to this challenge can light our country and all who serve it and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.''

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, our hearts and prayers go out to those who mourn the horrific actions of cowardice that we experienced yesterday. We are up against an enemy this time that has committed an act of war; but it is an enemy that is not a country, it is a band of evil people that is trying to instill fear in America. We must do all we can to defeat this enemy, and we are all enlisted as soldiers in that fight. Many of our emergency professionals have put their lives on the line and given their lives and deserve our appreciation. What is there for us to do? We must remember that their weapon is fear. They are trying to instill fear in us; and if we panic, they have achieved victory. We must be showing our resolve as Americans and lining up to give blood, not lining up to panic to get gas at a gas station. That is what America is all about. We have risen to the challenge in the past; we will rise to the challenge today. With God's good grace, reaching out with condolences to those who have suffered, we move forward with determination that we will achieve victory.