Tom Lantos

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on June 15th and 16th of this year, three elderly patients died at the SunBridge Care and Rehabilitation home in Burlingame, California, in my Congressional District and five others at the home were hospitalized during a heat wave when temperatures in the county soared to 108 deg.. When county officials visited the nursing home in Burlingame during last month's heat wave, fans were pointed toward staff, while elderly people were dying. Those deaths are under investigation by state and local officials in California. Mr. Speaker, we cannot have the federal government financially supporting nursing homes where conditions are life-threatening. That is why I have introduced H.R. 4898, legislation which will require air conditioning in nursing home facilities which receive Medicare or Medicaid funding. If the operators of these profit-making facilities are not willing to assure humane conditions for the elderly living there, they will not receive federal funds. H.R. 4898 amends the Social Security Act to add the requirement for air conditioning to the specifications which nursing home facilities must meet in order to be eligible for federal funds. Because Medicare and Medicaid provide a major portion of the funding for many of the patients at most nursing homes in the country, this legislation will require virtually all such facilities to have air conditioning. Mr. Speaker, these deaths in California occurred just a week after the release of a congressional study which was conducted at the request of the members of the Bay Area congressional delegation. This study revealed how substandard the conditions are in nursing homes in our area. The study found that only 6 percent of Bay Area nursing homes were in ``substantial compliance'' with federal standards, and 41 percent of homes were found to have violations of federal standards ``that caused actual harm to residents or placed them at risk of death or serious injury.'' In short, this report says our nursing homes are in crisis, and corrective action is necessary. Just one week later we saw the consequences in the tragedy in Burlingame. Mr. Speaker, this need for air conditioning is not just a California problem. The heat wave now affecting much of the Southern states over the past two weeks has been blamed for the deaths of at least 12 people in Texas and four in Louisiana. Heat kills. It is an absolute outrage that elderly people in nursing homes are dying because it's too hot. We need to take action to protect our elderly who are in nursing homes. I urge my colleagues to join me as cosponsors of H.R. 4898 so that we can protect our elderly citizens, our father and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, brothers and sisters, and friends from the heat when they are cared for in nursing homes.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, as has happened so often before, the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. The President and the Secretary of State may be constrained by diplomatic protocol, but those of us in this House who follow these events are not. This summit collapsed because Yasir Arafat refused to budge. I pay high tribute to the President and his team. I pay high tribute to Prime Minister Barak, who has gone way beyond anything that anybody could rationally expect in terms of compromise and giving. I deplore that Egypt and Saudi Arabia again encourage the most intransigent position possible on Arafat. Today, I am introducing legislation that would terminate all aid to the Palestinian Authority if a unilateral declaration of independence should be forthcoming. Such a declaration would mean new violence, and we cannot be party to it. I encourage all of my colleagues to join me.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, ten years ago this month the Congress adopted the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I am honored to have been a Member of the Congress at that time and to have enthusiastically supported the adoption of that legislation. As you know, Mr. Speaker, the ADA is an historic civil rights law that opened the doors to mainstream life for millions of Americans with disabilities. The ADA has been a great success in helping the disabled enter the work force, and it has helped changed the attitudes of Americans towards the disabled. While there is still work left to be done to accomplish the goals we established in the Americans with Disabilities Act, on the tenth anniversary of the passage of that law I would like to acknowledge the importance of this legislation and its implementation in changing attitudes towards the disabled over the past decade. Partly as a result of the ADA, we now live in a society that has become more open-minded and accepting of people with disabilities. This change in attitudes has been greatest in the employment of persons with disabilities, where it was feared by many that inclusion would be too costly. As a result of the ADA, businesses are employing more disabled Americans than ever before, and employers have fund that the costs of accommodating the disabled are small, while the gains have been great. These changes are a clear signal that the ADA has helped secure for the disabled one of the most fundamental rights we as citizens in a democracy cherish: the right to pursue a career and earn a living wage. Mr. Speaker, before the adoption of the ADA, disabled workers were considered to be more expensive than what they could offer because accommodating them was considered to be too costly by employers. Since the Americans with Disabilities Act has passed, however, this attitude has changed. Research has shown a majority of people making hiring decisions--top executives and managers--now realize that hiring the disabled is good for the bottom line. The passage and implementation of the ADA has helped employers and employees realize that the disabled have much to offer in terms of creating economic wealth for our nation. On this 10th Anniversary of the adoption Americans with Disabilities Act, we can also celebrate the success in changing popular attitudes toward the disabled. Now millions of Americans function side-by-side with disabled coworkers. They now know first hand that disabilities are not an obstacle to making a contribution in the workplace and in society generally. However, even with these successes, there is still important work to be done. Despite the increase in the number of disabled in the workforce, currently there is still a high level of unemployment among the disabled. Compounding the problem, under current law, if people with disabilities work and earn over $500 per month, they lose cash payments and health care coverage under Medicaid or Medicare. We need to find solutions that do not penalize the disabled for becoming self- sufficient. These problems are among many difficulties we need to continue to work on in our fight to achieve the goals of the ADA. Mr. Speaker, a recent study released by the National Organization on Disability reveals persistent gaps in levels of participation between people with disabilities and other Americans in employment, income, education, socializing, religious and political participation, and access to healthcare and transportation. The study revealed that while those with disabilities continue to lag other Americans generally, we have made encouraging progress in many areas--especially among younger people with disabilities and among those with less severe disabilities. We must do much more to unleash the talents and abilities of all our citizens with disabilities who want to work and to participate and contribute to the richness of our nation. Large numbers of people with disabilities report conditions have improved and this reflects the efforts by the disability community, employers, and community leaders, as well as advances in technology and greater access as a result of the enactment of the ADA. Mr. Speaker, as we mark the 10th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the 25th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) I urge my colleagues and all Americans to join in recommitting ourselves to the goals of equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self- sufficiency for all peoples with disabilities as specified in the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This requires us to assure adequate funding for monitoring, oversight and enforcement of these laws. Our Nation needs to harness the potential of all its citizens so that our economy can continue to grow, our labor force can face the challenges on the horizon, and we can continue to be a model of diversity and inclusion for the world. We cannot allow an individual's disability to limit a person's ability to make choices, pursue meaningful careers or participate fully in all aspects of American life.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. Con. Res. 81, a resolution urging the Government of the People's Republic of China to release immediately and unconditionally the prominent Uighur businesswoman, Ms. Rebiya Kadeer. Madam Speaker, as co-chair of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus I have repeatedly voiced my deepest concern regarding Ms. Kadeer to the Chinese Government. Ms. Kadeer was detained by Chinese security forces in Urumqi, Xinjiang Province on August 11, 1999. A particularly disturbing circumstance is the fact that shortly before her arrest, her husband, Mr. Sidick Rozi, had testified to Members of Congress before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus on July 15, 1999, regarding human rights violations in Western China. As a prominent businesswoman, Ms. Kadeer is well known and respected in the United States. Her efforts to promote business enterprises by Uighur women have been recognized by Chinese authorities as contributing to the overall economic and social development of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Until 1998, she even served as an elected official in the Provincial People's Political Consultative Congress. On September 2, 1999, however, according to press reports she was charged with the serious crime of ``illegally offering state secrets across the border.'' Ms. Kadeer was detained on August 11, 1999, while on her way to meet with a U.S. congressional staff delegation, whom she intended to give information about political prisoners in Xinjiang. She was convicted under Article 111 of the Chinese Criminal Law. According to Radio Free Asia, neither Kadeer nor her lawyer were allowed to speak at her trial. Chinese officials never produced evidence of criminal wrongdoing against Ms. Kadeer. She was nonetheless sentenced to 8 years in prison in a secret trial at the Urumqi City Intermediate People's Court in the capital of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. In addition, according to information we have received, she is currently detained at Liudaowan jail, a jail notorious for mistreatment of prisoners. In addition to Ms. Kadeer, her son, Ablikim Abyirim, and her secretary, Kahriman Abdukirim, were also detained in August and were administratively sentenced to 2- and 3-year terms, respectively, on November 26, 1999. They are currently being held at the Walabai Reeducation Through Labor School. Madam Speaker, the trial and the totally fabricated charges brought against Ms. Kadeer, her son, and her secretary are blatant violations of international judicial standards. As the other body prepares to consider PNTR for the Peoples Republic of China, it is my hope that our colleagues keep these outrageous human rights violations in mind. The Economist reports that China executed three Uighurs as recently as the first week of July of this year, and the harassment and the crackdown against Tibetans, the Falun Gong, and political dissidents continues unabated. Madam Speaker, it is high time to send the PRC a clear message. The resolution before the House sends a clear message. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to invite my colleagues to join me in recognizing the efforts of the Women's Overseas Service League (WOSL) and in honoring the many women who have selflessly volunteered to assist our armed forces during time of war. In World War I, more than 90,000 civilian women served as volunteers and nearly 350 women gave their lives in this effort. Women served in both World Wars, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Gulf, and in many other conflicts. As these women returned to the United States, however, they came home without the benefits that male soldiers received. Because these women were not considered ``veterans,'' their contribution to the Armed Forces was, until recently, practically unnoticed. Mr. Speaker, women played many important roles in the WOSL. Women ran recreation centers, created libraries for the military, taught in hospitals and schools, and worked as journalists. By participating in these humanitarian activities, these women risked their lives and their health. In recognition of the great services these women provided our Armed Services, a memorial freeway in California was named in their honor on May 29, 2000. The Women's Overseas Service League honors and recognizes the women who have graciously volunteered for their country. Currently, the WOSL supports the Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C. and Freedoms Foundation Youth Leadership Seminars at Valley Forge. WOSL offers scholarships for young women pursuing military careers and has vigorously supported events such as the creation of the Civilian Women Volunteers All Wars Memorial Highway. The WOSL's dedication to women veterans and volunteers has made a large impact in keeping the memory of these individuals alive and ensuring strong support of women in the military for the future. Mr. Speaker, groups such as the Women's Overseas Service League have started to spread awareness of women in the military. The Civilian Women Volunteers All Wars Memorial Freeway is the beginning in honoring women who have served our country. Nevertheless, it is only a beginning. The women who gave their time, their health and their lives deserve our recognition and our gratitude for their outstanding contribution to our Armed Forces and to our nation. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the women volunteers who have served so valiantly.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my deepest condolences to the families of Tom Quadros, Jeannie Hillery, and Bill Shaline--the three United States Department of Agriculture inspectors who were brutally and senselessly murdered during an inspection visit to a sausage factory in Oakland, California, in June. Mr. Speaker, I would like to condemn publicly their brutal murder. What has our nation come to, when unarmed USDA compliance officers are brutally shot while inspecting the food we eat? Anyone familiar with the novel the ``The Jungle'' by Upton Sinclair is aware of the potential for hazards that come with unsanitary meat packaging or processing plants. The USDA, with the help of loyal and diligent inspectors like Tom Quadros, Jeannie Hillery, and Bill Shaline, has worked hard to ensure that our nation's meat plants provide clean and sanitary food for the American public. Mr. Speaker, these three individuals represent the finest example of public service. The men and women who serve their fellow Americans in government positions assure safe food, safe travel, public safety and security, and a better life for all of us. All Americans owe a huge debt of gratitude to the federal employees who serve us. Sometimes this service is performed at great personal risk, as was the case in this tragedy in Oakland. I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to these fallen federal employees and to all federal employees who serve our nation. Mr. Speaker, I would like to place in the Record the heartfelt words of condolence that Secretary of Agriculture Glickman delivered at the memorial service for Jean Hillery, Tom Quadros, and Bill Shaline on June 30th of this year in Oakland, California. Statement of Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman On behalf of the entire U.S. Department of Agriculture, I want to offer my condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of Jean Hillery, Tom Quadros and Bill Shaline. USDA and the California Department of Food and Agriculture are better off for the time that they gave to us. Many people have come up to me and expressed their sadness at this loss. Just the other day, I received a letter from the members of the Safe Food Coalition asking that pass along their condolences as well. Food safety compliance officers perform one of the most important functions in public service, protecting the American people where they are largely powerless to protect themselves. Jean Hillery, Tom Quadros and Bill Shaline did the people's work. And over this holiday weekend, as we grill our steaks, chicken and burgers, I hope we'll all remember that it's the efforts of these three people and the thousands of others like them that ensures the safety of the food we serve to our families. And while their work is absolutely critical, rarely do we think of it as dangerous and life- threatening. Which makes last week's tragedy all the more shocking and unsettling. It's cruelly ironic that, in the process of protecting the lives of the American people, their own lives were taken from them violently and needlessly. All of them led lives of purpose and dedication, not just at their jobs but within their families and their communities. Whether it was Jean Hillery going to college and beginning a new career after raising three daughters, or Tom Quadros' work with the Special Olympic, it's clear that these were more than distinguished public servants . . . they were extraordinary people as well. Yesterday, back at USDA headquarters, I gave a speech about civil rights at our Department. And although I talked some about programs and procedures, the message I really tried to convey was that civil rights and human rights begin with people simply treating each other with respect and common courtesy. This tragedy is not about race or civil rights in any way, but I think it can still teach a lesson about civility and decency, about open communication and the importance of resolving disputes peacefully and sensibly. Jean Hillery, Tom Quadros and Bill Shaline lived those values, but they died because some people still do not. I want to close with a message to their children. Last December, I lost both of my parents, within just a few weeks of each other. They were old, and they were sick. But I'm immensely grateful that they lived into their 80's and that I was able to enjoy them for 55 years of my life. I can't imagine the pain you must feel at losing parents in the prime of their lives. But I hope that you measure their time in terms of quality rather than quantity . . . always remembering that their lives, though short, were ones of both accomplishment and integrity. Thank you.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, as President Clinton makes his way to the G- 8 Summit in Japan, there is no more important item on the agenda than to tell Mr. Putin, the President of Russia, that the persecution and the harassment of the free press in Russia must come to an end. I have called to my colleagues' attention in the last few weeks the systematic harassment and persecution of the one remaining free media network in Russia. Yesterday this persecution was escalated to a new level when the Government authorities took steps to seize the personal property of Vladimir Gusinsky, the head of Media-Most which owns NTV Television Network, Echo of Moscow Radio, and other independent media ventures. Mr. Putin must understand that there is no room for Russia in the community of free and democratic nations, if he and his thugs are determined to destroy a free press. This harassment must come to an end, or relations between the free democracies of the world and the new totalitarian Russia will take a serious turn for the worse.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, first I want to commend my very good friend and distinguished colleague from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for crafting a very important, very powerful, and very eloquent resolution. And, of course, I rise in strong support of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, a dark cloud hangs over the honor of Argentina. This neighbor of ours in this hemisphere has tolerated now two heinous terrorist acts, a terrorist act against the Embassy of Israel and the terrorist act against the Jewish Community Center in Argentina, to go unpunished for years. The evidence is clear. Although the direct perpetrators are most likely to have been members of the terrorist group Hezbollah, supported by the Government of Iran, the complicity and participation of Argentinian police and security forces is beyond any doubt. This corrupt, far right-wing partnership with Islamic terrorism in our hemisphere cannot be tolerated. I welcome the statement of the new president of Argentina assuring us that he will do his utmost at this late stage to bring the perpetrators to justice and to attempt to clean and clear the honor and reputation of Argentina. But we will not rest until these things happen. Eighty-six innocent men, women and children lost their lives. Over 300 innocent men, women and children were wounded for no reason except their religious affiliation. There is no room in this hemisphere for terrorist acts of any kind, certainly for terrorist acts as hate crimes directed against various religious groups. It is long overdue for the authorities in Argentina to close this chapter, which is a chapter that has brought infamy to that nation. Following the bombing of the Israeli Embassy, this bombing of a community center in the heart of Argentina brings back memories of the darkest days of the Second World War when innocent men, women and children, for no reason whatsoever, were massacred and murdered. Argentina must come clean. The new President of Argentina now has an opportunity to instruct all authorities to pursue this case with diligence and determination. Until the perpetrators are brought to justice, a question mark will hang over the relationship of Argentina to all other civilized nations. I commend my colleague, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros- Lehtinen), and I call on all of my colleagues to approve this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) for his powerful and eloquent statement. I want to thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for her diligent and outstanding work on this issue. I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me at the outset congratulate the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) for crafting this very excellent resolution. I want to thank the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) for his eloquent and cogent and strong statement. I want to associate myself with the comments of the gentleman from Nebraska, and I call on all of my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 319. As we congratulate Latvia on the 10th anniversary of its renewed independence, I think it is important to recognize proudly that the United States stood on principle at the time of the beginning of the Second World War in refusing to accept the incorporation of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia into the Soviet Union. Not many of our fellow citizens know that the embassies of these three Baltic countries continued to function during the long decades of both the Second World War and the Cold War here in Washington, D.C., underscoring the principled commitment of the United States under Republican and Democratic administrations to the independence of the Baltic States. Mr. Speaker, Latvia, along with Lithuania and Estonia, has made enormous progress in developing an economy that was stifled by the nonfunctional Soviet system and building an increasingly democratic and open and free society. I have had the privilege and the pleasure of visiting Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia during the crucial days of their attempted breaking away from Soviet control; and I have had the privilege of visiting in the Baltics repeatedly since, most recently just a few months ago. It is reassuring, Mr. Speaker, that democracy is taking hold; that the orientation of Latvia and her two Baltic neighbors to democratic principles is strong; their desire to become admitted to the Europe Union is great; to become members of NATO; these are all manifestations of positive developments. There is one aspect of development in these three countries that I would like to touch upon, which is as yet unfinished business. At the time of the early days of the Second World War, the Baltic states were whipsawed between Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union. As the German forces occupied the Baltic states, understandably perhaps, large numbers of citizens in these countries greeted the Nazis with joy because they represented liberation from the Soviet Union. Many joined Nazi military units. Now, time has gone on, and most of the members of these military units are no longer alive. But some are, and it has been critical to remind our friends in the Baltic states that it is their moral and legal obligation to bring the perpetrators of crimes against humanity to justice, irrespective of their age and medical condition. I have had the privilege of working with the presidents of all three Baltic countries and with members of parliament and, on the whole, I want to commend them for approaching this important remaining assignment from the dark period of the Second World War with diligence and sincere commitment. There is no doubt in my mind that under the current leadership of these three countries, with three strong democratically oriented presidents and strong democratically controlled parliaments, this job will be done and the three Baltic states will occupy their proper role in the family of democratic nations within the framework of the European Union and within the framework of NATO. It is in that spirit that I want to congratulate the people of Latvia and the government of Latvia for the remarkable progress they have made during the course of the last decade, and I strongly urge all of my colleagues to approve this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to thank my very good friend, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), for his most generous comments, as well as my very good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus). Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express outrage over the sentences handed down on July 1st in Iran against ten of thirteen Iranian Jews who were recently put on trial in that country. These people, who were charged with the crime of practicing their religion, were unfairly imprisoned for over a year while waiting for the Iranian government to conduct its trial. Now they have been found guilty in a sham legal proceeding. The trial--if it can be called a trial--was political intimidation not a judicial proceeding. This is a court with no jury, and one which holds its trials behind closed doors with the ``judge'' serving as both prosecutor and judge. The defendants were not able to choose their own representation in court. Furthermore, the thirteen individuals were not even indicted on the original charges that were brought against them. Originally the thirteen were arrested for teaching Hebrew and holding religious classes, and on these charges they were detained for over a year before being tried by the Iranian Revolutionary Court. It is significant that after detaining these innocent people on these trumped up charges for over a year, the Court was unable to provide any evidence other than the coerced confessions of the detainees. Mr. Speaker, I also wish to call the attention of my colleagues in the Congress to the actions of President Clinton, Secretary Albright and other Administration officials, as well as other governments who successfully pressured the Iranian government to hand down jail terms instead of death sentences. Since the Islamic revolution in 1979, seventeen Jews have been executed, and if not for the forceful action of the White House, the Department of State, and other governments, that number would surely now be twenty-seven. While I want to express appreciation for these actions, I urge our Administration and other governments to maintain continued pressure to urge the Iranian government to overturn this decision of the Revolutionary Court and free these wrongly imprisoned victims.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, the Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology held a particularly important hearing on the implementation of the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act (P.L. 105-246). That hearing was held under the very able leadership of our distinguished colleague from California, Stephen Horn. Chairman Horn has shown unwavering support and a deep personal commitment to bring to justice Nazi war criminals through the full declassification of documents in possession of the National Archives and Records Service. His strong leadership was essential in the passage of the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act two years ago. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank the current Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Congressman Jim Turner, and the former Ranking Member, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, for their unwavering commitment to declassification issues in the pursuit of Nazi war criminals and human rights offenders around the world. Special recognition and appreciation should also be given to Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who introduced the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act in the House and who has been a leader on these issues. Mr. Speaker, the successful implementation of any bill passed by Congress must be measured against the goals we set out to achieve. The goal of the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act is to declassify and make public any remaining documents in U.S. possession concerning Nazi crimes, criminals and looted property. At the same time this ``right to know'' must be balanced against legitimate reasons to continue to withhold certain documents. Since we are dealing with documents that are now half a century old, however, there clearly should be a bias in favor of declassification. In compliance with Section 2 (b)(1) of the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act, President Clinton issued Exec. Order 13110 on January 11, 1999, which created the ``Nazi War Criminal Records Interagency Working Group (IWG).'' This organization was established to resolve the conflict between the policy requirement for public disclosure with the need for confidentiality of records and documents because of national security requirements. I want to pay tribute to the members of the IWG. No matter how well intended and carefully crafted legislation is, the people who are chosen to implement it have a great impact upon assuring that the intention of the Congress is met. The efforts of the IWG have been outstanding. The Members of the IWG are Chairman Michael J. Kurtz of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Thomas H. Baer of Steinhardt Baer Pictures Company, Richard Ben-Veniste of Weil. Gotshal & Manges, John E. Collingwood of the FBI, former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzmann, Kenneth J. Levit of the CIA, Harold J. Kwalwasser of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), William H. Leary of the National Security Council staff, David Marwell of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Eli M. Rosenbaum of the Office of Special Investigations at the Department of Justice, and William Z. Slany of the Department of State. In addition, a Historical Advisory Panel composed of seven outstanding historians supports the IWG in their endeavors. Two historians, in particular have played a critical role in the work of the IWG--Dr. Richard Breitman and Dr. Timothy Naftali. Mr. Speaker, this has been a mammoth undertaking. In its interim report on the implementation of the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act--a report which is mandated in Sec. 2 (c)(3) of the Act the IWG reported that all agencies completed a preliminary survey of their records which could potentially be covered by the Act's requirement for declassification review. In the first year of its operations, the IWG has screened over 600 million pages of material to identify potentially applicable files, principally at the CIA, Department of Defense, FBI, and archival records in the National Archives. During this initial screening, some 50 million pages of material meeting the criteria of the legislation has been identified and is being further screened to determine if declassification is covered by terms of the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act. This process is massive and tedious. An enormous amount of material needs to be categorized, catalogued, and systematically searched. In the all too frequent absence of an existing catalogue system responsive to the special focus outlined in the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act, a line-by-line review of many, many documents has often been required. Mr. Speaker, additional problems have occurred when documents are found which were given to the United States by allied foreign intelligence services with the understanding that the United States would not publicly disclose them. Special permission to make such documents public in many cases has required careful negotiation. Despite these problems, in its short life span, the IWG has released 400,000 pages of documents which are now available to the public at the National Archives and Records Administration. In addition, the IWG has published ``finding aids'' to the records on Nazi war crimes and Holocaust-era assets which are housed at the National Archives in College Park in order to make the released documents more easily accessible and useable to the general public. Mr. Speaker, while the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act authorizes the funds necessary to conduct all this work (Sec. 2(b)(d) ), the IWG did not receive any appropriations for its heroic effort. The Office of Special Investigations (OSI) of the Department of Justice made available $400,000 for IWG support from an appropriation related to the Act. The National Archives, which is charged by the President with the administrative support of the IWG, will provide from its own budget nearly $1 million in staff and other support services by the end of FY 2000. This support falls far short of what is required to satisfy the requirements of the Act. In addition, the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act imposes a ``Sunset Provision'' of 3 years after enactment of the bill (Sec. 2(b)(1) ). Mr. Chairman, I believe that the monumental task we as Members of Congress have given to the IWG cannot be fully completed in this time. Additional time certainly will be required. Mr. Speaker, let us never forget why these very able people work extremely hard to bring justice to victims and survivors of the Holocaust. It is simply unconscionable that war criminals can escape justice--many times by hiding in the U.S. It is essential that we work so that family members of the victims of Hitler's tyranny can know the fate of their loved ones, and that assets illegally seized from the victims not remain forever hidden. Mr. Speaker, as this review clearly demonstrates, we have made incredible progress in opening up United States archives to records relating to the war crimes and the crimes against humanity that were perpetrated by the government of Nazi Germany. The Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act (Sec. 2(c)(1) ) defines Nazi war criminal records as those pertaining to persons who have committed their crimes under the direction of, or in association with the Nazi government of Germany, any government in occupied territories established by military forces, any collaborator government, or any government which was an ally for the German Nazi government. This broad definition clearly includes--and the Congress intended that it include-- records relating to the Imperial Japanese government and atrocities that were committed under its responsibility throughout Asia. I welcome and fully support the decision of the IWG to move now to wartime records relating to Imperial Japan in an effort to bring to light the war crimes that were committed by units of the Imperial Japanese military forces during World War II. The task of dealing with the Japanese records are more difficult. This requires the assembly of a whole new team of scholars and historians, and different language capability is required for these documents than is required for the Nazi German records. Mr. Speaker, I commend the members of the IWG for their remarkable efforts. I also commend Chairman Horn for holding the hearings to review the implementation of the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act. The task which is established in the legislation is an important one as we work to bring a conclusion to this chapter in our history.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4578, the FY 2001 Interior Appropriations Bill. This bill is seriously flawed. It shortchanges critically needed natural resource conservation programs and contains a number of anti-environmental legislative riders that will undermine our nation's land management and environmental protection programs. H.R. 4578 cuts more than $300 million from current levels in important programs which protect endangered species and preserve and maintain our national wildlife refuges, national forests, and national parks. The bill also attacks the protection of national monuments and prevents the establishment of new national wildlife refuges. As the stewards of America's lands and environment, Congress must fulfill its obligation to future generations and ensure that our parks, wildlife refuges, forests and range lands are protected, preserved and maintained. This legislation does not do this. It does not adequately provide for the maintenance of our federal lands and historic treasures, and it cuts funding for new federal land acquisition of important natural resource lands threatened by development. I am particularly concerned about the anti-environmental riders which have been attached to this bill. The riders affect the full range of environmental issues--from protecting our public lands to undermining our clean water laws to exposing our children to toxic chemicals. Mr. Speaker, we must oppose these backdoor riders which weaken our environmental laws which are critically important to our children and communities. We must not allow the narrow interest of those who seek special exemptions, subsidies or funding limitations to erode the quality of our public lands and our quality of life. Mr. Speaker, this legislation also funds for our nation's critically important arts and humanities education programs to historically low levels. H.R. 4578 would fund the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) at a level 40 percent below 1995 levels and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) at a level 33 percent below 1995 levels. In summary, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4578 funds our critically needed natural resource conservation programs at insufficiently low levels. It contains legislative riders that will undermine our nation's land management and environmental protection programs. I strongly urge a NO vote against final passage of the bill.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, today the Congress of the United States is honoring President Lennart Meri of the Republic of Estonia at a special reception here in the Capitol Building paying tribute to the contribution of the United States to the freedom of the Baltic states. Sixty years ago, in 1940 as World War II raged in Europe, the Baltic nations--Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania--lost their freedom, first falling under Soviet control, then Nazi German occupation, and then again under Soviet dominance. For half a century--from 1940 until 1990 when the Baltic states regained their independence--the United States government refused to recognize the occupation of the Baltic states. This policy of non- recognition was a public affirmation of the right of these three nations to their independence. When the Soviet Union collapsed ten years ago, the American people joined in the celebration as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia once again emerged as independent and democratic states. It is appropriate, Mr. Speaker, that we mark today the six decades of American support for the independence of the Baltic States. It is particularly noteworthy that President Lennart Meri is here in the United States to join us in celebrating a decade of renewed independence for Estonia. Mr. Speaker, President Lennart Meri's life mirrors the tragedy and pathos of the Estonian and Baltic struggle for national independence and democracy. As a young man, President Meri and his family were deported to Siberia along with thousands of other Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians. It is particularly noteworthy that we are holding this celebration today, because today is the anniversary of the date that Lennart Meri and his family were expelled from Estonia and forcibly taken to Siberia--June 14, 1941. Later, after returning to Estonia, President Meri graduated cum laude from Tartu University. Unable to practice his profession as a historian, he traveled to the most remote areas of the Soviet Union, where he wrote and produced films on the cultures of small ethnic groups. Meri's literary works, films and translations contributed significantly to the preservation of the Estonian national identity. Lennart Meri's shift of focus from literary to political activities took place in 1988 when he established the non-governmental Estonian Institute to establish cultural contacts with the countries of the West. These Estonian cultural missions, established under his auspices, became embassies of Estonia when the country formally regained its independence in 1991. Lennart Meri was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs on April 12, 1990, following Estonia's first non-communist elections in over fifty years. He established formal diplomatic contacts with countries of Europe, the United States, and other nations, and he represented Estonia at a number of international conferences. He also served briefly as Estonia's ambassador to Finland. On October 6, 1992, Lennart Meri was elected President of the Republic of Estonia, and in September 1996 he was reelected to this position. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in extending a special warm welcome to President Lennart Meri of Estonia.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, the KGB is back. Yesterday, the head of Russia's only free media was arrested; and as we meet here this morning, he is still in prison. President Putin of Russia is in Madrid claiming not to know anything about this. He is either a puppet or he is a perpetrator. I call on the Russian Government to release, without any further delay, the head of the only free media network in Russia. This is the network which reported accurately on the war in Chechnya. This is the network that can provide us with the hope of building a democratic society in Russia. The tactics of the KGB are unacceptable in the 21st century.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 4577, the Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2001. This legislation would shortchange funding for critical education programs and would seriously undermine efforts to maximize student achievement, improve teacher quality, and improve our public school systems. The legislation would also undermine important worker rights by shortchanging the principal programs which protect the health and safety of America's workers. Mr. Chairman, at town meetings in my congressional district, parents tell me they want to ensure that their children have good teachers in small classes so that their children can get the personal attention they need. Parents tell me we need to strengthen accountability in the schools. Parents, teachers and principals tell me they urgently need help in renovating aging school buildings. Parents and counselors tell me that children need more after-school programs and that we need to work much harder to close the digital divide. But the bill before us today fails to meet the challenges of record enrollments, more students with special needs, shortages of teachers and principals and schools needing modernization. Mr. Chairman, under this legislation students and schools in California next year would be denied critical federal funds for education. Under H.R. 4577, the state of California would receive no support specifically targeted to deal with our lowest performing schools or to improve the condition of outdated and dilapidated school buildings. California would lose more than $396 million--money that was requested by the President to improve teaching and learning in our public schools and to help local schools improve the basic skills of disadvantaged students. Passage of this bill would mean that California would receive less money to hire new teachers and would jeopardize the jobs of over 2,000 new teachers recently hired. Passage of this bill would mean that California would lose more than $80 million to improve teacher quality and recruit teachers for high-poverty school districts. Passage of this bill would mean that California would receive over $56 million less to help students in high-poverty areas raise their academic performance. Mr. Chairman, the American public ranks education as a top priority for federal investment. It is time to maximize student achievement. This bill fails to address the most urgent problems in our education system and falls over $3 billion short of the President's proposed education funding levels. The bill eliminates important education programs which have had a proven track record in improving the academic performance of our children and our schools. I urge my colleagues in the House to reject this bill and support a bipartisan bill that provides all of our nation's students and schools with the resources and assistance they need to succeed. Mr. Chairman, H.R. 4577 also contains unacceptable cuts in programs which protect the safety and health of America's workers. It would undermine the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively and would weaken attempts to enforce our nation's minimum wage and child labor laws. H.R. 4577 also contains a very unwise and dangerous anti-labor rider. The legislation would prevent the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from enforcing its proposed ergonomic standards. Ergonomic hazards are still our nation's number one occupational safety and health problem. Ten years ago, when I served as Chair of the Employment and Housing Subcommittee, then-Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole announced the need for ergonomic standards. Since that time more than 6 million workers have suffered disabling ergonomic injuries. In 1997 alone, more than 600,000 workers suffered injuries as a result of ergonomic hazards in the workplace and required time off from work. It is critical that OSHA be allowed to move forward to issue ergonomic protections in the workplace. Ergonomic injuries are painful often crippling musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) or injuries and leave many unable to work or live a normal life. MSDs include injuries or disorders of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joint, cartilage and spinal disks. The main causes of MSDs are overexertion and repetitive motion and can occur during heavy lifting, forceful exertions, repetitive motions and awkward postures. MSDs occur in all sectors of the economy including the manufacturing, service, retail, agricultural, construction, and industrial sectors. Ergonomic injuries are estimated to cost the US economy more than $20 billion annually, $9 billion in workers compensation. MSDs can be prevented. I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 4577 and oppose any efforts that would prevent OSHA from issuing ergonomic standards for the workplace. Mr. Chairman, this legislation is unwise and detrimental to our children and to American workers. I urge my colleagues to vote no on this bill.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to invite my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the peaceful and democratic transition of executive power in the Republic of China on Taiwan. On May 20, 2000, the presidential inauguration of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Chen Shui-Bien marked the culmination of decades of political, social, and economic reform. Chen's ascent to power--the first President not a member of the long dominant Kuomintang (KMT) party--is only the latest illustration of the democratic culture that characterizes Taiwan in the twenty-first century. Today, Mr. Speaker, Taiwan reflects the principles envisioned by Dr. Sun Yat-sen when he led the successful movement to overthrow the Chinese emperor and the undemocratic imperial system nearly ninety years ago. While the times after Dr. Sun's victory initially were tumultuous--civil wars, World War II, the establishment of the People's Republic of China, and the establishment of the Republic of China on Taiwan--they strengthened the Taiwanese people and forced them to overcome obstacles that stood in the way of their freedom and prosperity. By the 1970's, Taiwan had become a thriving marketplace of industry, ideas, and culture. It exported products to all corners of the globe and won the respect of the largest and most vibrant free market economies. In recent years, economic justice has been mirrored by the flourishing of social justice, human rights, and democracy. During the 1980's Taiwan's leaders lifted restrictions on freedom of expression and freedom of the press. As these constraints were eased, the openness of political debate grew exponentially. Competitive local and regional elections were first held in 1980, followed by the development of opposition parties and Taiwan's first competitive presidential election in 1996. The victor of that campaign, President Lee Teng-hui, received a mandate to continue his principled efforts to liberalize Taiwanese society. Mr. Speaker, these progressive reforms seem likely to thrive under the leadership of President Chen Shui-Bien. The son of a farm laborer, he excelled in his studies and became a prominent defense attorney. During the early 1980's, Chen began providing legal assistance to opposition leaders, and this eventually led him to enter politics in a more active capacity. This was not a simple calling during the pre- reform years. Chen, the editor of a dissident magazine, Formosa, served time in jail on a trumped up libel charge brought by a government politician. He persisted, however, and he eventually served as a DPP member in the Legislative Yuan and later as the mayor of the capital city of Taipei. His success in the latter role prompted Time Magazine to name him as one of the 100 most promising young leaders of the 21st century. President Chen's inaugural address offered more evidence of his commitment to freedom and political openness. He proclaimed his devotion to human rights with a passion that demands respect: ``We are also willing to promise a more active contribution in safeguarding international human rights. The Republic of China cannot and will not remain outside global human rights trends. We will abide by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convention for Civil and Political Rights, and the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action. We will bring the Republic of China back into the international human rights system. . . .We hope to set up an independent national human rights commission in Taiwan, thereby realizing an action long advocated by the United Nations. We will also invite two outstanding non-governmental organizations, the International Commission of Jurists and Amnesty International, to assist us in our measures to protect human rights and make the Republic of China into a new indicator for human rights in the 21st Century.'' Mr. Speaker, as the founder and co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, I applaud President Chen's determination to stand up for justice and civil liberties. I am also confident, Mr. Speaker, that Taiwan under the leadership of President Chen Shui-Bien will continue to work for peace with the Mainland in the years to come. Chen has pledged to continue negotiations with China and increase economic and social cooperation across the Taiwan Straits. He realizes that understanding--not violence and conflict--offers the promise of ending the tension between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China. As Chen explained to an Asian Wall Street Journal reporter last April, ``Pursuing lasting peace in the region is not only our highest goal, it is also the moral responsibility of the leadership.'' Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in offering wholehearted congratulations to President Chen and Vice President Annette Lu on their inaugurations, and in commending the people of Taiwan for their commitment to peace, democracy, and human rights.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, just a few days ago in the Cannon Rotunda, we had the pleasure of viewing a magnificent exhibit of the photographs of Sonam Zoksang, a Tibetan photographer who has sought to use his photographic art and his considerable skill to preserve Tibetan culture and identity. Sonam Zoksang was born in the small Tibetan village of Kyirong, but his parents fled to India just a month after he was born. He made the first visit to the country of his birth in 1993 when he was 33 years old. As a result of that visit, he made it his goal to capture the devastation that his people have experienced on film for all the world to see. Since that first visit to Tibet in 1993, he has been compelled to return each year. Mr. Speaker, over the last seven years, Mr. Zoksang has seen the situation in Tibet worsen dramatically. The Chinese government has given incentives to non-Tibetan Han Chinese to encourage them to move into Tibet, and increasingly this has made Tibetans a minority in their own land. The growth in Chinese immigrants has increased Sonam's greatest concern for the future of Tibet--the children. He states that in ``addition to all the problems they have in common with Tibetans in general, there is little or no educational opportunity for them in Tibet. Every year hundreds of Tibetan children risk their lives to escape to India, crossing the Himalayas on foot in the frigid winter to taste the air of freedom.'' In explaining his photographs, Sonam Zoksang said: ``I feel very strongly that many young Tibetans have no hope, no dreams, and no future to live for. No Tibetans seem to be truly happy with their situation, and moreover, they feel threatened with their very extinction.'' In an effort to preserve the culture of the Tibetan people, Sonam Zoksang has risked his life to document the changes taking place inside Tibet. The Chinese would refuse him a visa to enter the Country, so he has had to risk his life and his freedom in order to record through his photographs the traditional culture and the rapid and systematic way in which it is being destroyed. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Sonam Zoksang for his outstanding photographs and the great contribution which his work has made to preserve Tibetan culture and to strengthen the identity of the Tibetan people.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, May 4, Members of Congress joined with representatives of the diplomatic corps, executive and judicial branch officials and hundreds of Holocaust survivors and their families to commemorate the Days of Remembrance in the Great Rotunda of the United States Capitol. The theme of this year's commemoration was ``The Holocaust and the New Century: The Imperative to Remember.'' After more than half a century, Mr. Speaker, we must still commemorate the horrors of the Holocaust in order to honor the memory of those victims of Hitler's twisted tyranny. At the same time, we must mark this catastrophe because mankind still has not learned the lessons of this horror, as evidenced most recently by the mass killings in Kosovo. Mr. Speaker, the keynote speaker at this impressive event was His Excellency Goran Persson, Prime Minister of Sweden. The selection of Prime Minister Persson was particularly appropriate since he has led Sweden in its commitment to furthering Holocaust education and remembrance, both in Sweden and internationally. Under his leadership, Sweden hosted the 44-nation International Forum on the Holocaust in Stockholm last January. In his address at the closing session of the Stockholm Forum the Prime Minister issued a very appropriate call to remembrance: ``It is the end of the silence, and the beginning of a new millennium . . . Although we have left the century in which the Holocaust occurred, we must continue to study it in all its dimensions, at all times. We must add more pieces to the puzzle, foster greater awareness of the causes, acquire more knowledge about the consequences.'' Mr. Speaker, Prime Minister Persson has had a distinguished political career in Sweden. Since 1996, he has served as Prime Minister and Chairman of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. He previously served as Minister of Finance, Minister at the Ministry of Education, a Member of the Riksdag (Parliament), and a local government official in Katrineholm. He is married to Annika Persson, and he has two daughters. Prime Minister Persson's remarks at this year's Day of Remembrance ceremony were moving and particularly meaningful. I ask that Prime Minister Persson's remarks be placed in the Record, and I urge my colleagues to give them thoughtful consideration. Day of Remembrance Observance, Capitol Rotunda, Washington, May 4, 2000 Mr. Greenberg, Mr. Meed, Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corps, Honourable Members of the U.S. Congress, Holocaust Survivors. Dear Friends: Today, we meet in the Capitol Roumda, in the very heart of the American democracy. Here we meet to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and to honour survivors and liberators. We meet to demonstrate our strong commitment to make the lessons of the past a living exhortation for the future. Let me begin by telling you a story handed down to posterity by a teacher in the ghetto of Lodz. A little boy, whose entire family had been deported, was dawdling in the street, talking loudly to himself. In one fist he clutched a handful of small stones. First he dropped three small stones. They hit the ground with a faint sound, then two more, followed by another three. Then the little boy quickly closed his fist. In his lively eyes the shiny black pupils stopped racing for a moment. He said: ``Nine brothers like these stones we were once, all close together. Then came the first deportation and three of the brothers didn't return, two were shot at the barbed wire fence and three died of hunger. Can you guess how many brother-stones are still left in my hand?'' As all children do, this boy played games to help him understand the world around him. Only his world was a world of incomprehensible evil. Only his was the world of the Holocaust. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Holocaust was no accident of history. The systematic murder of the Jews did not happen by chance. Nor did the genocide of the Roma, the mass murder of disabled persons or the persecution and murder of homosexuals, dissidents and Jehovah's Witnesses. It occurred because people willed it, planned it and carried it through. It occurred because people made choices which allowed it to happen. It occurred, not least, because people remained silent. As the 21st century dawns we must ask ourselves: Can we be sure that the societies we build on today do not house the very same mechanisms that made the Holocaust possible? Dear friends, the answer is no. We cannot be sure. We have good reason to be fearful. Look around you. Today, well- organized Nazi groups form international networks where they help each other to recruit and train new members and learn how to exploit the weaknesses of democracies, how to use terror and frighten witnesses. Nazis and revisionists make full and effective use of the new information technology to spread their lies, to sell white power music and to reach potential new members among young people in all parts of the world. Even today, Nazis march in our streets, persecute, assault and murder people because of their ethnic affiliation, sexual preferences or beliefs. The risk we face, is that anti-democratic forces continue to gain support. The danger lies in our failure to learn from history, in our failure to see the connections. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me use the words of a survivor, a well-known Swede, the late Professor Jerzy Eihnorn, who passed away less than a week ago. At the Stockholm Forum on the Holocaust in January he said: ``To remember the Holocaust is a fragile defence but still the best one against the development of Nazism in our countries--a reminder of Nazism's ruthless cruelty, a reminder that we must never lower our guard, never accept Nazism as a necessary evil within a democracy.'' This was his message--a message for all of us. He wanted us to take it with us. Because then, he said: ``our suffering has not been entirely in vain. Then we and all those that did not survive, will have contributed to a better world for coming generations.'' We have to take this message. We must fight Nazism, racism, antisemitism and xenophobia wherever and whenever they rear their ugly heads. We must fight them with the lessons of our past, but also with our visions for tomorrow. It will not be easy. But we have no other choice. The future is not sealed by fate, no more than the bitter history of the past. It is our actions today--the ones we take and the ones we fail to take--that will shape the future. It is you and I, all of us, united in determination to remember, that are the only guarantees we have against the recurrence of an evil past. Ladies and Gentlemen, there is good reason to be fearful, but surely also to feel hope. People want to know, people want to discuss values and ideas, people want to take responsibility and learn from history. This is the encouraging conclusion we draw from the national project initiated by the Swedish Government in 1997--Living History. The idea was to spread knowledge about the Holocaust to young people in Sweden, but also to generate an active dialogue between generations on values in general. To support parents, teachers and students in this task we launched a number of projects. One of these was a book entitled Tell ye your children. The response to the project in general and the book in particular exceeded anything we could have dreamed of. In every second Swedish home with schoolchildren you will find a copy of the book. It was not just sent there. It was ordered by the families who waned to have a base for the important discussion on democratic and humanistic values. I became convinced that this positive experience was not unique to Sweden. In January 1998, I wrote to President Clinton and Prime Minister Blair suggesting international cooperation in this field. Little did I then know that only one year later, nine countries--in a network known as the Task Force--would cooperate with such countries as the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Argentina and several others in liaison projects designed to remembrance, education and research about the Holocaust. As the new millennium dawned, and the very first international high-level conference was held, it didn't deal with economics. Nor did it deal with security and stability. It dealt with fundamental values, with democracy and human dignity, with how to confront the better memories of a horrifying past in order to help shape better policies for tomorrow's world. It was the end of silence and the beginning of a new millennium. Next year we will meet in Stockholm again. In response to an initiative of the Nobel Laureate Eli Weisel, the Swedish Government will host an annual international conference--a Stockholm Forum on Conscience and Humanity. We have to conduct ourselves to the question of Elie Wiesel: ``Will our past become our children's future?'' We have to learn from the words of another man who has devoted his life to teach about the Holocaust in order to prevent future genocides--professor Yehuda Bauer from Israel and the Yad Vashem Institute. He said: ``I come from a people who gave the ten commandments to the world. Time has come to strengthen them by three additional ones, which we ought to adopt and commit ourselves to: thou shall not be a perpetrator; thou shall not be a victim; and thou shall never, but never, be a bystander.'' Ladies and Gentlemen, today we are gathered to remember. Remember, because to forget would be to betray those irreplaceable people who died and those who survived. It would be to betray the deeds or Raoul Wallenberg and all the others who stood up for human dignity and risked their own lives to save the lives of others. Remember, because to forget would be to betray every single child who comes into this world. Let us therefore remember a little boy in the ghetto of Lodz, and through him all the others who were forced to endure the unthinkable. Let us pick up the brother-stones, clasp them firmly in our hands, and realise how much we will need them on our journey through a new century. Let us carry them with us as a constant reminder and a challenge to never again allow forces to grow that are capable of such evil. Thank you.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, May 4, Members of Congress joined with representatives of the diplomatic corps, executive and judicial branch officials and hundreds of Holocaust survivors and their families to commemorate the Days of Remembrance in the Great Rotunda of the United States Capitol. The theme of this year's commemoration was ``The Holocaust and the New Century: The Imperative to Remember.'' Even after more than half a century, Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that we continue to commemorate the horrors of the Holocaust in order to honor the memory of those victims of Hitler's twisted tyranny. We must also mark this catastrophe because mankind still has not learned the lessons of this horror, as evidenced most recently by the mass killings in Kosovo. Mr. Speaker, Rabbi Irving Greenberg, the newly designated Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, delivered a moving address at this year's Day of Remembrance ceremony. Rabbi Greenberg was appointed Chair of the Holocaust Council on February 15 of this year. He previously served as a member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council's founding board from 1980 to 1988 and again as a member of the board since 1997. He is a pioneer of Holocaust remembrance and education in the United States and in the Jewish-Christian dialogue that has sought to revise theology in light of the Holocaust. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University, he is the President of the Jewish Life Network in New York, and from 1974 to 1997 he served as the founding President of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. He also was executive director of President Jimmy Carter's Commission on the Holocaust. He and his wife, Blu Grenauer Greenberg, have five children. Mr. Speaker, I ask that Rabbi Greenberg's excellent remarks at the Days of Remembrance ceremony in the Capitol be placed in the Record, and I urge my colleagues to give them thoughtful consideration. Rabbi Irving Greenberg's Remarks: Days of Remembrance--May 4, 2000 ``Behold I place before your today [for your choice] life and good, death and evil'' (Deuteronomy 30:15) And again: ``I call heaven and earth to witness to you: [the choice of] life and death I have placed before you, the blessing and the curse; choose life so that you and your children may live.'' (Deuteronomy 30:19) These biblical words are more than sacred scripture. They are the wisdom of living. Every moment of living is a moment of choice. From the time we are born, we start to die. Unless we choose to live, unless we choose to love, to create children, to build society, then death will win out finally. No action is neutral. The next food we choose to eat is a choice of health and life or it is harmful and a choice of death. The next word we speak is a word of love, of healing, of encouragement and hope, or it is a word of stereotyping and degradation, of dismissal and death of the soul. The next act we do builds society and repairs the world; or, it is an act of vandalism, of environmental degradation, of breaking down the world and death. As it is with individuals so it is with societies and nations. There are forces that can be deployed for human dignity and freedom and life or these same forces can be deployed to degrade and enslave, that is in the service of death. Sixty to seventy years ago, in a tragic process we now call the Holocaust, nations and individuals made a series of decisions that in sum added up to the choice of death for millions and millions. Panicked by economic depression and fear of social instability, millions of German voters chose to undermine democracy. They voted for a politician promising to restore them by removing the conflicts and risky choices of modern society, by concentrating power and by excluding foreigners and strangers and Jews. Thereby they unleashed a force of death. Fearful of making hard choices and of confronting an extremist, political leaders chose to make a pact with the devil and brought Adolf Hitler to power. Then legislators elected to go along with concentrating that power. Then the Nazis chose to suppress democracy, to crush the unions and the socialists and to exclude and isolate the Jews. Then jurists opted to go along with perverted justice and bureaucrats decided to classify and discriminate. These were all choices that brought death to power. These were the choices of death. Two thousand years earlier, a great world religion had chosen to pursue its own encounter with God and salvation and its message of love. But those great people chose to express their spiritual liberation in the form of a religious monopoly and asserted that Christianity had superceded the mother religion, Judaism. This claim was followed by stereotyping and devaluation of the carriers of the ancestral religion, the Jews. Thereby Christians set the Jews up in isolation, as targets of hatred and stereotyping. In the 20th century, in the hands of new pagans, new secular racists, even anti-Christians, these attitudes were turned into lethal decisions to rain death and destruction on the Jews. In the Holocaust, whole societies chose death. Generals in the German Army chose to set up killing squads. Businesses competed to build gas chambers and crematoria and supply poison gas. Corporations elected to use slave labor and work people to death. Democracies chose to close their doors to refugees and to remain indifferent and inactive in the face of the anguished cries for help of the victims. Hundreds of thousands of professionals and workers exercised their career choices to seek out and deliver Jews to their cruel fate. Millions of neighbors chose to remain silent or to look the other way or even to actively cooperate with despoliation and death. Unchecked by counter choices, the forces of death and degradation always spread their focus. The Nazis set up a machinery of oppression so millions of Poles were enslaved and persecuted and whole cadres were seized and killed. Roma/Gypsies were rounded up and tens of thousands were killed. Millions of Russian POW's were starved and brutalized and executed. Worldwide, Jewish leadership failed to grasp the enormity of the catastrophe and to risk all their standing to goad or dragoon the world into acting to save lives. These were all choices of death. In a cascade of such choices, humanity abandoned millions of humans. Death reigned supreme and the forces of hatred killed and degraded millions. After the war, banks chose to deny the survivors the return of their own bank accounts, and insurance companies rejected paying for life insurance policies they had issued. Others opted to reject responsibility for this catastrophe or for healing its survivors. Others choose to this day to deny that this tragedy even happened. Thus in the 20th century, a realm of death was created. A decision to kill a whole people--every last person--was made by a government and six million Jews died in the Shoah. When humanity looked into the abyss and realized that it now had the power of technology and human nature had the capacity for evil to the point of unlimited murder and the death of life itself. It would appear that the world failed to stop the triumph of death. But death and evil did not have the final word. Then the survivors arose. They chose not to revenge, not to hate, not to give up in despair and go silently to the grave. They chose life. They chose to love, to marry, to have children, to make new lives in new places. The Jewish people arose and rebuilt its life; it created the State of Israel where 250,000 survivors and millions of refugees created themselves anew. Jewry took power to protect itself. Throughout the world, millions, then hundreds of millions learned the lesson: NEVER AGAIN should people of any religion, of any race or color, be vulnerable and dependent for their dignity on the arbitrary power of others. National liberation and the demand for self-determination spread worldwide. Then outsiders, and second-class citizens, and second-class genders and sexual orientations learned the lessons of the Holocaust and determined to be free and equal by right. They chose to work for a world where human dignity would be universal and human life supported by political/cultural/legal structures by right. And traditional groups shifted from passive acceptance to activity to insure that their values be heard and their dignity upheld. For decades now, more and more people have awakened to the need to learn the lessons of this catastrophe. Out of love of life, they determined to preserve the memory of the victims, of their lives, of their dignity and courage in their struggle for existence, of their worlds that were destroyed. Thus they chose to reaffirm the value of life. More and more religions chose to confront the tragic flaws which facilitated this catastrophe and moved to purify themselves. More and more Christians worldwide have studied the lessons, confessed the sins and determined to correct the teachings. Thereby Christianity chose life and love again and reasserted its own vitality as a gospel of love bringing healing to the world. This process led the United States Government to establish a United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on the national mall, and to establish Days of Remembrance in the very week of Yom Hashoah when the survivors and the victims' families devote their days to remembering. Millions of Americans--the vast majority not Jewish, not Poles or Gypsies or gays or any of the Nazis' victims whose story is told in the Museum--come there to confront the painful truth. Through this encounter, they learn how democracies fail, when governments turn indifferent, and by what process bureaucracy, technology, and obedience were turned into servants of death. Inwardly they pledge to work that this democracy shall not fail; that never again will this people stand by indifferently as millions of others are degraded or destroyed. Each of these steps represents the choice of life. Everywhere, people are coming to understand that the evil we have witnessed, this model of death and degradation cannot be ignored or even bypassed. Rather there must be an active response--nothing less than a mighty outburst of freedom, a choice to universalize human dignity for life. Worldwide, there is a frenzy of attempts to restore the human image of God that was defaced and destroyed. There are urgent efforts to clear up stereotypes in religion or culture that degrade others or may lead to indifference to their fate. There is a powerful thrust to develop pluralism in culture, in religion, in political process, in economic power--to prevent any concentration of power that could lead to a future choice of destruction or suppression of others. Everywhere worldwide, these forces turn to the study of the Holocaust. Millions seek out encounter with its story and people because the encounter evokes the forces of love, compassion, human responsibility, the forces of life. Wherever people seek life, they draw strength from the bedrock of memory. Everywhere, humanity is driven by the goad to conscience which is intrinsic in Holocaust education. Of course the forces of death are not quiescent. Out of fear of a changing world and the transformation of culture, intolerance reasserts itself. Forms of fundamentalism which deny others their freedom of religion appear. Anti-Semitism and denial of the rights of foreigners and other outsiders surge again. Forces of neo-Nazism and terrorism strengthen. Not surprisingly, such forces often deny the reality of the Holocaust or belittle its dimensions. We are asked. Will there be an imperative to remember the Holocaust in the 21st century? The answer is: As long as humanity chooses life, then more and more people will remember and learn the lessons of the Holocaust. Then governments will more likely intervene to stop genocide, more likely create open, pluralist multi cultural societies, more likely deny dictators the claim that no one dare interfere in their internal affairs. The true question is not whether humanity will honor the imperative to remember the Holocaust. The true question and challenge is: will humans rise to greatness in the choice of life. Can our conscience seared by the fires of Auschwitz, become an irresistible political force so nations will not tolerate, nay, will intervene to stop genocide? Can the model of the survivors and the righteous gentiles, inspire us to a new human solidarity that will enable all peoples to live in freedom and peace? The memory of the victims and the voices of the survivors, the actions of the righteous and the rescuers call out to us: Choose life that you and your children may live.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, this morning the Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs, and International Relations of the Committee on Government Reform held a hearing under the very able leadership of my dear friend and our distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays), which examined the status of the World War II Memorial to be built here in our nation's capital. The lead witness at this morning's hearing, Mr. Speaker, was the distinguished former Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the former Senator from Kansas Bob Dole. Senator Dole is a veteran of World War II and the Chair of the National World War II Memorial Campaign. Mr. Speaker, Senator Dole has selflessly served our nation for over half a century. He was seriously wounded in Italy during the final weeks of World War II. After four hard years of determined effort, he was able to return to a useful and productive life in his native Kansas where he served as county attorney after completing law school. In 1960 he was elected a member of Congress, and eight years later, he was elected a United States Senator from Kansas. Between 1985 and 1996, Senator Dole served as Republican leader of the Senate, both as majority leader and as minority leader. His over 11 years of service as Republican leader was the longest of any individual in the history of the United States Senate. As my colleagues know, Senator Dole was the Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 1996 election. As one of our nation's outstanding veterans of World War II, Mr. Speaker, I can think of no individual better qualified than Bob Dole to serve as Chairman of the World War II Memorial Campaign. In addition to the excellent testimony which Senator Dole provided at this morning's hearing, he wrote an excellent piece on the World War II Memorial which was published in today's Washington Post. Mr. Speaker, I submit Senator Dole's article to be placed in the Record and I urge my colleagues to read it carefully. I also urge my colleagues to support the construction and completion of the World War II Memorial honoring those who participated in that great conflict for the preservation of America's freedom. [From the Washington Post, June 6, 2000] One Final Salute (By Bob Dole) Fifty-six years ago today, American and allied forces launched the invasion that turned the tide of World War II. What better time than this anniversary of D-Day to remember that the peace we enjoy today was secured at a precious price--and to recommit ourselves to honor the sacrifices of the veterans of World War II with a memorial on the National Mall in Washington? It is testament to the overwhelming success of the World War II generation that we can barely imagine a conflict in which nearly 300 young servicemen and women died each day-- year after year after year. Unfortunately, the veterans of that war are now passing away in even greater numbers. Before the World War II generation is gone, we owe them one last salute, and the peace of mind that their service will be remembered. Our country has endured three great challenges and has emerged from each stronger and more united. The American Revolution demonstrated our determination to be free, and the Civil War tested our will to extend that freedom to all. The third great moment of trial, confrontation and resolution occurred nearly 60 years ago. The struggle of free men and women against totalitarianism peaked during World War II and lingered through the Cold War. Freedom's victory over tyranny is now so complete that it is easy to forget the issue was ever in doubt. Throughout World War II, my generation was inspired by the legacy of past defenders of freedom. Thousands of servicemen absorbed the words of the Founders etched in stone on the great monuments of our nation's capital. From the memorials to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, young GIs drew deep reserves of faith, courage and fortitude. These solid and silent monuments did not sit idly as war raged; they passed on America's noble purpose from one generation to the next. No doubt future generations will be asked to mount their own defense of American freedoms. We must act now to build a National World War II Memorial to honor the achievements of the last generation and to inspire future generations. We must complete the unfinished business of World War II before the last veterans of that great conflict are gone. Our task is nearly complete. On Veterans Day 1995, a deserved site on the Mall between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated. The Capital Campaign for the National World War II Memorial is closing in on the $100 million goal with contributions from corporations, foundations, veterans' groups and private citizens in every state of the Union. I will be accepting today a contribution of more than $14 million for the memorial--money collected from individual Americans in Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores across the country. This generous spirit is being replicated in communities throughout America. The memorial is the right statement in the right place. Its design creates a special place to commemorate the sacrifice and celebrate the victory of World War II, yet remains respectful and sensitive to the vistas and park-like setting of its historic surroundings. This summer we will seek final approval of the design from the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission so that we can break ground for the memorial on Veterans Day weekend in November. Meanwhile, another 1,000 veterans of World War II pass away every day--so quickly that in a few years there will be only a handful left. The youngest participants in World War II are today in their mid-seventies--enjoying the closing chapters of their lives. These veterans deserve a memorial to preserve the memory of their actions against the tide of time. It is up to us, and the time is now.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, just a few days ago the leaders of Western Europe took an immensely important step by inviting the State of Israel to join the ``Western Europe and Other Group'' (WEOG) at the United Nations. Membership in a regional grouping is significant at the United Nations because seats on the UN Security Council and other similar rotating positions are made through regional caucuses. Israel has been a member of the United Nations since 1949--the year after the State of Israel was officially proclaimed--but during that half century, until it was invited to join the WEOG group last week, it was never a member of a regional group. As a result, Israel is the only country in the UN never to hold one of the rotating Security Council seats. Mr. Speaker, this welcome decision is one that many of our colleagues in the Congress have fought to achieve through letters, resolutions and similar actions. Several months ago, at my suggestion, the ambassadors in Washington of the countries who are members of the WEOG group were invited to a meeting with members of the Committee on International Relations, where we pressed for the inclusion of Israel in that regional grouping. This important meeting made clear to our friends in Western Europe the importance that we in the Congress have given to this issue, and I think it was essential in helping to overcome the ill-founded resistance to Israel's participation in WEOG. As I said to that large group of ambassadors attending the meeting, geographical proximity is not a consideration since WEOG includes, Turkey, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, in addition to the countries of Western Europe. Israel's strong links with Europe and North America as well as its advanced economy make its interests and policies very consistent with those of the other participants in the WEOG. Israel's exclusion from the Asia Group and the Middle East subgroup is a case of blatant discrimination and a deliberate effort to de-legitimize the State of Israel. Some of the countries who are members of WEOG were particularly supportive of Israel's participation, and I want to thank in particular the United Kingdom, as well as the northern countries of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland for their enlightened efforts on this matter. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to pay tribute to many of those who have worked to bring Israel into more complete participation in the United Nations. The United States representative to the UN, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, has been an important voice for resolving this issue. He appropriately called this decision to admit Israel to WEOG ``the rectification of a long-standing and wholly inexcusable exclusion of one country--and one country only--from any of the regional groups of the United Nations.'' UN Secretary General Kofi Annan also has personally been involved in the effort to resolve this important issue. When Israel was invited to join the WEOG the Secretary General said ``this step rectifies a long- standing anomaly'' which ``should pave the way for Israel to participate on an equal footing with other nations in the main organs of the United Nations, and it upholds the principle, enshrined in the Charter, of equality among all member states.'' Mr. Speaker, this temporary membership for Israel in WEOG is not the final step for Israel's full participation in the United Nations, and I am disappointed that the United Nations is still treating Israel differently than other nations. Although Israel will be a member of WEOG, it has been asked to forgo the opportunity to take its turn holding the most influential seats, such as the Security Council, for the foreseeable future. Also, the invitation does not include the right to participate in European caucuses at United Nations regional offices in Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi. The failure to include Israel in Geneva caucuses is significant because the UN Human Rights Commission is headquartered in Geneva, and this organization has frequently taken a hostile attitude toward Israel. Mr. Speaker, I welcome the decision of the WEOG to invite Israel to participate, but I emphasize that this is only a first step. Unfortunately, this first step does not fully rectify the half-century of discrimination at the United Nations to which the State of Israel has been subjected. I look forward to Israel's full participation, and I invite my colleagues to join me as we continue our efforts in this regard.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, without doubt, the most distinctive feature of my office in the Rayburn House Office Building is a model ship. This is not just any model of a ship, it dominates my office--the ship fills one entire wall of the office standing nine feet tall and stretching about 12 feet long. This ship model, Mr. Speaker, is an accurate scale model of the ship Sultanah, a vessel built in Oman in the last century. The model was constructed from the original blueprints for the ship which are still in the hands of the Omani government. The Sultanah has great importance for United States relations with Oman because this ship brought the first Arab ambassador to the United States in 1840. In fact, Mr. Speaker, April 13 of this year was the 160th anniversary of the arrival of the Sultanah in New York harbor. This ship is not only an important symbol of U.S.-Omani relations, but it is important for U.S. relations with the entire Arab world. This model ship was given to the United States Congress by the government of Oman in 1995 when I hosted an exhibit of Omani culture and history in the Rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building to mark the 25th anniversary of the ascension to the throne of Oman of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Sid Al-Said. The model of the Sultanah is temporarily in my office, Mr. Speaker. I mention this model of the Sultanah, Mr. Speaker, as an introduction to remarks I wish to make today in paying tribute to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos of Oman. First, I want to call to the attention of my colleagues the singular honor recently bestowed on His Majesty. Georgetown University presented the 25th Anniversary Founders Award of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies to Sultan Qaboos in recognition of his important contribution to the establishment of the Center. In 1975, when the Center was established, the Sultan made one of the first grants to permit its establishment. Five years later, he endowed the Sultanate of Oman Chair in Arabic and Islamic Literature, and in 1993 he made a further endowment by establishing a scholarship fund for the Department of Arabic at the university. This is only the latest recognition of the Sultan's role in improving relations between Oman and the United States and between the Arab world and the United States. His commitment to better ties between our two countries has been an important element in the friendship that marks our relationship with Oman. Mr. Speaker, the second reason I call the attention of my colleagues to the activities and role of Sultan Qaboos is that this year marks the 30th anniversary of his assumption of power on July 24, 1970. When he became the new leader of Oman, he was confronted with insurgency in a country plagued by endemic disease, illiteracy, and poverty. One of the new sultan's first measures was to abolish many of his father's harsh restrictions, which had caused thousands of Omanis to leave the country. He offered amnesty to opponents of the previous regime, and many of them returned to Oman and have played critical roles in the economic, political, and cultural development of the country. Sultan Qaboos established a modern government structure, launched a major development program to upgrade educational and health facilities, built a modern infrastructure or roads, airports, and public utilities, and began the development of the country's resources. The results of this effort have been dramatic. The number of schools rose from three in 1970 to more than 840 by 1993, while hospital and clinic beds increased during this period from 12 to 4,355. There have been further substantial increases in quantity and quality of public services since that time. Under the leadership of Sultan Qaboos, Oman has pursued a foreign policy that has contributed to stability and moderation in that important part of the world. The relationship between the United States and Oman has been cordial and cooperative. In an important indicator of the warmth and importance of our relationship with Oman, President Clinton stopped in Oman on his return from India earlier this year and held important discussions with Sultan Qaboos. Agreements on security and economic cooperation between the United States and Oman have established a firm and secure basis for our relationship. Oman has also played a positive role in encouraging peace and reconciliation in the Middle East. It supported the Camp David accords and was one of only three Arab League states that did not break relations with Egypt after the signing of the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty in 1979. Not long after the signature of the Oslo Accords, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres were invited to visit Oman, and the country has taken a positive role as chair and host of a Middle East working group on water issues. During the Gulf War, Oman assisted the UN coalition effort. Mr. Speaker, I want to call the attention of my colleagues to important legal and political changes that have been taking place in Oman under the leadership of His Majesty. In 1996 with the personal involvement of the Sultan, a Basic Charter was promulgated which provides for many basic human rights, such as an independent judiciary, and freedoms of association, speech, and the press. Some of the enabling legislation issued under the Basic Charter has been issued by the government, but others still remain to be issued. Sultan Qaboos has also taken a number of important steps to increase the involvement and participation of the citizens of Oman in their government. In November 1991, he established the Majlis ash-Shura (Council of Deliberation/Consultation), in an effort to systematize and broaden public participation in government. In 1997 he established a second consultative body, the Majlis al-Dawla, to further increase the accountability of the government to public representatives. In forthcoming elections, sufferage has been expanded and the participation of women in the political process significantly increased. These political institutions and the broadening of political participation are important steps toward greater democracy, and I commend Sultan Qaboos for taking these important steps. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleague to join me in commending Sultan Qaboos and the people of Oman as we mark the thirtieth anniversary of the ascension of the Sultan to the throne of Oman, and as we note Georgetown University's appropriate honor to him for his contribution to better understanding between the people of Oman and the United States.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, May 12, at a United Nations ceremony the President of the Republic of Hungary, Arpad Goncz, received the fourth annual Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award on behalf of his country. This award is sponsored by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and the World Committee on Disability. United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and the Vice Chairman of the National Organization on Disability, Christopher Reeve, were among those who presented the award to President Goncz. Mr. Speaker, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award is presented annually to a nation that makes noteworthy national progress toward the full and equal participation of people with disabilities. This important international recognition was given to Hungary in recognition of the great improvements that Hungary has made on behalf of disabled individuals. Hungary's 1998 Rights of Persons Living with Disability and the Equality of Opportunity law defined the rights of this important segment of the population and raised national awareness of disability issues in the country. Hungary has made outstanding improvements by establishing educational programs for children with disabilities and incentives for employers who hire those with disabilities. In addition to these changes the Hungarian government actively promotes the development of disability support groups. In particular, Mr. Speaker, I want to commend Mrs. Zsuzsa Goncz, the exceptionally talented wife of President Goncz, for her important role and her critical efforts in bringing about the positive steps that have been made by the government of Hungary to provide equal opportunity for the disabled. President and Mrs. Goncz are figures of great integrity and have given important moral leadership to this effort. I am honored to have them as my friends. Mr. Speaker, Secretary General Kofi Annan made the following statement commending Hungary for its receiving the Roosevelt Award: ``The full and equal participation of people with disabilities is the main message of the United Nations World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons. I commend the initiative of the Roosevelt Institute and the World Committee on Disability in establishing this award, and I heartily congratulate the Government of Hungary for its work to build a world in which each and every person can participate fully, actively and equally.'' Alan Reich, Chairman of the World Committee on Disability also praised Hungary for its commitment to the U.N. World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons: ``Proactive efforts such as Hungary's should inspire other countries throughout the world. There are Half a billion of us on our planet with disabilities. This crisis that demands action. We urge all nations to respond to the U. N.'s call as Hungary has.'' Mr. Speaker, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Award, established in 1995 by the Roosevelt Institute and the World committee on Disability, consists of a bronze bust of Franklin Roosevelt and a $50,000 grant for an outstanding disability program in the selected nation. Previous winners of this award are Ireland, the Republic of Korea, and Canada. President Roosevelt, for whom the award is named, contracted polio at the age of 39 and from that time on could not walk without assistance. Despite this serious disability he was elected President of the United States four times, lead the U.S. through the Great Depression and World War II, and was a founding father of the United Nations. Mr. Speaker, Ambassador William J. vanden Heuvel, the Chairman of the Roosevelt Institute emphasized the role of the former President of the United States in dealing with disabilities: ``President Roosevelt's role in the founding of the United Nations was one of his proudest accomplishments. It is wonderful to be in this institution more than 50 years later, celebrating progress in the rights of people with disabilities-progress that he would fully endorse as a person who lived with a significant disability for much of his life.'' Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Hungary and to Zsuzsa and Arpad Goncz on the occasion of Hungary's receiving the fourth annual Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award.