Jerry Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 574, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 4194) making appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and for sundry independent agencies, boards, commissions, corporations, and offices for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1999, and for other purposes.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach), chairman of the Committee on Banking and Financial Services. (Mr. LEACH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) yielding me this time. I simply wanted to rise to let the House try to remember the good old days of the House of Representatives. It was just after the election of 1978 that the real bomb-throwers came to the Congress. I mean there were the likes of Newt Gingrich, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Solomon. I remember saying to Jerry one time, I do not sell life insurance, I help people buy it. We were the only 2 insurance agents in our class. He said, my, God, I wish I had thought about that. Jerry kids me a lot about the fact that he has mellowed over the years. Many of us, Jerry, have mellowed. But also in this business, while we come with preestablished notions about the way the world should work in the toughest business in public affairs, you do not understand that working with other people and recognizing that most issues have little to do with partisanship, per se, compromises, the way you move towards your objective in terms of the future of the country, not a Member in the House has done more of that kind of growing than Jerry Solomon. He has made a tremendous contribution to the House. He has told us all time and time again that we can work together if we will. And while he pounds his hand on the table, at the same time with a soft velvet glove he gets an awful lot of work done that very few people will understand. His district will have great difficulty ever replacing the quality and mix that has been Jerry Solomon in this House. I am proud to be his friend.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg). (Mr. KNOLLENBERG asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As this bill went off the floor not so long ago, we may all recall that we spent much of half a day discussing my colleague, my chairman, and now the ranking member of this subcommittee of appropriations, the gentleman from Cleveland, Ohio (Mr. Stokes). We are not going to repeat that extended period this go-round, but it certainly should be brought to the attention of Members and his friends that the gentleman is in the process of presenting his last bill on the floor of the House of Representatives. This conference report involves all of the funding for programs that are very important to the American public, those that relate to veterans' medical care, for example; all of the many public housing programs, the funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, the funding for NASA and the like. The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) we all know is an appropriator's appropriator, but the gentleman has done another thing during this legislative year. He wanted to make sure that each of us remember that before appropriations there was authorization. And so just to make a demonstration of that fact, this year he has accomplished that which is almost unbelievable to those of us who have watched this process for some time. He has snuck into this little package just about 60 pages of minor legislation that deals with his favorite field, and that is the field of housing. For working with our colleague on the banking subcommittee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lazio) on this side and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy) on the other, the gentleman from Ohio has proceeded to include what was the Housing Reauthorization Act within this appropriations bill, a bill that is called a ``must-pass bill.'' Now, frankly, those who really know the gentleman know that he actually went about this because his friend and the ranking member of that same subcommittee of the Committee on Banking has his last bill on the floor today as well, and that is the bill that was tucked away here, and I was quite surprised when the gentleman brought this to my attention, and he was going to such an extent to recognize the years of the very capable work of our friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy). So there are many details that I might go over with my colleagues regarding this bill, such as the fact that within VA medical care we are some $300 million over the President's budget in that category of funding. We are responding to the crisis that is ahead of us that deals with NASA's funding because of problems in Russia and some changes of government in the European space agencies. In the meantime, I will spare my colleagues those details, for we all have heard this bill discussed in great detail before. So I look forward to further conversation with my friend from Cleveland (Mr. Stokes). Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to mention to my colleague that she may be kind of interested to note that I had the privilege of being the author of the Child Development Act of 1972 in California. Congress has discovered child care 25 years later.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate my colleague yielding and taking a moment to speak about our dear friend, Joe McDade. I would like to mention 3 elements of my own relationship. I would like to mention a bit about Joe McDade as a leader, a bit about him as a professional, and a bit about him as a friend. Mr. Speaker, I must say that there are many in Washington over the years who inspire. Few in my lifetime in public affairs have been more inspiring than Joe McDade. He is a leader's leader. In California in one of our great buildings there is inscribed, ``Bring me men to match my mountains,'' and if there is a man who matches anybody's mountain, it is Congressman Joe McDade. For all of these years, holding nearest to his heart the importance of this institution and making certain that the institution remained as strong or much stronger than before he dreamt of coming to the Congress himself. As a professional, he has been an inspiration for me in my committee work over the years. I will never forget the Joint Chiefs of Staff when Joe took them on a tour of the world regarding personnel, and he knew more about that subject than anybody in the room. He was an inspiration to those who would but learn by listening to him as a leader. As I friend, I cannot match Joe as a friend anywhere, one of the great men of the Congress who I am proud to say is my very dear friend.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 471, I was inadvertently detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's yielding time to me. I hope my colleagues who are not on the floor but listening from their offices will make note of this passing, for we have heard today some of those words which will be the last words we hear from a man of the House, the gentleman from California (Mr. Vic Fazio). He is a man of the House, because like very few Members, he understands and believes in this institution. While Vic and Judy are dear friends of Arlene's and mine, I must say that to see him leaving this place is a great blow to all of us who believe in the future of our democracy. For Vic, like very few Members, truly understands that politics is indeed a part of our life, but our work involves this institution and the people's business. He recognizes that most of the solutions that come forth to this well do not come forth in the form of partisan politics, but that major solutions and public policy are best melded by men and women working together on behalf of their people. So, Mr. Speaker, we should all recognize today, as the likes of Vic come, very few come with that quality. As they leave the House, the House is lesser because of it. I would hope we would come together then bonded in our commitment to make certain that we do all that we can to preserve the government's work as we preserve this institution.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, it is a very special moment for me to come to the floor and express both my appreciation for and my disappointment in Vic Fazio, for I do not believe we have ever sent from California a finer Member of the House of Representatives: extremely decent, talented guy, who has made a huge difference the policy direction of the House, and in doing so has made a huge difference for our State. I am disappointed because I never thought I would be here in the well having a discussion about the fact that he has chosen to leave. Vic and I share a very special background together. We have interns all over this place these days but in the old days there were not such things as interns around. One of the original fellowship programs, the Coro Foundation, attempts to attract and train young people who may go into public affairs, and Vic was one of those Coro fellows some years ago. I first got to know him in the toughest of political arenas, in Sacramento, where he was on the staff during reapportionment in the early 1970s. I have had occasion to get to know him as a very tough and serious politician. But way beyond that, he is a very tough and serious policymaker. If you will remember, the west steps of the Capitol were held up by 20-by-20 poles for something like 30 or 40 years. Vic Fazio had the good sense and provided the leadership to produce the funding to put our Capitol back together again. When you go to the Library of Congress and see this fabulous building, an incredible monument, Vic Fazio provided the leadership to make sure that that building was repaired and restored to the level it is presently. Of all of the people I have dealt with in public affairs who live by a byline that is important to me, Vic Fazio does, and, that is, ``If you don't have your word in this business, you don't have anything.'' Among the leaders of the country, Vic Fazio stands out in my mind. In the future, the entire Congress will appreciate and understand the work that he has done.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in order to pay tribute to Colonel Robert L. ``Larry'' Davis, the Commander and District Engineer for the Los Angeles District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Thanks to a recent promotion, Larry will soon undertake a new assignment as the Chief of Staff of Fort Leonard Wood, U.S. Army Engineer School in Fort Leonard Wood, MO. Colonel Davis was born on May 25, 1951 in Woodbury, NJ. Commissioned in the Army, he entered active duty in June, 1974 after graduation from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. In addition, he holds a Master of Science degree in Operations Research from the Georgia Institute of Technology and is a registered professional engineer in the State of Virginia. His military education includes the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Air Force Air War College. His initial assignments after the Engineer Officer Basic Course were as a platoon leader and executive officer with the 249th Engineer Battalion in Karlsruhe, Germany. After completing the Engineer Officer Advanced Course, his assignments included Army Engineer Battalions at Ft. Belvoir, VA; Fort Campbell, KY; and Fort. Benning, GA. He was also with the 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Campbell where he served as Group Engineer. In addition to these assignments to troop units, Colonel Davis has served as a Project Officer in the Pentagon and was a U.S. Exchange Officer to the Australian School of Military Engineering in Sydney. He also participated in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and in Operations Restore Hope and Continue Hope in Somalia. He also took part in the Hurricane Andrew Relief Operations in Florida. Colonel Davis is the recipient of numerous commendations and decorations including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Southwest Asia Service Medal with three campaign stars. He has also earned the Parachutist and Air Assault Badges. I especially want to thank Colonel Davis for his tremendous assistance with the Santa Ana Mainstem flood control project including the Seven Oaks Dam and San Timoteo elements. This effort, which is nearing completion, will result in flood protection for millions of citizens and billions of dollars of personal property in San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange Counties in California. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me and our colleagues in recognizing the talents and remarkable skills of Colonel Davis as he prepares to take on the position of Chief of Staff of Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. I would also like to express our appreciation to his wife Barbara and their two children, Kimberly Anne and John. For his many years of service and dedication, I believe it is only appropriate that the House recognize Colonel Davis today.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, my colleague Ms. Lucille Roybal-Allard and I rise today in order to pay tribute to the League of California Cities, the organization that represents the 471 incorporated cities of our home state, California. The League of California Cities was founded a century ago by a small group comprised of 13 cities. In the century that has passed since its inception, the League has served as a vibrant, active forum where California city officials can exchange information and ideas in their work that keeps the great state of California moving up and moving on. What the League of California Cities does is strive to protect the local authority and autonomy of the city government and assist California cities in offering their citizens the best services possible. To help its members meet the everyday challenge of running a city government, the League offers services, training, and other programs--all of which equip California's cities to meet their tremendous responsibilities far into the future. On any given day here in the House or across the way in the Senate, you will find several legislators who have previously served as mayors and council members of California's cities and who have worked closely with the League for the good of those cities. It seems appropriate that the theme for the League's Centennial is: ``100 Years of Working Together: Better Cities--A Better Life.'' For the 32 million citizens of the state of California, the cities where they live and work and play and grow offer them just that opportunity-- a better life, a better chance, thanks to people working together. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that we recognize the League of California Cities for 100 years of service to the people of the great state of California. And it is with sincere wishes that our successors here in the House of Representatives have the privilege of working with this same institution 100 years hence.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, today Congressman George Brown and I rise together to honor a great American, Steven D. Jacobs. I am proud to say that Steven is my constituent, living with his wife, Deborah, in Victorville, California. Important to add, however, is that Steven's tireless and selfless work crosses the boundaries of Congressional districts. As a very active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) since 1981, Steven represents not only the vets in my district but also many of the veterans who live in the Congressional district of my friend and colleague, George Brown. However, his service does not end there. As two time All-American Commander, Steven has represented the veterans of the entire State of California. Furthermore, at this year's convention in Modesto, Steven D. Jacobs was elected State Commander for the 1998-1999 year. Born in Hawthorne, California on October 27, 1949, Steven joined the Marine Corps after graduating from high school in 1967. In April 1968, Steven was sent to Vietnam to serve with the Marine Air Group 30 in Quang Tri. Upon his return stateside, Steven was stationed at Twentynine Palms, California until he left the service to go to college. Since 1990, Steven has worked for Target Distribution in Fontana, California where he is currently the Planner and Scheduler for the Maintenance Department. Also a family man, Steven and his wife are the proud parents of six children, four girls and two boys, and three grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, on October 3d, a reception will be held in Steven's honor in Ontario, California. Since we can not be present for this event, Congressman Brown and I would like to honor Steven D. Jacobs today. We would ask our colleagues to join us in celebrating the life and great contributions of a great American.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I would say to the gentleman that I am certain it is not the most startling.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have no additional requests for time, but I would like to close by making a couple of limited comments. I must say that there is little doubt that within some of these accounts that are housing accounts, like vouchers, like subsidized rental housing, like programs that involve the efforts we have to open the doorway of opportunity to the poorest of the poor in our society, we have not had all the money that we would like to have in those accounts. Indeed, this administrative decision by OMB originally did put great pressure upon those elements of the housing accounts. To now have them change their mind and not have us have the flexibility to apply them, for example, to a great priority of the Secretary of Housing, vouchers, or some other very, very vital housing program, where we are dealing with the poorest of the poor, and shift it to accounts where we are over the President's request in the bill, before the fact, at least causes me to scratch my head, when the ranking member knows how important it is when we go to conference with the Senate to have as much flexibility as possible. By this action we may very well have harmed many of the very poor people in our country that the ranking member at least tells me constantly he is so concerned about. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 4194) making appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and for sundry independent agencies, boards, commissions, corporations, and offices for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1999, and for other purposes, with Senate amendments thereto, disagree to the Senate amendments and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it would be very difficult for the chairman of the subcommittee to object to this amendment, for essentially the amendment confirms that which was the direction of the House. I must say that I am both a little confused and rather startled at the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), ranking member of the full committee, essentially carrying an amendment that would in its written form appear to limit the flexibility of the subcommittee that goes to conference with the other body. While the Office of Management and Budget had told us that we needed to have these monies out of discretionary accounts for administrative purposes, and after we walked the plank taking money that otherwise could have gone to other vital needs in housing areas, essentially forced us in the direction of putting discretionary money into administrative responsibilities, they have now cut off that plank which was the plank that the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Vento) found himself on and they have now had us on that plank and neatly cut it off. My concern, though, is that there is little doubt that within Veterans Medical Care we have done all that we could to make certain that those accounts were reasonably funded. Indeed, our amount in the bill, before this amendment, was over the President's request. Over the President's request. I think both sides, especially members of the Committee on Appropriations, know that in a nonpartisan way we have been very generous to veterans' accounts. But also the Committee on Appropriations members know how important it is for us to maintain the integrity of our committee as we go to conference with the Senate. Mr. Speaker, I am very disconcerted by the fact that we have not been able to fund subsidized rental accounts as we might have. The affordable housing accounts that the gentleman from Minnesota referred to could use additional funding. The money we are dealing with here are outlays at very high levels like 90 percent, so it puts very great pressure on the subcommittee in terms of the flexibility we need. Indeed, one might suggest that some of those other very vital accounts that are designed to help poor people might have received some relief if there was more flexibility going to conference with the Senate. I know that it is not the intent of the ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations to create a circumstance where it is more difficult for us to do our work. But I do scratch my head at the ranking member repeating essentially what was the will of the House when they voted on that amendment. Mr. Speaker, I want my colleagues to know that this subcommittee chairman, I am not sure about the ranking member, but this subcommittee chairman takes very seriously the direction of the House. And I consider every element of our bill to be the direction of the House as I go to work with the Senate. I must say that if there is a pattern that could further undermine the entire Committee on Appropriations in its credibility in this body, it is by way of creating this kind of rigid stance on the part of the leadership of the committee itself. I talked with the ranking member of the subcommittee just after I learned about this proposal, for he and I share our concern about making sure we have great flexibility, especially to deal with housing accounts, and I was astonished to learn that that was the first he had heard of this recommendation when I presented it to him. So it seems to me that there is a disconnect here. I know that when the ranking member was in the majority on the Committee on Appropriations he would have been pounding the table at this kind of rigid direction. Nonetheless, I see this as an expression of the will of the House, and I do not know why the chairman should object to it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the motion to instruct and that I may include tabular and extraneous material.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize and acknowledge Alice E. Ashton on her 80th birthday for 35 years of unselfish community service. The mother of seven children and a military wife, she nonetheless found the time, energy and commitment to assist others. A resident of Redlands, California, she has touched the lives of numerous individuals, young and old, through her many acts of humanitarian volunteerism. Alice Ashton's service is very well known. During the early 1960's, Alice volunteered at the Redlands Well-Baby Clinic providing young mothers in dealing with the new responsibilities of parenthood. During that same period, she provided tutoring in the public housing project to elementary and middle school students and was a volunteer reader for young children. From 1965 to 1975, Alice was a member of the Redlands Human Relations Council, an organization whose goal was to improve the quality of life for the less fortunate. The passage of the California Unfair Housing bill was a result of her tireless efforts. She was also a crisis intervention volunteer during this ten-year period, helping individuals deal with some of their darkest moments. With limited formal training, she brought a level of compassion and empathy to the job that was extraordinary, but was no accident; she had suffered a grievous personal tragedy of her own. On August 1, 1966, an emotionally distraught young man occupied the clock tower in the Commons of the University of Texas with a high-powered rifle and began firing indiscriminately at the students below. Alice's oldest son was one of the first individuals killed. Characteristically, she dealt with her grief by helping others. From July, 1977 to June, 1978 Alice served as a member of the San Bernardino County Grand Jury. In the early 1980's, responding to a desire to improve her own education, Alice enrolled in various courses at Crafton Community College. Despite a challenging academic schedule, she found time between classes to do volunteer work with Family Services in the community of Yucaipa, California. She was also a peer counselor with Ombudsman for the Aged during this period. The 1990's saw her focus return to children's issues as she became an active volunteer in the Child Advocacy Division in the Department of Public Social Services for San Bernardino County. She was also very involved as a volunteer at the County Juvenile Detention Facility. She currently runs the canteen at that facility, the proceeds of which are used to improve living conditions and provide recreational items for the young inmates. Alice is also an active advocate for participation in the political process, both locally and nationally. She works tirelessly in getting out the vote and has served as an official delegate for her party on two occasions. Her contributions over the years can be summed up in one word: citizen. She embodies everything that word connotes, being involved and doing whatever she can to make her community a better place to live. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me and our colleagues in recognizing the valuable and selfless contributions of Alice Ashton. Her lifetime commitment to assisting others is certainly worthy of our respect and it is only fitting that the House recognize her today.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, all of our colleagues have become aware of the fact that our friend from California (Duke Cunningham) is currently in the hospital. I would like to share with my colleagues for just a moment thoughts our friend Duke Cunningham would say to us: ``I have engaged the enemy and won--and once more I shall win due to the attentiveness of the outstanding staffs at both Bethesda Medical Center and the House Attending Physician's office. ``As you may know, I had surgery for prostate cancer on Wednesday morning. I did so eagerly. I am very thankful that the cancer was found at the earliest stages during a routine annual physical. My doctor has said that waiting a few years could have brought a totally different prognosis. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of each of you--men and women alike--making it a priority to have a yearly checkup. It has saved my life. ``To paraphrase General MacArthur (who wasn't Navy): I shall return, eager to press on and finish our Republican reforms. ``The wind stays strong in my sails. ``God bless you all. Duke.''

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I insert the following for the Record: I want to add my voice to the tributes offered by the Congressional colleagues of the Honorable Louis Stokes. When I first came to Washington, nearly six years ago, as the Assistant Secretary of Community Planning and Development at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Louis Stokes was Mr. Chairman. He was the Chairman of the Subcommittee that controlled the purse strings for all the creative ideas that a new Administration wanted to implement--an unprecedented increase in funding for the homeless, funding for partnerships between the Federal Government and not for profit organizations to build and rehabilitate affordable housing, a new economic development grant program. And he agreed with those initiatives and helped restore the Department as the agency that is dedicated to assisting the most vulnerable among us and to revitalizing our cities and towns. Now as ranking member of that same Subcommittee, he continues to help this Administration and me as Secretary of the Department. He has been with me every step of the way as we have ``reinvented'' HUD and I counted on his advice and counsel. Now that we are beginning to see the results of that reinvention, he has fought to give the Department the resources it needs to create jobs and economic opportunity to meet the challenges of the global economy and the demands of American cities. He has fought steadfastly to expand and preserve housing opportunities for renters in public and assisted housing, for homebuyers, and for the homeless. He has fought unabashedly to end the scourge of housing discrimination. He has taken on all these battles even in the face of terribly tight budget strictures. Perhaps it was growing up in public housing, but, whatever the reason, Congressman Stokes sought to serve on the two appropriations subcommittees that reach those most in need--VA, HUD and Independent Agencies and the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, & Related Agencies. And serve those in need, he has. He is a man who cares deeply about the programs of this Department and the people they impact. So I want to pay tribute to him and to say how deeply I appreciate his long, hard work. I will miss him and the people who rely upon HUD's programs will miss him.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. My colleagues and I discussed this in some depth, and I think the House, when they read it, will understand it. I am ready to accept the amendment if my colleague from Cleveland is so inclined.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?