John Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, as the House considers legislation which does not allow a fair and open debate, and vote, on the National Endowment for the Arts, I urge my colleagues to consider the words of Elliott Levitas, writer, attorney, former member of the Georgia House of Representatives and former United States Congressman representing the Fourth Congressional District of Georgia: Cultural War Rages in America--All Great Civilizations of The Past Have Provided Public Support For The Arts (By Elliott Levitas) Proposals in Congress to abolish the relatively minuscule public funding for the arts, humanities and noncommercial public TV and radio lie at the heart of a cultural war raging in America. In the face of charges of elitism, budget deficits and controversial subject matter, the real issue is whether there is a vital role for government to seed and supplement the private sector in promoting, preserving and transmitting American culture. Every great civilization has provided public support for its arts and culture. Whether it was Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, Roman, Spanish, French, British or whatever, these towering forebears of our culture all provided essential support for their artists, writers, thinkers, architects and dramatists, in addition to funds made available through private sponsorship by patrons. The great art traditions of China, Japan, India and the ancient civilizations of Central and South America, all derived support and encouragement from the governments. Societies which did not provide this institutionalized support did not attain the heights of great artistic creativity, nor pass it on. We look at the Visigoths, the Huns, the Tartars and other societies long forgotten because they did not do so. Do we believe our American cultures, which enrich the spiritual life of our people, should be cultivated? If so, history teaches us that there is an essential role for government, albeit small. Whom do we wish to emulate, the Visigoths or the Greeks? The suggestion that budget deficits can be fought by eliminating cultural funding is a blatant fraud on an anxious and credulous public. The total amount of budget support for the National Endowment for the Arts is less than .009 percent of governmental expenditures. To eliminate that amount does not even meet the test of ``every little bit helps.'' Should the arts share across-the-board budget reductions? Yes. Eliminate the arts funding? No. Indeed, if we apply the ``cost-benefit'' test, the small cost returns great benefit to cultural creativity. No, this issue is not budget deficits, but cultural war. Groups of modern-day ``know-nothings,'' advocates of thought control and would-be cultural dictators would just as soon see the richness of American culture disappear with a new Dark Age. Their fear of cultural diversity and their demand for uniformity of mind is what the cultural war is all about. Nor is elitism a serious argument. Government support for American culture not only reflects Shakespeare, Beethoven and Picasso, but also provides for Howard Fenster, folk music, cowboy poets, Native American crafts and jazz. The issue of elitism is phony. Even though in recent years the endowments have vastly expanded the audiences in the countryside, it has never been a mass audience, even among the Romans and Greeks. But the few have usually preserved the gifts of culture for the many. Those few, who may be more numerous than some politicians believe, can distill and pass on the essence of our national cultural treasures. If we want to avoid the errors of the past and benefit from its achievement, let us follow the path that all great civilizations traveled. Let our government continue its small, but essential, role in providing the seed to ensure that our diverse American cultures will continue to find greatness and will be there for future generations as they enrich our lives today. Let us follow the Greeks and not the Visigoths.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the artists, the writers, the actors, the musicians, the schoolchildren, and the thousands upon thousands of people in Georgia and around the Nation who benefit from the National Endowment for the Arts. I rise on behalf of all of these people to plead with all of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, to defeat this rule, this rule which abolished the National Endowment for the Arts without so much as a vote. It was President Lyndon Johnson who said: Art is a Nation's most precious heritage, for it is in our works of art that we reveal to ourselves and to others the inner vision which guides us as a Nation. And where there is no vision, the people will perish. We cannot and we should not and we must not abandon the role of the Federal Government in supporting the arts. Bombs, not books; planes, but not poems; missiles, but not music: Is this the legacy we will leave for our children? I say no, and the American people say no. There is a role for our government to play in supporting the arts, and that role is through the National Endowment for the Arts. This rule abolishes the NEA. It does not even permit a vote. This rule is a travesty. It is an insult to our democracy. Mr. Speaker, let us defeat this rule.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the Washington Post reported that the deficit will be $45 billion this year, and maybe balance next year. How did it happen? In the 1993 Democratic budget agreement the Democrats were right and Republicans were wrong. The Democrats' 1993 budget set us on the road to a balanced budget without one Republican vote. Thanks to Democrats, we can give the American people a tax cut and a balanced budget. The only question is, who will benefit. Republicans want to help Wall Street and the richest among us. Democrats want to help Main Street and working families. Even U.S. News & World Report says Republicans want to help their wealthy friends. Let me quote: ``The reality is closer to the Democrats' view. The best independent estimates of the bill are that about half the benefits of the Republicans' tax relief plan would go to the richest 10 percent.'' Mr. Speaker, we must reject the Republican irresponsible tax break for Wall Street. Join Democrats and cut taxes for working Americans.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, it is time to be frank and honest about this tax bill. Republicans used budget gimmicks, smoke and mirrors, to hide the true effect of their plan. Why? Because the American people know the Republicans are looking out for Wall Street and wealthy Republican supporters. This debate is not about whether to have a tax cut. Democrats support a tax cut. This debate is about who will get the tax cut, Wall Street or Main Street. Democrats support a child tax credit for all working families. We support a HOPE scholarship to help our children, all of our children, go to college. We support allowing middle class American families to sell their homes without paying taxes. But this is not what the Republicans want. The Republicans deny more than 10 million working parents a child tax credit, parents who pay billions of dollars in Federal taxes. Republicans cut in half President Clinton's HOPE scholarship for millions of middle class students. Why? So they can give a huge tax break to the rich. Republicans may tell us a different story, but do not be fooled. The Republican tax bill is not the Good Samaritan on the Jericho road. Do not be misled. What do the Republicans give a family of four making $24,000 a year? Nothing. What do Republicans give the mother who has left welfare to work at a minimum wage job? Nothing. Yesterday Republicans raised the Medicare premium on the elderly. Today the Republicans will give the elderly middle class nothing. What do the Republicans give millions of working families? Nothing, nothing, nothing. Empty Republican promises will not help hard-working families live the American dream. Republicans give a $22 billion tax break to America's largest corporations. They give 20 percent of that tax break to people with an average income of half a million dollars. At the same time, the Republicans raise taxes on people earning less than $10,000 a year. Republicans will steal from the poor and give to the rich. When fully phased in, Republicans give 60 percent of their tax cut to the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans. That does not leave much for America's middle class. I would say to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Rangel], Mr. Chairman, I was not here for voodoo economics. I did not vote for trickle-down economics that did not trickle down. We must not make the mistakes of the past. We must not travel down that road again. We must not let the Republicans hide a huge tax cut for the rich behind empty promises for the middle class. Mr. Speaker, let us give a real tax cut to hard-working American families. I urge all of my colleagues to reject, to vote against, this Republican tax scheme for the rich and support the Democrat middle class tax cut for all Americans.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to defeat this rule. This bill that the Republicans are bringing to this floor breaks the budget deal the Republicans made with the President. On issue after issue this bill is in violation of the budget agreement. Mr. Speaker, how can the President negotiate if they will not deal in good faith, if they will not keep their word? On children's health care, this bill breaks the deal. On protecting disabled legal immigrants, the bill breaks the deal. On providing worker protection for people moving from welfare to work, this bill is not in keeping with the spirit of the deal. Mr. Speaker, this bill violates both the spirit and the letter of a balanced budget agreement. Defeat the rule, defeat the bill. It is not the deal made with the President. It is not the deal made with the American people.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I do not propose cutting off relations with China, but I simply cannot accept the situation as it is with China today. We cannot stand by while innocent people in China and Tibet are fighting and dying for democracy. Thousands of innocent Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists are dying in Chinese gulags. Millions of Chinese women are not allowed to plan their own families. They are not allowed to make the most basic, the most private decisions. The Chinese Government intrudes on families, their beliefs, their lives. They are desperate for our help. Yet we do not help. We continue business as usual. The abuse of human rights continues. And the United States renews MFN. China will not work with the community of nations to stop nuclear proliferation. And the United States renews MFN. Business as usual. Trade as usual. We cannot accept and we must not accept what is happening in China. To quote Gandhi, ``Noncooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good.'' We can never forget Tiananmen Square. Those students bravely stood for democracy, and they were slaughtered. I was a student once, fighting for what I believed, I was fighting for a nation free of racism, free of segregation. During the 1960's, some among us were jailed and beaten during that struggle. Some even died. Schwerner. Goodman. Chaney. Three young men gave their lives so that others could register and vote, so that others could participate in the democratic process. They did not die in vain. Now it is the 1990s and China is on the other side of the world from us but their struggle is just as important. Their lives and their struggle must not be in vain. In a real sense, Mr. Speaker, our foreign policy, our trade policy must be a reflection of our own ideals, our own shared values. What does it profit a great nation, a compassionate and caring people, to close our eyes and look the other way? As Martin Luther King said, ``There comes a time when a Nation and a people must stand for something or we will fall for anything.'' I feel that the spirit of history is upon us. We must make a decision today and it should be on the right side of history. We must stand with the people who are struggling for freedom, struggling for democracy. If we fail to act, no one will act. They are our brothers and our sisters. Yes, Mr. Speaker, I believe in trade, free and fair trade, but I do not believe in trade at any price. I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, how much are we prepared to pay? Are we prepared to sell our souls? Are we prepared to butcher our conscience? Are we prepared to deny our shared values of freedom, justice and democracy? Today I cast my lot with the people in the streets, with the students of Tiananmen Square, and with the people of this country who understand that a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. I urge and I beg of my colleagues to oppose MFN for China. I thank the gentlewoman from California and the gentleman from New York for yielding me this time.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the American people want tax relief. They want lower taxes, but Mr. Speaker, the American people want a tax cut that goes to the people who need it most, American working families. The Republican tax bill is a boom for Wall Street, but a bust for Main Street. The Republican tax bill gives little relief to the working people, people struggling to pay a mortgage, a car loan, their credit card bills, and send their kids to college. The Republican tax bill gives most of the tax breaks to the wealthiest people in America. Almost 60 percent of the Republican tax credits goes to the the wealthiest 5 percent of Americans, people who on average earn $250,000 a year. That is not right, it is not fair, and it is not just. That is not what the American people want. Democrats want a tax cut for the middle class, for working families. These are the people who deserve tax relief. Let us not give away the store to millionaires like Rush Limbaugh and other yacht-owning junk bond traders and Rolls Royce drivers. Say no to the Republican tax break bill.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I bring the attention of my colleagues to a very special event occurring in Atlanta, GA, next week. On the weekend of June 27, the Atlanta Braves and BellSouth will host a reunion and recognition event in honor of the legendary teams and players of the Negro Baseball League. Approximately 100 Negro leaguers from around the country, fans and friends will be convening in Atlanta to celebrate the remarkable achievements of an unheralded group of African-American men, members of the Negro Baseball League. In this 50th anniversary year of Jackie Robinson's historic breaking of the color barrier in major league baseball, it is fitting and appropriate that Congress, citizens of Atlanta, and the entire Nation take a moment to pay tribute to the great African-American teams and players that made sports history. These were athletes who played with teams such as the Kansas City Monarchs, the New York Black Yankees, and the Baltimore Elite Giants. In the South, we had the Atlanta Black Crackers and the Birmingham Black Barons, to name but a few. Their daily triumphs were ignored by major newspapers of the Jim Crow era and their accomplishments have all but been overlooked in the annals of sports history. It cannot be denied, however, that the Negro Baseball League and the players that formed these teams made immeasurable contributions to America's favorite pastime, our national sport, baseball. The term ``Negro Leagues'' describes the all-professional, all-Negro baseball teams operating between 1880 and 1955, hundreds of which traveled throughout the United States during that time. The first Negro leagues started out in Kansas City, MO. Despite the hardships imposed by the Nation's rigid racial barriers, the Negro leagues managed not only to survive, but to thrive and grow. Even the prevailing myth of white supremacy could not deny the talents of these men. Author Robert Peterson, who chronicled the story of the leagues, perhaps summed it best with the title of his book, ``Only the Ball Was White.'' The league served as a showcase of talent and entertainment. The players were truly living legends. Many of the names of the great stars and the teams live on and form an integral part of our cherished sports history. The legendary Satchel Paige was a pitcher whose name is still synonymous with excellence. The league's Josh Gibson was one of the game's greatest hitters. Willie Mays, Roy Campanella, and the homerun king of all time, Hank Aaron, are all legends of the Negro Baseball League. The significance of the leagues went far beyond the world of sports. The men who formed these teams were pioneers in nurturing and fostering self-pride among African-Americans. These sports heroes have left a powerful legacy that has enriched American history. As some of the living legends of Negro baseball gather in Atlanta this month, I know my colleagues will join me in sending these outstanding men our appreciation for their glorious accomplishments and the enduring memories they have inscribed in the hearts and minds of millions of Americans.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the American people want tax relief. They want lower taxes. But, Mr. Speaker, the American people want a tax cut that goes to the people who need it the most, America's working families. The Republican tax bill is a boom for Wall Street, but a bust for Main Street. The Republican tax bill gives little relief to working people, people struggling to pay their mortgage, pay their car loan, pay their credit card bill and send their kids to college. The Republicans give most of their tax breaks to the wealthiest people in America. Almost 60 percent of the Republican tax breaks go to people earning $250,000 a year or more. That is not right, it is not fair, and it is not just. It is not what the American people want. The Democrats want and the American people want a tax cut that goes to the middle class, to the hard-working families that need it the most. These are the people who deserve tax relief. Let us not give it away to the yacht owners, the junk bond traders and Rolls Royce drivers. Let us say no to the Republican tax bill.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, this weekend I traveled with President Clinton to San Diego, CA. There the President announced his initiative on race: One America in the 21st century. The President has appointed a commission of highly respected Americans to examine this issue and call for a year-long dialog to take place across our Nation. In the address, the President stated, ``We must be one American community, based on respect for one another and our shared values.'' Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more. There is no issue more important to the future of our country than building the bridge of trust and understanding between people of all religions, all nationalities, and all colors. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend President Clinton for launching this bold initiative. Not since Lyndon Johnson has a President so directly and sincerely addressed the important issue of race. There are those who have criticized the President's initiative, who would use any opportunity to attack the President. I hope and pray that the President's critics will cease their attacks. This issue is too important to the future of our Nation to be exploited for political gain. Thank you, Mr. President, for your inspiring words this weekend, and for beginning the process of healing and bringing our Nation together.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because the Republicans are at it again. Our President has requested emergency funds to help flood victims in the Midwest. One more time the Republicans have put partisan politics above the needs of the American people. Republicans insist on trying to put their pet political projects into the emergency relief bill. We are trying to help those who have lost their homes, their businesses and their possessions acquired through a lifetime of hard work. If there is a role for the Federal Government, this is it. We are a caring and compassionate nation. We must help those in trouble and stricken with misfortune. It is a shame and a disgrace that once again the Republicans are holding flood victims hostage. Putting politics above the needs of the people is wrong, just plain wrong. Stop playing political games with people's lives, Mr. Speaker. Give this President a clean disaster bill.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I was not present for the vote on H.R. 408, the International Dolphin Program Act. If I had been present I would have voted ``no'' on H.R. 408.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank my friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from California, Ms. Maxine Waters, the chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus, and my friend, the gentleman from Mississippi, Mr. Bennie Thompson, for bringing this budget before us. The CBC budget, Mr. Chairman, is the right budget. It is the budget to prepare us as we enter the 21st century. It is the budget that will look out for the needs of all of our people, that segment of the population that has been left out and left behind. This budget is a fair budget. It provides education for our children. It takes care of our seniors. It protects the environment. This budget says over and over again that all of our people have a right to know what is in the water we drink, what is in the food we eat, and what is in the air we breathe. I urge all Members to vote to support the CBC budget because we have a mission, a mandate, and a moral obligation to help our people help themselves.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Billboard Fair Share Act, legislation that would levy a 15 percent tax on the revenue from billboards and direct that money to help pay for our transportation system. The billboard industry benefits as much as any other industry from our National Highway System. In fact, the industry even charges customers according to the number of cars that pass by the billboard on a given day. Despite its reliance on taxpayer-funded roads, the billboard industry contributes nothing to the construction and maintenance of our Nation's roads. It is time that the billboard industry paid its fair share. The Billboard Fair Share Act would levy a tax on each billboard of 15 percent of gross revenues generated from the billboard. This is the same amount that billboard companies usually pay a property-owner for the right to construct and maintain the billboard on the property- owner's land. The revenue generated from this tax would be divided between surface transportation and funding for enhancement projects under ISTEA. In both cases, it would be used to improve our national system of roads. As Congress works to reauthorize ISTEA while balancing the budget, it is important that we ensure that all road users contribute to providing transportation funding. While the billboard industry may not be a traditional road user, it is equally clear that they directly benefit from road construction. In fact, the billboard industry is entirely dependent upon roads. All highway users must be willing to help build and maintain our Nation's roads. It is time for billboards to pay their fair share.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker I rise to pay tribute to one of the last of a special breed of freedom fighters, James Farmer. His voice has been strong and reliable; his leadership, invaluable. However, James Farmer has never sought the limelight. In the course of history and fate, he has not been given his due. We owe it to ourselves and to the unborn generations to stop and pay tribute to this great man, and that is why we are here tonight, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia, Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia [Ms. Norton] for those very moving words. We are grateful for her leadership, for coming here tonight to recognize Jim Farmer. Mr. Speaker, we really did not hear a lot about nonviolence as a part of the early civil rights movement until the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955. But that was actually almost 15 years after the use of Gandhian principles in the struggle for civil rights. Jim Farmer, this brave warrior, did it first. When Jim Farmer graduated from the School of Theology at Howard University in 1941, he went to work for a pacifist organization in Chicago, the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Farmer had been studying the nonviolent techniques and teaching of Gandhi. He marveled at the success of Gandhi's 1930 salt march to the sea. He suggested to the Fellowship of Reconciliation that they find ways to use Gandhi techniques, civil disobedience, direct action, and nonviolence in the battle against segregation. The Fellowship of Reconciliation, better known as FOR, did not take his suggestion. It did not attempt to discourage him but said that it would not sponsor such activity at that time. So Jim enlisted some of his friends, an interracial group, mostly graduate students at the University of Chicago, and they founded what they called CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality. One evening after a CORE meeting, Jim and a white friend stopped by the Jack Spratt Coffee Shop. Farmer wanted to order a doughnut. He was told that he could not be served. Farmer told the waiter that he was violating State law by refusing to serve him. The waiter said, fine, that doughnut will be $1. The usual selling price was 5 cents. The next day Farmer came back with about 20 of his friends. The whites in the group were served; the blacks were not. But no one would eat until everyone was served. They very calmly explained that it would be rude to do otherwise. The result was that they all ended up sitting there all day. For 3 or 4 days they came back to Jack Spratt Coffee Shop first thing in the morning and tied up almost every seat for almost all of the day. It did not take Jack Spratt long to give in and serve everyone. Farmer sent them a nice letter thanking them for changing their policy. This was our Nation's first nonviolent sit-in. That was April 1942, 55 years ago this month. Gandhi's technique of civil disobedience, direct action, and nonviolence has worked. Jim Farmer was right. Fifty years ago, in 1947, Farmer led CORE members in a challenge to the practice of segregated seating on buses traveling interstate. The U.S. Supreme Court had ruled the year before that blacks could not be forced to ride in the back of the bus. On what he called the journey of reconciliation, they traveled through Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia. Some members of that group included Bayard Rustin. Three were arrested and they served 30 days on a chain gang in North Carolina for having violated local segregation laws. But in 1961, Farmer organized the Freedom Ride. He came here to Washington on May 1, 1961; 13 of us, 7 whites and 6 blacks, Farmer, like myself, who was one of the original freedom riders. In May 1961, we left Washington, DC to travel throughout the South. Some of us pretended during those workshops to be white and some said horrible things and beat others of us up. We discussed what we could expect on the freedom ride. We resisted violence. We practiced being nonviolent. We prayed. We prepared ourselves for the worst. Three days later, we set out on the Freedom Ride on May 4, 1961. Officials in the southern States knew we were coming. Jim had sent them letters in advance. Virginia and North Carolina took down their white-only and colored-only signs that had been hanging in the bus station. We had no problem there. South Carolina was a different story. When we arrived in a little town called Rock Hill, there were young men waiting for us. They would not allow us to enter the waiting room. I explained to them my rights under a Supreme Court decision and they clubbed each one of us. But Farmer had trained us well. My eyes, like others', were on the prize. Nothing could stop me or the others. We were on a mission. When we got to Birmingham, Bull Connor, the chief of police, had his officers put newspapers on the bus windows so that we could not see out. When we arrived on the scene, he ordered the troopers to take us into protective custody. They put us in jail where we stayed until the next day. We went on a hunger strike. You see, that was one of the techniques of nonviolence Jim Farmer had taught us. The media attention would be focused on our hunger strike, and Bull Connor would not want to risk our getting sick or starving on his watch. By going on a hunger strike, we were going to force Bull Connor to change his behavior, to change whatever plans he may have had for us and treat us differently than he may have otherwise. It worked. But the next day, Bull Connor drove us 150 miles to the State line and told us to get out. We walked and walked until we found a black couple that took us in and fed us. We called fellow students in Nashville, and they came to pick us up and took us back to Birmingham to resume the ride. I guess Bull Connor must have thought these young people are like fleas. We can get rid of them. But that is what Jim Farmer taught us. Go on, get under their skin. Mr. Speaker, James Farmer, this good and decent man, taught us how to practice the philosophy and the discipline of nonviolence. Jim Farmer was one of the big six of the civil rights movement, and with each of us Jim was scheduled to speak at the March on Washington in 1963. But rather than coming to the March on Washington, he was arrested and placed in jail in a parish in Louisiana. And he stayed there with the people rather than coming to speak at the March on Washington. Mr. Speaker, let me close tonight by saying, James Farmer is not in good health tonight. But he is still teaching at Mary Washington College where he is a distinguished professor of history and American studies. He continues to inspire his students and all those who are blessed as I was to come in contact with him, to set goals, direct action, to be creative, to have a vision, and keep the faith. Mr. Speaker, as a nation and as a people, we are more than lucky, but we are blessed to have had this man in our midst to lead American people toward the creation of a truly beloved community, toward the creation of an interracial democracy. So we are doing the right thing here tonight, Mr. Speaker, by honoring this great man, James Farmer.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the subject of my special order today.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Visual Pollution Reduction Act, legislation that would reduce the clutter of billboards along our Nation's roads and highways. Today, Scenic America released a report entitled ``The Highway Beautification Act--A Broken Law.'' The report detailed how, despite the Highway Beautification Act, the number of billboards along our Nation's highways has continued to grow. Each year 5,000 to 15,000 additional billboards are built. Billboards that do not conform to States and local zoning ordinances continue to clutter our Nation's roads. In addition, State highway departments subsidize the billboard industry by operating permitting programs that lose money and use taxpayer funds to cut down trees to improve billboard visibility. Billboards destroy the scenic beauty of our countryside and the architectural beauty of our inner cities. Billboards sell liquor and cigarettes to our Nation's children, especially in inner-city neighborhoods and poor communities. Billboards are visual pollution. For this reason, I am introducing the Visual Pollution Reduction Act. This bill would prohibit new billboards in unzoned, rural areas. It would place a cap, at the current level, on the total number of billboards permitted in a State. And, it would prohibit States from removing trees and other vegetation to make a billboard more visible. The Highway Beautification Act is broken. We must fix it. I hope that Congress will do the right thing and pass the Visual Pollution Reduction Act. America's highways would be visibly improved.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the citizens of Atlanta to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of Brandon Searcy. Brandon Searcy was just 8 years old. He was the victim of a senseless and hideous crime. Mr. Speaker, what kind of world do we live in when an 8-year-old child is stalked and preyed upon, when it is no longer safe for a child to walk a block to a school bus stop? Brandon Searcy was a special child, a gifted child. He was the light and the joy of his mother Kimala Searcy. He loved school and he loved the Lord, and he was dedicated to both. Brandon was a member of the First Norman Grove Baptist Church in Scottsdale, GA. He often took notes during the pastor's sermons, and he and sister, Algerica, would sing with joy their favorite song, ``Shake the Devil Off.'' Brandon was a second grade student at Cleveland Avenue Elementary School where he excelled as an honor student on the principal's list. He loved to play baseball and his ambition was to go to college and then become a professional baseball player. Mr. Speaker, Brandon Searcy's favorite passage from the Bible was the 23d Psalm. It reads in part, ``Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.'' Brandon Searcy, Mr. Speaker, will surely dwell in the house of the Lord forever. He will be remembered and he will be missed by all who knew him and many who never had the good fortune. God bless Brandon Searcy.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, . . .

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am surprised to see my Republican colleagues on the floor today congratulating Speaker Newt Gingrich for doing something he should have done months ago, paying $300,000 for lying to Congress. Speaker Gingrich admitted to bringing discredit on the House of Representatives. He has admitted to lying to this House.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Smoke- Free Transportation Facilities Act, legislation that would ban smoking in all transportation facilities that receive Federal funds. The Smoke-Free Transportation Facilities Act would provide a breath of clean air for travelers. It will provide some relief to the traveler who cannot simply get up and leave when others expose them to tobacco smoke and the risk of premature death. Smoking and second-hand smoke are class A carcinogens. Cigarettes kill more than 434,000 Americans each year. Tobacco addiction costs the American public more than $65 billion each year in health care costs and lost productivity. Tobacco is a known killer, yet there are no Federal laws or regulations governing smoking in public areas. For this reason, millions of people are exposed to the dangers of second-hand smoke each day. The exposure to second-hand smoke is particularly prevalent in transportation stations, as travelers have little choice other than to remain in the airport, train station, or bus terminal as they await their departure. The Federal Government has a responsibility to protect travelers from the dangers of second-hand smoke. I believe we all have the right to breath clean air. The Smoke-Free Transportation Facilities Act will help ensure that people who have to travel, or even choose to travel, can breathe a little easier.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today is the 100th day of this Congress. Today marks 100 days of doing nothing. The Republican leadership has no agenda. The Republican leadership has no budget, no education bill, no children's health care bill. Why do we not have a budget? Why do we not have a children's health care bill? What can be more important? Instead of doing the people's work, we are spending our time on busy work and political posturing. What have the Republicans done about a budget? Nothing. What have the Republicans done about children's health? Nothing. What have the Republicans done about education? Nothing, nothing, nothing. Mr. Speaker, 100 days of nothing is enough. It is time to address the concerns of American working families. It is time for this do-nothing Congress to do something. Get to work.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Moakley], for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, once again Republicans are ready to sacrifice our Constitution at the altar of partisan politics. It seems that every day the leadership of this body comes up with some new stunt to prove they do not like taxes. Today they want to destroy the Constitution. They want to destroy majority rule. Majority rule is central to our Constitution. It is the foundation of our democracy. It is our core belief. And so it has stood for over 200 years. This amendment would allow minority rule. A minority of the Congress would decide when we can and cannot raise taxes. Mr. Speaker, if this amendment were allowed to our Constitution, do my colleagues have so little faith in majority rule? It is my hope and my prayer, my sincere hope, that enough Members of this body would have the courage to do what is right and vote against this ill-conceived, ill-constructed and ill-advised amendment. If we adopt this amendment, our Constitution will suffer. We will suffer. This amendment could force us to cut Medicare, this amendment could force us to cut Social Security, even if a majority of the Members opposed these cuts, because under this amendment, the majority does not rule. But we are not here because this is a well-written, well-reasoned amendment. This amendment is not even a good idea. We are here because today is tax day. We all know why we are here. Today is tax day. It is time to score political points no matter what the cost. It is unfortunate that the leadership of this House can come up with nothing better to do than debate this amendment. This amendment is a waste of time. Where is the Republican agenda? Where is the Republican budget? Show me the budget. Mr. Speaker, today is not only the day that taxes are due, it is also the day the budget is due. The American taxpayers have paid their taxes. The returns are in the mail. Where is the Republican budget? The President has a budget. The Blue Dogs have a budget. It seems that the only people without a budget are the Republicans. The House leadership has no budget. Mr. Speaker, let me make it plain and crystal clear. It is time to stop grandstanding and time to get to work. Nobody, but nobody, likes paying taxes. I do not like paying taxes. But this is not a reason to support a flawed constitutional amendment. Instead we should pass a budget and we should pass it here and now. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to respect our Founding Fathers. Respect the Constitution. Respect democracy and this body. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'', ``no'' on this rule and ``no'' on this amendment.