John Linder

Mr. LINDER

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne).

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran).

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Dan Miller).

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kennedy).

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield the remainder of my time to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Combest), the chairman of the Committee.

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Emerson).

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht).

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sherwood).

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith).

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss).

Mr. LINDER

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the rule on H. Res. 392, a bill expressing the United States' solidarity with Israel in its ongoing fight against terrorism. H. Res. 392 supports Israel's efforts to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in Palestinian areas and reiterates the United States' commitment to Israel as an ally by reproaching acts of terror condoned by Arafat and other Palestinian leadership. It also demands that Palestinian leadership adhere to dismantling terrorist groups. Finally, the bill challenges Israel's Middle Eastern neighbors to set a good example to the Palestinians by pursuing a policy of peaceful relations with Israel. Mr. Speaker, I have been to Israel on three occasions; and each time I went, the vulnerability and terror were more and more palpable. These are people living in terror on a daily basis. We have responded to terror in our midst in a ferocious way. We should expect Israel to do the same. We simply cannot ask our citizens to continue to live under terror. Approving this rule that brings H. Res. 392 to the floor is a good step we can take as a Nation and we can take it today to help heal Israeli-Palestinian relations. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting both the rule and the underlying legislation.

Mr. LINDER

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to urge my colleagues to support the previous question and the rule.

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 396 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe). (Mr. KOLBE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks, and include extraneous material.)

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings) pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 396 is a structured rule providing for considering of H.R. 3231, the Barbara Jordan Immigration Reform and Accountability Act of 2002. The bill provides for 1 hour of general debate equally divided by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary. This rule waives all points of order against consideration of the bill and provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on the Judiciary now printed in the bill shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment and shall be considered as read. It waives all points of order against the bill, as amended and makes in order only those amendments printed in the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying the resolution. H. Res. 396 provides that the amendments printed in the report shall be considered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered by a Member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debateable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to an amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole. H. Res. 396 waives all points of order against the amendments printed in the report and provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in approving this rule, so that the House can begin its consideration of H.R. 3231, the Barbara Jordan Immigration Reform and Accountability Act. I am a co-sponsor of this bill, and I hope that when the House approves this bill, the Senate will take prompt action as well, so that before the end of this year President Bush can sign into law strong INS reform legislation. If so, we will have taken a big step towards enabling the Federal Government to effectively manage our Nation's immigration policy for the first time in nearly 70 years. Since 1933, when immigration enforcement and service were consolidated under the management of the INS, it has failed to fulfill both of these missions. The INS has not adequately deterred or eliminated illegal immigration, and it has ill-served legal immigrants applying for residence or work visas. It is only through the drastic, structural reforms proposed by H.R. 3231 that we can begin to improve both immigration service and enforcement, and thereby serve America's citizens and immigrants. H.R. 3231 will split the INS into two distinct, but equal, agencies so that each may concentrate on a single mission. The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, BSIC, will facilitate the legal immigration process, while the Bureau of Immigration Enforcement, BIE, will deter and remove illegal immigrants. Furthermore, this bill elevates the importance of immigration policy in the executive branch's hierarchy by creating an Associate Attorney General within the Department of Justice, whose sole responsibility will be immigration affairs. Every year more than one million people settle in the United States. Most come legally after waiting years for visas or work permits and following the lengthy red tape trail to legal status. They come for the opportunity to live the American dream, to join loved ones, or to seek jobs, freedom, prosperity, and security. In turn, we only ask that they abide by our laws and respect the principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The majority of immigrants adhere to these conditions, and as a Nation essentially founded by immigrants, we welcome them to our shores. Immigrants have contributed to our growth as a democratic and capitalistic Nation, and we recognize that immigration is a historic and vital facet of American life. It is only natural then that we should work to facilitate their admittance to the United States. Yet for years we have failed in this regard. A report by the General Accounting Office in June 2001 indicated that, despite significant increases in funding, the backlog for all immigration applications had increased four-fold since 1994. In some instances, applicants must wait 2 years before the INS can review their application and render a decision. As the backlog of cases stood at 4.9 million applications and petitions at the end of fiscal year 2001, we can expect these delays to probably worsen. By establishing the BSIC and mandating that its sole responsibility be the processing of immigration applications, we can improve applicant service and decrease the time required for processing applications. Further, the agency will be able to spend more time and resources on verifying applications and conducting security and backgrounds checks. Thus, the United States will be more able to effectively identify and stop individuals who have questionable intentions or background from entering the U.S. and threatening our national security. While most immigrants reside in the U.S. legally, others enter illegally, furtively entering through borders and ports of entry or overstaying a legal visa or work permit. This willful disregard of our laws should not be overlooked, and we must dedicate resources to deterring illegal immigration or finding and deporting those who enter nonetheless. This is no longer an issue of immigration, and instead it is one firmly rooted in law enforcement and national security. The enforcement failures of the INS can be characterized as ineffective at best and catastrophic at worst. Every single one of the September 11 highjackers was able to enter the United States legally, and while three overstayed their visas, the INS did not have the capacity to track, find and deport visa violators. In the wake of this tragedy, we also discovered that more than 1,000 foreign students could not be located for interviews after the tragic attacks. Finally, it is worth noting that reports estimate that as many as 400,000 individuals who have been ordered deported are still living in the U.S. While this information is startling, these are just a few of the notable incidents in a long string of enforcement failures by the INS. We must restore our ability to adequately detect noncompliance and fraud. This goal will be enhanced by the establishment of a single agency, focusing on enforcing our immigration laws and removing violators. The BIE will be better able to protect our borders and stop illegal crossings. Further, as approximately 40 percent of the illegal immigrants come to the U.S. on legal and temporary visas, the agency will be able to better track and monitor visa over-stayers and provide swift removal. While the BIE cannot single-handedly correct all of our immigration problems, it can correct many of these problems and provide a greater level of security to our Nation and its citizens. Since the 1930s, the INS has been charged with implementing national immigration policy. Time and time again, the INS has failed the American people and the Congress. And it has disappointed our immigrants and contributed to the weakening of our national security. With each shocking revelation of a new oversight, failure or mistake by the INS, we have expressed our shock and bewilderment. With each report highlighting the inefficiencies of the agency, as well as the numerous deficiencies, we have urged change. Yet today is the day that we will actually begin this long overdue process. Today, we consider a bill that will truly reform an agency that has become too accustomed to inadequacy, inconsistency, and failure. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), the chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, for his strong and able leadership in moving this bill through his committee promptly and bringing it to the floor today. I know that he worked with others on the committee to forge a strong bipartisan consensus behind the structural reforms that H.R. 3231 calls for, and he deserves the lion's share of credit for bringing us to this point in the process. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).

Mr. LINDER

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to extend a warm welcome to Dr. Richard Lee. It is a privilege to have him with us this morning. Dr. Lee is the founding pastor of First Redeemer Church located in metropolitan Atlanta's Forsyth County, which is recognized as the fastest growing county in the United States. Dr. Lee graduated magna cum laude from Mercer University and Luther Rice Seminary, earning the Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees in theology and pastoral ministry. Dr. Lee is a recognized spokesman for the Christian community at large. He appears as a speaker at national and international conferences and conventions, on national television programs, and has written 10 books, all of which pales compared to the fact that he was named Father of the Year by the National Father's Day Council of New York City, an achievement all of us would dream of. Mr. Speaker, it has been said that example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing. During the past year, a year when every American has experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, Dr. Lee's exemplary leadership has not only been a tremendous service to his congregation; it has been a shining light to the surrounding community as well. Dr. Lee, you have honored us with your presence this morning and we thank you.

Mr. LINDER

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. LINDER

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, for the purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us is a fair, structured rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 3762, the Pension Security Act. H. Res. 386 provides 2 hours of debate in the House equally divided among and controlled by the chairmen and ranking minority members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means. All points of order are waived against consideration of the bill. It also provides that in lieu of the amendment recommended by the Committee on Education and the Workforce now printed in the bill, the amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in part A of the Committee on Rules report accompanying this resolution shall be considered as adopted. All points of order against the bill, as amended, are also waived. The amendment printed in part B of the report, if offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) or the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) or a designee is also made in order. It shall be considered as read and shall be separately debatable for 1 hour equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent. The rule waives all points of order against the amendment printed in part B of the report. Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. Mr. Speaker, the issue before the House today is one of utmost importance to American families across the Nation: securing the economic security of their retirement years. H.R. 3762 represents the good work of my friends and colleagues, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), who have spent countless hours carefully crafting a bill that includes safeguards and options to help workers preserve and enhance their pension plans in order to help provide for themselves and their families in their retirement years. We all witnessed the tragic unraveling of Enron Corporation and have witnessed the disbelief and anger of the thousands of employees who lost their jobs and most, if not all, of their retirement savings. While those workers were quite possibly victims of criminal wrongdoing, there is no question they were most definitely the victims of an outdated Federal pension law. I am a firm believer in encouraging Americans to help secure their own futures through savings. While savings must begin with the individual, there are ways that government can help and encourage people to save. The average 50-year-old in America currently has less than $40,000 in personal financial wealth. Statistics also show that the average American retires with savings totaling only about 60 percent of their former annual income. Quite simply, Americans are saving too little. The tragedy of Enron went further than just diminishing the savings of some employees. Sadly, Enron has undermined the confidence of American workers in this country's pension system. The collapse of Enron highlights the need for protections and safeguards to help workers preserve and enhance their retirement savings. The Pension Security Act includes new options and resources for workers, as well as greater accountability from companies and senior- level executives. I would like to highlight some of the key elements of this bill. First, the bill gives employees new freedoms to sell company stock and diversify into other investments. Current law allows employers to restrict a worker's ability to sell their company stock in certain situations until they are age 55 years old and/or have 10 years of service with the company. This bill gives employers the option of allowing workers to sell their company stock 3 years after receiving it in their 401(k) plans, presumably at the beginning of their service. This 3-year ``rolling diversification option'' provides employers with the ability to promote employee ownership while giving employees the flexibility to make choices according to their own interests. This legislation also creates parity between senior corporate executives and the rank-and-file workers. During blackout periods, routine times when a plan must undergo administrative or technical changes, employees are unable to change or access their retirement accounts. What we saw from Enron was an example of disparity, where the executives were able to sell off their investments and preserve their savings, while rank-and-file workers were barred from making changes. Under this bill, workers would be given a 30-day notice before a blackout period begins. Furthermore, during a blackout period, neither an executive nor a rank-and-file employee would be permitted to make any changes to their plan. The Pension Security Act also requires workers to give annual statements regarding their accounts and their rights in their investments. Currently the law only requires that workers receive annual notices, with no guarantee of what information must be provided. This would ensure that employees receive accurate and timely information. Finally, this bill incorporates the key principles from H.R. 2269, the Retirement Security Advice Act. Under the leadership of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the House passed this bill with a bipartisan vote last autumn. While employees must be encouraged to save, they must be provided with sound advice and resources in order to make sound decisions. The bill would allow qualified financial advisors to offer investment advice if they agree to act solely in the fiduciary interest of the workers they advise. Mr. Speaker, passage of this bill would send a strong signal to both employers and employees of this country. Employers should be commended for continuing to offer workers investment options, but they must exercise corporate responsibility as they do so. Workers should be encouraged to save, with the safety of knowing that their investments are secure. It is my hope this legislation will not only provide much needed reform for our country's pension system but also help restore confidence in a system which has enabled generations of American workers to enjoy secure and independent retirement. I would like to commend the tremendous efforts of both the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) in bringing this legislation to the House floor. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting not only this fair rule, so that the House can proceed to consider the underlying legislation, but the legislation itself. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman).

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman).