Steven LaTourette

Mr. LaTOURETTE

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) whose name has been invoked many times during the course of the debate, a champion of firefighters all over the country and around the world. (Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LaTOURETTE. That is correct, Madam Speaker. Before I do, the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly) has asked for 30 seconds. Then I will be happy to yield the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) 30 seconds, if that is all right with him. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly). (Mr. GALLEGLY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of our time. Madam Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly) for introducing this important bill and for his efforts to bring it to the floor. As our colleagues from the 106th Congress will remember, this bill passed the House under suspension on October 17, 2000, but failed to receive Senate action. I want to take the time to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), the chairman of the full committee; the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough), the subcommittee chairman; the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the ranking member of the full committee; and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), ranking member of the subcommittee, for their effort. Last year, Madam Speaker, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the bill will actually save the government $4 million in direct spending over the next 5 years. The Office of Personnel Management, which administers civil service retirement, believes that it is appropriate to apply the same mandatory separation age to firefighters as we do to law enforcement officers. I urge Members to lend their support.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to make the following comment: That the gentleman from New Jersey really hides his own light under a bushel basket. He was very effusive in his praise of the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) and others which is well deserved, but those of us that served in the last Congress know full well the contribution of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) as the lead sponsor for carrying the fire bill through this House, and the men and women that serve in the fire services owe the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), our friend, a great deal of the credit. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Grucci), one of our new Members on our side.

Mr. LaTOURETTE

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my good fried, John Kasich. Mr. Speaker, when I was first elected to Congress in 1995, I joined an amazing group of men an women who made up the Ohio delegation. We had John Boehner and Deborah Pryce in Leadership; Ralph Regula and Dave Hobson on Appropriations; Mike Oxley in Commerce; Rob Portman on Ways and Means; the venerable Lou Stokes as Dean of our delegation; the very capable Tony Hall, Paul Gillmor, Marcy Kaptur, Sherrod Brown, Jim Traficant and Tom Sawyer and, or course, John Kasich as Budget Committee chairman. I think all of us--no matter what our party affiliation--have come to truly respect John Kasich for his Herculean effort to pass genuine welfare reform, and to reach a balanced budget agreement for the first time in a generation. I remember when I first came here I was a bit taken back by John's intensity. He had such genuine enthusiasm for Congress, and it was a bit out of the ordinary. John kinda reminds me of that Will Farrell character on ``Saturday Night Live''--the Spartan cheerleader--just bouncing off the walls with team spirit. There is something inherently appealing about John Kasich's tenacity and enthusiasm, his Midwestern sensibility, and his irrepressible zest for life. People trust him, respect him, and they know they're getting the real thing. It's been said that all you really need to know about John Kasich is that even his ex-wife's mother votes for him. We should all be so popular. John leaves an important legacy in the House: He proved that you can work in a bipartisan fashion, maintain friendships on both sides of the aisle, retain the respect of your peers, and still achieve very big things. The House needs more folks like John Kasich who care so passionately, and refuse to give up. John Kasich stood his ground and truly changed the way Washington operates. I came here at a time when we spent recklessly and never gave much thought to the future, and now we've ushered in a new era of making government live within its means. Our children are going to inherit a federal government that is more fiscally responsible and more responsive, and no small thanks is due to John Kasich. I'm proud to have served with him, and for the opportunity to have had the last six years to witness him up close. I will miss his loud ties, his manic energy, how he often seemed less than serious but was always taken seriously, and how--despite being a Republican--he always got to hang around with cool people, like Bono (Bah-no) from U2. I also will miss hearing John speak on the House floor. He always commanded attention. In fact, I've always thought that when John Kasich took to the floor to speak about anything, he was sort of like road kill--you just couldn't look away. Folks are drawn to his plain but spirited manner and his refreshing candor. Mr. Speaker, most state delegations could never fill the oratory void left after the departure of a John Kasich. Of course Ohio is a little different from most states. We've been blessed with an abundance of fine orators who command the public's attention. I just hope that in the 107th Congress my good friend, Jim Traficant, will step up to the plate and shed that terrible shyness he has around the C-SPAN cameras. John Kasich, I thank you for your service to our country, to our fine state of Ohio, and for your years of friendship and guidance. Ohio is losing a great legislator, but I know our state and country have not heard the last of you.

Mr. LaTOURETTE

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we have before us H.R. 5143 designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3160 Irvin Cobb Drive in Paducah, Kentucky, as the Morgan Station. H.R. 5143 was introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield), on September 7, 2000 and is supported by all Members of the House delegation from the State of Kentucky. Fred Morgan, after whom the facility will be named, grew up in the Littleville community of Paducah's south side in Kentucky. Mr. Morgan served in the General Assembly of Kentucky for most of his 30-year span in public service. He devoted his time to improving education and helping the poor and downtrodden. Mr. Morgan never hesitated risking his own political career if he believed the issue was important to the well- being of the State. Mr. Morgan passed away in December of 1999. Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to support H.R. 5143 honoring Mr. Morgan, who is deserving of this honor of having a Postal Service named after him, for his contributions to his community and to his State. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5143) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3160 Irvin Cobb Drive in Paducah, Kentucky, as the ``Morgan Station''.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 5143.

Mr. LaTOURETTE

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1804. Madam Speaker, I first want to thank the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), chairman of the full committee, and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen), the subcommittee chairman, and the leadership for permitting this bill to go forward, and also the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), the ranking member. Madam Speaker, when I first came to Congress in 1995, a group of students from Riverside High School in Painsville, Ohio, asked to meet with me and presented an idea for military memorial in our Nation's Capitol to honor the men and women of our Armed Forces who have died in training exercises, peacekeeping missions, humanitarian efforts and terrorists attacks. The students vowed to honor this sacrifice with a memorial called the Pyramid of Remembrance. Madam Speaker, while I was immediately convinced of the worthiness of this proposal, in all honesty, I feared that these students had stumbled on to a great idea that was already taken. Surely, I thought there must be a memorial someplace in Washington to honor those who die in peacekeeping accidents, training exercises, humanitarian efforts, and terrorists attacks, but I was wrong. There is no such memorial. None exists, but one should. Today, the House of Representatives has an opportunity to make this worthy military memorial one step closer to reality. Madam Speaker, H.R. 1804 will authorize the foundation to create the Pyramid of Remembrance. The memorial will be built on Department of Defense land here in the Washington area, and without the use of taxpayers' funds. It is important to note, Madam Speaker, that no one has suggested that the memorial be placed on the Mall; that is not under consideration. Instead, the Pyramid of Remembrance will be erected on DOD land. When we appeared before the National Monument Commission, Fort McNair was one of the selections suggested, but site selection is many steps down the road. Madam Speaker, the Pyramid of Remembrance has broad bipartisan support here in the House with nearly 100 cosponsors. It has already attracted some high-level endorsements from the likes of Secretary of Defense William Cohen and General Hugh Shelton. Madam Speaker, our Nation has been reeling since the terrorist attack and bombing of the U.S.S. Cole just 12 days ago. Madam Speaker, 17 sailors were killed when a bomb ripped a 40-by-40 foot hole in the hull of this great destroyer as it was refueling in the Yemeni port of Aden. Nearly 40 other sailors were injured, including a young man from Lorain County in the State of Ohio. Today, there is no memorial in Washington to specifically honor these men and women of courage, largely because their heroism and sacrifice occurred in a time other than a declared conflict. Their sacrifice does not fall into one tidy category, but it is just as worthy as those who died fighting in our greatest wars. What is more, the sacrifice of the men and women of the U.S.S. Cole surely reflects the changing role of our Armed Forces as we enter this new century and a host of new challenges, including terrorism directed specifically at the United States of America. Madam Speaker, the idea for the Pyramid of Remembrance originated in a classroom in Painesville, Ohio, and it was sparked by a group of Generation X's who were horrified by the sight of a U.S. soldier being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia. When we appeared before the National Capital Memorial Commission, they heard our proposal and our plea, and they have made it clear in writing that they believe it will fill a void in our Nation's military memorial. Madam Speaker, I thank the students of Riverside High School for coming up with this wonderful idea and for not giving up on their dream. They have waited nearly 6 years since the original introduction of this bill until today, and I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1804.

Mr. LaTOURETTE

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to urge all Members to support Italian-American Heritage Month as designated by the Massachusetts Legislature. Our country is richer and stronger, thanks to the many contributions that Italian Americans have made to the United States. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this resolution. I want to congratulate my colleague and friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Capuano), for bringing this measure to our attention. I urge its passage.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the House consider House Resolution 347. It is an important piece of legislation that has been introduced by my colleague, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Capuano). This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives in support of Italian-American Heritage Month and recognizes the contributions of Italian-Americans to the United States. Mr. Speaker, over 5.4 million Italians immigrated to the United States between 1820 and 1991. Today, over 26 million Americans are of Italian decent in the United States, the fifth largest ethnic group within the United States. Some of the very first explorers to discover America were Italians, including Amerigo Vespucci and Christopher Columbus. Since then, Italians and Italian Americans have continued to make lasting contributions to our great country. For example, Italian Americans have won the Nobel Prize, the Pritzker Award for architecture, and the Fields Medal for mathematics. Italians and Italian Americans invented pianos, violins, radios and steam engines. America has been fortunate to enjoy the music of Frank Sinatra and composer Henry Mancini, the baseball heroics of Hall of Fame baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, and the acting of Oscar winner Robert DeNiro. We honor Italian American political figures in history, such as Fiorella La Guardia, Mayor and then Congressman from New York City; Anthony Celebrezze, who served in the cabinet of the Kennedy administration and was the first Italian-American cabinet member; and today we are fortunate to have the first Italian-American Supreme Court Justice, Antonin Scalia. Mr. Speaker, the Massachusetts legislature has designated October as ``Italian American Heritage Month.'' I urge all Members to support the goals and ideals of this designation and to honor the contribution of Italian Americans as they have made them to the United States. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 347.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 347) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in support of ``Italian-American Heritage Month'' and recognizing the contributions of Italian Americans to the United States.

Mr. LaTOURETTE

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5144, introduced by our colleague the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield), designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 203 West Paige Street in Tompkinsville, Kentucky, as the Tim Lee Carter Post Office Building. All Members of the Kentucky State delegation have supported this legislation. Representative Tim Carter was born in Tompkinsville in 1910. He graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1934 and earned a medical degree from the University of Tennessee. He spent 3\1/2\ years as a combat medic in World War II, was elected to the Congress and gained national attention as the first Republican Congressman to seek U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam. However, he never wavered in his support for the troops fighting in that theater. Though he was known as a defender of President Nixon during the impeachment hearing of 1974, he was also allied with President Johnson's Great Society programs to improve our Nation's poorest districts, to improve schools, to improve water systems, libraries, airports, roads and recreation, and supported the taxes to pay for those programs. During much of his 16 years in the House, he was the only practicing physician to serve in the House. He said that the passage of a law that provided preventive medical care for poor children was his most important legislative achievement. He was an early advocate of national insurance for catastrophic illness. When he retired from Congress, Dr. Carter returned to the practice of medicine and his farm on the Cumberland River. The Honorable Dr. Carter died in 1987. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5144) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 203 West Paige Street, in Tompkinsville, Kentucky, as the ``Tim Lee Carter Post Office Building''.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 5144.

Mr. LaTOURETTE

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, our colleague, the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek), has introduced this piece of legislation. This legislation designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 5927 Southwest 70th Street in Miami, Florida, as the Marjory Williams Scrivens Post Office. All members of the Florida delegation to the House have cosponsored this legislation, as required by the rules of our subcommittee. Marjory Williams Scrivens started working for the United States Postal Service in 1970, and in 1972 she was one of the first women to deliver mail in the Miami-Dade County area in Florida. Sadly, she succumbed to bone cancer a year ago. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 5068.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5068) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 5927 Southwest 70th Street in Miami, Florida, as the ``Marjory Williams Scrivens Post Office''.

Mr. LaTOURETTE

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 2440) to amend title 49, United States Code, to improve airport security, as amended.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Shows) and I have, I think, adequately demonstrated that it is not easy to say ``security screener'' 10 times in a row.