John Larson

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Castle- Fletcher amendment to the Teacher Empowerment Act to increase teachers knowledge of classroom technology. It is vitally important, as we approach the 21st century, that in order to remain competitive in the global economy, we adapt and, indeed, stay ahead of the revoltionary technological advances that are changing our lives on a daily basis. Once a mere concept, the knowledge based economy is now a reality. I have often heard mentioned that the leap technology has taken is analogous to going from the dark ages to the renaissance, from clositered monks scrolling information for the scholarly few to Gutenberg inventing movable tpe, and exposing the masses to the knowledge contained in books. It is indeed a momentous change. But to maintain our position in the global stage, we must make sure that we integrate technology into our society at the most important stage of our children's development. We must integrate technology into our children's classrooms. To help our chldren maintain their competitive advantage in the Information Age, we must give our teachers the tools they need to integrate technology in the classroom. With this amendment we take a positive step in this direction. This amendment would allow professional development programs funded under the Act to provide training for teachers in the uses of technology and its uses in the classroom to improve teaching and learning. It would also provide state funds to Local Education Agencies and Higher Education Partnerships for development of programs that train teachers how to use technology in the classroom. The amendment is important because integrating technology into the classrooms is not just about wiring schools to the Internet. It is also about making sure that we integrate all aspects of technology, including voice, video, data and distance learning, into the curriculum and that we do so effectively. Our teachers should be trained to develop innovative ways to include technology in teaching our children. Not just to teach our children to surf the Web--although I suspect that is not the children who need help in this area--but also to develp ways touse technolog in actual subject matter. As a former teacher and father of three children, it is quite evident tome that a comprehensive approach should be devloped to place our cildren in a position to excel in this new economy.To that effect, I recently introduced a bill that will develop a strategic plan to create a national technological infrastructure to connect public schools to the information superhighway. It is only the first step in a three- pronged strategy that will include infrastructure suport, teacher enhancement, and child development. In the meantime, I will continue to be a strong supporter of efforts that move our classrooms into the 21st century. In closing, Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentlemen from Delaware, Mr. Castle and the gentleman from Kentucky, Mr. Fletcher for teir visionin offering this amendment to improve the efficiency of our teachers and to prepare our children for the challenges they will face inthe coming century. I urge all my colleague to support this amendment.

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Castle- Fletcher amendment to the Teacher Empowerment Act to increase teachers knowledge of classroom technology. It is vitally important, as we approach the 21st century, that in order to remain competitive in the global economy, we adapt and, indeed, stay ahead of the revolutionary technological advances that are changing our lives on a daily basis. Once a mere concept, the knowledge based economy is now a reality. I have often heard mentioned that the leap technology has taken is analogous to going from the dark ages to the renaissance, from cloistered monks scrolling information for the scholarly few to Gutenberg inventing movable type, and exposing the masses to the knowledge contained in books. It is indeed a momentous change. But to maintain our position in the global stage, we must make sure that we integrate technology into our society at the most important stage of our children's development. We must integrate technology into our children's classrooms. To help our children maintain their competitive advantage in the Information Age, we must give our teachers the tools they need to integrate technology in the classroom. With this amendment we take a positive step in this direction. This amendment would allow professional development programs funded under the Act to provide training for teachers in the uses of technology and its uses in the classroom to improve teaching and learning. It would also provide state funds to Local Education Agencies and Higher Education Partnerships for development of programs that train teachers how to use technology in the classroom. The amendment is important because integrating technology into the classrooms is not just about wiring schools to the Internet. It is also about making sure that we integrate all aspects of technology, including voice, video, data and distance learning, into the curriculum and that we do so effectively. Our teachers should be trained to develop innovative ways to include technology in teaching our children. Not just to teach our children to surf the Web--although I suspect that it is not the children who need help in this area--but also to develop ways to use technology in actual subject matter. As a former teacher and father of three children, it is quite evident to me that a comprehensive approach should be developed to place our children in a position to excel in this new economy. To that effect, I recently introduced a bill that will develop a strategic plan to create a national technological infrastructure to connect public schools to the information superhighway. It is only the first step in a three- pronged strategy that will include infrastructure support, teacher enhancement, and child development. In the meantime, I will continue to be a strong supporter of efforts that move our classrooms into the 21st century. In closing, Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentlemen from Delaware, Mr. Castle and the gentleman from Kentucky, Mr. Fletcher for their vision in offering this amendment to improve the efficiency of our teachers and to prepare our children for the challenges they will face in the coming century. I urge all my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment. Clearly and fundamentally I believe our public education system, and especially our teachers, need all the support that they can get to assist themselves in integrating voice, video and data in their instruction to make sure that our students are equipped to compete in the 21st century. I have proposed a series of bills myself that focus on this subject matter and concur with the authors of this fine amendment, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Fletcher), and agree that moving forward and providing teachers with the opportunity to provide enhanced technological education within our classrooms is the best way for us to compete in a global economy in the future.

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 267, a motion to close portions of D.O.D. authorization conference, I was out of the Chamber on legislative business. Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yea.'' (Mr. ARMEY asked and was given permission to speak out of order for 1 minute.) Legislative Program

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform my colleagues about legislation I am introducing today to help preserve the history of the House. Every time we pass through Statuary Hall, which is the old House chamber, we are reminded by the statue of Clio that our actions as members of the House should be recorded for the benefit of future generations. Unfortunately, however, we do not have an updated narrative history of the House of Representatives, especially one arranged chronologically. Moreover, it seems that the only time we take stock of the history of the individual members of the House is either when they retire, such as the recent tribute to Representative Robert L. Livingston, or when they die, such as the recent memorial service for Representative Mo Udall. These events, however, are fleeting snapshots of the rich portrait that is the House and its members, which is why we need a more comprehensive history. My bill, the History of the House Awareness and Preservation Act, would authorize the Library of Congress to commission eminent historians to assemble a written history of the House. The history is intended for Members, staff, and the general public. Copies will be provided to each Member and will also be sold to the general public by the Library of Congress. It is expected that there will be no cost to the federal government for this book. The bill lets the experts at the Library decide whether the cost of this book should be paid for by selling it or through the raising of private funds. The bill would also allow the Library to update and expand the collection of oral histories of members given to the Library by the Association of Former Members of Congress, and it is hoped that the oral histories will be made available in digital format so they can be downloaded from the Library's Internet Web Page. Additionally, the bill contains two sense of the Congress provisions, which state that orientation programs for freshman members of the House should contain a seminar on the history of the House, and that the Speaker of the House should conduct a series of fora on the history of the House. I am introducing this bill with over 240 original co-sponsors, including the Speaker of the House, the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, and the Democratic Leader, the Honorable Richard A. Gephardt. I sincerely appreciate their endorsement and encouragement. I am including a copy of a letter in support of this bill from the Librarian of Congress, Dr. James H. Billington, for which I am very grateful. I would like to urge the rest of my colleagues to support this bi-partisan effort in order to ensure that we do our best to preserve the history of this great body in which we serve. The Librarian of Congress June 22, 1999. Hon. John B. Larson, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Larson: I very much appreciate the opportunity to review the final version of your draft bill authorizing the Library of Congress to oversee the preparation of a written history of the House of Representatives. I believe the legislation you have developed allows the Library to bring together a number of necessary elements to produce an authoritative publication that will fill a void in the annals of the Congress, and I support both the bill's goal and substance. Your legislation will allow the Library's publishing office and curatorial staff to work together to develop the project, identify primary source material in our collections, and explore various options for its publication. As I indicated in my comments on an earlier draft of the legislation, I envisage appointing a scholarly advisory board, including historians as well as current and former Members of Congress, to assist in the selection of one or more historians to provide the text of the book, and to continue to be involved through the publication stage. The legislation provides sufficient discretion for the Library to work out the details of funding, publication, marketing and distribution in a manner consistent with the best interests of the House of Representatives. The legislation also reflects the appropriate roles of the Library of Congress and the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress in the collection and preservation of oral histories of the Congress. These will undoubtedly prove invaluable to some future historian in continuing the narrative begun by your legislation. I would like to extend again my offer to hold a lecture series on the history of the House of Representatives in the Members' Room, as a way of both stimulating interest in the published history and drawing together Members, former Members, historians and the Library's incomparable collections for the enjoyment and enlightenment of all. Sincerely, James H. Billington, The Librarian of Congress.

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Pieter Boelhouwer of Wethersfield, CT, a distinguished 1998-99 White House Fellow. For nearly three decades, the White House Fellowship Program has honored and employed the talents of outstanding citizens who have demonstrated excellence in academics, community service, leadership, and professional achievement. Each year there are between 500 and 800 applicants nationwide for 11 to 19 fellowships. White House Fellows are chosen on the merit of remarkable achievement early in their career and the evidence of growth potential. It is the country's most prestigious fellowship for public service leadership development. As a White House Fellow, Mr. Boelhouwer works in the Office of the Vice President. In this capacity, he focuses on domestic policy issues such as Social Security reform, domestic impact of foreign trade, creating livable communities, agriculture and transportation issues. He has also had the unique opportunity to meet and work with America's leaders in the private, public and non-profit sectors as part of his White House Fellowship curriculum. Mr. Boelhouwer earned a bachelor's degree in history, Phi Beta Kappa, from Trinity College and a JD from Yale Law School, He is a management consultant with McKinsey & Co., where he has designed an innovative approach to connecting schools to homes via the Internet to improve children's education. Prior to joining McKinsey & Co., he served as a legislative aide in the U.S. Senate, where he developed and drafted legislation creating the National Civilian Community Corps, a resident service program passed as part of President Clinton's AmeriCorps bill. Mr. Boelhouwer's community involvement is quite extensive. Most notably, he originated and led a probono project to help the President's Summit for America's Future design its plan to reach the nation's communities. In addition, he created and wrote a guidebook, published by America's Promise, to help neighborhoods and communities around the country develop their own local action plans. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me today in commending Pieter Boelhouwer for his service as a White House Fellow and for his distinguished leadership in civic and community endeavors.

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, I would first like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Chaplain Ford for providing an opportunity for a dear friend and a pastor of mine in East Hartford, a person who has brought home and shepherds the flock on a regular basis, Dr. James Nock from East Hartford. Father Nock was born in Hartford, Connecticut, of Italian and Irish decent. He is a graduate of Saint Bonaventure University, and he also took his graduate studies at Sulpice in Paris, France; ordained in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris on June 26, 1964, and currently the pastor of Our Lady of Peace in East Hartford, Connecticut. Father also has served as the Chaplain of the Connecticut State Senate, and he has always brought not only great wisdom in his remarks but a great sense of humor and a sense about the people he serves here on Earth. I want to thank Chaplain Ford so much for providing Father Nock, the parish and the community of East Hartford with this wonderful opportunity.

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to support a program that is helping cities and towns across the country find ways to build safer, stronger, and more economically viable communities. It is called the Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot program. While many of our state and local governments are struggling to deal with the problems relating to urban sprawl and how to create livable communities, this is one program that focuses on finding solution to these difficult problems. Funds from this pilot program are provided to eligible state and local governments and municipal planning organizations to help them accomplish goals such as improving the efficiency of their transportation system and ensuring access to jobs, services, and centers of trade. Just how necessary is this pilot program to cities and towns? Let's look at the numbers: This year 324 applications were received from communities across the country, all vieing to be one of the 35 that were finally selected. Fortunately for the First District of Connecticut, one of the those 35 final selections was a joint application filed by the city of Hartford, the town of Suffield, and the town of West Hartford. After reading this unique and resourceful proposal, I was pleased to write a letter of support to Secretary Slater on behalf of the three communities. The driving force behind their project is quite simple: teamwork. Their proposal, which has received a $480,000 grant through the pilot project, acknowledges the tension that often exists between grassroots, neighborhood efforts and more top-down regional planning. Therefore, it proposes to use this tension for its creative potential. They will work from both a regional and a neighborhood level to develop intermodel design standards that address walking, biking, parking, transit, trucking and easing traffic congestion. I urge my colleagues to continue to support this innovative program so that our cities and towns can be better prepared to meet the challenge of the 21st century. They can only succeed if we provide the financial framework, but let their vision create the communities of tomorrow.

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for yielding me this time, and I rise today in support of the Fire Administration Authorization Act. First, I wish to thank our Chairman, the gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr. Sensenbrenner, for his work on this bill and the ranking member of our committee, the gentleman from California Mr. George Brown, and my colleagues who have sponsored and introduced this legislation, the gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Smith, and the gentlewoman from Texas, Ms. Johnson, for graciously accepting the amendment I offered during mark- up. Fewer than two weeks ago we approved this bill in the Committee on Science. The bill, among other things, requires the United States Fire Administration to create a five-year plan laying out the agency's overall goals and program activities. My amendment added a provision to assess, within the strategic plan, the benefits of providing fire education to local fire departments through distance learning. Under my amendment, the Fire Administration's strategic plan must now include full consideration of how the Internet is currently used and could be used more effectively in the future to deliver National Fire Academy training courses at remote sites. It also asks the Fire Administration to review its current training activities over the Internet and assess the benefits and problems associated with Internet use for training. Finally, it requires an inquiry into the availability of federal facilities with advanced tele-communications capabilities which could be used as remote settings for Fire Academy courses. The question that prompted me to propose this amendment is whether the National Fire Academy has carefully considered how best to make use of the Internet. At an authorization hearing on the Fire Administration in the Science Committee earlier this year, I learned that on-campus courses at the Academy are heavily oversubscribed and that distance learning is one mechanism to provide needed training for the fire services community. I believe that by assessing the viability of instituting this mechanism, we take a first step toward facilitating this needed training for our valued fire services community, who will stand to benefit from this practical application of information technology. My amendment marks an important step in ensuring that the Government keeps pace with the uses and applications of the technological advances taking place in the world as we approach the next millennium. It also represents a continuation of my efforts in Congress to ensure that the Federal Government will be at the forefront of these technological changers. Again, I wish to thank my colleagues on the committee for supporting the amendment and encourage all my colleagues in the House to support this bill.

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor a group of very special volunteers who have served the art community in my district for three decades. On May 1, 1999, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum in Hartford, CT, will mark the 30th year of its Docent Program. A program that has continued to comprise some of the most dedicated and talented volunteers in Hartford. While an artist cannot paint without brushes, the Wadsworth could not bring the thousands of art treasures in its collection to life without its docents. And while a docent is a volunteer position, the word ``volunteer'' does not fully recognize the vast amount of knowledge that a person must acquire before taking part in this program. Before a docent can share the history behind each painting or sculpture with the public, he or she must first participate in a year- long training session. Having to master approximately 65 hours of education on art history, the museum collection, and tour techniques clearly demonstrates the high level of commitment that these volunteers bring to this position. A visitor to the Wadsworth, which is the oldest public art museum in the United States, becomes a student of art no matter what their age. They rely on the docent to educate them about nineteenth-century American landscapes, to educate them about French and American Impressionist paintings, to educate them about twentieth century masterpieces, and to educate them about its MATRIX program of changing contemporary exhibitions and performances, one of the first of its kind in the country. Most importantly, for some visitors the Wadsworth is the first art museum they have visited, or at least the first art museum in Hartford they have visited. That is what makes the docents so special. They are more than tour guides. They are ambassadors of art. They are ambassadors of Hartford. As a resident of nearby East Hartford, I have made many trips to the Wadsworth as both a student and a father. It remains a place that educates the mind and excites our soul about the amazing world of paint, canvas, sculpture, marble and textiles. But just as a painting is not complete without the perfect frame, no visit to the Wadsworth would be complete without a lesson on the world of art from a docent. It is with great pride that I congratulate the volunteers that have maintained the Docent Program for 30 years at the Wadsworth Atheneum. Thank you for so generously providing us with your time and knowledge.

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the lives of 1.5 million Armenians who perished during the brutal genocide that took place on April 24, 1915. However, I also rise to celebrate the lives of those who have survived. We honor their spirit and the legacy they have provided. For it is this legacy that encourages their children and grandchildren, friends and neighbors, to remind people throughout the world of this horrific action. An action that tragically marked the century's first genocide. According to the Archives of the Nuremberg Proceedings, Hitler instructed his SS units at a meeting in 1939 ``to kill, without pity, men, women, and children'' in their march against Poland, as such activities would have no long term repercussions. Who, he said, ``remembers now the massacres of the Armenians?'' As a Member of Congress I say with force and I say with compassion: We remember. We remember horrible violence that sent 1.5 million Armenian leaders, intellectuals, and clergy to their deaths and forever changed the lives of generations of families. Tomorrow I will carry that same message from the floor of the House of Representatives to the Connecticut State Capitol where I will address a group of survivors and children of survivors of the Armenian genocide. Every year these Connecticut residents make a commitment to come to Hartford to remind their friends, their community leaders, and their neighbhors of the solemn anniversary that is marked throughout the country on April 24. The most disturbing part of this anniversary is that 84 years later genocide remains a part of our vocabulary. From Rwanda to Bosnia to the present day horrors of Kosovo, entire populations are being killed simply because of their ethnicity. It has been said that we can best plan for the future by learning from the lessons of the past. Unfortunately, it appears that too many nations are trying to find their path to the future by ignoring the past. As we commemorate this 84th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, I urge my House and Senate colleagues to work toward this goal: that an entire generation never experiences the horrors of genocide, either by living through it or by feeling the pain of people half way around the world. I send my deepest prayers and thoughts to this country's Armenian- American community.

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for yielding me this time, and I rise today to support this bill, the Earthquake Hazard Reduction Act. A few weeks ago we approved this bill unanimously in the Committee on Science. This bill, as before mentioned by my colleagues, would reauthorize nearly $40 million in funding over the next 2 years for earthquake preparedness and programs. I would also like to thank our esteemed chairman, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) for his help, and the venerable ranking member of our committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. George Brown), and my colleagues, of course, who have sponsored and introduced this legislation, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith), and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) for graciously accepting two amendments I offered during the markup. My amendments were aimed at making sure information generated under the program is localized and available on the Internet, and specifically that the backbone of the Internet communication system be considered part of the Nation's critical infrastructure. The original law cites communication facilities as lifeline, but not communications infrastructure. Today, as we all know, there are fiber-optic links dedicated solely to the transfer of information over the Internet. Data traffic is currently increasing about 10 times the rate of phone traffic, therefore creating this need. We should also be concerned about routers and servers managing and storing this traffic. Disaster recovery plans must account for restoring high-speed links and for backing up critical databases. This increasingly critical data infrastructure should be recognized as part of the bill language and, as amended, is. Again, I wish to thank my colleagues on the committee for supporting the amendment and encourage all of my colleagues in the House to support this bill.

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to offer my support for H.R. 573, which would ``Authorize the President to Award a Gold Medal on Behalf of the Congress to Rosa Parks in Recognition of her Contributions to the Nation.'' Rare are the people who can be called ``living legacies.'' But today I am fortunate to have the opportunity to honor one of these rare people. Her name is Rosa Parks. It is probably hard for any of us to understand the inner strength and fortitude that it took for Ms. Parks to take the simple, but momentous action she did on that fateful day of December 1, 1955. Yet, what we can understand is why she is most deserving of a Presidential Gold Medal. We often hear the phrase ``one person can make a difference.'' No one more embodies that phrase than Rosa Parks. Not only did she make a difference to her generation--since it was her action that inspired the creation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act-- but she continues to inspire generations that have followed. Through the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, a non-profit organization she co-founded in 1987, she works with young people to help them achieve their full potential. No words can better state the difference that one person can make than what Ms. Parks wrote herself in her book Quite Strength ``Our mistreatment was just not right, and I was tired of it. I kept thinking about my mother and my grandparents, and how strong they were. I knew there was a possibility of being mistreated, but an opportunity was being given to me to do what I had asked of others.'' When she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man she inspired 42,000 African Americans to boycott Montgomery buses for 381 days. Rosa Parks' fight against the barriers of racism could have easily ended there. The fact that it did not is what makes her so special. Rosa Parks is a woman who lived her life with the strongest of convictions for what is right, what is good and what is just. I urge my colleagues to support this bill to honor one of our Nation's living legacies who has devoted her life to making a difference in this country. Thank you, Rosa Parks for all that you have done.

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, on April 10, 1999, the MetroHartford, CT, Chamber of Commerce marked its 200th anniversary. I rise today to honor and recognize this momentous occasion. On July 1, 1799, 43 community merchants and professionals gathered at the home of John Ripley on Main Street and signed their names to a document officially organizing the Hartford Chamber of Commerce. Since its organization, the MetroHartford Chamber of Commerce has tirelessly pursued the goals of civic support and economic promotion to make Hartford a bigger and better industrial and commercial city. For the last 200 years, the Chamber's traditions of business and principles of living have carried the greater Hartford region to the front list of municipalities in the country. For example, during the First World War, the MetroHartford Chamber of Commerce played a critical community support role, financing an evaporation plant to preserve fruits and vegetables, improving housing conditions for African-Americans moving from southern States to work in Hartford's defense industries, and providing emergency funds for the families of soldiers killed in action in Europe. The Chamber became one of the first organizations to establish a registry and canvass local community businesses to help find work for returning soldiers and disabled veterans. In the years following the Great Depression, the MetroHartford Chamber of Commerce built plants for companies, secured air mail and passenger service, supported the development of roads and highways, established a Better Business Bureau, advocated for the creation of trade schools, and promoted traffic safety and fire prevention programs. During the 1960's, the MetroHartford Chamber of Commerce organized antipoverty programs such as the Community Renewal Team, and again turned their efforts toward building and rehabilitating housing for community residents who otherwise could not afford it. Today, we stand on the dawn of the 21st century, and on the heels of one of the worst recessions in history the MetroHartford Chamber of Commerce is once again playing a critical role in the revitalization and economic development of the greater Hartford area. Whether it is working with local communities and businesses on projects such as Riverfront Recapture aimed at reclaiming the history, beauty, and community embodied along the banks of the Connecticut River, or the Adriaen's Landing aimed at making Hartford the showcase city of the new millennium, the MetroHartford Chamber of Commerce stands as a testament to what can be achieved by those who have faith in their community.

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution. From the end of World War II to the end of the cold war and the fall of the Berlin Wall, our generation has been witness to some of the greatest social changes and upheavals in history. We no longer face a world fenced off by two superpower nations. Today we are a global community facing a new and real threat from small rogue nations and their ability to launch an attack directly on American soil. I support this proposal because I want to protect my three young children. However, my support comes with certain reservations. If we can stand together to support this proposal to protect our children, we must also stand together and enact legislation to provide our children with access to technology in the classrooms, as well as the training and education in our public schools to ensure they remain competitive in the new digital economy. As the 21st Century approaches we are facing the uncharted territory of the information age. We must do all we can for this next generation of Americans.

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, school buildings in this Nation represent a $2 trillion investment, an investment that was primarily made by a generation of people who survived the depression and fought and won the Second World War. Upon returning, they saw the need to expand schools, saw the need to provide for their children, saw the responsibility that was placed upon them as they addressed the issue of a crumbling infrastructure system and the need to have schools that were not overcrowded and could provide the best possible education. Many of the Members of Congress are beneficiaries of that generation. It is the responsibility of us today to embrace the issue of school modernization and pass in a bipartisan effort the School Modernization Act. By providing these monies, we can ensure not only smaller classes, but address the infrastructure concerns and the technological concerns that we need to take this Nation and our children into the 21st century. Let me conclude by saying this, that this is a match that cannot be postponed.

Mr. LARSON

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney) in the introduction of a bill to honor police officers killed in the line of duty. On January 23, Brian Aselton of East Hartford's police force gave his life on behalf of his fellow citizens whom he so valiantly protected. The community stood in shock and grief. It was a day dampened by sorrow and chilled by the passing of this young hero. Ten thousand police officers formed an endless sea of blue that marched into the cemetery to pay tribute to Brian's memory. Nations and communities reveal an awful lot about themselves in the memorials they create, in the people they honor. Flying the flag at half mast will not bring back Brian or the near 150 officers killed in the line of duty each year, but it will serve as a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice that those who wear the badge make on our behalf.