Carolyn Maloney

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. At first I thought this contest was about a difficult loss, Mr. Chairman. After all, Mr. Dornan served in the House for many years. But 9 months and $300,000 later, no contested election has ever taken this long or gone this far in the history of this country. The gentlewoman from California, Ms. Loretta Sanchez, won the election fair and square. The Latinos and other citizens of Orange County spoke, and there are some in this House who would like to silence them. Mr. Chairman, the women and the Hispanics and the Democrats in this House will not tolerate the silencing of any man's or woman's vote. The gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer] was absolutely correct when he said this has gone too far. It is time to end this investigation. It is undemocratic. Vote against this rule.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, the Miller-Schumer amendment has very strong bipartisan support. It would delete sugar price supports and laws that keep sugar prices artificially high. Eleven out of 22 sugar refineries in the United States have closed. Domino Sugar, which operates a plant in my district and employs almost 1,000 people in New York State, has closed three plants. How can anyone look at this record and say the sugar program is a success? Instead of the sugar program providing American jobs, it is taking good, solid jobs away from the refining industry and giving them to a privileged few sugar growers. This year Domino has suspended production in my district because it could not purchase enough imported sugar to maintain its profit margin. Deregulating sugar prices would keep sugar refiners like Domino up and running. It also would lower sugar prices and food prices for consumers. American consumers pay twice as much for sugar as the rest of the world. The American people deserve better. They deserve cheaper sugar and they deserve to keep their jobs. Vote for this amendment.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay a respectful tribute to Queens Surface Corporation, a company with an outstanding reputation of service in Queens, on the 60th anniversary of its founding. Now the largest privately owned transit company in New York City, Queens Surface plays an important role in the community of its headquarters in College Point, Queens. Queens Surface Corporation has given significant amounts of financial support to the College Point community by helping such organizations as the College Point Ambulance Corp., the College Point Sports Association, the College Point Security Patrol, the College Point Little League and the College Point Athletic Club. The company has also given donations to the Poppenhusen Institute, Saint Mary's Foundation for Children, the American Diabetes Association, the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society and Memorial Sloan Kettering. For its service to and support for the community, Queens Surface Corporation has been awarded hundreds of awards and citations from cultural, religious and educational institutions. Since 1988, when the current owners, Robert and Myra Burke, bought the company, Queens Surface Corporation has continued to drive at community service, garnering 14 awards from a wide array of organizations. Mr. Burke also gives his personal time to the community, serving on the board for Saint Patrick's Home for the Aged and Infirm, and holding positions as President of the Bus Association of New York State and Secretary/Treasurer of the Mass Transit Operations of New York. Most recently, Mr. Burke was the Grand Marshal of the 1997 College Point Memorial Day Parade. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues rise with me in this tribute to Robert and Myra Burke's company, Queens Surface Corporation, as it celebrates its 60th anniversary. I am honored to have in my district, a company which services over 80,000 riders daily while continuously contributing to its Queens community. Thank you

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay a respectful tribute to the Adirondack Museum as it celebrates its 40th anniversary documenting the Adirondack region's history and culture. The museum's wealth of knowledge enables its visitors to enjoy the entire region with increased understanding and appreciation. Since its opening in 1957, the museum's collection has grown to include a large and varied assortment of books, maps, paintings, photographs, drawings, and prints. Seventy-five horse-drawn carriages, a private parlor rail car, a 1926 Lin tractor, a blacksmith shop, and the second largest collection of boats in the United States further enhance the museum's offerings. In addition to its many exhibits, the Adirondack Museum runs educational programs aimed at teaching local residents, including thousands of children annually, about the relationship between the Adirondacks and its residents. Last summer, in a project sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the museum collected oral histories and photographs for a folklore presentation about the forest experiences of women. Through educational undertakings such as this one, the Museum encourages and guides exploration of the culture and history of this majestic geographical area. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues rise with me in this tribute to the Adirondack Museum as it celebrates 40 years of enhancing and sharing the history and culture of the Adirondacks with the local community and visitors from around the world. The Adirondack Museum has played a central role in making the magnificent Adirondack Park what the New York Times, in 1864, called a Central Park for the world.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. First, I would like to commend the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman] for his leadership for peace and justice on Cyprus. This weekend we remembered the 23d anniversary of the illegal invasion of Cyprus and the horrible complications that have cost lives and stolen freedoms. When one thinks of a people or a country as a whole, it is easy to gloss over the real tragedies. So I would like to remember two people who lost their lives 1 year ago this August. A 24-year-old protester, Tassos Isaac, was savagely beaten to death on August 11, 1996, by Turks, using rocks and iron poles. Three days later a group of mourners, people who were not even armed, became the targets of Turkish troop gunfire. The 26-year-old cousin of Tassos was gunned down, 11 others were injured. Additionally, just 2 months after that, 58-year-old Petros Kakoullis was out snail gathering with his son-in-law when he was gunned down as he assumed a position of surrender. Petros' only mistake was that he had wandered across the green line into the occupied area. Our country must take an active role in stopping these abuses. The illegal occupation of Cyprus must end. The island must be demilitarized. Turkish troops must be forced off the island. The island must be unified, justice must be served, and the President of the United States must make it a foreign policy priority. I urge a vote in support of this resolution and in support of this island in crisis.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Mink amendment. I often say the 104th Congress was the most antiwoman Congress I can remember. Well, the 105th is catching up. For 13 years the Perkins Vocational Technical Education Act has provided funds to ensure that America's women do not miss out on opportunities to better their lives. For 13 years these programs have worked. Displaced home-makers, single parents, pregnant women, and some girls in vocational schools have been able to count on help from their government, not to bail them out, but to help them bail themselves out. It's a fact that vocational education keeps women off welfare. In Oregon, a recent study documented its long-term success in increasing employment rates from 28 to 71 percent. Wages increased. Fourteen percent of the women on welfare got off. In Arizona, not only did wages increase, but the number of women in nontraditional jobs increased from 7 to 17 percent. In Georgia, women benefited from the programs by increasing their salaries from $11,000 to $16,500. Now, it's not as if the government handed those people $1,500 raises. What it did was allow them to earn those raises in the private sector themselves. Isn't this why we're here? Are we not in the business of helping people help themselves? Is that not what we're trying to do in reforming the Nation's welfare program? Many States are reporting that higher wages--achieved through the vocational program--are keeping women off welfare. In Pennsylvania, in 1994, the setaside program saved the State $2.3 million in welfare payments. In Missouri, $1.4 million in welfare payments were recovered. If this Congress is truly working to get women and children off welfare, why would it cut a program that helps them do just that? As my colleagues, Representatives Mink, Morella, Sanchez, and Woolsey point out, this amendment does not ask for an increase. It only asks that the 10-percent setaside be preserved. It restores the vocational education equity coordinator position. And it keeps the Federal policy on track and consistent. It shows that our effort to achieve gender equity and to help at-risk groups such as displaced homemakers and single parents stay off welfare, get an education, and keep well-paying jobs a priority. The original intent of this legislation was to make the United States more competitive by developing more fully the academic and occupational skills of our citizens. Our citizens who most need that help are on the verge of being cut out of the deal. I urge a vote in support of the Mink amendment.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, once again, as I have every year that I have been a Member of Congress, it is my honor and sad privilege to stand with the gentleman from Florida and remember and commemorate the 23d anniversary of the 1974 illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The continued presence of Turkish troops represents a growing violation of human rights and international law. On the positive side, I am pleased with the success that the gentleman in Florida and I have had in the formation of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues last year. We now have 62 Members from both parties and from all regions of the country. Democrats, Republicans, liberals, and conservatives have all joined together to pursue our common objectives of justice, human rights, and stronger ties between the United States and its strong democratic allies, Cyprus and Greece. Earlier this year, many of the members of the Hellenic Caucus joined us in signing a letter to the President to stop the sale of Seahawk helicopters. We were successful. No helicopters were sold to Turkey. Over the last week, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright mitigated a nonaggression pact with the Foreign Minister of Greece and the Foreign Minister of Turkey. Now that Greece and Turkey have come to a peaceful agreement, it will allow the focus to be concentrated on a more peaceful solution, hopefully, in Cyprus. Last weekend, the President of Cyprus, Glafkos Clirides, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, met in a first round of U.N. talks, and they have agreed to a second round of talks in August. The appointment of Richard Holbrooke as United States special envoy to Cyprus shows the United States' commitment to a settlement in the region. In fact, he met with both sides this past Monday. I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of House Concurrent Resolution 81, introduced by the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman], that calls for a United States initiative seeking a just and peaceful resolution in Cyprus. I am hopeful that we will reach a peaceful solution soon, but it must be a fair solution. Turkey must withdraw its troops. Imported settlers must be returned to their countries of origin. The island must be unified without a green line. The almost 200,000 Greek Cypriots who were expelled from their homes must have the opportunity to return home. We must know what happened to the 1,614 Greek Cypriots and 5 Americans which were seized by Turkish troops and remain unaccounted for to this day. The pain of some of my constituents in Astoria, Queens, whose beloved family members are still missing, must be put to rest. On this issue, there can be no compromise. We will never give up the demand to know the fate of people like Chrisaci Loizoi, Andrew Kassapis, and George Anastasiou. We must have them accounted for. I have many constituents who do not know what happened to their brothers, their fathers, their sisters, their mothers. For all they know, they are still suffering in some brutish Turkish prison. Human decency demands an accounting. Over the past few years, we have witnessed tremendous changes around the world: The fall of the Berlin Wall, the beginning of steps in the Middle East toward peace, and the end of apartheid. It is my sincere hope that soon we will be able to add Cyprus to that list of places where peace and freedom have triumphed. I would like to bring to the attention of my friend, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Bilirakis], and to other Members of Congress that there will be a meeting and concert in Bryant Park, located in Manhattan, NY, this coming Friday to further observe the invasion of Cyprus. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I really have to commend the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Bilirakis], my friend and colleague from the other side of the aisle, who has worked extremely hard on this issue. Both of us have visited Cyprus and we have seen firsthand the green line that separates this country; and we both hope that in the coming talks, this line will be erased and that finally there will be peace and justice in Cyprus.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 23d anniversary of the 1974 illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The continued presence of Turkish troops in Cyprus is a gross violation of human rights and international law. Fortunately, since the last anniversary of this tragic event, significant and commendable progress has been made toward a peaceful resolution. Foreign Minister of Greece, Theodoros Pangalos, and Foreign Minister of Turkey, Ismail Cem, have made a nonaggression pact. Furthermore, the President of Cyprus, Glafkos Clirides, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, met in a first round of United Nations talks. A second round is scheduled for next month. The United States has also contributed to the region's efforts to reach a settlement. Richard Holbrooke has been appointed U.S. Special Envoy to Cyprus and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was involved in mediating the nonaggression pact between Greece and Turkey. Furthermore, I am pleased with the success that my colleague, Representative Bilirakis, and I had in the formation of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues. Only 1 year old, the 62 member caucus has played a leading role in ending the U.S. sale of Seahawk helicopters to Turkey. The invasion of Cyprus by Turkey was an outrageous show of inhumanity. We must remember that 200,000 Greek Cypriots were expelled from their homes and that 1,614 Greek Cypriots and 5 Americans were seized by Turkish troops and remain unaccounted for to this day. And, consistent with the dictates of human decency, we must strive to reach a peaceful, fair solution without delay. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues rise with me in commemoration of the 23d anniversary of the invasion of Cyprus. Many of my own constituents in Astoria, Queens, continue to suffer as they wait for more information on the fate of their relatives. I am hopeful that a resolution will soon be reached and the pain caused by this inhumane invasion will be alleviated. Thank you.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the plight of Holocaust survivors around the world. More than 50 years ago, we witnessed one of the most tragic episodes in the history of man's inhumanity to man--the slaughter of 6 million Jews and millions of others in Eastern and Central Europe during World War II. Some were able to hide or escape death, many with lingering memories and medical conditions that will be with them for life. There are currently more than 125,000 Holocaust survivors living in the United States and approximately 500,000 living around the world. It is these survivors who in many cases are still struggling to live out their remaining years with dignity. Many of them live in my district and have contacted me for help after being denied assistance from the current reparations' system set up to help Holocaust survivors. Let me tell you about one of my constituents, a Holocaust survivor currently living in New York City. Dr. Hadassah Bimko Rosensaft survived concentration camps at both Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. While interned, she contracted malaria and hepatitis. Unfortunately, because these diseases were not treated at the time, Dr. Rosensaft now suffers from severe cirrhosis of the liver. Although several medical experts support her claim that the condition stems from her imprisonment in Nazi Germany, the German Government says she cannot sufficiently prove that her condition is a direct consequence. Dr. Rosensaft is fortunate to be able to afford her needed medical care with the help of her family. But her story is somewhat unique. Many other victims of Nazi horrors have been deemed wholly ineligible for reparations, and cannot rely on their families to help support them. These include, people who were in forced-labor camps; people who were confined to areas not recognized by Germany as ghettos; people who hid under false names; and people who were in a concentration camp for fewer than 6 months. In fact, even if someone was interned in two separate camps for 3 and 4 months each, that person may not qualify. In many cases, it is impossible for Holocaust survivors to prove the circumstances under which they acted during the Holocaust. I believe it is unjust to ask elderly people--with permanent injuries, who suffered enormous emotional trauma--to document their life half a century ago. Many Holocaust survivors who were fortunate enough to avoid death camps during World War II were forced into hiding. A second reparations' provision states that if you were forced into hiding, you are eligible for reparations only if you hid for 18 months, and only if you can document and support your claim. Learning about these onerous restrictions and the ongoing denial of Holocaust survivors' claims led me to introduce legislation in the 104th Congress calling on the German Government to expand and simplify its reparations' system. I am encouraged by recent reports by the World Jewish Congress that the German Government has announced its willingness to reopen negotiations. This is a very encouraging step in the fight for justice for Holocaust survivors. But it is only a beginning. I am also concerned about the so-called double victims, who are now living in the former Communist States of Eastern and Central Europe. For years as the reparations' system was developed, these double victims did not have access to the system, and have been victimized twice by being denied access to reparations' today. Many of these people were in hiding. Many used false names to escape from the Nazis. Today, in order to qualify for reparations under the current system, survivors must provide proof of what they did and how they escaped. Many are still living in this part of the world and many are suffering from severe medical ailments. Although some have received a token amount of reparations, tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors in Eastern and Central Europe have never received any reparations. I am pleased to introduce House Concurrent Resolution 112, a resolution calling on the German Government to expand and simplify its reparations system, provide reparations to Holocaust survivors in Eastern and Central Europe, and set up a fund to help cover the medical expenses of Holocaust survivors. I am pleased to introduce this resolution with the support of International Relations Committee Chairman Benjamin Gilman and committee members Robert Wexler of Florida, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, and Sam Gejdenson of Connecticut, along with Congressman Martin Frost of Texas. To add insult to injury, recent news reports have uncovered that former members of the Nazi army, including non-German members of the SS, often receive far more generous pensions than do the victims they persecuted. Some of the people who receive German veteran pensions are known killers or were personally responsible in acts of genocide. Meanwhile, Holocaust survivors, many of whom are unable to afford the medical care they desperately need, must battle onerous restrictions and regulations in order to receive their meager benefits. One example is the case of Wolfgang Lehnigk-Emden. This former Nazi guard murdered 15 women and children in Italy in 1943. Because he was later shot in the leg and suffers a mild disability, he now receives a generous pension--a pension three times what is given to Holocaust survivors--because he is considered a war victim. This is but one example of Germany's hypocrisy. Another example is the story of former SS Guard Wilhelm Mohnke. According to the Department of Justice, Mr. Mohnke was personally involved in the massacre of 72 American POW's in 1944. Due to injuries he later sustained, the German Government gives Wilhelm Mohnke a war victim's pension equivalent to $560 per month. Many people have been instrumental in the fight for justice for all Holocaust survivors around the world. Menachem Rosensaft, Founding Chairman of the International Network of Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and its president Rositta Ehrlich Kenigsberg have worked tirelessly on their crusade for survivors' rights. Benjamin Meed, president of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors has also worked tirelessly on behalf of Holocaust survivors worldwide. I am forever indebted to each of them for their hard work. Mr. Speaker, Holocaust survivors are an aging, finite population, who are not asking for much. I believe that these survivors deserve sufficient reparations to ensure that no Holocaust survivors are forced to live in conditions worse than those generally enjoyed by the surviving former Nazis who persecuted them. Text of House Concurrent Resolution 112, Introduced by Representative Carolyn B. Maloney A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the Congress that the German Government should expand and simplify its reparations system, provide reparations to Holocaust survivors in Eastern and Central Europe, and set up a fund to help cover the medical expenses of Holocaust survivors Whereas the annihilation of six million European Jews during the Holocaust and the murder of millions of others by the Nazi German state constituted one of the most tragic episodes in the history of man's inhumanity to man; Whereas there are more than 125,000 Holocaust survivors living in the United States and approximately 500,000 living around the world; Whereas aging Holocaust survivors throughout the world are still suffering from permanent injuries suffered at the hands of the Nazis and many are unable to afford critically needed medical care; Whereas while the German government has attempted to address the needs of Holocaust survivors, many are excluded from reparations because of the onerous eligibility requirements imposed by the German government; Whereas the German government routinely rejects survivors' claims on the ground that the survivor did not present the claim correctly or in a timely fashion, that the survivor cannot demonstrate to the Government's satisfaction that a particular illness or medical condition is the direct consequence of persecution in a Nazi-created ghetto or concentration camp, or that the German authorities do not consider the survivor is not considered sufficiently destitute; Whereas tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors in the former Soviet Union and other formerly Communist countries in Eastern and Central Europe have never received reparations from Germany and a smaller number has received a token amount; Whereas after more than 50 years, hundreds of thousands of Holocaust survivors continue to be denied justice and compensation from the German government; Whereas the German government is paying generous disability pensions to veterans of the Nazi armed forces, including non- German veterans of the Waffen-SS. Whereas in 1996, the German government paid $7.7 billion in such pensions to 1.1 million veterans, including 3,000 veterans and their dependents now living in the United States; Whereas such pensions are a veteran's benefit provided over and above the full health coverage that all German citizens, including veterans of the Waffen-SS, receive from their government; and Whereas it is abhorrent that Holocaust survivors should live out their remaining years in conditions worse than those enjoyed by the surviving former Nazis who persecuted them; Therefore be it resolved that it is the sense of the Congress that: The German government should expand and simplify its system of reparations so that all survivors of the Holocaust can receive reparations, regardless of their nationality, length or place of internment, or their current financial situation; The German government should provide reparations to Holocaust survivors in the former Soviet Union and other former Communist countries in Eastern and Central Europe; The German government should fulfill its responsibilities to victims of the Holocaust and immediately set up a comprehensive medical fund to cover medical expenses of Holocaust survivors worldwide; and The German government should help restore the dignity of Holocaust survivors by paying them sufficient reparations to ensure that no Holocaust survivor be forced by poverty to live in conditions worse than those enjoyed by the surviving former Nazis who persecuted them.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise really in support of the Mink amendment. My office keeps a scorecard on the legislative attempts to take programs and benefits away from women. Unfortunately, we are chalking up another attack today. It is not as if we are asking for new funding. All we want is continued funding at this year's level, and the continuation of programs that work. Displaced homemakers, single parents, pregnant women, and some girls in vocational schools are all populations at risk. Why shut them out? Why, at the same time we are trying to get women off welfare rolls, are we eliminating the very programs that will help them get off welfare rolls? In Oregon a recent study documented its long-term success in increasing employment rates from 28 percent to 71 percent. Wages increased; 14 percent of the women on welfare got off welfare. There is so much to fix, Mr. Chairman, that is broken. Let us not try to fix what is not broken. Let us continue funding for this program.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, when the Federal Reserve speaks, people listen. When the Fed is about to make some sort of monetary decision, the world stops and watches. That is because the Federal Reserve System is comprised of powerful experts whose influence affects anyone who makes and spends money. Some people think the Federal Reserve's primary purpose is to conduct monetary policy. Little do they know that only 1,600 of the Fed's 25,000 employees are working in monetary policy. The rest are employed in unrelated services, such as the transportation of paper checks. The Fed pays $36 million for this service, of which $17 million is a Government subsidy. This money, taxpayer money, could be used to reduce the debt. The Federal Trade Commission staff said in a 1990 report that these subsidies drive out private competition and innovation. My bill would end this subsidy. It is time to ask why a giant Government bureaucracy is subsidized to run something that the private sector can run far more efficiently. I come before my colleagues tonight to point out another area of this powerful Government bureaucracy that has not received enough scrutiny, the Fed's fleet of 47 airplanes that ferries canceled checks back and forth across the country Monday through Thursday. Since 1980, the Monetary Control Act has required the Fed to extend these check-clearing services beyond its member banks to all depository institutions at prices without a subsidy. The purpose of the Monetary Control Act of 1980 was to make sure that private companies could compete with the Federal Reserve on a level playing field in providing services to the banking industry. But the Fed, to this day, insists on subsidizing its paycheck transportation as long as it makes up the cost somewhere else in its operation. The Democratic staff of the Committee on Banking and Financial Services conducted a 2-year investigation of the Fed's check-clearing practices and determined that, as of 1997, $17 million of the $36 million used to run the program is subsidized by you and me, the American taxpayer. In effect, we are subsidizing an inefficient, overgrown operation that the private sector could provide at a lower cost and with better results. If this operation cannot be run more efficiently, the Government should check out of the check transportation business and concentrate on helping Americans make money, not waste it. I recently introduced a bipartisan bill with my colleague the gentleman from Washington [Mr. Metcalf]. This bill would end this subsidy and require the Federal Government and the Fed to operate on a level playing field with the private sector. As we enter the 21st century, with all the revolutionary changes, it is bad public policy and downright foolish to subsidize the Fed's transportation of paper checks. Competition and free enterprise will provide lower prices and wider consumer choices in the provision of banking service. Support our bipartisan bill, the Efficient Check Clearing Act of 1997, H.R. 2119, and help bring our Nation's central bank into the 21st century.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to strike the last word to respond.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, the committee noted that this generous increase was to be used toward preparations for the National Wildlife Refuge System's 100th anniversary in the year 2003. Therefore it only seems appropriate to use some of this funding, considering that the Susan B. Anthony House will be a major attraction during the 150th anniversary of the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls next year. Surely if we can prepare for the Wildlife Refuge System's centennial 5 years away, we can provide some small amount of money in commemoration of women's rights. Would we let Mount Vernon or Monticello fall to pieces? Certainly not. Susan B. Anthony was a pioneer for women's rights including the right to vote, to own property, and to participate as equal partners in our democracy and our society. Susan B. Anthony revolutionized the lives of half our Nation's population. Surely she deserves no less than our full support. This amendment does not attempt to provide full support, but merely a token for the restoring renovation. I really would like to ask for a recorded vote on this.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer this amendment on behalf of the gentlewoman from New York [Ms. Slaughter] who has been called away due to a death in her family. The amendment would designate $500,000 for critically needed repairs and restoration at the historic Susan B. Anthony home in Rochester, NY. The Susan B. Anthony House witnessed some of the most important moments of the women's rights movement. As Anthony's residence for her entire adult life, the house was the site of many visits and planning meetings between Ms. Anthony and her fellow activists, including abolitionist Frederick Douglass. This is also the place where Ms. Anthony was arrested for voting in 1872. The Susan B. Anthony House is a vital part of our Nation's heritage. It is part of a complex of sites in upstate New York in and around Seneca Falls, NY, that include the Women's Rights National Historical Park and the National Women's Hall of Fame, celebrating the history of the women's rights movement. Next year we will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls. In terms of the women's movement, the women's rights convention in Seneca Falls is considered the most important single event making the struggle for women's rights possible. Just 2 weeks ago, we held a ceremony here in Congress moving a statue of two of the organizers of that convention as well as Susan B. Anthony herself into the Capitol rotunda. These women are finally taking their rightful place as important leaders in our Nation's history. Next year many leaders in our Nation will come together for this historical anniversary for a year's worth of events on women's history, rights and suffrage. Celebrate 98 will educate and inspire the State of New York and our entire Nation with the story of the women's rights struggle. What is important to realize and put into context is that the Susan B. Anthony House is not only a national historic landmark but a critical part of our Nation's history. It is not only a museum of Miss Anthony's pictures and papers, along with her trademark wire-rimmed glasses and Quaker shawl, but hundreds of pictures and papers and documents of her sister suffragettes. Mr. Chairman, there is no national museum of women's history in the United States. The Susan B. Anthony House has filled that void by collecting the history of the women's movement and preserving it as best they could with volunteer labor and donations for the past 47 years. Today time, weather, and Band-Aid repairs have taken their toll on this house. The Susan B. Anthony House recently launched a major initiative to finance a complete renovation and restoration of the property. In addition to needed repairs and maintenance, this project will begin the hard task of restoring the house to its appearance during Miss Anthony's lifetime. Both the house itself and the collection pose special challenges. Many of the papers are fragile, and special preservation measures must be taken if they are to survive for the benefit of future generations. No complete catalog has ever been made of the collection. This amendment would provide a modest one-time investment of $500,000 toward the Susan B. Anthony House restoration project. These funds would be used toward an historic structures report for the site and some basic physical repairs to the house. The historic structures report is a mandatory document for all national historic landmarks and provides a sort of baseline for repairs. This report will set the parameters for restoring the property to its appearance during Miss Anthony's lifetime. The $500,000 provided by this amendment is only a first step toward restoring the house. The vast majority of the funds needed will be supplied through private donors and contributors. This amount is a modest contribution by the Federal Government to express our support for this vitally important piece of our Nation's history. This amendment is the very least our Government can do to show the importance of the Susan B. Anthony House and the women's rights movement in our history. The amendment would offset this $500,000 by deducting the same amount from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's wildlife and refuge account. The amendment represents only 1.7 percent of the $29 million increase granted by the committee over the administration's request for this account. It is a minuscule 0.18 percent of the account's total appropriation of $274 million.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise against the rule and in support of one of America's greatest treasures, the National Endowment for the Arts. My colleagues, who want to slash the NEA budget, say it is elitist and controversial. Some claim that eliminating the NEA will help cut the deficit. But their numbers do not add up. The NEA budget represents only 0.01 percent of the Federal budget. That translates into 35 cents a person, little more than the cost of one postage stamp. In fact the NEA actually brings in money. The arts generate $36 billion in revenue and pay $3.4 billion in Federal income taxes. In New York State, the NEA is a boon to the economy. The arts employ approximately 174,000 New Yorkers and attract millions of tourists annually, producing an estimated $13 billion in revenue. Without the NEA, local theater and educational groups that introduce children to the arts will be forced to dim their lights. That would be a serious loss to this country.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I certainly appreciate the chairman's concerns for the underlying budget restraints, but I wanted to point out that before us today and included in the budget are two national historic landmarks which are already in the bill, and given the pressing point that the gentlewoman from New York [Ms. Slaughter] has made over and over again, that there is no national women's museum in this country and that the Susan B. Anthony home has served as such a museum in gathering the materials, the history of the women's movement of the country, it is certainly deserving, and I appreciate the gentleman's concerns, but I certainly wanted to point out that Ohio and Maryland have two items in the bill, and we were hoping that given the fact of two historical landmarks in the bill, that the gentleman would consider this additional historic landmark given the fact that there is no women's museum in this country.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote, and pending that I make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the amendment offered by my colleagues, the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Porter] and the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Kennedy]. This amendment would help protect the last frontier of our national forest. The United States does not need this wood. In fact, in 1995 timber companies exported the equivalent of 500,000 logging truck loads of logs to foreign countries. These companies were bypassing American jobs by exporting the wood raw. Our national forests represent a major portion of the last remaining untouched forest in our country. If we cannot completely protect this small remaining percentage of our forests from the chain saws, the least we can do is prevent the American taxpayers from having to pay some of the bills for that logging. Let us remember that these American treasures belong to all the American people, not the timber industry or foreign countries. End this wasteful handout.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Congresswoman Nita Lowey and myself, I rise to call the attention of my colleagues to an important program that I am proud to say is based in my New York City district--The March of the Living. I also want to commend all of those who have participated in the March of the Living program. The March of the Living is a yearly journey in which thousands of Jewish teenagers gather from around the world in Eastern Europe and in Israel. During this unforgettable trip, these young people learn first hand about two 20th-century events that changed history forever--the Holocaust and the creation of the State of Israel. Since its creation, the March of the Living program has continued to influence the more than 20,000 students who have participated. The students visit concentration camps in various countries and see the crematoria, gas chambers, and personal belongings that remain. Not only is the March of the Living a reminder of what happened, but is also a way for students to celebrate the strength of the human spirit. In Poland, march participants tour cities where there had been vibrant Jewish communities before World War II, including Warsaw, Krakow, and Lublin. After seeing communities where Jewish life flourished, the teens are taken to the death camps where these lives were destroyed. On Holocaust Memorial Day, the same day that Members of Congress gather in the Capitol Rotunda to honor the memory of those murdered in this genocide, the teens participate in a march from Auschwitz to Birkenau. I believe that this March of the Living--young people retracing the steps of countless innocent victims who marched to their deaths--is one of the most creative and meaningful Holocaust remembrance programs ever enacted. After witnessing the horrors of the Holocaust, the teenagers travel to Israel, where they visit the magnificent and vibrant Jewish homeland. Created out of the ashes of the Holocaust, the State of Israel stands as a great triumph, not only for the Jewish people, but for the cherished ideals of democracy, compassion, and enlightenment. The March of the Living has proven to be an effective way of teaching our next generation of leaders lessons of the past. The students return profoundly changed, prompting further work in Jewish related areas. It is these students who will keep the memory of this tragedy alive, and prevent such an event from ever happening again. I hope that this program will continue to thrive and to commemorate the suffering and eventual triumph of the Israeli people. I would also like to applaud the Austrian Government for becoming involved in this program by allowing March of Living participants to visit the country on May 19 of this year. Austria's efforts to assist in teaching the lessons of the Holocaust is a beautiful way to combat former Austrian President Kurt Waldheim's tragic denial of his participation in war crimes. With an aging Holocaust survivor population, we need to educate our young people about what happened to millions of Jews during World War II. The great philosopher George Santayana taught us that ``those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'' I commend the March of the Living on its important work. Mr. Ernest Goldblum, a philanthropist, who served in the United States Navy, and whose parents perished in the Holocaust, developed the program with the Austrian Government with the assistance of the Austrian president, Dr. Thomas Klestil, and the former Federal Chancellor, Frank Vranitzky, as well as Dr. Desiree Schweitzer, diplomat, and Helmuth Tuerk, Austrian ambassador, and Dr. Leon Zelman of the Jewish Welcome Service, Vienna, who organized the entire program for the 60 participants who were invited by the Austrian Government. And it is hoped, Mr. Speaker, that the Austrian Government will continue this effort on a larger scale next year for Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of one of America's most cherished heroes, James Maitland Stewart, known to beloved fans worldwide as Jimmy Stewart. He was not only a World War II hero, but he was the quintessential American--honest, moral, and decent. Jimmy Stewart was born on May 20, 1908, in Indiana, PA. He graduated from Princeton University in 1932 and soon traveled to Broadway. After a string of hits, he went to Hollywood and appeared in his first movie, ``Murder Man,'' with Spencer Tracy. He portrayed characters in nearly 80 films, spanning the film genres of westerns, dramas, thrillers, and comedies. He starred with the greats of the Silver Screen: Grace Kelly, Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and John Wayne. In 1941, Stewart enlisted in the U.S. Army. His military career was as successful as his acting career. He flew 25 successful missions over enemy territory and was promoted to the rank of colonel. Due to his bravery and valor he was awarded the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He retired in 1968 with the rank of brigadier general, making him the highest-ranking entertainer in the United States Military. After the war, he appeared in ``It's A Wonderful Life,'' one of the most celebrated movies in American history. In 1940, he won his first Academy Award for the ``Philadelphia Story.'' Always known as a humble man, he sent the award home to his parents. He went on to be nominated four more times. He won the lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute in 1980, the Kennedy Center in 1983, and the Film Society of Lincoln Center in 1990. Jimmy Stewart, a true renaissance man, served as a role model for many Americans during his 89 years. Several generations have already enjoyed his movies and their influence is sure to continue to posterity. Mr. Speaker, I respectfully urge my colleagues to take a moment to remember Jimmy Stewart--a man who embodied the spirit of America.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, often in this Congress we are faced, as we are today, with two imperfect choices. As a delegate to the U.N. conference in Beijing, China, I spoke out against China's human rights abuses, and I will continue to do so. I also know that, since beginning negotiations, changes have taken place. Normal trade relations are importing and exporting more products. They are exporting an understanding of our democratic standards. In 1994, the state compensation law was passed allowing Chinese citizens to sue Government officials and collect damages. Similar laws have passed but they would not have occurred without U.S. influence. Denying normal trade status to China would do nothing more than transfer trade to our international competitors and give ammunition to anti-American hard liners within China who will use our denial as an excuse to reverse advances that have already been made. I urge a vote against the resolution.

Mrs. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay a respectful tribute to Gerald A. Esposito. Tonight, community board No. 1 of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, will be honoring Mr. Esposito on the 20th anniversary of his appointment as district manager. Gerald Esposito has dedicated many years of magnanimous service to the community. His lifelong residency of Greenpoint-Williamsburg has been filled with community service work. His benevolent community work began at the Boy Scouts of America and progressed to work with VISTA. The Peace Corps, and nonprofit and local government. Much of Mr. Esposito's time has been dedicated to improving the community. Among his many accomplishments, he has fought to protect the rights of the public by battling consumer fraud and he has served as an advocate for housing and other legal matters. In 1977, community board No. 1 hired Mr. Esposito, making him the youngest district manager in the city of New York. Over the past 20 years, he has guided the board through many of the community's complex issues and resolved numerous problems with service delivery, budget and planning. He has proven to be excellent at negotiating, building partnerships and resolving problems. Throughout his tenure with community board No. 1, Mr. Esposito has maintained his ties with the community by belonging to various fraternal organizations and alumni associations. He has also continued in his father's footsteps by becoming Scout Master of Troop 604 and being appointed chairman of the Boy Scouts of America Lenape Bay District. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues rise with me in this tribute to Gerald Esposito. The Greenpoint-Williamsburg community and community board No. 1 are lucky to have such a great man and leader among them. I am thrilled to have Mr. Esposito in my district.