Carolyn Maloney

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the amendment, and I commend my colleagues for bringing it to the floor. Earlier today, we debated and overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan amendment that will cut United States economic assistance to Turkey unless that nation allows humanitarian aid to flow to Armenia. Turkey, an ally to the United States, can and must take a humane step and end its blockade of Armenia. In the same vein, Turkey can and must end its blockade of history. The Armenian genocide was a fact. The genocide was substantiated by detailed press accounts of the day, as well as by thousands of pages of documents from historical archives all over the world. I have personally sat down with constituents who survived the genocide and listened to their tragic stories. We all read recently about a Princeton University professor who is the leading academic spokesman for those who deny the Armenian genocide. It was troubling to learn, of course, that his research is bought and paid for by the Turkish Government. Turkey must stop its historical revisionism. By once and for all acknowledging the crimes against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire, Turkey will take a great stride forward in its international relations. And Turkey would take a great stride forward for the simple cause of truth and human decency. Let us make sure that this great House speaks out tonight for truth and justice. Support the Radanovich-Bonior amendment.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman be allowed to proceed for 1 additional minute.

Mrs. MALONEY. First of all, there is no torture in New York and the crime rate has gone down dramatically with the anticrime bill that President Clinton initiated and that we passed. Second, I would just merely like to ask the gentleman how he justifies cutting off humanitarian aid.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the Church of the Ascension, which is located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I am proud to honor the Church of the Ascension here today in celebration of its 150 continuous years of service to its community. The early days of the Church of the Ascension are remarkable. The church began in 1846, in the borrowed parlor of a house in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It was officially incorporated as a church in December 1846, and the Sunday school was established in the following year. Services were held during those first years in the Sunday school room of another church, and later in the Odd Fellows Hall, until October 1853, when the first service was held in the Church of the Ascension on Kent Street, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Ascension bears the notable distinction of being the first church established in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Today, I am proud to report that since June 1995, the Church of the Ascension has been led by its first female rector, Rev. Mabel Burke Lewis. Mother Lewis oversees an active Sunday school with regular classes of Bible readings, games, and projects. There are after-school programs and a summer day camp, opportunities for adult education, and adult and children's craft groups during the year. Ascension continues to take a leadership role in the Episcopal charities campaign, and has recently begun an adult literacy program and an AIDS ministry in local hospitals. Mother Lewis has introduced healing services at the church and has brought back 12-step recovery programs, after a long absence. Under the able cadence of Mother Lewis, Ascension works with other churches to feed the hungry in Greenpoint. The Church of the Ascension has become what it is today through a long succession of very inspirational, effective, and dedicated ministers who led Ascension through good and bad times. Too numerous to list here, their contributions to the parish and to the community are the reason the Church of the Ascension can today celebrate 150 years. From fundraising and eliminating debt, to staging Shakespearian plays, to rebuilding after fire, those dedicated and selfless individuals enabled the Church of the Ascension to answer the spiritual and redemptive needs of its parishioners. It is for these reasons, Mr. Speaker, that I rise today to pay tribute to the Church of the Ascension for its 150 years of service to the parishioners and community of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I ask my colleagues to join with me in this tribute and in wishing Ascension another 150 years of continued service.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I was unavoidably detained and was unable to cast my vote on rollcall 174, final passage of the national defense authorization bill. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to Jerry W. Levin, a leader in the cosmetics industry. Today, I am proud to announce that Mr. Levin is being awarded the Anti-Defamation League's 1996 Human Relations Award for his many years of supporting the fight against bigotry, racism, and antisemitism. Jerry Levin is chairman and chief executive officer of Revlon, Inc., and executive vice president of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, Inc., Revlon's parent company. Revlon is world renowned for its cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, personal care, and professional products sold in approximately 175 countries and territories, under brand names including Revlon, ColorStay, Age Defying, Almay, Ultima II, and Charlie. In addition to his work with Revlon, Mr. Levin serves on the boards of directors of Revlon, Inc., Coleman Co., Inc., Fcolab, Inc.; and First Bank System, Inc. Jerry Levin is being honored by the Anti-Defamation League for his extraordinary efforts over the years. His numerous good works embody the league's very highest ideals and aspirations. His commitment and dedication to the goals of the league are seen in his service to many organizations. He sits on the boards of the United Way of New York City; B'nai B'rith Hillel of New York; UJA--Federation of New York; the New York Philharmonic; the Council on the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago; and the National Advisory Committee of the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. Jerry Levin was born in San Antonio, TX. He attended high school in Chicago and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering and mathematics from the University of Michigan, and received a masters in business administration from the University of Chicago in 1968. He and his wife, Carol, have two children, Joshua and Abby. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join with me today in tribute to Jerry Levin, who deserves great praise for his many years of service. His life and his many good works exemplify the highest ideals and standards of a fair and just society.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to James A. Lebenthal, who has made possible the rebuilding of public works and infrastructure of the United States for more than three decades. Mr. Lebenthal was given the Tree of Life Award by the Jewish National Fund for his extraordinary service to the city and State of New York, and the Nation in general. James A. Lebenthal is the chairman and CEO of Lebenthal & Co., Inc., a company created by his parents in 1925. Lebenthal & Co. works with local governments to issue and sell municipal bonds to provide funding for capital projects. Jim is a leader in the municipal bond business, serving as president of the Commission on Saving and Investment in America, vice chairman of the Rebuild America Coalition, and director of Municipal Bond Investors' Assurance, Inc. Jim is well known as a skilled communicator, educator, retailer, and mass marketer of municipal bonds. Prior to joining his family's bond business in 1962, Lebenthal wrote advertising copy for Olgivy & Mather, worked at NBC, and was a Hollywood reporter for Life Magazine. This experience has given him the expertise to create and appear in inventive radio and TV commercials designed to educate the public about the benefits of municipal bonds. As a result of such mass marketing, the term ``municipal bond'' has become a household word. Through his commercials the general public has learned that the electricity that lights their homes, the water that comes from their taps, the buses, subways, bridges, and highways they use are all made possible by municipal bonds. Jim was raised in New York City. He attended the Dalton School, Andover, and received his bachelors degree from Princeton University. He has been married to Jacqueline Beymer for 35 years. The Jewish National Fund is devoted to funding water projects, forests, roads, and water conservation in Israel. James Lebenthal is the perfect choice to receive its highest honor, the Tree of Life Award. Through the symbol of the tree, Jim hopes to raise awareness of both public investment and the contribution infrastructure can make to the growth and economic development of any country. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to honor, along with the Jewish National Fund, James A. Lebenthal, whose enduring belief in the possibilities of revitalization have led to three decades of tangible contribution to this Nation's public works and infrastructure. I ask my colleagues to join with me in this tribute to James Lebenthal for his many years of work in public interest.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me the time, and I rise in strong support of the DeLauro amendment. Mr. Chairman, what we have before us today is yet another attempt to repeal choice, procedure by procedure. The new Republican majority has passed 17 separate antichoice pieces of legislation, chipping away at a woman's right to choose. Today the radical right wants to deny U.S. servicewomen serving overseas the same freedoms they enjoy in the United States: The freedom to pay out of their own pockets to have an abortion. In other words, American servicewomen are overseas protecting our freedom while Congress is busy at home repealing their freedom and constitutional right to have choice. Enough is enough. Support the DeLauro amendment.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to a dedicated professional who is deserving of our honor and respect. Mr. Thomas Napolitano has served the public for many years and, I am pleased to report, will continue to do so for many years into the future. Thomas Napolitano currently serves as vice president of the School Settlement, a position he has held since 1992. During these years, he has also been a member of the board of directors. He is being honored today by the school settlement for his years of dedicated commitment to his community and to the public. A pharmacist by profession, Mr. Napolitano has owned his own retail pharmacy since 1981. In 1988, however, he returned to the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, NY, to contribute to the local economy of his hometown. He refurbished an existing pharmacy which is known as Napolitano Pharmacy and currently serves residents of Williamsburg. The story of Thomas Napolitano is not complete without mention of his miraculous recovery from a brain tumor. In 1993, Mr. Napolitano was diagnosed with this very serious form of cancer. Through the love, support and prayers of the community and his patrons, he received the courage and strength to overcome this hurdle and return to the road of good health. Thomas Napolitano was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on June 6, 1952. Raised in Howard Beach in Queens, New York, he attended St. Francis Preparatory School, and graduated in 1975 from St. John's University School of Pharmacy. In the same year, he married his wife Cathy and recently celebrated his 20th anniversary. Thomas and Cathy Napolitano have two teenage children, Thomas and Michelle. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join with me today to honor Thomas Napolitano who has served his community of Williamsburg for many years. I am happy to say that we can expect many, many more years of dedicated service to his patrons and his community.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to Dr. Pasquale John Scotti. Dr. Scotti, general practice physician, has served the local residents of the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, NY, for many years as a self described ``old fashioned practitioner.'' He is being appropriately honored today by the Settlement School for his many years of selfless service to his native Brooklyn. Dr. Scotti attributes his interest in medicine to his dedication to the residents of Williamsburg to an excellent role model, his uncle John, also a physician. Dr. Scotti admired his uncle and saw in his practice a strong involvement in the welfare of his patients, many of them neighbors and friends. This exposure led Dr. Scotti to medicine and to the fulfillment of his dream of a neighborhood practice. He has served this community for 22 years. Aside from a neighborhood practice, Dr. Scotti served in the U.S. Army Medical Corp as well. He spent a year in Vietnam, which left him with first hand knowledge of illnesses rarely diagnosed in the United States. The year's experience in Vietnam allowed him, upon his discharge, to open his local practice in October 1974. Pasquale John Scotti was born on October 14, 1941 at home on Skillman Avenue in Brooklyn. As a youngster he attended P.S. 17 and Boys High School. He received his bachelor of science degree from Fordham University and his medical degree from New York Medical College. He interned in internal medicine and completed a pulmonary fellowship at Metropolitan Hospital Center. He has been married to his wife Lydia since October 1978. They are blessed with two children, Melissa-Ann and Pasquale, Jr. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join with me today in honoring Dr. Scotti, a very rare breed of physician. His neighborhood practice has served the local residents for many dedicated and committed years. We recognize and salute his contribution and hope he may continue to provide a local practice to his many proud patients.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, this is a closed rule. Therefore, I am opposed to it. I do support the adoption bill, but it simply does not go far enough. What about the 400,000 children in foster care who are not candidates for adoption? As David Liederman of the Child Welfare League writes in today's New York Times: ``Many foster children have emotional and physical disabilities. The adoption of these kids will require more than just a one-time tax credit.'' Madam Speaker, I proposed several amendments to the Committee on Rules that would have helped build important bridges between foster care and adoption. My amendments would have streamlined the bureaucracy, which too often keeps children languishing in foster care when there are people ready to adopt them. My amendments would have strengthened the ability of caring relatives and standby guardians to step in and care for and, in some cases, adopt foster children. I favor a bill to expedite adoption. This is a good first step in our efforts to move children from the care of the State to the care of loving families, but a simple tax credit is not the whole answer. It would be a tragedy if we did not use this important oppportunity to move forward and reform a foster care system that is and that leaves thousands of children in difficult and dangerous environments.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I demand a separate vote on the Maloney amendment.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to rise to pay tribute to the Federation of Italian-American Organizations of Queens, NY, a group that this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. I ask my colleagues to join with me in recognizing and honoring this very important organization for its dedicated services to the Queens community. The mission of the Federation of Italian-American Organizations of Queens is unique. It works to transform social clubs into activist organizations. To this end, the federation encourages the clubs' attention to the problems of the Italian-American community. It assists members in becoming citizens of the United States and educates them to the rights guaranteed by the American Constitution. The federation's goal is that with the status and knowledge, they may more effectively advocate for and serve their community. The federation encourages the unification of Italian-American societies in Queens, New York, a borough of New York City with a very high Italian-American population. It seeks to maintain and promote a higher involvement in social and political issues; to teach the belief and ideals of the United States; to fight against discrimination and derogatory stereotyping; and to provide assistance, support, and cultural betterment to its members, among several other goals. It has been very successful in these pursuits. I am pleased to report that the federation currently assists approximately 10,000 individuals and families every year. The federation was founded in 1971 by four friends: Anthony Gazzara, Vincent Iannece, Tom Bullaro, and Phil Cicciariello. Their original goal was to bring together the active Italian-American societies in Astoria, Queens, and to revive the traditional parade in honor of Christopher Columbus. Although poor weather prevented the parade in that first year, nevertheless the federation has flourished and today consists of at least 22 Italian-American societies in Queens. Through the pursuit of its goals, it has become a valuable instrument for addressing the needs and problems of the Italian-American community in Queens. Mr. Speaker, in the year of its 25th anniversary, I am proud to rise in honor of the Federation of Italian-American Organizations of Queens. It is a truly venerable institution in its community and very worthy of the collective tribute of this body here today. Thank you.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, in fact, the 1983 law still does not cover about 90 percent of all Federal housing, or 3.7 million units. This is an issue of fairness. My amendment today would give those seniors and disabled living in non-senior or disabled-designated federally assisted housing the right to own pets. As my colleague said, I received a letter from one of my constituents who has had a pet for 12 years. She moved into public housing. They are telling her that she must get rid of her pet. They sent information on how the pet could be euthanized. She is desperate.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, it would depend on the regulations of the housing authority. Most housing authorities remove dogs, if I may explain the definition.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, my amendment only allows common household pets. It does not include exotic animals, reptiles or dangerous or menacing animals, but common household pets.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mrs. MALONEY. Currently, as my dear friend from New York knows, the Federal law allows seniors to have pets in federally designated senior housing and housing for the disabled. This merely extends that right to seniors and the disabled in regular housing projects, and allows local housing authorities to come forward with their own rules and commonsense regulations.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, the bill allows local housing authorities to come forward with the rules and regulations. The one thing that they cannot do is say absolutely under no circumstances can a senior citizen or a disabled person have a fine, quiet pet.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, on behalf of myself and my friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from New York, Representative Susan Molinari, I am offering an amendment to the housing bill. As my colleagues know, Susan Molinari is at home right now, expecting the birth of her first child at any moment. Although I would have liked very much to have her join me tonight on the floor, I want to take this opportunity to offer my congratulations to Susan and Bill Paxon on, truly, life's greatest experience, that of becoming a parent, that of waiting to become a parent. That aside, the key issues of my amendment are very, very simple. Senior citizens and people with disabilities should not be forced to choose between their pets and their opportunities to affordable housing. Mr. Chairman, under current Federal law, senior citizens living in federally assisted senior designated housing have a right to own a pet. This 12-year-old policy has worked and it has worked very well. But tragically for most seniors, senior designated housing makes up only 10 percent of all the Federal housing. In many places, specially designated senior housing is not available due to long, long waiting lists. Seniors, therefore, who live in Federal housing are forced to give up their pets. Studies have shown again and again the physical and mental health benefits of pet ownership. When the original policy was passed in 1983, a number of public housing authorities expressed concern that pets would damage dwellings and harm other residents. According to HUD, these concerns have not been borne out. Furthermore, numerous studies have shown us that pets in public housing present little trouble and that the benefits of pet ownership far outweigh any pitfalls. Mr. Chairman, many studies back up the lack of problems. For example, a University of California study of the 1983 law reported that 84 percent of local housing authorities who have dealt with the 1983 law allowing pets reported either positive effects or no noticeable changes. The Massachusetts Committee on Housing found that seniors proved themselves to be responsible pet owners in every way. Our amendment provides a simple way to dramatically improve the lives of millions of our growing senior community. Most studies have found that senior citizens and people with disabilities who have pets, live longer, go to the doctor less often, recover more quickly from illnesses, and have more positive outlooks than those who do not have pets. For older persons, isolated by widowhood or declining health, pets provide companionship. The National Institutes of Health concluded that pets are medically beneficial to people's health. The bond between people and their pets predates recorded history. My amendment ensures that we will not deny this incredible bond to hundreds of thousands of senior citizens. With 3.7 million Federal housing units still prohibiting seniors from keeping their pets, the need for this amendment is great. As people grow older, they often taste the loss of family and home. It is inhumane to take away someone's companion at a time when they need their unconditional love the most, when they face a fixed income and the need for public housing. Mr. Chairman, this amendment removes the unfair distinction between seniors-only housing and other public housing in a responsible manner. The amendment allows the housing authorities to write effective, comprehensive regulations appropriate to their own dwellings, which ensure tenant and landlord compliance while maintaining decent, safe, and sanitary housing. Finally, Mr. Chairman, this amendment has a broad array of support from advocacy groups and Members. A coalition of groups who protect seniors rights have supported this amendment, like the American Association of Retired Persons and the Pets for the Elderly Foundation. Advocates for physical and mental health support this legislation, including the American Psychological Association, many other health groups. It is cosponsored by 130 of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle.