Robert Matsui

Mr. MATSUI

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to Richard H. Marriott, former mayor of Sacramento. One of our area's most outstanding citizens, Mr. Marriott passed away on Sunday, June 4, 2000, due to complications with cancer and heart problems. As his friends and family gather for his memorial service, I ask all of my colleagues to join with me in commemorating his life and many accomplishments. Born in Ely, NE, Richard Marriott was one of four children of the former Anna Gertude Bernard and Joseph E. Marriott. He graduated from Nevada City Union High School in 1935, and he earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of San Francisco in 1940. He went on to perform his graduate work at the University of California, Berkley. Richard Marriott's distinguished political career began in 1959 at a time when there was no district system in local politics. Starting in 1968, he began the first of two terms as mayor of Sacramento. In 1975, he was appointed by then-Governor, Jerry Brown, to the State Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. Four years later, the governor named him deputy secretary of the Health and Welfare Agency. He retired from public service in 1982. As a city councilman, Richard Marriott made a name for himself in championing the defense of organized labor. As mayor, he continued that pursuit. In addition to fighting for workers' rights, he served as editor and manager of the Valley Union Labor Bulletin. According to former mayor Phillip Isenberg, Mr. Marriott was the only modern mayor to come from organized labor. Among various other accolades, Richard Marriott was credited with establishing prevailing wage rates for plumbers and other craftsmen on the City Hall payroll. This helped to ensure they were paid equitably with their unionized counterparts in the private sector. In a time when the mayor's position was mainly a ceremonial job, Richard Marriott fought to extend the position's influence. He fought for his beliefs and worked to represent the citizens of Sacramento. His career was truly exemplary, and he stands out as one of Sacramento's finest public servants. Mr. Speaker, as Richard Marriott's friends and family gather for his memorial service, I am honored to pay tribute to a much admired and respected man of our community. He touched so many others with his conviction and dedication to his family and the city of Sacramento. I ask all of my colleagues to join with me in wishing Mr. Marriott's family our deepest condolences for their great loss.

Mr. MATSUI

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to John Jacobs. One of the most well known and respected political journalists in Northern California, Mr. Jacobs recently passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. His friends and family will gather for a memorial service on Thursday, June 15. I ask all my colleagues to join with me today in saluting John Jacobs. After attending Lowell High School in San Francisco, Mr. Jacobs graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UC Berkeley in 1972. He earned a master's degree in American history at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, in 1973 and a master's degree in Journalism at UC Berkeley in 1977. John Jacobs was recognized as a Knight Professional Journalism Fellow at Stanford University in 1984-1985 and a visiting scholar at Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies. It was there that he researched most of his book, ``A Rage for Justice,'' a biography of Phil Burton. At the beginning of his distinguished literary career, Mr. Jacobs spent a year as a general assignment reporter on the national desk for the Washington Post. He later made his mark writing for his hometown newspaper, the San Francisco Examiner. He wrote for the Examiner for 15 years before joining the Sacramento Bee in 1993 as a political editor. In his many years in journalism, John Jacobs worked tirelessly to generate public interest in politics. He helped to define politics in Northern California while defending American democracy. Despite his criticism of ideological politics in this deeply cynical age, his belief in our system shone through. He challenged us to examine the political system from a different perspective. In doing so, he celebrated politics in a time when few others did. John Jacobs maintained his perspective and generated his positive attitude through his love for his family. His wife (Carol Bydolf) and children (Max and Marguerite) contributed to his caring and generous personality. He refused to use his position to attack or belittle others. He will be remembered for his vigor, his optimism, and his hunger for knowledge in an arena that he truly adored. Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor for me to pay tribute to John Jacobs, a truly outstanding member of our community. Mr. Jacobs' columns have become a part of our lives in Sacramento and the Bay Area, and his presence in Northern California will be sincerely missed. I ask all of my colleagues to join with me in celebrating his accomplishments and extending our deepest condolences to his family.

Mr. MATSUI

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to join with Congressman Clay Shaw, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security, to introduce legislation regarding fees owed to attorneys who represent Social Security disability claimants. This bill would require the Social Security Administration to pay the attorney fees it owes in a timely fashion or else grant those attorneys an exemption from the administrative assessment that SSA charges in exchange for handling such fees. Under current law, when an attorney successfully represents a Social Security disability claimant and that claimant is entitled to past-due benefits, SSA retains a portion of those past-due benefits in order to pay the attorney for the services he or she provided. Specifically, SSA withholds and certifies for direct payment to the claimant's attorney an amount equal to the lesser of 25 percent of the past-due benefits or the fee that SSA had previously authorized the attorney to charge his or her client. (Fees authorized by SSA may not exceed 25 percent of past-due benefits or $4,000, whichever is lower). As a result of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Act of 1999 (P.L. 106-170), SSA is now required to impose an administrative assessment of 6.3 percent on all such fee payments to attorneys. Some maintain that this 6.3 percent assessment is necessary to cover the costs that SSA incurs in withholding and processing fee payments to attorneys. If this is indeed the case and the 6.3 percent assessment is simply compensation for services rendered, then it is not unreasonable to expect that SSA will process fee payments to attorneys in a timely fashion. The legislation we are introducing today simply seeks to put that reasonable expectation into law. H.R. xxxx would prohibit the Social Security Administration from charging an attorney the 6.3 percent assessment unless the agency certifies his or her fee for payment within 30 days of the award of past-due benefits to his or her client. Without this common-sense legislation, SSA would be permitted to charge the 6.3 percent assessment without regard to how long the agency takes to process attorneys' fee payments. As necessary as this legislation may be, it is not all that is required of this and future Congresses. We in Congress must also remain vigilant and ensure that the new administrative assessment imposed by the Work Incentives Improvement Act does not deter attorneys from representing disability claimants. Given the complexities of the disability determination process, if claimants are unable to secure professional legal representation, the results could be disastrous. Claimants without professional legal representation appear to be far less likely to receive the benefits to which they are entitled. For example, in 1998, 57.6 percent of claimants represented by an attorney, but only 35.7 percent of those without one, were awarded benefits at the hearing level. As mandated by the Work Incentives Improvement Act, the General Accounting Office will examine the impact of this new administrative assessment upon claimants' access to legal representation. If the GAO finds that the assessment does impair claimants' access, I fully expect that, consistent with the conference agreement on the Work Incentives Improvement Act, Congress will revisit this issue once more. In closing, I look forward to working with Chairman Shaw on this piece of legislation in the same bipartisan manner that characterized our successful efforts last fall on the Work Incentives Improvement Act and again this spring on the repeal of the Social Security retirement earnings test. With this sort of collaboration, I am certain that we can pass this bill as well, thereby creating incentives for SSA to improve its procedures for making payments to attorneys and ensuring that disability claimants have qualified and reliable attorneys to whom they can turn for assistance.

Mr. MATSUI

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to a truly outstanding citizen of Sacramento, Dr. Ronald Uzelac. On June 8, 2000, he will be retiring as Principal of Rio Americano High School in Sacramento, California. As his friends and co-workers gather to celebrate his retirement, I ask all my colleagues to join with me in saluting his remarkable career. Dr. Uzelac attended California State University, Sacramento, where he received his B.A. Degree and Teaching Credential. He continued his educational pursuits there and went on to receive a Master's Degree in Education and his Administrative Credential. Over the years, he has dedicated himself to educating today's youth. He has served as an Elementary Vice Principal, Elementary Principal, Junior High School Principal, and High School Principal. In these various educational posts, Dr. Uzelac has accumulated a vast collection of awards and citations. In 1983, he received the Administrator of the Year, Secondary Level by the Association of California School Administrators. He has been recognized with the ACSA Silver Star Award (Region 3) for leadership in developing a National Blue Ribbon School in March of 1996. In addition, he was the recipient of an Honorary Service Award Administrator of the Year from the San Juan PTA Council in April of 1996. The list of accolades for Dr. Uzelac's schools is as extensive as his personal awards. Some of these include the California Distinguished Schools Award in 1988, 1990, and 1994. Also, he received national recognition from the Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School in 1996. Further achievements include recognition as one of Redbook's ``American Best Schools'' in 1996. His was one of only five California schools recognized for overall excellence. In an effort to improve his schools, Dr. Uzelac has implemented programs to ensure their continued success. One such program is CIVITAS: a Political Studies Academy with restructured curriculum aligned with school-to-career emphasis. This has been in place since 1994. Over the years, Dr. Uzelac has been recognized by California State Senator Patrick Johnston, former California State Senator Leroy Greene, and myself for his tremendous leadership and dedication to the youth of Sacramento. He is a very valuable member of our community. Mr. Speaker, as Dr. Uzelac's friends and coworkers gather to celebrate his retirement, I am honored to pay tribute to one of Sacramento's most outstanding citizens. Dr. Uzelac's contributions to Sacramento and California have indeed been commendable. I ask all of my colleagues to join with me in wishing him and his family continued success in all their future endeavors.

Mr. MATSUI

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney).

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan).

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hill). (Mr. HILL of Indiana asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire of the Chair how much time each side has remaining.

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Maine (Mr. Allen).

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore). (Mr. MOORE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind). (Mr. KIND asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo).

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kleczka), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from the State of Washington (Mr. Inslee). (Mr. INSLEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps).

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Davis). (Mr. Davis of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes. First I would like to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), the ranking Democrat on the Committee on Ways and Means, for yielding to me and allowing me to manage this bill. I would like to commend the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Archer), the chairman of the committee, for bringing this bill up in an expeditious fashion. Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman from Texas has mentioned, this tax is a tax that should have been repealed years ago. It started in 1898 to actually pay for the Spanish-American war. It had been repealed and reinstated numerous times over those years, but the fact of the matter is this tax is a tax on telephone service communications between Americans. When it was first instituted in 1898, 102 years ago, there were, believe it or not, 1,356 telephones in America. It was clearly a luxury tax. It was a method that very wealthy people used to communicate with each other probably more as a novelty than as a real source of communication. The fact of the matter is today that 94 percent of the American public of 270 million people now use telephones. Now they pay a 3 percent tax. As we know, this tax hits across everybody, low-income people, moderate-income people, the rich; but everybody pays the same percentage. This is probably one of the most regressive taxes that the Federal Government has. It should be repealed, particularly in a time of surpluses. I might also mention that there is another aspect of this as well. As we know, we have numerous different modes of communication in America and throughout the world today. We have the Internet, we have cable modems and everything else. At this time the IRS and the Treasury Department is having a very difficult time on how to apply this tax. Some can use the Internet with cable modems to avoid the tax, and others who use the basic telephone service end up paying the tax. As we know, average low-income Americans are the ones that do not have access to the Internet. And so again this tax is even more regressive, given the fact that many Americans cannot afford the new technology that we have. This tax is currently at approximately over a 5-year period $20 billion. This is not just a small amount. This is a very large tax on American citizens. Mr. Speaker, this tax needs to be repealed. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this repeal effort.

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman) for his bipartisanship on the issue of the Federal excise tax repeal. I certainly appreciate his leadership and his effort. Of course, the majority and minority have worked very well on the issue of the excise tax repeal, and I appreciate that. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).

Mr. MATSUI

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), the dean of our Committee on Ways and Means. Mr. Speaker, I have to say that this is probably going to be the most important national security foreign policy vote that we will be taking in a number of years. I have to say that there are two most important relationships from a foreign policy point of view that the United States will have in the next 20 years. One is obviously the U.S.- Russian relationship, and the other is the U.S.-China relationship. China is 22 percent of the world population. One out of every five people on this Earth is Chinese. China will soon have a capacity in terms of its growth that will be second only to the United States. China will never be our friend, but this vote will determine whether or not we will be able to coexist with China, or whether China will become an enemy of the United States, so that we can have for the next 40 or 50 years another Cold War. What surprises me are the two issues that have been raised by the opponents. One is the economic issue, and the other is the human rights issue. I would like to address those. In terms of the economic issues, we are by far the most powerful economy in this world. We are second to none. We have the best educated workforce, we have the most talented workforce, we have the best R&D, we have the best higher education system, second to none. We should not fear anybody. We have an unemployment rate of under 4 percent, the lowest in decades, and as my colleagues know, we have a growth rate for the last 10 years, over 120 months that would be the envy of all other trading partners of the United States. Yet, many people are opposed to this. At the same time, believe it or not, the United States, under this agreement, under this bill, gives up nothing. Our tariffs do not go down to the Chinese products; we do not give them larger distribution markets. So why are they opposed to this, particularly when China's tariffs will go from 25 percent down to 9 percent for all U.S. goods; automobiles, 100 percent today, if we export into China will go down to 20 percent, but the UAW is opposed. The Teamsters Union would have hundreds and thousands of more jobs because more packages will go to China from U.S. products, but they are opposed as well. Mr. Speaker, this is an agreement in the interest of the American worker, and this is an agreement that will create more jobs, more growth, and more prosperity for America. Now, let me also talk about the issue of human rights. China's human rights record is terrible. We understand that. We, obviously, should put the focus on them, and we believe that the Levin-Bereuter bill, will, in fact, do that. But what is really interesting is that many of the Chinese dissidents that have the luxury of living in the United States are opposed to this. But those that live in China, the Chinese Democracy Movement, they want us to pass this, because they want to engage the United States. They think if they gain economic power, they will be able to opposes the central government of China. So we need to vote yes on this legislation for the future of our country and certainly, for prosperity and peace throughout the world. Mr. Speaker, I urge a yes vote on this bill.

Mr. MATSUI

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Chairman, I rise to extend my most sincere thanks to Chairman Wolf and the Ranking Member, Mr. Sabo, and the members of the committee, for their willingness to provide funding for Sacramento's transportation priorities contained in the Department of Transportation and related agencies appropriations bill for fiscal year 2001. Funding in this legislation will allow Sacramento to make significant advancements on projects that are urgently needed to address the population growth and transportation inadequacies confronting the region. Specifically, I am grateful for $35.2 million for the Sacramento light rail extension project and the $2 million allocation for the Sacramento compressed natural gas bus and bus facilities program. Both projects are needed to assist efforts to ease traffic congestion and provide efficient, affordable, and environmentally sound modes of transportation to our region. I also thank the committee for the $2.75 million in funds for Sacramento Transportation Intelligent Transportation Systems allocated between the city and County of Sacramento. The Regional ITS Program will maximize efficiency of existing infrastructure and rolling stock through improved system information gathering capabilities, coordinated facilities operations, and facilities maintenance by employing new technologies. Local agencies have committed $4.3 million to this program. The Regional ITS Program is composed of the Smart Corridor projects on the Sunrise/Greenback and Watt Avenue Corridors, the Transit Management Center Project for Sacramento Regional Transit, and the North and West Lake Tahoe Traffic Management Project, assisting Placer County in implementing traveler information systems in North Tahoe/Truckee. Finally, I also thank the committee's willingness to provide a $1 million earmark under the Access to Jobs Program to enhance regional funding for the Sacramento Regional Employment Access Transit Project. Several communities in the Sacramento region still suffer from double- digit unemployment and low income, high unemployment areas are geographically distant from job centers, and traditional transit service hours often do not correspond with available jobs. Sacramento transit operators will use funding to successfully implement a program serving a significant portion of the region's high unemployment areas, giving job opportunities to the unemployed and providing a dedicated employment pool to area businesses. Additional Federal funding is needed this year to continue and enhance the Employment Access Transit Project and fill Sacramento's transportation gaps. Again, on behalf of the Sacramento community, I thank the committee for its recognition of these transportation priorities so vital to the stability and growth of our region.

Mr. MATSUI

Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) for yielding me this time. There are a number of Members here in this room in the House today that have played a significant role. Obviously, the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jefferson) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott), but two people should be really singled out for their outstanding role and their tenaciousness and their leadership in making sure this bill came to the floor of the House and soon to be sent to the President, and that is the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Trade of the Committee on Ways and Means, and certainly my leader on the Democratic side, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel). Without their singular leadership and without their inspiration in terms of sub-Saharan Africa, we would not have this bill before us today. Mr. Speaker, I am going to be very brief. I just want to make a couple of observations. One, there is 600 million people in 48 countries in sub- Saharan Africa. This is one of the areas of the world in which we have so much poverty, so much disease, AIDS; and we need to do much as a Nation, as people of the world to help these 600 million people to become consumers of the world as well as people that are living in poverty. Just 3 weeks ago, there were many people, thousands of people that were at the steps of the Capitol demonstrating against the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. They were saying that we should give debt relief; we should actually help these 600 million people and other people that live in poverty throughout the world. The way to do that is to pass this legislation, to make sure that we give these 600 million people a marketplace-based type economy, so that over time they are going to want to get up like we get up as American citizens and say we want to work to earn a workable wage. So the way to do that is to pass this bill. Those that refuse to look at this really are not sincere when they go to the steps of the Capitol and talk about debt relief. Handouts internationally do not work. It is creating a marketplace economy to give people an opportunity and a vision to be part of the world economy as we know it today. So I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), and I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane).