John McHugh

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1298) to designate a Federal building located in Florence, Alabama, as the ``Justice John McKinley Federal Building''.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this measure.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, with a final word of praise to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Wynn) and great thanks to him, I urge all our colleagues to support this, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fox).

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 4516, Mr. Speaker, was introduced by our distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Wynn), on August 6 of this year. The legislation is cosponsored by the entire House delegation of the great State of Maryland, as is pursuant to the policy of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. This bill does indeed designate the United States Postal Service Building located at 11550 Livingston Road in Oxon Hill, Maryland, as the Jacob Joseph Chestnut Post Office Building. Mr. Speaker, in July of this year the entire Congress, indeed, the entire Nation, was stunned by the sudden and senseless random killing of two of our own Capitol Hill Police, Officer Jacob Joseph Chestnut and Detective John Michael Gibson. These brave men laid down their lives in defense of this building, in defense of all this building stands for and, of course, in the line of duty for the protection of these hallowed halls and the people who work and visit them. I want to thank and commend the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Wynn), whom I have had a chance as recently as today to talk about this measure with, for introducing this bill honoring this true American hero. The naming of the post office in Oxon Hill, Maryland, will enable family and friends and neighbors of Mr. Chestnut to continue to remember him in a very special way. I am sure we all heard the eulogies that were offered to both of these brave men as their bodies lay in state in the Capitol. We heard the beautiful words expressed by his daughter, Officer Chestnut's daughter, as she spoke of her beloved father, and we felt the love that Officer Chestnut had for his family, his friends, his community and, perhaps most of all, his country. His career was a storied one. He served 20 years as a member of the Military Police in the United States Air Force, and he served on the Capitol Police Force for 17 years doing his duty. He was just 2 years away from retirement. The gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek) spoke earlier about local heroes, community heroes. I think John Jacob Chestnut was all of that. I know he was a hero to his family, but we have here as well someone who, as he was just doing his duty, I am sure, in his eyes, was thrust into the light and into the glare of being a national hero. We have named dozens of these facilities in the last several years, Mr. Speaker, but I honestly can tell the Members I do not think we have ever named one more appropriately than the one we seek today to name after the hero, John Jacob Chestnut. I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Wynn) particularly for his efforts in bringing this to the floor today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 4516.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4516) to designate the United States Postal Service building located at 11550 Livingston Road, in Oxon Hill, Maryland, as the ``Jacob Joseph Chestnut Post Office Building''.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek), as I knew very well she would, highlighted the many admirable achievements of these individuals from Florida. As she so eloquently stated, I would say in closing, in deriving from her experience on the committee, while often post offices or Postal Service buildings are named for individuals known to us all, for me as chairman the very special time is the opportunity that this provides us to recognize, as she put it so well, heroes in their local communities. We have at this moment five just such individuals. I would urge all colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4052 as introduced by our distinguished colleague, the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek), the legislation was introduced on June 11 of 1998, and all members of the Florida delegation are original cosponsors of this legislation, as required under the committee rules. The bill establishes designations for United States Postal Service buildings located in Coconut Grove, Opa Locka, Carol City and Miami, Florida. Section 1 designates the United States Postal Service building located at 3191 Grand Avenue in Coconut Grove, Florida, to be known as the William R. ``Billy'' Rolle Post Office Building. Section 2 designates the facility at 550 Fisherman Street in Opa Locka, Florida, to be known as the Helen Miller Post Office Building. Section 3 designates the United States Post Office building located at 18690 Northwest 37th Avenue in Carol City, Florida, be known as the Esse Silva Post Office Building. Section 4 designates the United States Postal Service building at 500 Northwest Second Avenue in Miami, Florida, be known as the Athalie Range Post Office Building, while section 5 designates the facility at 995 Northwest 119th Street, Miami, Florida be known as the Garth Reeves, Sr., Post Office Building. Mr. Speaker, I would say that in keeping with the tradition of the Subcommittee on Postal Service, the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek) has taken yet another step in advancing five very distinguished Americans who distinguish themselves and their communities for their hard work. This is a bit of an unusual approach to have five designations in a single bill, but I think it is a testament to the frugality and the wisdom of the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek), a former member of the Subcommittee on Postal Service, a very valuable member and a lady who we miss dearly, but we know continues to be interested in these. I recognize that the gentlewoman has much to say about each one of these individuals. I would only note that having reviewed the record of each one of these fine designees, I could not more highly recommend them for these designations. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill under consideration.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 4616.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4616) to designate the United States Post Office located at 3813 Main Street in East Chicago, Indiana, as the ``Corporal Harold Gomez Post Office''.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we have before us, first in this bill and then in another similar proposal that I know will follow, really two distinct stories, two stories of two fine individuals but nevertheless two who share a great deal. They share, it seems to me, the history of contributions and the history of sacrifices and helping to make this country the great place that it is. This first bill has been introduced by our distinguished colleague from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky), and was introduced on August 23d of this year. This legislation has the support of each member of the House delegation from the State of Indiana which is pursuant to the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight rules, and it designates the United States Post Office located at 3813 Main Street in East Chicago, Indiana, as the Corporal Harold Gomez Post Office. Mr. Gomez was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfredo Gomez. He was born in 1946 in East Chicago, Indiana. After graduating from high school, he worked for a summer at Inland Steel Company and then, like many young men and young women of his age, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1965. In March of the following year, 1966, he was sent to Vietnam which followed his basic infantry training in San Diego, California. Corporal Gomez was a fire team leader in a rife company of the Third Marine Division when in 1967 he was killed by a land mine explosion in South Vietnam. A look, however brief, at the numerous awards and medals and recognition that this fine young man received during his military career shows, I think, what an extraordinary individual he was: The Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Presidential Unit Citation, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the RVN Military Merit Medal and on and on and on. Truly, Mr. Speaker, this effort to memorialize the contributions and the sacrifices of this great individual I think is a very worth one and certainly one that I think embodies the kind of positive effort that we have a history of in this House of naming these very important Federal facilities after such deserving individuals. I know that the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and perhaps others would like to make comments as well. At this time I would with a word of urging of support of fellow Members of this House, Mr. Speaker, reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, with a final urging of support for the gentleman from Indiana in this very worthy measure and thanking the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and his staff for their efforts and cooperation, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2348) to redesignate the Federal building located at 701 South Santa Fe Avenue in Compton, California, and known as the Compton Main Post Office, as the ``Mervyn Dymally Post Office Building''.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on this measure.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As I alluded to in my opening remarks on the previous bill, we indeed have here a very different but equally important story about the expansion and about the growth of this great country and its path to become the longest-lived democracy in the history of the world. This bill, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2348, was introduced by our distinguished colleague the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender- McDonald) on July 31, 1997. There have been 86 Members who cosponsored this legislation which even when you consider that 51 are as required under House committee rules from the State of California, it is an extraordinary number to find on this kind of proposal. I think that fact in and of itself reflects very highly both on the sponsor who has made the great effort to bring together so many in support of this measure but also obviously is a statement on the achievements and the worthiness of the recipient. This legislation designates the Federal building located at 701 South Santa Fe Avenue in Compton, California, presently known as the Compton Main Post Office, as the Mervyn Dymally Post Office Building. Like so many Americans before him, Mervyn Dymally was born not directly in the United States but rather in Cedros, Trinidad, British West Indies. After he attended government school there and graduating from secondary school in San Fernando, Trinidad, he came to the United States like so many before him to study at the Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. After completing his education, including earning his doctorate in 1969 from United States International University, he then began a career of distinguished public service. He became a California State Assemblyman from 1963 to 1966, then became a California State Senator from 1967 to 1975, and then Lieutenant Governor of the great State of California from 1975 to 1979. To those in this body, though, he is probably best remembered as a Member of the 97th Congress where he served for five succeeding terms. He was a member indeed of the then Committee on Post Office and Civil Service. Presently our former colleague resides in Los Angeles. As I said, Mr. Speaker, this is a story of America. It is a story of what makes this country great. In this nominee and in this gentleman, I think we have an extraordinarily worthy individual, one again that I commend our colleague from California for bringing to our attention and thank her and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the others on the subcommittee for their efforts in bringing this to the floor today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me return the fine and very gracious compliment of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis). I, too, thoroughly enjoyed working with him and with his colleagues on the minority side, but also I think it really speaks well of our colleagues on both sides. It has been a pleasure, and, with the vagaries of democracy aside, I am looking forward perhaps to working with him in the future. So with that, Mr. Speaker, and a final word of praise to the gentlewoman from California who sponsored this very worthy measure, I would urge our colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise in strong support of this conference report for national defense, particularly as it relates to the provisions authorizing the morale, welfare, and recreation activities of the department. Before I do that, I want to add my words of thanks and praise to both the chairman, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spence), and the ranking member, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), for their cooperative effort and bipartisanship, and as we have heard time and time again, for the great job they do. They serve as an example to all of us. Also I want to thank the members of the MWR panel and its ranking member, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan) for his constructive and bipartisan support. Our biggest challenge was the protection and enhancement of the resale system, the commissaries and exchanges that provide low-cost groceries and other essential items for servicemembers, their families and retirees wherever they serve around the world. These programs have been under scrutiny recently by those who question the value of that system. In order to find out how important the system is to the military life, the MWR panel held a lengthy and I think we can say balanced hearing on the benefit. And from the standpoint of the military, from the top ranks to the lowest, the view was unanimous and clear. Commissaries and exchanges are a great and invaluable benefit to the men and women in uniform. For that reason, the House has included several provisions that strengthen the resale system and the quality of life for our soldiers and their families. For example, we were concerned that the pressures on service budgets would lead to the degradation of commissary funding and this bill takes strong action to protect those funds. Given the President's recent admission that the military is indeed underfunded in the fiscal year 1999 and beyond, these measures are even of greater importance, and I am pleased that they were included in this report. Mr. Speaker, I want to highlight one other provision. Other Members, indeed all Americans, appreciate the dedication of the members of the Reserve and National Guard. They are often called to duty on short notice, whether they be deployed to Bosnia or to help to clean up after some national disaster. I believe, and my colleagues on the conference committee have agreed, that it is time to increase those privileges. We have done that in this bill. It is a great bill and a great step and I thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Chairman Spence) for allowing me this time.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 4003, the bill under consideration.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing, I could not add to the very eloquent statement of the ranking member. We indeed all need a Max Weiner in our lives. Although we are not obviously in a position to enjoy the guidance and the light that he shed during his very, very illustrious career, we can perhaps through this naming inscribe his name above the pillars of the Postal Service and remind us all of the good things that he did in his life. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah). Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it may seem somewhat anticlimactic, because this bill is, at least in form, if not identical very similar to the one we just considered. But the individual we seek to honor is truly unique, and once again, as I said, the gentleman from Pennsylvania is to be thanked for his leadership, for his careful consideration of the nominee of Max Weiner for the designation of this particular postal facility at the address of 2037 Chestnut Street in the great city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And, again, as a matter of record, pursuant to the committee rules, this bill enjoys the sponsorship of the entire delegation from the State of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Weiner was truly, by everything that I have seen, a tremendously energetic worker for consumer rights and for consumer protection. He fought hard, so very hard, for literally thousands of Pennsylvanians who might otherwise have found themselves in so many difficult, challenging positions and situations: The loss of their homes, the loss of heat during the extraordinarily cold weather that can sometimes visit those of us who feel lucky enough to live in the northeast. He fought to protect the privacy of the underprivileged and for greater access for them to the mass transit system. And in his endeavors he did much else as well, Mr. Speaker. He was the founder of the Consumers Education and Protective Association and the Independent Consumer Party. In short, Mr. Speaker, just time and time again the sort of individual who remained in their community, who fought hard, who worked hard not for power or glory, certainly not for money, but because, simply, they cared about their communities, but most of all cared about their neighbors and wished to make their lives a little better today than yesterday and, hopefully, their live a little better tomorrow than it was today. Again, I will yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania who has brought this bill to us, and with that I would thank him for his leadership and urge all of my colleagues once again, please, to support this very worthy nomination. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing, let me first of all respond to the gentleman from Pennsylvania on his very gracious remarks. I have always viewed this postal subcommittee as a challenge, not as a burden. Perhaps it could have been a burden had we not had such, I think, admirable cooperation on both sides of the aisle, a recognition I think most prominently displayed by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah) that this is a very important system, one, as he said, that really does bind our Nation together. And we all recognize that this is the kind of activity that deserves our concerted attention and our concerted care, and he has been a leader in ensuring that. I deeply appreciate the opportunity to continue to work with him and thank him for his cooperation, his input, his leadership and his comments. I would also say, with respect to this particular bill, that we have had the opportunity, and I would argue or certainly assert, the honor to do a fair number of these this year, and I can never recall a single word of opposition to any of them. I say that not because these are automatic or that the naming process is simplistic, but rather that Members think very carefully before they bring to the floor and work on behalf of a particular nominee being designated with this naming honor. And certainly today that is shown again in this bill designating the postal facility in the honor of Freeman Hankins, and I will again say for the bill that follows as well. So we owe our thanks to the gentleman from Pennsylvania for once again bringing to us a very worthy individual and one that, I think, is fully deserving of this particular honor. And, again, in, closing, I would proudly join with the gentleman in urging all my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4002 was introduced on June 5 of this year by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), our distinguished colleague who serves as the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Postal Service. Pursuant to the rules of the full committee, this bill enjoys the sponsorship of the entire delegation from the great State of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the distinguished gentleman for his leadership on this issue, for bringing forward not just this particular renaming, but one that will soon follow. In doing this, I think that the gentleman that has once again upheld the tradition that has been established both in this Congress and in previous Congresses in relegating to those very worthy individuals the honor of having a postal facility named after them. Certainly, Mr. Hankins is, indeed, a prime example of the kind of individual that has really come to be synonymous with making this country what it has been and what we all hope it will remain to be, the greatest and longest-lived democracy on the face of the Earth. He was perhaps best known for his service in the Pennsylvania State legislature, first as a Member of the House of Representatives, beginning in 1961, and then as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate in 1967, where he served until his retirement in 1989. During those nearly three decades of service, this gentleman compiled a record that did for his community the kinds of things that all good Americans look to their government for. He did, perhaps most of all, carry forward the legislation in his State to designate Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday as a State holiday. Over, as I said, the nearly three decades, he received numerous awards, served on so many different boards in service to that State, such as the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, the Pennsylvania Minority Business Development Agency, Lincoln University, and on and on and on. I know, Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah) will have much more to say about the particulars of this individual's achievements, and I do not want to preempt his opportunity. So let me just say that my colleague has done a service to this House, in my opinion, by bringing forward the name of Mr. Freeman Hankins for designation of this post office building, and I am honored to join with him in urging all of our colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.