John McHugh

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on S. 1378.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1378) to extend the authorization of use of official mail in the location and recovery of missing children, and for other purposes.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Senate bill 1378 was passed by the Senate on November 5, 1997. It was referred jointly to the Committee on House Oversight and the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. Mr. Speaker, this legislation extends the authorization for use of official mail in the location and recovery of missing children through December 31, 2002. Authorization was initially approved on August 9, 1985, and extended in October of 1992. This authorization will expire at the end of this year. Mr. Speaker, the legislation enables Members of Congress to mail a photo and description of missing children that are provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in their franked mail to raise public awareness in an effort to locate these children. Currently, Mr. Speaker, some 20 Members use this authority regularly to mail those types of materials. There is, Mr. Speaker, understandably great national concern regarding the growing problem of missing children. It is indeed one of the greatest fears for parents throughout this Nation. Because of this concern, a Missing Children's Caucus was organized earlier this year in the House. Mr. Speaker, the extension of authority of use of official mail in the location and recovery of missing children is a very meritorious program, and would I urge our colleagues to support this legislation thereby extending the current program through the year 2002. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am, indeed, the only speaker on our side. So let me very briefly, in closing, extend my deepest appreciation to the ranking member, the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fattah]. In these times of difficulty in the House and in the Senate, when we are working toward a close of the session, we far too often dwell upon those things that perhaps take us apart. And in this effort, we see something that, as the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fattah] has stated so eloquently, brings us together. And I thank my colleague for his efforts and for that side of the aisle very helpful assistance in bringing this bill to the floor. I would urge all of our colleagues to support this very, very worthy program through this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Speaker be authorized to designate a time not later than the legislative day of November 14, 1997, for resumption of proceedings on the seven remaining motions to suspend the rules originally debated on September 29, 1997.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I would just add to my friend, the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Conyers], he asked why have we not had any hearings, and I think that is an appropriate point. I would suggest to him that this arose very quickly because very quickly the Immigration and Naturalization Service came to us in my office and said, ``By the way you will be the lucky recipient of a test program.'' We felt that that had not had hearings. That indeed had not been an issue discussed, and I would suggest to the gentleman that the entire point behind delaying the implementation of this bill for years was to provide the gentleman and the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Smith] and others who have a direct and very understandable interest in this with the opportunity to have the hearings, and therefore I believe we should support this for the very reasons he stated.

Mr. McHUGH. The gentleman made mention of treating the two borders differently and I think that is an important fact. It is my understanding that this bill treats both borders equally, that the delay applies equally to both borders. So I would suggest to the gentleman that is not an issue in this particular context.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the unanimous consent request, and I yield to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Solomon].

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, I am informed that the unanimous-consent request had already been agreed to and I was reading the text of that into the Record.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the legislation before us, H.R. 2544, designates the United States Post Office located at 450 North Centre Street in Pottsville, PA, as the Peter J. McCloskey Postal Facility. The bill was introduced by the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Holden] and cosponsored by the House delegation of the State of Pennsylvania in its entirety, in accordance with the policy of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. Peter McCloskey, a native of Pennsylvania, joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1944. In 1967, he was selected to join the Post Office Department as acting postmaster of the City of Pottsville, and then was reappointed postmaster. During his 23 years as postmaster, Mr. McCloskey has seen 30 of the employees that he has supervised become postmasters. He has been an active member of the Pottsville community for more than 60 years. Madam Speaker, the Congressional Budget Office has commented that this bill contained no intergovernmental or private sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandated Reform Act of 1975, and would impose no costs on State, local, or tribal governments. Madam Speaker, on four occasions previously today, we have honored truly deserving gentlemen. I think this one is especially appropriate because it is an opportunity to recognize the Postal Service's own, a gentleman who worked his literal entire adult career in the Postal Service in service to that great cause. I think for that reason, particularly, this is a very, very fitting tribute for a man who stands out, but probably is best recognized for the kind of dedication to the service that so typifies the over 800,000 postal employees who each and every day go out and make sure that all of us in this Nation receive our mail in a timely fashion. So I would commend the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Holden] and thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fattah] for helping to bring this bill to the floor to pay tribute to a gentleman who represents all of the good and positive things that the Postal Service has stood for for more than 200 years in this Nation. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2564) to designate the U.S. Post Office located at 450 North Centre Street in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, as the ``Peter J. McCloskey Postal Facility''.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, let me first acknowledge and express my appreciation to the ranking member, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, as always for his leadership and his assistance in this and all matters involving the subcommittee. I deeply appreciate his support and his hard work. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Coble] for some comments about a friend and colleague.

Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 681 was introduced by the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hyde]. As has been noted, the legislation designates the U.S. Post Office building located at 313 East Broadway in Glendale, CA, as the Carlos J. Moorhead Post Office Building and honors a colleague with whom many of us in this body were very familiar. Madam Speaker, though the sponsor of the bill, Mr. Hyde, is from Illinois, the measure did receive, as required by the committee rules, the support of the entire House delegation from the State of California, where the office is located, and many other friends and colleagues of Mr. Moorhead. Madam Speaker, Mr. Moorhead, as we all know, represented and served in this body with distinction from 1972 until he retired in 1997. Mr. Moorhead was a member of the Committee on the Judiciary and then became chairman of the Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property. He is a native Californian, having been born in Long Beach and attending public school in Glendale, receiving a B.A. from UCLA and a J.D. from the University of Southern California School of Law in Los Angeles. Former Representive Moorhead is a veteran of World War II and a retired judge advocate lieutenant colonel. Madam Speaker, I have a longer statement that I will submit for the Record. I will end my comments at this time by saying I am very pleased that the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hyde] has acted to honor a dear friend and a very distinguished colleague, Congressman Moorhead. Those of us who had the opportunity and the privilege of serving with him knew him as a hard-working legislator, an honorable man and a good friend. I think this is the kind of tribute that this House makes that is so appropriate and so fitting. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 681) to designate the U.S. Post Office building located at 313 East Broadway in Glendale, CA, as the ``Carlos J. Moorhead Post Office Building.''

Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and, with a final urging to my colleagues to support this very worthwhile legislation for a very distinguished colleague, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 282, the bill designating the U.S. Post Office Building located at 153 East 110th Street, New York, NY, as the Oscar Garcia Rivera Post Office Building, was introduced by the gentleman from New York [Mr. Serrano] and cosponsored by the entire House delegation of the State of New York in accordance with the policy of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. This legislation honors the first Puerto Rican elected to public office in the continental United States. Having been born in Puerto Rico, Mr. Rivera came to New York. After graduating from high school, he worked at the post office and city hall while pursuing his further studies. He was instrumental in organizing and establishing the Association of Puerto Rican and Hispanic Employees within the Post Office Department. Mr. Rivera received his law degree from St. John's University in New York in 1930 and was elected as a State assemblyman in New York in 1937 and served until 1940. He returned to his hometown of Mayaguez, PR, where he continued to be known for his commitment to protecting the rights of manual laborers, and remained a role model and a community leader. He died in Mayaguez in 1969. Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to support H.R. 282 to designate the U.S. Post Office building located at 153 East 110th Street, New York, NY as the ``Oscar Garcia Rivera Post Office Building'' which has twice been approved by the House. The Congressional Budget Office has determined that enacting H.R. 282 would not affect direct spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply, nor does it contain any intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995, Public Law 104-4, and would impose no costs on the budgets of State, local, or tribal governments. Mr. Speaker, I would at this time like to commend the gentleman from New York [Mr. Serrano], for his initiative on this bill. Under any circumstances, Mr. Rivera would represent a totally worthy recipient of this particular honor, but given the odds that he overcame, the ground that he broke, I think this is a particularly fitting tribute, and I am honored and proud to be a part of this. I also would like to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fattah] for his invaluable assistance in helping this bill to come to the floor in a timely manner. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Serrano], the prime sponsor of this bill.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Again, Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from New York [Mr. Serrano] for his hard work on this bill to honor a gentleman who obviously is a very, very fitting recipient of this kind of honor. I urge all of my colleagues to join with the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fattah] and the gentleman from New York [Mr. Serrano] and myself in supporting this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 2013 was sponsored by our colleague, the gentleman from Rhode Island [Mr. Weygand], and cosponsored by the Rhode Island House delegation, according to the policy rules of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. The legislation designates the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 551 Kingstown Road in South Kingstown, RI, as the ``David B. Champagne Post Office Building.'' The bill recognizes the valiant efforts of David Champagne, a 19-year-old marine who lost his life in the Korean conflict. Mr. Champagne was born in Wakefield, RI, and entered the military soon after completing high school. Corporal Champagne was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Eisenhower for his gallantry above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. Corporal Champagne skillfully led his first fire team through intense enemy machine gun and grenade fire in spite of a severe leg wound. An enemy grenade landed in the midst of the fire team, and Corporal Champagne hurled it in the direction of the enemy. His hand was blown off in this endeavor and he was hurtled out of the trench. He succumbed to his injuries, but not before he saved the lives of his fellow marines. Madam Speaker, I urge our colleagues to support H.R. 2013, designating the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 551 Kingstown Road in South Kingstown, RI, as the ``David B. Champagne Post Office Building''. Additionally, Madam Speaker, the Congressional Budget Office has notified the committee that the legislation contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 and would impose no costs on State, local, or tribal governments. Madam Speaker, I think the recipients of these designations today have all been very, very worthy gentlemen, but I have to say in all candor that few displayed the sense of courage and sense of dedication and love of country as did the gentleman that we are seeking to honor here today. He is truly an epitome of the American spirit, and we all, as a Congress and as a Nation, are in his debt. I want to commend the gentleman from Rhode Island [Mr. Weygand] and the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fattah] for working together on their side to bring this bill to the floor to honor a very, very worthy American and very, very worthy individual. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, let me just associate myself, if I may, with the very eloquent words of the last speaker, and urge all of my colleagues to join us in supporting what is a very worthy tribute to a more than deserving young man.

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

Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2013) to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 551 Kingston Road in South Kingstown, RI, as the ``David B. Champagne Post Office Building.''

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 282, the bill just passed.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2129) to designate the U.S. Post Office located at 150 North 3d Street in Steubenville, OH, as the ``Douglas Applegate Post Office.''