John McHugh

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 the bill, H.R. 2799.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield three minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg).

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, with a final thanks to my friend, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), and the staff who worked on this, I would urge my colleagues all to join in supporting this very worthy piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield three minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp). (Mr. CAMP asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me return the kind words of the ranking member. It has been on these bills, as well as all business before the subcommittee, my honor and pleasure to work with the gentleman and the members of the minority side. They come to this subcommittee with only the best of intentions, and I do think it makes for, perhaps not unique, but certainly a very enjoyable experience that is reflected in these three bills. Mr. Speaker, I yield three minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), the main sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3808, a bill to designate the United States Post Office located at 47526 Clipper Drive in Plymouth, Michigan, was introduced by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) on May 7, 1998, and was originally cosponsored by the entire Michigan State delegation which is pursuant to full committee policy. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is unanimously amended by the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight to correct the address to 47526 Clipper, creating the deletion of the word Drive pursuant to information that was received from the Postal Service. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3808 represents a former Member of this body, Representative Carl D. Pursell, who was elected to the 95th Congress and was reelected to represent the Second Congressional District of Michigan for seven succeeding terms from 1977 through 1992. Born in Imlay City, Michigan, in his home State, after receiving his bachelor's degree from Eastern Michigan University he served in the United States Army for 2 years and then earned his master's degree. He then went on to a long and distinguished career in public service and, as I have mentioned already, coming to this House for an equally distinguished term. Currently, Mr. Pursell resides in Plymouth, Michigan, where he has been for his entire life; and I think most importantly, Mr. Speaker, he and the contributions that he has made to his community, to his State and, ultimately, to his Nation compile the kind of record that I think certainly merits this kind of designation. We do have several Members here today from the Michigan State delegation to whom I will eventually yield time. I know we will have more particular comments upon this man and his life and his service, and we are all looking forward to that. But, for the moment, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Horn).

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3630) to redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 9719 Candelaria Road NE. in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the ``Steven Schiff Post Office,'' as amended.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2799, a bill that redesignates the building of the United States Postal Service located at 324 South Laramie Street in Chicago, Illinois, as the Reverend Milton R. Brunson Post Office Building, was also introduced by our distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) on November 4, 1997, and cosponsored by each member of the Illinois delegation, which is pursuant to the policy of the full committee. Once again, as with H.R. 2798, Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) reminds us all that it is not just appropriate but in many ways the duty of this House to recognize people who make a difference in the lives of people and make a difference in the quality of life and fortunes of their community. Indeed, H.R. 2799 honors such a man. Mr. Milton R. Brunson was the founder of the Thompson Community Singers and guided them for 48 years. These singers indeed became well known around the world for gospel music. In fact, in 1995, Mr. Brunson and the Choir won a Grammy Award for the song entitled ``Through God's Eyes.'' He used the voice of his gospel not just to bring the word of God, although that is certainly the most important outcome of that type of activity, but, as well, to provide positive role models for others to help them to become productive citizens. In fact, many of the members of the Thompson Community Singers have become lawyers and judges and teachers and doctors. So through this gentleman's work he made a difference not only in the lives of those who he touched but the lives that those good people went on to touch after him. Here again, as with the previous bill, I want to extend my appreciation particularly to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for reminding us that this House can indeed, through these kinds of honors, recognize truly extraordinary people. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I echo the words of the ranking member when he praises the staff, Heea Vazirani-Fales, Robert Taub, and others who have worked so hard, as the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah) suggested, to really bring these very worthy initiatives to the floor. I appreciate their support and their effort. Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my 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. 2798.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2798 was introduced by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), our distinguished colleague, who, indeed, serves on the Subcommittee on the Postal Service of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. The legislation was introduced November 4, 1997, and enjoys the cosponsorship of the entire House delegation from that State as pursuant to the policy of the full committee. H.R. 2798 redesignates the building of the United States Postal Service located at 2419 West Monroe Street in Chicago, Illinois, as the Nancy B. Jefferson Post Office Building. Mr. Speaker, I know that the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is here, and I certainly look forward to his comments, and I am sure he will detail what is a very interesting and, I think, a very admirable life. But I would simply note that many times when we come to the floor of this House to extend this honor, the bills are brought on behalf of individuals who are known to their communities but often on a more wide basis as well. The first two examples today, fully meritorious, of course, but did provide the opportunity to honor two gentlemen who, through their really unselfish actions in this House, were known way beyond the borders of their home communities. We have before us today in these last two bills the opportunity to honor people who, perhaps, were not known over a wide geographic area but who made remarkable impacts in their communities, people who I think really do embody the spirit of this great country and tell the tale in many ways about how America has become the greatest democracy that the world has ever known. Nancy Jefferson was a community organizer, one who is affectionately known as the Mother of the West Side. She led the fight to ensure equal rights for all people, the disabled, welfare recipients, single parents, the widowed, and the poor. As I know we will hear, she acted from the time she overcame rather impressive obstacles as a young girl to her later years in public service some amazing challenges to be, in the lives of many, an inspiration and truly the kind of person, I think, that this House can be proud in bestowing the honor of a postal naming upon. I have a great deal of pride and I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for allowing us to share in this moment. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. We thank our friend, the gentleman from Maryland, for those very thoughtful remarks. At this time, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida, the Honorable Louis Frey, Jr., who is the president of our association.

Mr. McHUGH. Thank you very much, Lou. I would like to begin by seconding what Jim Slattery and others have said about Lou's extraordinary leadership over the last 2 years. As an officer who has served with him, I can attest that he has done an enormous job of bringing energy and broadening the programs of our association, which you have heard a great deal about already and will hear more. That is a reflection in large measure of Lou's leadership. One of the programs that we have been developing over the past year would periodically bring together legislators from the Congress, the German Bundestag and the Japanese Diet. Given the importance of these three countries, which account for almost half the world's GNP, we think that more dialogue involving the three groups of parliamentarians together would be constructive. We initially explored this idea with members of our congressional study groups on Germany and Japan; and as you know, these two study groups have been conducting bilateral meetings for some time, and those meetings will continue in any case. They expressed an interest in these proposed trilateral sessions and so, after an initial planning session, we convened our first group meeting of the three parliamentarian groups earlier this month in West Virginia. It was hosted by the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Bob Wise) in whose district the meeting was held. Representatives from all three parliaments actively participated, as did representatives of our State Department and the German and Japanese embassies. Members of our association also participated, in most cases chairing the panels which took place during the program. The subjects that we covered in these sessions reflected some of the common interests and challenges that all three of our countries face. One session, for example, covered international economic issues, including trade relations and the current crisis in East Asia. A second session focused on the security issues common to us all, such as the different security arrangements that have been developed in Europe and Asia. The expansion of NATO and the emergence of China as a power in Asia were among the topics we discussed. A third session dealt with environmental concerns, with significant time being spent on the Kyoto Conference and what action should or should not be taken to address the global warming question. Another session considered some of the contrasting political dynamics in each country, such as the role of party discipline in the legislative process and the way in which political campaigns are financed in each of our countries. A final session considered whether these tripartite meetings should be continued and, if so, how they might best be structured in the future. I think there was general agreement that the meetings are useful, but to be successful over time we have to identify a core group of parliamentarians who will assume continuing responsibility for the conferences, and that is a critical matter which will be pursued in each of the capitals over the next few months. The tentative conclusion was that we would hold another conference next year, probably in Germany or Japan. In the meantime, the association will continue to work with the existing study groups on Germany and Japan, and subject to funding, will pursue our supportive role in putting together that second conference in 1999. Thank you, Mr. President.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues of an important anniversary. Last week marked the 23rd anniversary of the fall of South Vietnam to Communism and the end of the Vietnam War. I was reminded of this date by a newspaper column written by the Army's 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum, New York, Commander, Major General Lawson W. Magruder III. He marked the occasion by sharing his personal reflections on his time and service in Vietnam. I would like to share his column with our colleagues so that we may also remember the brave men and women who served this country in Vietnam. [From the Fort Drum Sentinel, Apr. 30, 1998] (By Maj. Gen. Lawson W. Magruder III) April 30 marks the 23rd anniversary of the fall of South Vietnam to Communism and the end of the Vietnam War. For this reason, April has always been a month of reflection about what the Vietnam War meant to me. It is a time for me to recall the lesson I learned over 27 years ago when I returned from Vietnam. I'd like to share some thoughts with you: My last day in Vietnam evoked many emotions as I waited for the big ``freedom bird'' to wing me back to Texas and a reunion with my wife, Gloria, and 15-month old daughter, Shannon. It was a day filled with sadness, anticipation, relief, hope, excitement, and pride. Sadness over the soldiers I had led and grown to love in a special way who were never to return to their families; anticipation over my future and the future of our Army as we both transitioned to a period of peace; relief that my separation from my loved ones had gone without serious injury or illness; hope that our lives would quickly return to normal and that our nation would soon withdraw from the war without major casualties and that South Vietnam would succeed on its own against Communism; excitement about returning to Gloria and Shannon and closing out an important chapter in my young career and returning to the 82d Airborne Division to command a company; and pride in having served my soldiers, my Army, and my country honorably in the toughest environment. With the exception of my feeling of sadness, it was a composite of so many of the same emotions I had felt previously in my life on the day of a major event: the first day at a new school, ``season openers,'' graduation from high school and college, commissioning day, reporting to my first unit, and my departure one year earlier from Austin Airport for Vietnam. Aside from the already described feelings, on my last day in Vietnam I took stock of the four most important lessons I learned during the year--lessons that I have carried with me over the past 27 years of my career. First, it magnified for me the words from my oath of commission: ``. . .to obey the orders of the President and the officers appointed over me. . .'' and my father's advice (a veteran of three wars) to obey orders no matter how distasteful they may be unless they are illegal or immoral. I learned quickly as an infantry rifle platoon leader in combat that my job was not to question the prosecution of an unpopular war but to obey legal orders and lead my soldiers to the best of my ability in the accomplishment of difficult tasks. The second lesson learned was that a leader should only focus on his ``piece of the Army'' and make it the most professional team in the organization. I saw to many leaders in combat worry about ``higher'' at the expense of readiness and caring for their soldiers. Third, the basics that leaders demand in training work in combat and result in winning engagements and the saving of lives. I learned that even with the most dynamic tactics you will fail without adherence to the basics. Leaders must set and demand high standards from their subordinates to win! The last lesson that I took away from Vietnam was the importance of faith and family in one's life. Combat magnified for me the frailty of human life and the absolute importance of having a ``true azimuth'' in your life. Because I was at peace with the Lord and knew that I was supported on the ``homefront'' by a loving and supportive wife and family, I never worried about not coming home. Consequently, then and today I am able to devote myself totally to the leadership of America's finest Light Fighters. We are all ``defined'' by our past experiences. My experiences in Vietnam is an important part of my makeup and being. It will always be with me, and even though many view the Vietnam War as a ``lost cause,'' I, along with thousands of other vets, am proud of our service many years ago in that sad country in Southeast Asia. May we never forget those brave men and women who fought for democracy in Vietnam. Let me close with this special quote that I've kept under my desk glass for the past 26 years: ``If you are able, save for them a place inside of you. . . and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go. . . Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. . . Take what they have left and what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own. . . And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind. . . .''--Maj. Michael Davis O'Donnell, Springfield IL, 1 January 1970.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Chairman, I want to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Appropriations Committee for all they have done to accomplish our objective of providing assistance to the dairy farmers and tree farmers in New York and the other Northeastern states who suffered devastating damage as a result of the ice storm which struck earlier this year. Unfortunately, the President's supplemental funding request did not adequately address the losses which were suffered by the agricultural industry. With the help of my House colleagues, Jim Walsh and Jerry Solomon, we have successfully rallied support in Congress to add funding to help our farmers who are struggling to recover from the devastation. I know that some of the funding we were successful in getting approved--compensation for diminished milk production--is unprecedented and I understand that some Members are concerned about this fact. But let there be no mistake--the losses in Northern New York and throughout the Northeast, along with areas of the country--represent a unique situation. The assistance we are providing in this bill represents a small, but vitally important, step forward on their road to recovery. The loss of electric power had enormous repercussions simply beyond inconvenience. As the third largest dairy producer in the nation, Northern New York is the state's largest dairy region. Without power, dairy farmers were unable to milk their herds. Those with generators-- an instrument which, as the hours without power turned into days and then weeks, became one of the region's most sought-after and precious commodities--who were able to milk frequently had to dump their milk because the roads were impassable and the milk trucks were unable to get through to pick up their product. Those lucky enough to be able to milk and get their product to the producer were frequently confronted with the milk plant being without power. At the end of the day, millions of pounds of milk had been dumped. In addition, because of their inability to milk the herds, or to milk on a normal schedule, many contracted mastitis, an illness which if not treated can kill the cow. In many instances, the illness is treatable, but it will be many weeks, if not months, before the cow is back on a regular production cycle. In the meantime, the farmers have lost critical production--and money right out of their pocket. Our initial hope that the federal disaster declaration would speed assistance to farmers was soon shattered as it became clear the Farm Service Agency's primary form of assistance was low interest loans. Federal programs to replace livestock losses or dairy production are either expired, do not apply to dairy farmers or are non-existent. To these dairy farmers, many of whom are already operating on the margins due to a 20 year low in milk prices, low interest loans are not even an option. They simply cannot afford it. Mr. Chairman, despite its precedence, what this bill offers in assistance to the dairy farmers is not outrageous. It conforms to the parameters of assistance programs by offering to make payments to farmers of up to 30 percent of their losses. It in no way makes them whole. What it does do is offer them light at the end of the tunnel and can well mean a make or break situation. These are family farmers--not conglomerates. They deserve no less than we are offering them here. In this bill we also provide assistance to maple sugar producers, Christmas tree farmers, and orchardists, among others. The ice wreaked havoc on these tree growers, as well, and it will take decades for many of them to recover from the kind of damage they suffered. Here too, these funds will help them on that road to recovery. Finally, I am pleased that we were able to secure Community Development Block Grant funding to assist homeowners in the Northeast meet those needs which have been left unmet by other federal assistance programs.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Chairman, let me begin by expressing my appreciation to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Livingston), chairman of the full committee; the entire Committee on Appropriations members and staff; and particularly my colleagues, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh); and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon), chairman of the Committee on Rules, for their very effective work on this bill. As we have heard here today, Mr. Chairman, this is an initiative to try to redress a good many problems that are in this land today. People are struggling with the challenges of dealing with natural disasters, and I think by that very reason alone it deserves all of our unqualified support. I just want to talk a moment about one particular portion, and that is the assistance that is provided for the dairy farmers of this Nation. I know that some of this funding, particularly as it relates to the compensation for diminished milk production, is unprecedented and that some Members are concerned about this fact. But let there be no mistake about it, Mr. Chairman, the losses in northern New York and, in fact, throughout the entire Northeast represent a very unique situation. The assistance we are providing in this bill represents a small but a vitally important step on their road to recovery. The loss of electric power in this region had enormous repercussions beyond just inconvenience, although certainly inconvenient it was. New York is the Nation's third largest dairy producer; and, without power, dairy farmers were unable to milk their herd. Those few with generators who could milk frequently had to dump their milk because the roads were impassable. And those who were rarely, on occasion, able to get to the milk trucks were unable to get to plants that were in operation. So the losses were absolutely devastating. The inability to milk has caused, as I said, unique problems. No milking on normal schedule means sick animals, animals that contract mastitis, an illness which if not treated properly can kill the animal. As I said, I thank the chairman for his assistance and urge the support of this initiative.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me, and I deeply appreciate his efforts in trying to provide this opportunity to help share with the American people a remarkable story, a remarkable story of crisis, and what we now see is I hope will be an equally remarkable story of recovery, and I would thank him for his efforts. I, too, want to begin by adding my deepest words of condolence to those people in central Florida and on the coast of California that are now dealing with their tragedies, and certainly our collective hearts and thoughts and prayers are with them as they attempt to deal with that. As the gentleman said, we are certainly anxious to work together with their Federal representatives to try to ensure that people across this country receive the kind of help, the kind of recovery assistance that they not only deserve but, frankly, they need. I did not want to come down here and be totally redundant. As I listen to the two gentlemen recount their experiences, they sound very, very much like my own. Indeed, in my six-county district, about a 7,000 square mile area which most particularly was hit by the ice storm, more than 100,000 homes and businesses and public facilities were affected, totally without power. As we know, they were not just without power, but in the dead of winter for each one of my six counties, as happened in the gentlemen's districts, they received a Federal declaration of disaster. What was rather interesting to us and made us perhaps somewhat unique, for some of my counties it was the third declaration of Federal disaster assistance in under 2 years. We feel we have done our part. By this time we are getting very good at responding to those, and we would like to take some time off before we meet that kind of challenge again. It was a story of neighbor helping neighbor. I heard the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Baldacci) talk about how those of us who live in the northern climes are very proud of our ability to deal with winter. He is absolutely correct. I get amused when I come to this wonderful capital city and all it has to offer, where a mere prediction of an inch or two of snow could actually close facilities, close schools, and send people scurrying to the grocery store for provisions. There was one time just last year where in my district in about 22 hours we received over 70 inches of snow. We thought we had a North American record, but there was a dispute on measurement. But by any measure it was a significant amount of snow. That did slow us down a little bit, but we were able to overcome and to survive. But we could not really imagine the difficulties that this ice storm, for all of our capabilities, all of our experience, could bring, and the challenges that it presented. It has been called the worst ice storm of the century. In spite of my gray hair I cannot attest to that personally, but I can say that in my lifetime I have never seen anything, absolutely nothing, that even begins to compare to this storm. The devastation was complete. It is popular for people, particularly when they get their utility bills, to complain about power companies. Those of us who pay utilities understand that. But I think our hearts went out to those brave men and women who, as the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Allen) said, came from literally all over the country and virtually every power company in the United States, sending people to give us a hand. I remember one night, or one morning, actually, about 1:30 in the morning, I was leaving Plattsburgh, New York for what would normally be a 4\1/2\ hour drive back to my hometown in Pierrepont Manor, and I was passing through the middle of the Adirondack Mountains, and we were getting on top of the ice storm about 10 inches of new storm. At 1:30 in the morning I drove by a number of power trucks lined up alongside the road, and on the printed panel were the words ``Virginia Power Company.'' And I had to believe, as I saw those poor people up there in subzero temperatures, in a driving snowstorm, thinking about their old Virginia home, they must have thought they died and went someplace south of hell. But they never complained, they stood with us. One of the more remarkable pictures I saw, and I believe it was taken in Maine, and yet I saw signs of similar natures throughout my district in response to those Virginia Power Company people, were the signs placed on lawns by grateful individuals that said, ``Yes, Santa Claus, there is a Virginia,'' just saying thank you to the people of Virginia for sharing their recovery people. Of course, those are stories that are not just particular to the power companies of Virginia, but all across this great Nation. It does, I think, reflect very, very remarkably upon Americans' ability and willingness to come together in times of challenge. When the ice storm struck I was in Indonesia, which climatically could not be more opposite from my district. We were on a national security trip. I got the call about 2:30 Indonesian time about this storm. It was not quite clear yet the dimension of the challenge, although it became clear as the hours passed. As I tried to make my way back home, which became an Odyssey of itself, I went to Australia to try to fly home. When I was there what they call a tropical cyclone hit. A community in Townsville, Australia, received some 20 inches of rain, was literally washed away, and was declared an Australian emergency disaster area. I was beginning to wonder if maybe it was me bringing all this bad luck. On each stop we got calls as to what was happening. My staff and the people in the emergency management office were trying to describe to me the kind of devastation they had experienced. I thought I had a good idea. But as I got off the plane at Syracuse and drove north and got further into the eye of the storm, it really defied description. To see it still, with the cleanup, and to understand the challenges ahead, and the challenges are many. The dairy community, who have particularly unique difficulties, because it was not always that the animals died, and they often did, but rather that their production capabilities had been severely hampered; that because of the inability to milk or the inability to store the milk properly, some 14 million pounds of milk had to be destroyed, money right out of the dairy farmers' pockets. For the maple growers, as the gentlemen know well, in the Northeast, a vital part of the economy was destroyed, whole sugar bushes wiped out. The fact that it takes 40 years to raise a maple tree to maturity so it can be tapped again and become productive, all of these are unique circumstances that I know the gentlemen are anxious to work together with all of us to try to respond to. We do have enormous challenges ahead of us. I do not want to leave on a negative note, because I think, for all of the difficulties, the old adage that every cloud has a silver lining holds here. That morning I woke up when there was more than 70 inches of snow. I asked myself a question that I suspect many of us ask, why did my ancestors stay, and why are we still here? The ice storm asked that question again, but I think in a real way it answered it as well. We are here because in this remarkable part of the country people care more than they do in most places. They came together, as the gentleman said. They worked with the Federal and State agencies. But above all else, they worked and cared for each other. I want to close on one little story that I think really encapsulates the spirit of the people across this entire Northeast region. We, as you gentlemen recounted, were visiting a number of shelters. This one was located in a volunteer fire company in not even a village, it was not big enough to be a village, it was a hamlet with a total population of less than several hundred. The volunteer firemen and firewomen and womens' auxiliary of that community had brought in cots from their own homes, had set up generators, and were feeding people. It was crowded and by most standards it was not very happy living conditions. There was one fellow there who, in spite of the effort being put forward by everyone else, I think was working harder than all of them combined. He was over here serving food, over here washing dishes. While I was there they brought in three people who had been overcome by carbon monoxide by a faulty kerosene heater in their home. He was helping administering first aid to them. Then he is back over cooking the next meal. He finally stopped for a moment and we got to talking. And he started talking about the storm, and then another fellow told me, well, that man who had been working so hard to help everybody else, just 6 months ago had lost his son; and that very same man who was working so hard to help everybody else was on the verge of losing his prize horse, his breeding horse pair that he simply could not care for in this weather. That very same man who had lost his son, was about to lose his livelihood, had lost his home in a fire about 2 weeks previous to that. Yet this man was there. When I asked him about that, he did not want to talk about it. He goes, well, these are the people that have it hard. That is the spirit of the people of the north country, and through northern New York and Vermont and New Hampshire and Maine, that I think will carry us through, and how with all of our collective efforts we can put them back on the road to recovery. They need it, but I am darned sure they deserve it. So I want to again thank the gentleman. I am pleased to join with my colleagues, and I see the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Bernie Sanders), my neighbor from across Lake Champlain, and I am happy to carry a little of this message to the American people.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague from Maine reserving this special order so that we may speak about the devastating ice storm which swept through the northeast last month and paralyzed most of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Northern New York. It is ironic that as we speak today regarding our experiences from the storm which crippled our Congressional Districts, Florida has just endured a terrible tragedy with loss of life and California continues to be subjected to punishing El Nino storms. It is painfully obvious this winter's severe weather will test our abilities, patience and pocketbooks. In my New York 24th Congressional District alone, the storm toppled thousands of trees, grounded power wires, created flooding and left more than 100,000 homes, businesses, schools and other public and community facilities without power and communications in the dead of winter. The devastation was so severe that all six of my affected counties were declared federal disaster areas. For several of these counties, this was their third federal disaster declaration in less than two years. For those of us privileged to represent the northeastern parts of the United States, we take a special pride in our ability to weather Mother Nature's onslaughts in the winter months. When a few inches of snow brings our nation's capital to a screeching halt, we collectively chuckle and boast that where we come from, it takes a lot more than a little snow to shut us down. Well, Mother Nature apparently felt is was time to bring us down a few pegs and so came the Ice Storm of `98. When the ice storm struck, I was in Southeast Asia with some of my colleagues from the National Security Committee on an official trip. My staff quickly alerted me to the increasingly grave situation back home and the challenges the people of the North Country were facing. My first thought was to immediately get on a flight and return to the district. After extensive discussions with my staff, the twelve hour time difference forcing me to make calls well into the wee hours of the morning, I decided that initially I could do my constituents more good during those critical first hours of the recovery effort by working the telephone from Jakarta, Indonesia than spending the next 24 hours in the air. I immediately placed phone calls to our county emergency coordinators and several State legislators to find out where their needs were and what help they needed. I then placed a call to Federal Emergency Management Agency Director James Lee Witt to make him aware of the critical situation in the North Country. I also urged he act expeditiously on Governor George Pataki's forthcoming request for federal assistance. That phone call to Mr. Witt gave me some piece of mind because he assured me his people were already on the ground and would give the Governor's request for federal disaster assistance his strongest consideration. True to his word, President Clinton declared my six counties eligible for federal disaster assistance less than twelve hours after receiving Governor Pataki's request. This declaration freed up a number of federal resources for disaster assistance and recovery efforts for this we are very thankful. I finally left Jakarta to return to New York, but had to make stops in three countries and wait out a monsoon before I was able to begin the long journey back. One local newspaper said I went from disaster to disaster. The devastating weather I encountered in Sydney, Australia could not come close to the destruction I found when I go home. It has been called the worst ice storm of the century. I am not sure if that is an accurate statement from a meteorological perspective, but I can tell you that in my lifetime in Northern New York State, there has been nothing, absolutely nothing, which can begin to remotely compare to this ice storm. The devastation wrought by this storm boggles the mind. Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, the primary utility serving these six counties, saw its entire distribution system in the region destroyed. The company estimates it will cost approximately $125 million for the clean up; the other utility serving the area, New York State Electric and Gas, estimates its storm-related costs at between $35-40 million. These costs could ultimately be passed along to the consumer. Another legacy of the storm. Ice, in some places four and five inches thick, coated trees and power lines. If the weight of the ice didn't bring the lines down, the falling branches did. Then, of course, the poles snapped. I witnessed destruction that can only be compared to that of a war zone. In fact, that military description was the most appropriate to describe the damage. It has been reported that when Vice President Gore toured Maine, he remarked that it looked like a reverse neutron bomb: the people are left standing but everything else is destroyed. In a matter of hours, all of Northern New York went black. For many people, it would be another two to three weeks before their power was restored. In addition to the massive power outages, the fallen tree limbs, poles and utility lines, and ice covered roads, movement throughout the North Country came to a virtual standstill. Nothing moved and what ever did move, slid. The paralyzation of Northern New York was complete. With daytime temperatures rarely pushing past the freezing mark and nighttime temperatures occasionally dipping below zero, the discomfort level rocketed off the scale. A power outage which in the spring, summer or fall would have been a major disruption in lifestyles, in January became a matter of life or death. And for nine souls, it was a matter of death. Our hearts go out to their families at this most difficult time and we shall keep them in our prayers. The loss of electric power had enormous repercussions simply beyond the inconvenience factor. As the third largest dairy producer in the nation, Northern New York is the state's largest dairy region. Without power, dairy farmers were unable to milk their herds. Those with generators--an instrument which, as the hours without power turned into days and then weeks, became one of the region's most sought-after and precious commodities--who were able to milk frequently had to dump their milk because the roads were impassable and the milk trucks were unable to get through to pick up their product. Those lucky enough to be able to milk and get their product to the producer were frequently confronted with the milk plant being without power. Although final figures are still being compiled, early estimates indicate approximately 14 million pounds of milk were dumped. In addition, because of their inability to milk the herds, or to milk on a normal schedule, many cows contracted mastitis, an illness which if not treated, can kill the cow. In many instances, the illness is treatable, but it will be many weeks, if not months, before the cow is back on a regular production cycle. In the meantime, the farmer has lost critical production. Our initial hope that the federal disaster declaration would speed assistance to our farmers was soon shattered as it became clear the Farm Service Agency's primary form of assistance was low interest loans. I was shocked. Federal programs to replace livestock losses or dairy production are either expired, do not apply to dairy farmers or non-existent. To these dairy farmers, many of whom are already operating on the margins due to a 20 year low in milk prices they are paid, the low interest loan program wasn't even an option. They simply can't afford it. Loans ain't gonna cut it for these folks. The situation reminds me of a story of a guy who goes to see the doctor because he's not feeling very well. The doctor takes some tests and tells him to check back in a week. The guy goes back to see the doctor and the doctor tells him he has good news and he has bad news for him. The guy says, ``Gosh, I guess I should have the good news first to prepare me for the bad news.'' The doctor says, ``Okay, the good news is: you have three days to live.'' The guy says, ``if that's the good news, then what on earth is the bad news.'' The doctor says, ``the bad news is: I've been looking for you since yesterday to tell you.'' The story reminds me of the North Country right now because there hasn't been a lot of good news for the folks up there lately and what news there has been, hasn't been that good. The maple syrup industry is also a critical component of the North Country's economy. The ice wreaked havoc on our maple trees causing either complete destruction or such severe damage the trees are effectively useless to the owner. Once again, final figures are still being compiled, but losses will run into the millions. I ask my colleagues to remember that it can take upwards of 40 years for a maple tree to reach maturity. In short, the North Country's maple syrup industry is crippled for the foreseeable future. To those who savor the simple pleasure of real maple syrup on your Sunday morning pancakes, get used to the imitation stuff. The bushes which produce maple sugar, another important North Country commodity, were destroyed by the ice. In addition, Christmas tree farms and other tree farms sustained crippling damage. It will take years, if not decades, before the trees are restored and production reaches pre- ice storm levels. For these tree farmers, their livelihoods are as flattened and splintered as their trees. Mr. Speaker, I could go on and on itemizing the destruction caused by this storm. Suffice it to say, it is widespread and long-term. Further compounding the suffering many of my constituents have endured in the wake of this storm is the lack of Federal assistance programs available to many of our storm victims. Although the initial response to the disaster by the Federal government was swift, and at this point I should like to commend the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its New York State counterpart, the State Emergency Management Office (SEMO), for their efforts, it has become evident there are significant gaps and shortfalls in assistance programs, especially those for dairy farmers and small businesses. In cooperation with my colleagues from the three other states targeted by this storm, we are identifying those areas most in need of assistance and working with Appropriations Committee staff to craft the appropriate language to meet those needs. Of top priority will be a dairy indemnity program to reimburse the farmers for the milk they lost. In addition, a livestock indemnity program is needed to help finance the loss of livestock from the storm, be it from weather or from illness caused by the power outages. Another priority will be a program to finance the replacement of trees destroyed by the storm. In the aftermath of this disaster, it is readily apparent that many Federal assistance programs are simply not adequate to meet their needs. I intend to work closely with the members of the three other state delegations and the appropriate committees to institute these changes. Mr. Speaker, I do not wish to close these remarks on a note of doom, gloom and despair. I am immensely proud of the North Country's response to the storm. Once again, in the face of another adversity thrown at us by Mother Nature, and I must admit, this is starting to get old, the residents of the North Country pulled together and weathered the storm, figuratively and literally. In instance after instance, communities rallied together. Neighbors took care of neighbors, strangers came together and worked together as a team. Community and civic groups turned their posts or clubhouses into shelters or food pantries. Without being asked, these organizations took it upon themselves to come to their communities' assistance. Many incurred costs of several thousands of dollars in renting or operating generators or purchasing food. I am hopeful that all of these costs will ultimately be reimbursed. In short, it was a community effort and in a strange manner, it may well have been the North Country's finest hour. Now that the immediate urgency of the crisis has passed, we must work together to ensure that all those who sustained losses from the storm are afforded the assistance necessary to begin the rebuilding process and be made as whole again as possible. The mission before us will be difficult, at times frustration, and certainly long, but I am hopeful that with the goodwill of the Members of this body, we will soon accomplish this task. Mr. Speaker, I wish to once again thank the gentleman from Maine for this time and hope the lessons learned from this experience will better prepare us for nature's next challenge.

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

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. McHUGH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield four minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen). (Mr. HANSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the legislation before us was introduced on January 28, 1998, by the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon) and cosponsored by all Members of the House delegation from the State of Utah pursuant to the policy of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. This legislation was before the committee on February 12, at which time it was amended to reflect the correct address of the facility. The address of the postal facility in the original bill read 95 West 100 South Street. The committee unanimously passed the bill with an amendment correcting the address to read 95 West Number 100 South. The amended bill designates the U.S. Post Office located at that location as the Howard C. Nielson Post Office Building. Mr. Speaker, we have a number of representatives who have cosponsored this bill. I know they will take the opportunity to expound upon Mr. Nielson's great history and his service to this country so, therefore, I would simply note that, as has happened in many occasions in the past, this recipient, I think, reflects very favorably on the kind of individual that we have historically honored with the designation of the United States Postal Service. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon) who has been the prime motivator and mover of this legislation for comments that he might have.

Mr. McHUGH

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, with a final thank you to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and his staff, and also to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette), who is not just a sponsor of this bill, but is also a valued member of the Postal Subcommittee, I would urge all my colleagues to support this very worthy designation of an extraordinary man. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.