Scott McInnis

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I appreciate the support of the bill offered by the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Frost]. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Frost], pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During the consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 271 is a modified closed rule providing for 1 hour of general debate, equally divided between the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary, and waiving points of order against consideration of the bill for the failure to comply with clause 2(L)(6), relating to the 3-day availability of committee reports. Additionally, House Resolution 271 makes in order the Committee on the Judiciary amendment in the nature of a substitute now printed in the bill as an original bill for the purpose of amendment, modified by the amendments printed in part 1 of the Committee on Rules report. Moreover, the rule provides that the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. Additionally, House Resolution 271 provides for an amendment in the nature of a substitute, if offered by the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Conyers] or his designee. The rule provides that this amendment, if offered, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the proponent and opponent, and shall not be subject to amendment. If the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Conyers] or his designee does not offer the amendment or if the amendment is rejected, no other amendment shall be in order except the amendment offered by the gentleman from New York [Mr. Boehlert], which shall be considered as read, shall be debated for 30 minutes, equally divided between the proponent and opponent of the amendment. Likewise, this amendment shall not be subject to amendment. Finally, Mr. Speaker, the rule provides one motion to recommit, with or without instructions. House Resolution 271 was reported out of the Committee on Rules by voice vote. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1534, the Private Property Rights Implementation Act of 1997, is an attempt to address procedural hurdles which currently prevent property owners claiming a violation of the fifth amendment's takings clause from having fair and equal access to Federal court. H.R. 1534 attempts to remedy this situation by defining when a final agency decision takes place and prohibiting Federal judges from invoking the abstention doctrine to avoid cases that revolve on the fifth amendment takings claims. I urge my colleagues to support this rule. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 271 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to a take a minute to tell you about a woman who has been instrumental in the lives of so many children on the Western Slope of Colorado. Her name is Patsy Guadnola and she taught music in Glenwood Springs for over 51 years. She was such a knowledgeable and patient teacher that she even taught music to me. Ms. Guadnola is the type of individual that we could all learn from, as she has given so much of herself to the people. Ms. Guadnola is the youngest of 10 brothers and sisters who were Italian immigrants. She has witnessed the town of Glenwood Springs evolve from a town of dirt roads and a two lane bridge to a town now considering a light rail system and a bypass for its main street. Her love of music, children, and family has been the constant that has rooted her so deeply in the community. When she was just a child, her brothers and sisters contributed money so that she might take piano lessons. When she was 12, she began playing the organ on Sundays at St. Stephen's Catholic Church, a commitment she continues to this day. Following Ms. Guadnola's graduation from the University of Northern Colorado and the Julliard School of Music, she returned home and began work as the music teacher at the Glenwood public schools for grades 1 to 12. She taught in the very same room where she discovered her own desire to one day become a music teacher herself. For 40 years Ms. Guadnola taught music in the elementary and high school. Following her retirement from the public school, Ms. Guadnola went on to teach music for 11 more years at St. Stephen's Catholic School. With a career spanning 51 years, Ms. Guadnola has enjoyed watching many locals grow from children to adults. Ms. Guadnola's legacy lives around her in the people she has taught and continues to see. In her former students she sees a little bit of herself living on especially in those who have gone on to a career in music or teaching. Mr. Speaker, it is people like Patsy Guadnola who make the Western Slope of Colorado the wonderful place it is. She is truly an inspiration to us all, and as one who learned so much from her myself, I can say she will always be greatly appreciated for what she has done.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I have this opportunity today to talk about the Internal Revenue Service. As we know, it is great gratitude that I express to the White House, and thank the President for changing his mind, thank him for coming on board with this Republican majority here, and frankly being helped by a lot of Democrats, to force reform in the Internal Revenue Service. This is a charge that has been led by the Republican Party. It is a charge that will be seen through by the Republican Party. Now it is a charge that is going to be supported by the White House. Why do we need reform in the Internal Revenue Service? Because that is one of the few exceptions in the judiciary process in this country where you are assumed guilty and you have to prove yourself innocent. That is one of the agencies the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Archer, who should receive lots of merit and lots of commendation for his leadership on this, is going to change. It is about time that the Internal Revenue Service, when they come to your house, you are assumed innocent until the IRS proves you guilty. There are some other very basic and fundamental reforms that we are going to put through on the Internal Revenue Service. This is a great day for the taxpayers of this country. Finally they are going to have accountability from the Federal Government that works for them.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Veterans of Foreign Wars I would like to introduce the following winning script from the Voice of Democracy Program. The winner of the contest from the Third District of Colorado was Tara Linton of Craig, CO. ``Democracy--Above and Beyond'' The lyrics to ``God Bless America'' have been permanently etched into my brain. I can remember reciting the song over and over in preparation for a play my entire elementary school participated in to commemorate the two hundredth anniversary of the United States Constitution. That play was like a welcome mat to the future for me. Not only did it introduce me to the exciting and rewarding world of the theatre, but it brought me closer to something else-- democracy. The play retraced the path of democracy from America's past to its present. I thank my lucky stars that I had the chance to participate because, until then, I had no idea how democracy had gone above and beyond, shaping our country and its people. And now, nine years after singing about the ``land that I love,'' I am proud to speak out on behalf of democracy. Today's ``performance,'' if you will, is divided into two acts. In act one we will see how democracy is responsible for the American Dream. And act two will focus on the contributions we all make to keep democracy rising above and beyond. The curtain opens, and the American Dream is exposed. What we see is a plethora of people, every American who has ever lived or will live. They represent democracy's past, present, and future, how it has changed and how it has stayed the same. But one thing stands out more than anything else. We can't see it or touch it or interpret it with any of the five senses. It is deeper and more powerful than any sensation. It is a sense of love, patriotism, and gratitude rolled into one. You see, nobody had to sit down and decide that the people of the future deserved a better life. But somebody did. A lot of somebodies, in fact, including the likes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. The result of their desire to improve the world is what generations of Americans have experienced--the original American Dream. We have the opportunity to live in the society our forefathers only dreamed about. It's as if we are all actors fortunate enough to have starring roles in the manuscript our founders began to write even before the formation of the Union. Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin. Their masterpiece wasn't the Declaration of Independence, nor was it the Constitution; their masterpiece is us. This draws the curtain on act one and leads us to act two: just how we Americans send democracy above and beyond. With every effort at getting involved, the driving force behind democracy gets stronger. And we're encouraged to get involved at an early age. Many schoolchildren are directly exposed to democracy the moment they enter the school with the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. With education playing a major role in democracy's success, the emphasis on saying the Pledge at school is a giant stepping stone for children to become familiar with the system. But it only just begins in childhood. As we grow older we begin to make choices for ourselves and our country. Nearly every man and woman involved in the armed services does so for the preservation of democracy. And all registered voters have the say in what the future should entail when they cast their ballots. Why do Americans try so hard to keep democracy strong and prominent? Well, it all goes back to what we saw in act one. We came from a long line of people who truly care. Though democracy in America has faced a number of changes, one thing doesn't change: we care. About the past, the present, and the future. The curtain has fallen over act two, but the performance isn't quite finished. An actor knows that the hours spent memorizing, rehearsing and performing have been well worth the effort when the final curtain drops, and the audience, left in a state of wonder, fulfillment, and satisfaction, reacts with generous and sincere applause. Will the manuscript our forefathers began writing hundreds of years ago ever come to a conclusion? We may never know. Like nearly all things, democracy will continue to grow and evolve--to go above and beyond. With every new life exposed to its benefits, democracy enters for an encore performance, sure to be even more spectacular than ever before. And now, as the performance comes to a close, we should all take time to remember what democracy means to us. From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans, we stand beside her and guide her. America--the land that we love.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. First of all, Mr. Speaker, again I want to express that I consider it a privilege to work with the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Hall] in these kind of things. Again I appreciate his comments. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I think that the gentleman from Ohio, who, by the way, in my opinion, is one of the most respected Members of the House, is certainly a professional, he is a gentleman, and his points are well taken. I should point out, though, contrary to what the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Wolf] said, the gentleman from Virginia lives close to the Capitol. I live a long way from the Capitol. My district geographically is larger than the State of Florida. It takes me a long time to get there. It takes me a long time to get across there. I would rather work late hours at night so I can get back to my district. I think in defense of the majority leader, the fact that last night we scheduled votes so we had a bunch of votes at 10 o'clock instead of votes between 8 and 10 o'clock in the evening was to accommodate Members and their families so that they can go out and have dinner and know that we will delay the votes; or not delay them from voting, the debate still continues, the House still has action, but we will move the votes to a period of time. So I think the criticism here, while I understand the frustration of what is going on, I must say that some of this scheduling is done for the convenience of Members so they can have dinner with their families. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona [Mr. Hayworth].

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, to the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Wolf], let me just tell him, if I were the majority leader, we would work 24 hours a day. Every time they put up a motion to adjourn this House in the middle of the day or beginning of the day, and I used to be a majority leader in the State of Colorado, we will just work, we will just work around the clock. We have got business to do, and we ought to get it done. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am enthralled by the energy level of the gentleman from California [Mr. Miller]. I like that kind of enthusiasm, and I hope that the gentleman from California [Mr. Miller], No. 1, puts that enthusiasm to doing the people's business and quit supporting these motions to adjourn. We have got work to do. Put the golf game aside, forget the racquet club. They can do that on Saturday and Sunday. But more importantly, I hope the gentleman from California [Mr. Miller] finds time this afternoon to go back to the office and pursue this headline ``Democratic National Committee-Teamsters Traded Funds.'' What is going on? I hope that we have that kind of vigor and that kind of strength when he talks on the floor about saying we need to get to the bottom of what has happened to the Teamsters. We need to get the people's work done in this House. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Wolf].

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

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I find the comments somewhat interesting from the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Doggett] and from the gentleman from California [Mr. Miller]. First of all, I note, with some interest, that both of the gentlemen have voted twice today to adjourn the House. I understand that there is a golf game or something recreational that is necessary. But let me ask them this. We have got work to do here. Today we have spent hours of time wasted on procedural motions to adjourn the House. What our side of the aisle is asking, and by the way, a good portion of your side of the aisle agrees with us, we need to go to work. We have got a lot of work to do. We have got a lot of budgetary issues to consider, and we ought to do it. Here is a perfect example. Mr. Speaker, this rule was noncontroversial. This rule was passed by voice vote out of the Committee on Rules last night. This rule is supported by the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Hall]. In fact, the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Hall] has encouraged a vote for it. But instead, we are now going to convert. They have invited me to participate in a debate regarding campaign finance reform, and I will accept that invitation, although somewhat limited. First of all, I would hope that the gentleman who brought this issue will also devote a good deal of time to the article in the headlines today, ``Democratic National Committee-Teamsters Traded Funds.'' There are laws against that kind of thing. We have laws in the books right now. Listening to what my colleagues say out there, they give the perception to the American people that there are not laws regarding campaign finance reform. There are lots of laws out there. The fact is, in my opinion, that they have been broken. So instead of trying to divert from the fact that the laws have been broken by saying we need more laws, let us enforce the laws that we have got. I would hope that my colleagues put their energy and resources into going to the Democratic National Committee today and say, ``Hey, fellas, even though I am a Democrat, even though I have a special interest in this party, I want us to lay out to the American people, let us be truthful, let us find out what we did with the Teamsters.'' Furthermore, I would suggest that maybe they take a foreign trip. We have got a break coming up. Help us find some of these witnesses like Charlie Trie or John Huang and some of these people that have conveniently disappeared out of our reach so we cannot find out what went on. Let us find out what went on, determine what we have to stop that, and what laws were broken. And then if we find a hole in the law or a way around the law, then let us do something about it. I also want to point out an article which I read in Roll Call. I think it was yesterday's Roll Call. ``With support building in both Chambers for a complete ban on soft money, sources said that Democrats like Fazio and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Martin Frost,'' your colleague from the State of Texas, ``have been working furiously behind the scenes to reach a compromise that would save the currently unlimited and unregulated contributions from extermination.'' Let us be serious about this. First of all, we have got work to do. Quit doing those motions to adjourn time after time. You know that every time, and I speak in a generic form, the people that support this motion, the people that make this motion to adjourn, the American people are out there, they do not vote to go home from work at 10 o'clock in the morning. We were wasting our time here on this House floor voting on a motion to adjourn. By the way, on the first vote, only one Republican voted to go home at 10 o'clock in the morning. Every other Republican here said we ought to stay and work. But my colleagues from Texas and California voted to go home at 10 o'clock in the morning. And that was not good enough, the rest of the body said, no, we are not going to go home at 10 o'clock. We are going to work. We have got work to complete in these Chambers What happens? Well, the clock gets close to 12 and apparently some of my colleagues feel we put in a complete workday, time to adjourn and go home or go to the golf course or down to the racquet club. My colleagues, we have got business to do. Let us get on with our business, and let us focus on the subject at hand, which is a rule. If my colleagues want to debate the rest of the time we have this morning on this rule on campaign finance reform, I look forward to it.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Hall], pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purposes of debate only. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 238 is a straightforward resolution. The proposed bill waives all points of order against the conference report and against its consideration. This resolution was reported out of the Committee on Rules by a voice vote. Mr. Speaker, this appropriation bill, which provides the funds for operations of the House, the Senate, and entities such as the Library of Congress, often serves as a lightning rod for partisan conflicts. However, during the course of the debate on House Resolution 238 I hope Members will keep in mind that we are debating a simple, plain vanilla, rule. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McINNIS. No, I will not yield. It seems to me, if I remember procedural order, I have the floor. Am I incorrect? If my colleagues would like to proceed with the people's business, which is to get this rule out of the way and let us get to the bill, we have got a lot of work to do, then let us proceed. It is up to my colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 238 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McINNIS. Regular order.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, regular order.

Mr. McINNIS. Regular order.

Mr. McINNIS. That is not a point of order.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 238 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to lay on the table the motion to reconsider.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, well, it is pretty clear somebody has been cheating out there. We do not need new laws, we already have laws against illegal campaign contributions. And let me remind those colleagues of mine who have been up here talking moment after moment about campaign cheating, look at the headlines on this morning's paper, and let me read it: ``Democratic National Committee Teamsters Traded Funds.'' It reminds me in high school when one of my classmates got caught cheating. The first thing he told the teacher was everybody was. ``Well, everybody is cheating.'' Well, not everybody was cheating; he was the only one in that classroom that was cheating. Then his next excuse to get out of trouble for cheating was, ``Well, you know you need to make new rules, Mr. Teacher. You need to make new rules about cheating. And therefore let me off the hook.'' Mr. Speaker, I will be one of the first to stand up and say we should not have cheating. That is exactly what the Democratic National Committee is doing. We have campaign laws in effect, we have an Attorney General that should investigate those, should appoint an independent investigator, and we have a Democratic National Committee that should step forward immediately and let the American public know the scenario and the scheme they have got going with the Teamsters.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. I object, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, on September 23 of this month, Tim and Charlotte Travis of Brighton, CO, will receive the Colorado Sports Couple of the Year award from the downtown Denver chapter of Ducks Unlimited. This is the very same chapter that Tim founded nearly 20 years ago when he first became affiliated with the organization. In recent years, the Travis' have increased the amount of money they have been able to donate to Ducks Unlimited and the Denver chapter has expressed their gratification by extending them this honor. The Denver chapter will also be creating a wetlands project in eastern Colorado which will be dedicated in the Travis' name. I too, would like to extend my gratification to the Travis' for their many years of giving to this organization as well as to the sporting way of life which we treasure in the great State of Colorado.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, the National Youth Sports Program at Adams State College in Alamosa, CO, recently entered its 22d year of existence. This program has proven to be a valuable and meaningful outlet for those youths who would not otherwise have access to the activities and instruction the program offers. The NYSP is a cost-effective partnership program between the NCAA and selected institutions of higher learning, such as Adams State and is designed to benefit the youth of America. Adams State is one of two colleges in Colorado participating in the program which combines sports instruction with meaningful educational activities for girls and boys ages 10 to 16. Enrollment in the program and physicals are free and open to all youngsters in the area whose parents or guardians meet the income guidelines provided by the Department of Health and Human Services. Larry Zaragoza, the activity director for NYSP at Adams State, is stepping down after heading the program at Adams State College for the past 13 years and being involved in the program for all of its 22 years that is have been held at Adams State. He will certainly be missed.