John Mica

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, when citizens are elected to have the great honor of serving in Congress, there are numerous individuals who help to make that experience possible for us. Each Member of Congress has family, friends, and supporters who have worked hard and sacrificed to elect us to office and to make our system of representative government work. Today I would like to take just a few moments to honor the memory of one of my most faithful friends and supporters, Regina Frankewicz. She passed away yesterday in central Florida, and I would like to extend my very deepest sympathy to her husband, Leonard, and to her family. While Regina was not a State or national figure, she was one of those great individuals in our Nation, one of those untold heroes who indeed helped make our democratic system function. Besides being a devoted wife and mother, Regina would often roll up her sleeves, and she went to labor in the political vineyards to support her candidates and her party in an untiring fashion. Madam Speaker, I am pleased today to pay a very special tribute to the memory of my good friend, Regina Frankewicz. Without her kind, faithful, and devoted efforts, I am certain that I would not be serving in Congress. Madam Speaker, I submit if every citizen would take up their political and electoral responsibility in a manner and fashion as exemplified by Regina Frankewicz, our Nation and our communities would well be served. To Regina's husband, Leonard, today, and to her family and her friends, I would like to extend my deepest sympathy on their great loss.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Madam Chairman, we have heard the statement, let U.S. businesses get their own financing. The whole purpose of Exim is for U.S. businesses, small, medium and large, to obtain financing to sell U.S.-produced goods overseas where there is no financing. That is the whole purpose. There is no money that goes overseas with Exim. It is U.S.-produced products only. There is no building of factories with this money. It is U.S. goods with the government assisting and financing small, medium and large U.S. companies to sell those goods where they cannot get financing. Only U.S. contractors would be financed under this program. We have heard about the plea for small businesses. Over 80 percent of Exim assistance goes to medium and small U.S. firms who cannot find financing to sell these U.S.-made products overseas in these difficult markets. Exim is not corporate welfare. Exim is not a giveaway program. Exim is not a business subsidy. Exim creates thousands of jobs for American workers.

Mr. MICA. Madam Chairman, Exim does not ship any money or set up any manufacturing overseas. What it does is exactly what the opponent of Exim has said: It helps American businesses finance the sale of American goods and products overseas where no one else will touch the financing. That is the whole purpose of Exim, to help create U.S. jobs, U.S. opportunities, in the sale of U.S. goods where they cannot obtain financing in any other market or by any other means. Madam Chairman, I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution. In fact, this resolution is not offered in support or in opposition to the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Sanchez] who has been seated from California's 46th District. Nor is it offered in support or opposition to Mr. Dornan, who is contesting the election in California's 46th District. This resolution, in fact, is about the very heart and the essence of the democratic electoral process. We have heard it said that the United States Constitution, Article I, section 5, states that the House shall be the judge of its Members and their election. The Committee on House Oversight, on which I am privileged to serve, is charged with seeking the facts relating to Members being seated in a contested election. This resolution is not about the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Sanchez]. This resolution is not about Mr. Dornan. This resolution is not about a Republican or a Democrat serving in California's 46th District. This resolution is about determining whether or not the election in California's 46th District was conducted in a lawful and appropriate manner. This resolution is critical to every Member of this Congress and to the American people because this resolution seeks only to determine the facts as to who lawfully cast their ballots in a contested election. This resolution deserves the support of every Member of this Congress to maintain the process that is outlined in our Constitution and to ensure the very integrity of the system of fair and honest representative government. I ask each and every Member to come down here and vote for this fair, honest, justice-seeking resolution.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I just want to clarify for the House and my colleagues that what we heard about Eximbank is not the case. It is not subsidizing any foreign manufacturing. What it is doing is allowing U.S. companies, the working men and women of this country, to be employed to assist in financing the sale of U.S. goods overseas. Most of the Exim funds for United States goods that go into China are to assist with financing Boeing aircraft, who must compete with Airbus and other international competitors. Boeing employs thousands of U.S. workers in the United States with the aid of this Exim Program. I think there is great confusion about what this program does. But in fact, Exim does not do the things that are alleged. It allows American men and women to get high paying jobs and to compete in the international market where we find the opportunities for tomorrow, and those are the facts. We can not relegate our next generation to minimum wage jobs--we must not back away from supporting U.S. small and large business in selling their goods in a tough international marketplace.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, before coming to Congress, I was involved in international trade and saw firsthand what is happening in the trade arena. In fact, if all things were equal, we would not need Eximbank, but I am here to tell my colleagues that in fact we need Exim. In fact, it is one of the most valuable programs of this Government. In fact, the United States is in an economic fight for its life. In fact, the United States is now running a trade deficit that exceeds the national annual deficit. The fact is that we are competing against Japan, the United Kingdom, France, and a host of other countries that do a much better job backing up their business and creating an unlevel playing field for our business people. Exim creates thousands, tens of thousands of jobs. Exim allows U.S. companies to compete in this international marketplace. Exim is not corporate welfare. Exim is not any type of subsidy. Exim in fact gives our American companies and our men and women that are seeking jobs and opportunity in this country that opportunity and the ability to compete in a growing world marketplace. Mr. Chairman, I strongly recommend the passage of this legislation and request support from every Member of this Congress that is interested in jobs and opportunity for every American.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize James W. Almand, A. Russell Bobo, John S. Chaperon, Rick DeGraff, Robert C. Fobes, Frederick W. Leonhardt, William Pinto, Jerome Schechter, William Crampton, and James D. Turk. It is my honor to pay tribute to these gentleman on the occasion of their visit with me in our Nation's Capital today. It has been my privilege to know each of these individuals for the past three decades. We all had the good fortune of attending the University of Florida together and being part of Delta Chi Fraternity. Though we have been separated by distance and circumstance over the past years, we have always been together both in memory, spirit, and fraternal bond. As a Member of Congress, I am pleased today to welcome Jim, Russ, Bill, John, Rick, Bob, Fred, Jerry, Bill, and Don. These gentleman, who I am pleased to call by friends, are each outstanding family men and most valuable contributors to their respective communities. I welcome each of them to the U.S. Congress and the House of Representatives. It had been my great honor in life to know each of these gentleman as my friend and fraternal brother.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the authors of this bill for their work in increasing funding for drug enforcement activities. One million dollars in funding for the designation of central Florida as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area [HIDTA] has been provided in the House Treasury, Postal Service and General Government appropriations bill. I made this request because I feel it is necessary that we commit every available resource to combat the drug scourge in central Florida. A HIDTA designation would provide additional resources to help better coordinate Federal, State, and local drug activities. My intent is to support local efforts to combat the influx of drugs and the attending crime that results. In the Orlando area, heroin overdose deaths went from zero in 1993 to 30 last year. More teens died locally of overdoses than almost any other major U.S. city. So you can see the situation we are in. In fact, my area in Orlando also ranked second behind Miami in total cocaine deaths in Florida. This situation has deteriorated to such an extent in Florida that I have asked our drug czar, Barry McCaffrey, to cooperate in qualifying central Florida as a HIDTA which would bring much needed resources to our area and into our State. There already are HIDTA's operating in many cities and regions throughout the country--including a successful program in Miami--and they have proved successful in aiding with command and control, manpower and funding issues. Your support for adding central Florida to the HIDTA list guarantees that Florida will continue to have adequate funding to battle the increasing amount of illegal drugs that are trafficking through our state. Following are additional alarming statistics about drug use which argue for strengthening our resolve to winning the war on drugs for the sake of our children: 1997 CASA (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University) Survey of Public Opinion By the Time Middle School Students Reach 13-- 40% know someone who has used acid, cocaine or heroin. 29% can buy marijuana within a day; 12% can buy marijuana within an hour or less. 27% have friends who use marijuana. 1 in 4 have attended a party in the last six months where marijuana was available. 15% have witnessed the sale of drugs in their neighborhood. 1 in 10 have a schoolmate who died because of drugs or alcohol. 1997 CASA (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University) Survey of Public Opinion By the Time High School Students Reach 17. Almost 3 out of 4 know someone personally who uses acid, cocaine or heroin. Two thirds can buy marijuana within a day; 44% within an hour or less. 62% have friends who use marijuana; 21% will say more than half of their friends use marijuana; 34% say at least half of their friends use marijuana. 60% have attended a party in the past six months where marijuana was available; for 30%, more than half of the parties they attend have marijuana. Half have personally seen drugs sold on their school grounds. One third have witnessed the sale of drugs in their neighborhood. 1 out of 4 have a schoolmate who died because of drugs or alcohol. Only 1 in 4 are willing to report a drug user in their school to school officials.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 109) recognizing the many talents of the actor Jimmy Stewart and honoring the contributions he made to the Nation.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of our time. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to thank again the distinguished gentleman from New York [Mr. King] for bringing this resolution before the House. I also want to take a moment to thank the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Murtha] for his leadership relating to this memorial to a great American, and the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Cummings], my colleague and distinguished ranking member of our Subcommittee on Civil Service, for his assistance in bringing this resolution to the floor. Of course, I also want to thank Chairman Burton, chairman of our full committee, and the ranking member, the gentleman from California [Mr. Waxman], who has also helped in expediting the consideration of this resolution. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I thought it would be interesting to read from ``Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,'' a 1939 classic about Congress, and Mr. Stewart's famous words as Mr. Smith. He said, as many of us remember, about his feelings, ``I wouldn't give you two cents for all your fancy rules if behind them they didn't have a little bit of plain, ordinary kindness and a little lookin' out for the other fella.'' And that is what Congress is sometimes about, and we remember that as we remember this great American today. Mr. Speaker, as we have heard on the floor today, Jimmy Stewart was an exemplary American. He personified the traditional American virtues of hard work, dedication to family, dedication to country, and personal modesty. He enriched our culture, and he enriched our civic life. He could have used his heroic military service during World War II to bring additional glory to himself, but like so many of the men and women of his era who served our Nation in war at a perilous time, he did not. Instead, he served his Nation quietly. I have read, Mr. Speaker, that Jimmy Stewart only once used his influence while in the military. He used it to request that he be treated the same as all other men and women in uniform. It is indeed a privilege for me, Mr. Speaker, to join my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from New York [Mr. King], and all Members to support this resolution, recognizing the many and lasting contributions of James Maitland Stewart.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Weldon].

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York [Mr. King], the sponsor of this resolution, and I congratulate him for providing the House with the opportunity to recognize this great American patriot and hero.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, from time to time the U.S. House of Representatives and our Congress honors the memory and talents of great Americans. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the late Jimmy Stewart. As an actor, as a citizen, and in his personal life, Jimmy Stewart exemplified the best of America. Most Americans know Jimmy Stewart through his many movies. All of us have seen at least some of these movies, and he endeared himself to us by his performances. As laymen, though, we probably did not fully appreciate what a consummate craftsman he was. His acting appeared so natural that many wrongly believed that he was not acting at all, just being himself. But, according to biographers and critics, that was deceptive. What appeared so natural to us was instead the result of talent magnified many times over by dedication and hard work. Frank Capra, who directed Jimmy Stewart in his most famous movies, ``Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' and ``It's A Wonderful Life,'' had this to say about Jimmy Stewart's acting ability: There is a higher level than great performances in acting. The actor disappears and there is only a real live person on the screen. There are only a few actors, very few indeed, capable of that level of performance, and that tall string bean sitting over there, he is one of them. He was referring, of course, to Mr. Stewart. Jimmy Stewart's personal life was also exemplary. He married his wife Gloria in 1949 and remained married to her until she died in 1994. That is no mean feat in Hollywood and in days where marriages sometimes seem to last only weeks or months. He also contributed to his community. He was an adviser to Princeton University's Theater in Residence, and served on the executive board of the Los Angeles Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Jimmy Stewart also set a model for all of us in citizenship and patriotism. He was already a famous actor when World War II broke out. Perhaps he could have used his influence to stay out of the armed forces, but he chose not to do so. To the contrary, when the Army rejected him because he was underweight, Jimmy Stewart ate fattening foods so he could pass the weight test. He served in the Army Air Corps, flying 25 missions over enemy territory and serving as commander of a bombing wing. His distinguished military performance earned him the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster. In 1945 he returned to the United States as a colonel. He continued serving in the Air Force Reserve, attaining the rank of brigadier general in 1959. Mr. Speaker, as an actor Jimmy Stewart could have used his wartime service to enhance his box office appeal, but he did not. True to his core values, he took the opposite track by insisting that his wartime exploits be kept out of his movie publicity. In all aspects of his life, Mr. Speaker, Jimmy Stewart set an example for us all to follow. It is therefore appropriate that this Congress take time today to recognize the great contributions that this man has made to our great Nation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that following passage of this legislation, all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the concurrent resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 109.

Mr. MICA

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

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank the distinguished gentleman from Florida [Mr. Weldon], the primary sponsor of this legislation, and also the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Deutsch] for their timeliness in bringing this legislation before the House. I congratulate them for their fine efforts to provide these brave men with a public expression of gratitude and recognition from this Congress, which they so richly deserve. Mr. Speaker, I also want to take a moment and also thank the gentleman who is not with us, but who served with such a distinguished career in the House, Mr. Sonny Montgomery, who was referred to by my colleague from Florida. He did attempt to bring this matter before the House, and he does deserve credit and recognition on this day as we do pass this legislation long overdue. I also want to take a moment to thank the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Cummings], the distinguished ranking member of the Subcommittee on Civil Service, for his assistance on this matter. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Burton], the chairman of the Committee on House Government Reform and Oversight, and the gentleman from California [Mr. Waxman], the ranking member, for their leadership and helping to expedite consideration of this matter before the House. Mr. Speaker, this resolution asks the President to issue a proclamation recognizing and commending each of these 82 men by name for their service, their bravery, and their fortitude. In good conscience we can do no less. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to vote for this long overdue resolution.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida [Mr. Weldon], the sponsor of this important legislation. I want to thank the gentleman for bringing the sacrifices of these airmen to the attention of the Congress and to the American people.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today the House has an opportunity to recognize the valor and sacrifices of 82 Americans who have earned the gratitude of our Nation. We often speak in this House of the debt that our Nation owes to the many men and women who have served our Armed Forces in defense of this country and its values. The story of these 82 American airmen forcefully reminds us of the price that others have had to pay to preserve our freedom. These men were held as political prisoners at the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp. Unlike other American prisoners of war, they were not entitled to the protections of the Geneva Convention. The unspeakable horrors of Buchenwald are well-known, but the ordeal of these men and what they experienced is not known. For 52 years, this Government has not formally recognized the bravery and loyalty of these 82 airmen. This resolution, which is sponsored by my distinguished colleague and good friend, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Weldon] and also has the support of the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Deutsch], my equally good friend and colleague, will provide public recognition that these men have earned, and it is so long overdue. But the resolution will do more than that, Mr. Speaker. It will also educate Members of Congress and preserve for the American people the story, the history, and the bravery of these 82 heroic individuals. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 95) recognizing and commending American airmen held as political prisoners at the Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II for their service, bravery, and fortitude.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on House Concurrent Resolution Resolution 95.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I had planned to offer an amendment in this title, and I am not going to do that at this time. I think I would be remiss as a Member of Congress and someone who has spoken out about some of the funding for one of the agencies funded in this appropriations measure if I did not personally address what I consider a program that has room for improvement. I do not mean to distract or to in any way denounce the work of this Committee on Appropriations subcommittee. I know they have an important task, and trying to come up with a foreign ops appropriations measure is a difficult task. But I had proposed to offer an amendment here and had the support of many colleagues to reduce AID's administrative costs by about 5 percent, or $19 million. That is just a small, token amount, really, but that money would have been put in the child survival and disease program fund, which would establish further protection of children throughout the world, and eradication of diseases. Most people do not realize it, but 33,000 children die every day across the world, and an estimated 12 million children die under 5 years of age across the world every year from various diseases. Mr. Chairman, I have been around the world and worked in international trade, and I would not be critical of AID if I had not seen firsthand some of the problems that we have with that agency. Again, I know this committee is trying to do its utmost to get this operation in order. But let me give the Members also my perspective as chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Service of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, just an idea of how personnel in AID are stratified. If Members think we are spending all of our money and funds in helping children and the needy in foreign countries where there is need of our assistance for those individuals, just listen to this. AID staffing has 2,916 employees. Overseas there are 1,096. In Washington, D.C., or this immediate area, there are 1,717 AID employees. So those Members who are compassionate, those who are interested in trying to get our AID dollars going to where they can help the children, where they can help the truly needy, this budget appropriates again and will fund 1,717 positions just in the Washington, D.C. area for this agency. Overall, AID has almost 8,000 employees, if we count in contract and foreign nationals that are hired. The entire Department of Education only has 5,000 employees. Mr. Chairman, I will not get into all the issues of waste and mismanagement in AID, but I had met sometime ago overseas with the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in an eastern bloc country. This is an American. He said Americans in AID, their AID program is the laughingstock of some of the eastern bloc and emerging nations, because the United States spends $100 to give away $1. That is my concern, that we put money where it can do the most good. When we have 33,000 children dying every day, we can choose as to how this money is appropriated. My amendment would not have taken a penny out of what we are putting into the program, but it would redirect it as a national policy for these funds to go into child survival programs that are beneficial. That was the proposal that I had. I will not offer it because I want the process to move forward. But Mr. Chairman, I ask the chairman and my colleagues and members of this panel to look very closely at how these funds are being spent and the policy that we are establishing: Does the money go where it should go? Do we take care of folks and children around the world that need help, or is it going to spend a tremendous amount of money in overhead on a bureaucracy in Washington, D.C.?

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I thank the chairman and I will be submitting a more lengthy statement, a complete statement, for the Record. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my concern that we may miss an opportunity to save a resource of great significance to both my State of Florida and our Nation--Seminole Rest, which is located at the Canaveral National Seashore. This 26-acre site sits on the edge of Mosquito Lagoon in one of the last pristine environmental preserves along the East Coast of the United States. On this property are located three cultural resources; a shell midden known as Snyder Mound as well as two historic buildings; the Instone House and the Caretaker's House. Seminole Rest holds archaeological resources which reflect periodic occupation over a period of about 2000 years. In fact, Snyder Mound is one of the most significant and unique Indian middens in the United States. This midden contains the remains of shellfish and other refuse discarded by prehistoric Indians who inhabited the site as early as 800 AD and may represent as much as 700 years of prehistoric occupation. The two historic houses are significant for their design and integrity, and have been located on the property since before 1890. On March 19, 1997, Seminole Rest was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I strongly believe we should be acting to develop Seminole Rest in a manner which preserves its resources while making them available for public enjoyment. Additional property north and south of Seminole Rest should be acquired both to act as a protective buffer and to provide for an interpretive display--one which would trace the history of the Indians who once lived on the site. Further space exists for marine life exhibits, limited public boat-launching facilities and boat tours from Seminole Rest to Canaveral National Seashore. Unfortunately, Mr. Chairman, despite the obvious archaeological and historical significance of this tremendous resource, Seminole Rest today lies in a state of abandonment and deterioration. Despite the obvious potential of Seminole Rest, the two houses on its property are in desperate need of repairs and restoration. And with many other shell middens lost over the years to erosion and construction, Snyder Mound is one of the last sites of its kind and may be lost as well. However, I am concerned that the appropriations bill before us today lacks the critical funding which would permit the National Park Service to act to save this resource. Today I had intended to offer an amendment to provide an additional $2 million to the National Park Service for operation and maintenance so that it might act to save Seminole Rest. I will instead withdraw my amendment and have agreed to work with both my distinguished colleague, Chairman Regula, and with the National Park Service to ensure that we preserve and develop Seminole Rest as a national and historic resource.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I rise to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise to engage the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Regula], chairman of the Subcommittee on Interior of the Committee on Appropriations, in a brief colloquy. I first want to take a moment to thank the gentleman from Ohio and his staff and the ranking member and the staff of the minority for the tremendous effort they have put forth in bringing this legislation to the floor. I realize the many challenges that they have and the many needs that we have throughout the Department of the Interior and the demands on Interior appropriations. Mr. Chairman, I was going to offer an amendment to increase funding for the National Park Service for a project in my district known as Seminole Rest, a historic site renovation project at Canaveral National Seashore in east central Florida. Although I will not offer that amendment, I strongly support efforts to develop this site in a manner which preserves both its resources while making them available for public enjoyment. Mr. Chairman, it is my hope and understanding that the gentleman will work with me and the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior to help preserve and develop this project, Seminole Rest at Canaveral National Seashore.

Mr. MICA. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 246, 247, and 248, I was inadvertently detained due to mechanical problems with my plane. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on each.