Juanita Millender-McDonald

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, it is our responsibility as leaders and parents to act in the best interests of our children. It is our responsibility to provide our children with opportunities so that they can maximize their potential and make positive contributions to society. All children should have this opportunity. When individuals are not afforded a chance, this can limit their future. Consequently, due to this shared responsibility, I felt that it was necessary to introduce the American Asian Justice Act of 1999. This bill will amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to facilitate the immigration to the United States of children born in the Philippines and Japan who were fathered by United States servicemen. While the children fathered by American citizens in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Kampuchea and Korea are allowed to immigrate to the United States, Philippine Amerasian children are denied this right because they were excluded from the 1982 U.S. Amerasian Law. For several years, the Philippines and Japan served as a central location for military operations in the Far East. As a result, interracial relationships and marriages produced approximately 50,000 children of mixed ancestry. The majority of these children are now suffering and estranged in the Philippines today. Many children are stigmatized because they are considered illegitimate or have mixed ethnic ancestry and have been denied access to viable employment and education opportunities, causing these children to live in conditions of severe poverty. In addition, in June 1991, Mt. Pinatubo, which is located within miles of these U.S. bases, erupted and caused severe damage, leaving thousands of children of mixed ancestry abandoned, helpless, and without means of support. Therefore, the time has come to expand the U.S. Amerasian Law to include the children of the Philippines and Japan, and facilitate their passage to the United States under the sponsorship of their U.S. relatives. It is time to help these children immigrate to the United States so they can grow up with the love and support of their own families. It is our responsibility to help these children. In helping these children we are helping ourselves.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 34 on March 10, 1999, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, February 23, 1999, I was unavoidably detained while conducting official business and missed rollcall votes 22 and 23. Had I been present I would have voted ``yea.''

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the legislation the Small Business Committee has brought to the floor today. Through bipartisan efforts, we were able to unanimously pass this bill in the Committee, which will help small business entrepreneurs, particularly in urban communities, obtain the necessary capital to succeed. As a member of the Committee and an original co-sponsor of H.R. 68, I would like to briefly explain why this bill is so important to small business owners in the 37th district of California and throughout the country. This bill will help give small businesses increased access to capital by streamlining the operation of the Small Business Investment Company program. Access to capital is one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses today. It is particularly difficult for women business owners who have just 2% of all venture capital. This measure will allow SBICs, which are a critical public-private partnership helping thousands of small businesses, more flexibility in offering loans, a higher amount of available funding, and lower interest rates. SBICs have invested nearly $15 billion in long-term debt and equity capital to over 90,000 small businesses. As a result, companies such as Intel, FedEx, AOL and Staples were able to succeed, causing millions of jobs to be created and billions of dollars contributed to our economy. Most important to me and my district, are the ways in which SBICs have helped small businesses in urban areas access the capital they need to grow. In 1997, we witnessed several innovative creations as a result of the SBIC program--two women owned SBICs and the first Hispanic owned SBIC. This growth and expansion will be accelerated with the passage of H.R. 68. I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this bill and being a part of our ongoing efforts to provide more opportunities to serve small, minority and women owned businesses and entrepreneurs.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the Articles of Impeachment before this House. I urge Members to step outside the passion of your convictions and think about our obligations to the Constitution, to our constituents, and our place in history. Mr. Speaker, I hoped this moment could be avoided and that Members of the Judiciary Committee, after carefully examining the evidence, history and their consciences, would recognize that the charges do not rise to the level of an impeachable offense. With this vote, we have the opportunity, by censure, to live up to the Framers' vision and honorably close a sad chapter in our Republic's history, or open a new, more perilous one in which the private lives of public figures become fair game for scrutiny and prosecutorial entrapment. The House Judiciary Committee process was unfair. It relied exclusively on material gathered by the Independent Counsel and failed to interview material witnesses or subject them to the rigors of cross examination. Some Committee members abandoned the most fundamental precept of fairness--the presumption of innocence. While paying homage to the law and constitutional responsibilities, some of our colleagues are even pointing to the President's unwillingness to give up his constitutional right to avoid self-incrimination by demanding that he admit to perjury. Can we call this process fair? The shortcomings of our process: abrogation of basic tenets of jurisprudence; an unfair and flawed process; reliance on hearsay; abandonment of the presumption of innocence; and release of materials in a prejudicial manner indicate the need to exercise great caution. Do we really think these charges rise to the level of impeachable offenses envisioned by the Framers? I fear we are falling victim to what Alexander Hamilton called ``the greatest danger''--the danger of partisan impeachment. Mr. Speaker, the American people and history will judge us! As Members of the People's House, we must never forget that we were sent here by the American people to represent them. The majority of Americans have resoundingly said they do not support the impeachment. A vote for impeachment under these circumstances would go against the fabric of representative democracy and would overturn the will of the American people--a grave measure indeed! As we vote, let us reflect on our own experiences, perceptions of fairness, justice, and our understanding of the facts, to conscientiously apply the requisite tests to determine our vote. We can ill afford to so endanger the future of our democracy by voting to impeach the President of these United States. You have the votes to impeach. But can your conscience withstand the scrutiny that history will bring to bear on your vote?

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, as our Commander in Chief battles the problems in Iraq he is also battling for his presidency in the people's House. This could have waited. Wrong day, wrong way. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the articles of impeachment before this House this morning. I urge Members to step outside the passion of their convictions and think about our obligations to the Constitution, to our constituents and the American people before we cast this vote. Mr. Speaker, I had hoped this moment could have never come and the members of the Committee on the Judiciary, after carefully examining the evidence, history and their conscience, could recognize that these charges do not rise to the level of an impeachable offense. However, with this vote we have the opportunity by censure to live up to the Framers' vision and honorably close a sad chapter in our Republic's history, or we can open a new one that is perilous. I will say to my colleagues that the American people and history will judge us. Yes, we have the votes to impeach, but can our conscience withstand the scrutiny that history will bring to bear on our vote? What a sad day in the history of America.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, we are at an interesting juncture in history. We are juxtaposed between great divisions on how to discipline our President and how to demonstrate unanimous support for the men and women of our armed forces as they proceed into armed conflict miles away in Iraq. Make no mistake, that even during these times we live in the greatest country on earth. For even in the fell clutch of circumstance our resolve is clear and our vision is focused. We will not allow Saddam Hussein to build and develop weapons of mass destruction; we will not allow him to continue to circumvent international law; we will not allow him to continue to obstruct and mislead U.N. weapons inspectors as they attempt to locate and inspect weapons sites. We will not allow him to threaten his neighbors; and we will not allow Saddam Hussein to threaten the future of American families and children. We will not allow Saddam Hussein to threaten the new peace in the Middle East and we will stand united against him, no matter the domestic crisis, and mete out the severest punishment that our military resources will allow us. Just as we punish serial killers for their crimes, we will punish this serial promise breaker for his! I rise to support the President's actions against Saddam Hussein and I rise in unwavering support of our brave and loyal troops who willingly lay their lives on the line for our freedom. We owe it to them to lay down our political differences and stand together in support of the President's decision to initiate military action against Saddam Hussein. These actions are both appropriate and necessary to prevent the rise of a tyrant who is determined to immortalize himself in the worlds history books. Saddam Hussein has a record of using chemical and biological weapons against his enemies, both, inside and outside of Iraq. He has launched SCUD missiles against Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab countries. He has used chemical weapons against his Kurdish minority, and if given the opportunity and the means, he would not hesitate to launch an attack against the United States. We have given the Iraqi leader every opportunity to comply with weapons inspectors. We have warned Saddam that his actions would be met with the severest of consequences. The President's actions are in the best interest of our country and our children, and he deserves the full support of this House and the American people. We owe this much and more to Lt. Colonel Heidi Brown, the first woman to command an Army air defense battalion, and the rest of our brave soldiers who are risking their lives for our national sovereignty. I would like to thank the Leadership of the House for setting aside other business to support our Commander in Chief and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I come before you to ask a very important question: Why did we bring this resolution to this floor? I do not condone the President's behavior, but what I find truly abhorrent is the behavior of my Republican colleagues who have launched a partisan attack against the President. Certainly I believe that the President's conduct should be investigated and that the Congress has a constitutional responsibility to hold hearings looking into the allegations made by the Independent Counsel. But these hearings cannot be entered into lightly. It is a grave and serious matter that faces us. What we decide here today will have ramifications for generations to come. How we conduct ourselves will serve as a precedent for those who follow. We owe it to the American people to rise to the level of the challenge before us and to move forward with this investigation in a solemn and judicious fashion--not in the destructive partisan manner that we have seen so far. The investigation of the President has gone on far too long and must be brought to a swift conclusion--through a focused, limited and fair investigation--for the sake of the nation and in the interest of returning the attention of Congress back to the business of families and their children. The people of California's 37th Congressional District elected me to fight for better education, to fight for safer streets, to fight for the protection of Social Security. Instead I have had to spend the crucial last weeks of this Congress wading through more than 4,000 pages of what amounts to little more than pornography. By bogging down real legislative business with salacious details of sex and scandal, my Republican colleagues have done nothing to make a real difference in the lives of America's working families. I call on my colleagues on the other side of the aisle today to change their do-nothing ways and finally make a real difference in Americans' lives by walking the high road on into the history books. Thus far this session, Republicans have turned their backs on our children, they have tried to rob money from our seniors and they have chipped away at a woman's right to choose. I urge my Republican colleagues to, at long last, do right by the American people and vote for a just investigative process--the limited, focused, fair proposal presented by my Democratic colleagues

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to express my extreme disappointment with the failure of this Congress to promote education for all American children. Providing quality education to our children is one of the most important responsibilities we have. As the only Member of Congress serving on the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, I must speak about the lost opportunities for funding education in this Congress. The National Commission is comprised of governors, university presidents, state superintendents, superintendents of schools, principals, and educators from across the country. We have worked for years to evaluate the needs of students and have made recommendations that will improve the quality of education for all students. Our top recommendation is to improve the quality of our teachers by reducing class size and improving teacher training. I introduced legislation to implement these recommendations. In fact, there have been several good proposals to improve the quality of education, but unfortunately, the majority of this Congress has not seen the need to provide the infrastructure of education for our children. That's just not fair to the public school children of America. Instead of working together to support the Democratic plan to reduce class size and modernize public schools, the majority of this Congress talks about school vouchers. The truth is that vouchers weaken public education. What will increase the quality of public education in this country is to pass the plan that the President proposed last January-- let's reduce class size by adding 100,000 new, qualified teachers. Let's pass the plan to modernize our public schools so our children are in a safe and healthy environment to learn--not decrepit old buildings that are leaking and crumbling around them. Instead of supporting this proposal, the majority of this Congress tried to turn federal education aid into block grants with no accountability to ensure that funds will go where they are most needed, especially to poor and undeserved students. Ninety percent of the nation's families send their children to public schools. The right to a quality public education for all children is part of the very foundation of our democracy. Whatever public resources we have available should be used to improve our public schools--not to fund private schools. By directing more resources to public schools--instead of gimmick savings accounts--we can help parents, teachers, and administrators meet the important education challenges facing the vast majority of our children. As an educator and administrator in the Los Angeles Unified School District for many years, I can personally attest to the critical need to put more dollars into our public schools--not less. High technology and computers in every classroom do not leave any children behind. That is one of the reasons I support full funding for the E-Rate program which will help provide needy public school students with better access to telecommunications technology, including the Internet and other educational media. Congress should be working to reduce class size in the early grades and reduce class overcrowding. The average class size in the early grades ranges from 32 to 36 students--this is much too large for effective teaching and learning. Research demonstrates that reducing class size in the early grades will: (1) raise the level of student achievement in reading and math; (2) improve classroom discipline; and (3) better ensure that children are receiving the personal attention they deserve. That's why I support the President's initiative. This will help reduce class size in the early grades to 18 students across the country. Congress should also be working to improve the quality of teachers teaching our children. We must have the best-trained teachers if we expect our children to be the best they can be. That is why I introduced teacher excellence legislation to change the way teachers are trained and to improve the quality of teaching in America's classrooms. We must provide every student in America with access to competent, qualified and dedicated teachers. We must provide a comprehensive approach to teacher training that provides professional development for veteran teachers. We must also provide mentoring for beginning teachers by veteran teachers who've spent years in the classroom and can share a wealth of experience with those just entering the profession. I believe that we must restore the stature and importance of the profession of teaching in our communities. There really is no higher professional calling than teaching and preparing our children for this new millennium. These are just a few of the ways Congress can make a real and positive difference in the education of America's children. Education savings accounts and school vouchers will not do a thing to improve the quality of education for America's children except take precious dollars away from where it's needed the most--America's public schools. It's not too late--I urge my colleagues to put the dollars where they are needed most--for educating America's children.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I came to the floor tonight to talk about education and to first raise my disappointment with Congress being unable to provide funding for America's children in terms of education. However, I am hearing that perhaps an agreement has been made and that there will be funding available for some of the President's initiatives that he proposed back in January in the State of the Union address. What I have here tonight is a pamphlet that describes what matters most, Teaching for America's Future, that I provided to every Member of Congress at the top of the year. As the only Member who serves on the National Commission on Teaching in America's Future, I wanted Congress to recognize persons across this Nation, from governors to state superintendents to school superintendents, principals, educators, teachers and parents, coming together to talk about the importance of qualified teachers. This is why we embraced this, the President's initiative on 100,000 new teachers to provide for our students. We must reform the methodology of teaching in which we have begun to do, and we must expand professional development for teachers. We can ill afford to have weakened professional development, thinking that this will make teachers more qualified. Teachers need a more frequent involvement in professional development, and there needs to be a whole methodology of teaching whereby computer literacy will be part of this new methodology of teaching. After-school programs is another phase by which we need to embrace this initiative. If we are going to divert those 3 hours of mischievous time for students who come home to empty homes, latchkey children, we will then need to have after-school programs where this will be a positive setting for our students and our children whereby they can divert from the violence that has seemed to just permeate that block of time where children are not supervised. Smaller classrooms. We as former teachers and administrators recognize the importance of smaller classrooms, eighteen in a class, that is the best, more manageable classroom whereby students will get individualized training. We must ensure that qualified teaching and qualified learning be part of the structure of a reduced class size. School construction. There is no way that dilapidated schools where roofs are falling, wiring is seen outside of the plastic, plaster is falling from the ceiling, there is no way that is an environment that is conducive to learning. This Congress must make sure that the infrastructure of education become a priority just like the infrastructure in transportation became a priority in the T-21 bill. We must provide that infrastructure of education so that we can build the bridges of learning for our students to cross over this bridge to the 21st Century like we are building infrastructures, roads, and bridges in our towns and in our cities. Yes, the President's initiative is one that we embrace, members and commissioners on the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, a think tank that speaks to education, because we want to make sure that our children do have the quality of qualified teachers, reduce class sizes where there will be more individualized training, after-school programs where they can further this training and also enhance their knowledge, and, yes, school construction. Children must have an environment that is conducive to learning. Our children deserve no less, and our Nation has no recourse if we are to prepare our future leaders for this global workplace.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am pleased to join the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) in bringing to the House floor this piece of legislation designating a United States finance building after a distinguished and deserving individual. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the chairman for his timely consideration and his support during the struggle in trying to get this bill to the floor. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a dear friend and a former Congressman by renaming the Federal building located at 10301 South Compton Avenue in Los Angeles, California, known as the Watts Finance Office to the Augustus F. Hawkins Post Office Building. Madam Speaker, H.R. 2349 enjoys the bipartisan support of the entire California delegation, Congressman Hawkins' former colleagues, and support in the United States Senate. Madam Speaker, The Washington Post once called Gus Hawkins one of the most famous unknown men of our day. However, many of us knew him as a quiet fighter for racial justice, social equality, and education for minorities, women and children. Gus committed his life to serving others, and his 56 years of public service spanned a period that included the Great Depression, World War II, McCarthyism, both the Korean and Vietnam wars, the Civil Rights movement, and the war on poverty. He witnessed the assassination of a President and the resignation of another. He was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1907. When he was only 11, he and his family moved to Los Angeles to escape the racial discrimination that was prevalent in the south at that time. His legislative career began in the California State Assembly where he served for 28 years and was often the legislature's only black member. His record in Sacramento includes the passage of the State's first law against discrimination in housing and employment. He also carried successful State legislation concerning minimum wages for women, child care centers, workers compensation for domestic employees, and the removal of racial designations on State documents. After his remarkable tenure in the assembly, Gus was elected and sworn in as a member of the 88th Congress in 1962. He served as chairman of the Joint Committee on Printing in the 97th Congress, the Joint Committee on Libraries in the 97th Congress, as well as the Committee on House Administration in the 97th Congress and the 98th Congress, before serving as Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor in the 101st Congress. By and large, Gus was known by his colleagues as a hard-working, trustworthy, low-key legislator who concentrated on issues of importance to his district. He preferred to work behind the scenes and let others capture the headlines. He is the author of more than 17 Federal laws, including the Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, establishing the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Job Training Partnership Act, the School Improvement Act, which rewrote virtually all major elementary and secondary education programs, and the Civil Rights Restoration Act. In 1978, he coauthored and passed the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act, which pledged Federal Government efforts to reduce unemployment to 4 percent by 1983, if the private sector failed to do so. The Humphrey-Hawkins bill is seen as one of Gus's greatest pieces of legislation accomplishments because it established a real blueprint for moving this country ahead in job training and employment, the foundation to every other policy. Throughout his remarkable career in public service, Gus has championed the rights of children, the poor, the elderly working people, and minorities. He never forgot who he was, where he came from, nor the people whom he served. It is only fitting that we rise to pay tribute to him by redesignating the Federal building located at 10301 South Compton Avenue in Los Angeles, California, known as the Watts Finance Office to the Augustus F. Hawkins Post Office Building. I would again like to thank my colleagues in the California delegation and all of the cosponsors of this legislation for joining me in a bipartisan fashion to pay tribute to a great man, a man who would want to be remembered by his colleagues and friends alike as someone who simply loved children, the honorable Augustus F. Hawkins, former distinguished member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Madam Speaker, I am proud to stand tonight with the collective forces on both sides of the aisle to give tribute to nine children, nine children who courageously, yet fearfully, stood in the doors of Central High School to say that we must change the culture of this society, we must change the culture of schools, high schools in this country and all schools. As a former teacher, I can recognize how important it is to ensure that quality of education, irrespective of race, be given to every child across this country. I have seen and have followed their careers, and they have positioned themselves in many endeavors, but clearly have positioned themselves as outstanding Americans. I had the pleasure of traveling with Ernie Green this last March when we travelled with the President to Africa. This outstanding man has no remorse. He serves his country with dignity and serves his country with distinction. If it is not but one thing we can remember, and that is that we must all contribute something to make this country a better world, a better life for our children, for all Americans. Let me thank the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), the gentleman on the other side of the aisle, my dear friend, and all who played a tremendous part in bringing these outstanding Americans to the floor. To give them a Congressional Medal of Honor would be the highest mark of saying thank you. To Betty Ford and all the others who will be receiving one, we congratulate them as well.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in unequivocal opposition to this unfair practice. (Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the great gentleman from Illinois for his kind words and for yielding time to me. I would like to thank the chairman for his sensitivity in the support of the bill and for the kind words that he has given and extended to the recipient. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to my dear friend, former Congressman Mervyn Malcolm Dymally and redesignate the Post Office located at 701 South Santa Fe Avenue in Compton, California, currently known as the Compton Main Post Office, to the Mervyn Dymally Post Office Building. Jet Magazine, a prominent African-American publication, once wrote, ``Few black elected officials were more aggressive, uncompromising and daring than representative Mervyn Dymally.'' Mervyn Dymally was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1981 as the body's first foreign born member. Mervyn came to this country in 1945 from Cedros, Trinidad, British West Indies as a 19-year-old student to attend Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri and to study journalism. After attending Lincoln University, Dymally traveled to California to attend Chapman College in Los Angeles before transferring to California State University, Los Angeles where he graduated in 1954 with a bachelor of arts in education. After graduation, Mervyn taught educationally handicapped children in the Los Angeles Unified School District. In addition to a bachelor's degree, Dymally also holds a master's in government from California State University, Sacramento and a Ph.D. in human behavior from the United States International University. Mervyn is also a distinguished member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and a member of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Scholastic Society. Mervyn's political career began in 1960 when he worked as a field coordinator for then presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. Building upon his success in the Kennedy campaign, Dymally was elected to the California State Assembly in 1963 and then to the State Senate in 1967 where he served for 8 years. As a State Senator, Dymally chaired the committees on social welfare and veterans affairs, elections and reapportionment, and a select committee on medical education and health. In 1975, he was elected Lieutenant Governor of the State of California and was the State's first and highest-ranking African American elected official to have been voted statewide in an election. On January 3, 1981, following a diverse career in education and government, Mervyn Dymally was sworn in as a Member of the 97th Congress, representing California's 31st District, where he served his constituents for six terms. Congressman Dymally served on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs where he was the Chair of the Subcommittee on International Operations. Dymally also became the only other black to chair the Subcommittee on Africa, succeeding former Detroit Representative Charles Diggs who held the post 20 years earlier than that. In his first year he traveled to 20 African countries. He launched the drive to increase the number of minority business investments on the continent and paid particular attention to the United States policies toward assistance levels to African and the Caribbean nations. In addition to his position on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mervyn also served on the Post Office and Civil Service Committee and the Committee on the District of Columbia, chairing its Subcommittee on Judiciary and Education. While in Congress, Dymally sponsored legislation advocating several human rights issues. One of his crowning achievements was the passage of legislation authorizing relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction in war-torn Liberia. When Mervyn retired in 1992, he was praised for leadership in raising the Congress' awareness of the suffering and misery in Africa and his ability to devise new initiatives for remedies. Since his retirement from Congress Mervyn was quoted as saying, ``In retirement I am busier now than ever.'' Indeed he is. Since leaving Congress, Mr. Speaker, he has traveled extensively to Africa and to the Caribbean. His duties as President of the Grace Home for Waiting Children and Chairman of the Caribbean Action Lobby keep the time on his schedule at a premium. Former Congressman Dymally is also a distinguished professor at the Central State University in Ohio and is also the President of the Dymally International Group, a consulting and financial advisory firm. If these activities were not enough to keep him busy, former Congressman Dymally serves as Honorary Counsel to the Republic of Benin, West Africa, and Vice President of the Pacific Century Institute. At every step in his career Mervyn has made his family proud. He has demonstrated to us what hard work and dedication to one's belief can accomplish. He dedicated his life to serving the people of the State of California and was the pride of his native Trinidad. In an age of 30-second sound bites, Mervyn rarely held press conferences and often steered clear of glitzy words. He was a diligent and capable advocate for the needs of his constituents and will also be known as an industrious, savvy politician. Designating the post office located in Compton, California, as the Mervyn Dymally Post Office Building is a honor befitting his service to his community and to the State of California. I would like to thank his wife, Alice, his children, Mark and Lynn Dymally, and his grandchildren, Maya, Christian and Cameron, for sharing him with us. I would also like to thank the members of the California delegation and other members for joining me in cosponsoring this legislation and paying tribute to one of California's political giants and one of the most distinguished statesmen I have ever known and had the privilege of knowing, the gentleman of California, Congressman Mervyn Dymally.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the rule. The Lowey provision within the Treasury-Postal Appropriations bill was passed in both chambers of Congress--twice in the House--and was included in the final conference report. To strip this language now flies in the face of the legislative process. The vast majority of Federal Employee Health Benefit (FEHB) plans do not cover the full range of prescription contraceptives which prevent unintended pregnancies and 10 percent of the FEHB plans do not even cover any of the five major contraceptives. The Lowey provision in the Treasury-Postal Appropriations bill simply requires that FEHB plans cover prescription contraception, just as they cover other prescriptions. The FEHB program serves as a model for the nation's private health insurance plans. The FEHB program must cover these basic and essential prescription drugs that can decrease the need and likelihood of abortions in this country. We owe this not only to the millions of women who make more than half this population, but to their families who are trying to be responsible parents. Eighty-one percent of FEHB plans do not even cover the five leading reversible methods of contraception. Due to various medical conditions, many women do not even have the option of using certain forms of contraception. Women deserve a full and fair choice when it comes to their personal health needs. Currently, women of reproductive age spend 68% more in out-of-pocket health costs than men. We need to narrow the gender gap in insurance coverage--not widen the disparities between those who have and those who have not, and further expand the chasm that has hurt far too many women and families throughout the country already. The Lowey provision is a critical, basic necessity that has a ``negligible'' cost according to the Congressional Budget Office. I urge my colleagues to recognize and respect the legislative process. And we must vote ``no'' because the Republicans have also stripped the language providing Haitian refugees the chance to establish legal permanent residence in the United States. This Haitian language would enable an estimated 40,000 Haitians, including about 11,000 paroled into the United States after the military coup in 1991 by the Bush Administration, to adjust to permanent residence status. These Haitians deserve the asylum that has been provided to their Nicaraguan and Cuban counterparts. Again, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this destructive and unjudicious rule.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my dear friend and colleague from California (Ms. Sanchez) for convening such an important night as this. While the previous speaker just spoke about the fact that this great, distinguished man was born in Arizona, we claim him in California. He has given 16 years of distinguished service in this House. He hails from California, representing the people of his district, and has done that with nobility, with conviction, with integrity, with character. I tell my colleagues, I knew about Esteban Torres before I knew Esteban Torres, because he is a man of great a sense of character of people. He knew what he came here for, and he did the work of the people whom he was voted into office by. Esteban walks very softly. He seems to be a mild-mannered man, and yet he has carried a big stick, a big stick for justice, for opportunity, for the people of California, for jobs. Everyone knew that before he came here, he was part of a union organization where he served very well there, but he came here knowing that his job was to ensure that job opportunities were for the working-class citizens, and he has done that. He has done that with conviction, with every sense of caring and compassion. Esteban knew that when civil rights became a great issue that he was right there in the forefront on the civil rights issues. It is no wonder that people of all nationalities are coming to this well tonight from both sides of the aisle talking about this distinguished man, this man who has served Californians so well. He is one of our finest who is leaving, but he leaves a record, a record that is impeccable, a record that we must all try to emulate, a record that suggests to us that one comes to this House to do the people's business. One does not come here for shenanigans, one does not come here for partisan bickering, but one comes here with a purpose, and his purpose was to ensure that California was well represented. He is the highest ranking Hispanic Member from California who sits on the Committee on Appropriations. I am pleased to stand before my colleagues to tell them that Esteban made sure that California got its fair share of any appropriations bill that came out. California is very proud of that, I say to the gentleman, because we knew that the gentleman was behind us every step of the way. When the gentleman brought forth his crime bill knowing about the gangs in Los Angeles, east side, south central, throughout the State whereby the FBI will be working with the local police departments to ensure that we crack down on gangs, it became a very noted piece of legislation, not only in this House, but across this Nation. The gentleman stands tall. The gentleman stands tall for the American people as well as Californians, irrespective of Latinos, African- Americans, Anglos or what have you. And to me, that is a man of courage. That is a statesman when one can stand in this well and say, thank you, thank you for the nobility that you have brought to this House, thank you for the statesmanlike position that you have brought. I say to the gentleman, with both of us having five children, we have something in common, but enjoy your retirement, enjoy now your family that has sacrificed so much for you to be a part of this House, and above all, enjoy just some solace and silence for Esteban Torres. We congratulate you, the great Representative of California.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Madam Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3248. As a former educator in the Los Angeles Unified School District, one of the largest in this country, I cannot support this bill. It repeals 31 elementary and secondary education programs, including Goals 2000, School to Work, and Eisenhower Professional Development State Grants. I am particularly concerned about elimination of the Eisenhower Professional Development program because it has been a successful tool in providing critical teacher training opportunities. The only way for our students to become the best they can be is for their teachers to be the best they can be--which requires on-going quality training for teachers. In this rapidly changing world, it is essential for teachers to have up-to-date training and the latest information and technology if they are to teach our children and prepare them for the next millennium. This bill eliminates existing mechanisms that assure that federal funds are used as intended and that children are well served--yet it fails to provide adequate replacements. This bill completely eliminates the ability of the federal government to target federal funds on poor children, and instead leaves the targeting of federal funds to the political whims of state legislatures. As a former state legislator, I know the risks of federal funding reaching the intended programs when these funds are directed to block grants for states. The Government Accounting Office has found that federal funding is more targeted to poor students than state funding in 45 of 47 states. This targeted focus of federal education dollars is intended to address national problems that are not being adequately addressed at the state and local levels. This bill is opposed by respected educators across the country, including the National Education Association, the National PTA, the American Association of School Administrators, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the American Association of University Women. My constituents in California, including the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, do not want to see this bill passed. Yesterday, a group of California educators, led by the President of the Los Angeles County School Board came to my office and urged me to oppose this bill. They were particularly concerned that this bill would eliminate the successful Comprehensive Regional Assistance Centers. In Los Angeles, these Centers have provided vital resources to our classrooms and given teachers more tools to help our children learn to read. One of the tools in this guide, ``Taking a Reading,'' which aids teachers in teaching our children to read. If this bill passes, my local teachers will lose this tool. Another program that will be eliminated if this bill passes is the ``We The People'' program. Participants of this civic education program in the 37th District of California have called my office and urged opposition to this bill. Even though we have a strong and active program in Southern California, local leaders say the program is enhanced because of the national network they participate in through the existing federal funding. I must ask my colleagues, with all we have witnessed this summer, how can we in good faith, vote to eliminate funding for civics education for America's children? If anything, we should be providing more resources for programs that teach our children about responsible and good citizenship. This bill also eliminates funding for Women's Educational Equity, Arts in Education and Magnet Schools, just to name a few. This is not a good bill. I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill and support real efforts to improve education, like improving teacher training, reducing class size, adding new qualified teachers, and improving the condition of our school facilities. Vote ``no'' on this bill.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I rise to express my support for the Farr Substitute to H.R. 2183. This substitute advances the effort to reform campaign finance laws in the direction in which I believe we must ultimately go if we are going to restore credibility to the election process. The bipartisan support for Shays-Meehan is one reflection of the House's deep desire for campaign finance reform. Last night's victory illustrated the grassroots advocacy and public sentiment for limiting soft money contributions and transfers in federal campaigns before we adjourn. We owe these constituencies a debt of gratitude for not giving up on us. We owe it to ourselves to continue this fight by building on the reforms contained in Shays- Meehan. Mr. Chairman, that's why I support the Farr Substitute. Mr. Chairman, the Farr Substitute sets a voluntary spending limit of $600,000 for each two-year election cycle. It also contains related limitations on large donors, political action committees and the use of personal funds. As important, the Farr Substitute provides candidates with direct, tangible public benefits. The 50% reduction in broadcast rates and reduced postal rates proposed in this measure give office seekers a real incentive to voluntarily limit campaign spending. Mr. Chairman, the Farr Substitute represents the next stage in campaign finance reform. I ask my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to join the gentleman from California and me in sending a resounding message of support for continuing and deepening the reform process by voting in favor of the Farr Substitute.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support in H.R. 4057, the Airport Improvement Program Reauthorization Act of 1998. This bill contains several important provisions critical to ensuring the efficiency and safety of our Nation's air traffic system, such as ``whistle blower'' protection and making runway incursion devices eligible for AIP funding. This bill also authorizes funding critical to the resolution of an enormous back-log of equal employment opportunity complaints filed with the FAA and the Department of Transportation. As most of you know, this current back-log is one of the reasons that more than 200 women have filed a class action lawsuit alleging sexual harassment against the Federal Aviation Administration. Last year, I read with great interest and dismay an article printed in the Friday, July 18, 1997 edition of USA Today. The story highlighted allegations of sexual harassment and sex discrimination among female air traffic controllers at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California and at FAA regulated facilities across the country. On July 23, I wrote to Chairman Duncan and Ranking Member Lipinski urging them to hold a hearing to further investigate these allegations. The leadership of the subcommittee honored my request and held a hearing on Thursday, October 23, 1997. On the job sexual harassment is a pervasive and insidious problem. It is made worse when the alleged perpetrators of this heinous activity put the lives of hundreds of innocent men, women, and children at risk by harassing female air traffic controllers while they are directing flights as high as 36,000 feet or giving others instruction for landing or guiding aircraft on the ground to the appropriate gates or runways. We must ensure that our nation's air traffic control towers are the safest in the world, free of discrimination and harassment of any kind. These activities lower the morale of the employees who are victims of discrimination and their colleagues who witness it. U.S. Dept. of Labor estimates that American business loses $1 billion in absenteeism, new employee training and replacement costs, and low morale as a result of sexual harassment. (This figure does not include judgments and civil court cases.) I applaud FAA Administrator Jane Garvey for paying immediate attention to this matter and for taking steps to eliminate sexual harassment from the FAA. In addition to her ``Zero Tolerance'' policy, Administrator Garvey has created an accountability board that will review all allegations, regardless of origin, and take timely, consistent and appropriate action. The Administrators efforts, combined with the funds authorized here today, will go a long way towards dealing with the issue of sexual harassment and how the complaints are ultimately dealt with. But this is not enough. We must now work to change the culture within the FAA, and hold those persons who are guilty of sexual harassment accountable. I'd like to thank Chairman Duncan and Ranking Member Lipinski for their leadership, and for working with me to include this language in this important bill. I urge my colleagues to support this measure.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, the opponents of a fair and accurate census have implied that both the Inspector General and the GAO have said that the 2000 Census is headed toward failure because of the use of statistical methods. In fact, just the opposite is true. The Inspector General said in testimony before Congress: I have fully supported and have been recommending sampling for some time. In fact, the Bureau needs to increase the amount of sampling over that presently planned. Nye Stevens, who directs this issue at the GAO, also testified before a Republican controlled Congress and said: We are particularly encouraged by the decision to adopt sampling among the nonresponse population. We have long advocated this step. Both the GAO and the Commerce I.G. have endorsed the use of statistical methods in the census and have criticized the Census Bureau for not using them more. Mr. Chairman, the risk of a failed census is increased by those who want to cut off funding for the census in midyear. Earlier this year the GAO said the longer this disagreement between Congress and the administration continues, the greater the risk of a failed 2000 Census. The American people deserve an accurate count.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Mollohan).

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, during rollcall vote No. 383 on (Souder Amendment) H.R. 4276 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, during rollcall vote No. 385, the Scott amendment to H.R. 4276, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted yes. Amendment Offered by Mr. Gutknecht