Sue Myrick

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), the majority leader.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 188 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I do not have any speakers at this time. I have somebody coming.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, this is an open rule that allows anybody to offer an amendment that is within the rules of the House.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that this bill was reported out of the committee 59 to zero. I also wanted to make the point that between 1999 and 2002, States and localities have been awarded over $492 million in domestic preparedness funding. And only a third of those funds have been used. And the gentleman mentioned Maryland and New York, and I would just like to say that Maryland was awarded $9.2 million and they still have $9.2 million that has not been spent. New York was awarded $25.7 million and there is still $25.7 million in the pipeline that has not been spent, so there is money there currently.

Mrs. MYRICK. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield so much time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis).

Mrs. MYRICK. 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 consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. Last night, the Committee on Rules met and granted an open rule to H.R. 1559, the Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2003. Mr. Speaker, this is a fair and open rule for a very important bill. It cannot get any better than that. The rule allows any Member to offer any amendment to the bill as long as their amendment complies with the normal Rules of the House. I am very pleased the House is trying to move H.R. 1559 quickly, because I know the importance of this bill to the men and women in our military. I also want to congratulate the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the ranking member, for resisting most efforts to add extraneous provisions. This bill is too important for our troops for it to get bogged down with nonappropriations issues. I agree with the President that the United States has been at war since September 11, 2001. After our Nation was attacked, America made a decision: We will not wait for our enemies to strike before we act against them. We are not going to permit terrorists and terrorist states to plot and plan and grow in strength while we do nothing. This emergency wartime supplemental appropriations provides the tools and the resources for our military to wage an aggressive war against Saddam Hussein while at the same time preparing our homeland. Over the past 15 days we have seen the brutal and cruel nature of a dying regime. In areas still under its control, the regime continues its rule by terror. Prisoners of war have been brutalized and executed. Iraqis who refuse to fight for the regime are being murdered. Some in the Iraqi military have pretended to surrender and then opened fire on coalition forces that were willing to show them mercy. We owe a great deal of gratitude and respect to our servicemen and women who are currently in harm's way. My thoughts and prayers are with them and their families during this time of war, and I want to thank them for their courage and bravery on the battlefield. This war budget will meet America's needs directly arising from Operation Iraqi Freedom and our ongoing war against terror, including $63 billion for military operations. This funding will provide fuel for our ships, for our aircraft and tanks, supplies for our troops in the theater of operations, new high-tech munitions to replace the ones that we have used so far in this war. The supplemental will also provide funds to assist in the reconstruction of Iraq, Mr. Speaker; $5 billion to help our brave coalition partners. In order to protect the American homeland in this time of high alert, it also includes $4 billion for the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to address the immediate and emerging threats on American soil. This legislation accomplishes this goal by providing $2.2 billion for grants to first responders. Within that amount, $1.5 billion is provided for the Office of Domestic Preparedness, their basic grant program to the States, and $700 million is provided to address the security requirements in high-threat, high-density urban areas with critical infrastructure like my city of Charlotte. H.R. 1559 also allocates these funds for several other high priority activities: $498 million for border and port security, and $85 million for reimbursements to State and local law enforcement officers and National Guardsmen for increasing security measures at airports and other critical transportation sites. Our Nation must give our military and our law enforcement officers the weapons that they need to meet future threats. If the war against terror means that we must find terror wherever it exists and pull it out by its roots and bring people to justice, then our military and our law enforcement officers must have the means to achieve it. To that end, I urge my colleagues to support this rule and support the underlying bill. We need to rapidly approve the core funding for the Pentagon so supplies continue to flow to our troops. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 172 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield so much time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), the chairman of the Committee on Rules. (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I also agree AMBER Alert needs to be passed, but I think it is just as important that there be punishment for the abductors of these children. Because any parent is thankful to get their child back, but they do not want that person out on the street so they can do it again, and 70 percent of these people do it again.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would just make the comment, Mr. Speaker, that there is also an additional $2.5 million in the 2004 budget that just passed the House for AMBER Alert. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would just like to remind people that on these bills that are so controversial, they have been vetted, because on the lifetime supervision for sex offenders, the vote was 409-3; on the two strikes and you're out, the vote was 382-34; on the Child Sex Crime Wiretapping Act, it was 396-11; on the sex tourism bill, it was 418-8; and the Child Abduction Prevention Act was 390-24. Hardly controversial. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 160 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes 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 consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purposes of debate only. Yesterday, the Committee on Rules met and granted a structured rule for H.R. 1104, the Child Abduction Prevention Act. This fair rule also facilitates resolving the differences between the two bodies by making in order the motion requesting a conference with the Senate after the passage of H.R. 1104. The Child Abduction Prevention Act sends a clear message to those that prey upon children that, should they commit these crimes, they will be punished. This legislation provides stronger penalties against kidnapping, ensures lifetime supervision of sexual offenders and kidnappers of children, gives law enforcement the tools it needs to effectively prosecute these crimes, and provides assistance to the community when a child is abducted. It is hard for me to understand how someone could prey on a defenseless child. It is the worst nightmare a parent has to hear, that his or her child has been taken by a stranger and that they do not know what has happened. The agony that they must go through every day is something that no parent should have to endure. Unfortunately, a family in my area has been living with this agony since Valentine's Day of 2000. Asha Degree has been missing since she left her Fallston, North Carolina, home in the early hours of the morning with a book bag and other items. She was only 9 years old at the time. It has been quite a while; and, after time, there are torn and damaged billboards seeking information about Asha, and faded yellow ribbons still around town. If this legislation had been enacted earlier, her story may have been very different. This is a bill that will make a difference. We know that if we can find a missing child within 24 hours after they are abducted, we have the best chance for a safe recovery. To accomplish this, H.R. 1104 authorizes increased funding for a National AMBER Alert Program. AMBER is an acronym for America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response. The AMBER program was created in 1996 as a legacy to 9-year- old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped and murdered in Arlington, Texas. States can apply for grants so that information can be broadcast on radio and television. Outdoor boards can be posted; and, in some States, the electronic highway message boards are used so that license plates or vehicles or a description of the child can actually be displayed along the highway. The purpose is to provide a rapid response to the most serious child abduction cases. Doing this bill will enable all 50 States to implement this life- saving program, and we have seen several examples of it very recently working and saving children's lives. For the individuals who would harm a child we can ensure that the punishment is severe and that sexual predators are not allowed to slip through the cracks of the system to harm other children. We all know that the recidivism rate of sexual offense is about 70 percent. No excuse for that. To this end, this legislation provides a 20-year mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment for stranger abductions of a child under the age of 18, lifetime supervision of sex offenders and mandatory life imprisonment for second-time offenders. We know that, as I said before, that most of them are repeat offenders. Furthermore, this bill removes any statute of limitations and opportunity for pretrial release for crimes of child abduction and sex offenses. Often times it is years later that the sex offense comes to light out of fear. The child is very afraid to tell. That is why this bill is so important. Not only does it come to the aid of children after the abduction with the AMBER alert, but it aims to prevent the abduction with the provisions that I just mentioned. I would also like to note that these provisions have overwhelmingly passed the House in the previous Congress. So there is no reason not to support this overall bill. It is a good bill. I urge my colleagues to support this rule and to support the underlying bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost) is aware, there are technical problems with the stand-alone Senate bill that need to be corrected and that is being done so it can come to the House floor. My second point is some have suggested that this stand-alone AMBER bill would implement the system. That is erroneous information. It is very misleading because this legislation provides for grants to the States, and the States can apply for that money and then implement the program if they wish to do so. Currently, 38 States have done it, but there is nothing in this bill that says that the other 12 States will be required to implement it if they chose not to. That is their choice. I find it difficult to understand how these following things are controversial. We are talking about a 20-year mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment for abduction of a child under the age of 18, for lifetime supervision of child abductors and sex offenders, for mandatory life imprisonment for second-time offenders. It also removes any statute of limitations for child abduction and sex offenders. It denies pretrial release for those who rape or kidnap children, and it allows local law enforcement agencies to receive funding to establish sex offender apprehension programs, and it doubles the authorization for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to $20 million a year. I would think that any parent who has a child abducted not only wants to find that child, but wants to be sure when that happens the maximum punishment is given to the person who did that horrible thing. That is what this omnibus bill does. Again, I recommend that Members support this rule and the underlying bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder), another member of the Committee on Rules.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would like to note that there currently is $12.5 million in the system already for States who wish to implement AMBER Alert systems. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, Audrey Yvette Wall Augustus was born on November 3, 1956, at Saint Agnes Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina. She departed this life and entered into eternal rest on Saturday, March 1, 2003, with her loving, devoted husband holding her hand. Audrey was the eldest child born to Richmond Wall, Jr. and Lydia Thomas Wall. ``Little Audrey'', as she was affectionately known, was named after her father's sister. When she was two years old, the family moved to Washington, DC. Audrey was educated in the District of Columbia and Prince Georges County Public School Systems. She graduated from Largo High School in 1975. Following in the footsteps of her mother, Lydia and her Godmother, Nurry, Audrey became a ``Bennett Belle'' when she enrolled at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. In the Spring of 1977, she pledged Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She established a legacy of love, strength, endurance, patience, courage and enthusiasm and became a beacon of light for all to follow. In 1979, Audrey graduated from Bennett College with a degree in Early Childhood Education and a minor in Library Science. Her love for children was evident in her everyday life, and her home was always a popular gathering place for them. Audrey joined the United States Capitol Police Department on October 5, 1981, and achieved the rank of Private First Class (PFC). As an educator, she sought and became an instructor in the Capitol Police Training Academy in August 1991, thru June 2001. She taught over 1,000 of the men and women that currently protect and serve the United States Congress today. She shared her enthusiasm and gave of herself until her untimely death. Audrey leaves to cherish her memory: her husband Kevin A. Augustus; also a Capitol Police Officer since, February 21, 1978. Daughters, Ashli Kai-Leen Jordan, Aysha Monaye Jordan; son Kevin A. Augustus, Jr.; parents, Richmond Wall Jr. and Lydia T. Wall; sister, Adrienne M. Wall; brother, Richmond Wall, Jr.; aunts, June Swindell (Richard), Norma Haywood (David L), Audrey Wall, Nurry Johnson (John), Mary Jeffries and Bessie Morgan (Ed); cousins, Denise Brown (Freddie) and Marielle Posey (Derrick); sister-in-law, Bonnie Claggett; father-in-law, Alfred A. Augustus; nephews, Derek Augustus and Michael ``Mikey'' Claggett; niece Joy Peterson; devoted friends and guardian angles; Liz Harris, LaMont Lewis, Anita Stoddard, Sherri Morgan, Beverly Davis, JoAnne Morgan; and Godsisters, Kimberley Scott and Mischelle Corbin. To all who were blessed to know her, Audrey will be remembered as the kindest, most gentle soul.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to lend my strong support to the Republican Study Committee budget. As chairman of the RSC, I am very proud of this budget that we have produced, and I want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey) for all his hard work on this. It reins in the astronomical spending increases we have had over the past few years and brings us back to balance in just 4 years. No other budget achieves balance as quickly as this one does. When I came to Washington as part of the revolutionary class of 1995, we were determined and extremely serious to balance the budget and get us back on track, which we did. We were successful in doing that for the first few years, but lately we have presided over some of the biggest increases in spending in U.S. history. In the last 7 years, nondefense discretionary spending has grown 66 percent. The fiscal year 2003 budget alone was a 9 percent increase in discretionary spending from the year before. I do not know of any family's budget in this country that has had the good fortune to increase 9 percent in 2003. So why should the Federal Government continue spending increases in this amount? This RSC budget holds the government to responsible increases that will not grow faster than inflation or the family budget. Our budget proposal achieves a 1 percent savings by looking for waste, fraud and abuse and eliminating it from the Federal Government. That is only 1 penny out of every dollar. We hear folks continue to say it is impossible to find that amount of money, that amount of waste, in the government. I would like Members to take a look at this chart. Thirty-five food safety laws administered by 12 different agencies; 541 clean air, water, waste programs; 50 programs for the homeless in 8 different Federal agencies; 163 different job training employment programs; 64 welfare programs; 500 urban aid. It goes on. You can see for yourself there is a lot there that could be simplified. Most estimates indicate there are tens of billions of dollars wasted every year. Last year alone, there were estimated to be $13.3 billion in improper payments under Medicare. It is time Congress gets serious about reining in wasteful spending and getting our budget under control. That is what we were sent here to do. That is what the American people expect us to do. They want us to stop the business as usual and stop the excuses. (By unanimous consent, Mr. Hastert was allowed to speak out of order.) Notice of Iraq War Briefings

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder). (Mr. SOUDER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)