Sue Myrick

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I want to honor a truly amazing young man from my district in North Carolina. Baker Price Falls spent his life serving others and serving the Lord. He would have turned 26 today, but sadly he passed away this year from leukemia. He spent his life doing missions work. Whether he was working in the inner city of Philadelphia or D.C. or doing missions work over in Mexico or Alaska, he desired to be a servant for the Lord. As a member of the Harley Davidson Owners group in Gastonia, he spent that opportunity as well in service to the Lord. Baker was attending the University of Nations in Kona, Hawaii, where he was training for missions work in Africa, and in order to attend school he sold his most prized possession, which was his Harley. Unfortunately, before he left for Africa, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Even in sickness he was a light and an inspiration to all who knew him and came around him during that time. He was always smiling and always faithful, and he was a witness of God's love even in very difficult circumstances. A very special person, we will always remember him.

Mrs. MYRICK

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 the resolution, all time yielded is for purposes of debate only. Yesterday, the Committee on Rules met and granted an open rule for H.R. 5010, the fiscal year 2003 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. The rule provides for 1 hour of general debate equally divided between the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. 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. The defense appropriations bill provides the tools and the resources for our military to wage an aggressive war against terrorism while defending our Nation against an ever-changing military threat. In our global campaign against global terror, our military must have every resource, every tool, every weapon and every advantage they need for the missions to come. I agree with President Bush when he says that there is no silver bullet, no single event or single action that is going to suddenly make the threat of terrorism disappear. This broad-based and sustained effort will continue until terrorism is routed out. The situation is similar to the Cold War, when continuous pressure from many nations caused communism to collapse from within. We will press the fight as long as it takes, and we will prevail. I am very pleased that this bill makes significant improvements in the quality of life of the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces. These improvements include a 4.1 percent military personnel pay raise and targeted pay raises to mid-grade non-commissioned officers; generous housing allowances that will significantly decrease service personnel's out-of-pocket housing expenses; and access to quality health care. We can never pay our men and women in uniform on a scale that matches the magnitude of their sacrifice, but this bill reflects our respect for their selfless service. Today, more than ever, we also owe those in uniform the resources they need to maintain a very high state of readiness. Our enemies rely upon surprise and deception. They used to rely upon the fact that they thought we were soft, but I do not think they think that way anymore. Our forces must be ready to deploy to any point on the globe on short notice. This bill increases operation and maintenance by over $9.7 billion. Our Nation must have, and will have, ready forces that can bring victory to our country and safety to our people. The world's best soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines also deserve the world's best weaponry. To ensure that, our Nation must invest in procurement. This defense bill contains about $70.3 billion for procurement. The Nation must give our military the weapons it needs to meet the threats of our future. If the war against terror means we must find terror wherever it exists, pull it out by its roots, and bring people to justice, our military must have the means to achieve the objective. To that end, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this rule and to support the underlying bill. Because now, more than ever, we must improve our national security. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes). (Mr. HAYES asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Freylinghuysen).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Dan Miller).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In conclusion, this is a good rule and it is a very good bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the amendment and on the resolution.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, this is Senate 2578 to amend title 31 of the United States Code, and this is at the end of the resolution without an intervention of any point of order we would consider this; and this title 31 of the United States Code is to increase the public debt limit, and it would be considered as a bill as read for amendment. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill to final passage without intervening motion except for 1 hour of debate on the bill equally divided and controlled by the chairman and the ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means, and one motion to commit, and this has been shared with the minority.

Mrs. MYRICK. No, it provides for 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, Ms. Evelena Thompson retires from the United States court system, probation office, in Charlotte, on June 30 of this year after 27 years of service. She was born in Bennettsville, South Carolina; grew up in Scotland County, North Carolina; graduated salutatorian of her class in 1964; and graduated from Barber Scotia College in 1968. She started with the U.S. probation office, again in Charlotte, in 1975 as a clerk, and she rose to the position of supervising U.S. probation officer in 1991, a true success story. After the tragic death of her son in 1992 by a drunk driver, she became very active in the organization of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and she received the 1994 Citizens Activist Award presented by the National Commission Against Drunk Driving. A devout Christian, Ms. Thompson served with her late husband, himself a pastor, in the West Central Conference of the AME's Zion Church. Whether through her work as a U.S. probation officer or the many civic duties that she performed, Evelena has always exhibited those very treasured American characteristics of integrity, dedication, devotion, and perseverance.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to my friend, the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter); pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for purposes of debate only. This rule provides for a single motion offered by the chairman of the Committee on Government Reform to concur with the Senate amendments. The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the motion to concur with the Senate amendments, and provides for 1 hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Government Reform. The purpose of this legislation is to reduce the Federal paperwork burden on small businesses. Mr. Speaker, with the plethora of regulatory mandates on small business growing to unprecedented levels, so, too, is the gigantic task of filling out required paperwork. Our Nation's 23 million small businesses spent approximately 7 billion, billion with a ``B,'' hours filling out Federal paperwork in 1998, according to the Office of Management and Budget. The cost associated with this burdensome paperwork is estimated at $229 billion, again billion with a ``B,'' and that does not take into account State and local requirements. As a one-time small businesswoman myself, I know the hurdles that our entrepreneurs face: strangling red tape, burdensome regulations, and mountains of paperwork. H.R. 327 would help to streamline small business' paperwork burden by requiring Federal agencies to publish a list of resources that small businesses could use for complying with applicable paperwork requirements so they can know exactly what is required of them. In addition, it would require each Federal agency to establish a liaison for small business paperwork requirements and to help small businesses comply with their legal obligations, and it would establish a task force to consider ways to streamline paperwork requirements even further. H.R. 327 is a step in the right direction. It relieves our Nation's small businesses from an overwhelming paperwork burden that threatens to bury them. To that end I urge my colleagues to support this rule and to support the common-sense underlying legislation. It is a bicameral, bipartisan agreement that the Senate has already passed. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose), who is the Chair of the subcommittee.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 444 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the requirement of clause 2(c)(1) of rule XII not apply to a bill that includes a proposal to provide a prescription drug benefit plan.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Madam 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 purposes of debate only. Madam Speaker, yesterday the Committee on Rules met and granted a normal conference report rule for the Senate bill, S. 1372, the Export- Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2002. The rule waives all points of order against the conference report and against its consideration. In addition, the rule provides for 1 hour of debate, equally divided and controlled between the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Financial Services. Madam Speaker, this should not be a controversial rule. It is the type of rule we grant every time for every conference report we consider in this House. The conference report itself is a strong step forward to help American manufacturers, American workers, and the American economy. Madam Speaker, the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2002 reauthorizes the bank for 4 years. The Ex-Im Bank plays a key role of promoting U.S. exports overseas and levelling the playing field of international trade, which is especially important to my area in North Carolina. The bank is an important tool for American manufacturers, enabling them to reach markets in which they would otherwise be closed out. By reauthorizing the Ex-Im Bank, we demonstrate our commitment to promoting U.S. goods throughout the world and the U.S. economy at home. It has important provisions that encourage small business transactions by increasing the small business mandate for Ex-Im from the current statutory minimum of 10 percent to a minimum of 20 percent of total Ex- Im financing, and that will help small business. It gives them a bigger share of the pie. It also requires Ex-Im to conduct outreach and increase loans to socially-disadvantaged individuals, our women, and to businesses which employ fewer than 100 employees; again, a big help, especially when so many corporations and small businesses in our country are starting to do more export. That is especially true in my area. We have a lot of small businesses that are exporting in the last couple of years North Carolina products that had never done that before, so we are always looking for ways to encourage that. S. 1372 also contains strong provisions relating to the U.S. trade laws that will ensure Ex-Im does not contribute to the overcapacity or dumping of goods on U.S. markets. Again, that is an area that we have had a lot of problems with, with steel and with textiles, which is very, very important in my area of North Carolina, in South Carolina, and some of the other southern States. I want to commend my colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey), for his leadership in crafting this important provision. Finally, I am pleased that this legislation requires that the bank, when considering whether to guarantee, ensure, or extend credit, will take into account the extent to which a nation has been helpful or not in efforts to eradicate terrorism. We must stop the flow of money from going to countries which support terrorism, and specifically those identified by the President as comprising the axis of evil. To that end, I urge my colleagues to support this rule and to support the commonsense legislation it underlies. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mrs. MYRICK. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter).

Mrs. MYRICK. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 433 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. MYRICK. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mrs. MYRICK. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter). He is the chair of the Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade of the Committee on Financial Services.

Mrs. MYRICK. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo).

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for purposes of debate only. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Committee on Rules met and granted a structured rule providing for consideration of the bill, H.R. 3129, the Customs Border Security Act of 2001. The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the bill, and provides for 1 hour of general debate, equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Ways and Means. Finally, the rule provides for one motion to recommit, with or without instructions. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 426 is an appropriate and fair rule, and it is consistent with previous rules that our committee has reported and the House has adopted on bills from the Committee on Ways and Means. This rule gives the chairman of the committee 10 minutes to debate his manager's amendment, while it provides 60 minutes for the minority substitute, plus the chance to offer a motion to recommit. Mr. Speaker, the Customs Border Security Act of 2001 would authorize the budget for the U.S. Customs Service, the International Trade Commission, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. It also includes a number of critical new tools for fighting terrorism, drugs, and child pornography. H.R. 3129 will help the Customs Service close the gaps in our border that allow illegal money to be taken out of the country. This legislation will also significantly help the Customs Service's ability to stop the flow of illegal drugs from crossing our borders and getting into our children's hands. This legislation also addresses an issue that is very important to North Carolina, and near and dear to my heart. In the last year, 60,000 textile workers have lost their jobs, 20,000 of them in North Carolina, and a large percentage of those in my district. The industry has done its best through technology modernization to compete, but they have not had a level and fair playing field in our international markets. This bill will help fight that problem, and it will fight illegal textile transshipments. Transshipments are illegal because some countries ship their goods through another country illegally to avoid the quotas, and they also give a false declaration, which allows them to circumvent the law. Ninety percent of all illegal transshipments originate out of China, so without extra agents to enforce these laws, they get away with it. H.R. 3129 provides the Customs Service with $9.5 million for transshipment enforcement operations. These funds must be used to hire 72 new employees who will be stationed both here, at home, and abroad to enforce our textile trade laws. Our textile workers are hurting, and they are hurting bad, so I am pleased that the government is beginning to take action. H.R. 3129 also directs the Comptroller General to conduct an audit of the system established and carried out by the Customs Service to monitor textile transshipment. I look forward to their report, and will be interested in their recommendation for improvements to the transshipment monitoring system. So to that end, I urge my colleagues to support this rule and to support the commonsense underlying legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.