Sue Myrick

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 155 and ask for its immediate consideration.

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. On Tuesday, the Committee on Rules did meet and granted a modified open rule for the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act. The rule provides for 1 hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The rule also provides that the bill shall be open to amendment at any point. The rule makes in order only those amendments printed in the Congressional Record and pro forma amendments for the purpose of debate. The rule provides that each amendment printed in the Congressional Record may be offered only by the Member who caused it to be printed or his designee, and that each amendment shall be considered as read. The rule provides one motion to recommit, with or without instructions. Finally, Mr. Speaker, the rule provides that House Resolutions 130, 147, 149, and 150 are laid on the table. In a way, this is a sad moment because our friend Mr. Moakley always handled this rule in the past. But he is no longer with us. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost) will be managing this rule for the minority. He is the new ranking minority member, and I know he will do a fine job in his new position. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 155 is a fair and open rule for a noncontroversial bill. The gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure as well as the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) worked very hard to craft a clean, straightforward bill so that the Coast Guard can quickly get the tools it needs to protect lives and property at sea. This is the way legislation should be done. I urge my colleagues to support this rule and to support the underlying legislation. 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 yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant). (Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I am very honored to just be able to say a word about Joe because Joe was truly a friend to all of us. He was always a gentleman and he was one of those people that if the rest of the Congress could be like him, I do not think we would have any problems. Yes, he was partisan and I was not of the same party, but we were good friends. He respected people as people. I think back at the things Joe has gone through because he had so many medical challenges in his life that probably would have gotten a lot of the rest of us down, but he always kept going and he always had that smile on his face. No matter what was happening, that smile was there and that just kept a lot of us going. I know last year when I went through breast cancer, he was probably my greatest encourager in this House. He just was always saying, you can do it and you are going to make it and do not give up. He said all of this to me constantly, and he just was somebody that I really admired and looked up to. It really did my heart good when we went to the funeral because when you saw all of those people in Boston lining the streets and really just in honor of Joe, it was because they knew him as just plain Joe. They did not look at him as Congressman Moakley. He was Joe. He never forgot where he came from. He never forgot his roots and people loved him because of that. He leaves a very, very big hole in this body. I was just very privileged to have a few years to be able to call him my friend.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Chairman, I am happy to help dispel this myth that school choice is going to destroy our public schools. The evidence shows that existing schools, the programs that participate in them, whether they are vouchers, charter schools or tax credits, have had a significant and positive impact on both the public schools and the children that they assist. Time and again, from Wisconsin to Florida, schools and cities with choice have larger improvements on their standardized test scores than similar schools that do not face competition. While choice gives parents the ability to choose where their children go to school, it also gives failing schools the incentive to improve. This is a win-win situation for all children, but especially poor children who do not have the means to switch to better schools as some parents do today. I believe that school choice has, at its heart, just one simple idea, and that is quality education for everyone. As the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink), the speaker before me, just said, no child should be left behind. It is a concept that I will continue to work for as a public official, as a parent, and as a grandparent. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this worthwhile amendment.

Mrs. MYRICK

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, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 119 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to 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 the purpose of debate only. (Mrs. MYRICK asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday the Committee on Rules met and granted a modified closed rule for H.R. 503, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. The rule provides that the amendment printed in the Committee on Rules report shall be considered as adopted. The rule provides for 2 hours of general debate, equally divided and controlled between the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary. The rule makes in order the amendment printed in the Congressional Record and numbered 1, if offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren) or her designee, which shall be considered as read and shall be separately debatable for 1 hour, equally divided and controlled by a proponent and an opponent. Finally, the rule provides for one motion to recommit, with or without instructions. This is a fair rule, which will permit a thorough discussion of all of the relevant issues. Indeed, after 2 hours of debate and consideration of a Democrat substitute amendment, we will be more than ready to vote on H.R. 503. This is not a complex issue. Mr. Speaker, on September 12, 1996, Gregory Robbins, an Air Force enlisted man, wrapped his fist in a T-shirt and brutally beat his pregnant 18-year-old wife. Soon after, his young wife gave birth to a stillborn 8-month-old fetus. To their surprise and disappointment, the Air Force prosecutors concluded that, although they could charge Gregory Robbins with simple assault, they could not charge him in the death of the couple's child. Why? Because Federal murder laws do not recognize the unborn. A criminal can beat a pregnant woman in the stomach to kill the baby, and the law ignores her pregnancy. This is not just an isolated problem. Three years ago in my hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, Ruth Croston and her unborn child were brutally murdered by her estranged husband. The husband later was charged with domestic violence, but the prosecutors could do nothing about the dead child. It is wrong, and it has to be stopped. Fortunately, 24 States have adopted laws that protect pregnant women from assaults by abusive boyfriends or husbands, and now it is time for the Federal Government to do the same. The Unborn Victims of Violence Act would make it a Federal crime to attack a pregnant woman in order to kill or injure her fetus. The bill would only apply in cases where the underlying assault is, in and of itself, a Federal crime, such as attacks by military personnel or attacks on Federal property. This bill, introduced by my good friend the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), should have the support of everyone in Congress. Whether you are pro-life, such as myself, or pro-choice, we should all agree to protect young women from forced, cruel, and painful abortions. All you have to do is ask the woman who just lost her child to such a violent attack. It is not the same thing as a simple assault. Clearly it is more serious and more emotionally jarring, and it should be treated accordingly. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this rule and to support the underlying legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, due to inclement weather, I was unable to participate in the following votes. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall vote 85, on the Motion to Instruct Conferees on H. Con. Res. 83, establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2002, I would have voted ``nay.'' Rollcall vote 86, on H.R. 428, concerning the participation of Taiwan in the World Health Organization, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Chairman, I just wanted to make a couple of points about this budget that I think are very important. One of them is that this budget provides immediate retroactive income tax relief for all taxpayers to the tune of $93 billion. That is immediate tax relief. It also phases out the alternative minimum tax, which affects a lot of people in our country. The third point that I wanted to make was it does repeal the capital gains tax, starts that repeal of capital gains. I think that is very important. These are all things that are going to do a tremendous amount to spur our economy, which we need right now.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of the 50th anniversary of The Symphony Guild of Charlotte, North Carolina. The Symphony Guild of Charlotte is dedicated to youth music education through its many projects which offer young people throughout the Charlotte Metropolitan Area varied opportunities to experience classical music. The Guild has supported the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Junior Youth Orchestra and has solely underwritten the Summer Resident Music Camp for over 30 years, sponsored the Young Artists Competition for over 20 years, and the Youth Festival for 14 years. The Summer Resident Music Camp, the Youth Festival, and the Symphony Guild ASID Showhouse have received national recognition by the American Symphony Orchestra League and serve as models for other nonprofit organizations throughout the Nation. The Guild has also been recognized locally for its long, continuous commitment to the cultural fabric of the Charlotte community with the prestigious Spirit Award from Royal and SunAlliance and the Mint Museum. For these reasons, I am honored to recognize the Symphony Guild of Charlotte for its achievements and help them in celebrating 50 years of support for symphonic music.

Mrs. MYRICK

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. Yesterday, the Committee on Rules met and passed this resolution, providing that it shall be in order at any time on the legislative day of Wednesday, March 7, for the Speaker to entertain motions to suspend the rules relating to the following measures: The concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 31, expressing the sense of Congress regarding the importance of organ, tissue, bone marrow and blood donations and supporting National Donor Day; the bill, H.R. 624, to amend the Public Health Service Act to promote organ donation; and the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 47, honoring the 21 members of the National Guard who were killed in the crash of a National Guard aircraft on March 3, 2001 in south-central Georgia. Mr. Speaker, this resolution allows us to consider three important bills today under the expedited suspension procedure. I must stress we have had several days to examine these bills, and they have been on the floor schedule for some time and they are noncontroversial. They are also important pieces of legislation. We recently celebrated National Donor Day to encourage people to become organ donors. Today we will pass legislation to promote National Donor Day and help States organize their organ donor programs. We will also honor, unfortunately, 21 members of the National Guard who died last week in the line of duty. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this rule and urge my colleagues to do the same. By passing this rule, we will improve organ donation programs and hopefully save some more lives. 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 78 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleagues that this rule is not about a tax cut. 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

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes) for bringing this forward. I rise today in sorrow like everyone else, but, yes, also to honor one of North Carolina's greatest citizens, Dale Earnhardt. He was a true original. There was only one of him. A lot of people said that about him. He probably will go down in history because he has been known throughout the world as one of the greatest race car drivers ever to get behind the wheel of a stock car. His talents may never be matched and his achievements may not be paralleled, but his winning attitude both on and off the track is one that really was contagious for so many people. His glory in race cars was important, but I think the fact that he was such a fantastic role model for so many people is what we really need to focus on. I did know Dale Earnhardt, and I saw him touch many lives. He inspired so many people because he showed them that you can, with perseverance and determination, become anything you want in today's world. You can live your dreams. You can accomplish your goals. He never let his fame get in the way of his work ethic or in what he did for the community. He did have enormous success, but he did not forget his roots where he came from, and he never compromised his beliefs. He encompassed the whole sport. And today, with what goes on in sports, we do not see NASCAR drivers who are in and out of drug rehab, or who are fighting over contracts or some of the other things that go on. They live good lives and are good role models for most of the people in this country, and they also dedicate their lives to their passion. They have taught the rest of us about what it is to have true devotion not only to sports but to our faith. Dale Earnhardt was a leader, and the memory of his Number 3 black Chevrolet is going to inspire fans for years to come. But I think ultimately his greatest legacy may be that he inspired so many people who never have attended an automobile race or maybe never will. But today they have been inspired by Dale Earnhardt.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus). (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 640 and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to 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 the purpose of debate only. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Committee on Rules met and passed this resolution, providing that it shall be in order at any time on the legislative day of Thursday, October 19, for the Speaker to entertain motions to suspend the rules and pass or adopt the following measures: The bill H.R. 2780, to authorize the Attorney General to provide grants for organizations to find missing adults; the resolution, House Resolution 605, expressing the sense of the House that communities should implement the Amber Plan to expedite the recovery of abducted children; the bill H.R. 4541, to reauthorize and amend the Commodity Exchange Act to promote legal certainty, enhance competition, and reduce systemic risk in markets for futures and over-the-counter derivatives, and for other purposes; the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 271, expressing the support of Congress for activities to increase public awareness of multiple sclerosis; and, five, the bill H.R. 2592, to amend the Consumer Products Safety Act to provide that low-speed electric bicycles are consumer products subject to such an Act. Finally, the rule provides that House Resolutions 615 and 623 are laid upon the table. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, we are coming to the end of the congressional session and floor time is at a premium. This resolution allows us to consider several bills today under the expedited suspension procedure. I must stress that we have had all day to examine these bills, four of which are totally noncontroversial. These suspensions are not a surprise. In addition, this resolution is within the spirit of the House rules. Under clause 1 of rule XV of the rules of the House, the Speaker may only entertain motions to suspend the rules on Mondays and Tuesdays and during the last 6 days of the session. The House has not yet passed an adjournment resolution, but I think all of us hope and expect that we are in the last 6 days of this session. This resolution simply abides by the spirit of the standing rules of the House. One of these bills is a bill I introduced in honor of Kristen Modafferi, a college student from Charlotte, North Carolina, who disappeared after her 18th birthday. When Kristen's parents called the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to ask for help, they were told, ``No, we can't help you because Kristen is 18 years old.'' If we pass Kristen's Act, that will never happen again. The National Center for Missing Children has been an incredibly effective resource for the recovery of minors. Kristen's Act would create the same type of center for missing adults. It is just common sense. We should build upon the success of the National Center for Missing Children. H. Res. 640 also allows the House to consider H.R. 4541, the reauthorization of the Commodity Exchange Act under suspension of the rules. H.R. 4541 will lift a portion of the regulatory burden from our commodity and futures exchanges, allowing them to compete within the world's modern financial markets. I must state, though, that I am disappointed with one aspect of the measure. While the intent of H.R. 4541 is to deregulate U.S. markets, it actually places retroactive regulation on some of our newest and most innovative electronic markets. Foreign countries are taking advantage of electronic technology at a more rapid pace and with less red tape than our domestic market. With this in mind, the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services placed language in its version of the bill that would have ensured freedom from regulation for U.S. companies that are developing and implementing new electronic technology within the swaps market. I was extremely disappointed to see the Committee on Banking and Financial Services language stripped from the bill we are considering today. We should encourage business innovation and not stifle new companies with regulatory uncertainty. If we fail to restore the Committee on Banking and Financial Services's language, we will place our domestic electronic exchanges at a relative disadvantage to their foreign competitors. I am confident our colleagues in the Senate will take care of the problem. If not, our homegrown companies will have to move overseas. Now, Mr. Speaker, despite my disappointment with part of H.R. 4541, I strongly support this rule and urge my colleagues to do the same. With this resolution, we will consider five bills before we adjourn for the year. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier). (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)