Sue Myrick

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, on the eve of Veterans Day, I rise to bring to the attention of the House the extraordinary accomplishments of Leon Foy. Mr. Foy, a recipient of the Silver Star, deserves recognition for his valiant bravery on behalf of the American people while a member of our Armed Forces. I am proud to represent Mr. Foy in Congress. Leon Foy, now 78, served in the 8th Air Force during World War II. On May 29, 1944, during his 15th bombing mission, Mr. Foy and his nine- member crew were raiding a ball-bearing plant near Berlin. German aircraft attacked and a bullet struck Mr. Foy's head. Ever strong and brave, Mr. Foy continued to fly his B-24 until he was in Sweden, a neutral country, where he landed safely on a very short runway. Mr. Leon Foy is an outstanding and inspirational individual. His bravery and courage during this operation and throughout his service to our country is admirable and should be commended.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding to me, and I rise in support of the resolution to honor the women veterans of World War II. Back in February, I introduced H. Res. 41 because Congress has never officially honored these trail-blazing women, and, thankfully, we are doing so now and appropriately so on the eve of Veterans' Day. More than 400,000 women served in the military during World War II. They served as members of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, the Women's Army Corps, the Navy Women's Auxiliary Reserve, the Coast Guard Women's Reserve, and as Women's Air Force pilots. Indeed, 38 women Air Force pilots died in the line of duty and were buried without military honors. These women veterans did not earn equal pay or status; but even so, they were certainly more than willing to do the right thing and sacrificed to serve our country. Nevertheless, it took decades for many of them to even earn recognition as military veterans. H. Res. 41 commends those women who, through a sense of duty and willingness to defy stereotypes and political pressures, performed military assignments so that men could be freed for combat duties. One of those women is my good friend in Charlotte, Gaye Patterson, who was a nurse in World War II. In addition, the bill recognizes that the military women of World War II, by serving with diligence and merit, not only opened up opportunities for women that had been reserved for men, but also contributed vitally to the victory of the United States and the Allies in World War II. Mr. Speaker, by passing H. Res. 41, Congress will recognize the value of their service. It has taken a while, and, unfortunately, many of these women have now passed away, but this Veterans' Day we will give them praise and thanks that is long overdue all over this country. I would like to thank again my friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon), for his leadership on this issue, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I missed 3 recorded votes on November 1, 1999 while I was working in my district. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall vote 552, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 1714, Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, I would have voted ``yes''. Rollcall vote 551, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 2737, the Land Conveyance, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, I would have voted ``yes''. Rollcall vote 550, on the motion to susped the rules and pass H.R. 348, to authorize a national civil defense and emergency management memorial, I would have voted ``yes''.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution and requesting the President to get his request down here to Congress so we can act. People in North Carolina are really hurting badly. We have heard this before, but I was down there the last couple of days going throughout the area and people are living in homes because they have nowhere else to go that are full of mold. They are starting to get bad respiratory infections. The farmers that are just totally devastated do not know which way to turn or where they are going to go to get help. This story goes on and on. It does not matter what county they are in. I kept hearing the phrase, ``You never seem to have any trouble sending the money overseas to those foreign countries. Why in the world can't you seem to get some down here to help us?'' And that is kind of hard to explain. So I, again, am here in support of this resolution and hope that we can move quickly on this, because people's lives are on hold. They are literally just waiting for some help.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I missed 4 recorded votes while I was working in my district. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall vote 536, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Con. Res. 194 to recognize the contributions of 4-H Clubs and their members to voluntary community service, I would have voted ``yes.'' Rollcall vote 535, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 2303, The History of the House Awareness and Preservation Act, I would have voted ``yes.'' Rollcall vote 534, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 754, the Made in America Information Act, I would have voted ``yes.'' Rollcall vote 533, on approving the Journal, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Chairman, on rollcall No. 522, I inadvertently, pressed the ``aye'' button. I meant to vote ``nay.'' Announcement By The Chairman Pro Tempore

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. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Committee on Rules met and granted a normal conference report rule for H.R. 2561, the Fiscal Year 2000 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. The rule waives all points of order against the conference report and against its consideration. In addition, the rule provides that the conference report shall be considered as read. This should not be a controversial rule. It is a type of rule that we grant for every conference report that we consider in the House. Mr. Speaker, yesterday's military coup in Pakistan was a reminder to all of us that we live in an unstable world. We cannot ignore national defense. This appropriations bill, as well as the defense authorization bill which the President recently signed into law, is a strong step forward as we work to take care of our military personnel and provide for our national defense. We have a long way to go, but H.R. 2561 fully funds a 4.6 percent military pay raise so that we can get some of our enlisted men and their families off of food stamps. It provides $1.1 billion more than the President requested for the purchase of weapons and equipment and it sets aside funding for a national missile defense system so that we can protect ourselves from terrorist nations. This is a good bill. I urge my colleagues to support the rule and to support the underlying conference report, because now more than ever we must improve our national security. 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 326, and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

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

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding me time; and, being from North Carolina, I of course am very much aware of the need there, but I think everybody in this country has seen the horrible devastation that has taken place. As my colleagues know, we have so far done a good job relative to the disaster-relief part of this effort. The Federal Government has stepped in; FEMA, they have done a good job; the State government has done a magnificent job in meeting the immediate needs of the people. But now we move into a separate phase in this recovery effort. Recovery is different than the immediate relief because we are talking long term. People have got to have a place to live. They need their homes rebuilt. They need their jobs again. And all of this is going to take place with the help of a lot of people across America because Government will do their job; we in the North Carolina delegation will see that everything possible is done from the government side. But then we have also got to have the help of all the people in this country who are willing not only to step up with dollars, but to step up with volunteer time. Who will come into North Carolina and help these people have some hope again, have a home in which to live? I mean, think about it. One may have a home that has been destroyed in this flood, and then it has to be condemned because of the hog waste and the human waste and the gasoline and everything else. So, one had a mortgage on that home, they had no insurance because maybe they lived in the 500-year flood plain. They did not think they needed insurance. And all of a sudden here they are, no home, no insurance, a mortgage to pay, nowhere to go, maybe no job. So I implore all the people across America, please come help us as a volunteer in North Carolina to give these people hope and to rebuild.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, for the 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. Yesterday, the Committee on Rules met and granted a structured rule for H.R. 2436, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. The rule waives points of order against consideration of the bill for failure to comply with 3(b) of rule XIII, requiring the inclusion in the report of any record votes on a motion to report, or on any amendment to a bill reported from committee. The rule provides 2 hours of general debate equally divided among the chairman and ranking minority Member of the Committee on Judiciary. The rule makes in order the Committee on Judiciary amendment in the nature of a substitute now printed in the bill as an original bill for purposes of amendment, which shall be considered as read. The rule makes in order only those amendments printed in the Committee on Rules report accompanying this resolution. The rule provides that amendments made in order may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member designated in the report and shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, and shall not be subject to amendment, shall not be subject to the demand for a division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole. The rule permits the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole to postpone votes during consideration of the bill and to reduce voting time to 5 minutes on a postponed question if the vote follows a 15- minute vote. Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. This is a fair rule which will permit thorough discussion of all of the relevant issues. Indeed, after 2 hours of debate and consideration of the Democrat substitute amendment, we will be more than ready to vote on H.R. 2436. 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 her stomach to kill the baby and the law ignores her pregnancy. This is wrong and it has to be stopped. Fortunately, 24 States have adopted laws that protect pregnant women from assaults by abusive boyfriends and 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 apply only 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 they are pro-life, such as myself, or pro-choice. We should all agree to protect young women from forced, cruel, and painful abortions. All we have to do is ask the woman who just lost her child after 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. Just a few months ago, in Charlotte, North Carolina, we had a man murder his pregnant wife in a child custody dispute. The incident would not have been covered by H.R. 2436, it would be covered by the State law, but it is a reminder that we are talking about a real problem here that is increasingly happening more and more. 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 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 myself such time as I may consume. Roe versus Wade does give a woman the right to have an abortion. This bill does not change that right at all. But this bill does protect women from forced abortions. That is all we are trying to do here. 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).

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.)

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Bryant).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 313 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 288 and ask for its immediate consideration.

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, if it is all right, the gentleman should go ahead and close because I have no more speakers either.

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 granted a normal conference report rule for S. 1059, the Fiscal Year 2000 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. 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 Armed Services. Mr. Speaker, this should not be a controversial rule. It is the type of rule that we grant for every conference report we consider in the House. The conference report itself is a strong step forward as we work to take care of our military personnel and provide for our national defense. I have always admired the patriotism and dedication of the young men and women in the armed forces, especially given the poor quality of life that our enlisted men and women face. But today, we are doing something to improve military pay, housing, and benefits. It has always been kind of sad, we ask these young people to technically give up their life for their country, but yet we really have not treated them in the way that most of us would like to be treated. Their pay has not been good. They live in housing that has been virtually World War II almost, substandard housing in some cases. A lot of them have had to take second jobs just to exist because they are married and they cannot make it on their pay. So we are helping to take some of this load off of them, and we are helping to take some of them off of food stamps with this bill by giving them a 4.8 percent pay raise. We have added $258 million for a variety of health care efforts. We are boosting the basic allowance for housing, as I said, increasing retention pay for pilots, which is another big problem we have had. We are having a very difficult time retaining good pilots in the military. We are prompting the GAO to study how we can do better. But along with personnel, we have taken care of our military readiness. We live in a dangerous world today, and Congress is working to protect our friends and family back home from our enemies abroad. We are providing for a national missile defense system, something that we have never had and that a lot of people think we have. A lot of people think we are protected if a warhead comes in from China or North Korea or Iraq or Iran, but, no, we are not. So with this bill, we are going to provide the beginnings of that protection for this country if that day ever comes. In light of the recent news about security breaches at our weapons laboratories, we are creating a National Nuclear Security Administration to prevent enemy nations from stealing our nuclear secrets. We are boosting the military's budget for weapons and ammunition. We are providing $37 billion for research and development so our forces will have top-of-the-line equipment for their job. I urge my colleagues to support this rule and to support the underlying conference report because now more than ever we must improve our national security. Mr. Speaker, I graciously yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes).

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