Donald Manzullo

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, this debate is not about the Congress, and it is not about the President of the United States. This debate is about Gene Wilmarth from Leaf River, Illinois. Gene has to go out and pay more interest on his note to buy cattle, and he has got to pay more interest on his operating loan because the Fed increases the short-term interest rate because the price of gasoline goes up and the Fed thinks it is going to fuel inflation. And Gene Wilmarth has to buy diesel fuel to put his crops and cultivate them, and he has got to haul them to the market and to the elevator, all in a time when crop prices are one of the lowest in history. The debate is not about the President. It is not about the Congress. It is about the thousands of Gene Wilmarths across this country. They cannot take any more. How ironic it would be for the young men and women who are farming today if some of those had fought in the Gulf War to protect the countries of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, who, in exchange for the gratitude of the nearly 300 American lives that were lost, turn around and stick it to the American people by being engaged in an international criminal conspiracy to fix the price of oil. It has got to come to a stop. The purpose of this bill today is to remind the President that he can do something, something to send a message around the world that when we pump money through the IMF to bail out countries, that when we send foreign aid, that, in exchange for our benevolence, help out the American farmer, help out the American consumer, help out the American people, do not hold hostage the friend that they have in this country.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the Subcommittee on Tax, Finance and Exports of the Small Business Committee, this bill is the bare minimum we should do to help small businesses prosper. We must remember that our economy thrives and unemployment is low primarily because of small businesses. I want to commend the gentleman from Texas (Chairman Archer) for quickly resolving the installment sales issue. Without this reform, thousands of small business owners will have seen their lifetime of investment and hard work erode all because the Federal Government wants to collect taxes early. This legislation also addresses many of the unresolved priorities still left over from the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business. The number two issue at that conference was full deduction of meals expense. This bill increases the meals deduction to 60 percent. More importantly, it provides relief for our truckers by allowing them to deduct 80 percent of their meals expense. The number four issue at the conference was estate, or death tax, relief. This bill provides meaningful death tax reform. This will help small businesses pass their businesses on to the children. The number five issue for the conference was health care reform. This bill provides immediate 100 percent deductibility of health insurance for the self-employed. Finally, the number seven issue at the White House Conference on Small Business was pension reform. The bill contains many of the bipartisan reforms championed by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin). The legislation is another in a series of tax relief bills by the Republicans. Contrast this to the President's budget, where he proposes 106 separate tax increases totaling $181 billion. I will not support the increase of the minimum wage, which is tampering with the free enterprise system. But to offset that, Mr. Speaker, let us help the small businesses by having a very modest tax cut.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I introduced a miscellaneous tariff correction bill (H.R. 3715) that will be one tool to help keep the remaining cathode ray tube and computer display screen manufacturers in the United States. Monochrome glass envelopes are used to make cathode ray tubes that provide the ``light'' behind the computer monitor. When the tariff on monochrome glass envelopes was first proposed, there were American manufacturers of this product. But over the last few years, the final American manufacturer of monochrome glass envelopes decided to get out of the business. Thus, the tariff duty designed to provide a modest level of protection for U.S. makers of monochrome glass envelopes no longer serves its purpose. In fact, the import duty is now hurting the international competitiveness of U.S. cathode ray tube and computer display screen manufacturers. Other foreign competitors are able to purchase monochrome glass envelopes without this tariff. Thus, they are able to price their computer monitors in the U.S. more competitively than U.S. manufacturers of equivalent product. Mr. Speaker, there should not be a U.S.-government imposed incentive for Americans to buy foreign computer display screens! That's why I ask my colleagues to support the inclusion of H.R. 3715 into the comprehensive miscellaneous tariff correction bill to be taken up by the House later this year. We need to remove the import tariff on monochrome glass envelopes so that American manufacturers of cathode ray tubes and computer monitors can compete on a more equal footing with their foreign counterparts.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, there are 65,000 couples in the congressional district that I represent who are married and who are paying a total of $91 million per year as a fine simply because they are married and working. That is indefensible. I cannot see how any Member of Congress can defend a tax that penalizes people just because they get married. The government should be fostering marriage. It should not be taxing it.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in general support of this bill, H.R. 2005, because I represent a congressional district that as many durable good manufacturers. There is an issue of state preemption, and to that issue, I have been given assurance of leadership that if a conference committee is established that this issue will be discussed. Mr. Chairman, make no mistake about it. This is a vote about keeping basic manufacturing in the United States. With all the wonderful economic statistics, few people know that there is a crisis in durable goods manufacturing. I represent Rockford, Illinois, a center of machine tool manufacturing. For the past 18 months, I have heard from business leaders and workers back home that they have never had it this bad. The situation facing machine tool manufacturers is even worse than the recessions of the early 1980's and 1990's. Some old timers even believe that business prospects are even worse than the Great Depression of the 1930's. Monthly U.S. machine tool consumption once again declined 18 percent in November. Exports of U.S. machine tools also dropped 65 percent in November. Compounding this decrease is that fact that machine tool imports are taking a greater share of the declining U.S. market--rising from 50 percent in 1995 to an estimated 60 percent in 1999. Why is this happening? One reason is that foreign machine tool competitors are able to price their product more competitively because their liability exposure is relatively small. Both Europe and Japan have a 10 year statute of repose. They are seizing market share from American machine tool workers right here in the United States! H.R. 2005 would begin to level the playing field for U.S. workers making machine tools. Let me give you one concrete example. Rockford used to have Mattison Technologies, a manufacturer of large grinder machines. This small business used to employ 150 workers. Shortly after celebrating its 100th birthday, Mattison went bankrupt because it could not pay a $7.5 million product liability verdict on a machine built over 50 years ago. In fact, at the time the company closed, Mattison Technologies had received a summons suing them for a machine built in 1917--when the Czar still ruled Russia! Passing an 18 year statute of repose would go a long way towards helping the 60,000 American workers still employed in the U.S. machine tool industry. It's too late for the 150 workers at Mattison. Let's not repeat this mistake. Vote for H.R. 2005.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Export Enhancement Act. For the benefit of my colleagues, let me provide some background to where we are today. H.R. 3381 is a bipartisan and bicameral work-product. Both Members and staff from both sides of the aisle and both sides of Capitol Hill worked on this together in order to get this bill to the President as quickly as possible. The temporary reauthorization extension for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation expires today. It's time to finally get this legislation to the President. The House version of H.R. 1993 is subject to a hold in the other body for reasons that have nothing to do with the substance of the legislation. Passage of H.R. 3381 now by the House is one way to seek quick action on a four year authorization for OPIC in case the House adjourns for the year prior to the Senate. There are some changes. The most important are provisions dealing with the International Trade Administration were removed because of jurisdictional concerns with the Senate Banking Committee. But it is important to remember what the new bill retains--four year OPIC reauthorization; success fee language on the Trade and Development Agency; and streamlining the efforts of the 19 federal agencies involved in export promotion. All of these provisions will help America increase U.S. exports and eliminate government waste. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3381.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to take this opportunity to commend this speech given by Dr. Ruth Mercedes-Smith, President of Highland Community College on Freeport, Illinois, to my colleagues and other readers of the Record. Learning Begins at Home My topic today is ``Learning begins at home.'' But let me be up-front about this topic. While learning does begin at home, we live, unfortunately, in a time when homes are not prepared to meet this challenge. Therefore, people like you and institutions like Highland Community College must join hands and help parents and families prepare themselves to make it happen. Did you know that 50% of intellectual development takes place between birth and four years of age? That means that parents are important teachers. They provide the foundation for a child's learning skills at home. But, as I said earlier, many parents are not prepared to develop a learning environment. Consider the following statistics: According to a 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey, approximately 22% of America's adults have difficulty using certain reading, writing, and computational skills considered necessary for functioning in daily life. These adults, in general, are operating below the 5th grade level. Of the over 40 million adults with literacy needs, only 10% are enrolled in programs to assist them in improving their skills. Forty-three percent of adults at the lowest literacy level live in poverty. This contrasts with only 6% of those at the two highest literacy levels. Individuals with low literacy skills are at risk of not being able to understand materials distributed by health care providers. Adults with strong basic skills are more likely to ensure good health for themselves and their children. Teen pregnancy rates are higher among those with lower literacy skills. Seventy-five percent of food stamp recipients performed in the two lowest literacy levels. In addition, 70% of prisoners performed in the two lowest levels. In a 1995 comparison of literacy among seven countries, the United States ranked next to last, when measured against Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland. Clearly a large percentage of our parents are adults at-risk. The question is, ``What will our communities do to help them?'' As a result of the lack of learning that takes place in the home due to parents who do not have the necessary educational skills we also find that we have large numbers of children who face major barriers as they grow toward adulthood. Let me tell you about these children: Children who don't have the basic readiness skills when they enter school are 3 or 4 times more likely to drop out in later years. Children's chances for success in school are greatly affected by the educational attainment of their parents. A parent's education level is the single best indicator of a child's success in school. Parents who have books in the home and read to their children have children who are better readers and better students. When parents are involved in helping their school- age children with their schoolwork, social class drops out as a factor in poor performance. Yes, large numbers of our children are at-risk. Again, I ask the question, ``What will our communities do to help them?'' An ancient saying from Africa sums it up well: ``It takes an entire village to raise a child.'' I know Hillary Clinton used this as a book title, but I had used these words long before she made them famous. Think about that for a moment. It takes an entire village to raise a child. It seems to me that Freeport is a village in one sense of that word and that Freeport is of a size that could manage this type of challenge. The same applies to Lena, Stockton, Mt. Carroll, Forreston, and other towns in our region. You see, I have a vision. You are among the first to hear it. My vision is that every town in our community college district will become engaged in this educational challenge and that every town will decide that by the year 2010 every person in that town will have the skills they need to become self-sufficient-- whatever the age. Does that sound plausible to You? Do you think it would be too difficult to accomplish? Well, I know we can do it. And I'll tell you why. First of all, we have several programs from the college that lay the groundwork for such an initiative. One set of services is run by our Adult Education program. Their classes meet across Highland's district. This includes basic skills. GED prep, JobSmart, English-as-a-Second-Language or ESL, and short-term training. Last year these programs served 898 adults. Classrooms are aided by volunteer tutors who meet with students at these sites or at the homes of the tutors or the students. As you can see, this is a very flexible program designed for easy access for students. So here is the first challenge to you. How about becoming a tutor and helping an adult improve reading, writing or math skills? That adult, in turn, will help his or her children and thus we will break the cycle of unpreparedness. Tutors must take 12 hours of training, which is provided at all of our sites on selected evenings or Saturdays. During the last year, the Adult Education program taught 200 students in GED prep and 148 students obtained their GED diploma. I wish you could attend one of those graduations because you would be impressed. Families, including children, attend and celebrate with the graduates. Each year several of them are selected to speak to the group. Once one of the speakers told how her husband had lost his job and could not find another. They both decided to earn their diplomas and not only did they graduate together but he found two jobs. Now that is success! The year before that tears were shed when an 80 year old grandmother, who had conquered cancer, spoke about her desire to have a diploma to show her grandchildren that education was important. A second program at HCC was developed several years ago when two Highland Foundation members became concerned about the cycle they were seeing in their little community of Mt. Morris. Parents who had not succeeded in school were raising children who seemed to be starting the cycle again. They came to the college to try to determine what types of services might help. They decided to begin a Parents as Teachers program. We worked with them and managed to find some seed money to start them on their way. This program served both parents and children. In the parent segment they created an activity in class that reinforced or taught school readiness; for example, shapes, numbers, and the alphabet. They learned how to work with their children in doing these activities at home. There was also a ``parenting`` component of the class where they shared concerns about family life and discussed solutions. The children attended separate classes, at the same time, with professional childcare workers. Their program goals were primarily physical, social and emotional rather than academic. Ages ranged from 3 to 5. Free transportation was provided for parents and children. This was a key ingredient. In addition, childcare reimbursement was available for children under 2. Recruitment was done through agency referrals such as the Department for Human Services and Head Start. As the needs of the community have evolved, so has the program. The next iteration was the JobSmart program, which prepared parents for employment while simultaneously working on their parenting skills. Next, an ESL family literacy program was added to address the language needs of a growing Hispanic population in Mt. Morris. Currently, the community is working with us to establish a short-term training program. It has become clear to employees and employers alike that basic computer skills and an introduction to a range of employment possibilities are important for Mt. Morris. Those classes will begin next week. Here's my point. The citizens of Mt. Morris have worked hard to stay in touch with the needs of their changing community. As they discovered issues, they worked with our staff to create services to address them. So, here comes my second challenge. Think about the Mt. Morris approach to literacy and self-sufficiency. When you identify a need in your community, think of us as a potential partner. We can sit down and talk about a plan, and by sharing our resources, we can make some things happen. A third program initiated by the college is workplace literacy. This service is provided to college district companies. It includes both assessment of worker math and reading skills as well as classroom instruction. Courses are taught at the business or nearby. To date the major sites have been Galena, Warren and Freeport. I have talked with some of these workers and am impressed by their dedication to learning. It is not easy, when one is an adult, to find out that your reading and/or math skills do not meet current workforce needs. Fortunately, all assessments are confidential and employers are only given group data. That allows the workers to feel safe and encourages them to take up the challenge of learning that may have been neglected when they were children. Well, you guessed it. Here comes challenge number three. Why not encourage more local employers to prepare for global competition by upgrading the skills of their workforce? Yes, learning does begin at home. Unfortunately some homes today are not ready to encourage their children to learn. So people like you, community colleges like HCC, and villages like ours must join in the task. Together we can make it happen. And, if we do it right, the job will be done by the year 2010 and learning will truly begin in the home again--at least in northwestern Illinois. In addition to volunteers, community college programs and community leader dedication, I must tell you that these initiatives also need extra funding. While everyone talks about the literacy problem including governors, senators and the president, the funding is very limited. We are indeed fortunate to have a computer lab for Adult Ed. students at all of our locations. The equipment is there due to grants and the generosity of our HCC Foundation and area businesses. Earlier I mentioned workforce literacy and I'm sure you can see the connection to my theme, ``Learning Begins at Home''. Let me tell you more about our workforce: We know that 80% of the jobs in the new millennium will require a 2-year college education. In looking to the future, it will take three workers to support each retiree. Where will they come from if 1/3 of the nation is undereducated? In a 1990 national school enrollment study, it was reported that between the 9th and 12th grades, 24% of the students had dropped out. An additional 5%, who started 12th grade did not finish, which means 29% of this cohort did not complete a high school education. Today's dropouts are tomorrow's parents: 1 in 6 babies in the U.S. has a teenage mother; and 1 in 4 is born out of wedlock. As you can see, not only are our villages in trouble, but also our nation. We must work together for the following reasons: 1st: Each generation has a relationship to future generations. Justiz calls it ``reciprocal dependency'' because what one generation does affects what other generations can and will do. 2nd: We are, right now, in the midst of a short window of opportunity. A third world is developing within our nation. The gulf between the haves and the have nots is growing larger. 3rd: Our country is at risk. Our once unchallenged, preeminence in commerce, industry, science and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors from across the world. 4th: Children who feel failure are beginning to decide that if they can't have total success their next best bet is to have total failure. they see incompetence as an advantage because it reduces expectations. 5th, and most importantly our children have no one to read to them. Remember your parents reading to you? Remember the times you climbed in bed and mom or dad picked up your favorite book? Can you recall the magic of those moments? And now imagine what your life would have been like without those moments. Not a pleasant thought, is it? So I share with you my final challenge--read to a child today! I close with a quote from the report, A Nation at Risk; ``It is . . . the America of all of us that is at risk . . . It is by our willingness to take up the challenge, and our resolve to see it through, that America's place in the world will be either secured or fortified.'' Please read to a child today--it will bring joy to the child and to you. That one small act can begin to change the future of our country, which lies in the hands of all of our children. Yes, learning begins at home, but all of us must help. Here are my challenges to you--once again: 1. Become a tutor and help an adult improve reading, writing or math skills. 2. Identify your community's literacy and self-sufficiency needs and partner with HCC to find resources to address. 3. Encourage more local employers to prepare for global competition by upgrading the skills of their workforce. 4. Read to a child today. Yes, learning begins at home and this place is home to all of us. Let us join hands and bring the joy of learning to everyone in our communities . . . then learning will truly begin at home once more.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1554, the Satellite Home Viewer Act, includes most of the legislation that would impact the U.S. Patent system. I worked closely with the authors of the bill in the House of Representatives. I appreciate the time they took to listen to my strong concerns about the original bill, H.R. 1907, which passed in the House overwhelmingly this past August. I offer these remarks, however, to create a legislative history and to clarify language in one of the sections I believed needed reworking--the title concerning Third Party Re-Examination. Under Subtitle F--Optional Inter Partes Reexamination Procedure, Section 4605 Conforming Amendments, paragraph (b) contains what I believe to be a technical error. Section 134 of title 35 of the United States Code is amended in two sub-paragraphs (a) and (b). H.R. 1554 uses the term ``administrative patent judge'' where it should read ``primary examiner,'' in both paragraphs. Therefore, this section should read, Section 134 of title 35, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: ``Section 134. Appeal to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences ``(a) Patent Applicant.--An applicant for a patent, any of whose claims has been twice rejected, may appeal from the decision of the primary examiner to the Board of Patent Appeals and interferences, having once paid the fee for such appeal. ``(b) Patent Owner.--A patent owner in any reexamination proceeding may appeal from the final rejection of any claim by the primary examiner to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, having once paid the fee for such appeal.'' I thank the Speaker for his indulgence in allowing me this opportunity to clarify the language of this section of H.R. 1554.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, one year ago I had the privilege of participating in a memorable Veterans Day program at the Alden-Hebron Elementary School in Hebron, Illinois, in the district I represent. That was a special day for me in many ways. I will never forget having the honor of presenting the Bronze Star to CPL Harold Myers, the school's custodian, for his bravery during the Battle of the Bulge. His gallantry in the service of his country was a reminder of why we commemorate Veterans Day. It was also heartwarming to witness a new generation of young Americans coming to understand and acknowledge the sacrifices made by past generations of American veterans. As a number of students recounted brief stories about how we as a nation came to set aside November 11th as a day to recognize our veterans, I couldn't help thinking how important it is to keep the flame of patriotism burning brightly in the hearts of each new generation of Americans. They will be the ones who will carry on, and in some cases defend, the values that have made our nation great. The students of Alden-Hebron Elementary have a clearer understanding of the American spirit because they see it personified in Harold Myers, who not only serves as their school custodian, but because of his service to his country, is a genuine American hero. Mr. Speaker, as a tribute to the American men and women who have served this country throughout our history and in recognition of the students of Alden-Hebron Elementary School, I submit for the Record statements made by a number of the students honoring our nation's veterans: Veterans Day In 1921, an American soldier--his name ``known but to God''--was buried on a Virginia hillside overlooking the Potomac River and the city of Washington. The Arlington National Cemetary burial site of the unknown World War One soldier became a place of honor to all American veterans. Similar ceremonies were held in England and France where an ``unknown soldier'' was buried in each nations place of honor. These ceremonies all took place on November 11 to recognize the end of World War One which ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. It became known as Armistice Day. Over four and a half million Americans served in the military and over 100 thousand died in battle during this war. Today, only 3,200 veterans from that conflict are alive. On December 7, 1941 the United States entered World War Two. 16 million men and women entered the military services during this time. Four hundred six thousand Americans died fighting in World War Two. Today over 6 million veterans from that time are still living.--Crystal Stolarik

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name withdrawn as a cosponsor for H. Res. 298.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Madam Chairman, I reluctantly rise today to express my concerns about the Student Results Act, H.R. 2. The proponents of this bill attempt to accomplish many positive reforms to several federal education programs, such as reinforcing parental rights in the bilingual education program; offering school choice, if states want it, for students in low performing schools; and changing the poverty threshold requirement for school-wide program eligibility. However, while I believe this legislation is well intended, I am deeply concerned by this bill's overstepping of the authority of the federal government. Just because the federal government is responsible for about 6 percent of a state's (or local district's) total education budget, it appears that some of my colleagues believe we can exercise power to impose our education policies on states and local schools districts. For example, the Illinois Administrative Code contains a state- adopted standard for all teachers' aids. This federal legislation preempts all state requirements for teachers' aids, and, of course, if a state did not follow the federal requirements, then the state or local school agency would not be eligible to receive Title I funding. The federal government has no authority for dictating standards for teachers' aides. The next step is dictating standards for teachers. Also, a provision has been included in H.R. 2 that would supersede and interfere with state laws for tort liability in an area where there is no interstate commerce or other justification for federal preemption. This provision would provide limited civil litigation immunity to teachers, principals, and other local school officials who engage in ``reasonable actions to maintain school discipline.'' This is not a federal issue. It is a state issue, and every state, including Illinois, has a tort immunity act involving State employees, such as teachers. However, H.R. 2 mandates a one-size-fits-all plan on how states should handle their local claims. I appreciate the efforts that my colleagues have made to reform the current education program that funds low-income students. I believe that a new approach is needed and applaud many of the innovative ideas that have found their way into this legislation. If I were a member of the state legislature, I would support this bill. Unfortunately, H.R. 2 goes way beyond what our Constitution envisions as the proper role for the federal government with regard to education policies.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment offered by my good friend and colleague from the State of South Carolina. We cannot plan to do anything financially in a 1-year period of time. The loans are for a lot more than 1 year, and we are asking that it be for 4 years, which is more reasonable. Let me take this opportunity to tell my colleagues some of the things that OPIC does that many Members of Congress do not understand. OPIC got involved in helping to build a power plant in Guatemala. There was $100 million and OPIC insurance to build a plant that produces electricity to be sold in Guatemala. Now that is an American investment to a company there, and in turn American manufactured goods that go into the power plant are exported from the United States to Guatemala. This is generally the nature of what OPIC does, and that does not displace American jobs because it is pretty difficult to export electricity to Guatemala, but what it does is it insures that loan from which the investor pays a premium and which has returned traditionally 150 to $200 million each year as a surplus to the United States Treasury. Now without OPIC what company is going to invest in manufacturing electricity in Guatemala? Well, that is what OPIC does. That actually creates American jobs because Americans are employed in the manufacturing process of a material that is exported to Guatemala. So the whole purpose here is to show that an investment like that, we cannot have a 1-year authorization. It has to be a 4-year authorization at the minimum so as to have some continuity to the Federal investments that are made. Therefore, Mr. Chairman, I would ask that the Members oppose the Sanford amendment.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, this is a technical and perfecting amendment to the urban export initiative section for the International Trade Administration designed to take into account the concerns of the members of our committee that there be no automatic presumption of support for all minority-owned businesses under this initiative. It simply directs the ITA, pursuant to this initiative, to increase exports from those minority-owned businesses who may have been excluded from exporting. It is my understanding that it has full support of the minority.

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, I support the amendment.

Mr. MANZULLO. I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska.

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, unless such intervention is published in the Federal Register.

Mr. MANZULLO. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry).

Mr. MANZULLO. Yes, I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska.

Mr. MANZULLO. I yield to the gentleman from Oregon.

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the original Terry amendment and in opposition to the Menendez amendment. I think Mr. Menendez is talking about two different things. The Terry amendment does not prevent anybody or any organization, or any department, from getting involved in the adjudication of this claim. What it simply says is that there should be an open record. This is an open meetings act for the process of adjudication by OPIC. That is all it says. The plain language says, ``No other department or agency of the United States, or officer or employee thereof, may intervene in any pending settlement,'' et cetera, ``unless such intervention is published in the Federal Register.'' That is all the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) is asking for. He wants to know what, if any, other departments, are trying to influence, I do not use that word in a meanspirited way but are trying to have a role in making a determination, that simply should be a matter of the public record. That is all he is asking. The amendment of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez) on the other hand says that by adding the words ``with the intent to impede or delay,'' if his language is added to the Terry amendment that turns the Terry amendment into something entirely different. That is not the purpose of the Terry amendment. The gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) simply says this: we have a claim that is before OPIC. The public has a right to know which government agencies are claiming an interest in it, and the people have a right to know what those government agencies are saying. So I would ask that the Menendez amendment be defeated, that the original Terry amendment be adopted.

Mr. MANZULLO. I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska.

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I think it is extremely significant that the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) supports the original Terry amendment, as modified, or not as modified by the amendment of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), but the language of the Terry amendment with the change of the two words that appear at the desk. I think that is extremely significant, because the gentleman from Alabama has been a supporter of OPIC for years. He is very conservative, he is very cautious. He watches the taxpayers' dollars. For him to come out in favor of this amendment to me is quite compelling. But I would like to contrast the Menendez amendment. Really, that should be supplemental to that of the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry). He simply says, let us have a time frame. Granted, the language is not the most artful. It could obviously be cleaned up in conference. But it simply says we should reach a point with all the litigation and all the arbitration that goes on that after a certain point, the person who gets paid his judgment or award is entitled to interest from a certain date on. There is nothing like prejudgment interest that moves the litigants to get through. It is a tremendous incentive, especially when we are talking about what could be tens of millions of dollars that are at stake. And why not so? If a person's factory is expropriated, that person loses everything. They lose the investment, and many times they still have to pay the bank interest on the investment that he or she made overseas. So the American manufacturer is still paying the bank interest. What does this say? This says the purpose of this insurance is to make the American manufacturer whole. That is the purpose of insurance. That is what the Terry amendment does. The gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez) has a great amendment, if it were on its own. It calls for a study. Around this place, if we do not know what to do, we call for a study. This calls for a study which says within 6 months we want an analysis of all the outstanding claims and all things going on with reference thereto, et cetera, et cetera. I would suggest that my good friend, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez) really withdraw his amendment, perfecting amendment to that the amendment of the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry), and reintroduce it as a stand-alone, and I would be the first one to jump up and say, this is really exciting.