Donald Manzullo

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, protecting the people of the United States is Congress' number one responsibility. Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, we have passed laws in the House to improve our readiness at home, and our agencies are meeting with state and local governments to share information and formulate emergency plans with our first responders. I wanted to let you know about a private initiative that took place this summer in the district I represent that will improve local readiness and help protect the people in northern Illinois. On July 20, 2002, Marathon Ashland Petroleum invited members of the Winnebago, Rockford, Blackhawk, Win-Bur-Sew, West Suburban, Byron and North West fire departments, along with the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department and Bomb Disposal Team to a full-scale bomb drill at its Rockford terminal. The drill was designed to not only familiarize local, area and regional responders with the terminal's facilities and equipment, but to also train and prepare our first responders for a credible threat against the terminal. The drill was the first of its kind in the petroleum industry following the Sept. 11 attacks on our nation. The all-day event began with tours of the facility and opportunities for police and fire responders to familiarize themselves with the equipment and set-up at the terminal, which can store up to 20 million gallons of fuel, including gasoline and diesel. The Winnebago County Bomb Squad then participated in a simulation where area Emergency Medical Technicians were able to familiarize themselves with the special suits that bomb squad members must wear. The bomb squad commander, Chris Cowan, then briefed drill participants on likely tactics and targets within the terminal that terrorists might consider. A safety discussion and tips for locating a device followed. The day was capped off with a detonation of a small explosive device designed to show the impact that even a small device can make. Mr. Speaker, this is the kind of leadership from our local governments and our business community that we need to win the war on terrorism and protect our homeland. We in Congress have passed legislation to tighten security in America and provide funding to help our nation prepare. But our first responders in our communities are the ones who will make homeland security work. The people at Marathon Ashland Petroleum and the brave police officers, firefighters, and EMTs from northern Illinois are leading the charge to protect our people. And I commend them for that.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, fifty-seven years after he died on December 16, 1944 in the Battle of the Bulge, Stanley Larson finally received the funeral reserved for heroes. He was just a 19-year-old kid, one year out of high school, looking forward to the same things all kids want: lasting friendships, a good job, a loving family. War has a tendency to permanently interrupt dreams of young men. One such was Stanley Larson of Rochelle, a resident of the same county where I live. I had the opportunity to present an American flag to Stanley's family, the least I could do on behalf of a grateful America. The enclosed story from the Rockford Register Star, July 23, 2002, tells his remarkable story: Belgians Make Trip for Soldier's Hometown Burial (By Gale Worland) Rochelle.--Jean-Louis Seel had always thought of Stanley E. Larson, and the other American soldiers whose remains he had recovered, as a soldier. But at Rochelle United Methodist Church, as a young boy rounded a corner, Seel made the connection: Stanley the young boy. Stanley the teenager. Here was his hometown, his past. Stanley, the high school basketball star. The fresh-faced boy who had a kind word for everyone. The young gentleman in glasses whose keen personality and confident smarts had made him student council president his senior year. Monday was a day of strange contrasts for the Larson family, who laid to rest one of its oldest members, who was also one of the youngest: Pfc. Stanley E. ``Mike'' Larson, struck down by enemy fire at the age of 19 in a war that most of the people at his funeral were much too young to have seen. After being buried in a common grave for 57 years not far from where he fell on Dec. 16, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, Larson's remains were discovered last summer deep in the Monschau Forest by a group of Belgian ``diggers''--four men, including Seel, who have taken on the recovery of American MIAs as a personal mission. They had traveled from another hemisphere to see Stanley come back to his hometown, a Midwestern crossroads ringed by tassle-headed cornfields and shingled red barns. And now they stood in the oppressive summer heat to say farewell to a young man killed on a historic, bitter winter's day. About 200 people gathered alongside them at Stanley's gravesite, including the great-grandnieces and great- grandnephews he never knew but who, today, tenderly walked to his silver casket and left a handful of red poppies. Stanley's father, Elmer, had bought that plot for his youngest son nearly half a century ago. Now 16 members of VFW posts from throughout northern Illinois saluted their fallen comrade with a color guard. Seven white-gloved men and women sent by the U.S. Army from Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri raised their rifles and sounded the crack of three volleys for one of America's 58,000 World War II MIAs who had finally come home. And as a bugler played taps, a train whistle in the distance blew in an uncanny, solemn harmony. ``These people are here today to give the family final closure,'' said Kenneth Seay of Loves Park VFW Post 9759. Seay, the POW/MIA director for the state, held the POW/MIA flag in the formal color guard at the gravesite. On his wrist he wears a thick band engraved with the names of the 98 Vietnam POW/MIAs from Illinois. ``With everything that's gone on in the past year, we really need to pay respect to those who've gone before,'' said Sen. Brad Burzynski, R-Clare, who attended the funeral. ``I believe God was with Stanley and his buddies when that barrage of hot steel came down upon them,'' said the Rev. Brian Channel, a military history buff who gave the sermon during the church funeral preceding Stanley's burial with military honors. ``Stanley's journey ends today after half a century.'' The casket lay in the church draped with a U.S. flag--just as it had at a similar ceremony months ago in a village church near where Stanley's body was found. Close to 2,000 people, many of them Belgians wanting to show gratitude to the American troops who helped secure their liberty, attended that day. On Monday, the flag of Belgium, with its bold vertical stripes in black, gold and red, flanked the altar along with the Stars and Stripes. Belgian ``digger'' Jean Philippe Speder told the congregation how, when he was a teenager, he'd heard his grandparents talk about the war. But later he realized that those memories were dimming among his peers. ``The picture of the GI was fading as a new generation, including mine, grew up,'' he said. Speder painted the woods where Stanley lay for 57 years as a place of ``serene and magnificent deep forest, known for its high marshes and spring waters.'' More MIAs lie in unknown pockets of those woods. ``Those boys will always be home,'' he said, ``and live in our hearts forever.'' The friends and family who spoke at the funeral unraveled the compelling tale of how Stanley was searched for and found. In few words, Battle of the Bulge veteran Roger Foehringer reminded all why they had come: ``He's the real hero. He gave his life, his life for us.'' ``Home is where I belong,'' Foehringer said, speaking for Stanley, ``Goodbye, friends.''

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, the National Aviation Capacity Expansion Act is not just a bill about expanding O'Hare International Airport, it is about relieving congestion for the entire air transportation system in the United States, of which obviously O'Hare is an integral part. I fought hard and testified several times to make sure this bill includes a provision asking the FAA to consider utilizing existing airports that are capable of immediately reducing congestion and delays at our Nation's major airports. In the Chicago region, that airport is the Greater Rockford Airport. Passage of this legislation ensures that Rockford Airport will be able to offer its vast resources, which include: $150 million of recent infrastructure improvements; a 10,000-foot runway that can land any jet aircraft today as well as an 8,200-foot runway; a category III Instrument Landing System; a Glycol Detention and Treatment Facility; an upgraded taxiway system; an FAA 24-hour traffic control tower; it is the present home to United Parcel Service's second largest hub in the Nation; a modern passenger terminal immediately capable of handling 1 million emplaned passengers annually, and room for 3 million with a modest investment, and capacity for up to 15 million passengers a year; unconstrained airspace; the ability to relieve up to 20 percent of O'Hare's originating passengers; and all only 1 hour's distance from Chicago. As my colleagues can see, this bill is the best vehicle by which the Nation's air traffic congestion and delays could be relieved. And Rockford Airport is ready today; built, paid for, existing. It is considered, as designated in this legislation, to be a low-cost and convenient factor in that solution. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Andrea Myslenski, a special young girl in my Congressional district who suffers from a very rare and serious disease, ``Post Viral Dysautonomia.'' This is a condition that affects the autonomic nervous system and renders her very tired and unable to go to school or have the normal social life of a 15-year old girl. Andrea was home tutored due to Dysautonomia the second half of eighth grade. She completed all of her work and was awarded the Presidential Award for academic achievement. Andrea began 9th grade with the hope of completing the school year, but a virus caused a relapse of Dysautonomia. She was unable to attend school in October, 2001, and home tutored for the rest of the school year. Dysautonomia is manifested by symptoms of fatigue, weakness, forgetfulness, brain fog, and mood swings, etc. It has been a very trying time for the family. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges was actually making a definitive diagnosis of Dysautonomia. It took several visits to multiple doctors before a definitive diagnosis was made, making it quite apparent why it is called an ``invisible disease.'' Mr. Speaker, I wish to extend my support to Andrea and many children like her that suffer from Dysautonomia. It is my hope that we become educated about this disease and become strong supporters for the research and treatment of this invisible illness. I am proud to have Andrea as a member of my district and hope that one day a cure for this disease will be found.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3479, the National Aviation Capacity Expansion Act. I want to thank the gentlemen from Illinois (Mr. Kirk) and (Mr. Lipinski) and other members of the Illinois delegation and the surrounding region for their hard work in coming to an agreement on this legislation. O'Hare serves as the main hub for the Nation's two largest commercial airlines, and expansion is without a doubt going to be a tremendous benefit to travelers and businesses in the northern Illinois area, as well as the Nation. What I particularly appreciate about this legislation is that it acknowledges the role of other regional airports, especially the Greater Rockford Airport, and the role it can have in helping to alleviate congestion at O'Hare. This legislation clearly states how important it is for the FAA to consider existing infrastructure when constructing a plan to streamline traffic through O'Hare. With a runway that can land virtually any jet today at a distance of only 1 hour's drive from Chicago, Rockford Airport stands ready to immediately supplement traffic congestion at O'Hare during construction or in the future. The efficiency of our Nation's air travel is ready for a dramatic upgrade in the Chicago area, and this bill is a critical step in addressing that need. I urge my colleagues to support its passage today.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 424, a resolution commending those small businesses and family-owned enterprises in the roofing industry who donated their time and resources to help complete the reconstruction of the portion of the Pentagon roof damaged or destroyed by the terrorist attacks on September 11. I wish to extend my sincere thanks to the many volunteers for the patriotic work and to acknowledge the National Roofing Contractors Association which organized these efforts. The Pentagon Project, as it was called, was the brainchild of John and Kimberly Francis who are co-owners of a family-run roofing contracting company in Falls Church, Virginia. Searching for something they could offer in response to the attacks, they approached the National Roofing Contractors Association with the idea of assembling a volunteer force of small businesses in the roofing industry to raise the needed cash, material and manpower to rebuild the approximately 60,000 square feet of damaged roof. Small business volunteers from around the country offered to come to Washington to help fix the roof or donated supplies for the project. The result: Less than 9 months after the attack, these volunteers have completed their work and restored a symbol of American power and resolve. This resolution honors their success, determination and patriotism. It recognizes their eagerness to step forward and contribute in a meaningful way to America's fight against terrorism and resolve to stand firm along the way. On behalf of the American people, as well as the members of the Committee on Small Business, all of whom cosponsored this resolution, we offer our heartfelt thanks for a job well done and congratulations on a recognition well deserved. I especially want to thank my colleague, the ranking minority member, the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez), for her leadership in making sure that this resolution was authored, submitted and came to the floor today. In fact, about 4 hours ago, we were at the Pentagon for a ceremony that honored these roofers. Sixty thousand square feet is a little over an acre and a half. It is a tremendous amount of roof. You could see the roofers still on the roof today. It must have been 130 degrees up there. This is what they wanted to do for America. As people came together after September 11, these roofers realized that they wanted to do something in a meaningful way. As they drive by the Pentagon every day, they can see that portion of the roof that they restored with no cost to the Federal Government because this is their contribution to making America great.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. I thank the gentleman for entering into the colloquy.

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

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I am sorry that I left out a point in our colloquy that is quite important. Finally, I would like to clarify one point. H.R. 327 as introduced required OMB to annually publish a list of requirements applicable to small businesses organized by North American Industrial Classification System, NAICS, codes and industrial/sector description. In the amended version of H.R. 327 as passed by the Senate, this requirement is modified substantially. Instead of requiring OMB to annually publish such a listing, it allows the task force to examine the feasibility and benefits to small businesses of publishing lists organized by NAICS code, industrial/ sector description, or in another manner by which small businesses can more easily identify requirements with which they are expected to comply. I would ask the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose), is it your opinion that the best method for classifying the information remains by NAICS codes because that would enable small businesses to best identify the paperwork burdens associated with their businesses?

Mr. MANZULLO. I thank the gentleman from California for clarifying that issue. I also note that the amended bill is silent on reducing the frequency of small business reporting which would lessen paperwork burdens on small businesses. Since H.R. 327 is primarily intended to reduce paperwork burdens, should not OMB, the agencies and the task force consider reducing periodicity wherever possible?

Mr. MANZULLO. I thank the gentleman from California for agreeing to engage in this colloquy. I think it is absolutely imperative that the task force created by the bill obtains input from the small business community. I am sure the gentleman from California agrees.

Mr. MANZULLO. I thank the gentleman from California for clarifying that issue. I also note that the bill would require that the Office of Management and Budget, OMB, publish in the Federal Register and make available on the Internet an annual listing of the compliance assistance resources available to small businesses. I agree that this would make the information more accessible. However, I believe that more can be done. I think that OMB should establish a link on its Website to each agency's single point of contact. Each agency's Website would then have links to each relevant paperwork required for small businesses. I would like the opinion of the gentleman from California on this point.

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 327, the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act as amended by the Senate. The bill represents the first effort in reducing the paperwork burdens that are swamping millions of small businesses. If we can get them out from under this deluge, they can devote themselves to hiring workers, investing in capital, moving the economy forward and cooking spaghetti, which is what my brother does in his Italian restaurant. The gentleman from Maine (Mr. Baldacci) does the same thing. Cooks would rather make spaghetti sauce than fill out Federal forms. One of the reasons for this bill is to allow the chefs to spend more time cooking Italian food at our restaurants as opposed to filing all these stupid government forms. People do not go to chef school to fill out forms. They go there to make people happy, to present a good balance of herbs and spices, to be able to know what is on the menu, to be able to change the menu according to people's tastes. But when all the chefs in the small restaurants and all the like-minded small businesspeople in the country have to fill out papers for the Federal Government, then they spend too much time doing that. Twenty years after the passage of the Paperwork Reduction Act, there is no evidence that the government has reduced the amount of paperwork on small business. Dr. John Graham, who is the current Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and who is doing a great job, has begun efforts to reduce paperwork burdens. Even with these efforts, the Federal Government still requires the filing of more than 7,700 forms resulting in nearly 66 million responses with a total burden of more than 7.5 billion man-hours. These paperwork burdens annually cost Americans at least $61 billion. Convenience stores that sell gasoline may have to prepare as many as 46 different forms accompanied by 250 pages of instructions. Physicians seeking to provide service under the Medicare program send a 30-page application to CMS, while private insurers enroll physicians after a one-page application. We ask ourselves, is all of this information for small business necessary? Will the government find the information useful? Can the government obtain the necessary information in a less burdensome way? The Small Business Paperwork Relief Act will initiate a process to help answer these questions. Mr. Speaker, I would like to engage in a colloquy with the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs.

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

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Miriam Carlson, a home-schooled 9th grader from Rockford, Illinois. Miriam was selected from over 700,000 students from across the Nation to be one of 2,000 participants in the National History Day. This year's theme called for contestants to select a notable woman in history under the topic, ``Revolution, Reaction and Reform.'' Miriam's project was on the life of Julia Lathrop, entitled, ``Julia Lathrop: Mother to Uncle Sam's Children.'' I would like to extend my congratulations to Miriam on her hard work and dedication to this project and I wish her success in future endeavors. Here is her essay: Julia Lathrop: Mother to Uncle Sam's Children (By Miriam Carlson) I wanted a project where I could find photos. My father had read about Julia Lathrop. He mentioned her to me and I became interested. Julia Lathrop was born in Rockford and later returned to my hometown. What was exciting is that her second home, which she shared with her sister, is only three blocks from my house. A friend of mine lives in that house. Also, Julia Lathrop is buried in nearby Greenwood Cemetery. Here when I was younger, I took my first long bike rides when my father ran. I enjoyed researching someone with whom I have some connections. My research began at the Rockford Public Library. I looked up Julia Lathrop, the Children's Bureau, Baby Week, Infants, and Department of Labor in the Reader's Guide to Periodicals. I grouped all my articles by journal and checked to see which sources the Rockford Library had. Next I looked up the same topics in the New York Times Index. Later I found these articles on microfilm. Most of the journals I found at The University of Wisconsin. In five trips, I used the Memorial Library, the Historical Society Library, the Health Sciences Library, the Social Sciences Library, and the Steenbock Agriculture Library. I also used inter-library loan. I visited the University of Illinois-Chicago to use their archive and to see Hull House. I watched a slide show about Jane Addams and the founding of Hull-House. At the archive, I found letters written to and by Julia Lathrop. I went to the Rockford College Archives. I copied her handwritten rough drafts of speeches and letters. I interviewed her niece. I also found Julia Lathrop's Childrens Bureau files in the National Archives. In past years, I used vertical boards. This year I wanted something different. I had an idea of a project that would rotate. I had no idea how this would work. My father and I took a trip to my local hardware store I found a fixture that would attach to a base and spin. Basically this is what is inside a Lazy Susan. Finally my father and I designed the panels. We took the dimensions and bought the insulation board and wood at the lumberyard. I took notes and wrote summaries for the annotated bibliography. I made copies and wrote the labels. I then worked on the layout. My father helped cut the mat board on our 24-inch paper cutter. My mother helped with the word processing. Julia Lathrop reacted to a problem that resulted from the Industrial Revolution. Children were suffering and dying because of this great change. She was especially concerned with the infant mortality rate. My project explores Julia Lathrop's reaction to this Revolution and how she tried to create reforms that combated it. Her work began in Illinois, spread to the entire United States, and eventually worldwide. Julia Lathrop worked to lower infant and maternal mortality, increase maternal education, and reduce child labor, all the harsh consequences of the Industrial Revolution.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, the families of any police officer, federal law enforcement officer, parole officer and firefighter, killed in the line of duty are entitled to compensation. These unsung heros will have the assurance of knowing that in the event of their death in the line of duty their lived ones will be taken care of with the one-time $250,000 federal death benefit. The families of police and fire chaplains should be entitled to this same benefit. When I first came to Congress in 1993, I was approached by a constituent, Rockford Police Chaplain Father William Wentink, who asked that I consider working to include in this benefit police and fire chaplains killed in the line of duty. Police and fire chaplains share the same on-the-job dangers as their colleagues. These men and women go to work every day and perform their duties diligently and quietly, responding to the same crime and fire scenes as their co-workers. Most chaplains are volunteers. This year, H.R. 3297 is named for one of our fallen heros, Father Mychal Judge, who, in response to the vicious September 11th terrorist attacks, died while serving his city and his nation in his capacity of a fire chaplain in the New York Fire Department. However, Father Mychal is not the first police or fire chaplain killed in the line-of-duty. We should not forget the two others who fell before him: First, William Paris, with the Detroit Police Department back in the early 1970s, who was killed when a criminal in a barricade situation demanded to speak to a chaplain. He was gunned down by the perpetrator; second, the Reverend Bruce Bryan, a police chaplain from Carson, California who was killed while on duty. Reverend Bryan was shot four times execution- style by a person that he and a deputy sheriff were driving home. Mr. Speaker, the tragic events of September 11th have changed the hearts and minds of the vast majority of people in this great country. No longer are we asking our brave emergency services personnel to react to random, but dangerous problems. We have asked them to step up and take on those actions caused by terrorist attackers. We should not--we cannot--let another Congress go by without addressing this very important issue. Mr. Speaker, with that I also want to wholeheartedly thank Chairman Sensenbrenner and Representative Nadler, who, along with the diligent work of their staffers, have helped make this near decade-long goal a reality. I urge all Members to support this legislation.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, we hear statements today that it only applies to 10,000, it only applies to 33,000 people. Do my colleagues know how many farmers are left in this country? Not too many. This applies to most of them. One of them is Gary Hall of Ogle County, Illinois. Gary's dad died in 1997, and he wrote us a letter. He said, ``My dad worked very, very hard to get where he was financially when he passed away last November. He struggled raising his family of a wife, four daughters, and a son by trying to work on the farm, getting them to work there, getting interested in 4H, buying old machinery and fixing it up.'' When he died, the government came in and asked for $2.7 million in taxes. He says, ``Why does the government deserve to squander or blow dad's hard work away? Why can't you leave your estate to your children or family to continue to farm the land? Why do we have to remortgage farms that were paid off years ago by our parents, and then have our children do the same? We do not want to sell any of dad's farms. We want to keep them in his name and pass the farming operation down to many future generations.'' For all the great conservationists we have here in the Congress, do they not realize one of the greatest incentives for plowing up farmland and putting in a subdivision is to pay the death tax? I mean the green thing to do is to not tax someone's estate when they die. Farmers are forced to sell the land. I was there. I practiced law in the country for 22 years. I was there when the gavel went down by the auctioneer and half a family farm was sold just to pay taxes. I wish my colleagues could have seen the looks in those kids' eyes. It is unbelievable. That is what this is about. It is about the Gary Halls of America.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate the conferees, particularly my subcommittee chairman and friend, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), for coming up with a good bill that will support our Nation's small manufacturing exporters. Ex-Im is one of the few government programs that actually serves small businesses. Last year, 90 percent of Ex-Im's transactions and 18 percent of the dollar volume went to small exporters. As chairman of the Committee on Small Business, I am proud of what the conferees have done to further enhance exports from small firms. Many of our markets are saturated in this country. Ninety-six percent of the world's consumers live outside the U.S. This conference report recognizes this reality by helping provide small business exporters access to these tough but critical markets. The conference report agreed with the House to double Ex-Im's set- aside for small businesses from 10 percent to 20 percent. This conference report directs more of Ex-Im's resources to small business outreach, including the very small businesses, those employing 100 workers or less, and women and minority-owned firms. Finally, this conference report focuses on the importance of technology for small businesses, and directs Ex-Im to put out more of its applications process online and track its documents electronically to speed up its work. This 5-year reauthorization bill is one piece of the puzzle to help manufacturers in the district I am proud to represent recover from the economic downturn. We are suffering immensely with an unemployment rate higher than the national average. Manufacturing has lost over 2 million jobs in the past 3 years, and northern Illinois has not been immune. Compounding an already weak economy is the high value of the American dollar, stiff foreign competition, high prices for steel, and tightening of credit, particularly for export finance. This conference report provides one tool to help offset the effect of the difficulty of obtaining trade finance for small business exporters. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this conference report. It will help ensure that quality and price, not the lack of adequate export financing, is the key for a small business exporter to win a sale abroad.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4231) to improve small business advocacy, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this legislation.

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago we celebrated National Small Business Week and the entrepreneurial spirit that makes this Nation great. Small business drives our Nation's economy and the heart of our communities. Small businesses account for 99.7 percent of the Nation's employers. Small businesses employ 53 percent of the private workforce and are responsible for over 50 percent of the private gross domestic product. During this time of economic uncertainty, it is important to remember that small businesses have pulled this Nation out of every downturn. Small businesses create about three-fourths of the new jobs in this country. That is why it is critically important that we in Congress do all we can to foster the entrepreneurial spirit in America. After all the festivities are over, it is especially important that we carry on the legacy of National Small Business Week throughout the year by strengthening and making the Office of Advocacy at the Small Business Administration more independent. Advocacy is a very small, but unique and dynamic, government office. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues that if you do not know too much about this office, it is time you became more familiar with its mission and its hard-working personnel. Advocacy is staffed with public servants who truly have a heart for small business. It is a great resource, particularly for caseworkers that may not know to whom to turn in order to resolve a complex small business problem. It is one of the few offices in the executive branch that can take positions contrary to the administration on behalf of small business. Advocacy serves as an internal government watchdog in our regulatory process to make sure that the interests of small businesses are not ignored as agencies develop, propose and finalize their regulations. Advocacy has concluded that Federal regulations cost small businesses about 60 percent more per employee than it costs large businesses. Compliance with regulations averages about $7,000 per employee. That is a huge burden. The Regulatory Flexibility Act was passed in 1980 to require agencies to factor into their analysis the impact of proposed regulations on small businesses prior to their implementation, and, if necessary, modify the proposal to soften the impact on small businesses. Last March the President gave a historic address before our Nation's women entrepreneurs. The President said, ``Every agency is required to analyze the impact of new regulations on small businesses before issuing them. That is an important law. The problem is it is oftentimes being ignored. The law is on the books; the regulators don't care that the law is on the books. From this day forward, they will care that the law is on the books.'' The main mission of the Office of Advocacy is to carry out the President's vision by making sure that all regulators finally take seriously the obligations contained in the Regulatory Flexibility Act to respect the interests of small business. Part of the President's small business agenda is to enhance the Office of Advocacy. The bill before us today strengthens and improves the office to ensure that there is an entity within the executive branch that has the statutory independence and adequate financial resources to be an effective fighter for small business. Many small business groups, including the National Federation of Independent Business, the Small Business Legislative Council, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Small Business United and the National Association for the Self- Employed have endorsed this bill. The Small Business Advocacy Improvement Act raises the rank of the Chief Counsel for Advocacy one level in the executive service schedule to be on par with many of his colleagues in other agencies. The legislation would permit the appointment of two deputy chief counsel, one responsible for regulations, the other for economic research and studies. The bill also defines for the first time the duties of regional advocates, one at each of the 10 Federal regions. The SBA is also required to provide adequate office space, equipment, and personnel to the Office of Advocacy. In addition, this legislation encourages more cooperation and coordination through a memorandum of understanding between the SBA's Office of Ombudsman, which oversees how Federal agencies implement regulations after they are adopted, and the Office of Advocacy, which aims to make proposed regulations more friendly to small businesses prior to their final adoption. Most importantly, this bill protects the budget of the Office of Advocacy by allowing Congress to see the chief counsel's initial budget request to the Office of Management and Budget. Unfortunately, Advocacy has been threatened in the past with budget cuts unless the chief counsel changed his policy with respect to small business to be more in line with the administration. This provision is crucial to maintaining the independence of the Office of Advocacy, because, without it, other executive branch agencies could threaten its budget to influence a particular course of action. This bill would shed light on that practice in order to put enough pressure to end it. Finally, the legislation authorizes modest increases in the budget of the Office of Advocacy over the next 3 years in order to increase its role and visibility within the executive branch to advocate for and on behalf of small businesses. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the ranking minority member, the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez), for working with me over the past 14 months on this issue. I urge my colleagues to support the Small Business Advocacy Improvement Act. Mr. Speaker, passage of this bill is particularly appropriate today, shortly after National Small Business Week, because H.R. 4231 will produce untold benefits for our small business constituents for years to come. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, our Nation's small manufacturer exporters are hurting across the Nation. The main city in the district I represent, Rockford, Illinois, has an economy based on 35 percent manufacturing, double the average of most U.S. cities. They already experience thin profit margins from stiff foreign competition, both here at home and in markets abroad. They have a problem with the strong American dollar; and in addition, those who use steel in their production now have to pay up to 30 percent more for the price of this raw material. There are very few banks that extend international finance; and for those that do, credit standards have tightened over the past year. This is on top of the huge regulatory and tax burden that they already face. Ex-Im Bank was one of the few government programs that actually serve small businesses. The number of small business exporters increased by more than three-fold between 1987 and 1999, going from 66,000 to 224,000. I am proud the Committee on Financial Services has greatly enhanced more of these loans that will be going to small businesses. This is not just about money going directly to Boeing to help that company; but when money goes for Boeing aircraft, it goes to 60 subcontractors in the district that I represent that provide $232 million worth of goods and services. That is good news for the employees at Dip Seal Plastics; Wells Manufacturing; Eclipse, Incorporated; and Ipsen International. There are also some new aspects of Ex-Im financing. United Parcel Service, which has the Midwest hub in Rockford, Illinois, owns a bank, and they are one of the largest volume dealers of export-import financing. UPS helps make the match between the foreign manufacturer and the American company. They do the documentation for financing, if necessary. They will do domestic financing and then factor in the international agreement. If international financing is necessary, they will provide the Ex-Im Bank. They do the collection, and then they do the transportation. So the Ex-Im Bank provides a very useful tool by which small businesses across the Nation, especially those involved in manufacturing, really have the opportunity in this tremendous economy that we have. With regard to the challenges that face small business people, Ex-Im provides that opportunity to get involved in more exports. I would respectfully request that the Members will take a look at what is going on with Ex-Im in their home districts and then vote to reauthorize the bill.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer legislation that would suspend temporarily, through December 31, 2005, the rate of duty applicable to imports into the United States of certain custom-made automotive magnets. These components are incorporated into sensors used in the automotive industry. A company in the district I am proud to represent manufactures these sensors in Freeport, Illinois. These automotive magnets possess unique formulations to meet the exacting design and performance requirements of my constituent company. Because these parts are custom designed, and given the fact that my constituent company paid for the tooling and development costs associated with customizing these products, we know that the only qualified manufacturers of these parts are outside the United States. Because there is no substitute domestically manufactured product currently benefiting from the present 2.1 percent duty rate on these components, no adverse impact on a domestic producer or industry is anticipated should my legislation be enacted. At the same time, I know its enactment would be beneficial to some good, hard working people in my district. It makes no sense to impose an import duty on a product where there is no domestic manufacturer. I therefore urge my colleagues to support inclusion of this legislation into the Miscellaneous Tariff Correction bill to be moved later this year.

Mr. MANZULLO

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer legislation that would suspend temporarily, through December 31, 2005, the rate of duty applicable to imports into the United States of certain epoxy molding compounds. These materials are used for encapsulating, or coating, integrated circuits that feed into various electronics applications. While it is possible that there are U.S. companies that make some kinds of epoxy molding compounds in the United States, my understanding is that there are no domestic sources of the exact compounds intended to be addressed through my legislation. I further understand that the only qualified manufacturers of the required materials are outside the United States. Because there is no substitute domestically manufactured product currently benefiting from the present 6.1 percent duty rate on these products, no adverse impact on a domestic producer or industry is anticipated should my legislation be enacted. At the same time, I know its enactment would be beneficial to some hard working folks in the 16th District of Illinois. It makes no sense to impose an import duty on a product where there is no domestic manufacturer. I therefore urge my colleagues to support inclusion of this legislation into the Miscellaneous Tariff Correction bill to be moved later this year.