Candice Miller

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve my time.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve my time.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, the Continuity in Representation Act provides a process to ensure that our democratic government remains stable and orderly during a possible time of great instability. In addition, it preserves the unique status of the House of Representatives by continuing the tradition and the constitutional mandate that every Member of this body must be elected by his or her constituents. In such a time of crisis, the people of this Nation must have a voice in the critical decisions that are being made. This legislation ensures that that will be the case. The time limit of 49 days that this bill lays out is more than adequate, Mr. Chairman. In fact, a survey of election officials confirmed that this is a realistic time frame, and I will tell you as a former elections official myself, I concur with those findings. Furthermore, several States already have laws in place that require special elections to be conducted in a shorter period of time than the 49-day limit that this legislation requires. It is a short enough period that the House is reconstituted quickly and loses none of its authority, and, at the same time, it is a long enough period for fair elections to be conducted. When this issue was before the 108th Congress, Mr. Chairman, the House acted in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion and approved the Continuity in Representation Act by a more than three-to-one margin. In fact, H.R. 841 that we consider today has improved on the previous bill by addressing the following reservations that some Members of the House and some of the States had regarding that bill. First, the special election privilege is extended now to Delegates and Resident Commissioners so that they could be replaced just as quickly as Members. Second, the legislation explicitly gives States any method that they choose to selects the candidates for special elections. Certainly as an advocate of States' rights, this provision was extremely important to both myself and many of us here in this Chamber. Finally, the time limit for special elections to be completed has been extended to 49 days from the time of the Speaker's announcement that over 100 vacancies exist. This gives local and State officials 7 full weeks to select candidates, to print ballots and to fully execute those special elections. With these changes I am hopeful that the bipartisan support for this legislation will be even greater today than it has been in the past. Mr. Speaker, this is not simply a bill about elections or the best way to replace Members of Congress. Mr. Chairman, this bill is about the strength of our Nation. It is about our ability to secure the homeland, and it does that by ensuring that our democratically elected government is able to respond in the face of an urgent threat. Homeland security is not a Republican issue. It is not a Democratic issue. This is an issue that affects every single American, Mr. Chairman; and the Congress should act in the interest of America and of democracy. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 841, and I look forward very much to supporting and passing this important and historic legislation.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. I yield back the balance of my time, Mr. Chairman.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, the amendment proposed by the gentlewoman from California, while certainly a very well-intentioned amendment, is completely unnecessary and, I believe, would severely weaken this bill. While this amendment would only increase the time limit in which to conduct the special election by 11 days, more than the limit provided for in H.R. 841, it would weaken the power of Congress in a significant way. According to the War Powers Act, when the President has put our Armed Forces into action, Congress must act within 60 days to either approve or to disapprove the use of those troops. Following an attack in which over 100 Members of Congress have been killed, it is quite likely that a military response would be required. If Congress is not reconstituted within this 60-day period, it would lose its ability to either affirm or disapprove of the executive's use of military actions and, thus, the power of the legislative branch would be diminished. The amendment by the gentlewoman would prevent Congress from acting in this situation. H.R. 841, as it stands, would allow for Congress to reconstitute and to act on such an important matter. Another argument against this amendment, Mr. Chairman, is that while it is not only dangerous, again it is completely unnecessary. A survey of election officials, as I mentioned earlier, shows that 49 days is a reasonable period of time in which to conduct a special election. And as a former chief elections officer of the State of Michigan, I agree with that assessment. As the legislation currently stands, States would have the option, and let me reiterate again, the States have the option of eliminating the primary election and permitting political parties recognized by State law to choose those candidates. In turn, this would eliminate the petition requirements, and the verification process that accompanies it. Additionally, it is again very important to remember that the U.S. Representative position would really be the only race on the ballot. Again, dramatically easy printing, programming, and testing. Furthermore, Mr. Chairman, the passage of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, HAVA, as it is commonly called, has helped prepare election officials more than ever to conduct such a special election. HAVA is granting Federal dollars to the States in historic proportions, dollars that are being used to eliminate antiquated election equipment, and the States are purchasing new state-of-the-art equipment. States have either constructed or are moving towards construction of statewide, computerized voter registration files, similar, as I mentioned, to the one we built in Michigan several years ago. Technology is allowing these lists to be updated literally daily, so that a clean up-to-date file can be printed out any date of the year and provided to every polling site. Again, a fantastic election tool for any election, but particularly so in this case for an expedited election. Also, States are rapidly moving towards a uniform system of voting machines. Uniformity of election equipment in a State will enable vendors to always have a camera-ready template on the ballot, and then all they have to do is just fill in the name of the nominees for U.S. Representative and go to print. Having a uniform system will eliminate confusion amongst poll workers and further ease election preparation. Finally, Mr. Chairman, some States already prescribe that special elections be conducted in a period of time even shorter than this. The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) mentioned the Virginia experience; Minnesota, I believe, requires a 30- or 35-day limit as well. All of this goes to prove that the amendment is completely unnecessary. The only thing that this amendment would effectively do is extend the time period for which some parts of the Nation would not be represented in this body, in the United States House of Representatives. And there is never a good reason to do that, Mr. Chairman. While it is true that State and local officials must have sufficient time to conduct elections, it is imperative that they be completed as quickly as possible so that there is some semblance of continuity in representation. There should not be any unnecessary delay to this process. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The language in the motion to recommit is very similar to the language in the Help America Vote Act legislation, HAVA, as it is commonly called, that legislation being H.R. 533. In fact, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) is not the only Member who has proposed comprehensive election reform. A number of other bills have been introduced by Members on both sides of the aisle proposing amendments to the HAVA bill. The Committee on House Administration has scheduled hearings on these issues, including in the State of Ohio I would say, and we will be considering all of these bills in due course. Today is not the time nor is it the place to be debating election reform issues. We are here to provide for continuity and representation of this House and the American people. So let us focus on what needs to be done to provide for expedited special elections so that we can have a functioning House as soon as possible if there is a horrible, catastrophic attack. Let us leave these other issues for a later day when they can be debated in the proper context. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), the Speaker of the House.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. 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 the subject of H.R. 841.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Virginia for yielding me this time, and I rise today in very, very strong support of the identification reforms that are in this legislation. These reforms, in my opinion, are extremely necessary to help us better protect our identity documents and to secure our borders. This legislation will help America to better protect our Nation from those who wish to do us harm. No longer will we allow terrorists free access to state-issued identity documents as a way to use the tools of our freedom against us. No longer will we stand idly by and watch terrorists harm our homeland. State-issued driver's licenses and State identification cards are the most widely used form of identification in the Nation. It is the backbone, quite frankly, of our identity. It provides legitimacy to any person who holds this form of identification. Driver's licenses are used in everyday instances, such as boarding an airplane or enrolling in a flight school. Does that sound familiar? Well, it should. Because according to the 9/11 Commission Report, all but one of the 9/11 hijackers acquired some form of U.S. identification documents, some by fraud. All but one of the hijackers used a state-issued driver's license on that horrific day. Even more frightening is the fact that a regular driver's license is your passport to obtain a commercial driver's license, from which then, of course, you can then try to obtain a hazardous materials license, an endorsement on your commercial driver's license. It is bad enough to think about giving terrorists access to our roadways and our aircraft, but it is unthinkable to give them access to 40,000 gallons of liquid propane, as an example. This legislation also closes a loophole which has allowed illegal aliens to get access to our driver's licenses. Our message on this issue is clear: if you are not in this country legally, then you will not be given legal sanctions on our roads. If you are in America on a visa, you will be issued a driver's license; but it will expire on the same day as your visa. Muhammed Atta, as has been said, came to America on a 6-month visa, but he was issued a 6-year Florida driver's license. I struggled with this issue, as the chairman had said. In my former role as the Secretary of State in Michigan, where I served as the chief motor vehicle administrator, I was forced to issue drivers' licenses to illegal aliens. Unfortunately, Michigan is one of the States that continues this practice. It has become a State of choice for illegals to obtain a license. We must stop this practice. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, there have been so many images that have come out of the election in Iraq that have warmed the hearts of all who love freedom. My favorite was that of a woman holding up the victory sign accentuated by the blue ink on her finger indicating that she had voted. That victory sign stands for victory over dictatorship, for victory over terror, victory for democracy, victory for freedom. There have also been some statements from voters showing what they think of their newfound freedoms. One voter remarked, ``I moved to mark my finger with ink. I dipped it deep as if I was poking the eyes of all the world's tyrants.'' The Iraqi people have spoken with a loud voice, and once again freedom is on the march. This is thanks to the dedication not only of the people of Iraq but certainly for all the service and the sacrifice of our brave men and women in the armed services. So I do find it amazing that some on the other side of the aisle and throughout our Nation are calling for a quick pullout of our troops from Iraq. We all want our troops to come home, and they will, as soon as their mission is accomplished, as soon as it is completed. They will not leave early and allow dictatorship and repression to return to fill the vacuum left by their departure. Many of these advocates of an early withdrawal were also in opposition to President Ronald Reagan when he stood strong for freedom against Soviet communism. These same detractors say that we should not overhype the election in Iraq. In 1989, were they saying that we should not overhype the fall of the Berlin Wall? Tell that to the people of the former East Germany who now live in freedom, tell it to the people of Poland, tell it to the people of the Czech Republic, tell it to the people of Hungary, or to the people of the Ukraine, all of whom live in freedom because of the steadfast determination of the American people to spread liberty. The flag of freedom has been raised high in Iraq, and we cannot and must not leave Iraq before freedom and democracy take root. Because, just as in Europe, the idea of freedom will resonate throughout the Middle East. Let freedom ring.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, behind me you see a photograph that shows the true meaning of the Iraqi election. It is an Iraqi woman smiling, holding up the victory sign accentuated by the blue ink on her finger indicating that she had voted. That victory sign stands for victory over dictatorship, for victory over terror, victory for democracy, victory for freedom. No wonder she is smiling. One voter remarked, and it may have been this woman, I moved to mark my finger with ink. I dipped it deep as if I was poking the eyes of all the world's tyrants. I am so proud of all the men and women we have in uniform, because without their sacrifice, their service, their dedication to the cause of liberty, none of this would have been possible. They have once again spread freedom and in doing so have made America safer and more secure. Some politicians have said that we should not overhype this election. Pardon me if I disagree. We should trumpet every victory for freedom from the highest mountaintops. Let freedom ring across the globe.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, the American people must be watching this debate and literally shaking their heads. With all of the challenges facing our Nation we are spending our time debating the challenge to the validity of the Presidential election simply because the Democratic Party cannot accept the fact that their candidate lost this election. They cannot accept the fact that their agenda, that their vision for America has been rejected by the majority of Americans. They cannot accept the fact that President George W. Bush simply received more votes than Senator John Kerry. This election was very hard fought on both sides. The American people have accepted the fact that it is over and they want this Congress to get to work and to work in a bipartisan way. If this is a minority party's idea of bipartisanship, then let the people of our Nation see it for what it is. Because in the spirit of bipartisanship, the Democrats are asking us to overturn the Presidential election which President Bush won by over 3 million votes nationwide and by over 118,000 votes in the State of Ohio. In the spirit of bipartisanship they say that somehow Karl Rove was manipulating votes from a secret computer in the White House and that somehow these secret computers were changing the votes on punch cards and optical scan sheets that record actual votes. This language is in their challenge. How interesting, however, that their challenge as it talks about conspiracies in the State of Ohio, making allegations that have no basis of fact, their challenge is silent about an incident in Ohio where fraudulent voter registration forms were being submitted and the worker who collected them was paid in crack cocaine. How interesting that their challenge does not mention the Democratic group ACORN which submitted vote registrations for dead people that used 25 different addresses for the same individual. Mr. Speaker, before I came to Congress I served very proudly for 8 years as the Michigan Secretary of State where my principal responsibility was serving as the chief election officer. So I feel I have a little bit of background to make some observations about the election process. In fact, Michigan is recognized as a national leader on elections. We constructed the first statewide computerized voter registration list which precludes the possibility of anybody having more than one address or registering more than once. In fact, I might add, I was very proud in my former capacity to receive the highest grade in the Nation of Secretaries of State for voter election reforms and that grade was given to me by the NAACP. We are all committed to free and fair elections. We all want to make sure that every single vote is counted, that no different voter is disenfranchised. I do remember clearly, however, how distressed I was in my former capacity to have to threaten the Detroit City Clerk, a Democrat, with court action if she did not comply with our State election law to make sure that every vote is counted, particularly minority votes. However, my dismay at seeing that none of the Members of the United States Congress here ever spoke out to protect the rights of their own constituents to be heard at the ballot box. There was no outrage. There was no indignation. And yet today we hear outrage based on fantasies and conspiracies. Mr. Speaker, let me say that I am sincerely interested in undertaking the important work of the American people in truly a bipartisan manner. So I would ask that we might be spared from selective outrage, that we might be spared from the righteous indignation based on fantasy. Mr. Speaker, the challenges to those votes in Ohio are turkeys. I think those turkeys should be given to someone else. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner).

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address the House for 5 minutes.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to congratulate Macomb Community College in Macomb County, Michigan on 50 years of educating some of Michigan's finest citizens. As a former student of Macomb, I have experienced first hand, the caliber of people associated with the college. It has been wonderful to watch Macomb Community College expand its programs and campuses over the years. With only 84 students enrolled in its first year, Macomb has grown tremendously since its opening in 1954. Not only does the school offer precollege programs for high school students, it also provides more than 40 bachelor's degree completion and graduate degree programs. Perhaps what is most impressive, however, about Macomb Community College, is its incredible partnership with the community. The Public Service Institute at Macomb strives not only to educate its citizens, but to equip them to serve the community with their respective skills. Classes I completed, such as marketing and speech, have certainly aided me during my years in public office. I have formerly returned to Macomb to take additional classes, and had the same wonderful experiences. Though the school has grown, the quality and excellence remain the same. I know that in the coming years, Macomb Community College will continue to enrich the lives of its students as well as members of the community. Congratulations to Macomb Community College on 50 of years of excellence in education and service to Macomb County. May you be persistent in your commitment to higher learning and social improvement.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished chairman for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 10 and I urge my colleagues to support this bill in the spirit of bipartisanship exhibited by the 9/11 Commission in their report and their subsequent recommendations as well. Clearly, our Nation needs to better prepare ourselves for the challenges facing us as we continue to successfully prosecute this war on terror. And as we examine the intelligence failures in the aftermath of the absolutely horrific attacks on our Nation on 9/11, we see the need to improve our intelligence-gathering and move from the need-to-know to the need-to-share. It is said that once in a generation is there truly an opportunity to structurally reform government, and this is our opportunity. We remember in the 1940s when we created the Joint Chiefs to better meld our military, and the naysayers had lots of reasons why it would not work but, in fact, it has served our Nation remarkably well. This legislation today will serve our intelligence community well, and so allow us to better protect our homeland. I am particularly pleased to have helped draft the provisions in this bill which deal with national standards for issuing State driver's licenses and State identification cards. This is long overdue, as are the provisions regarding the breeder documents or identification documentation required before you can obtain a driver's license or a State ID card. In today's world, the driver's license is the foundation of your identity. It is the photo ID that is most commonly used to get on an airplane, to enroll in a flight school, or to get a commercial driver's license with perhaps an endorsement for transporting hazardous material. Mr. Chairman, prior to coming to Congress, I served 8 years as the Michigan Secretary of State with the principal responsibility for motor vehicle administration, and I totally agree with the 9/11 Commission statement, ``Sources of identification are the last opportunity to ensure that people are who they say they are and to check whether they are terrorists.'' Let us remember that 18 of the 19 9/11 terrorists had valid driver's licenses, many acquired through fraudulent documentation. This legislation will allow our States to stop the terrorists from using our freedoms against us.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, Senator John Kerry is campaigning to be President by saying that he will use diplomacy to fight a ``more sensitive'' war on terror. But how does Senator Kerry's diplomatic effort show up on the campaign trail? He refers to the 30- plus nations that have joined our efforts to bring freedom to the people of Iraq as ``the coerced and bribed.'' He constantly belittles the efforts of allies who fight and bleed along with our soldiers in the effort to fight terror and to spread freedom. How can someone who belittles our allies expect to gather more allies? President Bush has been an outstanding leader in successfully prosecuting the war on terror. He has led the fight to bring freedom to 50 million people in Afghanistan and Iraq. Under his leadership, our forces toppled the Taliban and Saddam Hussein. They have also captured or killed two-thirds of the top leadership of the al Qaeda. Our forces are on the offensive on the war on terror, and because of the outstanding leadership of President George W. Bush, we are spreading freedom, spreading hope and making America a safer place.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. 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 the bill under consideration.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4442, introduced by the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons), designates the Post Office in Reno, Nevada, as the ``Guardians of Freedom Memorial Post Office Building.'' This post office intends to serve as a memorial to our fellow Americans whom we have lost in the war against terror. Therefore, I strongly thank the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) for offering this legislation. I am going to urge its passage and ask all of my colleagues to do the same. Since the attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001, our Nation has been locked in a war on terror that we did not choose to enter. But thanks to the work of our brave U.S. Armed Forces, this conflict is one that we will win. Our loyal troops toil and struggle every day in Afghanistan, in Iraq, and other locations across the globe defending America from terrorism, hate, and extremism. We must never forget their sacrifices. Mr. Speaker, as President Bush made clear during his Presidential nomination acceptance speech last week, we have fought the terrorists across the Earth not for pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens are at stake. During the war on terror, our military men and women have extended the fight with terrorists to where they live and plot, thus making Americans safer here at home. American troops continue to fight terrorism in Iraq and in Afghanistan during their critical efforts to stabilize these two young nations. They are succeeding, and history will fondly remember their efforts to liberate millions of people. We think about our soldiers each and every day, we pray for them, and we owe them the thanks of a grateful Nation. This Post Office is one small token of our boundless appreciation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Porter).

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 4442, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. economy keeps on growing and creating new jobs. Last month alone, 144,000 new jobs were created. But if one were to listen to Senator John Kerry, one would think we were in the middle of another Great Depression. The U.S. economy has created jobs in each of the last 12 months for a total of nearly 1.7 million new jobs. The unemployment rate has fallen to 5.4 percent, which is about the same as in 1996 when President Bill Clinton was running for reelection. And thanks to the leadership of our great President George W. Bush and the majority of the Republicans in Congress, our economy is strong and getting stronger. Senator Kerry, while flip-flopping on a variety of issues, has been remarkably consistent on one issue, and that one issue is raising taxes. Higher taxes on hard-working Americans and job providers have never created a job or helped a family meet its needs. My message to Senator Kerry is we have turned the corner toward a progrowth, projob, profamily economy, and we are not turning back.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4381) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2811 Springdale Avenue in Springdale, Arkansas, as the ``Harvey and Bernice Jones Post Office Building.''