Bob Ney

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito).

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry). (Mr. TERRY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I urge the motion to recommit be defeated, and I urge support of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. NEY. To answer the question, Mr. Speaker, and to my distinguished colleague, yes. As the bill says in section 903, nothing in this bill shall supercede, restrict or limit the application of NVRA. Of course, subsection (e) remains in the law in full force and effect exactly as it is now, and this bill would not change that.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I wanted to point out just a couple of items about this motion to recommit, and I do respect the gentleman from New Jersey and his intentions. But this does eliminate provisions to improve list maintenance, and this is something that we all have fought very hard for. Democrats and Republicans from across the country want to make sure that they have the best voter lists possible and that they are in the best condition possible. That was a bipartisan request. This would eliminate the provisions to improve list maintenance. Also, unless I have read this wrong, this also would deal with the issue of accessibility at the polling places. We are talking about 200,000 polling places, and this theory that was brought forward in committee on the basis of what this motion to recommit is about was discussed in the committee. No one could even give us an estimate of the billions and billions of dollars. Also, I would raise this issue: are we going to use taxpayers' dollars, then, to fund something the private sector should do, if one votes at a mall or a church? There are a lot of significant issues to that provision itself. As far as the issue of persons with disabilities, let me just quote from the bill, and this is an important issue that I care about and a lot of people in this country obviously do care about, and it has been stated many times through this process that this bill makes one of the first significant steps in trying to help persons who have some form of a disability to vote. The Ney-Hoyer bill is an important breakthrough for the voting rights of persons with disabilities. All new voting systems must provide a practical and effective means for voters with physical disabilities to cast a secret ballot. That is language from the Ford-Carter Commission. All States receiving Federal funds under this bill must certify that in each precinct or polling place, there is at least one voting system available which is fully accessible to individuals with physical disabilities. It also states that it uses Federal funds to purchase new machines, and must ensure that at least one voting machine in each polling place in the State will be fully accessible to individuals with physical disabilities. This bill has also been endorsed by the National Federation of the Blind. Mr. Speaker, I just want to urge my colleagues to hold to the bill, the Ney-Hoyer bill, and defeat the motion to recommit. Also, Mr. Speaker, at this time I include for the Record the following letters of endorsement. National Association of Counties, Washington, DC, November 21, 2001. Hon. Bob Ney, Chairman, Committee on House Administration, Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC. Hon. Steny Hoyer, Ranking Member, Committee on House Administration, Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Representatives Ney and Hoyer: We want to commend you for your hard work and perseverance in introducing a bipartisan election reform bill. The legislation is a compromise and not everyone is going to agree with all of its provisions which includes some of our county officials. The National Association of Counties (NACo) would like to go on record as supporting H.R. 3295 as it was reported by the House Administration Committee. We would have to review this position if extensive changes are made on the House floor or in the Senate. NACo still has concerns about Congress providing adequate funding for carrying out the mandates in the bill. We believe the authorizations would be adequate but we also would like to see a commitment from the leadership on providing sufficient appropriations in FY2002 and FY2003. We will be urging President Bush to request the full authorization amounts in his budget for FY2003. We will be sending letters to all Members urging them to vote for H.R. 3295. We also will be urging county officials to contact their state delegations to support the bill. If you have any questions, please call me or Ralph Tabor on our staff (202-942-4254). Sincerely, Larry E. Naake, Executive Director.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to stand in opposition to the motion to recommit, and I claim the time in opposition. Mr. Speaker, I yield 40 seconds to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, let me just say that our patriots who founded this country and the veterans have over the years sacrificed for the greatest democracy, which we are humble to be a part of. Langston Hughes, the great American poet, said, ``Dream your dreams; be willing to pay the sacrifice to make them come true.'' Many people have sacrificed to have our democracy so we can have our debate. What we are doing today is coming together to keep that dream alive, to keep it moving, and to help America vote. I urge support of the bill.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 25 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham).

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk). (Mr. KIRK asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence). (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Istook).

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 10 seconds. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin). He has brought his expertise as Secretary of State to the table here in the House and has been a tremendous resource working with us throughout the process. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle).

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Grucci).

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, Whereas, Jason Paul Huber has devoted himself to serving others through his membership in the Boy Scouts of America; and, Whereas, Jason Huber has shared his time and talent with the community in which he resides; and, Whereas, Jason Huber has demonstrated a commitment to meet challenges with enthusiasm, confidence and outstanding service; and, Whereas, Jason Huber has kindly built a deck and set of stairs for Jefferson Lake State Park; and, Whereas, Jason Huber must be commended for the hard work and dedication he put forth in earning the Eagle Scout Award; and, Therefore, I join with the entire 18th Congressional District of Ohio in congratulating Jason Paul Huber for his Eagle Scout Award.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, Whereas, David Peoples serves as a Police Officer in the state of Ohio; and Whereas, Mr. Peoples has been named ``Police Officer of the Month'' by the National Law Enforcer's Memorial Fund for his unmatched service to his community; and; Whereas, Mr. Peoples is helpful, honest, active, hardworking and dedicated to both his department and law enforcement; and, Whereas, Mr. Peoples has received the ``Exceptional Service Medal,'' the ``Life Saving Medal'' and the ``Silver Torch'' for his efforts in saving and protecting the citizens of Ohio; Therefore, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing David Peoples for his commitment and dedication to making lives better in our area. I am honored to call him a constituent.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito).

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing, I just wanted to thank my colleague, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), for carrying this resolution once again; also, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the ranking member. I would just say in closing that we thank from the Comptroller General down the line all of the employees who gave of their time to help us operate. They are truly great Americans, great patriots and, in general, very good people.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 294) expressing the gratitude of the House of Representatives to the General Accounting Office and its employees for enabling the House to continue its work while the House office buildings were closed due to the presence of Anthrax.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise here today on behalf of my colleague, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), of the Committee on House Administration for consideration of H. Res. 294. This resolution expresses the gratitude of the House of Representatives to the General Accounting Office and its employees for enabling the House to continue its work while the House office buildings were closed due to the presence of anthrax. Mr. Speaker, I want the citizens of the United States to know that later on representatives on behalf of all employees of the GAO will be present in the Capitol in Statuary Hall so that we may speak with them and personally express our gratitude. On October 18, 2001, the House office buildings closed their doors; and we arrived at the GAO on October 22, 2001. The General Accounting Office graciously accommodated Members and their staff through November 5, 2001. With their help, use of phones and work space, we were able to continue our legislative work on behalf of the United States. I want to personally thank the GAO for the logistical support they provided to the United States House of Representatives while we occupied two floors of their agency. The professionalism and can-do attitude they exhibited is a credit to the agency. The GAO's hard work made a difficult situation manageable, and it will be long remembered. All facets of the government working together for the common good will only overcome the trying times that face this Nation. The GAO's efforts demonstrated that resolve. The GAO's partnership throughout this process not only proves their loyalty to this great Nation but also their kindness as employees and as an agency. Mr. Speaker, when this country was formed, from the first veteran who fought to make this the greatest democracy ever on planet Earth, they envisioned that their efforts would always continue and that there would be an energetic give and take on the floor of the House and the Senate. And let me just say that during this trying time, when it was difficult for employees of the House and the staff and the Members, we got through it by allowing this floor to be able to continue and by our employees, our staff, of the House being able to communicate with the constituents across the United States and to do their job to keep alive the debate that is so important to our democracy. The GAO was an integral part of allowing us to go forth. I also want to thank the House staff, who transcended through this move under also a very difficult situation. Particularly I would also like to commend our Clerk, Jeff Trandahl; the Sergeant-at-Arms, Bill Livingood; and especially our CAO, Jay Eagen; and their staffs for making all of this possible, again, for us to continue to do our job; also, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), Speaker of the House; the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), the minority leader; and the Committee on House Administration staff; Members, both majority and minority, who all put in their time in order that this transition was made to be as good as it could get. Once again, the purpose of this resolution is to thank GAO for their unselfish generosity and partnership, and on behalf of the entire House of Representatives, we commend them for doing such a tremendous job, sacrificing of their time and their offices to make sure that we continue. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. 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 House Resolution 294, the resolution just agreed to.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, whereas, Ms. Elizabeth Jones was an upstanding citizen of Bellaire, Ohio, and; Whereas, Ms. Jones never wavered in her enthusiasm and dedication to her education, her family, and her community, and; Whereas, due to all of Ms. Jones' accomplishments, she will be fondly remembered by her son Allen Kenton Jones and his wife Delores; her sister Rosemary Ney; her grandson Allen Jones Jr; her four great- grandchildren, her four great-great-grandchildren, and her nieces and nephews including myself, along with many others who knew and loved her. Therefore, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing the commitment and effort of Ms. Elizabeth Mary Ney Jones. Individuals like Elizabeth Jones are the key to our nation's success.