Bob Ney

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 66) authorizing the printing of a revised and updated version of the House document entitled ``Women in Congress, 1917-1990''.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, before us today we have House Concurrent Resolution 66. It is my pleasure to be here today to speak on behalf of this bill authorizing the printing of this rich history of women in Congress. It is also timely, as we now have a record number of 74 women serving in both the House and the Senate in the 107th Congress. Sixty-one women, including two delegates, currently serve as Members of the House of Representatives, and 13 women serve as Members of the U.S. Senate. The first woman elected to Congress was Jeanette Rankin, a Republican from Montana. It is not that I planned it that way, Mr. Speaker, but a Republican from Montana who served in the House. She was elected on November 9, 1916. Amazingly, this was almost 4 years before American women won the right to vote in 1920. Since that time, a total of 208 women have served in Congress with distinction. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to yield the balance of my time for purposes of control to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros- Lehtinen).

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, today I had an urgent matter to attend to. As a result I missed rollcall vote No. 74. Please excuse my absence from this vote. If I were present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order at any time on the legislative day of March 27, 2001, without intervention of any point of order, to consider House Resolution 84; that the resolution be considered as read for amendment; that the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on House Administration now printed in the resolution be considered as adopted; and that the previous question be considered as ordered on the resolution, as amended, to adoption, without intervening motion except 1 hour of debate, equally divided and controlled by the chairman and the ranking minority member of the Committee on House Administration.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on House Administration, and pursuant to the order of the House just agreed to, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 84) providing for the expenses of certain committees of the House of Representatives in the One Hundred Seventh Congress and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to bring to the floor today House Resolution 84, the committee funding resolution for the 107th Congress. This resolution authorizes $203.5 million for 18 standing committees of the House and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. It has been carefully crafted to adequately and responsibly fund committees, providing them with the means necessary to support their agendas, which is the agenda of the American people. In their funding requests, committees requested $223.9 million for the 107th Congress, an increase of $40.5 million. This amounted to a 22.1 percent increase over the 106th authorized levels. Although it is important that committees have the necessary resources to support their workloads, it is also important to ensure we do it in a fiscally responsible manner. As a result, on a bipartisan basis, we have been able to cut more than 50 percent of the funds requested by committees from this resolution. The $20.1 million increase in this resolution, however, is fiscally responsible. This amount funds our priorities and is crucial to enacting the agenda of the U.S. House. It deserves the support of our Republican Members. The increase also supports five special circumstances that exist due to the changes in committee structures and jurisdiction, providing for added staff and funding for the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Financial Services, the Committee on International Relations, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Without these special circumstances, the overall increase for the 107th Congress would have been 8.6 percent. The 107th Congress mark is still lower than the overall funding levels in the 103d Congress. The resolution also reaches a long-sought-after goal that allocates one-third of resources in the committees to the minority. As a result, this, I feel, is the fairest allocation of resources to the minority since the 104th Congress began. In the 103d Congress, while still in the minority, Republicans established a goal providing the two-thirds/one-third split as we referred to it for the committee staff and resources. Progress was made in each of the last three Congresses, and I want to give credit to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), who is now chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, for working towards that goal. I believe that with this budget we have reached the goal. A lot of work went into this, getting us to this point; and first I would like to thank a few people, and they would be first on the agenda the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and his staff, Scott Palmer and Ted Van Der Meid, who worked so diligently to achieve this goal. We also need to recognize today the committee chairmen and also the ranking members, and I know my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), will be also commenting on that situation; but we need to, I believe, Mr. Speaker, let the American people know that in the House of Representatives, as we talk about comity and as we talk about bipartisan work to have the institution of the House operate, we need to realize that these chairmen and ranking members work diligently to communicate with each other and to establish what we have here today. Also, I would like to thank the Committee on House Administration staff: Neil Volz, who is a staff director; Channing Nuss, Maria Robinson, Jeff Janice, and also Janet Giuliani and Steve Miller who are sitting here to my left and behind me. This is their swan song. They are going to be leaving the committee; and I do not know if we overworked them, Mr. Speaker, but they are actually going on to the Committee on Ways and Means with the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas). I do not know if we still have time for an amendment to strike some money from the Committee on Ways and Means budget so we can keep these two individuals. We can talk about that, I would say to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer). But both of them have done a tremendous job, as all members have of this committee, and the staffs. I also want to recognize the tremendous job of the ranking minority staff of the Committee on House Administration, Bob Bean and all of the staff members who worked on a cooperative basis with our office, with our staff, with all of their committee ranking members, as our staff worked with the chairmen of the committees, to also produce this resolution today. I would also note, Mr. Speaker, that we also have a situation where we looked at the technology upgrades of the House, the hearing rooms for the committees; and the Committee on House Administration has determined, in consultation with the Speaker's office and with my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), that funds requested for hearing room upgrades should be removed from the normal committee funding process. We realize that most committee hearing rooms are in serious need of improvement, as many have not had improvements in decades. However, it is important there be a standardized approach from an institutional perspective to ensure that all upgrades are of a minimal technical standard, can be maintained by the House, and provide a base level on which we can build for the future. So I also believe this is very responsible in taking this approach as a committee. Let me just close by noting two things: number one, the goal, and since technology has burst through in this country, the goal has been to take the House of Representatives and make sure that citizens can see their House, the people's House, in action in the committees. We have worked towards that. When we do that and we use all of the technology to video stream and to have hearings on the Internet, to take it out over the radio waves and, as a result, it does have an increased workload. There is also an attitude amongst the chairmen of the committees and the ranking members that they would like to do hearings, which I think is admirable. Not everybody can get in a car or hop in an airplane to come to Washington, D.C. So with these resources we feel this will be a tremendous start for the chairmen and ranking members to take the people's House out on the road, as we would say, and be able to have citizens from across the country see hearings in action and be able to get their input. Now, the second thing I wanted to close with is also very, very important to me personally and I believe the institution of the House, and that is a comment I want to make about our ranking member, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer). Achieving a budget takes cooperation. Getting to the two-thirds/one-third to make the House run as it should, it takes cooperation. It is not a one-way street. The ranking members of the Committee on House Administration and the majority members have given of their time through this process, each and every one of them has worked diligently to work with us to produce this. But I have to publicly give accolades to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) because he did a yeoman's job in stepping up to the plate to make sure that the ranking members of the committee have the resources. He worked towards this goal that we had stated 6 years ago that we wanted to get to this point today, where we would be able to present this type of budget. But I just wanted to publicly point out that all of the ranking members really would be impressed if they saw all the amount of hours that the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) and also his staff put in to make sure that this is a fair budget. He also worked with us and our majority members. So, again, this is a fiscally-sound budget. It is a budget we can be proud of here in the U.S. House, and I want to again thank our staff, the ranking members, the Speaker, and also the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer). Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I just wanted to make note, Mr. Speaker, that we appreciate that if something would happen and lightning would strike, it would be fair. Let us not do that test, though. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Combest).

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Doolittle). (Mr. DOOLITTLE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to applaud the gentleman's statement. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on International Relations. (Mr. HYDE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, we have one more speaker on this issue, this resolution. I want to say 21 years ago, Mr. Speaker, when I was in the Ohio House, I had a very young colleague from Ohio, and he was going off to Congress. I often wondered what would become of him. Now we know; he has become chairman of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit with a lot of new responsibility. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley). (Mr. OXLEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I found in the years that I have served in office that the American people have a willingness to become involved in the energetic give-and-take of public debate, and that public debate on behalf of the people of the country is made in the committees. The committees are the heart of what this institution is about. This is a proposal, a resolution we can proud of. It is fiscally responsible. It is, I believe, a good day for not only the House, but for the American people, because the institution of the House works. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this resolution.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back 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 therein extraneous material on H. Res. 84, as amended.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I have just a few statements I want to make on this resolution. In the 101st Congress, House Document 101-117, entitled ``Black Americans in Congress, 1870-1989,'' was printed and distributed to the House and the Senate. This document noted the distinguished service of 66 African Americans who had served in the Congress up to that point in time. In fact, when I was elected to the 104th Congress, we happened to have this particular book that was in our office, and it is just a fascinating history and documentation of the 66 African Americans who had served in the Congress. It really makes for an interesting reading and I think pays tribute to those African Americans. Since that document was printed, some 40 additional African Americans have served in the United States Congress. House Concurrent Resolution 43 will simply direct the Library of Congress to revise the biographies of Members included in the first volume, so it will be an update, and also provide for the inclusion of African American Members of the House and Senate who have been elected since the document was last published. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this measure. It has been good working with our distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the ranking member of the committee. I know that all the members of the committee feel that this is an important document. I think it is a good document also that can be viewed by citizens across the country. It has been a pleasure to work with the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) on this. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I obviously would concur, and I have no objection to the volume being dedicated to our late colleague from California, Julian Dixon, in honor of the tremendous 22 years of his life that he and his family give in distinguished service to this chamber and to citizens across the country. I think we all recognize that his contribution was absolutely tremendous, well respected, and we all miss not having Julian Dixon with us. I do agree with that. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentlewoman of West Virginia (Mrs. Capito) control the remainder of my time.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 43) authorizing the printing of a revised and updated version of the House document entitled ``Black Americans in Congress, 1870-1989''.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I had the distinct pleasure to join you and a group of young leaders from the Boy Scouts of America as they presented their 2000 report to the U.S. House of Representatives. I was honored to meet with these young leaders and heroes. To further record their visit to the Capitol and efforts of the past year, I am submitting a copy of their report to follow my remarks for printing in the Congressional Record. Report to the Nation 2000, Boy Scouts of America In 2000, the Boy Scouts of America celebrated its 90th anniversary and the addition of its 100-millionth youth member. Nearly five million youth had the opportunity to participate in the programs of the BSA during the past year, thanks to the efforts of more than 1.48 million committed adult volunteers. All of this is made possible through support from tens of thousands of chartered organizations and community groups throughout the nation. For our youth members and participants, Scouting is about outdoor adventure and having fun with friends. But Scouting is much more. Scouting is a values-based program designed to instill self-discipline, self-confidence, self-reliance, and self-worth--qualities that last a lifetime. Our Mission The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. The Boy Scouts of America has long been recognized as the nation's foremost leader in values-based youth development. Though we tend to view our movement through statistics that highlight our strengths and accomplishments, the real focus of Scouting is the powerful impact it has on a single youth and his or her family. In a time of declining ethics and shifting morals, we remain steadfast in our purpose: to instill positive values in young people that enable them to mature into adults of strong character. Our Programs Cub Scouting. As a result of a national marketing program, Cub Scouting, for boys ages 7 to 10, served 2,114,420 youth members in 2000. Enhancement of age-appropriate programming has resulted in greater opportunity for youth to participate in Cub Scouting's contemporary family activities. Reflecting the increased emphasis on and expansion of day, resident, pact, and family camping opportunities, more than 41 percent of Cub Scouts participated in an outdoor activity. Boy Scouting. Membership in Boy Scouting, for 11- to 17- year-olds, reached 1,003,691 in 2000. Eagle Scout, the highest rank a Scout or Venturer can achieve, was attained by 40,029 young men. The number of Scouts who experienced a long-term camping expedition reached its greatest level ever in 2000 with 58.2 percent of all Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts participating in these educational outdoor adventures. Venturing. This high-adventure program for young men and women ages 14 to 20 has enjoyed continuous growth since its introduction in 1998. Built around an advancement program with the Venturing Bronze, Silver, and Gold awards, Venturing grew to 233,858 members--a 15.7 percent increase. The number of Venturing crews increased 12.1 percent in 2000 to 17,684. Learning for Life. Participation in this classroom- and workplace-based character education program continued to increase in 2000, growing 3.2 percent to 1,589,988 participants. More than 17,000 organizations nationwide used Learning for Life to help young people develop life skills, positive attitudes, values, and career awareness. New Jersey selected Learning for Life as a program of merit to be used in that state's new character education initiative. Scoutreach. Scouting's coordinated effort to reach out to more urban and rural young people focused on the Hispanic market in 2000. New Spanish marketing materials and training aids were developed along with a number of bilingual publications designed to make Scouting programs more accessible to Hispanic youth and their families. The esteemed Whitney M. Young Jr. Service Award was bestowed upon 148 volunteers--the largest number of recipients in the history of the award. Awards The National Court of Honor presents the prestigious Silver buffalo Award to distinguished citizens for exemplary national service to youth. In 2000, recipients of Scouting's highest commendation included Charles L. Bowerman; M. Anthony Burns; Robert M. Gates; Roger R. Hemminghaus; Louise Mandrell; C. Dudley Pratt Jr.; Thomas E. Reddin; Frank G. Rubino, M.D.; Alfred S. Warren; Togo D. West Jr.; and Edward E. Whitacre Jr. The BSA's National Court of Honor awarded the Honor Medal With Crossed Palms to six Scouts and Scouters who demonstrated unusual heroism and extraordinary skill or resourcefulness in saving or attempting to save a life at extreme risk to self. Other awards for lifesaving and meritorious action were presented to 234 Scouts and Scouters. The Young American Awards recognizes excellence in the achievements of young people ages 15 to 25. The 2000 recipients were Julius D. Jackson, Carl F. Regelmann, Svati Singla, Alison L. Smith, and Christopher K. Sokolov. America's Promise--The Alliance for Youth In 1997, the Boy Scouts of America pledged 200 million hours of service to America by our youth membership by the end of 2000. We are pleased to announce that we have surpassed that objective by completing more than 214 million hours. As part of this effort, members of Scouting's national honor society, the Order of the Arrow, performed more than 2,000 hours of service in Yosemite National Park. Scouts in New Orleans participated in Good Turn fairs in which they performed services for the community including removing graffiti and restoring playgrounds. The BSA's involvement in this worthwhile effort represents its commitment of service to our nation as expressed in the Scout Oath and Law. Preparing for the Future Strong leadership has always been a hallmark of Scouting. In this tradition, this past year our National Executive Board selected Roy L. Williams as the Chief Scout Executive. In May, Williams will introduce a strategic plan for 2002- 2006 that targets five issues critical to the future of the Scouting movement. Those issues are traditional membership and unit growth, total financial development and stewardship, marketing and strategic positioning, leadership, and Scoutreach. By addressing these key issues, the BSA will ensure that its values-driven programs will be around for generations to come, and will continue to reach out to share America's values with today's youth, tomorrow's leaders. Roy L. Williams, Chief Scout Executive. Milton H. Ward, President.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, on February 28, 2001 I had an urgent family medical issue. As a result I missed rollcall votes Nos. 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21. Please excuse my absence from this vote. If I were present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each vote.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I commend the following to my colleagues: Whereas, Representative Hollister will serve as vice-chairwoman of the House Energy, and Environment Committee. Whereas, Representative Hollister has been named to two other committees--Public Utilities, and Retirement and Aging. Whereas, Representative Hollister has continuously demonstrated her commitment and love for her family, her community and her country, I am honored to call her a friend.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I commend the following to my colleagues: Whereas, Representative Aslanides has been named to the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Whereas, Representative Aslanides will serve on the Energy and Environment, and Health and Family Services Committees. Whereas, Representative Aslanides has continuously demonstrated his commitment and love for his family, his community and his country, I am honored to call him a friend.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I commend the following to my colleagues: Whereas, Senator Carnes has been named chairman of the Senate Energy, Natural Resources and Environment Committee. Whereas, Senator Carnes has been named vice-chairman of the Finance and Financial Institutions Committee. Whereas, Senator Carnes will also sit on the Agriculture, and Highways and Transportation Committees. Whereas, Senator Carnes has continuously demonstrated his commitment and love for his family, his community and his country, I am honored to call him a friend and a constituent.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I commend the following to my colleagues: Whereas, Mr. Raytis, publisher of the Times Recorder and the Coshocton Tribune, resigned from his position. Whereas, Mr. Raytis was a publisher in the community for six years. Whereas, Mr. Raytis received the Sertoma Service to Mankind Award in 2000, and remains active in the community. Whereas, Mr. Raytis has continuously demonstrated his commitment and love for his family, his community and his country, I am honored to call him a friend.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 14) permitting the use of the Rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust, with a Senate amendment thereto and concur in the Senate amendment.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I commend the following article to my colleagues: Whereas, Caroline and Carolos are to be united in marriage; Whereas, they will declare their love before God, family and friends; Whereas, this momentous day will begin their years of sharing, loving and working together; Whereas, may Caroline and Carlos be blessed with all the happiness and love that two people can share and may their love grow with each passing year; Whereas, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to congratulate Caroline and Carlos on their recent engagement. I ask that my colleagues join me in wishing Caroline and Carlos many years of happiness together.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday, February 28, 2001.