Bob Ney

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Lazio] and that he may be able to yield blocks of time.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember Chad W. Schubert of Dover, OH, and to extend my sympathies to his parents, Joe and Kathy Schubert, and to his brother Joey and sister Heather. Chad passed away following an industrial accident on March 28, 1997. He had volunteered his time and energy on my congressional campaigns, and was always willing to do anything he could to help. Chad showed his dedication to the community and to others through his graduating from Traynor's Police Academy in Canton, OH. I appreciate Chad's integrity and his dedication to his country and to his community. My thoughts and sympathies are with the Schubert family for the loss of their son and brother. I am certain that these feelings are shared by everyone who was fortunate to have known Chad. I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering Chad Schubert and his family in their prayers. He will be missed.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding citizen who was raised in Ohio's 18th District. The 14th winningest pitcher in the history of major-league baseball, Phil Niekro, has been voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame after a distinguished and celebrated career. Phil Niekro has shown uncommon dedication and excellence in baseball. He learned the sport, and his famous knuckleball, from his father Phil, Sr., a sandlot player. Phil began his career in 1959 with the Milwaukee Braves' minor league team and moved to the majors full time in 1967. Phil Niekro's career is one of achievement. On October 8, 1985, Niekro recorded his 300th victory by pitching an 8-0 four hitter for the New York Yankees against Toronto. At 46, he became the oldest major-league pitcher ever to hurl a shut-out. His accomplishments have been recognized through his selection to four All-Star teams during his tenure with the Atlanta Braves. For his fielding talents, Niekro has won five Golden Glove awards. The Atlanta Braves Career Pitching Records is marked by Phil Niekro's accomplishments. He holds the record for most years at 20 years, most games and most games started at 740 games and 635 games respectively. He also has the most strikeouts of any other Atlanta Braves pitcher and the most wins of any right-handed pitcher. I am honored to represent the birthplace and hometown of Phil Niekro. His considerable talent and stellar career are sources of pride for the residents of Ohio's 18th district. I share their pride, and ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Phil Niekro on his induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame and to wish him continued success.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, let us look at what is really going on here today. The Democrats are trying to pull a fast one. They want to rush a campaign finance bill, and that will help kind of cloud over a few of the things that the gentleman from California [Mr. Dreier] did not get a chance to mention here, key figures in this scandal who have fled the country. We cannot talk to them. We cannot talk to them about their activities. Charlie Trie gave $640,000 in suspicious checks; he has fled the country, we cannot serve a subpoena on him. Pauline Kanchanalak gave $235,000 in foreign funds to the DNC that had to be returned; she has fled the country so we cannot talk to her. Relatives of the Riady family, the Lippo bank, gave $450,000 to the DNC that had to be returned because it was not earned in the United States; they are no longer in the country. This is the real scandal. We can look at the Congress. But as far as rushing a bill today there is so much work to do here we are not going to be able to rush through this process and set a time frame of May or June. We ought to comprehensively look at campaign finance; sure we should. It should have been looked at the last 12 years by the U.S. Congress. But let us not try to rush through a debate on campaign finance reform legislation before we have all the facts. That is important. That is what we are looking for is all the facts. And let me just say, Mr. Speaker, that they are right. We support campaign finance reform. I know they support campaign finance reform. But we should have a full and informed debate. Let us not try to say, well, we passed a bill, we do not need to talk about anything or look at anything. There is enough information here and enough to look at with the White House, and it was mentioned by the other side that there should be fire walls. For what is going on down on Pennsylvania Avenue we need a fire truck.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I will tell my colleagues somebody that is working in overdrive is the head of the U.S. EPA. Unfortunately, it is not working for us. She is making a policy decision that will directly affect the lives of millions of working families, all without basing them on sound science and in-depth research into the effects of these regulations on working people in our country. We cannot let this happen. Therefore, I am hosting a statewide conference in Columbus, OH, on Monday, April 14. The purpose is to fight the new irrational air proposals by the U.S. EPA. I will be joined by the Governor of the State; the head of the Ohio EPA, Don Schregardus; George Wolff, who is head of the U.S. EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee; and members of the Ohio legislature. The purpose: To tell the truth about these costly environmental regulations that will do great harm to America's working families, without any health care benefits. This is a bipartisan conference supported by Republicans and Democrats all over Ohio who are concerned about the punitive, callous, mean-spirited actions of EPA Administrator Carol Browner directed at the people least able to pay, our working families; we have to stop this now.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of Mayor Larry Bell of the community of Zoar, OH and I rise today to recognize the Zoar Community Association and the citizens of the historic Village of Zoar, OH which I am proud to represent. They are in the midst of Project Pride, an innovative effort to preserve and faithfully restore their town hall in a way that both honors the past and explores the future. Project Pride will create a year-round tourist information and welcoming center for visitors to Zoar, the Ohio and Erie Canal corridor, and the entire region. The preserved town hall will also provide an interactive technology area linked to the Internet, which will be available to local citizens for research and distance learning. Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, the efforts in Zoar are an outstanding example of the ways in which local government, business, citizens, and students work together in a positive manner, in a partnership to enhance the quality of life in our small towns and rural areas. Efforts such as these deserve our praise and support.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, today is the end of the public comment period for the EPA first phase implementation of their irrational policies. This chart, Mr. Speaker, is not a map that shows all the great bipartisan spirit of Hershey, but this is a bipartisan issue, because where you see red on this map, Mr. Speaker, are areas throughout the United States, Democrat and Republican representation, that are going to be in jeopardy because working families are going to be at a very high risk of losing their very livelihoods and way of life because of irrational policies by the EPA. Today ends the public commentary period. George Wolfe, an EPA scientist, stated himself before one of our hearings that these proposals are based on a policy decision by the director instead of sound science. It is time to stop this because, Mr. Speaker, the policies they are going to try to implement are not going to do anything to make a betterment for people, but it is going to do one thing; it is going to take away working Americans' jobs, it is going to hurt the school systems, and the communities. It is time to fight these proposals.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Oversight be discharged from further consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 85) electing members of the Joint Committee on Printing and the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, our Governor today came out with a bipartisan delegation from Ohio and met with Members on both sides of the aisle on an important issue, and that is the ozone and EPA regulations. On February 6, George Wolff, chairman of the EPA's own Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, testified the proposed standards were based on a policy judgment by Carol Browner, the director of the U.S. EPA, and not on sound evidence. What do we find out today? The L.A. Times story. And in that story it says that the White House complained, in a draft report made available Wednesday, that a major air pollution proposal put forward by the EPA was not fully considered and based on what some scientists consider inadequate research. What does the EPA say? If unchanged, the report could be very damaging. Of course it could be damaging, because this is a hallucination by the Director of the EPA of what our standards could be. It will put us out of work. It will put us out of work in the Midwest of this country. This is not based on scientific fact. Information has been withheld from the committee. Chairman Bliley requested additional information. Take the trigger off the gun, Director Browner. We want our jobs.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I commend the following article to my colleagues: Whereas, Alexandra Kathryn Randall was born on the twelfth day of August, 1996; and Whereas, Alexandra's parents, David and Cortney Randall, are proud to welcome their first child into their home; and, Whereas, I am sure that Alexandra Kathryn will bring her parents and family love and joy; and Be it resolved, the parents of Alexandra Kathryn, with a real sense of pleasure and pride, join me in celebrating her birth and the happiness she brings to their family.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I commend the following article to my colleagues: Whereas, Greg Rice has won the International Auctioneers Championship; and, Whereas, Greg Rice has brought the international title to Ohio for the first time in history; and, Whereas, Greg Rice has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to auctioneering; Whereas, Greg Rice should be recognized for his outstanding victory and persistence; and, Be it resolved, the residents of Coshocton, with a real sense of pleasure and pride, join me in commending Greg Rice for his hard work and dedication to his occupation.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I commend the following article to my colleagues: Whereas, Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. will be invested as a United States District Judge in the Southern District of Ohio; and, Whereas, The Honorable Edmund Sargus has shown exemplary dedication to justice and the practice of law; and, Whereas, Judge Sargus has honorably served the City of Bellaire and the State of Ohio as a Law Director, United States Attorney and special Council to the Ohio Attorney General; and, Be it resolved, the residents of Belmont County, with a real sense of pleasure and pride, join me in commending The Honorable Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. for his hard work and commitment to justice and to the law.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I commend the following to my colleagues: Whereas Greg Rice has won the International Auctioneers Championship; Whereas Greg Rice has brought the international title to Ohio for the first time in history; Whereas Greg Rice has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to auctioneering; and Whereas Greg Rice should be recognized for his outstanding victory and persistence; Therefore, be it Resolved, That the residents of Coshocton, with a real sense of pleasure and pride, join me in commending Greg Rice for his hard work and dedication to his occupation.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I commend the following to my colleagues: Whereas Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. will be invested as a United States District Judge in the Southern District of Ohio; and Whereas the Honorable Edmund Sargus has shown exemplary dedication to justice and the practice of law; and Whereas Judge Sargus has honorably served the City of Bellaire and the State of Ohio as a Law Director, United States Attorney and Special Counsel to the Ohio Attorney General: Therefore, be it Resolved, That the residents of Belmont County, with a real sense of pleasure and pride, join me in commending The Honorable Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. for his hard work and commitment to justice and to the law.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I commend the following to my colleagues: Whereas Alexandra Kathryn Randall was born on the twelfth day of August, 1996; Whereas Alexandra's parents, David and Cortney Randall, are proud to welcome their first child into their home; and, Whereas I am sure that Alexandra Kathryn will bring her parents and family love and joy; Therefore, be it Resolved, That the parents of Alexandra Kathryn, with a real sense of pleasure and pride, join me in celebrating her birth and the happiness she brings to their family.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, on January 31, President Clinton announced he was assembling a bailout for Mexico. This plan offered direct loans up to $20 billion for Washington, DC, and $27.8 billion from international agencies to help Mexico through its economic crisis. But did Mexico need all of it? The Mexican economic crisis began in late December 1994, and President Ernesto Zedillo was inaugurated as the Mexican President on December 1, 1994. Is Mexico really in dire straits? The President of Mexico claims to make $8,000 a month. This past weekend in an article the Mexico Civil Alliance has found that the Mexican President has a secret fund of $86 million approved by Mexico's Congress for 1996 to use at his discretion. The Mexican mayor received a $100,000 Christmas bonus. Again, did we really need to bail Mexico out without any questions? Or did we simply give their Government more money to use at their discretion to give bonuses and have secret funds? No more executive orders for bailouts. Where is the economic accountability for our taxpayers?

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, when the House debated budget reconciliation last October, I submitted a statement for the Record in support of the provisions in the bill to reauthorize the generalized system of preferences [GSP] duty-free import program. Today, the House will again debate this issue as part of a larger bill to raise the minimum wage. I would like to again reaffirm my support for the reauthorization of the GSP Program. This program was designed as a way to help less developed nations export into the U.S. market. The GSP Program allows duty-free imports of certain products into the United States from over 100 GSP- eligible countries. The bill wisely provides that import-sensitive products are not to be subject to GSP treatment. Ceramic tile is a clear example of an import-sensitive product and is exactly the type of product which should not be subject to lower tariffs under the GSP Program. Imports have dominated the U.S. ceramic tile market for the last decade and they currently capture nearly 60 percent of the market. This extraordinary level of import penetration is a result, in part, of over 30 years of documented unfair predatory foreign trade practices including dumping, subsidies, Customs fraud, import diversion, and abuse of a loophole in the GSP. The American ceramic tile industry, though relatively small, is efficient and competitive at normal tariff levels. From its inception in the Trade Act of 1974, the GSP Program has provided for the exemption of ``articles which the President determines to be import-sensitive.'' In light of the history of unfair trade in ceramic tile and the significant and growing import participation in the U.S. ceramic tile market, the U.S. industry has been recognized by successive Congresses and administrations as import sensitive, dating back to the Dillion and Kennedy rounds of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade [GATT]. During this period the American ceramic tile also has been forced to defend itself from over a dozen petitions filed by various designed GSP-eligible counties seeking duty-free treatment for ceramic tile into this market. If just one petitioning nation succeeds in gaining GSP benefits for ceramic tile, then by law, every GSP beneficiary country is also entitled to GSP duty-free benefits for ceramic tile. If any of these petitions were granted, it would eliminate American tile jobs and could destroy the industry. A major guiding principle of the GSP Program has been reciprocal market access. Current GSP eligible beneficiary countries supply almost one-third of the U.S. ceramic tile imports and they are increasing their sales and market shares. U.S. ceramic tile manufacturers, however, are still denied access to many of these foreign markets. Many developing counties maintain exclusionary tariff and nontariff mechanisms which serve to block the entry of U.S. ceramic tile exports into these markets. Industrial countries, including the European Union [EU], may use less transparent methods such as discriminatory product standards and testing methods to control their ceramic tile imports and, in some cases, to divert ceramic tile manufactured in third countries over to the U.S. market by imposing restrictions on those third-country exports to the EU. I am in support of the reauthorization of the GSP Program and trust that import-sensitive products such as tile will not be subject to GSP.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment as the designee of the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Kasich].

Mr. NEY. Madam Chairman, let me make this point very clear. This does not apply to children. Let me read the exemptions once again: Anyone under 18 years old or over 50, this does not apply to them. Anyone medically certified as physically or mentally incapable or unfit for employment, it does not apply to them. A parent or other member of a household responsible for a dependent child, it does not apply to them. A pregnant woman, it does not apply to her. Also, if the gentleman wants to talk about unemployment, if we read the text, there are hardship exemptions. It can be waived. There are safeguards in this. The bottom line is it saves $2.2 billion on the fiscal side, but the real bottom line is it is responsible. It is a good amendment. It is fair. It is an amendment, and I cannot even believe some of the statements I have heard about this amendment. It is a very responsible amendment.

Mr. NEY. Madam Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chairman, caring for people is not necessarily synonymous with taking care of people. Anyone can say that they feel pain, and many people obviously do feel pain for others that have not had the path of opportunity in this country. We have to work with all Americans to try and alleviate and minimize and finally end the pain once and for all. We need to reach out a helping hand to every person currently in the welfare system and say to them: If you want to work, we're going to help you climb that ladder of opportunity in this great country. My amendment, which is the Kasich-Ney amendment, and I thank my colleague, the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Kasich], for his guidance and support on this amendment; this amendment to H.R. 3437 is just that: It is a ladder. The amendment will tell every able-bodied person without children between the ages of 18 and 50 that there is no escalator built by Washington that will carry them up the ladder of opportunity, but with a little help from us, and if they are willing to help themselves, they can have a chance in this country. Madam Chairman, as my colleagues know, under the base text of the bill, able-bodied adults between the ages of 18 and 50 who have no children are permitted to receive food stamps without working for 4 months out of every 12-month period. This means they could potentially work 8 months and take 4 months off. The amendment, while retaining the exemptions in the base bill; I would like to just restate those exemptions for the record; this is who the amendment does not affect: Anyone under 18 or over the age of 50, anyone medically certified as physically or mentally incapable or unable to be employed, a parent or other member of the household responsible for a dependent child or a pregnant woman. Those are the persons that are not included in this amendment. They are exempted from it. What I am talking about, very clearly, are people who have no dependents, that are 18 years old to 50 years old that are able to work and are receiving food stamps. So instead of the 4 months off potentially every year, there will be a 3-month lifetime ability to take off. Now, they have to remain employed for at least 20 hours, be in a job training program or one of the workfare programs. I believe that this is a very fair measure. I believe that this is a measure that will help people on the opportunity scale in this country. I would ask, Madam Chairman, why does Washington continue to promote a welfare system that discourages work? Is it extreme to think that we can do better? Is it extreme to want to give welfare recipients hope instead of an endless cycle of dependency? Should we not be trying to encourage work? And that is what this amendment does, but it is an amendment that provides some safety, it provides a course of a safety net, it has the ability to have waivers from the State departments of human services. So it is a well-crafted, very fair amendment, but it simply says: If you want assistance from your government and you are 18 to 50 years old, and you don't have any dependents, and you are capable of working, then you have to simply work. This is a fair amendment, it provides the change that is necessary in this country, and let me just say in closing, as my colleague, the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Kasich], many times refers to the end of the day, this amendment is referring to the end of the day because that day has come that we have to step up to the plate and take the responsibility to help people. The easy path is to say to an individual man or woman in this country, Take the check, don't be seen, take 4 months of the year off, we don't want to address the problem of what we do with you. What we are doing is forcing this issue to be addressed, but we are providing help to a person. But we want to say that, yes, we are going to be there. There are going to be some problems throughout the course in welfare reform, we better believe there are. But I can tell my colleagues for sure that the current system is in hard failure, and the current system is not creating opportunity, and what the bottom line of this Congress is and the bottom line of this change in this country, this is about children, and each and every one of us as human beings are responsible, we are responsible for whether this planet is going to be safe and prosperous and peaceful for children, and we do not want to have a legacy of children who know nothing but the welfare system. We want to provide opportunity. This is another step in the right direction, it is a caring step, and it shows that we are a Congress that cares to help involve people in that ladder of opportunity. Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NEY. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. NEY. The gentleman is correct. It just means you simply have to work, just like everyone else. This is responsible, it is fair, it has exemptions. I urge support of the amendment.

Mr. NEY. Madam Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. NEY. Madam Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to my colleague, the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Kasich].

Mr. NEY. Madam Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time.