Anne Northup

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and honor a Kentucky teacher from my district who has achieved national recognition for his exemplary role in educating young students. Michael Terrell of Louisville is one of 29 teachers from across the country selected for USA TODAY'S 1999 ALL-USA Teacher Team. He should be extremely proud to have been both nominated by a colleague and to have received an award conferred on the most impressive teachers in the nation. In light of constant stories about the crisis in our nation's schools, it is vital that we recognize the dedication and outstanding achievements of our teachers. It is my honor to pay tribute to someone who has made such a difference to so many children. Michael Terrell has had a distinguished career as a primary teacher for 27 years, including 18 years at Cochran Elementary School where he currently teaches first and second grades. Thanks to Michael Terrell's devotion and selfless contributions, the Cochran Elementary School is filled with spirit and activism. His hard work and dedication to making schools better and improving the lives of his students, both encourages parents to get involved and sets an example for all teachers to follow. He is one of the people who helps create the vitality of Cochran Elementary School and his enthusiasm creates a can-do attitude. He is responsible for the many successes there which, in turn, positively affect our entire community's well-being. Mr. Terrell is a teacher who knows how to get the job done. He knows it takes hard work, it takes flexibility, and it takes a commitment to each child. I was proud to hear that Michael Terrell supports what this Congress is trying to do--give schools and teachers the ability to make the choices which best reflect their students needs. We are all in agreement that such changes will help improve education--for Michael Terrell and his students. Because of all he does, I salute Michael Terrell for working so hard to make our schools a flourishing environment for our children to learn, grow and play.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Father Theodore Hesburgh. Father Hesburgh, president of the University of Notre Dame from 1952 to 1987, has selflessly devoted his time, energy, visions and dreams on behalf of furthering higher education in this country. In addition, his undaunting service to the underpriviledged communities all across this nation, and the world, has made a significant impact in the lives of so many. As an educator, you can find impressions of Father Hesburgh's teachings just about anywhere you look. Father Hesburgh encouraged high academic standards and preached a universal commitment to the service and helping of others. He often inspired his students to look at the world through opened eyes and challenged them to go out and make a difference. His dedication to improving the lives of others was global in nature and he knew no boundaries for race or ethnicity. Those who have learned these important life lessons from Father Hesburgh are here in Congress, Presidential Cabinets, Catholic churches, and scattered throughout our local communities. I am a graduate of Saint Mary's College, the sister institution of Notre Dame, and part of the student body that Father Hesburgh so vastly inspired. For many reasons, I often think back to my college days, and draw upon the values and traditions instilled in me by the mission of these institutions. I truly believe that what I learned under the leadership of Saint Mary's, Notre Dame and Father Hesburgh will help guide me in the right direction as a public servant and make the right decision for those who put their trust in me. Father Hesburgh was always challenging those he met to be a better person, and the Hesburgh Center for Peace studies is a lasting and continuing tribute to his good work. In addition, his accomplishments from 15 Presidential appointments have contributed greatly to our progress as a nation which strives to provide justice and equality for its people and those throughout the world. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to salute Father Hesburgh and to commend the House of Representatives for passing H.R. 1932, which authorizes the President of the United States to award him with a gold medal on behalf of Congress. I can think of none more deserving of this most prestigious honor.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, all of us are touched each year as we see how many Americans, particularly school children, come to Washington to, not just view the buildings, but to be inspired by our history and be inspired to become leaders themselves. They move around this city, they come to this Capitol, they come to our memorials, and they are reminded as they stand in the places that previous leaders have stood, as they understand what role those leaders had in the history of this country. I had a constituent that came to Washington in 1997, and he wrote me the most moving letter, and I would like to read a couple of paragraphs from that letter. He said, ``My wife and I walked to the Lincoln Memorial where, at the steps of the Memorial to one of our Nation's greatest Presidents, Martin Luther King delivered the `I Have A Dream' speech. ``I looked for the spot on which Martin Luther King stood when he spoke. I looked for a marker to remind me and others for a single moment on a hot August day, a descendant of a slave held the most prominent space in our Nation and delivered words that will always stay with that space. I could not find a marker or the words on that step.'' Later in his letter, he said that ``I saw a day when I would bring my yet unborn children to the spot where Martin Luther King spoke, and I could show them that marker and read them the words of his dream. I could tell them that this is still a Nation where a simple Kentucky farmer could rise to the heights of President, and the son of a slave could inspire future generations with the power of his words and his compassion.'' Mr. Speaker, it is hard to imagine that school children and Americans from all over this country could come and walk in this most important spot in this Capital, see where our leaders have changed the course of this country's history, and not have a recognition that, on that spot, on those steps was a place where Dr. Martin Luther King gave his ``I Had A Dream'' speech. For many of these children, it might be the first time that they ever really would be called to understand what ``that place in history'' meant. But for those of us that can remember the changes that went on between 1960 and 1965 and the role that Dr. Martin Luther King had in calling us forward to change the laws of this country and the practices that separated us so badly, it is important that all Americans recognize that spot and that leader and the difference that he made in this country.

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, along with my earlier comments on the need for passage of H.R. 2879, I submit for the Record the letter I received from Thomas Williams who came up with the idea for the need of a marker on the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate the ``I have a Dream'' speech of Martin Luther King on August 28, 1963. Beyond paying respect to Dr. King, this bill offers acknowledgment that our legislative system works as planned. For only in the United States can an idea of an interested individual result in good legislation, and I am hopeful--law. I thank Mr. Williams for his contribution to his country and to the future of our nation. November 30, 1998. Dear Representative Northup: In October of 1997 my wife and I visited Washington, D.C. The city, with its buildings, statues and monuments, was rich with symbolism. Despite the vastness of the space and the beauty of its design, what struck me most during the trip was a single man sitting on the steps of the Capitol. He sat there in plain view of the police with a sign indicating (if memory serves me) that he had fought in the Viet Nam war but was not now receiving veteran's benefits. The guard there indicated it wasn't true, but what struck me most was the fact that a single citizen could sit peacefully on the steps of the Capitol without being escorted away because he was unworthy of the space he selected to rest. There, literally on the threshold of our nation's most-powerful leaders, he sat. Other nations, I thought, might be embarrassed by the scene. Nevertheless, I somehow felt that I had witnessed--there on the steps--a living testament to our freedom and our greatness. Later that day, my wife and I walked to the Lincoln Memorial where, at the steps of the memorial to one of our nation's greatest presidents, Martin Luther King delivered the ``I Have A Dream Speech''. I looked for the spot on which Martin Luther King stood when he spoke. I looked for a marker to remind me and others that--for a single moment on a hot August day--a descendent of a slave held the most prominent space in our nation and delivered words that will always stay with that space. I couldn't find a marker or the words on those steps. Several months later at my home in Louisville, Kentucky, I attended a service at the Cathedral of the Assumption in which the Church celebrated a moment of personal revelation by Thomas Merton, the monk. Forty years earlier, when walking out of the Starks building on what was then 4th and Walnut, he realized in a profound way that we are all one. The Church celebrated the 40th anniversary of that event with a simple Mass and marker. To me, the service and the marker were both reminders that the ordinary space we sometimes occupy can become forever changed by the deeds of a person who stood there. I am confident it was no accident that the Church waited 40 years to commemorate the event. My visit to Washington and my attendance at the Merton mass sparked a vision and a question in my mind. Wouldn't it be right to celebrate the 40th year of Martin Luther King's ``I Have a Dream'' speech with a ceremony and a marker at the footsteps of the Lincoln Memorial? The anticipation and planning of such an event might lead to collective good. In my mind's eye, I saw a day in which the ``I Have A Dream'' speech would be delivered again for those who have never heard it. I saw a day in which Martin Luther King might be remembered for the inspiration he provided to all of our citizens. Looking even further into the future, I saw a day when I could bring my yet unborn children to that spot where Martin Luther King spoke and I could show them that marker and read them the words of his dream. I could tell him that this is still a nation where a simple Kentucky farmer could rise to the heights of President and a son of a slave could inspire future generations with the power of his words and his compassion. My vision and these thoughts I share with you are personal--but far from novel. Perhaps something like this is already in the works and I am simply unaware. In any event, I am writing for some practical suggestions for bringing this vision to a reality. Sincerely, Tom Williams.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 571, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, it gives me a real thrill to be here today and to be part of this debate. When I ran for Congress in 1995, what I told my constituents was that there was a new day in this country, a day of talking about restraint, a day of talking about balancing the budget, a day of talking about Social Security and saving Social Security, and that it was going to require a lot of courage, it was going to require us to look at things differently, but that I felt that I could be part of that debate and part of that solution. Since I arrived in 1996, the first thing we tackled was balancing the budget. It was a thrill to me when we passed the balanced budget amendments and set ourselves on a course that we were going to restrain spending and balance the budget. But even then, we did not imagine that we would be able to, as quickly as now, also restrain ourselves from spending Social Security surpluses. Let us give the economy credit, certainly that has been part of it, but we could have gone right on and spent. In fact, what we have heard today is one speaker after the other from the minority side talking about spend more, spend more, spend more, spend it faster, spend it faster, spend it faster. If we had stepped up every single budget bill we have had before us, every single appropriations bill we have had this year, and spent what they asked us to, we would have gotten way back into the past type of thinking. But because of the restraint of the leadership, the discipline of the subcommittee chairs and the chairmen, we have held to the idea that we have to restrain ourselves, and for the sake of social security. I am tired of hearing people say social security is safe, that we have put a note in there saying it is an IOU and we are going to owe it, because our children in 2010 are going to have to start paying that back. We do not have things that we can sell, assets that we can sell to cash it in. It is not in stocks. It is not in things that we can cash in. It would be like me spending my six kids' college funds on new clothes and saying, I am going to put an IOU in there. That is great. When they start to college, what do I have to sell to give them their money back? We are not going to sell our airports, we are not going to still our schools, we are not going to sell our locks and dams. We have no assets to sell, no assets to sell. The only assets we have are my six children, who are going to go to work and have to start paying for this spending that we did not restrain ourselves from in the past. So out of great love and admiration for my 77-year-old parents, who are not going to make anymore money than they have in the bank, we are securing Social Security. For those grandchildren and my six children who are going to carry the burden forever, we are restraining our spending so they might have it in their day.

Mrs. NORTHUP

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

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, this Congress is committed to restoring the faith and opportunity into our government system. For years, Congress after Congress has dipped into the social security trust fund to pay for new programs with little accountability of how funds were to be used and an empty promise to pay it back. The Congresses of yesteryear broke trust with the American people, and now all generations are suffering. Mr. Speaker, it is enshrined forever in the three opening words of the living document that we swear our allegiance to, our Constitution. Our Founders had the great and good sense to use the words ``We, the people.'' The people is why Congress is fighting so hard to stop the raid on social security. It is not about which party is in control, who kept their promises, and who broke theirs. It is about having a social security system for the people when they need it, our parents and grandparents who need it now and in the future. It is about maintaining the system so that our children may be protected, and it is about the price our children must pay to get the same benefits as their descendents did. It is about drawing the line on new Federal spending now, so that our children do not have to continue to fund this never-ending stream of new programs being requested by this administration. Mr. Speaker, this Congress is very much about the people. We are listening to the conversations around dinner tables, in bingo halls, and in the grocery store parking lots. This is why this House has restored the faith by having every penny in the social security surplus to provide the retirement system for working Americans. It is the common sense of the American people which tells us to stop the raid on social security. This Congress is using common sense, and will continue the commitment to social security and the people of this Nation. Our only hope is that this administration will stop calling for more spending and make this commitment, as well. We, the people, will prevail again.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to join in this debate. I had not really intended to do it until I looked at the monitor in my office and heard the claim that we all know that every single penny of Social Security that has been spent is backed up by a treasury bond. I had to come over and say that that would matter. That would be important if there was an asset to back up those IOUs that we have put into Social Security. The truth is, there are no assets to back up the Social Security IOUs of $1 billion that we are going to get to in the year 2000. The fact is that we have no intention of ever selling off one of our schools, selling off one of our locks and dams, selling off any of the assets to cash in those bonds. The fact is that there are no assets to back them up. This would be just like me, the mother of six children, taking my children's college tuition and putting in an IOU in their college fund and going out and buying new clothes and saying that I am leaving them with an IOU. For what? I cannot sell off my clothes to pay off their tuition someday. And that is what we have done in Social Security. We have put in an IOU and we have spent it on programs, one program after another, all of which, when the money disappears, there is no way of recapturing it. There is no asset we can hold on to and that we can hand back to our kids in the year 2010 when we start needing to spend more than we are taking in. Instead, we are going to have to look at my six children and all of the rest of our children and tell them that we need them to pay more taxes this year and more the next year and more. And we are going to expect them not only to pay all that Social Security money back, we are going to expect them to keep all the new programs that we have started going too, not just the programs we have now, but any one of the new 40, 60, 80 programs that this administration and our Democratic colleagues have asked us to fund. So we are asking our kids to do two things: fill up the Social Security bank that we have raided and keep all these programs that we started going with tax dollars they do not have.

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, I am sorry, I thought we were running out of time here; but I would like an opportunity to also talk as a member of the Committee on Appropriations and what it is like to be on appropriations this year and move bills through. From the very first day of this year when we started talking about 302(b) allocations, that is the amount that we are allowed to spend, we had our Democratic colleagues saying, Oh, come on, you know we're going to spend more than this. Oh, come on, you know we can't stay within these caps. Oh, you know we're going to spend more. It was like constant taunting every single day. Yet we quietly passed the bills as best we could. But one of the previous speakers is correct, we have a very narrow margin, and it means that we are constantly building a consensus on this side of the aisle. And every day it was no help. It was sort of like someone might treat an alcoholic that is reformed by saying, Come on, have a drink. Have a drink. You know you're going to have a drink sooner or later. Why have this pain for 6 months and then finally give in; let us go on and lift these budget caps now. But we have worked as hard as we can and as straightforward as we can. I want to say the other thing that I heard every step of the way, which is could we please have one more day before we bring things to the floor. One member of Appropriations after another has walked up here and suggested that we should be more family friendly and that we should finish at 6 o'clock so that everybody can go home. We have had one Member after another saying why are we staying over till Friday when we could do this next week when we come back; people complaining because we are here on Mondays in these debates and trying to pass these bills. So every day, every day for 6 months, it has been let us put it off until next week; could we have more time for amendments. And to now come in and criticize that we have not finished all these bills already, when we have to depend on 218 votes out of our very slim majority, is very difficult. So I want to congratulate our chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, who, with a very calm demeanor and a confidence that if good people of good will put their heads together, they can find a good solution, hung in there and got us this close to the finish.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Chairman, as we debate this substitute, I am reminded of what Kentucky did in the General Assembly in 1994. They passed a bill much like the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Ganske) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) have proposed in this session and the last session of Congress, one that is highly regulatory, one that they convinced the public will give them more medicine at a lower cost. Of course none of this happened. In fact, the highly regulatory procedures that were enacted by the Kentucky General Assembly is pointed to by every other one of the other 49 States as the disaster that anybody with any understanding of insurance and the cost of medicine would have understood. The fact is 45 insurance companies out of 47 have left Kentucky. There are only two that are selling insurance in Kentucky today. The fact is the prices have skyrocketed. Just this year, businesses are telling me again of their increases at 38 percent and 50 percent. We have an increasing number of workers today that are choosing not to take their company's health insurance because even their share of the premium at 10 or 25 percent is more than they want to pay. Who is deciding not to take insurance? It is the healthy young workers, the workers we need in the health insurance system. Because insurance in all cases is one of those products where all of the people pay in, the healthy pay in, so that the people that get sick, that the costs are taken care of. When we begin to have the healthy young workers not buy insurance, what it does is create this spiral that continues. Health insurance goes up and up, outpricing most people that want health insurance. It is terribly counterproductive for us to siphon off medical money, medical money that comes to the medical community from insurance and use it for legal services. We need to create a system where every dollar of medical money, money gotten through medical insurance, is spent on medical services and medical miracles. We can do that if we ensure that insurance companies live up to their responsibility through an appeals process, appeals process within the plan, an appeals process outside of the plan, and not through siphoning off huge numbers of dollars and go back to the system of excessive medical tests that drove the costs so high originally by allowing lawsuits, more lawsuits than what we have now. So I support the substitute of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), and I ask the rest of the Members to consider supporting it, too.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, several weeks ago I had the honor to meet with Janice James, the Kentucky Teacher of the Year. In light of constant stories about the crisis in our nation's schools, it is important to recognize the dedication and outstanding achievements of our teachers. Ms. James serves as the perfect example. It is my honor to pay tribute to someone who has made such a difference to so many children. Janice James has had a distinguished career as a primary teacher at Price Elementary School in Louisville, Kentucky for 27 years. As part of her teaching philosophy she provides her students with numerous hands-on activities to keep them fully engaged. Ms. James also encourages her students to explore the process of learning by thinking out loud and by pushing them to find multiple solutions to problems. I was particularly impressed by her creative way to encourage students to think more broadly: she hands them a pair of rose-colored glasses every time she wants them to think in a different way. Janice James has also instilled a sense of leadership in her students through their participation in the Price Leaders of Today program. Students are addressed by key leaders in the Louisville community and are inspired to become leaders and thinkers themselves. Janice James is a teacher who knows how to get the job done. She knows it takes hard work, it takes flexibility, and it takes a commitment to each child. I was proud to hear that Janice James supports what this Congress is trying to do--give schools and teachers the ability to make the choices which best reflect their students needs. We are all in agreement that such changes will help improve education--for Janice James and her students. Ms. James' remarkable contribution to the field of education deserves our respect and our gratitude. Again, I offer my congratulations to Janice James for this outstanding achievement.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 466, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Chairman, since I was elected to Congress, I have been so surprised at so much that has gone on in our campaign finance regulation or reform debates. All over we hear people talk about the influence of money. That surprises me. First of all, we all know that it is already illegal to trade campaign promises for money that would come into our campaigns. Even after we are elected, it is illegal to vote because somebody gave us money in the campaign. I am probably one of the most expensive campaigns year in and year out that are run in this House, $1.8 million in my last election. I almost cannot cast a vote on the House floor without looking a good number of my supporters in the eye and saying, I am sorry, I do not agree with you on this issue. I cannot support you. I am going to vote against you. They knew I would do that when they supported me. They supported me because they believed that I would know the issue, that we shared a common perspective about public policy, and that I would always do my best. If I ever got into specifics, there would always be groups on both side of every issue. I find it very comfortable to look people in the eye and say, this is an area where I do not agree with you. So I always have to wonder, people who talk about influence peddling, about being compromised by the contributions that are received, do they have trouble voting their conscience because of the people that give to them? Do they find that they cannot exercise what they really believe is in the best interests of their constituents because they get campaign contributions? I believe if Members have that problem, that nothing we do on the floor of the House tonight will change that and give these Members a backbone, because the fact is that if the Republican party comes in and does soft money ads for me and I feel that I would be compromised, a human being that would write me a check for $1,000 would intimidate me even more. So the fact is that we can shut off all the soft money, we can shut off what my party does. But if we have people on this floor in the vote in the next hour that feel intimidated by campaign contributions, contributions of $200 of $500 or of $1,000 are going to make them shake when they have to vote against the people who gave them that. So whether or not Members are influenced by money is a matter of their conscience. It is a matter of their backbone. It is a matter of their courage. It is a matter of believing that Members are here always to rise above any one person's best interests and do what is right for this country. I believe that this bill, the Shays-Meehan bill, would profoundly increase the corruption of money in politics because right now the majority of campaigns are run with hard money, money that we go from person to person and ask for, money that every voter knows where I got the money from and knows every way I spent it. We all know why Shays-Meehan refused to tie the constitutionality of soft money from parties and special interest groups, but what we will do is we will have the millions of people that seek to influence elections, care about who is elected, care that somebody that represents their perspective is elected instead of giving it to the parties, they are going to find some independent group. Next year if China decides that they care about who is elected, if China decides that they care about influencing the election, they will not be able to give it to the Democratic National Committee. Instead, they are going to have to find Mainstream America or some other special interest group that never has to say where one penny comes from, never says where one penny goes, and we will not know that that is who influenced the election.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Chairman, on rollcall No. 360, I inadvertantly voted incorrectly. I intended to vote ``aye.'' Announcement by the Chairman

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, tonight, as we consider this bill, I think it is important that we consider the consequences that the bill will have. I think it is interesting that the bill is called the Workplace Protection Act, and I would just like to point out that maybe what we are really doing by passing this bill is protecting the jobs that we have in the workplace today. The truth is that we all know that we are in an international competition in that we are working hard to make sure that our jobs stay here in the United States, and so every time we consider the costs that are involved in jobs, we have to consider that what government does may create such high costs that we drive additional good jobs, good jobs for working men and women, overseas. As we look at workers compensation, it is a very delicate balance that we have designed the workers compensation program for. We are trying to balance the very important aspect of protecting workers who are injured on the job, to provide for their medical expenses, to pay them a portion of their missed wages and to help them get back to work as quickly as they possibly can. At the same time we are eager not to just write a blank check because the Congress does not write the blank check; the workplace writes the check for paying for these workers' costs, and so if we drive workers compensation costs higher and higher, if we begin to incur a super amount of costs that have not been paid for in the past, what we really do is encourage our companies to finally realize that, if they are going to compete internationally, that they are going to have to move these workplaces overseas in order to avoid an absolutely unassumable cost. Mr. Chairman, we know that the human body wears out. All of us that have moms and dads know today that they are getting hip replacements; they are getting knee replacement operations. As my colleagues know, I myself after fixing dinner for years for a family of 6 children find that slicing up food has caused my thumb joint to wear out. The fact is who can say whether it is that or the fact that I sit at a desk now and write that has caused that thumb joint to wear out. So, Mr. Chairman, before we enact huge new costs on the workplace, a workplace that might steal away our best jobs, we ought to have the science to figure out whether or not these are work induced, what we can do to prevent them and make sure that we do not create an enormous cost that take away our good jobs. As my colleagues know, the truth is today that Congress could pass workers compensation laws that would cover everything. We could cover employees that get sick and miss a day because they caught a cold or caught a virus or the flu at work. We could cover everything for our workers, and all of us who care about workers would like to do that. But if in doing that we caused some of our best jobs to leave this country so that they could continue to be competitive, we would create the worst for our workers. Secondly, the effect we have is that we supersede all State laws here. What we do is we not only say this is a new standard, not only do we say this has to be prevented, but we say all workers who have an injury and suffer an injury get super benefits over and above any other benefits that are established in State laws today. We would say they get a hundred percent of their weekly pay; we say that this has to continue for 6 months, and so all the State programs right now that are designed in a way to help the worker and the employer have the incentive to get the worker back to work so that they can have the best resolution of this and they can have the opportunity to get back to work, all of that is lost. It creates an incentive for every worker, no matter what the particular cause is, to see to it that their injury would fall under the repetitive motion scheme so that they would get more than anybody else in their workplace that would have an injury under any other scheme. We take away all of the ways that workers compensation has been designed to fairly meet workers' needs and workers' compensations for injuries and instead drive everybody into this new super-sized scheme for paying for injuries. I am sorry tonight that this debate has been framed as a debate about pro workers or against workers because I believe that everybody here in this Congress wants workers to have the best. They want our American workers to have their good jobs, and they want them to stay in this country, and they want the workers compensation to be affordable. Let us vote yes on this bill and continue this.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Chairman, on rollcall No. 340 I was inadvertently detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Amendment No. 3 Offered by Mr. Visclosky

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 278, I was inadvertently detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, last Thursday, May 6, I was present and voted on the important matter of the emergency defense supplemental that was before this body. However, I was not recorded on final passage of that bill, H.R. 1664 due to an electronic mistake or malfunction.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a group of Kentuckians who have truly been called to serve others. Each day, thousands of children and adults walk into countless clinics, hospitals and care facilities to receive care and nurses comfort to those who are most in need. This week, I am pleased to join Kentuckians across the Commonwealth to celebrate ``Kentucky Nurses Week.'' Beginning today and lasting until May 12th, we will celebrate and honor the work that nurses do for each one of us. I am certain that each member of this body has had an experience with a nurse they can remember. From the school nurses who helped us clean off that scraped knee to the trauma room nurse ready during times of enormous distress, we can all appreciate the work the nurses do for our communities. With the hard work and compassion of nurses, we are able to receive the quality health care we deserve and expect for ourselves and our loved ones. So today and for the next week, we in Kentucky will take an extra moment to offer a kind word or a special thank you to our nurses. The days are long, the work not always glamorous, but each day we are profoundly effected by the work of nurses, and I for one say thank you.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to honor constituents from Louisville, Kentucky. Recently, the Bellarmine College Mock Trial Team competed in the American Mock Trial Association's National Championships in Des Moines, Iowa and brought back to Louisville the National `Championship. The Knights of Bellarmine overcame the efforts of Stanford and Rhodes in their march to victory. This was a redeeming victory for Bellarmine which had finished second in the competition the previous four years. While compiling a record of 7-0-1 during the competition all of the members of the championship team were named All-Americans. Meanwhile, the second team for Bellarmine gained valuable experience, several individual awards and finished in fifth place overall. I also am pleased to honor one of team's coaches the James Wagoner, who was honored for his outstanding service to the American Mock Trial Association and the legal profession outside of mock trial. The Bellermine championship team is made up of: William Armstrong, Amanda Bennett, Jason Butler, Nathaniel Cadle, Ryane Conroy and Vanessa Cox. The second team included: John Balenovich, David Chamberlain, Cheryl Danner, Heather Jackson, Matt Rich, Christi Spurlock and Sarah Wimsatt. These two fine squads were led by James Wagoner, Ruth Wagoner and Jason Cooper. Again, I am so proud to honor this team, as Louisville celebrates its National Champion.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the employees of General Electric (GE) Appliances for their contribution to over 1 million hours of volunteer work to the youth of America. In April 1997, GE pledged that by the year 2000, its employees, retirees, and family members would volunteer over 1 million hours in community service. Not only did GE reach this goal, but surpassed it, with 1.3 million hours contributed thus far. In Louisville, Kentucky, GE Appliances contributes an average of 210,000 volunteer hours each year and donates approximately $2 million to community service organizations. Its efforts are far reaching and have a tremendous impact on this community. They include refurbishing the campus of Brooklawn Youth Haven, an organization which serves boys who suffer from severe emotional and behavioral problems; working with students from Western High School to create Kentucky's first student team to participate in the F.I.R.S.T. Program, a national robotics competition; providing mentoring and leadership to thousands of African-American youth; refurbishing the Wayside Christian Mission Family Crisis Center; and refurbishing two classrooms at Family Place, a child abuse treatment agency. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to honor the volunteers of GE Appliances, especially those in Louisville, Kentucky. They have shown that taking pride in your community and working to improve the lives of its residents is an important part of being a United States citizen. Their outstanding efforts truly make a difference in the lives of Kentucky's youth, and I hope that they will serve as a source of inspiration to communities throughout this country.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage and to applaud Congress for putting this resolution before us to honor Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks changed the course of history when, on December 1, 1955, she refused to give up her seat to a white man. The fact is I would like to think that there were white folks in her city that wanted things to change, that wanted equal opportunity and equal access and equal rights to all parts of society in her community, but they did not act. Rosa Parks did act, and she had the courage, the quiet courage, to make a profound difference. By her actions, she encouraged and created a movement that was largely credited for passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act in the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Today we still do not have the harmony that we seek in this country. We are still not a country that has figured out how to live together with all the good and best interests for every child, every individual in this country. Rosa Parks served as an inspiration to us in 1955. I hope that by awarding this congressional medal she will continue to serve as an inspiration to all of us and to our children. Many times today people do not believe that one person can make a difference. They feel cynical and they feel hopeless and helpless, and because of that, they do not act. So, as we award this medal, maybe what Rosa Parks did will give us all courage and confidence that one person does make a difference and that if we are to have equality and a common sense of good and love across racial lines, that all of us have to stand up and take that action, that courageous action that Rosa Parks did.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of Louisville, Kentucky's most valuable institutions. For 150 years, the St. Joseph's Catholic Orphan Society has reached out to our most vulnerable children and provided them with food, shelter, education, and most of all love. The problem of neglected children in our society is not new. In the 1840's a plague of cholera and malaria struck Louisville, ending the lives of hundreds of people leaving many children without parents. This epidemic led to the founding of St. Joseph's Catholic Orphan Society as a home and refuge to these children. Throughout the past 150 years, St. Joe's has provided a variety of services to boys and girls of all faiths and races. Today, St. Joe's continues to understand the unique needs of today's children. The organization works hard to keep groups of siblings together as the search for a new and loving family moves forward. St. Joe's also provides 40 beds for children who are abused or neglected and recently started the Home Base program to provide care to help stop child abuse and neglect. A child development center which provides weekday care for 150 children, 20 percent of whom have disabilities such as autism or Down's Syndrome, was founded in 1982. Since 1849, St. Joseph's has been a Louisville institution performing a job that is desperately needed by our society. Love and caring are critical to any child's well being and St. Joe's dedicated volunteers and caregivers not only provide for the physical needs of children, but they share their love and dedication. I am proud to honor St. Joseph's Catholic Orphan Society on its 150th anniversary.

Mrs. NORTHUP

Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a teacher from my district who has received national recognition for his exemplary courage and selflessness in the face of adversity. Mr. Louis Bryant of Louisville is a social studies teacher at Ballard High School who recently accompanied a group of students to Ghana, Africa, on a cultural exchange program. During an afternoon excursion the group's bus was in a terrible accident. Mr. Bryant--the most seriously injured passenger--refused to leave his students even though he had been told that, without an immediate airlift to the United States and emergency surgery, he could lose his hand. The U.S. Embassy in Ghana reported that Mr. Bryant ignored his own injuries and instead tried to keep his students optimistic and upbeat. He remained at the hospital in Ghana with his students until they all returned home together. Nearly 4 weeks later, Mr. Bryant still is undergoing painful surgery and rehabilitation in an effort to save his hand. Not once, however, has he expressed regret about his decision to remain with his students. Without question, Mr. Bryant's dedication, courage, and self- sacrifice warrant the admiration of his community and this Nation. He is evidence that there are heroes among us. I heartily applaud Mr. Bryant and, once again, wish to express to him the gratitude that all members of the Louisville community feel for his heroic actions.