Charlie Norwood

Mr. NORWOOD

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to tell my friend from New Jersey, the problem with that Georgia policeman is that he most assuredly will receive some tax relief on this, because you have raised taxes so high over the last 20 years that I guarantee you his wife is having to work, too. So when we combine those incomes, that family will indeed, and I remind you again that 2.4 million teachers are going to get some tax relief, 4.2 million mechanics and repairmen and construction workers are going to get some tax relief. I know you call everybody rich who has a job, but those are the people who are paying into this Government, and it is high time we let them have some more of their own income because most assuredly they can spend it much wiser than we do up here.

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, I think for a long time we have been trying to make an effort to let people who pay taxes keep more of their own hard-earned money. Yet all we hear is that all of this is for the rich. Let us talk about what ``rich'' means. Mr. Speaker, 2.4 million elementary and high school teachers have family incomes, and they are considered rich; 1.7 million union members have family incomes, and they are considered rich; 8.1 million Federal, State, and local government workers have family incomes, and they are considered rich; 120,000 editors and reporters across the country are considered rich; and 4.2 million mechanics and repairmen and construction workers have family incomes that under the administration's definition of rich, they are considered rich. I would like to ask, if I might, for anybody on that side to stand up and when they say we are returning money to the rich, define what they mean by rich. If Members believe we should have everybody receive a $500 per child tax credit, even those who do not pay taxes, they should be honest enough to call it what they are talking about. They are talking about a welfare program. What we are trying to do is return some of the hard-earned money that working people in this country earn who work every day. If Members want other children and other families who are not paying taxes to have a $500 per child tax credit, say so, but be honest about it. Call it what it is. It is a welfare program.

Mr. NORWOOD

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to support this bill for many reasons, but one of which is that the Committee on Commerce has done a marvelous job in trying to protect patients in the health care field as we move more and more from fee-for-service health care to managed care. I am extremely grateful to this committee for doing the right things for Medicare and Medicaid, those things that we want to do indeed for all the people of this country, but at this point we did get things into Medicare and Medicaid. For example, for the first time we are actually going to allow the health care giver, the physician and the patient, to determine if they need a specialist, or the physician and the patient will actually determine if they need to be in the hospital, not a health care bureaucrat or an accountant. With that, I thank the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Bilirakis], the chairman. I think we have a great bill, and I urge all Members to support it.

Mr. NORWOOD

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. We are in the process of a lot of things going on at once and there are a couple of things that I felt would be important for me to say to the gentleman. Number one, I am very pleased with the gentleman's Crossroads at Education program, because I know that the gentleman is trying to find out and we are as a committee trying to find out what works and what does not. Secondly, I would like to thank the gentleman for providing us the opportunity to have a hearing on this just last week in Milledgeville, GA. I know that the gentleman could not be there because of a death in his family, but I wanted to come, on behalf of the people of Georgia, and my colleague, the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Deal], who was also there, and say that people I talked to in Georgia said thanks. This is the first time in their memory or their knowledge that Congress has ever had an education hearing in Georgia. It is the first time they know of, that anybody from Congress ever came and asked them what they think. We were talking to some people who are very, very involved in education in Georgia, and I wanted to come and tell the gentleman a few things they have said during the hearing so that the gentleman is able to respond to them. Our superintendent, our State superintendent of schools, for example, said, and I quote, ``The most frequent message I have heard is that no one can make better decisions about local education than parents, teachers, and students in the local communities.'' Now this is our State school superintendent. She goes on to say, and I quote, ``Administrators in Washington will never meet the needs of individual children. I cast my vote for returning as many dollars directly to the local schools as we are able to do.'' Now, I think what we are doing is trying to have an adult conversation about improving education. Everybody in the 10th District of Georgia believes in that. We all believe that that is the future for the 21st century, but we all do not necessarily agree on how to get there.

Mr. NORWOOD. No, I did not. But we are in the discovery process. We are trying to hear from all sides and everybody to determine what kind of recommendations we might make to Congress. In the 104th Congress, or certainly in 1996, we basically did not reform education. We are still number 13 on the planet in math. We will not win in the 21st century if we continue to do that. We still have at least 50 percent of the children who are graduating with a high school degree that are illiterate or cannot read their diploma. We will not win with China if we continue to do that. It does not help, in this time when we are trying to discover what to do and hear all sides, when groups of people stand up and politicize and demagogue the issue. That is why nothing happened in the last Congress. Let me just point out that during our hearing, the very time we were having a hearing trying to discover what works and what does not, we had a gentleman from Texas sending news releases down into our district saying, ``Oh, we cannot do any of that because they want to simply shut down the Department of Education.'' That does not lead to an intelligent dialogue that will lead to solutions where we can reform education and improve our lot in this country.

Mr. NORWOOD. If the gentleman will yield, if we do not stop doing that, if we do not stop politicizing this issue, we are never going to get to the point where we can resolve the problem. I would point out that the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Deal] mentioned a constituent of mine in Dublin, GA. She is from my district and I was very proud of her for her commentary, but I also want to remind the gentleman that Dr. Dowling from Valdosta, GA, yes, he is a principal of a school but he is also a father of five or six children, and one of his quotes that has stuck with me since the day we were down there is that he said, and I quote, ``I firmly believe that school improvement can only be achieved in the classroom.'' I think many of us come to this discovery process with that bias. It is true. I believe that we ought to send back the responsibility for education, not just the classroom but the parents and the teachers. I will conclude to go to another meeting, Mr. Speaker, but one of the very fine things that was said in our hearing was said by Mr. Kelly McCutchen, executive director of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. I think he almost sums the whole thing up in this quote: ``Education in America is the constitutional responsibility of the States, the social responsibility of communities, and the moral responsibility of families and except when the civil rights of individuals are menaced, the Federal Government should never impede the capacity of families, communities and States to decide how best to provide education for their children.'' I do not know of a better statement that sums up exactly how I feel about it. Quotations for Special Orders, April 30 From Georgia Crossroads Hearing quotations Dr. Linda Shrenko, State Superintendent: ``The most frequent message I have heard is that no one can make better decisions about local education than the parents, teachers, and students in those local communities.'' Dr. Linda Shrenko, State Superintendent: ``Administrators from Washington will never meet the needs of individual children * * * I cast my vote for returning as many dollars directly to local schools as we are able. * * *'' Mr. Kelly McCutchen, Executive Director, Georgia Public Policy Foundation: (quoting Chester Finn) ``Education in America is the `constitutional responsibility of the states, the social responsibility of communities, and the moral responsibility of families' and `except when the civil rights of individuals are menaced * * * [the federal government should] never impede the capacity of families, communities and states to decide how best to provide education to their children.' '' Dr. Craig Dowling, Principal, West Gordon Elementary School, Valdosta, GA: ``I firmly believe that school improvement can only be achieved in the classroom.'' Dr. Craig Dowling, Principal, West Gordon Elementary School, Valdosta, GA: ``[Federal programs] come with guidelines and strings that choke school improvement * * * Guidelines for a program such as Title I may help a school in Atlanta or Washington, D.C., and totally disturb a school in south Georgia or the central plains.'' Dr. Craig Dowling, Principal, West Gordon Elementary School, Valdosta, GA: ``Welfare sets up a downward spiral of hopelessness and despair where children rarely see an adult working * * * social issues can not be resolved through our schools.'' Dr. Laura Frederick, Assistant Professor, Georgia State University: ``What's wasted in schools is time, money, and a great deal of student potential when we adopt unproven instructional programs because they should good, because the publisher is offering free supplementary materials with the purchase of the programs, or because the sales representatives are wining and dining the textbook selection committee.'' Mr. Johnny Isakson, Chairman, State Board of Education: ``There are far too many dollars scattered in far too many programs managed by far too many agencies. If the dollars spent could be concentrated, the management less disbursed, then more of the money would actually flow into education and out of administration.'' Mr. Johnny Isakson, Chairman of the State Board of Education: (speaking about Mr. Clinton's suggestion of increased federal funding of school construction) ``While this is a laudable recommendation, it really should be the responsibility of local boards of education and their taxpayers to fund and pay for the school facilities improvements they want . . . On March 17th, 63 Georgia public school systems ratified local option sales taxes which, over the next five years, will raise $3.5 billion for school construction.'' Ms. Dahlia Wren, Director, Adult Literacy Services, Heart of Georgia Technical Institute, Dublin, GA: (speaking of the federal grant process) ``The process is cumbersome and labor intensive. . . Writing the [1997] proposal consumed nearly two months of the literacy director's time . . . measuring accountability in terms of performance rather than volume of paperwork is the best solution to the problem.'' anecdotes Dr. Linda Schrenko, Georgia State Superintendent of Schools: Dr. Shrenko reported that Georgia taxpayers send 35 billion dollars to Washington. They receive back 454 million dollars for education. This is less than a 1.3% return on their tax dollar for education. Mr. John Roddy, Director of Federal Programs for Georgia: Mr. Roddy reported a conversation he had with a researcher who had done a study evaluating the effectiveness of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools federal program. According to Mr. Roddy, the researcher reported that children who had not received the Safe and Drug-Free Schools training actually had a lower incidence of drug use than the children who did receive the training. Dr. Elizabeth Lyons, Principal, C.W. Hill Elementary School, Atlanta, GA: Dr. Lyons described a reading program, ``Readaerobics,'' that she and her staff developed in response to their students' poor achievements in reading. The program is conducted on Saturday mornings to teach basic phonics skills in a fun way. Parents are required to donate one Saturday morning each month in order for their children to participate, so parental involvement is mandatory. J.C. Penney's has taken note of the program and is offering its financial support to the Readaerobics program. Mr. Buster Evans, Superintendent, Bleckley County School District, Cochran, GA: Mr. Evans told of a school system that turned around its students' poor reading achievements with the implementation of two complimentary reading programs.

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will show the other poster, please. We know we have about 760 educational programs spread over 39 agencies in Washington that spend over $100 billion a year on education. Yet the gentleman has just read out some statistics in math and science and reading that frankly scare me to death. Now, does my colleague agree with the President that we cannot ask the American people to spend more money on education?

Mr. NORWOOD. The question is, does the gentleman agree with the President when he says since we do spend $120 billion a year over 760 programs, over 39 different agencies of Government, does the gentleman agree with the President that we cannot ask the American people to spend more money on education, in view of the numbers and statistics that the gentleman just read a few minutes ago?

Mr. NORWOOD. Well, how should we rank before we start saying that the American people should spend more money on education? Should we come in second in math before we do the rest of what the President says? We are not going to ask the American people to spend more money on education until we do better with the money we are spending now. So should we be second in math or third in math around the globe? Where should the cutoff point be?

Mr. NORWOOD

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker and fellow Members of the House, we find ourselves today in a period of great debate as to what constitutes bipartisanship. I believe now that true bipartisanship is honorable compromise for the good of the country. If we search for real-life models of honorable compromise, we can find no better example than the former Democratic Member from my home State of Georgia that I have brought back to the floor of the people's House for this occasion. Congressman Roy Rowland of Dublin, GA, began a lifetime of public service long before coming to the House of Representatives. Roy Rowland spent his youth developing a keen sense of duty and honor as an Eagle Scout. Fresh out of high school, Roy entered the U.S. Army to fight in World War II as a sergeant in command of a machine-gun crew in the European theater. He was a member of United States Forces that liberated German concentration camps, where he learned firsthand the horrifying final results of intolerance. Roy left the Army at the end of the war with a Bronze Star for service in combat and returned to educational pursuits. He graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in 1952 and continued what was to become a lifetime of public service by providing health care to the people of Dublin, GA, as a family practice physician. Roy not only provided health care to Georgia families, he served them in the State legislature from 1976 until 1982. And in 1983, Roy's dedication to serving his country brought him to the U.S. House of Representatives. In his freshman year, Congressman Rowland introduced and succeeded in passing legislation that stopped the illegal use of quaaludes through fraudulent prescription sales. In the early 1980's, the abuse of quaaludes had reached epidemic proportions, and the drug was fast on its way to becoming the illegal drug of choice on the streets. Today that problem is history because of the work of Roy Rowland. Congressman Rowland's efforts were not Republican or Democratic in nature. They addressed a pressing concern for all Americans and garnered true bipartisan support. When debate over the AIDS crisis was still locked in a state of misinformation and confusion and fragmentation, Roy Rowland stepped forward in this House with his experience as a medical professional to provide the leadership this body needed to move ahead. Congressman Rowland introduced and passed into law legislation that created the National Commission on AIDS, which provided America with the plain scientific facts so necessary to establish sound public health policy to combat this killer disease. When the battle over health care reform was at its peak in the 103d Congress, Roy Rowland once again led the way in finding solutions to America's problems that were outside the realm of partisanship. He succeeded in drafting health care reform legislation through a group of five Republicans and five Democrats that provided coverage for 92 percent of the American public. The Rowland bill did not pass during that time of heated debate and multiple proposals, but the blueprint that Roy left us is one that should be carefully examined when we face contentious issues in the future. In his 12 years of service here in the House, Roy set a standard for standing firm on conviction without resorting to partisan attacks. He fought like a tiger on the floor but never had an enemy on either side of the aisle. In his reelection campaigns, he was frequently personally attacked but never, never responded in kind. Today I am introducing legislation that will honor and preserve the legacy of service that Doctor and Congressman Roy Rowland has left for us to follow. This bill would redesignate the Dublin Federal Courthouse in Dublin, GA, as the J. Roy Rowland Federal Courthouse in order that the example Roy Rowland set through a lifetime of service should not be forgotten. In the spirit of true bipartisanship that our former colleague exemplified, I ask for support for this legislation.

Mr. NORWOOD

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, what would the American public say about Congress if we tried to exclude 90 percent of American workers from Government contracts? They would have our heads, and rightly so. But with a stroke of his pen the President wants to do just that, to pay off his friends at the AFL-CIO. The President wants to sign an Executive order that would make sure that all the hard-earned tax dollars Americans send to Washington for Federal construction projects go only to union contractors. It does not matter if a nonunion contractor can do a better or a less expensive job. It does not matter that this order would exclude 90 percent of the working families of this country. That is just too bad. Only union contractors will get your tax dollars, even if it costs more than a nonunion firm. Does that make any sense? Of course not, but apparently the President thinks it is more important to line the pockets of the union bosses. Mr. Speaker, I urge the President to reconsider this absurdly unfair, costly, and absurdly un-American order.

Mr. NORWOOD

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, our time is coming to an end. I agree with the gentleman. It has been a wonderful and exciting day. I have been so pleased and honored to participate in that project. But in summary, I would simply say that our present tax system, and all Americans would agree, is simply too complex. It is too difficult. In addition to that, we spend way too many nonproductive hours in this country trying to prepare for taxes, trying to avoid taxes, just being caught up in the whole taxing system that this Congress for years has used to slowly but surely take away individual freedoms. I know, and I have not been here long, but I know my life often is driven by the Tax Code and what is done here in Congress to try to get me to do this or go that way, and to me it simply is taking away freedoms. In addition to that, the system is simply unfair. We have thousands and thousands of dollars tied up in a cash economy, not to speak of the money that the drug dealers do not pay at all in any kinds of taxes. Most Americans say today that they feel they are paying more of their hard-earned money than they really wish to pay for Congress. Yet tonight we sit here and we talk about a great opportunity to change our tax system and go to a very simple system that will increase and improve jobs in this country. It is going to let every American have more money in their own pocket, not because they are not having to pay so much up here, but because prices in this country can come down. And think how wonderful it is to think that April 15 could be just as fine a day as July 15. I mean that alone is worth a great deal of effort. What about the growth that you are talking about in our country and the investment that is going to occur when we quit penalizing capitalists. That is what we are, are we not, we are a capitalist country where people invest their dollars and hope to make a profit. And they do not want to make the profit for the Federal Government or either the banks. And we are talking about lowering the interest rate so people can keep more of their money. Then maybe more than anything else, we are talking about personal freedoms, and this bill gives us an opportunity to control our own lives without 535 people in Washington telling us what to do from the minute we get up to the minute we go to bed, not to speak of the 125,000 IRS agents out there that are constantly observing to make sure that we do all the things that they want us to do. I hope the American people will take this very seriously. And if they believe in what we are doing or if they want more information or if they need to talk to their Congressman or Congresswoman or their Senator, just send them a tea bag. Just send them a simple little tea bag saying, yes, I want to change the tax code as we know it today. They do not even have to write them a note. They are going to know what they mean. They are going to know that they want an alternative taxing system to the present unfair system. It has been a great pleasure and a great honor to be with the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Tauzin] today.

Mr. NORWOOD. I thank the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Tauzin] and I am delighted to be here tonight with the gentleman from Colorado [Mr. Schaefer] and the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Tauzin], and in fact I have been delighted to be with you all day. It has been one of those exciting and exhilarating days, and I agree with both of you. It was a little part of history today. As a school boy I always fantasized being one of those Indians that dumped the tea into Boston Harbor originally, and I have to tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed myself today as we made a statement across the country saying that the present tax system will not do any longer; the American people have had enough of it, it is unfair, it is too complex, too complicated, and we need to take a step like we took today in an effort to do the wonderful things we are doing. I mean, how can you not be for anything that will repeal the corporate income tax, the personal income tax, the inheritance tax, capital gains, gift tax? I mean, how can you not be for that, knowing that we are going to very nicely fund the country on a 15-cent sales tax, and I hope tonight we will talk about this a little bit and help explain to the American people more details in your fine bill.

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would yield for a question, because I think he made a very good point, but if he will walk me through it a little bit where I can perhaps understand it a little better. What we are saying is an end-use consumption tax. That means, for example, the farmer goes out and buys a tractor and seeds, and he pays no tax under our bill. He plants his seeds and produces the wheat. He pays no tax. He ships the wheat to a miller. From the miller it goes to a baker, and from a baker it goes to the retail outlet. All the way along the line now, there has been no tax under our bill. Is that a correct statement?

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, is the gentleman saying our consumption tax bill will increase jobs, so if we do the same scenario with a tire, and we get to the point where we are ready to export that tire, that tire then does not have that 15 cents' worth of taxes on it, does it?

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, what happens to the box of cereal produced in England then that is shipped to our country for sale?

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Louisiana makes the point here then that if we go to the consumption tax, we have almost a 30-percent spread in products that will be produced in this country going our way. That is what you mean by, it will increase jobs in this country, because we are better able to compete; therefore, we will have more jobs in this country.

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, just a couple of thoughts, and what we might discuss. If we find this consumption tax bill is law and people are able to save once again, they are not penalized for doing so. In other words, their compounding of their money is not taxed, and they would have great incentives to save. If our saving dollars increased in this, I think it is pretty reasonable to suspect that interest rates come down. The other part of this bill that I think is so important that will prepare us for the 21st century is that people will have an incentive to invest in plants and factories and stores, because if they should happen to make a profit, they get to keep the profit, not send it all to Washington, at least until it is consumed. That, to me, is the answer for the 21st century as we compete with China and Asia and different parts of this globe, is give our own people incentives to build and invest, so we build our own plants and factories. Is that not what the gentleman's consumption bill is trying to do?

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about the price of goods that could occur under the consumption tax. Presently, if a loaf of bread is a dollar, we have to generally earn $1.28 to go buy that loaf of bread. Now, under the consumption tax bill, we are going to eliminate 30 cents of that dollar that is in the process of getting to the loaf of bread that is in taxes that companies and farmers and retailers and millers normally pay, as well as the compliance part. What, I would ask the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Tauzin] is going to happen to the cost of bread when you eliminate that 30 cents out of the dollar? And I just use one example here. It is true in gasoline and many other products. But what is going to really happen to us now with that cost of bread when you take out 30 percent of the cost? What do we think that the American citizen would end up paying then for that same loaf of bread that previously they had to earn $1.28?

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, today being tax day, everybody has at least a copy of their returns in their hand. Perhaps they still have their returns. But today might be a good day to look at what happened in last year's tax bill and compare it to what might happen under our consumption tax bill. I mean, would you not take your income, and then from that income you would deduct any state or local taxes that you paid, you would be able to deduct from that income the amount up to the poverty level because that is exempt, I think it is $15 or $16 thousand, any money that you might set aside out of that income for savings that would be deducted; and you simply multiply 15 percent times what is left. And I think it would be a neat exercise for every American in this country today to look at their tax bill today and see what the difference would mean to them and their families if we were doing a consumption tax in this country as opposed to income tax. Did I leave anything out?

Mr. NORWOOD. I think we can show a difference even if you say the cost will not come down, but we all know it will.

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to point out: Is this a good system? I note that I certainly do not understand the Tax Code or the system, and I am not sure that my taxes were right today. I have what I consider one of the best CPA's in Georgia, and he readily tells me, ``Well, I don't understand this tax code, I'm not sure if I have it right. I can call on the IRS and ask them if they know what the system is all about, and they say, `Well, I'll give you an answer, but I'm not sure if we have it right.' '' The IRS tried to correct that and purchased a $4 billion computer and after trashing a $4 billion computer they say, ``Well, the computer doesn't understand if we have it right,'' and I am struck by the quote from Albert Einstein: The hardest thing in the world to understand is our income tax system. Now if Mr. Albert Einstein cannot understand our system--and I do not think we have a lot of Mr. Einsteins over at the IRS--how do we expect the average person in the 10th District of Georgia to have submitted their taxes today without considerable fear?

Mr. NORWOOD

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th anniversary of the founding of one of the 10th District of Georgia's most important employers--Thiele Kaolin Co. Thiele Kaolin was chartered on October 22, 1946, and began operations on January 1, 1947. Thiele employs more than 500 Georgians, most of whom live in the 10th District. Thiele employs these Georgians in the mining of kaolin, which is used primarily as an additive for paper products. The glossy look and feel of the magazines you read comes from kaolin. Thiele sends kaolin to many places in America and other countries and is one of the largest exporters through the port of Savannah. Thiele is a valuable and responsible member of the State and local community through its support of the Adopt-a-School Program, local recreation league teams for all ages, community volunteer fire departments, fine arts appreciation programs, and generous charitable contributions to churches, schools, various civic and health related organizations, and colleges and universities throughout the State. Thiele is more than just an employer. Thiele is more than just a source of tax revenue for government. Thiele is more than just a business. Thiele is part of the community. Thiele is family. As they celebrate their 50th anniversary, I salute a community member, a family member, Thiele Kaolin Co.

Mr. NORWOOD

Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 785, to designate the Southern Piedmont Conservation Resource Center in Watkinsville, GA, as the J. Phil Campbell, Senior, Natural Resource Conservation Center. H.R. 785 recognizes a true visionary in American agriculture, J. Phil Campbell, Senior. Mr. Campbell's passion for educating and training Georgia farmers, his development of some of the first agriculture extension services, and his service in President Franklin Roosevelt's Department of Agriculture are a testimony to his commitment to promoting agriculture throughout the Nation. Mr. Speaker, I introduced this legislation last year as H.R. 3387 which passed the House by unanimous consent. This year H.R. 785 passed the Committee on Agriculture and the subcommittee unanimously on a voice vote in March. In comment on H.R. 3387, the USDA has no objection to redesignating the Watkinsville facility and, according to the CBO, H.R. 785 will have no significant impact on the Federal budget, contains no intergovernmental or private sector mandates, and has no budgetary impact on State or local governments. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chairmen Smith and Pombo for their help and willingness to move this legislation. I also would like to thank my eight colleagues who cosponsored this legislation, and Mr. Coverdell and Mr. Cleland for their help in the Senate. I would encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 785 and help commemorate a man who dedicated his life to help farmers and farming communities throughout Georgia and the Nation. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 785 to rename the Southern Piedmont Conservation Research Center in Watkinsville, GA after a great pioneer in Georgia agriculture, J. Phil Campbell, senior. James Philander Campbell was born in Dallas, GA on March 2, 1878. He grew up on a farm and, at the age of 17, began teaching school. At a young age, J. Phil Campbell, senior fought for and helped to secure legislation to authorize agriculture instruction in Georgia's rural schools. In 1907, he spent 6 months traveling throughout the State, advocating for the creation of district agriculture schools and a State college of agriculture. All of this was done before he turned 30. Between 1908 and 1910, Mr. Campbell served as the first farm extension supervisor to the Southeast region. This was done before passage of the Smith-Lever Act in 1915, which created the Federal extension service. In 1910, he began a career as the Georgia State agent for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He also served on the staff of Georgia State University's College of Agriculture. During his tenure, he organized nearly 13,000 Georgia children in corn and canning clubs and 5,000 Georgia farmers into farming demonstration work. These efforts were done under the supervision of Dr. Seaman Knapp at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. During this time, Mr. Campbell also served as the Director of Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics. In 1933, he took a leave of absence to assist the agriculture adjustment administration in its cotton belt crop replenishment division. After 1935, he was elevated to a Federal position in the Roosevelt administration as Assistant Chief of the Soil Conservation Service in the USDA. He served in that capacity until he died in December 1944. In addition to his clear record of accomplishment in education, Mr. Campbell was also extremely interested in agriculture research and maintained close ties with the agriculture experiment stations in Georgia. He was integral in the creation of the Southern Piedmont Conservation Research Center and in choosing its site just outside of Athens and the University of Georgia. When funding for the center was threatened in its first year, Phil Campbell fought to keep the center open and secure its line of funding. It exists to this day on Experimental Station Road in Watkinsville. Mr. Speaker, given the great contribution Mr. Campbell made to Georgia and the Nation, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 785.

Mr. NORWOOD

Mr. NORWOOD. Today, Mr. Speaker, I again rise to introduce legislation to rename the Southern Piedmont Conservation Research Center in Watkinsville, GA, after a great pioneer in Georgia agriculture, J. Phil Campbell, Sr. When I introduced this legislation in the 104th Congress, my good friend, the honorable gentleman from Georgia [John Linder] was the only cosponsor, but today I introduced this legislation with the support of eight of my Georgia colleagues, in hopes of recognizing Mr. Campbell for his many contributions to Georgia farmers. I want to thank my colleagues, as well as Mr. Coverdell and Mr. Cleland in the Senate, for introducing this legislation in that body. J. Phil Campbell, Sr. lived for only 66 years, but in that time he gave more to men and women of this country than can be measured. His contributions to agriculture, not only in the Southeast but throughout the Nation, are well known and widely recognized. James Philander Campbell was born in Dallas, GA, just northeast of Atlanta, on March 2, 1878. He grew up on a farm, and at the age of 17, began teaching school. At a young age, J. Phil Campbell, Sr. fought for and helped to secure legislation to authorize agricultural instruction in Georgia's rural schools. In 1907 he spent 6 months traveling throughout our State, advocating for the creation of district agricultural schools and a State college of agriculture. All of this was done before he turned 30. Between 1908 and 1910, Mr. Campbell served as the first farm extension supervisor to the Southeast region. This was done before the passage of the Smith-Lever Act in 1915, which created the Federal Extension Service. In 1910, he began a career as the Georgia State agent for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He also served on the staff of Georgia State University's College of Agriculture. During his tenure, he organized nearly 13,000 children in corn and canning clubs, and 5,000 Georgia farmers into farming demonstration work. These efforts were done under the supervision of Dr. Seaman Knapp at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. During this time, Mr. Campbell also served as the director of extension work in agriculture and home economics. In 1933, he took a leave of absence to assist the Agriculture Adjustment Administration in its cotton belt crop replenishment division. After 1935, he was elevated to a Federal position in the Roosevelt Administration as assistant chief of the Soil Conservation Service in USDA. He served in that capacity until he died in December, 1944. In addition to his clear record of accomplishments in education, Mr. Campbell was also extremely interested in agricultural research and maintained close ties with the agriculture experiment stations in Georgia. He was integral in the creation of the Southern Piedmont Conservation Research Center and in choosing its site just outside of Athens and the University of Georgia. When funding for the center was threatened in its first year, Phil Campbell fought to keep the center open and secure its line of funding. It exists to this day on Experimental Station Road in Watkinsville, GA. I again introduce this legislation to recognize Mr. Campbell's contributions to agriculture and to the communities and the Nation he served so ably. Fortunately, Mr. Campbell's contributions were also recognized during his lifetime. Mr. Campbell was recognized in the Who's Who in America collection in the 1940s. Likewise in the mid 1930s, Dean Paul Chapman, the first dean of the University of Georgia's College of Agriculture said and I quote, ``J. Phil Campbell and I were pioneers in promoting professional agricultural work and in the establishing of agencies to carry on such work. With little professional training ourselves, we were plowing new ground to create such training.'' Later in a ceremony honoring Mr. Campbell after he had departed Washington, Dean Chapman stated that ``no one had as many friends in Georgia as did J. Phil Campbell.'' Mr. Speaker, I am proud to again introduce this legislation. In a 1996 letter from the USDA, Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman stated that while the USDA generally discourages the naming of its laboratories after any one individual, given the department's admiration and appreciation of ``the great service Mr. Campbell has rendered to agriculture and the Nation,'' the USDA has no objection to the enactment of this legislation. I also received assurances from CBO that enactment of this bill will result in no significant cost to the Federal Government and does not include any intergovernmental or private sector mandates. Given this, I again urge my colleagues to join with me this year to recognize Mr. Campbell's many contributions in supporting passage of this legislation. I would like to say that my friend J. Campbell, III, we know that he is recuperating in the hospital and we wish him a hasty recovery. And we and all Georgians are very proud of his grandfather. Mr. Speaker, I include a statement by the gentleman from Georgia [John Linder] in the Record: