Doug Ose

Mr. OSE

Mr. OSE. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I rise before my colleagues today to offer an amendment to the Commerce-Justice-State and the Judiciary appropriations bill to prohibit funds to the Department of State for the issuance of visas to child abductors and their immediate family and agents who aid and abet these child abductors. Despite an increasingly high level of congressional and public concern regarding the tragedy of international parental child abduction and wrongful retention of American children abroad, the plight of American children persists. The State Department reports 1,000 international parental abductions of children annually. Between 1973 and 1991, about 4,000 American children were reported to the U.S. State Department as abducted by a parent and taken across an international border. In fact, estimates of the actual total exceed 10,000 American children. The House Committee on Government Reform, of which I am a member, has held numerous hearings on this matter, and I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) during his tenure for his guidance on that. I have heard heart-wrenching testimony from mothers and fathers who have lost their children through child abduction, and I have heard from children who have returned to the U.S. as victims of child abduction. Under current law, we have remedies for returning children who are abducted to nations that have signed the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. However, for nonsignatory nations, there are few remedies. One specific provision of current law denies visas for admission to the United States for child abductors, their immediate family or agents, who aid or abet a child abductor. Our amendment will prohibit funding to the State Department for any violation of this act. It is important for the State Department to utilize all available remedies for applying pressure for the return of these abducted children. I again want to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) and want to add my appreciation and compliments to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson) and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for their support of this amendment. I have had significant conversations with the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) about this, and he is very attentive to this issue. We are all too familiar with cases of abducted children. It is time for our foreign counterparts to take notice of the 10,000 American children who have been abducted overseas. This is a nonpartisan issue that none of us can afford to ignore any longer. Mr. Chairman, if I may, there are two classes of countries. There are countries that have signed the Hague Convention, and there are countries that have not signed the Hague Convention. My limitation addresses those that have not signed the limitation; and it is consistent with 8 U.S. Code 1182, which is an existing law in the Immigration and Naturalization Act allowing the Secretary of State to deny visas to people who he has been notified have been involved in the abduction and retention of children in violation of a court order.

Mr. OSE

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 303) honoring Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr., former mayor of the City of Atlanta, and extending the condolences of the House of Representatives on his death.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I do want to add my condolences to those of my colleagues here. I cannot match their eloquence this morning. Their words are very well spoken. The majority side concurs in the extension of condolences to the family. I urge all Members to support the adoption of House Resolution 303.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Marshall).

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 303 introduced by my colleague from the State of Georgia (Mr. Lewis) honors Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr., former mayor of the city of Atlanta and extends the condolences of the House of Representatives on his death. Mr. Speaker, today we do honor a great American leader. Maynard Jackson courageously guided the city of Atlanta for three terms as mayor. He was inspired to enter public service, catch this date, on April 4, 1968, when he was a 30-year-old hard-working lawyer in Atlanta. Why does that date register with us? On that terribly bittersweet day, Maynard Jackson welcomed his first child into the world and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was tragically assassinated. The combination of these two events moved Mr. Jackson to enter politics. Only 2 months later, he unhesitatingly launched a grassroots campaign that challenged, albeit unsuccessfully, a powerful incumbent senator. His campaign earned him 200,000 votes, but in 1973, he again challenged a well-known incumbent as he ran for mayor of Atlanta, and this time he won. He was elected the first black mayor in Atlanta's history. Maynard Jackson went on to become one of the most influential civic officials in the history of Georgia, the South and our entire Nation. Mr. Speaker, last month, on June 23, Maynard Jackson sadly collapsed and died from a heart attack right here in Washington at the age of 65. He once was quoted as saying, with perhaps too great an understanding of the way we tend to simplify history, that ``I could see my full name will be Maynard Jackson, first black mayor of Atlanta.'' Certainly his civic accomplishments are not to be overlooked. Today, we seek to remember him more as the wonderful principled man that he was with a memorable booming voice and a giant, friendly handshake. His life was truly one worthy of commendation by this House, and I am proud that we are taking up this legislation. I urge all Members to support the adoption of H. Res. 303 that honors the life and accomplishments of the honorable Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. I thank my colleague from Georgia for introducing this worthwhile measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. OSE

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 208) supporting National Men's Health Week.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Con. Res. 208.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) for introducing this legislation, I urge Members to support the adoption of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 208, introduced by the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), supports National Men's Health Week. I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 208. The worthy purpose of this legislation is to heighten awareness of preventable health problems among men and boys across the country. The text of the resolution reveals that of the top 10 leading causes of deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control, all 10 affect men at greater rates than women. Women make physical checkups and other preventative medical appointments much more frequently than men, and this bill aims to prompt all American men to not forget to make regular appointments with their physician. This is a worthy resolution, and I urge all Members to support the adoption of House Concurrent Resolution 208. I congratulate the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) for his work on this measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OSE

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 6) supporting the goals and ideals of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness Month.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation under consideration.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I want to add my thanks again to the gentleman from Florida for introducing this legislation. I urge all Members to support the adoption of this measure. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. House Concurrent Resolution 6, introduced by my distinguished colleague from Florida, supports the goals and ideals of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness Month. This is an important resolution that can help to alert all Americans to the dangers that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease poses to all of us. Mr. Speaker, it may not be widely known that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the fourth leading cause of death in this country behind heart disease, cancer and strokes. The number of Americans that COPD affects each year is in the tens of millions. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease refers to any of various lung diseases that result in poor pulmonary aeration. The most common forms include emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Mr. Speaker, this affliction has baffled medical experts across the country and around the globe. Despite its prevalence, no cure has been discovered for COPD. However, a variety of treatment options are available to those who suffer from pulmonary disorders. On behalf of this House, I encourage all Americans to be aware of their pulmonary health in order to try to detect problems early and prevent the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Mr. Speaker, for all of these reasons, I urge all Members to support the adoption of House Concurrent Resolution 6. I commend our colleague from Florida for his efforts to raise awareness of this. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns), the leading spokesperson for this particular issue in the halls of Congress. (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. OSE

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Mark Meaker for his many years of dedicated service to a number of Northern California fire departments, and also to congratulate him on the occasion of his upcoming retirement. Mark Meaker began his fire service career in 1971 as a volunteer firefighter with the Arcade Fire District. After a year with Arcade, he went to work with the Citrus Heights Fire District in 1972 and worked his way up through the ranks. Chief Meaker spent eight years as a company officer, six as a battalion chief and five years as an Operations assistant chief for the Sacramento County Fire Protection District. In that period, he played a key role in the development of their ambulance program and was incident commander on many large-scale emergency operations Mr. Meaker became Fire Chief of the Elk Grove Community Services District Fire Department in July of 1997. Since becoming Fire Chief, the department has completed construction of three new fire stations, and is scheduled to begin construction on a $2.7 million fire training facility this spring. Under Chief Meaker's leadership the Elk Grove CSD Fire Department has dramatically improved upon the rate at which its crews respond to emergency situations. The department now executes an emergency response time of 5 minutes or less 75 percent of the time the crew is called into action. This is a 35 percent increase, up from 40 percent in the years prior to his service. Mr. Meaker supported the improved education and motivation of line personnel, implemented an aggressive move-up policy along with restrictions on units leaving their cover areas, and aided in the construction of additional fire stations. These improvements, along with Mr. Meaker's dedication and hard work, are responsible for the dramatic improvement in the Elk Grove CSD Fire Department's emergency response time. After six years of serving as Fire Chief for the Elk Grove Community Service District Fire Department and more than 30 years of dedicated duty to California's fire service, Mark Meaker is retiring. It is my pleasure to honor him today; his hard work and dedication will be missed.

Mr. OSE

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, twenty-five years ago, on June 6, 1978, California voters made history when they passed Proposition 13. Millions of Californians can still remember the condition of our state in 1978, and the irresponsible government actions that moved people to create a new and better way. Skyrocketing property taxes literally drove people from their homes, and a similar fate would surely have been visited on thousands more. Many complained, but few in Sacramento heeded their plight, and this sparked the citizen movement that swept our state and demonstrated the best traditions of direct democracy. The landslide vote that approved the initiative validated what Howard Jarvis himself said at the time: Californians from all regions of the state believed the time had come for serious reform, and they could simply wait no longer. Proposition 13 was a voter-approved proposal that cut California's property taxes by 30 percent and then limited future increases. Other opponents of high taxes used Proposition 13 as a model that led many additional states to institute similar reforms. Almost all of these reforms are still in effect today. The passage of Proposition 13 has resulted in a reduction in property taxes of approximately 57 percent in California. It has been an indispensable element in the way that our state moved forward to outperform the rest of the country in personal income growth, employment growth, and appreciation of real property values. As we again face tough financial decisions and rising tax burdens, I am encouraged when I recall 1978, a time when Californians seized control of their own fate and reformed a run-away tax system. I hope Californians and all Americans will remember on this day that we can control our government and our own destinies.