Ed Pastor

Mr. PASTOR

Mr. PASTOR. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, that is what we are asking to do by denying the Ryan amendment. If we are only able to spend $5 for hamburgers, but yet we know we have other priorities where we want to spend the money, in the Committee on Appropriations we want the flexibility to do that. If we put it in the lockbox, as I understand the amendment, then we spend the $5 and we will not have the flexibility to pay the gas and pay the electric bills. I think what we are asking and saying is that the concept is good, but in the procedure and the process as we try to work in funding the government, and programs that people may want or we think are important, we lose that flexibility. I think that is why the debate is against the Ryan amendment.

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, the example the gentleman gave where one goes to the grocery store with $10 and decides that they can only buy or want to buy $5 of hamburger, which we all do, then we may want to spend that money for gas or for maybe other items in the grocery store.

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. PASTOR. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, it is an idea, but once we adopt the amendment it becomes part of the law. I think the intent is great, but the result if adopted is going to hinder the gentleman and hinder me in the appropriation process to be able to allocate money for those priorities that we may have.

Mr. PASTOR

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer).

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I am not opposed, but I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition.

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I would ask my colleagues to support the manager's amendment, if that is adopted, and the Ryan amendment defeated, that we support this bill. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I just want to take a minute to ask my colleagues to support this manager's amendment. The chairman and I have worked to make this bill a better bill, tried to fund the security needs, the needs that we have in order to maintain the House and the Capitol and reduce the pain. I would ask my colleagues to support the manager's amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo). (Mr. SABO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, we accept the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I would ask my colleagues to vote no on this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha).

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

Mr. PASTOR. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. PASTOR

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today at the end of this long journey to fully support this legislation which transfers the title of the Gila Project/Wellton Mohawk Division facilities from the Bureau of Reclamation to the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District. I want to thank the Gentleman from Alaska, Chairman Young, the Gentleman from California, Mr. Miller, the Chairman of the Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power, Chairman Doolittle, and the Ranking Member of that Subcommittee, Mr. Dooley, for their help in getting this legislation through the Subcommittee, through the full Resources Committee, and now on the Floor of the House. I also want to thank my colleagues from Arizona for their help. Congressmen Stump, Hayworth, and Kolbe joined me in introducing the legislation, and Congressman Shadegg quickly joined them in seeing the wisdom of co-sponsorship. And in the other body, both Senators from Arizona joined to introduce the bill we are considering today. The Gila project in Western Arizona was originally authorized for construction by President Roosevelt in June, 1937. Construction for the Wellton-Mohawk Division was started in August, 1949, and water from the Colorado River was turned onto the Wellton-Mohawk fields for the first time in May, 1952. The project was completed by June, 1957 and the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District fully repaid its project costs and was given its certificate of discharge on November 27, 1991. In 1998, the District and the Bureau of Reclamation signed a Memorandum of Agreement that covers the details of the transfer of title. This bill, S. 356, which is virtually identical to the bill I introduced, H.R. 841, simply authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to carry out all provisions of the Memorandum of Agreement covering the transfer of title, including the authority to convey lands as required. It also requires the Secretary of Interior and the Secretary of Energy to continue to provide water and power as provided under existing contracts. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, this has been a long road, but we are finally ending the legislative journey. This is simple legislation which will help shrink the role of the Federal government and shift the responsibilities for ownership into the hands of local entities. In short, passage of this legislation will ensure a smoother and more efficient operation, which in turn will better serve the American taxpayer and the citizens of Southwest Arizona. I ask that my colleagues support passage of S. 356 and I look forward to watching the President sign it into law.

Mr. PASTOR

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, during the recent consideration of H.R. 8, legislation which would repeal the estate tax, I supported an alternative which was drafted to give immediate protection to the American farmer and the small businessman whose heirs are in danger of losing their family's hard-earned, life-long business to the Federal government. I have always supported the elimination of the estate tax. And even though I am a cosponsor of H.R. 8, I believe the Democratic alternative is better suited, at this time, for accomplishing what we need in eliminating this unfair tax. The Democratic alternative immediately provides a $4 million per family exclusion for farms and small businesses and it lowers the tax rate. H.R. 8 takes ten years before it is fully phased-into place. In short, the Democratic alternative helps the right people right now. It does more and does it quicker than the version of H.R. 8 which I cosponsored back in July of 1999. At that time, there was no better alternative and it was assumed that a comprehensive tax package would be instituted which would provide across-the-board benefits for hard- working middle-class citizens as well as the wealthy. Standing alone, H.R. 8 does nothing for middle-income families. And by not enacting a full package of tax relief for all Americans, the lost revenues increase the burden on the same middle-income workers who must make up the shortfall in preserving Social Security and Medicare, providing a prescription drug benefit for our seniors, improving our educational system, and paying down the debt. Like the rest of America, I am pleased that we are enjoying a period of prosperity with a strong economy. However, we have no guarantee that this respite will continue. In light of this uncertainty, it is patently unfair to grant a massive tax relief provision that benefits only 2% of the nation's richest persons while creating a drain on revenues which would ultimately burden two-income families who are struggling today to make ends meet.

Mr. PASTOR

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I want to congratulate both the chairman of the committee and the ranking member for bringing forth to this House a fair bill, a bipartisan bill, and I ask my colleagues to support it. I would like to take a few minutes to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) for the leadership he has taken and the advocacy he has taken in terms of safety. I know that he started with truck safety and he worked very hard to ensure that we had a reasonable and sensible solution in the manner in which we had oversight over truck safety, and I want to congratulate him and thank him for the leadership. Lately he has been concerned and been an advocate to increase the safety at our airports and, again, he has found a reasonable and sensible solution and I want to thank him. I know that this is the last bill that he will bring to the floor on transportation. I want to commend him for the fine work he has done. I also want to congratulate the ranking member for the work he has done on behalf of the minority.

Mr. PASTOR

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate and honor a young Arizona student from my district who has achieved national recognition for outstanding volunteer service in her community. Ms. Aracely Gurrola of Phoenix has just been named one of my state's top honorees in The 2000 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, an annual honor conferred on the most impressive student volunteers in each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. An eighth grader at Lowell Elementary School, Aracely is being recognized for having initiated ``Line Up to Help,'' a fund-raising project at her school to benefit victims of Hurricane Mitch. An active community volunteer on projects such as clean-ups, food drives, and car-wash fund-raisers, she felt compelled to do something special after watching news reports of the devastation Hurricane Mitch had left behind. She approached her principal and received approval to collect change from fellow students for two days as school let out. Aracely coordinated her efforts with the local St. Vincent DePaul Society, which made arrangements to get the donations into the right hands. Then she recruited several student volunteers to help her with flyers promoting the fund-raiser and to collect the money. In just two days, she collected $250 in loose change from fellow students, money that most students would usually spend on candy. Aracely should be extremely proud to have been singled out from such a large group of dedicated volunteers. I heartily applaud her for her initiative in seeking to make a positive impact on the lives of others. She has demonstrated a level of commitment and accomplishment that is truly extraordinary in today's world, and deserves our sincere admiration and respect. Her actions show that young Americans can play important roles in our communities, and that America's community spirit continues to hold tremendous promise for the future.

Mr. PASTOR

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to the men and women of the Edward W. Rhoads Chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association in Tuscon, Arizona, who have joined together to honor those who fought in the ``Forgotten War.'' Through personal commitment, they are working to identify veterans of the Korean conflict, especially those who live in or who served from Pima County, Arizona. Their commitment to those who served in Korea has encouraged a rebirth of patriotism and pride for Korean War Veterans. All branches of the United States Military are welcome to participate. The only requirement is that the veteran served on active duty. The chapter is named for Edward W. Rhoads, Jr., who was the first casualty of the Korean War from Pima County. Mr. Rhoads was in Company G, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured on July 16, 1950, and died in North Korean POW Camp #3. His date of death is listed as December 31, 1951. He is credited with saving the life of one POW during the vicious ``Tiger Death March.'' His story of quiet heroism, suffering and personal sacrifice is one of the many stories that need to be told and remembered of our Korean veterans. I applaud the efforts of the members of the Edward W. Rhoads Chapter who have created a place where memories and heroic deeds can be shared by those who appreciate them most: the men and women who were there. In addition, they have created a physical place of remembrance, a war memorial, to honor all who served during the Korean War. The names of the Pima County veterans who gave their lives in Korea will be inscribed on the memorial, which will serve as a reminder of all that duty to and love for one's country are part of our proud American heritage. May America always be protected by individuals like the Korean War Veterans in the Edward W. Rhoads Chapter. In their youth they gave their vitality and innocence to protect our nation. Today they continue to give their energy and enthusiasm to protect the ideals for which our nation stands. May democracy always have such champions.

Mr. PASTOR

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to pay tribute to an outstanding fellow Arizonan, Yolanda Collazos Kizer. Yolanda is a well- respected business and community leader in Arizona and Phoenix, and someone I'm proud to call my friend. Yolanda was recently awarded the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year award by the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for the year 2000. This award was established to honor extraordinary individuals that have not only been successful in the business world, but who have contributed to the community on a broader scale. The award recognizes Ms. Kizer for her influence as a role model among small business owners and in the Hispanic community. Yolanda is the owner and president of three Phoenix-based businesses: CASA Fenix Merchandising owns and operates retail concessions at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport; Builder's Book Depot is a retail, mail order and electronic commerce bookstore that specializes in construction, architecture, interior design and engineering books; and Builders' Book Publishing Company produces speciality business management texts for the construction industry. Yolanda is an active community leader and has served on a multitude of boards and commissions. Currently she sits on the Executive Committee of the City of Phoenix Sister Cities Commission and on the Governor's Diversity Council. She has professional affiliations that include memberships in the National Association of Women Business Owners, the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Minority Owned Airport Concessions, and the American Booksellers Association. She has previously served on the City of Phoenix Commission on the Economy, First Interstate Bank Community Advisory Board, Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum and Exposition Center Board of Directors, and the Governor's Strategic Plan for Economic Development. She is also the former President and Board member of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Not only is Yolanda a tireless worker in the business community, she also spends many hours giving back and facilitating the success of others. Yolanda has served as a mentor to many young women, and she is a founding member of MUJER, a Hispanic women's organization in Arizona. Yolanda has given freely of her experience and expertise by giving seminars and lectures throughout the Valley of the Sun. As a policy maker, through her various civic roles, she has made important contributions to and helped to shape today's business environment. Mr. Speaker, as you can surmise, Yolanda Kizer is an exemplary community leader and a true role model for young entrepreneurs across the nation. Therefore, I am pleased to pay tribute to my friend Yolanda, congratulate her on this most recent accomplishment, and wish her continued success.

Mr. PASTOR

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to support the ``Straight Talk Express!'' As you all will recall, the Presidential candidate from my home state, Arizona, took to the campaign trail and gave our country some ``Strait Talk'' on some important issues, including campaign finance reform, health care reform, veterans programs, defense spending, deficit reduction, and massive tax cuts. But of all his ``Straight Talk,'' Candidate McCain made one point perfectly clear. He called it irresponsible to propose and implement massive tax cuts in this time, or even in the near future. He believes, as do many people in this Chamber, that any significant tax reduction will only weaken Social Security and Medicare. And while it may give the wealthiest one percent of the people in our nation more spending change, it will do nothing to stimulate the economy, it will do nothing to pay down the debt which continues to drain precious funds away from important programs that can really help people, it will do nothing to ensure that a strong Medicare program exists as the baby boom generation begins to age, and a huge tax cut will do nothing to shore up a Social Security that many claim will be broke in thirty years. But Candidate McCain went a step further. He not only said that a huge tax cut will weaken Medicare and Social Security, he said that huge tax cuts will actually hurt Social Security and Medicare. And this doesn't mean it will hurt these programs--these words ``Social Security'' and ``Medicare.'' What it means is that it will hurt people. It will hurt the elderly woman in Yuma, Arizona who is trying to decide if she should turn off her air conditioner so she can pay her doctor, or if she will be able to go to the drug store and get her much needed medicine and still have enough to eat at the end of the month. It will hurt the elderly widower in Phoenix who has been saving for months, maybe even years, to finally visit his grandchildren in Tucson, but then has the unexpected illness that keeps him at home because he can't afford to pay his rent and his doctor's bills and his drug store bill. My point is simple. We can talk of cutting taxes all we want, but, according to the ``Straight Talk Express,'' such a tax cut will cut into Social Security and Medicare. It will cut into the daily lives of our parents, and our grandparents, and it will cut into our own lives in just a few years when we reach that age of dependence. This Republican budget makes irresponsible tax cuts. Over the next five years, this budget cuts $150 billion worth of taxes, with another $50 billion ``reserve tax cut fund,'' for a total of $200 billion in tax cuts. And there is another $40 billion ``reserve fund'' set up for Medicare reforms. If both these ``reserve funds'' are used as the authors of this Resolution intend, it will mean the Social Security surplus will be breached. We might give a little to Medicare, but it will be at the expense of Social Security. And while we give some wealthy businesses and super wealthy individuals a little extra money in their pockets, we will be taking it from the pockets of the elderly. But worse, over the next ten years, it is projected that this budget resolution will cut taxes by $750 billion, with another $250 billion in a tax cut ``reserve fund.'' This is a $1 trillion tax cut! One trillion dollars! Mr. Chairman, I support tax cuts. I support tax cuts when they make sense for our economy. When we needed to stimulate our economy and put some capital on the streets, we have done that, and I have supported it. And I could support tax cuts now, if I knew they were going to help that elderly lady in Yuma and that elderly man in Phoenix, and the plumber in Tucson who is trying to make this house payments and keep his two kids in good clothes and maybe put a little something away in case they have the opportunity to go to college. But I can't support this huge, massive tax cut proposal that I know will only go to line the pocket of multi-millionaires. We should take this money, this $1 trillion, and use it for our people. We should use it for education. We should make sure that every child in this country has a fair and equal chance to use his talents and intelligence and knowledge to make us a stronger nation in the long run. We should try and give every eligible child the opportunity to attend college. We should make sure that every child is taught to read, that every child is given the chance to learn about, enjoy and appreciate the arts and music, that every child has a place to go after school where he feels safe and can continue to learn. We should make sure that every child is given a fair chance to learn English and is not penalized because he can't. We should make sure that every child can go to a school where he is not afraid and his parents are never concerned that a classmate has come to school with a gun. We should make sure that every child is attending a school where the teachers still care and are trained in the newest techniques and are still motivated when they look into the wonders gleaming from a kid's eyes when he finally ``gets'' the math problem. Could we not even give just a portion of this one trillion dollars to education? And a trillion dollars would go a long way in our hopes of solidifying a strong and viable Social Security system beyond 2032. We have spent almost four years around here talking about how Social Security is going broke, yet we never do anything about it, except put it in a ``lockbox'' that is not made of steel, but only of worthless words. It's time to put our money where only our words have been. Let's take some of this $1 trillion and put it into Social Security and Medicare. Let's take the advice from the ``Straight Talk Express'' that rolled through this whole country winning the hearts and minds of people. They know we need to do something to strengthen Social Security. The people know we must do something to stabilize Medicare. Let's do it. And we have $1 trillion to use. And finally, Mr. Chairman, we can use some of this $1 trillion to pay down the debt. When President Carter left office we owed $930 billion. When President Bush left office we owed $4.1 trillion. We borrowed ourselves out of a recession. And now, the American economy is the strongest economy in the history of civilization and we have the opportunity to pay back some of that money we owe. Our alternative is to continue to use more than ten percent of our money to pay only the interest on this debt. But this budget resolution only ignores this responsibility. Mr. Chairman, the Presidential candidate from Arizona and I do not agree on a lot of things a lot of times. But we do agree that these will be irresponsible tax cuts. Let's use this money wisely. We owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our elderly, and we owe it to our children.

Mr. PASTOR

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to proudly pay tribute to a fellow Arizonan--a little boy who lives in the Second Congressional District and who has proclaimed to the world his pride in being an American, an Arizonan, a Latino, and bilingual. Oscar Zepeda, from Tucson, has recently won the 2000 Nationwide Writing Contest for Bilingual Students in the sixth to eighth grade category sponsored by the National Association for Bilingual Education. This is a tremendous accomplishment as he competed against thousands of young boys and girls who live in all parts of the United States, who are bilingual in various languages, and who have recognized the importance of being bilingual in the 21st Century. Oscar will receive his award at the National Association for Bilingual Education's 29th Annual Conference to be held in San Antonio later this month. This is indeed a prestigious award in an acclaimed contest as the winner receives a $5,000 scholarship, roundtrip airfare and accommodation for himself, a member of his family, and his bilingual teacher, and free registration to the Conference. As all of us serving in Congress know, we sometimes have great and illustrious debates on the values and merits of bilingual education in our school systems. We all know that English is the language of economic opportunity within the United States, but sometimes we ignore the value of knowing and speaking another language. But, I wish all my colleagues would read Oscar's essay. Oscar is proud to be bilingual and he uses the simple arguments best expressed by a child to explain why we should cherish our differences and look to diversity as one of the strengths of our country. Oscar enjoys living in a bilingual world, and in fact, he would have it no other way. He can learn from and cherish his Latino side by celebrating the courage of Cesar Chavez and watching Tlemundo and Univision while also appreciating and developing his ``American side,'' as he puts it, by celebrating the accomplishments of Bill Clinton and watching MTV. Oscar closes his essay by asking the simple, but poignant question, ``So why won't we just work together and make this an easier world for all of us?'' Mr. Speaker, I agree. Oscar and classmates have ignored the politics of bilingualism and just keep living their lives with the grace and courage and enthusiasm that is unique to children who are sometimes caught unknowingly in adult arguments. We should all feel proud for Oscar that he made a complex issue very simple. I hope all my colleagues will read Oscar's essay which I am submitting for the Record. Oscar, we are all proud of you and your accomplishments. But mainly, we are humbled by your words. And maybe, we can live up to your dream--that we ``just work together'' to make the world an easier place for us all. Proud To Be Bilingual Proud to be bilingual is not a question, it's an answer that you and I would give when asked why we're proud to be bilingual. Being bilingual is a gift that GOD gave me, to use and show other people what I can do with it. Sometimes I sit and think if I weren't bilingual I wouldn't have a lot of the things I have now. Some of them may be friends, a better education and opportunities for better jobs in the future. I was talking to a staff member of a school the other day that was speaking English very well. She started saying, ``I hate it when students come in here and don't know how to speak English''. ``I'm against bilingual education.'' ``They should learn Spanish at home and English in school.'' Meanwhile I was just looking around and ignoring her. Then I laughed as she spoke in Spanish. It was the worst Spanish I had ever heard, and she was saying that her mother had taught her; what an insult to her mother. I can't understand why a Mexican would deny her own native language; it was just incredible to me. Let's come down to the facts of what being proud means. Being proud means having something different and positive from one another, therefore, this thing that's good should make everybody proud of themselves. It doesn't matter if you speak Chinese and Japanese, French and German, or Spanish and English you're still bilingual and unique. Being different means good. If we would all be the same, it would be a dull world. I'm a Chicano (Mexican-American) and being proud of it means being involved in everything that goes with it, from supporting Cesar Chavez' N.F.W.A. (National Farm Workers Association) to watching ``Telemundo and Univision'' to speaking and practicing Spanish. I also have to be in touch with my American side in order to be ``cool'', anything from Bill Clinton to ``MTV and NBC'' to of course speaking English. So why won't we just work together and make this an easier world for all of us.

Mr. PASTOR

Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Ramon Gonzales, a generous man of limited means who works hard to ensure that the Spirit of Christmas touches all of South Tucson's children. Twenty-nine years ago, Mr. Gonzales held a neighborhood Christmas party for his own children and a few of their friends. Because the party was so successful and appreciated, he gave another one the following year and every year since. Throughout the years, the celebration has radiated from Mr. Gonzales' small stucco house and onto West 31st Street. Now, on the day of the party, the street is blocked off and there are refreshments, balloons, clowns, mariachi music, pinatas, face painters, live radio broadcasts, and presents. During the festivities, Santa Claus arrives to hand presents out to the children, sometimes in a red fire truck and other times in a helicopter. However he arrives, children, parents and volunteers alike thrill to the renewal of Christmas magic and the promise of a better tomorrow. Because of the happiness the celebration generates, Tucson's residents have come to call it the ``Miracle on 31st Street.'' This year's event is expected to benefit approximately 4,000 local children, who undoubtedly will have a memorable Christmas because of Mr. Gonzales' kindness and compassion. Mr. Gonzales, a former sheet metal worker now on disability, works all year to organize and develop resources for the Christmas Eve celebration. Always modest, Mr. Gonzales insists that ``It's the volunteers that make the party,'' and he, along with 200 other volunteers, works tirelessly to ensure the success of the annual event. Many of the volunteers are Mr. Gonzales' union friends, and he has been praised by his union president, who said ``I wish we all could be as selfless and as giving as Brother Gonzales.'' Volunteers also come from businesses, radio stations, friends, neighbors, nonprofit groups, and government agencies who enjoy generating positive feelings for the children and within the volunteer corps. Although many of the children who come to the party are from low income families who may not have another Christmas celebration, Mr. Gonzales welcomes all children to join in the festivities. He understands that childhood dreams are nurtured through a caring community that transcends the individual's situation and emphasizes positive concepts: sharing, love, involvement, generosity, and kindness. The block party on West 31st Street in South Tucson has become a beacon for those ideals. I commend Ramon Gonzales for his dedication and personal sacrifice that has generated so many positive emotions and wonderful memories for thousands of children. He is an outstanding model for our nation of one person truly making a difference. May his energies and commitment continue for many years to come.