Rob Portman

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Chairman, because I was unavoidably detained, I was not in attendance for rollcall vote No. 278. Had I been in attendance, I would have voted ``aye''.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, the month of July marks the official birthday of our Nation, and I would like to acknowledge the outstanding work of a patriotic American, Bev Ross Snyder of Owensville in Clermont County, OH. Ms. Snyder is a descendant of Betsy Ross, who was credited with the creation of our national flag--the Stars and Stripes. She has been the driving force behind the ``Glorifying Our Flag--Through Education'' campaign--an effort to educate students about the history, importance, and use of our national emblem. As a result of her efforts, students in grades 3 through 12 in Clermont County have been encouraged to learn more about the flag and have participated in very competitive art and essay contests. And, she has been an outspoken advocate of legislation in the Ohio General Assembly to encourage school districts to educate students about the proper respect, use, and display of the flag. Ms. Snyder is making her first visit to Washington this week. I commend her on her work, and encourage all Americans to take an active role in learning more about the national symbol of freedom--our flag.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge to many outstanding contributions of a good friend and constituent, Robert (Butch) Bemmes, who is retiring as a member of the city council of Reading, OH, on July 15, 1997. A lifelong resident of Reading, Butch Bemmes has spent years giving back to his community. He is a carpenter by trade and owned the Butch Bemmes and Sons Construction Co. He volunteered for years with the Valley Youth Organization, coaching Little League baseball. For 30 years, he volunteered by carrying down markers at Reading High School football games. This year, he personally collected donations to purchase a wheelchair lift for Veterans Stadium in Reading to allow the disabled to enjoy the Friday night football action. He also served as president of the Reading athletic boosters during the 1970's. Butch has also been active in public service. He served two teams on the Reading city council, where he served as chairman of the recreation committee; chairman of the zoning, planning and environment committee; and a member of the laws and contracts committee. He also served as Reading's city representative to the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, city representative for the Mill Creek Watershed committee and liaison for council and the school board committee. Even with all these accomplishments, his first love has always been his family. Butch and his wife, Paula, raised nine children to whom they are devoted. And their family now includes 26 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, throughout his life, Butch Bemmes has worked to make his city and his country a better place to live. I salute his many contributions and wish him well.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Chairman, as many of you know, for the last year, I have cochaired the Commission on Restructuring the Internal Revenue Service. Yesterday we issued our report--the culmination of a year-long study of the IRS. One of our central recommendations deals with the need to simplify our tax system. In fact, quoting from our report, the Commission ``strongly recommends that Congress and the President work toward simplifying the tax code wherever possible.'' We provided Congress with 60 specific provisions of the tax code that the tax writing committees could consider simplifying or reforming. And, I'm pleased to note that, under the leadership of Chairman Archer, 23 of these tax simplification proposals are in this bill. I'd like to mention two: providing broad capital gains tax relief for those who sell their homes; and protecting State and local public pension plans from needless IRS regulation. Several months ago, Ben Cardin and I introduced legislation to provide a capital gains exclusion from taxes for home sales. Under our proposal, which is incorporated in this bill, the number of people paying capital gains on the sale of a home will be reduced from 150,000 to 10,000 a year. This provision will eliminate the need to keep detailed records and file complicated reports. Mr. Speaker, that's real simplification. And by doing away with the current rollover rules and the limited ``over 55 exclusion,'' homeowners will have more flexibility. They no longer will be forced to buy up in order avoid the tax bite. This will allow homeowners to use their savings to plan for retirement, meet education expenses for their kids and otherwise enhance their quality of life. Our proposal recognizes that a home is the primary source of savings for most American families. Instead of forcing homeowners to give up all the money they've made on their home sale to Uncle Sam, Congress can give families a real break. The second proposal, which I also authored with Ben Cardin, will ensure that State and local pension plans will not have to undergo unnecessary and costly testing of their plans for compliance with complicated pension coverage rules. These rules are inappropriate for public plans. In fact, participation in public pension plans is often mandatory, and full-time public employees enjoy almost twice the pension coverage rate of their counterparts in the private sector. Furthermore, State and local governmental plans already come under a high level of scrutiny from elected officials, voters, and the media. There simply is no need to burden plans with unnecessary IRS regulations and costs. Mr. Chairman, both of these proposals offer true simplification. I'm pleased the Ways and Means Committee included them and I'd like to note that the other body has incorporated them in its tax package as well. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2014.

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Chairman, the alternative minimum tax [AMT] is recognized on a bipartisan basis as one of the most punitive provisions in the Tax Code. Simply put, it's a job killer. It also is one of the most complicated provisions in the Tax Code--accounting for as much as 26 percent of tax compliance costs. Anyone concerned about tax simplification and the integrity of the Tax Code has to be alarmed about the AMT. The current AMT was enacted in 1986 to ensure that no individual or business taxpayer with substantial economic income can avoid significant tax liability by using exclusions, deductions, and credits. While the drafters of the AMT might have been well-intentioned, in reality there is no longer a sound policy justification for this onerous and complicated provision. H.R. 2014, the tax cut package being considered today, doesn't repeal the AMT but it does provide some important AMT relief and that's good news for American workers. AMT relief will help put U.S. firms on more equal footing with our international competitors by eliminating the tax penalty on investments in new plant and equipment in the United States. The bill also averts an AMT trainwreck for individuals by indexing the annual exemption for the AMT. Without this change, there will be a ten- fold increase over the next 10 years in the number of individuals who will be subject to the AMT. Mr. Chairman, I think the AMT provisions are an important job creating component of this bill and I hope it can be enacted soon.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of renewing most- favored-nation [MFN] trading status to China. MFN status is extended to virtually every country in the world and permits a normal trading relationship with China. There's nothing ``special'' or ``favored'' about MFN. I believe that continuing this normal trading relationship is critical to advancing U.S. interests. First, of course, revoking MFN, would significantly raise tariffs on Chinese imports--costing United States consumers more of their hard earned money. Failure to extend MFN would also hurt our exports which has been steadily growing every year and support thousands of U.S. jobs. The Chinese would undoubtedly retaliate, putting our jobs and exports at risk. We would be giving our global competitors an open shot at the one of the world's biggest markets. But even more important, if we are to disengage from China and walk away from the table, the very problems we have with China will worsen-- especially in the important area of human rights. Because we engage with China does not mean that we approve of its practices. As an example, I have grave concerns about its human rights record. But the question is how disengaging will help. Instead, we should want the Chinese to become increasingly familiar with American ideals through our contact with them. Mr. Speaker, renewal of MFN has been supported by every President who has faced this issue, and is supported throughout Asia, including in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose the disapproval resolution and support renewing most-favored-nation trading status to China. Simply put, continued engagement with China is the only way to help China become a constructive force for stability and prosperity in Asia, and advance important American interests.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Charles Seipelt, who is retiring after 35 years as principal of Pleasant Hill Elementary School in Milford, OH. Mr. Seipelt has been the one and only principal of the school since it was built. His long and dedicated service as principal is truly remarkable, and he will be greatly missed by students, teachers, and fellow administrators. I know I speak for everyone in Milford in wishing him the best of success in his future endeavors.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the outstanding service of Harold Showalter, who is retiring after 41 years of service to Fayetteville-Perry Local Schools. During his remarkable career, he has been a music-drama teacher, English teacher, librarian, high school principal, director of District Media/Computer, and director of District Library/Media. Among his numerous awards and honors, Mr. Showalter is the recipient of the 1996 Governor's Award for Innovation and the 1996 SOITA Technology Leadership Award. But perhaps the most fitting recognition he has received is the establishment of a scholarship fund in his honor by the faculty and administration of the Fayetteville-Perry Local School District. His professionalism and expertise will long be remembered, and he will be greatly missed by students, faculty and administrators. I join the Fayetteville community in wishing Harold and his wife, Mary Rae, a long and enjoyable retirement.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 956) to amend the National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988 to establish a program to support and encourage local communities that first demonstrate a comprehensive, long-term commitment to reduce substance abuse among youth, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hastert] who has been a national leader in the fight against drugs along our borders and our communities.

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia Mr. Gingrich], the Speaker of the House.

Mr. PORTMAN. The gentleman is correct.

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot of shocking statistics today. Those alone should inspire us to act and pass this legislation today. But as a lot of Members have also reminded us, this is about people and it is about our kids. I would not be standing here today probably if not for a visit 3 years ago from a young woman in my district, Patty Gilbert, the mother of two, who came to me to say that her 16-year-old son had just died from a combination of huffing gasoline and smoking marijuana. Mr. Speaker, she issued a challenge to me. She said, ``I want to you to help us in our community.'' She said, ``I don't want to hear more about this rhetoric from Washington. I want to know what you can do to help us locally.'' Mr. Speaker, it took us a while, but we finally came up with this idea that these communities coalitions really were working around the country, and it is something that Members of Congress could get engaged in and help with. My colleagues have heard from a few Members today, the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Lewis] and others who have committee coalitions up and going, the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Levin], and they are working. We have at least 43 Members of Congress who are now working on their own community coalitions. This bill is the next step because it really does answer her question, it really does provide help in a meaningful way back in our communities. It does so by parent training. It does so by getting our businesses to have drug-free workplaces. It does so by involving our religious community. It does so by involving our schools. It is a neighborhood approach, it is a local approach, a community approach; we know it works. This is something that Congress is doing, as we have seen this morning, in a bipartisan way to approach a very real problem, and again what, I think, is a very meaningful way. I urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the legislation today. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for all their help in putting this together.

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to commend the gentleman from Maryland for his work in improving the bill, as I said earlier. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman], the chairman of the Committee on International Relations. (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as we have seen and have heard from a lot of Members, there is no issue more important to the future of our kids than this one. We do have a lot of speakers interested in addressing it. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to extend by 20 minutes the debate time on this legislation, 10 minutes to each side equally divided between myself and the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Barrett].

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr. Watts].

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her passionate support and for her wing-to-wing broad spectrum approach to the problem. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina [Mrs. Myrick].

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Wolf] who has been very bold on this issue at the local level. He is also going to be critical frankly in the appropriations process in finding the appropriate offsets. (Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Lewis].

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Forbes]. (Mr. FORBES asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I was deeply saddened to hear about the unfortunate death of Officer Hernan Sabath in an automobile accident on Monday. Officer Sabath leaves his wife, Norah, and two children. I had the privilege of becoming acquainted with Officer Sabath through his service as a desk officer at one of the entrances to the Cannon House Office Building. He was unfailingly courteous, professional, and good humored--not only in his interactions with Members of Congress but, from my observations, with all visitors to the Capitol. I will personally miss his presence here at the Capitol and the many opportunities we had to converse in Spanish. He was a patient teacher who always endured my less than polished accent and poor vocabulary with a smile. Much more important, though, he'll be sorely missed by his family and many friends in the Capitol Police. He served honorably as an officer in the Capitol Police for almost 11 years, and touched the lives of so many members of the Capitol Hill community. We all offer our prayers and condolences to his family. Officer Sabath will be greatly missed.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 956.