Rob Portman

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a friend and constituent, Lyle Everingham, who will be honored by the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce on February 20 as a Great Living Cincinnatian. The recipients of this prestigious award are selected on the basis of special achievement in the world of work, but the criteria also includes an awareness of the needs of others; civic service; leadership; and distinctive accomplishments. Lyle Everingham's success is a classic American story of ``working your way to the top.'' Fresh from a tour of duty with the U.S. Army in the South Pacific, twenty-one year old Lyle applied for a temporary position stocking shelves at a Kroger store in Adrian, Michigan. He thought it would be a nice summer job until school started that fall. Instead, he stayed on with the company, and decades later, oversaw the Kroger Company's entire operation--retiring as Chairman of the Board in 1991. Along the way, he assumed greater responsibility--as store manager, district manager, general district manager and manager of operations. He served as manager of merchandising in the company's Toledo Division, and it was there that he sharpened his administrative skills. Under Lyle's leadership, Kroger became one of the nation's largest food chains and retained its ownership, fending off a hostile takeover attempt by two out-of-town investors. He consistently championed innovative ideas to improve the customer's experience--such as incorporating bank branches right into the Kroger store. Kroger is truly all in the family for the Everinghams. Lyle's brother, Bob, four sisters, mother and wife Rlene have all worked for Kroger. Rlene and Lyle have three children and six grandchildren. Lyle's volunteer activities are many. He led the first capital campaign for Hospice of Cincinnati and the second capital campaign for St. Rita's School for the Deaf. He served on the Smale Infrastructure Commission, the Buenger Education Commission, and was active in United Way. A past president of the Commercial Club and a past co-chair of the Cincinnati Business Committee, Lyle also served as a trustee of the University of Cincinnati and on the board of Bethesda, Inc. All of us in the Cincinnati area salute Lyle Everingham as he is recognized as a Great Living Cincinnatian.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Emily Watkins Spicer, an educator and community leader, who will be honored on February 20 by the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce as a Great Living Cincinnatian. The recipients for this prestigious award are selected on the basis of their achievement in the world of work, but the criteria also includes an awareness of others; civic service; leadership; and distinctive accomplishments. Emily Watkins Spicer grew up in Cincinnati during the 1940s--a time when many young African-American women were not able to realize their career goals. At Withrow High School and later at the University of Cincinnati, she remembers some teachers would not call on her in class. Never allowing herself to become bitter, Emily turned her formidable energy and talent to becoming a teacher, her lifelong dream. After graduating from Withrow in 1944, Emily earned a bachelor's degree in teaching from the University of Cincinnati in 1948. She worked for the Cincinnati Recreation Commission for ten years, then accepted a job teaching physical education at Lincoln Heights High School. While earning her master's degree in guidance counseling at U.C., she taught health and physical education at Heinold Junior High. Completing her master's degree in 1963, she held teaching and counseling positions at Aiken High and Woodward High. In 1971, she was named assistant principal at Woodward. In 1976, Emily became principal of Merry Junior High in Mt. Adams, where she had the task of supervising 1,000 seventh and eighth graders who were bused from other parts of the city. Her accomplishments were noticed by the Superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools, James N. Jacobs, who named Emily principal of Taft High School. Emily's appointment marked the first time a woman was named senior high school principal for the Cincinnati Public Schools. At Taft, Emily was credited with giving the high school--then in deplorable physical condition--a new spirit as well as a new look. Although she retired in 1983, Emily remains active in community and educational pursuits. She served four years on the Greenhills-Forest Park School Board, and helped open a charter school, the Hamilton County Math and Science Academy. In 1979, Emily was recognized as a ``Woman of the Year'' by the Cincinnati Enquirer. All of us in Cincinnati area are grateful for Emily Watkins Spicer's dedication to our community, and congratulate her on being recognized as a Great Living Cincinnatian.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a friend and constituent, Oliver Gale, who will be formally honored on February 20 by the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce as a Great Living Cincinnatian. The recipients of this prestigious award are selected on the basis of special achievement in the world of work, but the criteria also includes an awareness of the needs of others; civic service; leadership; and distinctive accomplishments. Oliver Gale is a 92-year old Cincinnati legend--and Cincinnati is his adopted hometown! He has been a major force behind every Cincinnati civic improvement project over the past forty years. After graduating from Choate in 1937 and Harvard in 1941, Oliver began his career as a reporter and writer for the Boston Herald. He spent twenty years at Proctor & Gamble, joining the company in 1937 and rising to becoming an assistant to the company's legendary president, Neil NcElroy. In 1957, Oliver became a special assistant during Mr. McElroy's tenure as U.S. Secretary of Defense under President Eisenhower. In November, 1960, Oliver turned his attention to assisting Cincinnati landmark institutions. He has served as trustee and president for the Cincinnati Zoological Society at the time when the Cincinnati Zoo became internationally recognized. Oliver led the effort to join the Cincinnati Historical Society with the Museum of Natural History to establish the Cincinnati Museum Center at historic Union Terminal. With the Museum of Natural History, Oliver served as trustee, secretary, president and chairman. He served on the Museum Center board for twelve years, and he remains an honorary board member. His civic associations do not end there. Oliver also dedicated his talent to the Cincinnati Ballet Company, the Oral History Foundation and the Friends of the Parks. All of us in Greater Cincinnati thank Oliver for his service to our community, and congratulate him for being named a Great Living Cincinnatian.

Mr. PORTMAN

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

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, let us back up for a second and talk about why we are here. Let us remind ourselves of the fact that we are in a recession. The economy was already hurting before September 11, and it is in a whole lot worse shape now. Eight hundred thousand people we believe have lost their jobs since September 11. Businesses are shutting down, mostly small businesses, and people are hurting because people are unemployed. We are trying in a good faith effort to deal with that and to protect people's jobs and help jump start this economy. That is what this is all about. We can do it tonight. For starters, this package provides needed stimulus to the economy by giving people more money to spend so they can get out and spend more money. We heard earlier people care about consumers. I have heard tonight on the floor that this is all about the super rich; that it is all about fat cats, those are quotes, tax cuts for the rich. Tell me where they are. Is it the $13 billion that is going out to people who did not get checks over the summer and the fall, the $300, $500, and $600 checks? Are they the fat cats? They are at the low end of the economic scale. They need that money. They can use it right now. They will spend it. Is it lowering the taxes from 27 percent to 25 percent? These are people making $27,000 a year up to about $67,000 a year. Are these the super rich? Are these the fat cats? Are these the folks who I have heard about tonight on the floor? I do not think so. I do not where these tax cuts for the super rich are. These folks are not super rich. These are the folks who need the money and they need it now. Yes, there are some things to help companies to retain and grow jobs, and those include allowing businesses to immediately expense things so they can go out and buy them. Thirty percent are meeting expensing. Yes, the alternative minimum tax makes no sense. It is countercyclical. It hurts companies at a time when the economy is not doing well. Half of America's companies were paying alternative minimum tax during the last recession. It hurts jobs. There is nothing retroactive in here. It is all prospective, and it is going to help jobs, and that is why we are doing it. We also need to help people who are already unemployed. Ohio gets $406 million out of this to help the unemployed. The health insurance provisions are very good. I am looking at page 100. I am also looking back to page 93, 94 and 95 and 96 and 97 and so on up to page 108. There is a lot of good stuff in here about it, and what it says to me, it says my colleagues are selling people short. They can figure out this program. They go to the unemployment office, they get a certificate, they go out and get their health care. Most of them are going to get it through the employer-based system. I do not know where this paranoia comes that we are somehow destroying the employer-based system through this plan. No analysis I have seen, nobody who is objective, who looks at this thinks that most people will not get it through the employer-based system. The employers are providing health care now. They can use a certificate for that. The point is that you cover more workers because if you do not get the employer-based health care, you can go out and use the certificate in the private market to get health care if you do not have it now. We may cover fewer people, but we cover more people who are unemployed and uninsured, and that is the point, is it not? That is where the resources ought to be directed. That is what this is all about. This economic stimulus package is going to help put people back to work. It is going to help people who are already out of work, and it is going to get this economy going again. We have an opportunity to do something big tonight, which is send a message to the other body and get this done for the American people.

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, this is a very interesting idea, because this actually came out of the Democratic Leadership Council, as well as the President of the United States, as well as people on both sides of the aisle here. No one person has a monopoly on this idea.

Mr. PORTMAN. No. It is a great program because you get the certificate and you use it. Do not sell people short. They can figure this out.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Michael Burke, a community leader, a friend and a constituent who passed away on December 6. Mike was a managing partner of the Cincinnati law firm of Keating Muething and Klekamp, PLL, and Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of KMK Consulting Company, LLC. He was dedicated, giving, and generous. One of the founders of the law firm, John Muething, said of Mike, ``He was a true leader . . . and a constant source of energy and inspiration to others . . .'' Don Klekamp, a partner of Mike's for 33 years, recalled that ``Mike was an outstanding entrepreneurial business lawyer, but he was more than a lawyer to clients. He was a confidant and trusted advisor.'' Very active in his community, Mike was President of Our Lord Christ the King Parish Council, President of the Education Committee, and co- chaired its Capital Campaign to build a parish center. At Ursuline Academy of Cincinnati, Mike was Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Chairman of the Long Tenn Planning Committee, and Chairman of the first Capital Campaign. In 1998, I had the honor of helping to present Mike with the Heart of Gold Award by Boys Hope/Girls Hope. He was also honored as Man of the Year by the Cincinnati Club of the University of Notre Dame. A graduate of Newport Central Catholic High School, Mike received his B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. He was devoted to his wife, Marcia, and their five children: Tricia, Jennifer, Michael, Brian and Anne. A close friend, Jim McGraw, managing partner of KMK Consulting, said, ``While his journey was cut short, [Mike's] incredible spirit is forever ingrained in the lives of all who worked beside him.'' All of us who were so enriched by Mike's energy, courage and faith will miss him.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, there is a broad consensus in this country that we need to make some commonsense changes to our election laws. I commend the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Ney) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the ranking member, for reflecting those wishes from around the country and bringing them here to this House today to pass what is a truly bipartisan, truly commonsense approach to making our elections work better. There is a lot to like about this bill. It provides States that still use punch-card voting systems with necessary funding to replace those outdated systems. This is something that came up in the last Presidential election, and something that needs to be addressed. It is not only a bipartisan issue, it is a nonpartisan issue that people care about at the local level. It also takes steps to see that States will set up state-wide voter registration systems and make sure that voter rolls are properly maintained, which is very important to the integrity of elections. It also encourages high school and college students to become nonpartisan poll workers to get involved in the system. But doing all that, it also respects the fact that State and local government must continue to be the overseers of the process of elections. There is a lot to like in this bill, including the way in which these two gentlemen put it together. I commend them and urge support from both sides of the aisle.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is correct. First, Congress has the ultimate say. Congress can vote no on the agreement as it comes before us. Second, Congress has the ability to forge an agreement, and the administration knows that. In this case our U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Zoellick, who is a tough negotiator, is going to be mindful of the fact that what he brings to this Congress has to pass muster here. In this legislation we have unprecedented congressional consultation and involvement. Farmers, one thing that I think is an improvement in this bill, as compared to what we voted on in 1997 and 1998, the Committee on Agriculture has a specific role and has the ability to be in consultation with the administration to help shape that agreement. That is extremely important, because it is probably the most competitive industry in America, is the agriculture industry. Our ability to export our agricultural products around the world is not being maximized because there are barriers to our products. So we are going to have more consultation than we have ever had. The administration will be forced to deal with us to help forge the agreement; and, ultimately, we have the ability to say yes or no.

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I thank him for having this Special Order. I heard most of his remarks, and I want to echo them and add a little to it. This debate here on the floor tomorrow is really a test of this Congress and this Nation. Is our country going to move forward not just in trade but in liberalizing economies all around the world, or are we going to go back and pull back in a way that hurts not only our own economy but the global economy? That is the test we have tomorrow with Trade Promotion Authority which will be on the floor of the House. I heard some of the discussion earlier by some of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, and their position confused me. This should not be a tough vote. All we are saying is that the President has the ability to go out and negotiate trade agreements. It is not a particular trade agreement. This Congress will always have the right to vote yes or no on a particular trade agreement. Are we sensitive to labor, environmental, and congressional consultation issues? Yes. This legislation is more sensitive to those issues, addresses those issues in a more direct way than any Fast Track legislation or trade promotion legislation before this House. In 1997 and 1998, we had a number of Members who were supportive of this legislation when it was called Fast Track but expressed some concern about labor and the environment. We have addressed many of those concerns, and this legislation moves in a way that should make it even more attractive to those Members who expressed those concerns before. I am concerned that some of those Members have now said that they can somehow cannot support a bill that is more sensitive on these issues, such as labor and the environment and the degree to which Congress plays a role. The benefits of trade should be obvious to everybody. Economists tell us that 30 percent of the growth that we have seen in our economy, the tremendous growth that we have seen over the last decade, is directly attributable to exports. Thirty percent is because of exports and enhanced trade. In Ohio, trade is extremely important. Ohio is now the seventh- largest exporting State in the Nation, with nearly $30 billion in exports last year alone. This is going to help people in my district to get jobs, to retain their jobs, and to be able to allow our area to continue to grow. Because of jobs created by trade, we are not just increasing our exports, we are also getting better jobs. We know the jobs involved with trade pay, on average, 13, 14, 15, 16 percent higher than jobs not involved with trade. These are not just jobs. These are good jobs. Since we lost Trade Promotion Authority in the last administration, our Nation has fallen behind. The fact is that we now have 130 free trade agreements around the world. The United States is party to just three out of 130 trade agreements. During this period of time that the United States has not had trade negotiating authority, the ability for a President to negotiate, our competitors have continued to enter into agreements, helping jobs in their countries and taking away markets that should be ours, U.S. exports. For example, since 1990, our toughest competitor which is the European Union, has completed negotiations on 20 free trade agreements. Twenty. Currently, they are negotiating 15 more free trade agreements. In fact, in the last year they have entered into a free trade agreement with Mexico, which is the second largest market for American exports. While we sit back and talk about how we cannot give the President even the ability to go out and negotiate agreements, our competitors around the world are aggressively pursuing markets that should be ours, and it is hurting the United States' position in the global economy. This means American exporters encounter higher tariffs, if not closed markets altogether, in many countries around the world when other competitors of ours have a more open market to go into and have lower tariffs. Our lack of free trade means our government is sitting on the sidelines while other countries negotiate international rules in a multilateral way with a lot of countries that come together. They decide on international rules on everything from e-commerce to agriculture. This is hurting us, too. It is hurting our exports and economy. The question has come up earlier tonight from Members talking on the other side of the aisle primarily about why cannot we just have the United States enter into these agreements without Trade Promotion Authority. Why do we need Trade Promotion Authority? I would suggest tonight that the reason is simple. The President cannot go out and negotiate with other countries unless he has the ability to say, this is it. This is the agreement we have agreed on after a lot of tough bargaining and negotiations. We will now take it to our legislature for an up-or-down vote. That is what other countries can do. Without this trade negotiation authority, a President cannot do that. Congress can still vote yes or no. They just cannot amend it to death. Congress cannot nickel and dime an agreement that comes back to the Congress, and Congress has voted yes and has voted no in the past. We can simply do that. This kind of procedure where you come to an agreement and bring it back for a vote is common. Think about labor negotiations. If you are a member of a union out there, do you have an ability to amend an agreement that comes to you for ratification? Management and labor sit down. They hammer out an agreement. They come together with a fragile agreement where both parties have put their best offers on the table. The membership then decides yes or no. Think about a merger. What happens is, you come up with a decision. Once it is negotiated, it goes to the board of directors. The board of directors says yes or no. They do not renegotiate to death. If so, you could never come to an agreement. The other side would never be willing to put their best offer on the table thinking it could be amended to death. It is common sense. There are all kinds of analogies in the real world. Passing Trade Promotion Authority will help reestablish this Nation's global leadership in the area of the economy and of opening up markets around the world. This is important to our economic security in this country, to more jobs, but I would suggest that it is also important for our national security. In the wake of what happened on September 11, let us not forget that those countries most closed to trade, the economies that are most closed are those economies that are most likely to be breeding grounds for terrorists. That is factual. If Members look around the world, whether it is Afghanistan or other countries where they have a closed society and a closed economy, those are the places where we tend to see the kind of terrorism and the breeding ground for terrorism and the sponsorship of terrorism around the world. This does relate to the kind of world my kids and grandkids are going to have, not just in terms of their economic security, the kind of jobs that they will be able to access to achieve their dreams, but the world that they are going to live in in terms of national security. Our prosperity is not only threatened by terrorists, it is threatened by the worsening economic situation around the globe. So Trade Promotion Authority addresses not only national security but also the global economy that affects us here in the United States. Unless we can begin to improve the economic performance around the world, we are not going to be able to see our economy perform the way we would like it to be. By negotiating free trade agreements, opening up new markets for U.S. goods and services, we are taking an important step toward helping in that long-term economic picture. I think it is time, past time, for Congress to act. We have not had trade negotiating authority, Trade Promotion Authority, Fast Track authority, whatever one wants to call it, in the United States since 1994. Not since 1994. During that time, again, America has taken a back seat. American has not been in the driver's seat. America has fallen behind in relation to our global competitors. Now we need to get back in the front seat to drive this home for our economy, for the global economy, for helping to open up other countries around the world, reducing barriers, tariff and nontariff alike, and so we have a world safer for our kids and grandkids. I hope that Congress will act to stabilize our economy and to make sure that this Congress does not go on record saying that we are going to go back in terms of opening up trade and opening up markets, but rather this Congress is going to give the President the ability to go out and negotiate, be a tough negotiator, but negotiate agreements that are in our interest around the world.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Ted Gregory, a friend and constituent who passed away on Sunday, December 2. Ted Gregory was a wonderful person who built a legacy based on his landmark restaurants, his generosity and community service. Born in Windsor, Ontario, he grew up in Detroit. He moved to Montgomery, Ohio when it was still a rural area, bought the former McCabe's Inn and renamed it Montgomery Inn. Six years later, his wife Matula developed a secret barbecue sauce recipe that made the Inn a legend. The restaurants, combined with Ted's warm personality and business acumen, made him a legend. Eventually, Ted's operation expanded, with the addition of three other dining venues in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. According to Restaurants and Institutions magazine, the industry's leading trade publication, Montgomery Inn is the leading rib restaurant chain in the U.S.--over 15 tons are sold each week. His employees were devoted to him--many were with him twenty years or more. Although Ted was a good businessman, he was also a lot of fun. Wherever he went, he always brought a smile and his endless good humor with him. When Bob Hope visited Cincinnati to support the Bob Hope House, he and Ted became good friends. Many other former Presidents and celebrities visited Ted's restaurants to enjoy the famed ribs, including Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, Vice President Dick Cheney, Tom Selleck, and Don Rickles. His warmth extended to helping others. He generously supported the Cincinnati FreeStore/FoodBank, St. Rita's School for the Deaf, Sycamore High School, Bob Hope House, and Riding for the Handicapped. All of us in Cincinnati will miss Ted Gregory's warmth, humor and love for life, and we extend our deepest sympathies to Matula and their children, Dean, Tom, Vickie and Terry.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman, and I commend him for putting together a balanced product. It is not a lot of trade for the United States; it is a relatively small amount of trade with the Andean countries, but it is extremely important to the Andean countries. As has been already talked about this morning, it gives the President the authority to grant duty-free treatment. This existing authorization has resulted in a doubling of bilateral trade between our countries in the last 10 years, dramatic improvements in living standards in countries in the Andean region; and unfortunately, this needed authorization expires on December 4. So we need to move and move quickly. If we do not, it would essentially raise duties on $2 billion of imports from our Andean trading partners. This would send exactly the wrong message to our Andean friends who have made great strides in the last decade with regard to international drug trafficking and have also recently been strong partners with the United States with regard to terrorism. The drug trade is something that, of course, is very important to all of us here, Mr. Speaker. We are told that practically all of the cocaine and most of the heroin that comes into the United States and is consumed here comes from the Andean region. Many of the areas' farmers turn to growing coca and opium poppy, of course the raw materials for cocaine and heroin, because they simply, given the economic problems in these countries, do not have other viable, legitimate, lawful activities. Most of these farmers would rather not be part of the odious drug trade that has so many detrimental impacts for those countries, as well as for our country, but they are left with no viable options to take care of their families. We need to give these people other viable options. We can do that through trade. We have done that over the past 10 years. We need to continue to and expand on it. Always, ATPA, the way the chairman has put together this bill before us today, which I think is a balanced product, is a very important way to use trade to level the playing field, as compared to other countries in the Western Hemisphere, in the Caribbean, in Central America, Mexico; and that is extremely important for these Andean countries. Mr. Speaker, expanding trade and economic opportunities in this area will bolster regional stability, strengthen democratic institutions, and dramatically assist in our fight against drug trafficking. I strongly urge the Members to support it.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman very much for yielding me time, and I congratulate him as a Member of the Committee on Ways and Means, but also as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security that got this legislation to the floor today. He wears two hats, and he has done a great job in moving what is a needed piece of legislation to the floor. Also, of course, I want to commend my colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), who has spent years on this issue, understanding that there is a need to change the ERISA laws, which are way out of date. As more and more people have moved into the defined contribution plans, the 401(k)s, the 403(b)s and the 457s, 90 percent of folks now are in these defined contribution plans. The law has not changed to allow them to get the type of advice they need. Only 16 percent of workers out there in these plans are getting any advice, only 16 percent, yet 75 percent of them say in surveys, they are desperate to get that kind of advice. So this is a very important change in the law that has to be made in order to allow people, those school teachers, those folks who are in retirement plans all over this country who need this kind of advice, to be able to make better decisions. Recently this Congress took the lead on retirement security by passing legislation that dramatically expands the availability of defined contribution and defined benefit options. We allowed everybody to put more money away in their 401(k), for instance. We simplified all the rules and regulations for all of the pension plans, to help small businesses to get into this area. We also allowed portability, to be able to move your plan from job to job and to be able to integrate those plans in a seamless way into one account. This is extremely important, and we think it will allow for millions, millions more Americans, to have the kind of retirement security they need and to have the kind of peace of mind in retirement that all of us deserve. That was passed overwhelmingly by this House, and it is great legislation. The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin) and I worked on that for years together. But now we need to take the next big step, which is education. It is providing people with the means to understand the importance of retirement savings, first, on a broad sense, but also to understand what their options are in terms of what they can invest in if they are indeed going to be among those who benefit from this expansion that this Congress has pushed forward to get people into 401(k)s, 403(b)s, defined benefit plans and so on. So this is the next logical step, and I commend the chairman and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) for moving this forward, and the gentleman from California (Chairman Thomas) for getting it to the floor today. Now, we have heard some discussion here about what some people see as some of the deficiencies in this legislation. I would just remind people, read the legislation. If you are going to offer this advice, you have to be licensed or have to be a bank trust officer. That is in the legislation. The gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Pomeroy), who is going to support the bill on the floor today, who worked very hard on this legislation over the years and also helped us with all the portability provisions in the Portman-Cardin bill, has just indicated he is going to support it because the chairman has agreed to even some other slight modifications to ensure that you do not have the conflicts of interest that would otherwise occur if you did not have that fiduciary duty, to be sure that people who do offer this advice are qualified, and, finally, to be sure you have the kind of disclosure that is necessary. This legislation increases that disclosure. As it has gone through the process in the Committee on Ways and Means, we were sure that there would be yearly disclosure, disclosure upon request, and disclosure if there is a material change. Again, this legislation is sorely needed. We wanted to encourage people to save more for retirement. One of the impediments now is the lack of good advice and the lack of good education. So I commend those on both sides of the aisle who have brought this legislation to the floor. Let us pass it today in a bipartisan way and send a strong message to the Senate that it is about time to help people out there be able to make the kind of wise decisions they should be making for their own retirement.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2873, the Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001. This legislation will increase funding for important programs that protect our nation's children from abuse and neglect. In addition to increasing funding for existing programs, this bill will also create a new program to provide mentoring services for the children of prisoners, and to provide educational opportunities for youth, aging out of foster care. I especially appreciate the commitment Congress is showing to these programs because I've witnessed the success of these programs firsthand. My district is fortunate to be home to Beech Acres, a community-based organization that provides highly-tailored services to over 17,000 children and families per year. Jim Mason, the President of Beech Acres, has been a leader in pioneering creative programs for parenting. At Beech Acres, Jim established an innovative Educational Advocacy Center for children to help provide those who have been abused, are in foster care, or have special challenges with the continuity and support that they need. The funds authorized in this bill will be helpful to Beech Acres. I'm also pleased that the Infant Safe Haven programs was added as an allowable activity within the Safe and Stable Families program. I know that my colleague from California, Representative Herger, has been working with Representative Melissa Hart to find a way to address the problem of parents who want to relinquish their new born children, and I appreciate their hard work. This legislation will help make critical improvements in our nation's child protection services. Too often, these children have been neglected first by their parents, and then by society. With this bill, we are continuing our commitment to give these children the support and attention they deserve. I encourage all my colleagues to support its passage.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 852, legislation to name the federal building and U.S. courthouse to be built in downtown Youngstown, Ohio after former Federal Judge Frank J. Battisti and United States Court of Appeals Judge Nathaniel R. Jones. Both Judge Battisti and Judge Jones are natives of Youngstown, Ohio, and naming this federal building and courthouse after them would be a source of pride for the residents of that fine city. Judge Battisti served in many capacities during his distinguished career. None was more notable than his tenure as Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Judge Nathaniel Jones is a personal friend. I have had the pleasure of working with him on the National underground Railroad Freedom Center project in Cincinnati, Ohio and on other projects. Judge Jones serves as the Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Freedom Center and his leadership has been critical. Through my work with the Freedom Center, I have come to admire Judge Jones for his commitment to racial healing and cooperation. Judge Jones was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II, and later went on to attend Youngstown State University where he received undergraduate and law degrees. Judge Jones later went on to serve as General Counsel for the NAACP where he helped coordinate efforts to end school segregation. In 1979, President Carter appointed him to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit where he serves to this day. I have great respect for Judge Jones. In all of his accomplishments, perhaps none rank higher than his wife Lillian and their four wonderful children, one of whom--Stephanie J. Jones--is chief of staff for our colleague, Stephanie Tubbs Jones. There are few people more dedicated to public service than Judge Jones. The naming of the federal building and courthouse in Youngstown, Ohio after Judge Battisti and Judge Jones is a fitting tribute to two worthy men. I thank my colleague Jim Traficant for introducing this measure and my colleague Steven LaTourette for helping move the bill to the floor. I am honored to co-sponsor this legislation, and am grateful to see us take action on it.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Chairman, we share the same goal here this evening. The question is how we best improve our aviation security. So let us ask some questions about what will actually make passengers safer. Will airline passengers be safer if the responsibility for airline security is confusingly split between the Department of Transportation and the Department of Justice, meaning Transportation to be responsible for some safety aspects and Justice for others as is the case with the substitute amendment before us? I know this is not the gentleman from Minnesota's approach, but this is what is before us. This is the Senate bill. This lack of accountability will lead, in my view, to confusion, to finger pointing. Would passengers be safer if smaller airports received a different and lower level of protection than larger airports as is true with the substitute before us? Again, this is the Senate bill. I am not saying it is the gentleman from Minnesota's bill, but that is before us. Would airline passengers be safer if their baggage was screened by a Federal employee who if found to be incompetent would be more difficult to discipline, to fire as they would be under the substitute amendment before us? I have heard a lot of talk about the need to act quickly so let me ask this question. Would we be better off with a bill that does not have expedited procedures to move more quickly? My answer would be no.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contributions of Hamilton County's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Force and the eighteen members of the Task Force who joined with Ohio Task Force 1 (Oh-TF1) to assist in the rescue and relief efforts at the World Trade Center site in New York City. The Hamilton County USAR Task Force was formed in December, 1997. The primary mission of the Task Force is to assist local fire and emergency medical agencies in large-scale rescue situations and emergency incidents associated with natural disasters, terrorist activity and major industrial, technological and transportation accidents. This team continues Cincinnati's long, proud history of being a national leader in fire and emergency services. In addition to assisting in local incidents, members of the Hamilton County USAR Task Force are part of Oh-TF1, one of twenty-eight Federal Emergency Management Agency USAR Task Forces capable of responding to massive structural collapses to search for and rescue trapped persons. Ohio Task Force 1 deployed sixty-two members to the World Trade Center site in New York. These members represented thirty-three fire organizations in Ohio. Seventeen of these members represented six Hamilton County Fire Departments, including: Anderson Fire Department; Cincinnati Fire Department; Colerain Township Fire Department; Green Township Fire Department; Madeira and Indian Hill Fire Department; and Sycamore Township Fire Department. An additional member of the Hamilton County USAR Task Force and Oh-TF1 is a rigging specialist for Carlisle Construction in Northern Kentucky. The members of Oh-TF1 worked non-stop from September 12 to September 20 at a scene described by its members as ``devastating.'' The Task Force was divided into two groups that worked alternating twelve-hour shifts. As the third USAR Task Force on the scene, Oh-TF1's work was critical to the on-going recovery and relief efforts. Like the rest of America, I am moved by the bravery and selfless work of our nation's emergency services personnel. I am especially proud and appreciative of their work after seeing, firsthand, the horrific and truly devastating site in New York. Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in recognizing the outstanding work of Hamilton County's USAR Task Force and Oh-TF1 as we also recognize the remarkable contributions and sacrifices made by all of the people who make up our nation's emergency services in the wake of the September 11 attack.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. I thank my colleague for correcting the record on that. We are going to hear a lot of angry rhetoric on the floor today. We are even going to hear a healthy dose of class warfare. In fact, we already have. I think it is very important to keep in mind something very simple, which is that this package is designed to keep jobs. It is designed to enable people to keep good jobs and to keep companies from laying people off. It is to get this economy back on track. That is the simple truth about this legislation. It reflects the good thinking of a lot of people, a lot of economists who have come before our committee and have talked to us as individual Members. It reflects the thinking of the people in the trenches who actually make the decisions as to whether to hire and fire people. These are small businesspeople and large businesspeople alike. It is legislation that is designed to ensure that the economy is not a casualty of the terrorism that hit this country on September 11. It is also legislation which enjoys the support of the Bush administration. The Treasury Department strongly supports it. Read the statement of administration policy. Their economists, their folks who are following the economy, believe this is the right thing to do to get this economy back on track. The legislation sparks the economy by putting more money in the hands of people. We have already talked about that some today. It also focuses on incentives to work and invest. It provides tax relief for individuals by allowing families who are middle-income taxpayers to get the tax relief which we passed last spring but a little bit faster, 4 years quicker. It also allows people who did not get any tax relief with the checks that went out in August and September and this month, by enabling people who do not have any income tax liability to get checks for $300, $500 and $600. It also helps to create jobs and that is a very important part of this legislation. The package focuses on the alternative minimum tax. This has been discussed today. I want to make a couple of things clear about the AMT. First, over the years this has been something that Democrats and Republicans have agreed upon. In fact, back in 1997, a Democrat President signed legislation which eliminated the AMT for some companies altogether and reformed the AMT in other very important respects. Why? Because the alternative minimum tax has a negative impact on our economy. Think about it. It is a minimum tax that is in place that corporations are asked to pay when they take legitimate tax preferences in the code that all of us put into the code. When does it happen? It happens during economic down times, exactly the time when corporations cannot afford those taxes and, therefore, lay people off. The data is out there. During the last big recession, 1989-1990, half of America's companies fell into AMT and laid off workers as a result. It is directly related to stimulus. It is directly related to increasing jobs. The gentleman from Louisiana just said 23,000 companies would benefit from this because they are in the AMT situation. Let me tell you one. I saw a chart up here earlier about the Ford Motor Company. Ford Motor Company laid off 4,500 people last month, including in my district. These are companies that need the help now in order not to lay people off. It is also not a retroactive tax. The gentleman earlier said we should be feeling ashamed. He should feel ashamed for not understanding how this works and how he is misinterpreting it for the American people today. It is not a retroactive tax break. It is allowing them to use tax credits they have built up legitimately through the code. What are you going to do, take those take credits away? I wish we had more time to engage in that discussion, but for purposes of today's debate it is important to set the record straight. This is not retroactive tax breaks. This is about allowing the companies to use the credits they have rightfully built up, and it is about jobs. The Democrat alternative has increased spending and increased taxes. Our approach says we believe that new spending is not the answer to our Nation's problems right now. The way to get this economy back on track, we believe, is by tax incentives. That is a difference in philosophy, a difference in opinion. I strongly support the rule and strongly support the underlying legislation to keep and retain good jobs in this country.

Mr. PORTMAN. I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize One Earth One People, an organization in Cincinnati, Ohio that will celebrate its 10th Anniversary on October 26, 2001. One Earth One People was founded by Jane Church in October, 1990. Jane continues to serve as its president, and she has played a key role in making this innovative nonprofit environmental education organization such a success. The vision of One Earth One People is to ``network youth around the world via Interactive Telecommunications to prepare them to preserve their local and global environment.'' And, its mission is to work with all sectors and ethnic groups, ``offering students hands-on educational experiences to increase their scientific knowledge, enhance their communication, leadership and other lifelong skills and attitudes to protect the environment through sharing, cooperation and cultural understanding.'' Although One Earth One People is based in Cincinnati, its work can be seen throughout Ohio, across our nation and around the world. Some of its activities and accomplishments include: running 21 student workshops in local elementary, middle and high schools; publishing ``The OEOP Newsletter,'' which is read by over 1,500 area teachers, students, community organizations and supporters; and attending several seminars and conferences held by Earth Day USA and the United Nations Environment Programme. One Earth One People's work also includes the Youth Cloth Bag Project, which encourages consumers to use reusable cloth bags when they shop. Just this year, the Youth Cloth Bag Project was expanded so that schools that sell cloth bags can use the proceeds to help preserve wildlife habitats in Adams County, Ohio and in the Maya Mountain Marine Corridor in Belize. I have enjoyed meeting with the participants involved in One Earth One People. It provides young people with valuable knowledge about the environment and how to work together as team players and communicators. It also offers hands-on experience in organizing, problem solving, decision making and other important life skills. Mr. Speaker, One Earth One People has been an effective organization in the Cincinnati area. I hope my colleagues will join me in thanking its members for their dedication to our environment and in congratulating the organization on 10 years of community service.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will continue to yield, I know we have an important briefing, and Members are waiting to hear the briefing and to catch airplanes and get home with their families, which is also very important. We totally agree that it is very urgent to bring this measure to the floor. As we know, the Senate completed action only late last night. There are some differences between the President's proposal and the Senate bill. There are some complex issues still to be resolved. But we are very hopeful we can get that to the floor next week and get these issues resolved, and provide the American people an additional sense of security, in addition to the National Guard and other important measures that have been taken in the interim. I would tell the gentleman that the points are well taken, and we will move with urgency.

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will continue to yield, we are hopeful it will come to the floor next week. We are still working on this legislation. The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and others are working on it. We want to take this bill up with some urgency, but we cannot give the gentleman a firm time at this point.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday next.

Mr. PORTMAN

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 for morning hour debates.