Adam Putnam

Mr. PUTNAM

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we have witnessed over the last several weeks in Florida just how quickly lives and property and years of work can be taken from us. Many are left with only memories in the wake of these storms, and I would like to thank President Bush and the Members of this House for the outpouring of assistance that we have received. Our memories and the collective memory of our national life is what in part inspire us to move ahead and to rebuild in the face of tragedy. The custodian of our collective national memory is the National Archives, and I rise today to offer an amendment in the form of a substitute to H.R. 3478 to reauthorize an important part of that agency. This legislation will reauthorize appropriations through fiscal year 2009 for the National Historic Publications to Records Commission, the eighth passage of this legislation since 1964. The NHPRC's mandate is to look outward, to provide assistance to non-Federal agencies, institutions and individuals committed to the preservation and use of American documentary resources. The NHPRC remains today the only grant making organization, public or private, in the Nation whose only focus is the preservation of and increased access to American historical documentation in its myriad forms and formats, be it the quill pen or the computer. Through its competitive grants, the NHPRC provides a kind of venture capital for the historical world, through which solutions to electronic records questions can be discovered and begin to be tested, and new initiatives and new projects in State and local government records, private archival institutions and documentary editions, can be launched and given vital support. American history did not all happen in Washington. It has unfolded in every State and every locality, through private actions as well as those of the government, and unless we safeguard historical records wisely, there will be gaping holes in our Nation's history. Records created and maintained within each State are important to individuals and institutions in a democracy, not just national institutions, but government institutions at every level, as well as organizations in the private sector that have a great impact on American life. The NHPRC safeguards holdings of the State and local archives, the university archival and manuscript collections and the documentary collections of libraries, historical societies and other cultural repositories, private and public. They have revolutionized the study of American history. One of the Nation's leading historians has called this work the most important and lasting work of the 20th century, the most important work in the American history of the 20th century. The NHPRC exists to stimulate the care and use of records that are beyond the NARA's jurisdiction. It does that by encouraging documentary work outside the Federal Government, with small grants to archival, historical and cultural organizations throughout our country. It is the only national funding agency that is directly addressing the challenges posed for recordkeeping and records preservation. Among the types of grants that the commission makes are those designed to assist State and local governments with disaster preparedness to protect the vital records that document the rights and privileges of citizenship. We can attest to the need for that type of readiness in Florida. Through grants, through working with State advisory boards and through contributing to funding partnerships, the NHPRC plays a critical role in promoting work to ensure that records of many kinds in many parts of the country will be safe and accessible for the scholars who need them. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census, which has jurisdiction over the National Archives, and as a citizen concerned about rights, accountability and history, I request that NHPRC be reauthorized to carry on its important work. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3478, as amended.

Mr. PUTNAM

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, the gentleman's point is well taken.

Mr. PUTNAM. I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), the distinguished chairman, for yielding me the time. I rise to oppose this amendment, the Weiner amendment. As chairman of the subcommittee that has oversight over the Census Bureau, I must strongly oppose efforts to take the money needed for the important work that the Census Bureau continues to do for our Nation. I want to offer my support to the full mark of $774 million that was voted out of the Committee on Appropriations. It is ironic that a Member from an area that was affected by an undercount, that is a critic of the effectiveness of the Census Bureau, would respond by gutting it, by taking boots out of the streets that have the effect of making sure that that undercount does not occur, by finding all of those additional people, by making sure that there is a fair and accurate count. He guts the budget that would correct those types of things. The Census Bureau is the preeminent provider for the data that keeps our Nation running. We have an economy that is information-based. Without the information to make good decisions our economy and our Nation suffers. I support the efforts of the Census Bureau to plan an accurate and fair census for 2010, and the planning for that is ongoing. It is not something that we ramp up the year before. The modernization and early planning for census 2010 is money well spent, particularly full funding for the American Community Survey. We cannot be shortsighted when it comes to the census. The American Community Survey, for example, would give a city like New York that has seen a great deal of change since the last census as a result of horrible events beyond our control in 2001, it would give New York accurate data on an annual basis rather than having to wait an entire decade to reflect the change that occurred there on September 11. The American Community Survey, at its heart, is designed to give areas like New York City, like Washington, D.C., like small Midwestern towns that disappear overnight with the fury of a tornado accurate data on an annualized basis rather than having to wait 10 ears to have good, solid, sound information. This amendment, the Weiner amendment, drastically reduces the money that the Census Bureau needs to do its valuable work to prepare for the 2010 census and to implement the American Community Survey. They have already sustained a $19 million cut from the President's budget request. The money that is needed for the gentleman from New York's (Mr. Weiner) amendment, regardless of its tremendously good intent, is money that the President and full committee have provided to fund the Census Bureau and the implementation of the ACS that will replace the long form and provide the detailed demographic and economic data annually for areas around the Nation. The impact of the cut proposed by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Weiner) and the Weiner amendment will stop the American Community Survey with no opportunity to restart it. It would mean a loss, as the chairman has said, of over 1,000 Federal jobs at the Census Bureau, boots on the ground that could provide the gentleman the accurate count that he is rightfully concerned about; and it wastes the $500 million already invested on the American Community Survey and would add significant new costs to the 2010 census. The Census Bureau, Mr. Chairman, does important work every day that keeps our economy running. It is important work to plan for the 2010 census and fully implement the ACS. We cannot eliminate this funding, and I strongly urge the House to reject this.

Mr. PUTNAM. I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, the 2000 census was the most accurate census in this Nation's history. In a Nation as large and diverse as ours, we will never, ever have a perfect count, and they have been doing these since Caesar. There is yet to be a perfect count. I acknowledge the gentleman's concern with the undercount; and I also acknowledge that gutting their budget, which is what the gentleman's amendment does, will not improve the accuracy of the 2010 census.

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman would yield, give us the bottom line number for those who are not into per capita, how many billions of dollars has New York received since September 2001?

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished chairman from Virginia, and I rise to oppose the Hefley amendment. Mr. Chairman, it is important that we preserve the American Community Survey for a couple of reasons. One, it is optional. The controversy that has arisen over time is with the intrusiveness of the long form. The ACS replaces that. But, secondly and even more importantly, the ACS gives communities and States and businesses and demographers annual data, good, solid, accurate annual data, not a snapshot on a decennial basis. If you look at the towns that are wiped out by tornadoes in the Midwest, they have to wait 10 years for the formulas affecting them to be updated. If you look at what has happened to midtown Manhattan since 2001, or northern Virginia, or what happened all around the country for a variety of reasons, the information is not updated until 10 years after the fact. They have to wait until the next big census. The ACS replaces that with a shorter version that is a sampling of the Nation that is done every year. It is more accurate information, it is more helpful to the local governments who depend upon that information for the formulas that are generated by our government, and frankly, it is less intrusive to the American people. Defeat the Hefley amendment. Protect the American Community Survey. It is a modernization of the American census.

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Chairman, would the gentleman answer, for the purpose of enlightening the House, how much additional money local law enforcement New York City has received under homeland security grants?

Mr. PUTNAM

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Speaker, as a result of my participation in CODEL Hoekstra to Iraq, I regret that I was not able to vote on the following bills on June 21, 2004 in the House of Representatives, due to official business. If I had been present to vote, I would have voted in the following manner: H. Res. 591.--Expressing the gratitude of the House of Representatives for the contributions made by America's community banks to the Nation's economic well-being and prosperity and the sense of the House of Representatives that a month should be designated as ``Community Banking Month''--yes. H.R. 4363.--Helping Hands for Homeownership Act of 2004 (Technical correction to the Housing Opportunity Extension Act relating to the Habitat for Humanity Program)--yes. H. Res. 660.--Congratulating Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks on pitching a perfect game on May 18, 2004--yes.

Mr. PUTNAM

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Chairman, I thank my chairman for yielding me this time. It is an important debate that we are having today, I think one that cuts across party lines, it cuts across generational lines, this issue of fiscal responsibility, and really keeping our word, keeping our commitment to a process that was put in place 30 years ago with the creation of the Committee on the Budget, with the commitment to control spending, to send forward a blueprint of priorities for the Federal Government, and then follow through on it. Many people would be amazed to know, and if we could, please pull up chart 16; many people would be amazed to know that two-thirds of the Federal budget is on auto pilot. It is on auto pilot. Only one-third of the budget is subject to annual review, change that leads to a debate that leads to a vote that all of us are then held accountable for through the regular appropriations process. But two-thirds of the budget continues to grow year after year, really without direct input from the Committee on Appropriations or from the Congress as a whole. That is not good, long-term fiscal policy. The programs within mandatory spending are worthwhile. They are important, but they are not so important that they should be exempt from congressional review. And as we move through this debate, and it is going to be a long debate, but it is an important debate; as we move through this, it is a healthy process for us to move forward with reform efforts that bring that two-thirds back under the control of the Congress and let us exert the control and take the responsibility that we were hired to take on. I applaud our chairman and the distinguished Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations for working through these issues and having this important discussion about retaking congressional responsibility for the fiscal future of this country.

Mr. PUTNAM

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank my good friend and colleague from Tampa, Florida (Mr. Davis) for authoring this resolution and on behalf of the entire Florida delegation and frankly the entire State of Florida, we are delighted to be here to honor an outstanding team. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the Tampa Bay Lightning organization, Coach John Tortorella, general manager Jay Feaster, owner Bill Davidson and the entire team on their victory in the Stanley Cup finals. They all deserve credit for this remarkable achievement, made all the more remarkable by the fact that it is a hockey team in Florida, Mr. Speaker. The Stanley Cup is North America's oldest professional trophy, but this year's final belonged to the NHL's youngest generation. The Tampa Bay Lightning had won just one playoff series before this season and is the first of the eight franchises added since 1991 to win the coveted cup. The Tampa Bay Lightning entered the National Hockey League in 1992; and 12 years later, through hard work, class, a strong work ethic, and determination, they are Stanley Cup champions. Two years ago, few could have imagined the Lightning making the playoffs, much less winning the cup. Before last season, Sports Illustrated rated Tampa Bay as the worst of the NHL's 30 teams. Defying the experts, the Lightning went on to win the Southeast division and accumulated the second most regular season points in the NHL. Now the Lightning has proven itself to be the best team in all of hockey. Many deserve credit for this remarkable achievement and for turning this team into world champions: Coach John Tortorella for his brilliant leadership and ensuring the team remained focused, motivated, and prepared; owner Bill Davidson for having invested the resources necessary to put a winner on the ice; Captain Dave Andreychuk, who at the age of 40 had played the most games in the NHL without winning the cup; Brad Richards, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player; goal tender Nikolai Khabibulin, also known as the Bulin Wall, for his countless saves; Martin St. Louis, for winning the Hart Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player; and all the Tampa Bay Lightning players and personnel who worked tirelessly on and off the ice all year to make their dreams become a reality. Most importantly, I congratulate the fans who have given so much to this team. Through years of suffering, the Lightning fans' determination and patience have paid off. This is truly a victory for the fans. I commend the champion Tampa Bay Lightning for a wonderful and magical run this year and for all their achievements this season. The people of Florida and the entire Tampa Bay region are proud of them. They have demonstrated to us all that hard work, perseverance, and unity are the foundation of success. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. On behalf of a very proud Tampa Bay area, an area that has been growing an awful lot of champions in a variety of sports over the last several years, I urge adoption of House Resolution 668.

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 668) congratulating the Tampa Bay Lightning for winning the 2004 National Hockey League Stanley Cup championship and for their outstanding performance during the entire 2003-2004 season, as amended.

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

Mr. PUTNAM

Mr. PUTNAM. Madam Speaker, I was in grade school when President Reagan was elected, so my thoughts and observations are not based on any particular policy, but on the man, on the spirit himself. We took great courage as a Nation in watching him as he dealt with an attempt on his own life. We watched in awe at his unwavering commitment to freedom everywhere around the world and his commitment to peace through strength, which allowed him to win the Cold War without a shot being fired. He moved an entire generation of young people to that same cry for freedom, the battle to spread liberty and democracy and freedom and equality around the world, and he did it with a sunny, hopeful, cheerful, optimistic demeanor. He appealed to the very best in us, never preying on our worst fears, but backed up by a steely resolve, backed up by principle, backed up by the notion that it was better to be right than to be popular. In doing so, he succeeded with an understanding, a very clear understanding, of the power of the American spirit when it is unencumbered, when it is let loose to achieve its own potential and carve out its piece of the American dream. He always believed in the goodness of the American spirit and the human spirit around the world. He understood that the strength of America, the resilience of America is in her people. He inspired in us all of those great factors without preying on the worst. Madam Speaker, may we ever be vigilant gatekeepers of his shining city on the hill. God bless the Reagan family, God bless America, and God bless this institution to whom President Reagan has given so much.

Mr. PUTNAM

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Speaker, on April 29, 2004, the U.S. Department of Labor will celebrate the second anniversary of GovBenefits.gov. Additionally, in collaboration with the Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Labor will launch the GovLoans.gov website as an integrated part of GovBenefits.gov. GovLoans.gov will be a one-stop shop for Federal loan programs. I want to recognize the successful interagency collaboration between the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education to improve the American public's access to their government through the launch of GovLoans.gov. I would also like to congratulate and recognize the U.S. Department of Labor for consistently demonstrating GovBenefits.gov as a leading government-to-citizen initiative that is offering tremendous value to the American public GovBenefits.gov is a prime example of what e-Government should look and act like. In working together with nearly a dozen other agencies, the Department of Labor has launched this one stop shop for individuals interested in learning what government benefits for which they may be eligible. GovLoans.gov will provide a broad range of information on Federal loan programs, as well as educational tools and resources to help citizens and small business owners understand the loan process. This site will also help consumers find the loan that best fits their individual needs, and will serve as a trusted and comprehensive point of access to Federal loan information. GovLoans.gov is a Presidential initiative managed by the U.S. Department of Education that will provide citizens and small business owners with comprehensive information on available Federal loan programs from the five major Federal credit agencies: the U.S. Departments of Education, Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and the Small Business Administration. GovLoans.gov consolidates loan programs across government into a single portal and simplifies the language describing each program, enabling citizens and small business owners to easily find applicable Federal loans that meet their needs and to better understand the loan process. GovBenefits.gov represents a partnership of 10 Federal agencies, including the U.S Department of Labor (managing partner), and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, State, Veteran Affairs, and the Social Security Administration. Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Government Reform Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census, I commend the U.S. Department of Labor for its work in developing GovBenefits.gov as a leading government-to-citizen initiative that is offering tremendous value to the American public and recognize GovBenefits.gov and GovLoans.gov as citizen-centric initiatives that are demonstrating the intent of the President's Management Agenda.

Mr. PUTNAM

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished gentleman from Georgia for yielding me time and for his leadership on this amendment. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is an important step toward restoring equity to this process. The growth in America, the demands on our infrastructure and the demands on our roads have moved to the South and Southwest, and this formula does not reflect that. There is $50 billion in new money in this bill for highways over the last one, and yet the growth States move backwards in funding. That is simple math that is indisputable and cannot be explained but can be corrected with the Isakson amendment. If the projects were so nationally significant, why will you not tell us where they are? If they are so nationally significant, why are they not in the bill?

Mr. PUTNAM

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Iowa for yielding me this time, as it is a very important debate that we have here today. The gentleman from Hawaii referred to consequences, and that is important. As a younger Member of the House, I like to view things for the long haul. We talk about the consequences of the decisions that are made here, not just for the next election cycle or the next fiscal year, or to put a Band-Aid on this budget, but the long-term fiscal consequences. Frankly, I have been encouraged by a great deal of the debate that took place throughout the budget hearings and throughout the debate on the floor, because the positive consequence of this rising Federal deficit has been that we have attracted a good deal more fiscal conservatives to the cause. But the consequences of the Democratic amendments in committee were 28 billion new dollars in new spending. The consequences of the amendments in that markup were nearly 30 billion new dollars added to the Federal deficit, the consequences that would be borne by the next generation of Americans and taxpayers. This debate centers around core values. Everyone, I think, is coming around to the idea that the deficit is a great, great problem that has to be dealt with. But when we get down into the details, the other team's plan wants to focus on making it more difficult to lower the tax burden on the American citizen, the American entrepreneur, the American homeowner, investor, worker; make it easier to increase the tax burden on that same group of hard-working, hard-charging, thoughtful, innovative Americans, and not deal with the real issue, which is spending. Nearly two-thirds of the Federal budget now is mandatory spending. It is on auto pilot. The debate, the fights, the arguments, the outstanding eloquent rhetorical discussions that take place on this floor are about over one-third of the Federal budget. That is it. Our plan and the Spending Control Act, which has the force of law that was marked up in the Committee on the Budget and will be on this floor before Memorial Day, deals with mandatory spending. It deals with the fact that Congress has failed to make some of the tough decisions over the past generations to get their arms around spending; and as a consequence, we have been far outpacing the spending of the American household. Now is not the time, when we have a dual challenge, the challenge of getting the economy going, putting people back to work, bringing small businesses the opportunity to have a piece of the American dream, now is not the time to make it easier to raise taxes. And for us to adopt as a consequence, for us to adopt the other body's half-baked, cockamamie, crazy schemes to deal with this issue is nuts. All of us have a difficult time explaining why the other body's rules require us to phase down the death tax on farmers and small businesses and then, boom, miraculously it is reborn 10 years from now in its old, in its old full, former glory of the highest rate possible. All of us have a difficult time explaining why it was such a great idea to end the marriage penalty, but we have to vote on it again this year; otherwise, it comes back, or that the American people will lose the expanded child tax credit. It is because of the other body's cockamamie rules that we do that, and now we want to adopt another one of their cockamamie rules and make it even easier to raise taxes on the American people. Now is not the time to turn back that clock, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. PUTNAM

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 117) to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or exchange certain land in the State of Florida, and for other purposes.

Mr. PUTNAM

Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on S. 117.