Silvestre Reyes

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I just would like to wish the gentleman from New Mexico (Chairman Skeen), a happy birthday. Tomorrow is his birthday, and I wish him a happy birthday.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of full funding for the 15 Round II Urban Empowerment Zones. My community of El Paso is one of those 15 designated empowerment zones. El Paso was designated based on its low per capita income, high unemployment rate, and maintaining the poorest ZIP code in the Nation. Within this context, El Paso worked hard to achieve a Round II Empowerment Zone designation. My community has sought to utilize the full benefits of the designation to quickly raise the standard of living and quality of life for all El Pasoans since receiving this designation in 1999. Unfortunately, my community has continued to suffer because Congress has failed over the past 2 years to provide the full $10 million in annual appropriations for each of the urban empowerment zones in Round II. This year's bill continues that dismal track. The goal of the Empowerment Zone initiative is to leverage private sector resources with Federal funds to create economic and job development in areas which have lagged behind the national economy. The first round of empowerment zones showed that with adequate funding and tax incentives, distressed communities like ours could create valuable new jobs, adequately train workers, develop affordable housing and child care, and generate business opportunities to raise the overall quality of life. Each of the first round empowerment zones received $100 million in Federal grant funding over the 10-year span of the Empowerment Zone designation along with various other tax incentives to attract and spur economic growth. This combination of resources and tax incentives was critical to addressing the needs of those historically underserved communities such as El Paso. In contrast, the Round II empowerment zones have received only a small portion of the grant funds that they were promised and that they had anticipated. They have received annual funding below $4 million for the past 2 years, more than $14 million less than they expected. This underfunding has stymied long-term plans for development and growth. It has further undermined the tremendous leveraging capability of using public funds to draw private investment through a multiplier effect. As our Nation enjoys one of the strongest economies in generations, it is incumbent that we provide opportunities for our distressed communities. The empowerment zone residents deserve to reach their full potential, but this can only take place if they receive full funding. Both President Clinton and Speaker Hastert committed to $200 million in funds for the Round II empowerment zones and enterprise communities in fiscal year 2001. This bill has failed to include those dollars for empowerment zones and enterprise communities. The citizens of my community and other empowerment zones are awaiting the opportunity to share in our strong economy. With the full funding as promised for Round II, we can truly improve the quality of life of empowerment zone residents and no longer delay their opportunity to share in the American dream. Point of Order

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, it is with a tremendous sense of pride that I rise to congratulate the United States Army on its 225th Birthday. For 225 years, our men and women have answered the call and served this Nation, where they were needed and when they were needed. For over two centuries members of the Army have fought and died on distant shores to ensure that not only Americans remain free, but more importantly, to also protect the freedoms of other people. I've felt the camaraderie, been part of the tradition, and felt the hardship of service in the Army. There is no more noble profession, and there are no words that can suitably honor the men and women of the Army who served in the past and continue to serve today. Today members of the Army serve in Europe, Korea, Bosnia, Kosovo and a hundred other locations far away from their homes, friends and families. However distant, whatever the challenge, for 225 years, the United States Army has fought the Nation's wars and served its country honorably in peace. I commend the men and women of the Army, and again, congratulate them on this very special birthday.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, growing up along the United States/Mexico border, music has always had a profound influence on my life. Music, like art, dance, and drama are windows through which we view culture. Music is a language that is understood by diverse people across the world and ties us together in our common humanity. With much of the strife and civil unrest that takes place in our world, music is one of those gifts that helps bridge cultural, social, and political gaps between people. In our schools, I truly believe that music education enhances intellectual development and enriches the academic environment for children of all ages. I think that an investment in music education is an investment in the health and well-being of our society. Music education gives our children the opportunity to explore and experience something that has deep meaning and significance to all of us. This is critically important and should not be taken lightly. The notes and scales in the musical scores are the threads that help us build and maintain the tapestry of culture. We all gain value through music, and we, as the 106th Congress, should support music education as an integral part of our educational curriculum. I urge my colleagues to support House Concurrent Resolution 266, expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the benefits of music education.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman. I rise to strike the last word. I stand in strong opposition to the passage of the 2001 Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations bill because it severely cuts programs that are extremely important to the education of our children, affects veterans programs, and because it hurts displaced workers. I urge my colleagues to oppose it. The first problem with this bill is that it severely shortchanges eduction--by $3.5 billion. This bill would end our commitment to hire 100,000 new teachers and to reduce class sizes. I am also concerned by the fact that this bill would eliminate Head Start for some 53,000 children and cut $1.3 billion for urgent repairs to schools across the country. These are critical issues for my district and for many districts across the country. This bill will also eliminate school counselors serving over 100,000 children. This would deprive schools of the professionals they need to identify and help troubled children. This bill also does considerable injustice to Bilingual and Immigrant Education. The amount included in the bill for programs addressing these issues in $54 million below the budget request. The professional development of our bilingual education teachers is critically important. The Labor, HHS, and Education bill in its current form provides an amount that is $28.5 million below the budget request for the important programs of Bilingual Education Professional Development. The grants that are provided for the development of our teachers in bilingual education are needed to increase the pool of trained teachers and strengthen the skills of teachers who provide instruction to students who have limited English proficiency. These funds support the training and retraining of bilingual teachers. The disparities to minority education will be increased if this bill is passed. Secondly, this bill severely shortchanges programs that assist displaced workers. This is a major issue for my constituents in El Paso, as I know that it is for many of you in your home districts. In El Paso and in other areas along the U.S./Mexico border, NAFTA has created many displaced workers, and this bill undermines programs designed to help them. For example, the bill cuts assistance to over 215,000 dislocated workers and it cuts the dislocated worker program by $207 million below the 2000 budget level. These cuts will make it more difficult for these workers to find jobs. This bill also cuts adult job training for almost 40,000 adults. The cuts in adult training programs equal $93 million or 10 percent below the request and 2000 levels. Finally, this bill provides only $9.6 million for employment assistance to another class of displaced workers: Our homeless veterans. There are over a quarter million homeless veterans in this country, and the provisions in this bill will deny employment assistance to thousands of these Americans who have faithfully served our country. This is unacceptable. We are attacking programs that are needed to educate our children, help our veterans, and to assist displaced workers. Again, I stand in strong opposition to passage, and I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman. I stand in strong opposition to the passage of the 2001 Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations bill because it severely cuts programs that are extremely important to the education of our children and because it hurts displaced workers. I urge my colleagues to oppose it. The first problem with this GOP bill is that it severely shortchanges education--by $3.5 BILLION. This bill would end our commitment to hire 100,000 new teachers and to reduce class sizes. I am concerned by the fact that this bill would eliminate Head Start for some 53,000 children and cut $1.3 BILLION for urgent repairs to schools across the country. These are critical issues for my district and for many districts across the country. This bill will also eliminate school counselors serving 100,000 children. This action will deprive schools of the professionals they need to identify and help troubled children. This bill also does considerable injustice to Bilingual and Immigrant Education. The amount included in the bill for programs addressing these issues is $54 million below the budget request. The professional development of our bilingual education teachers is critically important. The Labor, HHS, and Education bill in its current form provides an amount that is $28.5 million below the budget request for the important programs of Bilingual Education Professional Development. The grants that are provided for the development of our teachers in bilingual education are needed to increase the pool of trained teachers and strengthen the skills of teachers who provide instruction to students who have limited English proficiency. These funds support the training and retraining of bilingual teachers. The disparities in minority education will be increased if this bill is passed. Secondly, this bill severely shortchanges programs that assist displaced workers. This is a major issue for my constituents in El Paso, as I know that it is for many of you in your home districts. In El Paso and in other areas along the U.S./Mexico border, NAFTA has created many displaced workers, and this bill does an injustice to programs that could help them. For example, the bill cuts assistance to over 215,000 dislocated workers and it cuts the dislocated worker program by $207 million below the 2000 level. These cuts will make it more difficult for these workers to find jobs. This bill also cuts adult job training for almost 40,000 adults. The cuts in adult training programs equal $93 million or 10 percent below the request and 2000 levels. Finally, this bill provides only $9.6 million for employment assistance to another class of displaced workers: Our homeless veterans. There are over a quarter million homeless veterans in this country, and the provisions in this bill will deny employment assistance to thousands of these Americans who have faithfully served their country. This is unacceptable. The root of these problems is that in order to pay for the proposed Republican trillion-dollar tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, we are attacking programs that are needed to educate our children and to assist displaced workers. Again, I stand in strong opposition to passage, and I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the bipartisan agreement reached on Section 110 and presented to the House as H.R. 4489. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill and ask all of my colleagues to support this legislation. This compromise legislation will achieve the enforcement goals of Section 110 without punishing communities along the border. H.R. 4489 eliminates the Section 110 requirements of implementing an entry/exit control system by March 20, 2001 and instead requires the INS to automate its ability to collect information on who is entering and exiting the U.S. This is good news for communities like El Paso that would have been devastated by the full implementation of Section 110. Our ports-of-entry, which are already stressed, would have become parking lots. Business would have suffered and tourism would have disappeared. Trade, which is so important to my district and others along the border, would have suffered greatly. I commend Chairman Smith for this efforts during these negotiations. The goals of Section 110 are admirable. This bill allows us to make use of the information that we already gather on people entering and exiting this country. That is an important first step we must take prior to adding additional requirements to an already overwhelmed agency. What this entire debate has shown us is that we must do a better job of providing the INS and Customs with additional personnel to man the ports-of-entry. We must make it a priority to staff the ports-of-entry along the Southwest Border so that we can have all lanes open for traffic. Additional personnel will allow us to better manage our borders, enforce our laws, and facilitate the flow of commerce. This is a good bill and I urge my colleagues to support this compromise.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I stand in strong support for H.J. Res. 98, Honoring WWII Minority Veterans. This legislation honors their service and sacrifice. Despite suffering from inequality and discrimination back home and in the military, they did not hesitate to defend America with courage and dedication. Our World War II veterans whether Hispanic, Native American, Asian, Hawaiian, Pacific Islander or African-American, participated in combat operations around the globe to stem the tide of fascism with pride and distinction. Their bravery, dedication, and commitment was unwavering as reflected in the disproportionate number of Medal of Honor winners among their ranks. Furthermore, as shown by our Native American Navajo soldiers, their particular and unique skills in the war effort directly contributed to the early success and ultimate victory of our armed forces. Clearly, our minority World War II veterans are patriots and heroes of the highest order. They put their lives on the line for America, while segregation and prejudice persisted in their homes and toward their families. Their efforts and service in defense of our Nation, broke stereotypes and the prejudice they endured served to breakdown the doors of segregation for future generations. Nonetheless, far too many of these veterans returned to a Nation that did not fully recognize their service, nor welcome them back like other American soldiers who had defended our freedom and liberty. It is long overdue that we give them the recognition and accolades they deserve. Our minority veterans should be celebrated, honored, and recognized for their exceptional contributions to the war effort as part of ``America's Greatest Generation.'' They fought against fascism abroad, and racism and segregation at home. They are veterans of war and veterans of the struggle for freedom and civil rights. I therefore am pleased that we commend these veterans for their service and sacrifice with this Joint Resolution. This bill will honor those minority veterans who gave their lives, support the goals of a Day of Honor in celebration and recognition of their extraordinary service, and authorize and request a Presidential proclamation to honor these veterans with appropriate programs and activities. These veterans deserve this recognition and we owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. However, with this resolution let us salute and thank our minority World War II veterans. I therefore ask that my colleagues join me to overwhelmingly support this bill.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Pope John Paul II. It is difficult to talk briefly about a man who has done so much since being elected to succeed Pope John Paul I in 1978. So, let me make these few comments. Pope John Paul II has worked tirelessly to unite the people of different countries and different religions, regardless of their color or their politics. He did this as a youth, as a professor at Catholic University of Lublin, as the Archbishop of Krakow and continues to do so as the head of the Roman Catholic Church. He is said to be the most recognized man in the world. In fact he was named ``Man of the Year'' in Time magazine in 1994. But, that is not why I stand before you. I stand before you because this man has dedicated his life to the salvation of others. I still remember when he was chosen by the College of Cardinals. There was a great deal of discussion about him, not because he was selected to become the Pope, but rather because he was the first non Italian Pope since 1522 and because he was only 58 years old. Now, twenty-two years later, neither his birth place nor his age are part of the discussion. I think that there is a lesson for all of us in that fact. I support this award because Pope John Paul II has reached out to the people of this planet. He encourages fraternity and encourages people to live the gospel. And, in the final analysis, he has made the world a better place for us to live. I cannot think of a better reason for this body to give this or any award.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak in support of S. 1402, the Veterans Millennium Education Bill. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation, which is a long overdue step to address the serious erosion of our veterans educational benefits. Through this bill we raise the educational benefits our veterans deserve and provide the recruitment incentive our Armed Forces need. Montgomery GI Bill benefits allow our Nation to extend its gratitude to veterans for their service, compensate them for their time away from family and careers, and gives them the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and skills through attendance at our Nation's colleges and universities. With the opportunities it provides to obtain an education, the GI bill has been considered the most significant reason for our country's high educational attainment and post-World War II economic leadership and success. Over time, however, the value of GI bill benefits has not kept pace with the rising costs of higher education. In fact there is a gross disparity between current benefits and the costs of going to school. In an environment where there are greater sources of private scholarships and funding, along with a strong economy, our best recruits no longer see the same value in the GI bill. This has seriously hurt military recruiting efforts. Our veterans deserve better, and from a national security standpoint, we cannot afford to allow our military to be without necessary manpower and strength. With a strong economy and large budget surpluses this situation has been unacceptable. As a result, I am proud that this bill enhances educational assistance amounts by almost 30 percent over 3 years, and at the same time addresses a long time injustice, by allowing for those men and women still on active duty to convert to the Montgomery GI Bill from their Vietnam Era Veterans' Education Assistance Program [VEAP]. The benefit increases in H.R. 4268, raise the monthly amount from $536 to $600 per month on October 1, 2000 and to $720 per month on October 1, 2002 for full-time students. While further increases in benefits are needed, this bill creates a strong foundation for bringing the educational and training benefits to the level for which our veterans are entitled. We must never fail in our efforts to maintain, enhance, and improve the benefits entitled to our veteran population. By doing this, we honor their service, and adequately provide for their needs and the recruiting requirements of our Armed Forces. I therefore stand in support of this bill, and ask my colleagues to join in voting for its passage.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, I insert the following materials for the Record. Assistant Secretary of Defense, Washington, DC, May 17, 2000. Hon. Floyd D. Spence, Chairman, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: Pursuant to Section 1027(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2000 (Public Law 106-65, Oct. 5, 1999), please find the enclosed report on the use of military personnel to support civilian law enforcement. The report addresses: 1. The plan described in Section 1027(a); 2. A discussion of the risks and benefits associated with using military personnel to support civilian law enforcement; 3. Recommendations; and 4. The total number of active and reserve members, and members of the National Guard whose activities were supported using funds provided under section 112 of Title 32, United States Code, who participated in drug interdiction activities or otherwise provided support for civilian law enforcement during fiscal year 1999. Thank you for your continued support of the Department's counterdrug efforts. If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely,

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I rise in support of this amendment. I believe that H.R. 4205 laid the groundwork to address the continuing health care problems that are plaguing our service members. This amendment is crucial to our military retirees because it expands the Medicare subvention demonstration program for our Medicare eligible military retirees and their dependents. Mr. Chairman, I just spent a week in my district visiting high schools and working with each of our services on their recruiting efforts. What is really great is the amount of young people that are out there who have a sincere interest in serving their country. What is unfortunate is that there are retirees who discourage them because of their intense disappointment and anger in how we are addressing their health care needs. They simply feel betrayed. I want all my colleagues to know that this issue is real and that we are feeling the effects at our recruiting stations in our recruiting efforts. This amendment ensures that service members who served their country honorably have access to Medicare subvention, and not just in 8 locations, but across the country. I was concerned about subvention because of reimbursement costs, however, this amendment also ensures that the Health Care Financing Administration would reimburse the Pentagon for most of the program's cost. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. We owe this to the men and women who have served and continue to serve our country.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. I rise in strong support of the amendment offered by my good friend, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton). I do not want to stand here today and rehash all of the problems that have occurred over this issue, the Island of Vieques. I would rather focus, and I ask this body to focus, on moving forward in a democratic and fair manner to implement the agreement which was reached between the President, the Secretary of Defense and the Governor of Puerto Rico. The language in the bill undermines the agreement and guarantees that we will continue to fight over Vieques instead of using it to train. The agreement that was reached strikes the necessary balance between our military readiness, national security needs and the needs of the people of Vieques. As Secretary of State Bill Cohen has said, the continued cooperation of the government of Puerto Rico is critical to achieving the resumption of the full range of training exercises at Vieques. If legislation which abrogates the agreement is adopted, the opportunity to achieve that goal will be set back, if not lost altogether. Mr. Chairman, I urge all of my colleagues to stand behind this agreement and to support the amendment.

Mr. REYES

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

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, in deference to my friend, Woody, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant), I would like to close by saying that the Department of Defense does have, the authority does have a plan. I want to enter into the Record a copy of a report that was just filed this week. Mr. Chairman, I would like to read from it, and it says, I quote, ``in emergencies, the DOD will respond to requests for support as required. It is not in the DOD's military interests to require training in search and seizure of arrest or use of force against civilian citizens,'' what my colleague is advocating. ``This type of training has minimal military value and detracts from the training with war- fighting equipment for which we are trained in war-fighting missions. It will lead to decreased military training, which reduces unit readiness levels and overall combat effectiveness of the armed forces.'' Mr. Chairman, I ask my friend, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant), this is not what the military is trained to do. We already stretched our troops all around the world in many different types of missions. I strongly ask my colleagues to vote against this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute. Mr. Chairman, I have found in my short tenure in Congress that every year we celebrate the holiday season, we celebrate Easter with an Easter egg roll, we celebrate the Fourth of July, and we every year debate this ridiculous amendment. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is ill-advised. Every year it is ill- timed. It has the ability or the potential to put our men and women in uniform in jeopardy. I would hope that my colleagues would join me in opposition to this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, to my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Ohio, if this amendment were to become law, then that would mean that this country would be in serious trouble, because what this amendment does, it advocates the equivalent of martial law for communities along the border, the equivalent of martial law, where whole regions of this country who are already suffering from lack of infrastructure, lack of support, lack of money, many, many different needs that we have along our border communities would, in a very disparate way, be affected by the utilization of the military, under the guise of terrorism. My friend speaks about good legislation sometimes taking many years. A bad idea I think does not deserve its time and its place, and certainly this amendment does not deserve to be considered by this body. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. REYES asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. REYES. The gentleman still has time. Let me just ask my colleague if he realizes that that authority already exists? I read from a report filed this week. That authority is already there with DOD.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Yes.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, I yield back my time.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend for yielding me time. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to this amendment. I object to this amendment for a number of reasons, but, in the interest of time, I will address just one key point. United States national security policy should not be dictated by the actions or inactions of our allies or other countries. I am very aware that there is a need to have our European allies assume a larger role in securing peace in Kosovo. However, this amendment places us in the situation of pursuing our national security interests literally by default. This Easter, several of my colleagues and I visited with the soldiers in Kosovo. This was my second visit to the region and my second opportunity to talk with our service members about this difficult mission. Each of the soldiers I spoke with felt our participation was critical to reducing the instability and violence of the Balkans. This amendment would undermine our ability to affect the future of the Balkans, and, more importantly, it would affect our ability to influence any future conflicts. I strongly urge each of my colleagues to vote against this amendment.

Mr. REYES. I yield to the gentleman from Mississippi.