Hal Rogers

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. I would hope that the gentleman would agree to proceed with title I.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, on the last gentlewoman's statement: They can sample all they want on all of the decisions that they just talked about, such as for Social Security, funding for States and localities--sample all they want. All we are talking about here is not sampling for purposes of the reapportionment of the House of Representatives. We are only talking about prohibiting sampling on the apportionment of who represents whom in this body. We are not limiting sampling on all of the other aspects of the census. Only on the decennial census for the purposes of the apportionment of the House of Representatives do we require actual enumeration.

Mr. ROGERS. Does the gentleman say we should do away with this vote board up here and just guess on how the vote is going to go?

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will continue to yield, well, if the Constitution says, as it does, that we have to have an actual enumeration for the purposes of reapportionment of this body, not for business decisions, not for finding out how many people have blue eyes on the third Sunday of every month, but for the reapportionment of the House of Representatives, as a doctor of statistics, what is your opinion that the drafters of the Constitution meant when they said, you must have an actual enumeration?

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I know the gentleman is chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Census, in charge of authorization and oversight on the census. Before he came to this body, did the gentleman have any expertise in this field? I know the gentleman does not like to brag. If I may say so, is the gentleman not a professor of statistics?

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

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. McInnis) for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support, obviously, of this rule. It is an open rule, as is usual with appropriations bills. It waives all points of order against the bill as reported. The important fact, I think I need to say, is that we need to take action on this bill as quickly as we can. This is the bill that provides the funding for our Federal law enforcement agencies: all of the Justice Department agencies, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, most all of the law enforcement agencies of the Federal Government. We provide funding to our State and local law enforcement agencies; all of our sheriffs, all of our police departments, all of the local law enforcement folks out there who need the Federal assistance is in this bill. We fund, of course, the Federal courts, from the Supreme Court all the way down, and most of the agencies that work with the courts, such as the Marshals Service. We provide the funding for the National Weather Service and the modernization efforts of the National Weather Radar System that is increasingly providing advanced warning to our constituents of dangerous weather. We provide, of course, in the State Department portion of the bill, all of our diplomacy operations around the globe. We provide assistance to small businesses in our communities and a host of other vital and necessary functions. So, Mr. Speaker, it is important that this bill proceed and be passed and be signed and become law. There are some controversial matters in the bill, but let us not lose sight of the fact, Mr. Speaker, that this bill is vitally necessary in so many areas of our national life. If we set one priority in this bill, it is to provide increased funding for the fight against crime and to empower Federal, State, and local law enforcement with the resources they need to enforce our laws and prevent crime. Mr. Speaker, thanks to this Congress and the work of this subcommittee and the full Committee on Appropriations, but most importantly the Congress, over the last several years we have fundamentally increased the funding for the law enforcement agencies, which I think is having a major impact on crime. We are seeing reductions of crime for the first time in many years in this Nation, a lot of which I think can be attributable to the fact that we have provided the funding in this bill, not just for the Federal agencies, but perhaps more importantly for the local law enforcement agencies by the billions of dollars. Now, over the last couple of years, we have funded the fight against juvenile crime and juvenile delinquency and juvenile crime prevention in this bill. We provide in the bill that is before us an increase of over a half billion dollars for the Department of Justice crime programs. We provide $4.9 billion for State and local law enforcement, $400 million more than was requested by the White House and $47 million more than the current spending. We restore the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant to give local law enforcement agencies monies to spend for their specific needs. We give them maximum flexibility to spend according to their requirements. That figure is $523 million. Mr. Speaker, we provide also a juvenile crime block grant to allow States and localities for their needs to prevent juvenile crime, a quarter of a billion dollars. The President proposed to eliminate this in his budget request. We restore it to the bill. We provide $283 million also for juvenile crime prevention, most important in this era, a $44 million increase over current levels. And for the first time, Mr. Speaker, the Congress passed a bill recently authorizing bulletproof vests for our local police. This bill for the first time provides the money to buy and pay for the bulletproof vests that protect the lives of the people that protect us. That is in this bill. We provide $104 million in new funding to help States and localities raise their level of preparedness for chemical and biological terrorism. First time funding, first time we have done this so that our local fire departments, rescue squads and local responders now have funds in this bill to train, to educate, to equip themselves to help fight off the awful things that may happen in our cities or localities that we would call terrorism. In this building, we know now what that really means. We provide more than $8.4 billion for the war on drugs, including a $95 million increase for the Drug Enforcement Administration, $31 million more than they requested. We put $10 million more into the drug courts in localities which are doing wonderful work throughout the country, and $10 million for a new program to help small businesses create drug-free workplaces. We provide a thousand new Border Patrol agents to guard the border, $216 million more than they have now for controlling illegal immigration. The bill provides a $47 million Interior enforcement initiative to force the INS to respond to State and local police in every State when they find suspected illegal aliens. Now, the INS simply does not answer the phone when the State police calls and says they have a vanload of illegals, and they are turned loose. We put money in here to respond to that, to give State and local police a way to have the INS assist in the removal of the illegal aliens they watch. This rule will allow us to move forward. I am very appreciative of the Committee on Rules. They have done a wonderful job. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the rule to allow us to move ahead with this vitally important bill, vitally important to every Member and every district in the country.

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

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Officer J.J. Chestnut and Special Agent John Gibson who were tragically slain in the line of duty this past Friday. Words do little to reveal the sense of gratitude we feel for their heroic actions or the sense of loss accompanied with their passing. Few of us could ever hope to equal the level of courage displayed by these individuals. My thoughts and prayers go out to their families and friends in this time of great sorrow. While we mourn the loss of these two fine officers, we must also pay homage to all members of the Capitol Police Force. These brave men and women perform their duties with smiles and kind words, always standing at the ready to put themselves in harm's way if danger calls. Unfortunately on Friday, danger did call. Without regard for personal safety, they responded to the situation shielding Members, staff and visitors from harm, losing two of their own in the process. I thank them for their selflessness, their sense of duty and their courage. I extend to them my great sympathy on the loss of their comrades and my hope that such condolences are never again required.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this bill, for several reasons, not the least of which is the expertise and the judgment and wisdom that the chairman and the ranking member have put into this bill. This is a bittersweet moment, I think, for all of us on this committee, and in fact the Congress, to see a fine bill like this brought to the floor, the finest that I have seen in my experience, given the circumstances; sweet in that respect, but bitter in that we are losing two of the most able gentleman this House has been able to have for many years. Joe McDade, as has been said, is leaving us after this term. We wish we could talk him into staying, but I think his mind is set. The same for Vic Fazio. But these two men have offered leadership at a time when we need leadership, and they have done it in a bipartisan, in fact, nonpartisan way, and we are certainly going to miss them deeply and long on this subcommittee and on the full committee and, of course, in this body. We wish for each of them happiness and success in the years to come. The chairman has done an outstanding job in producing this appropriations bill, which adequately funds such diverse programs as nuclear weapons research, to solar and renewable energy technologies, to water infrastructure projects, to critical rural development programs like the Appalachian Regional Commission. This is not an easy bill to write. I am particularly grateful for the chairman's efforts in increasing the administration's requested level for the Army Corps of Engineers. The President had the audacity to propose a funding level nearly $2 billion below the level required to continue ongoing water infrastructure projects at their optimal level. The President's request was the lowest budget request in terms of real dollars in the history of the civil works program of the United States. This bill goes a long way toward getting those projects back on track. The recommendation is $3.97 billion. That will ensure that vital national priorities of flood control, navigation, and shoreline protection are adequately funded. The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Chairman McDade) and his very capable staff have put together something that we can all be proud of, and I truly appreciate their insight and their responsiveness. As has been said, we are losing a true patriot and statesman in the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joe McDade). He has provided leadership, courage, and overwhelming devotion to the American people for nearly four decades in this body. This institution will not be the same without Joe McDade. The same can be said of our friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Fazio), and of course, the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Mike Parker), who has served on this subcommittee admirably and well. He will be sorely missed, as well. Whatever endeavors each decides to undertake in the future, I know they will display the same compassion and understanding and devotion as they always have here in the body. It has been a great personal honor to have served with them, and I wish for them and their family all the best. God speed.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call Vote 192, on May 22, 1998 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present I would have voted aye.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, on June 12th and 13th the members of the Paintsville Middle School Community Future Problem Solving Team will be in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the Future Problem Solvers of America national competition. This competition is an excellent opportunity for young men and women throughout our nation to put their creative thought processes to work as they find workable, innovative solutions to many of the problems that face our schools, communities, states and nation. The Paintsville Middle School Community Future Problem Solving Team has already demonstrated its outstanding problem solving abilities by winning the State of Kentucky's Problem Solving Competition. The group helped tackle a local school problem by trying to find a way to help improve student performance on state-required tests. They analyzed the current situation and came up with the idea of offering instant, confidential, one-on-one help through a free Homework Hotline. The Team worked with the local telephone company and school officials to establish the Hotline, setting up both a telephone line and an Internet chat room. The members of the Community Problem Solving Team manned the Hotline under the supervision of adult volunteers and the 8th grade members of the Team. The response to the new Homework Hotline was extremely positive. Students who used the service became more adept at refining their questions and moved away from one-line fact requests to research-based inquiries for additional sources of information that they could access on their own. The Team is now considering continuing the program into next year. I want to congratulate all the members of the Paintsville Middle School Community Future Problem Solving Team: Catlin Boswell, Zachary Boswell, Ashley Boswell, Katie Brown, Hayley Castle, Elizabeth Combs, John Compton, Sashi Param, Malloree Collins, Katie Gilkerson, and John Petot. They have spent countless hours working on the Homework Hotline project, and their dedication to their community and fellow students should serve as an inspiration to us all. I also want to commend the Team's Coach, Brenda Porter, and the Team's advisors: Teresa Boswell, Larry Compton, Teresa Petot, and South Central Bell. Their support and guidance has been invaluable in spurring the success of the Community Future Problem Solving Team. Mr. Speaker, the activities of the Problem Solvers are important, and we should support their efforts. Today's problem solvers are tomorrow's problem solvers and community leaders. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Paintsville Middle School Community Problem Solving Team on a job well done, and to wish them the best of luck as they compete in Ann Arbor, Michigan, next week.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, are my colleagues tired of hearing about thousands of felons being naturalized as American citizens by an agency out of control? Are my colleagues tired of having lost control of our borders? Are they tired of a bureaucracy that allows millions of illegal aliens simply because they overstayed while on a legal visa? Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation to overhaul and dramatically improve the Nation's immigration system. The bill would enact the reforms proposed by the bipartisan Commission on Immigration Reform, headed by the late Barbara Jordan. These reforms, received by Congress last year, are based on the most comprehensive bipartisan study of our immigration system to date and they offer a common-sense approach to fixing a system that is broken, failing the citizens it is supposed to protect and the immigrants it is supposed to serve. Since 1984, the Congress has increased the budget of the INS by over 600 percent, yet illegal immigration is at an all-time high and service for illegal immigrants is at an all-time low. Money is no longer an excuse. By implementing these changes, we can end the 3-year backlogs in benefits processing, end the granting of citizenship to criminals and other undeserving individuals, and end the mismanagement of our entire immigration system.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding the time and join in welcoming our friend, Mr. Hammerschmidt, back to this Chamber. Mr. Chairman, the highway bill before us today opens doors for the Nation and the people of Kentucky. First, it unlocks the Highway Trust Fund, providing the money needed to invest in our national highway system and to boost spending in donor States like Kentucky. BESTEA gives Kentucky 90 cents back on every dollar that we send in to the trust fund as opposed to 77 cents they received under ISTEA. Overall, Kentucky will receive on average approximately $479 million per year in highway funding. That is 70 percent more than our share over the last 5 years. Second, it launches the I-66 project in Kentucky, making the first major dollar investment toward construction. I-66 will open up southern and eastern Kentucky to the rest of the Nation, creating thousands of jobs. Third, monies included in the House and Senate version of this bill virtually guarantee that we will make substantial progress on the unfinished sections of the Appalachian development road system, which is vital to our region. Of special importance is that this bill will save lives. BESTEA gives States the ability to improve the safety of many poorly designed roads and bridges. This will save hundreds of lives in Kentucky alone. Simply put, BESTEA is the best deal for Kentucky, the best deal for donor States and the best deal for our Nation. I congratulate the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and the other members of the committee for a great job on a great bill.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, April 3, 1998 marks the conclusion of a remarkable term of service to Kentucky and our Nation. After a 34-year career, Jerry O. Rainer will retire from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as the Deputy District Engineer for Project Management of the Nashville District. During his tenure and under his leadership, this country has witnessed the construction of some of its largest public works, all bearing Jerry's combination of engineering skill, a drive to accomplish complex projects, a dedication to serving the customer, and an admirable public reserve. The constituents of Kentucky's Fifth Congressional District will remain in debt to Jerry for his stewardship of the massive flood control works now nearly complete along the Upper Cumberland River. Thousands of citizens now live and work without fear of being washed out of their homes and businesses, owing their newfound security to these projects and the people who prosecuted them under Jerry's day to day leadership Kentucky's most revered statesman, Henry Clay, is remembered among other things for emerging early in his U.S. Senate career as a spokesman for a system of federally funded improvements to our Nation's infrastructure. Clay's American System was an ambitious program of roads and canals needed to nurture our young union into an economically self-reliant nation. The work that Clay championed is not unlike that which Jerry has been critical in implementing during his career with the Corps of Engineers: the massive Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, the rehabilitation of Wilson Lock, the Piney Grove Recreation Area, the Upper Cumberland River Flood Prevention Project, and the new lock at Kentucky Dam. These and many other works are proof positive of the dedication and experience which Jerry has applied to the benefit of thousands of citizens living within communities served by the Nashville Corps District. In recognition of his performance, Jerry is the recipient of no less than 21 service awards, including the Meritorious Civilian Service Award for outstanding leadership and management skills. And though a native of Mississippi and a life long Tennessean, we in Kentucky are proud to claim Jerry as one of our own. The citizens of Kentucky and the House of Representatives thank and congratulate Jerry O. Rainer on his outstanding contributions to the Nashville District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Nation.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, March 28th, a very special group of people will be gathering in Lexington to celebrate a very special anniversary. March 28th marks the 10 year anniversary of the Lexington Dream Factory, a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to making the wishes of critically-ill children in central and eastern Kentucky come true. To commemorate the Dream Factory's anniversary, over 75 families of children who have been granted special wishes over the years will be gathering for a reunion celebration. This will be a time to come together, to rekindle friendships and start new ones, to find strength from others, and to celebrate the lives of the children. Many of these families are from my congressional district, and I know how important the work of the Dream Factory has been to them. Families with children experiencing life threatening illnesses face what is perhaps the most tremendous and difficult challenge of their lives. They are focused on helping their child get better, and feel better. They want to do everything possible to bring a smile to the face of their child. The Lexington Dream Factory has helped those smiles appear. Since it was organized in 1988, it has granted over 350 dreams, bringing laughter and joy to the faces of these critically-ill children, and to the faces of their families. Dreams have ranged from Disney World family vacations, to shopping sprees at local stores. I want to salute the Dream Factory and offer my best wishes to all the families gathering on March 28th. I'm hopeful this reunion will prove to be a celebration of life, remembering those children who are no longer with us and giving strength to those who are fighting to get well.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, on February 20, 1998, Sgt. Herman Smith of Williamsburg, Kentucky, and nine other World War II crewmen of the B- 24H ``Liberator,'' serial number 42-95064, will be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. This ceremony is a long-overdue recognition of the honor, bravery and devotion displayed by ten World War II servicemen who lost their lives nearly 54 years ago when their plane crashed in northeastern Brazil on April 11, 1944. At 9:05 a.m. on that fateful day, 42-95064's pilot requested weather information. That was the last word from 42-95064 and her crew. Today, no one quite knows where the crew of 42-95064 was heading, what their mission was, or why the plane went down. For 51 years, no one even knew where the plane and her crew were. Sgt. Herman Smith's mother passed on without ever knowing what happened to her boy. Like thousands of other mothers, fathers, wives, sons and daughters whose loved ones were listed as missing in action, Mrs. Smith lived her life with an empty place in her heart, never knowing the fate of her son. Although Herman Smith and thousands of other American servicemen have been listed as missing, they have never been forgotten. Over the years, we have continued efforts to discover the fate of American service members lost during times of war. And, with the help of the Army Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, hundreds of missing servicemen have been identified, providing their families with peace of mind and final resolution. That is the story of the long-lost crew of 42-95064. During the 1990s, reports started coming back of plane wreckage in an uninhabited, isolated area of the Amazon jungle. After a 1994 search party failed to find the site, officials finally confirmed the plane's location. On Independence Day 1995, a 15-man team from the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory arrived in Brazil to begin the arduous process of bringing our boys back home. Next week, the 10 crew members of 42-95064 will be placed in their resting place after 54 long years. Phyllis Bowling of Williamsburg, a first cousin of Sgt. Herman Smith and his closest living relative, will attend the service. For the people of Williamsburg, Kentucky, this service means that one more man, whose name has been forever captured on the VFW Post 3167's memorial commemorating those killed from Whitley County during the Great War, will finally receive the military honors he deserves. Every day, men and women from counties all across our nation volunteer, like Herman Smith did, for one of the most important jobs America has to offer--military service in the United States Armed Forces. These men and women have so much faith, honor, love and respect for this nation that they are prepared to sacrifice their lives in order to preserve and protect the United States and all that she stands for. In turn, we must remain committed to them. We must support our service personnel in times of war and times of peace. We must help their loved ones cope with the demands and stress placed upon them as military families. We must honor them after they return from service, and if they don't return, we must be dogged in our pursuit to bring them home. But, most important, we must never forget the sacrifices they have made. We should remember, because every man and woman who has served in this nation's armed forces has helped secure the peace that we enjoy today. In times of peace and war, American's military personnel have been a beacon of hope in the darkness of conflict. They answered the call of service, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. The next generation must know about the courage, honor and strength of the men and women who gave their lives for us. Our service members must know that we will never forget. Mr. Speaker, so everyone will remember the story of the men on B-24H ``Liberator,'' serial number 42-95064, I ask that a newspaper article appearing in the Whitley Republican-News Journal in Williamsburg, Kentucky, be printed here, for everyone to read. May God bless all the men and women who serve in America's Armed Forces, and may God bless the United States of America. [From the News Journal--February 4, 1998] Local Man Was Ball Turret Gunner on Long-Lost WWII B-24H Bomber Somewhere in some foreign field, The gunner sleeps tonight . . . But we cannot write off his final scene--Hold onto the dream . . . ``The Gunner's Dream,'' Pink Floyd, 1982 (By Philip A. Todd) Like thousands of his fellow World War II servicemen, a Williamsburg man listed as missing in action (MIA) for over a half century will never come home. However, after making the ultimate sacrifice for their country, Sgt. Herman Smith and the nine other crewmen on his B-24H bomber will finally receive the remembrance they earned with their lives. The remains of the ten Army Air Corps aviators, who died on April 11, 1944 when their plane crashed in northeastern Brazil, will be buried Feb. 20 with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery, official sources said. Sadly, this recognition comes much too late for most of those who waited in vain for news of their loved ones--while for 51 years, the bomber's crash site remained lost, hidden in a dense and uninhabited region of the Amazon jungle. Smith's mother, Martha E. Smith of Cumberland Ave., Williamsburg, apparently died years ago; and now, no one at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3167 seems to remember him. His name appears on the VFW's memorial outside the courthouse, along with the other Whitley County men listed and killed during the Great War. Other than that, there has been nothing but silence surrounding Smith, the plane's ball turret gunner, and his crewmates for nearly 54 years. Do you read me, 42-95064? As the Allied war effort in Europe escalated towards the ``longest day''--the actual invasion of Hitler's ``Fortress Europe'' on D-Day, June 6, 1944--America and her allies mounted heavy bombing raids throughout Axis-held Europe, North Africa and Italy. Daily aircraft losses reaching 50 percent in some raids meant new, replacement planes moved in a steady stream from American factories to the front. Secrecy concerns kept security so tight that even the very crews flying these replacement aircraft didn't know where they were going; and after a half-century, memories have dimmed and files have disappeared--so no one may ever know the complete story of Smith and the men on B-24H ``Liberator,'' serial no. 42-95064. Exact details remain a mystery; however, Smith's aircraft was apparently headed for duty in Europe by way of a series of refueling stops leading from the U.S. to Africa by way of South America when it crashed in the Brazilian jungle. This ferry route enabled new planes to replace lost combat aircraft in a matter of a few days, instead of the weeks it would take to ship them across the Atlantic Ocean. After probably flying from Colorado Springs to Florida and then south to Trinidad, Smith's B-24H reportedly left Trinidad's Waller Field at 6:09 a.m. April 11, 1944, enroute to Belem, Brazil. Around 9:05, about an hour from Belem, 42-95064's pilot, 2nd Lt. Edward J. Bares, reportedly requested weather information. A ground station in Brazil responded with a report, but heard nothing further from the plane. Nothing further was ever to be heard from 42-95064. Lost but not forgotten ``We were on the same route, departing probably the 16th of April,'' remembers R.F. ``Dick'' Gelvin, a B-24 navigator whose aircraft took the same route to the front only days later. ``I don't remember them telling us about having lost an airplane in the previous week.'' ``I do recall them telling we navigators, we would have enough fuel that we could follow the (South American) coast if we wanted to do so, but that over the (Brazilian) jungle would be closer,'' he said. ``After a crew discussion, we opted to take the `great circle' (globe-line) route, over the jungle.'' Apparently 42-95064's navigator, 1st Lt. Floyd D. Kyte Jr., took the same shortcut to Belem, but the plane crashed some 250 miles short of that Brazilian port city. Authorities have never issued an official explanation for the crash. The aircraft remained lost until the 1990s, when a group of gold prospectors reportedly stumbled across it. A joint expedition by the Forca Aerea Brasileira (FAB, Brazil's air force), and the U.S. Army located the crash site and recovered the crew's remains in July 1995. ``They told me that the place was 150 miles off course,'' said James K. Leitch, whose brother, Staff Sgt. John E. Leitch, was 42-95064's flight engineer. James Leitch, also a World War II veteran, said he contacted government officials in 1995 after reading a short news report that the plane had been found. ``They don't know why it went down, but it could have run out of gas.'' ``They feel that the whole crew was killed on impact,'' he said. A half-century's silence When 42-95064 and its crew of 10 went down in April 1944, James Leitch was a 19-year-old infantry-man waiting to be shipped to duty in the Pacific. His company commander called him to the office and told him he needed to go home to Los Angeles. There, his parents told him his brother was reported missing in action somewhere in the Brazilian jungle. About a month later, A Brazilian native reportedly told officials he had seen the wreckage of a four-engine plane and six bodies, but the man disappeared before anyone could verify his story, said Peter Muello, an Associated Press writer in 1995. Shortly after that initial report, a British man told authorities he had found the plane, and even reported the aircraft's correct identification number, said Muello. The Leitch family never heard about either of these sightings. A letter to Leitch's parents from a Brazilian official, dated July 14, 1944, said American authorities were searching ``where the plane is supposed to have made a forced landing.'' Five years later, Leitch's mother contacted a U.S. vice- consul in Belem, who told her that tribes in the area were friendly, and if anything had been found, they would have contacted the Brazilian authorities. During that same time year (1949), the Los Angeles Times reported that the U.S. Adjutant General's Office issued the statement that ``no evidence has been submitted that any of the crew parachuted to the safety, nor has any indication been received that the men were found by natives.'' ``Any that was all we heard,'' said Leitch. ``My mother went to her grave believing her John was still alive, somewhere in the jungle,'' he said. After these reports, no official statements about 42-95064 were made until 1995, when Brazilian army authorities said their 3rd Jungle Infantry Battalion discovered the wreckage in August 1994 and brought back ``a leather artifact'' that one official said was probably part of a crewmember's flight jacket. But in December 1994, a joint search party mounted by Brazil's air force and the U.S. Embassy to Brazil failed to find the site. Finally, officials confirmed the site; and on Independence Day, 1995, a 15-man salvage team from the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory arrived in Brazil to join a Brazilian army expedition to travel to the site and recover anything that was left. ``Bring The Boys Back Home'' When millions of Americans sang along with war-era stars like Vera Lynn and Glenn Miller, hoping that ``We Will Meet Again'' and praying to ``Bring The Boys Back Home,'' few would dream their government and their tax dollars would still be busy trying to do exactly that, more than 50 years later. Thanks to the ongoing mission of the Army Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii (CILHI), many missing servicemen--especially from Vietnam--have been positively identified from even the smallest of remains, after a process involving long hours of scientific analysis. Apparently, that's where 42-95064's crew has been since the summer of 1995, while U.S. Army officials attempted to track down next-of-kin for each man. An FAB (Brazilian air force) team prepared the site, and assisted the CILHI researchers during a three-week recovery effort in a dense jungle area some 50 miles northeast of the Amazon River city of Macapa, located about 250 miles northwest of the plane's destination, Belem. Searchers found two sets of ``dog tags'' and numerous bone fragments at the site, said Johnie Webb, a CILHI civilian deputy commander. ``It is, very dense jungle,'' he said, adding that ``all 10 (crewmen) perished in the aircraft.'' Two weeks of digging at the crash site brought nothing, Leitch said officials told him. ``They had dug several meters deep and were starting to lose hope, when suddenly, they started finding bones, rings, necklaces and dog tags with names and ranks written on them,'' said Fernando Allegretti, a spokesman for the Brazilian state of Amapa, where the plane crashed. One investigator found a wallet, and another found several 1944 dollar bills, he said. The high-speed impact of the crash meant little was left of the aircraft, and most of it--spread over a wide area and undisturbed for 51 years--will never be recovered, officials said. After three weeks, the team recovered the remains of all 10 on board. Officials then held a memorial service for the crew at Macapa, capital city of Amapa. A short time later, CILHI forensics experts confirmed the remains were, indeed, those of the long-lost crew of 42- 95064. Give them peace After more than two-and-a-half years of attempting to find surviving relatives of the crew, the U.S. Army has apparently decided against returning the remains to the families. ``I made call after call'' to the authorities, said Leitch after hearing of the plane's discovery in 1995. ``I was told they were going to use a DNA process to identify each man,'' he said. ``We wanted him (John) buried out here in Los Angeles, with my parents.'' Leitch said the family has kept a burial plot for John all these years. However, last month's announcement of plans for the Feb. 20 group burial in Arlington put an end to each family's own hopes for closure. Army officials apparently identified Peggy Bowling, a Williamsburg woman who is Smith's first cousin, as Smith's closest living relative. Bowling and another Whitley County resident are expected to attend the Feb. 20 ceremony. Leitch said the government is arranging to fly family members to Washington for the event. The 42-95064's crew included: 2nd Lt. Edward I. Bares, pilot, Chicago; Flight Officer Robert W. Pearman, co-pilot, Miami; Flight Officer Laurel Stevens, bombardier, Monroe, Iowa; 1st Lt. Floyd D. Kyte Jr., navigator, Elmira, N.Y.; Sgt. John Rocasey, nose gunner, El Monte, Cal.; Staff Sgt. John E. Leitch, engineer, Los Angeles; Sgt. Michael Prasol, tail gunner, Northampton, Mass.; Sgt. Herman Smith, ball turret gunner, Williamsburg, Ky,; Sgt. Max C. McGilvrey, upper gunner, Perkins, Okla,; and Staff Sgt. Harry N. Furman, unknown replacement, Dayton Plains, Mich. Furman, not part of the plane's original crew, replaced the crew's radio operator. Staff Sgt. Abe Shepherd of Ohio, on the fateful flight ``It is likely that the ground crew chief may well have replaced one of the gunners, who would have gone by sea,'' said Kevin Welch, a B-24 veteran. ``Occasionally, some positions were manned by non-crew members,'' said John Jakab, another B-24 veteran. For example, he said, ``my co-pilot crossed over by ship. My co-pilot for the overseas flight was our unit operations officer.'' Shepherd's fate is not known--and, after all these years, there aren't that many people still around who remember the lost crew of 42-95064. But some will never forget them. ``I have mixed feelings'' about the upcoming ceremony, said Leitch. The Leitch brothers, born 17 months apart, ``used to double date'' in their young days in southern California, he said. ``I'm happy that it's coming to a close, but I really miss him. It still bothers me.''

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I move the previous question on the conference report. The previous question was ordered. Motion to Recommit

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, on the point of the United Nations payments, let us clear this up. The bill has in it $100 million to pay our arrearage at the United Nations. That is an amount that we owe. However, that is subject to passage of an authorization law by the Congress. Of course, that law has not yet been passed, but we have plenty of time early next year to do that, in which case the $100 million will be freed up to pay on the arrearage at the United Nations. But there is a much bigger issue than that. If Members are concerned that at this time especially, we need to be supportive of the United Nations, then Members need to vote for this bill because in this bill are the funds to pay our annual assessment at the United Nations, which is $320 million. That is in this bill. If Members vote no, they are harming the United Nations at a very critical time. This $320 million, if this bill does not pass, will not be paid by the United States. So if Members are worried about our standing at the United Nations, if they are worried about us not paying our bills at a time of international crisis, then imagine what the effect will be if this conference report is defeated. If Members are worried about Iraq and whether the United Nations can stand up for our interests, Members need to vote for this bill, because it contains the funding to pay our dues in 1998 in full. That $320 million is at stake. That is one reason why Members need to support this bill. In closing, Mr. Speaker, there is going to be a motion to recommit. If Members vote for the motion to recommit, we will be here at least next week, because the other body is not in session. We have to reconference this bill. I do not know when we will get to it. So if Members are worried about the schedule, then they need to vote no on the motion to recommit and yes on final passage.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Maryland [Mrs. Morella]. (Mrs. MORELLA asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston], chairman of the full committee.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Smith]. (Mr. SMITH of New Jersey asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Regula], the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, but a very able, hard-working member of this subcommittee. (Mr. REGULA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, International Affairs and Criminal Justice, the gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Hastert.

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