Hal Rogers

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time, and I rise in support of the bill. This bill provides much-needed appropriations for the Department of Transportation, particularly the new Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard. The bill also provides $1.8 billion in additional expenses for the City of New York to address its transit needs in the wake of 9-11. And I am pleased that we were able to provide the vast majority of requested funds for all DOT agencies, except the TSA; and that is a special case. The administration requested $4.4 billion in supplemental funds, but the request made a curious statement. It admitted that OMB did not have a clue whether or not $1.9 billion, almost half of the amount, was necessary. It asked Congress to write a blank check for that amount and let OMB figure it out later. Well, Mr. Chairman, that is not the way we do things on the Committee on Appropriations. We expect the administration to justify their request, all of it, in great detail. While some of that material is now being developed and being presented, it is clear much more work remains to be done. Because of that lack of supporting justification, the committee was unable to support the full request for contingency emergency funding for TSA. Members should know that unless a change in direction is made, the TSA will be monstrous in size. When this agency was established last year, we thought we were creating an agency of about 33,000 people. The current estimate now is almost 70,000. We are planning to create a vast army of new Federal workers, some of whom would do nothing more than check your driver's license and airplane ticket or run your shoes over to an x-ray machine and bring them back to you. TSA plans to hire over 3,000 people just to sit in a chair and make sure someone does not run the wrong way down an exit lane. Mr. Chairman, there has to be a better way. I do not intend to recommend funds for a 70,000-man bureaucracy full of shoe runners and exit-lane watchers. Technology can obviate the need for thousands of these positions, and others are not the purview of TSA or simply not essential. So I believe strongly that TSA needs to look more carefully at its growth plans, and I will continue to press them as the fiscal year 2003 appropriations process unfolds. This supplemental bill asks TSA to begin that review now. We provide full funding for the procurement and installation of bond detection systems at airports. In fact, we even raise those funds because the request, we thought, was inadequate. But we have not provided funds to build up that 70,000-man agency. The bill caps staffing at no more than 45,000 full-time positions. I believe that anyone who reviews TSA's plans in detail, as I have, will conclude that this is sufficient for the first year of that agency. In fact, it is about twice the number of people who were performing screening activities just 1 year ago. I am pleased that the bill provides even more funding than requested by the Coast Guard, an agency on the front line of the fight for homeland security. We provide the FAA flexibility to address operating budget shortfalls which stem from extra security expenses at air traffic control facilities, and we provide additional funds for review of truck drivers who apply to drive hazardous materials within the country. These are all vitally needed transportation security improvements, and I am pleased we were able to fund them, especially given the tight budget constraints placed on us in this bill. Mr. Chairman, I think this is a good bill given the constraints placed on the committee, and I ask Members to support it.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the accomplishments of Mrs. Lucile Sugden of Lansing, Michigan, who will be honored on Sunday, June 2, 2002, by South Baptist Church and the Lansing community for her years of service, including 75 years of faithfully serving as a Sunday School teacher. For 35 years, Mrs. Sugden and her late husband, Dr. Howard Sugden, ministered to the members and community of South Baptist Church in Lansing. During her years of service, Mrs. Sugden's witness has inspired and motivated many Christian families. Even today, Lucile Sugden, who celebrates her 95th birthday on May 31, 2002, continues to teach a weekly Sunday School class at South Baptist. She also leads a weekly Bible study at her apartment complex. Described by those who know and love her as a true Woman of God, Mrs. Sugden is a role model for staying active in our golden years. She swims regularly in a local pool and even evangelizes those she meets in the hot tub. She has also been seen each summer in recent years zipping around on a jet ski watercraft on Lake Michigan. Long before her jet ski days, Lucile Sugden became a dedicated Tiger baseball fan. Twice honored at Tiger games in Detroit, she is fiercely loyal and devoted to her Tigers. Today, we extend our admiration and respect to Lucile Sugden of Lansing, Michigan. Her life truly reflects the direction of II Timothy 2:15 which tells us: ``Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.''

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and for his comment. This is a day that I have long waited for as have many others in this body and, more importantly, around the country, and I am very pleased and honored to support the Barbara Jordan bill. This has been a long, long road, but with the leadership of the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), we have come together and crafted I think an excellent bill worthy of this Chamber's support. And I deeply appreciate the time, the effort, the dedication to this cause that the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) has invested in bringing this legislation forward. He should be commended by all of us. This bill differs a little from the reform bill that I had pending for a few years along with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), but it is a good bill. It goes, I think, 90 percent of the way that we need to go. Mr. Chairman, the bill before the House is an essential piece of legislation. It will bring some accountability to this immigration system, and reforming and reorganizing the INS has been an issue near and dear to my heart as well as many others. Having taken on the chore myself several years ago in the appropriations subcommittee that funds the INS on which I have served some 19 years, including 6 as chairman, we have all seen firsthand the harm this agency has caused to our citizens because of its dysfunction and ineptitude. We have seen it on the enforcement side where tens of thousands of illegal aliens storm our borders every year, and we have seen it on the service side where backlogs and mismanagement have left legitimate applicants waiting in line for years. I believe there is no greater privilege that this Nation can bestow on anyone than American citizenship, but unfortunately too many applicants have been let down by this system. Simply put, and I have said it a hundred times, the INS is the worst- run agency in the United States Government. Its missions are inherently conflicted. On the one hand, they are to punish those who violate the law, but on the other hand they are supposed to help people achieve the rights and privileges that our country affords them. In many cases, we are talking about the same people. This causes confusion, frustration, not only among the rank-and-file employees, but the immigrants themselves. It may be Congress' ultimate failure in creating such a convoluted system, but we stand here before the House today, determined to fix it once and for all. The answer is not more money. We have poured money on this agency and agreed to its pleas and justifications. The INS budget has grown over 300 percent in just the last 8 years, from a level of $1.58 billion in 1994 to today's level of $5.5 billion. In fact, the INS account now consumes over 23 percent of the entire Department of Justice budget. The answer is not more staffing for border control. We have increased border patrol agents dramatically, from 3,900 in 1993 to over 10,000 authorized positions today, and despite our generosity, INS over the years failed to completely hire the full number of agents funded by the Congress, diverting the money to other things. Simply put, INS has been unable to effectively control the borders and has no strategy to remove people who overstay their limited visas. The only answer to this agency, I have come to conclude, is to simply abolish it, dismantle, start over, and this bill achieves that by separating these conflicted missions of the INS. The new Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service and the new Bureau of Immigration Enforcement will keep to their tasks and focus solely on their respective specialties, ultimately providing for the common good of the Nation. And, as has been said, a new Associate Attorney General will be created, giving immigration affairs the full credit and importance it deserves within the Justice hierarchy. This legislation will help secure the homeland and bring sanity to our immigration system. The legacy left behind by INS is not a pretty picture: 8 million illegal aliens, some 40 percent, 2.8 million, being illegal overstays of certified visas that came here legally; a backlog of 5 million unadjudicated petitions for immigration benefits. The citizenship U.S.A. debacle where thousands of individuals with criminal records were naturalized as citizens because the INS told the FBI we do not need the background checks, we will just go ahead and make them citizens. The IDENT malfunction. INS spent $68 million on a failed alien identification system that resulted in the Border Patrol's releasing serial killer Rafael Resendez-Ramirez, who was on the FBI's 10 most wanted list, had criminal and State prison records, and had been deported by the INS three different times. They let him loose. Mr. Chairman, I urge the adoption of this bill. This is the way we need to go. Do away with an agency that cannot handle the mission we have given to it.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, April 18, 2002, I was in Somerset, Kentucky attending the funeral services for a dear friend of mine, Pulaski County Sheriff Sam Catron. As such, I was not present for rollcall votes #99-103. The votes were on the approval of the journal, a motion to instruct conferees on the farm security bill, and consideration of H.R. 586, the Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2002. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on rollcalls #99, 101, 102, 103, and nay on rollcall #100.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, a dedicated public servant and a soldier on the front lines of the fight against evil has been struck down--taken from us in a senseless but premeditated act of political assassination in my home county this past weekend. Sheriff Sam Catron of Pulaski County, Kentucky, was shot and killed Saturday, April 13, by a cowardly assassin who fired a high-powered rifle from a camouflaged vantagepoint estimated to be some 100 yards away. He was killed instantly and fell just steps from friends, family and his elderly mother, Jennie Rachel Catron, who had accompanied him to an outdoor candidates-night gathering and fish fry at a rural volunteer fire station. By Monday, very efficient and capable state and local investigators had arrested the alleged assassin and two alleged conspirators, including one of the sheriff's opponents in his race for reelection. A particularly cruel irony is that the Sheriff's father was gunned down by an assassin in similar fashion as Somerset (county seat of Pulaski County) Chief of Police 38 years ago. Both shootings were in the presence of the Sheriff's mother and the Chief's wife. Pulaski County Sheriff Sam Catron won election on his first attempt for the office in 1984. He had previously served as chief of police in Ferguson, Kentucky, and as a deputy sheriff in Pulaski County. He was a member of the City of Somerset-Pulaski County Rescue Squad, an Eagle Scout and a Kentucky Colonel. Ray Stoess, the former executive director of the Kentucky Sheriff's Association, says Sheriff Catron was perhaps the best Kentucky sheriff of the last 30 years. A former Sheriff of the Year in Kentucky, he was considered one of the hardest-working law officers in the state, often staying on the road until the early morning hours answering calls from citizens and investigating crimes. A licensed pilot, Sheriff Catron performed his own helicopter searches for marijuana, helped other departments track suspects with the use of his police dog and he was even known to keep firefighting equipment in his vehicle so he could lend a hand in any kind of emergency. Sheriff Catron had recently cooperated with John Walsh of the TV program America's Most Wanted in an effort to track down a man wanted by police in Eastern Kentucky. Ironically, that episode of the program premiered on national television this past Saturday night, less than two hours after Sheriff Catron was gunned down. Sheriff Catron loved being the chief law enforcement official of our county. He was a very capable lawman. But he also performed thousands of kindnesses to the people he dearly loved. As such, Sheriff Sam Catron is an example of a law officer who lived to serve the people he represented. He worked tirelessly for the citizens of Pulaski County, who today have a heavy heart, yet they are now relying on their deep wellspring of faith, their abiding sense of community, their loving families and their inner strength. The people are trying to heal in many ways, including the spontaneous display of brown and yellow ribbons--colors worn by the members of the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office who put their lives on the line each and every day. But among the outpouring of heartfelt tributes, memorials and flowers, perhaps a hand lettered, red-white-and-blue sign spotted in the Pulaski County town of Ferguson said it best: ``Goodbye Sammy. We will miss you, our friend.''

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Vector Research, Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan for earning the Vendor Excellence Award from the Defense Logistics Agency. The Defense Logistics Agency honors 21 industry partners, customers, and individuals with its Business Alliance Awards. The award recognizes those who have demonstrated outstanding efforts to help complete the DLA mission to provide supplies and services to America's war fighters. Vector Research, a subsidiary of Altarum, has been the premier Information Technology solutions provider for DLA. For more than 55 years, Altarum has been dedicated to providing objective technology research, insightful policy analysis, and the deployment of customized technology solutions for government and industry. VRI uses old- fashioned customer values, putting clients first, and establishing true working partnerships. They deliver comprehensive technology services from requirements and design, to development and deployment, to testing and training. Vector is a full-service technical consulting firm with over 30 years of experience assisting both government and commercial clients in structuring and solving complex problems. Further, VRI successfully provides a wide range of program management services which encompass a full life-cycle program support, including planning, modeling, cost/ benefit analysis, briefing, promotional event support, and Web site development. Vector Research, Inc. received this award in the large business category for superior product quality, on-time delivery, superior customer service, reliability, dependability, consistency, and accuracy. Therefore Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Vector Research, Inc. for earning the Vender Excellence Award. I salute its commitment to helping provide for our Nation's security.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 1714, a bill to provide for the installation of a plaque in the Williamsburg Kentucky Post Office Building to honor Dr. James Harvey Early. Kentucky was one of the first frontiers, marked with rugged terrain and harsh conditions. In this challenging frontier land, Dr. Early helped shape his community through his many years of service. Born in Knox County, Kentucky in 1808, the young James Early served as the first Postmaster for the community of Whitley Courthouse, now known as Williamsburg, Kentucky. He went on to serve the community in the Kentucky State Legislature as a member of the Whig party in 1844 at the same time that he maintained a farm near Rockhold, Kentucky. However, his greatest contribution to the community might well be his service as a doctor for nearly 30 years. Dr. Early practiced as a civilian doctor for the Union Army during the Civil War and continued as a country doctor until his death at the age of 77. Married twice, Dr. Early helped raise 15 children, four of whom went on to serve this country in their own right by joining the Union Army during the war. Some of his descendants still live in Kentucky and continue to serve our commonwealth and this great nation in numerous ways. Dr. James Harvey Early was a man who provided great service to his community through the trying and difficult times of war in this country, and it is fitting that we honor him today with this plaque.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, today I want to recognize, and offer my congratulations to, St. Camillus Academy of Corbin, Kentucky. This fall, the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports announced the state champions of the President's Challenge program for the 2000-2001 school year. And, for the second consecutive year, St. Camillus Academy has earned the distinguished State Champion Award for category one schools in Kentucky. I was exceedingly glad to learn of this award and want to take this time to recognize the students of St. Camillus for their outstanding achievement. The President's Challenge is a physical fitness program designed to test the fitness of public school children in several activities, including sit-ups, pull-ups, and a long-distance running. Students that score at the 85th percentile or above in all categories of the Challenge earn the Presidential Physical Fitness Award. Schools statewide are recognized by the number of students that have achieved this distinction, and St. Camillus won over all other category one schools in Kentucky. Fifty percent of its students scored at or about the 85th percentile. Mr. Speaker, this in no small accomplishment. It takes a lot of hard work and effort on the part of children today to reach a certain level of fitness and the importance of fitness as a health benefit cannot be over-emphasized. In announcing state champions, the president's council noted that there is a ``growing epidemic of physical inactivity among our nation's youth.'' Many of our children are suffering from obesity and other ailments as a result of a lack of exercise. We must recognize that physical fitness, in addition to good grades and scholastic achievement, is an equally important component of a good education. Mr. Speaker, it is fortunate that we, as a nation, can look to many role models for inspiration and encouragement. Of course, we can find several in athletes, professional and amateur, who have striven to achieve and overcome what seem at the time impossible odds. I believe we can include the students of St. Camillus in that category as well. As category one state champion for the State of Kentucky, St. Camillus has proven itself a model school and is deserving of our praise and recognition. Again, I wish to salute the students of St. Camillus for this wonderftil achievement. Thank you.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, today I want to recognize, and offer my congratulations to, Central Elementary School, located in Paintsville, Kentucky. Earlier this year, students from Central Elementary participated in the national We the People * * * Project Citizen competition in San Antonio, Texas and were awarded honorable mention for their project, Speed Limit Signs. I was very gratified to learn of this and want to take this time to congratulate the teachers and students of Central Elementary affiliated with this program. They are: Paula Goss, Annette Rouse, Brooke Bergeron, Katie Borders, Kalylia Brachett, Chelsea Burchett, Kelsea Castle, Shaina Kestner, Matthew Oney, Zac Sergent, Brittany Skaggs, Jasmine Watson, Chelsea Webb, and David Zitzelberger. Project Citizen is a valuable program and I support it. Administered by the Center for Civic Education and funded through the Department of Education, Project Citizen is designed to engage public school students and their teachers and parents in important public policy issues. During competitions, students select an issue, study its affect on local communities, and share their findings. Schools invited to participate at the national conference won their state competitions. Mr. Speaker, civic education and participation in the democratic process is vital to the stability of our Nation, and we must encourage people of all age groups, especially young students, to assume a role in local, state, and federal affairs. We the People * * * Project Citizen fosters this, and I hope the more schools will decide to participate in this program. Again, I want to congratulate the students and teachers of Central Elementary. They and all participants deserve our thanks and respect.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased and honored to have the opportunity to rise in support of H.R. 2238, the Fern Lake Conservation and Recreation Act of 2001. This has been a long road, but with the help and services of the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich), as well as the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) on the floor this morning, we have come together and crafted an excellent bill that is worthy of the Chamber's support. I appreciate their efforts in getting this legislation to the floor in such a timely manner and making the necessary corrections to it that enables it to become, I think, a successful bill. Mr. Speaker, the bill before the House today is an essential piece of legislation which will forever protect one of the most pristine areas in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, indeed the Nation, for future generations. The bill aims to incorporate, as has been said, Fern Lake, an unspoiled body of water nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, into the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. The photographs that stand before us this morning are simple testimony to the absolute beauty of this pristine area. For those who are not familiar with this part of the world, the Cumberland Gap National Park is 20,000 acres of virtually untouched frontier, mountains and countryside, established by Congress in 1940. It is, as some have said, the first frontier, where Daniel Boone blazed the Cumberland Gap Trail in the late 18th century leading the way for thousands and tens of thousands of other settlers hoping to find a fresh start in this new world, moving from the Eastern Seaboard, 13 colonies, into the hinterlands of this great Nation. This is where they first came through. Congress rightly recognized the importance of permanently protecting this frontier, and today we will hopefully vote to continue these endeavors by approving this Fern Lake addition. In short, this bill will protect the lake as a clean and safe source of rural water for the city of Middlesboro, Kentucky, its only source, enhance the scenic, recreational, wildlife, cultural value of the park, and increase tourism opportunities in the tristate areas of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. As one can see from the pictures on display, the lake and the surrounding watershed are of unparalleled beauty, and these pictures capture the essence of what thousands of park visitors see each year. This spectacular landscape is visible from Pinnacle Overlook, the highest point, the most popular attraction in the national park, and it is typical of what many of our ancestors experienced as they trudged forward through this uncharted territory over 200 years ago. Just from the photos alone, it is not hard to understand why Congress should act today to ensure the preservation of this pristine area. Because of the conditions set forth in the original Cumberland Gap legislation, no appropriate funds can be used to purchase additional acreage unless specifically authorized by Congress. H.R. 2238 provides that authorization and paves the way for an additional 4,500 acres to be included in the park if willing sellers appear and appropriations become available. One of the principal goals of the legislation that we have before us is to ensure the continued use of the lake as a clean and safe water supply for the city of Middlesboro, Kentucky, a small city which borders the Cumberland Gap Park. The dam was constructed in 1893, forming the lake, and that 150-acre lake has been privately owned for most of its existence, but it has been for sale on the open market since last year. Given the fact that the lake serves as the sole water source for the city, there is considerable concern that a new owner may not share the same interest as the community. As our local resident witness testified before the hearings here, many businesses in the area rely on the uncommon purity of the water for their livelihood. With that in mind, the bill we crafted provides a valuable resource for the park, while at the same time ensuring that the city's water demands are sufficiently met. We expect the Park Service to act in good faith with this community, so that the citizens of Middlesboro will be secure with the knowledge that their water supply source will always be there. I am confident the Park Service will prove to be a valuable and responsible partner in this regard. Lastly, Mr. Speaker, it cannot be overstated how important this legislation is to the economic well-being of the citizens of rural Appalachian Kentucky. This proposed Federal investment in our rich cultural heritage would certainly bring added tourism revenue and jobs to this impoverished area. Tourism is an essential part of our region's economic development, and we must seize every opportunity to further strengthen this sector. In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my special gratitude and thanks to everyone who has made this day possible. The committee and the subcommittee have been very forthcoming, the staff has been extraordinarily helpful in this respect, and we appreciate it on both sides of the aisle. I want to extend a special thanks to Middlesboro Mayor Ben Hickman and County Executive Jennifer Jones, who first brought this idea to my attention, and also Mrs. Karla Bowling, the president of the Bell County Chamber of Commerce, who traveled not just once but twice to this city to provide her expert testimony in support of this bill. We are grateful especially for their service. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge passage of this important legislation. I thank Members for their support.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the conference report accompanying H.R. 2299 and that I may include tabular and extraneous material.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the conference report. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), immediate past chairman of this subcommittee and now the chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary, my old subcommittee. I have gained even more respect for this gentleman after having seen what he had to go through on this bill for the last 6 years.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), the chairman of the full committee who has been such a big help in the construction of this bill and helping to shepherd us through the maze we have had to go through. I want to thank the chairman as I yield him time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we are very pleased to present to the body an excellent conference agreement on H.R. 2299, the Department of Transportation and related agencies appropriations bill for fiscal year 2002. First, let me say that we worked long, hard hours to hammer out the agreements contained in the bill. I want to especially thank this morning the staff of the subcommittee, both on the majority and minority side, for staying up now two consecutive nights all night long, last night reading out the bill, and the previous night trying to put the bill together for consideration by this body. And they are not in a stupor, Mr. Speaker, but they are very tired. And I think we owe them an especially big debt of gratitude, Rich Efford and the other on the staff of the subcommittee. On both sides of the aisle, we want to say a special thank you to the staff for a tremendous job under extreme conditions because of the hurry up of this process. We had some daunting challenges, Mr. Speaker. We started the process on this bill with veto threats hanging over both the House bill and the other body's bill because of a controversy over the best way to ensure the safety of trucking, the trucking industry, that we enjoy today without violating the NAFTA treaty. Also, because of a Type 302-B conference allocation, we had to cut many of the funding items in the conference far below the Senate level. However, with the continued fine cooperation of my colleague and friends from across the aisle, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo), the help especially of Senators Murray and Shelby, and the willingness of senior administration officials to meet us half way on the trucking issue, we have, I believe, solved these problems in a fair manner that we can all be proud of. This bill forges a consensus that, frankly, some thought was impossible a few months ago. And I had to be one of those who thought we could not find a middle ground on the Mexican trucking issue. But through a long process we have. This bill puts in place a much stronger truck safety and enforcement regime at the Mexican border, requiring on-site inspections and compliance reviews of Mexican trucking firms, weigh-in-motion scales at some of the busier border crossings, and a comprehensive Inspector General audit of the whole system. After the I.G. audit is completed, the Secretary then will have to certify that opening the border can be accomplished without causing unacceptable safety problems on our Nation's highways. Only then will Mexican trucks be able to drive beyond the border zone further into the U.S. I should also point out that we owe the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo) a big debt of gratitude for his hard work in making sure that the bill includes tough new provisions regulating hazardous materials coming over the border. Specifically, due to his work, the bill requires that a new agreement be placed between the U.S. and the Mexican Governments tightening up hazardous materials transportation and ensuring the safety of our roads before Mexican trucking firms are permitted to bring hazardous materials beyond the border zones. That is a great addition to this bill, and I think we all owe the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo) a big debt for that particular provision. At the same time, in all of this we were responsive to the President's firm commitment to honor the NAFTA treaty and open the border in 2002. The provisions of this bill will, I believe, allow the President to open the border sometime in fiscal year 2002 and will not violate the NAFTA treaty. The administration also believes that. It is critical that we honor our international commitments, and this bill does that. The administration has indicated their full support for the compromise worked out on the Mexican trucking issue. In its funding aspects, let me first point out that the bill is within our allocation for budget authority and outlays. Although our allocation was extremely tight, we were able to fund all of the major DOT operating agencies at or near the President's budget request, while honoring the funding guarantees in TEA-21 and AIR-21. This was not easy to accomplish because it required us to cut out many worthy items, especially in the transit area. In general, the bill before you provides increases for major infrastructure programs around the country. Let me provide just a couple of examples. The bill includes $320 million to kick off the Coast Guard's new deepwater program, the largest acquisition ever attempted by the Department of Transportation. That is about $280 million above last year's level. It includes funding for Federal-aid highways, $100 million above the level guaranteed in the authorization bill. And it fully funds the authorization for much-needed airport funding. These resources will go a long way to help jump-start the transportation construction sector of our economy. Finally, Mr. Speaker, the Members should know that this bill responds to the September 11 terrorist attacks. The bill includes an appropriation of $1.25 billion for screening activities at the Nation's airports. I know some have questioned the aggressive timetable for aviation security improvements we just recently established in this body. Well, we are saying in this bill that funding will not be a problem. This bill provides the necessary funds to take whatever steps are necessary in the near term to accelerate this transition as much as possible. The bill also provides $100 million for the procurement and installation of additional bomb detection systems at the Nation's airports, so that installation of these vital systems at our Nation's airports can be accelerated, Mr. Speaker. So without further elaboration, I believe that this is a great bill. It deserves Members' support. I recommend it to every single Member. I want to say again the appreciation we have for the hard work of our colleagues on the subcommittee from both sides of the aisle. We have a wonderful group of Members of this body accumulated in this subcommittee. All of them participate. All of them have contributed to this bill and all have contributed their dedication to the success of the transportation bills of the country. And I want to thank each member of the subcommittee for the great contributions they have made, and especially, again, the staff who have devoted themselves beyond the call of duty to this particular bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Pursuant to House Resolution 299, Mr. Speaker, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 2299) making appropriations for the Department of Transportation and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2002, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I think the agreement was for 60 minutes.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that debate on this amendment and any amendments thereto be limited to 60 minutes, to be equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes legislation in an appropriations bill, therefore violating clause 2 of rule XXI. The rule states in pertinent part: ``An amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order if changing existing law.'' The amendment directly amends existing law, and I ask for a ruling of the Chair.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the gentleman for that statement.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Does the gentleman mean it was a mistake to strike it?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Does the gentleman understand that as a result of the moneys being stricken earlier this afternoon, coming out of the trust funds for the purpose of security, buying bomb detection machines, sky marshals, screeners and the like, because that money was stricken from the bill, this bill earlier today, that $466.5 million, adding back the $250 million that we are talking about with the Inslee amendment, will not get us back to where we were? We are still going to be short several hundred million dollars. And that the airport trust fund has funds in it right now that could be used for this purpose.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?