Hal Rogers

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

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

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), the new and very able and strong chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the authorizing committee, with whom I have a very close working relationship, and I appreciate his work very much and his cooperation. (Mr. YOUNG of Alaska asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 30 seconds. Mr. Chairman, to finish my opening statement, this bill is fair, it is balanced, it is bipartisan. It satisfies our national transportation needs to the best of our ability. It emphasizes strong program oversight and financial accountability, and it represents the handiwork of every Member of this subcommittee. I want to thank all of our Members for their suggestions, their hard work, and, again, special thanks to the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo), for his assistance throughout the process. I urge approval of the bill. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), the very able chairman of the full committee who has been so helpful to us in the production of this bill and all of the others.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to present to the House the Department of Transportation and related agencies appropriations bill for fiscal year 2002. This is an excellent bill that reflects not only the priorities of the budget submitted by the President earlier this year but also the important contributions of all the Members of our subcommittee and full committee and we hope now the full House. I want to especially thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo) for his tireless and insightful support of transportation programs during the many hours of our hearings, deliberations, and the markup of this bill this year. I also want to thank both the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), the full committee chairman; and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the ranking member of the full committee, for their support of this subcommittee and the programs we oversee. I am also thankful to all the members of our subcommittee who had a part in the drafting of this bill and the full Committee on Appropriations, which had the chance to amend and correct as we went through that process. And, of course, we would not be here without our wonderful staff, both on the majority and the minority side upon whom we all so much depend. Mr. Chairman, the bill I present today provides an increase of 6 percent in the programs and activities of the Department of Transportation. At first blush, this appears to be a healthy increase over current levels, but in fact it is barely enough to cover the 4.6 percent pay raise that will go to all Federal employees next year as well as the general cost of inflation for programs in our jurisdiction. So this is a lean bill, especially when compared with the explosive growth in needs caused by highway and air travel in this country. We are doing a lot in this bill to respond to that demand but not nearly as much as we would like. The Department of Transportation will have to economize, it will have to be more efficient, and it will have to live within the constraints of the spending limits set by the budget just like every other agency. The bill is within our 302(b) allocation, in both budget authority and outlays. It fully funds the highway and aviation spending increases established by TEA-21 and AIR-21, and it will help relieve the congestion that is frustrating citizens on our interstates, in the skies, and in our bus and train terminals. Our bill fully funds the Coast Guard's operating budget and provides $600 million, which is a huge increase, in their capital account. Within the capital appropriation, we have provided $300 million to kick off the Deepwater program, which will provide a vitally needed upgrade and replacement of the Coast Guard's ships and aircraft. Members should know that this is the largest acquisition program, that is the Deepwater program in the Coast Guard, ever attempted by the Department of Transportation or the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard estimates that the acquisition costs alone for the Deepwater program will cost $18 billion, and this bill allows the agency to award the first major contracts next year. This is a major step forward for the Deepwater program, and we are optimistic it will succeed. It will only succeed with careful oversight by the Coast Guard, the administration, and the Congress. The bill also includes, Mr. Chairman, funds to address serious staffing, training, and equipment problems at our small-boat stations of the Coast Guard which were highlighted in our hearings with the Inspector General and the Coast Guard this year. I am proud that we could find a small amount of money to raise the staffing levels and the training at these stations which provide the backbone of our Nation's search and rescue capability. With an average workweek, Mr. Chairman, of 80 hours-plus, Coast Guardsmen at these stations are in desperate need of some help. We provide it in this bill. Consistent with the provisions of AIR-21, this bill fully funds the airport grants program at $3.3 billion and fully funds FAA's capital appropriation at $2.9 billion. It also provides nearly 100 percent of the FAA's operating budget. In addition, this bill includes several initiatives that will hopefully lead to reductions in the number and severity of airline delays. Our gridlocked aviation system has been a major focus of this subcommittee, and it will continue to receive the scrutiny of our panel until we untangle it for the good of consumers and the economy. We will continue to press the aviation industry to cooperate, to come up with solutions, and to put those solutions to the test. In this bill we are doing everything possible to make sure the money is there for work and technologies that address the problem. If we find programs and initiatives that work, we will fund them. If we find programs that fail, we will cut them off. It is that simple. We are determined to make improvements. Things will change. This bill is a start. But we will keep pressing for real action and real results in an area critical to all of us. The bill restores proposed cuts to the essential air service program. Under the administration's proposal, 18 cities would have lost their air service next year. This bill maintains the eligibility of each of these cities in the program and provides the additional $13 million needed to maintain the program at current service levels. That will be good news to 18 cities across the country where EAS provides a necessary lifeline. In addition, the bill provides $10 million to kick off the new small community air service development pilot program authorized last year in AIR-21. This program will provide grants to small and rural communities around the country to foster air service where it does not exist and foster competition in those communities where there is monopoly service. I can personally attest to the declining air service in many smaller cities around the country. It is a tremendously needed program, and I am pleased the bill provides initial funding for it. The bill includes $32.6 billion for our Nation's highways, an increase of $1.2 billion, 4 percent, consistent with the authorizations in TEA-21. This will provide for high-priority construction needs in every State of the Nation. The bill provides $298 million for the Motor Carrier Safety Administration, an increase of 11 percent over the current year. Included in the bill is the additional $88.2 million requested by the President to maintain a high level of trucking safety on the border with Mexico as we fully open up the border next year pursuant to NAFTA. This is a very important initiative to ensure the safety of all Americans as Mexican trucks begin to drive beyond commercial zones near the border into the interior of the U.S. I believe this funding, combined with the administration's regulatory and program activities, will ensure that we receive the benefits of greater trade with Mexico while at the same time protecting our people as we learn to share the road with our neighbors to the south. The bill includes $419 million for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a 4 percent increase above current year, essentially the same as the administration requested, and it provides the level of funding called for in TEA-21. Amtrak, we are recommending the requested level of $521 million for Amtrak's capital needs, and we waive a limitation on funding carried for several years so that Amtrak can access those fund on the first day of the fiscal year. We have all read about and studied Amtrak's difficult cash situation. This bill will help them as much as we can next year. Ultimately, though, Congress will have to decide what to do next year if Amtrak does not meet its 5-year glide path to operational self-sufficiency mandated by Congress, soon to be 5 years ago. This bill for now meets the Federal commitment to help get Amtrak to that point. Now the debate will begin about whether or not Amtrak deserves the subsidies that will be required to keep it operating. In transit, the bill provides $6.7 billion for transit programs, an increase of almost $500 million over the current year. For the New Starts program, where funding is very tight, the committee chose to provide a higher share of the requested amount to those transit projects which show a greater financial commitment by the local and State governments and where the Federal share is limited to 60 percent or less. This will allow the Congress to stretch the very limited amount of Federal money so as many worthy projects as possible can be conducted. I hope all Members will appreciate that the explosive demand for transit services is far greater than we can possibly fund. By rewarding those projects with a higher local commitment, we are being good stewards of the taxpayers' money. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Madam Speaker, does the gentleman also realize that, if the rulemaking that will be adopted sometime this early fall is not severe enough to ensure the safety of American citizens from Mexican trucks, that Congress can always address the question at that time?

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

Mr. ROGERS. Madam Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, is the gentleman aware of any Members who have spoken here today that have registered a complaint with the Motor Carrier Safety Administration?

Mr. ROGERS. Madam Speaker, is the gentleman aware that the Department of Transportation, in fact the Motor Carrier Safety Administration, currently is conducting a rulemaking to lay out the specific rules about the topic of which we are talking about today--the safety of Mexican carriers coming into the U.S.? They are conducting a rulemaking procedure. Even as we speak, members of the public can register their fears, their complaints, their ideas, whatever they want to say to the Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and the comments are published in the record. If that record reveals that many, many, many people are concerned about safety, the government is required to change the rule that they adopting. Is the gentleman aware of that rulemaking?

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

Mr. ROGERS. Madam Speaker, if the gentleman will continue to yield, knowing what the administration, the Department of Transportation is doing even as we speak. That is, DOT is designing a plan for the safety of the trucks coming up from Mexico, and knowing generally what the plan is, does the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bonilla) have concerns for the safety of his constituents through which these trucks would pass to the rest of the U.S.?

Mr. ROGERS. So all of the gentleman's constituents live on the border; is that correct, Madam Speaker?

Mr. ROGERS. Madam Speaker, the gentleman represents an area of Texas I think is the largest border area of any Member of Congress.

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

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Reynolds) for yielding me the time. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this rule. It is a good rule, it is a fair rule, and it needs to be adopted. At the outset, I want to advise the Members that we have worked closely and cooperatively with the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to resolve areas of disagreement on the bill. The gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) and this gentleman have been able to work out almost everything to our mutual satisfaction. We do not agree with their position on every matter, but we do not begrudge their right to assert their concerns and jurisdiction. Under this rule, the authorizing committee will in a number of instances exercise its prerogatives under the rules of the House to remove provisions that our committee believes are important and necessary, but which fall within their jurisdiction. The rule preserves their right to do that. In a number of other cases, the authorizing committee has agreed not to object to provisions included by our committee, which, again, we believe are necessary to carry out the programs in the bill. It is vitally important, Madam Speaker, that we adopt the rule and proceed to consider the Transportation appropriations bill. The bill contains $59 billion for highways, airport grants and other aviation programs, highway safety activities, pipeline safety programs, many other items that are critical to every State and to individual Members of the House and, of course, our people. We are within our funding allocation and the budget resolution. The bill is balanced. It is bipartisan and deserves the support of every Member of this body. Let me briefly discuss the issue of Mexican trucks and NAFTA. As my colleagues know, the President says that we will be opening our border pursuant to NAFTA in January of next year. This administration has a plan to ensure the safety of Mexican carriers that transport goods beyond the commercial zones and into the interior of the United States. The administration has put money behind that plan in its budget request. We fund that plan to the penny and then some. In fact, we provide increases above the President's request for the inspection of Mexican carriers at the border. The administration requested $88.2 million above current-year spending. We include $100.2 above the current year, an 800 percent increase. This money will pay for border inspection facilities and more inspectors. It pays for a common-sense plan that the House needs to support. In addition, our committee has included language in the committee report directing the Department of Transportation to implement a strong safety oversight program that ensures the operational safety of Mexican motor carriers who seek permission to operate in the U.S. Madam Speaker, together these provisions ensure compliance with U.S. safety laws and regulations, while it allows free trade to go forward. It is the responsible approach, and it complies with NAFTA. Madam Speaker, I have some serious reservations that the proposal from the other side would, in fact, violate NAFTA, subjecting the United States to severe fines. Madam Speaker, this is a good rule. It is a good bill, and I would hope that Members would support both today.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Appropriations have until midnight tomorrow, June 22, to file a privileged report making appropriations for the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2002, and for other purposes.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. If the gentleman will continue to yield, Mr. Chairman, he mentioned cuts in VA medical care, $56 million of cuts. That is likely, is it not, to come from the hospital care portion of VA, and would that not mean that VA would absolutely have to have those hospitals send them money back, and retrieve money from every one of the 172 VA hospitals? Is that not correct?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, to follow up on that point, the gentleman is absolutely correct. The highway cuts are rather severe, such as the $187 million this would cut from the highway construction account, and I would point out that with 75 percent of the fiscal year already expired, these monies are obligated. The monies being spent, how are we going to get them back if this cut should go through? It would be devastating to every State in the Union on their highway account. Mr. Chairman, I would appreciate the gentleman's explanation about that if he has anything further on it.

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

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I use this means to sadly inform the House of the passing of Opal Lucas, a great American, woman, and friend. She will be remembered as a teacher, mentor, counselor, confidante, and inspiration. Mrs. Opal Lucas of London, Kentucky passed from this life to eternal life at the age of 95 on June 2, 2001. Opal was born in 1905 in Jackson County, Kentucky. Her father was a farmer, fertilizer salesman, and minister. Her mother spent her life raising children. From these humble beginnings, Opal learned a devotion to family, God, and her community. A devoted wife and mother, Opal saw the best of times and the worst of times. Her husband, Fred Lucas, was a former State Senator in Kentucky. Her eldest son, Fred Lucas II, joined the navy at the age of 16 during World War II. After surviving near death experiences, he was forever scared by the experiences of war. He second son, James, was born paralyzed from the waist down, but Opal and the family never allowed this to deny him a full life. James was a volunteer fireman with the help and love of family and friends. During her life, Opal served her local and national community in numerous ways. She began as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse. She and her husband owned and managed numerous businesses in Laurel County. She served as State Governor of the National Federation Woman's Club and in many other civic organizations. Opal and Fred helped recruit industry into Southeastern Kentucky when this area of the state had no industry. They were instrumental in proving that these hard-working men and women that labored on the land could be excellent workers in industry. They proved their point and today the fruits of their labor are multiplied each year. Opal was a dedicated Republican, as she served her party in nearly every capacity. She served as the National Committee Woman for Kentucky to the National Republican Party for a decade. She chaired campaigns for successful Congressmen, U.S. Senators, Governors, and numerous other offices. She counted as her very close friends former Senators John Sherman Cooper and Thurston Morton, and Congressmen Tim Lee Carter. I too, relief on Opal for sage advice, wisdom, and friendship. Titles partially describe the accomplishments of this lady but they do not give full justice. Her rewards were never personal. She enjoyed victory but true victory was seen on the faces of families who benefited from good government, opportunities to work and provide for their families. Opal was a unique person that possessed the most amazing ability to make everyone feel they were the most important person in her life. She radiated self-confidence and total relaxation with the person she was. You never saw her caught up in false pretenses or ulterior motives. She can be described as a wonderfully calm charming lady speaking in soft tones, comforting and encouraging us to do our best--always confident in our abilities to accomplish anything we truly desire. She had a smile that would warm your heart. She was comfortable with her life and her own self-identity and never seemed to have a need for the trappings of public adulation. Opal was consumed by the spirit of our Lord and it was evident in her every action but it was not something she has to speak of or point to like a plaque of recognition hanging on the wall. She was a Christian lady that always held her belief in God close to the heart. When you looked at her, you saw the Spirit of God within her. There are individuals that pass through life that contribute more than can be measured and are truly the ones who epitomize all that is good within our society and nation. Opal Lucas will be missed, but she surely made her community, Kentucky, and this nation a better place in which to live.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, as the father of two young children in the public school system, I have a vested interest in supporting any measures that will further strengthen the current system. Ensuring that our children have access to every educational opportunity necessary to achieve is my top priority in Congress. The provisions contained in H.R. 1 will give states and local school districts the flexibility and decision-making authority they need to address the individual needs of their students and teachers. Paperwork mandates and regulations force states and local school districts to sacrifice student achievement in order to comply with bureaucracy; thus, taking time away from teaching. Giving state and local officials additional flexibility helps them tailor programs to more closely meet students' unique needs and priorities--whether it be through additional focus on teacher training and professional development or additional funding for technology needs or class size reduction. I firmly believe that local school districts, not Washington, know best what the needs of our children are and although the federal government can and should play an important role in our education system, it should not be the guiding force. In Michigan and throughout the country, an alarming number of children enter school without the language and literacy foundation necessary to succeed in school. Many children are incapable of deciphering that letters make up words and that words carry meaning. This problem spans all socioeconomic backgrounds and leads to children entering school behind their classmates before they even get started. Therefore, I am extremely pleased by the enormous step forward H.R. 1 takes toward focusing on effective, proven methods of reading instruction and triples federal literacy funding from the present $300 million to $900 million in 2002. Furthermore, this legislation authorizes $5 billion over the next five years on reading programs for children between kindergarten and third grade. At a time when our economy is slowing and we are facing fiscal restraint here in Washington, our commitment to funding education has never been stronger. H.R. 1 provides for a $4.6 billion increase, which represents an eight percent increase over current year funding for K-12 programs. This is funding that is primarily directed toward the economically disadvantaged. While dollars alone are not the answer, combined with greater local autonomy over how those dollars can be spent, allows for targeted efforts on behalf of every school in my district. This could mean an increase in teacher salaries for the Lansing School District or extra computers for the Saline School District. Ensuring our school districts have the necessary resources to be successful is a positive step in the right direction. I am voting yes on H.R. 1 because it provides school districts with greater flexibility, a strong focus on reading initiatives and increased funding for quality programs. After listening to the constituents of my district, I am confident that these are reforms that we can all support for the benefit of our children's future.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize, and offer my congratulations to, Roundstone Elementary School of Mt. Vernon, Kentucky. This year Roundstone Elementary was one of four Kentucky public schools to be recognized by the Department of Education and the National Association of State Title I Directors as a Title I Distinguished School. I was exceedingly glad to learn of this award, and would like to take this time to recognize all the students, teachers, parents, and administrators of Roundstone Elementary for this outstanding achievement. Title I is the largest federal education program and was established to provide funding for low-income schools. But funding alone does not ensure success at any level. It is how you use the funds that count. As one Roundstone teacher said, ``Some people have the misconception that schools with students from low-income families or high-poverty areas will not achieve, but we never think of those factors. We just love students, have high expectations for them, and focus on giving them the best education possible.'' This year recipients are being recognized for their effective use of Title I funds by providing students with quality instruction, for achieving academic progress, and meeting high standards. At Roundstone, a small elementary school in rural southeastern Kentucky, the students are achieving results and exceeding expectations. This is a result not only of the student's hard work, but the dedication of their teachers. They realized that the first step toward success was creating an environment in which all students, no matter their ability, can effectively learn. Second, they have designed a curriculum in which students are encouraged to learn and think critically, to delve into science and mathematical problems, and to write creatively. Lastly, the parents of the students are involved throughout the process. It is critically important that parents have proper consultation on their children's curriculum, and the parents at Roundstone have been integral to the program's success. It is clear that education has become one of the most important issues to concerned citizens of this nation. Parents, teachers, and public policy makers at the state and national levels know that the wisest investment we as a nation can make is ensuring that our children are given an education to meet the challenges ahead. I, too, share this concern, as do all members of this body. It is a challenge from which we must not shy away. Again, I want to say congratulations to the students, teachers, and parents of Roundstone Elementary on being recognized as a Title I Distinguished School. In a time when we talk about results and accountability, Roundstone has proven to be a model for other public schools across this nation. We should all be proud of their accomplishments, and I wish them every success in the coming years.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained for several rollcall votes on May 21st and May 22nd due to flight delays and cancellations. The votes were on passage of H. Con. Res. 56, and on adoption of several amendments to H.R. 1, to Leave No Child Behind Act of 2001. If I had been present, I would have voted the following: rollcall vote No. 126--``yea''; rollcall vote No. 128--``yea''; rollcall vote No. 129--``yea''; rollcall vote No. 130--``nay''; and rollcall vote No. 131--``yea''. In particular, I want to voice my strong support for H. Con. Res. 56, a resolution recognizing National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. This resolution pays tribute to the roughly 2,400 American citizens who died in the attack that day, and to the more than 12,000 members of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. The story of Pearl Harbor will always invoke tragic memories for all of us, and it is appropriate that we pay special tribute and respect towards the military men and women who have paid the ultimate price to preserve the freedoms we Americans enjoy to this day.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor the accomplishments of Ms. Lee Reeves of Pinckney, Michigan. Ms. Reeves has recently been named a Women of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of the Huron Valley Council of Ann Arbor, Michigan. This honor is in recognition of her excellence in business ethics and volunteerism. As the current President of the Howell Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Reeves has greatly enhanced the quality and scope of the programs offered to its members. Her work at the Chamber has increased both membership and financial capabilities. Ms. Reeves leadership abilities have impacted not only the Chamber, but also the community at large. Her community focus is indicated through the initiation of such programs as the ``Drug-Free Workplace'' and the Howell Public Schools mentor program. Ms. Reeves has also participated in numerous community organizations such as the Livingston County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition and the Livingston County Child and Family Services Board. This brief commentary only scratches the surface of the professional and community contributions of Ms. Reeves. Above all else Ms. Lee Reeves is a women of integrity. Her professional and community leadership demonstrates a personal vision with a societal focus which I respectfully ask my House colleagues to recognize.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Katsuya Miyahira who has had a distinguished career in martial arts. Currently, he is the President of the Okinawa Shorin Ryu Shido-kan and continues to teach children the art of karate. His teachings are in accordance with Master Itosu, whom he studied under as a student. The form of karate he was taught was of the Chibana Chosin, of which he is the successor and heir. Mr. Miyahira has lectured about the value of karate to young people and from the ``Seven Virtues of Martial Arts'' has said, ``Martial arts forbids violence, suppresses an uprising, keeps one from corruption, establishes honor for one, pacifies the public, makes harmony among people, and makes one rich. These are the seven virtues of martial arts.'' He continues to say that martial arts ``can be a helpful tool for one's life: it adds value to one's ability, secures a sure means of living, and even makes one rich.'' Mr. Katsuya Miyahira lives by these words and teaches his pupils by these words also. In addition to his teachings, Mr. Katsuya Miyahira has been honored by the Japan Martial Arts Association and is a judan I0th dan as a karate Hanshi (master). Furthermore, as an elder in karate he is in charge of the Okinawa Karate Conference while continuing to teach his art to others. I would also like to recognize Mr. Iha Seikichi Sensei, who is also an accomplished martial arts expert. He presently runs his own center in Lansing, Michigan called the Original Okinawa Karate Dojo. Furthermore, he is the United States Branch Chief of Okinawa shorin-ryu Karate-do Association. Iha was taught by the infamous Itosu Ankoh and is an authority of Shuri-te. He was chosen by Miyahira Katsuya in 1963 to teach his Shorin-ryu techniques at the dojo of Latino Gonzales in Manila, a distinguished honor. Furthermore, he continued to teach others in this art including United States Marines stationed in Okinawa. In addition to his teachings, he is recognized as the first Okinawan Master Instructor of Shorin-ryu to teach in California since 1927. In 1989, he reached rank of Hanshi 9-dan certification, making him the highest certified Okinawan living in the United States. On July 26th through the 29th, 2001, there will be a celebration honoring the 25th anniversary of Iha bringing Shido-kan Karate to North America sponsored by the North American Beikoku Shido-kan Association. Iha is one of the top people practicing Shido-kan Karate in the world. The Grand Master, Miyahira Katsuya, who lives in Japan is the highest person participating in this type of karate. Therefore, I would like to personally congratulate Iha for his accomplishments and for teaching many people the art of Shido-kan Karate for the past 25 years. He has brought another form of martial arts to the Lansing, Michigan area and has made a significant impact on the lives of my constituents.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I use this extraordinary means to sadly inform the House of the passing of a great American, a patriarch of Wayne County, Kentucky, and a family friend. Mr. Speaker, long after other doctors had stopped making house calls, Dr. Mack Roberts kept making his rounds. While other doctors were delivering babies in hospital rooms and administering vaccinations in sparkling new clinics, this humble man, known to his patients simply as ``Doc'', took his skills to the dusty roads in one of the most rural areas of the Nation--a four-county region of southeastern Kentucky. A beloved physician, Dr. Mack Roberts, of Monticello, Kentucky, died Monday at St. Joseph's Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, at the age of 97. Dr. Roberts provided medical care to patients throughout Kentucky's Wayne, Pulaski, Clinton and McCreary counties for 61 years, going to remote hills and hollows to deliver babies, provide vaccinations, and care for generations of family members. When there was no hospital at all in Wayne County, Dr. Roberts and his wife, Alma Dolen Roberts, opened their home on Main Street in Monticello to the sick and injured for treatment. They accepted patients at all hours of the day and night, sometimes turning their home into a makeshift emergency room. No patient was ever turned away. Dr. Roberts grew up amid his large family in rural Wayne County in frontier-like surroundings, beginning in a log house. This Member was born at home only two or three miles from the same place. The Roberts and Rogers families have been close all the while. I especially remember Dr. Roberts' father, Rhodes Roberts, presiding over the Sunday School classes in the small, weatherboard, rural Elk Spring Valley Baptist Church, from my earliest memories. A much younger Dr. Mack Roberts would be quietly participating in the church activities. Later, my father, O.D. Rogers, assisted Dr. Roberts and others in raising the money to construct the new (and present) home for the church. Dr. Mack Roberts earned a degree from Cumberland College in 1926 and his medical degree in 1932 from the University of Louisville College of Medicine. He came home to Wayne County to serve as county health officer, where the job of vaccinating children against common diseases became a personal crusade. He opened his private practice in Monticello in 1939. He once told an interviewer that the most important medical instrument he could imagine was his Jeep, which he used to make house calls to patients across the region's most remote areas. He would take the Jeep as far as the road would take him, then sometimes climb atop a mule or a horse to travel the rest of the way. But there was a time when these house calls took on an element of danger. During his years as a county health officer, he remembered that he would sometimes travel with an escort because some folks who saw him coming down the road thought he might have been a Federal agent looking for moonshine whiskey stills. Over the years, ``Doc'' Roberts delivered 4,250 babies--about 90 percent of them delivered in the patients' home. For his work, he charged what the patient could afford, and sometimes that meant no payment at all. ``One time I delivered a baby and the man offered me two gallons of moonshine,'' he has been quoted as saying. ``I'm sorry now I didn't take it.'' His career has been fondly remembered in two books chronicling his life. One book, entitled ``Doc'', was written by his great-nephew, the Rev. Howard W. Roberts, and published in 1987. Another book, written by his wife, Alma, was recently published under the title ``House Calls: Memoirs of Life with a Kentucky Doctor.'' As recently as last fall, ``Doc'' and Alma Roberts made public appearances to sign the memoir. Dr. Roberts retired from his practice on July 1, 1993, just before his 90th birthday. Since that time he has served as a director of the Monticello Banking Company. His wife; three daughters, Helen Dreese of Flint, Michigan, Ann Looney of Paris, Tennessee, and Marilyn Drake of Monticello; a brother; a sister; four grandchildren and two great- grandchildren survive him. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Mack Roberts had frequently said that he was put on this Earth for a reason: to serve the Lord and to serve his fellow man. It was a basic and abiding principle that he carried with him throughout his 97 years. His selfless devotion to his community, his patients and his family has left an indelible legacy for the people of Kentucky and the Nation. We mourn the passing of this fine physician and community leader, whose life serves as an example for future generations of Kentuckians and Americans to follow.