Thomas Reynolds

Mr. REYNOLDS

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means. (Mr. THOMAS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan).

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Keller).

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Roukema). (Mrs. ROUKEMA asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. For the record we no longer seem to be debating whether it is going to be a tax cut or not a tax cut because we are going to get a tax cut in America. But we are talking about process. For the record, in listening to the distinguished Member talk about the past, I would remind him that 48 Democrats voted for the marriage penalty relief before the budget resolution last year, which was in February of 2000, including the ranking Democrat on the Committee on the Budget, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt). Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham). (Mr. CUNNINGHAM asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt).

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), the newest member of the Committee on Ways and Means. (Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella).

Mr. REYNOLDS

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella).

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

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

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

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo).

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as I conclude my remarks, we then will have a vote, and if you support tax relief, you vote for the rule. If you do not want tax relief, you vote against it. Mr. Speaker, I yield the remaining time to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), the chairman of the Committee on Rules. (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I move to lay the motion to reconsider on the table.

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. REYNOLDS

Mr. REYNOLDS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, just in closing, today is a special day for my good friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Quinn), as he now chairs the Subcommittee on Railroads. I know how proud his mother and father are, as his father Jack, Sr., was a career railroader in the Buffalo area. So today I look forward to seeing the gentleman from New York (Mr. Quinn) bring this bill on as his first as a subcommittee chairman.

Mr. REYNOLDS. Madam Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. Madam Speaker, House Resolution 36 is an open rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 554, a bill to establish a program coordinated by the National Transportation Safety Board, to offer assistance to the families of passengers involved in rail passenger accidents. The rule provides for 1 hour of general debate, equally divided and controlled by the chairman and the ranking member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The rule also provides that the bill shall be open for amendment by section at any point and authorizes the chairman of the Committee of the Whole to accord priority in recognition to Members who have preprinted their amendments in the Congressional Record. Finally, the rule provides for one motion to recommit, with or without instruction. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the bill before us, H.R. 554, the Rail Passenger Disaster Family Assistance Act. This bill is substantially identical to legislation with the same name passed by voice vote in the 106th Congress on October 4, 1999. Unfortunately, that legislation was never taken up by the Senate before the adjournment of the 106th Congress. Congress addressed a similar issue in 1996 by passing the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1996. In response to the Value Jet and TWA 800 tragedies, Congress approved this measure to coordinate and distribute information to family members in an efficient and sensitive manner. The next logical step for Congress to take is to extend the same service to families of victims of railroad disasters. The nature of tragedies is that they occur suddenly and without warning. The manner in which these situations are handled in the immediate hours and days following the incident are critical. Providing information quickly and accurately not only saves lives, but offers assurances to family members and loved ones. In fact, just last week, on Monday, February 5, 2001, an Amtrak train caring 98 passengers collided with a lumber freight train in my home State of New York. Fortunately the accident was not fatal, but there were sent to area hospitals several who were affected by the railroad incident due to serious injuries. This is a poignant example of the need to synchronize search and rescue efforts with the dissemination of information to family members in the face of catastrophe. This legislation establishes points of contact both within the National Transportation Safety Board and from an independent nonprofit organization in order to coordinate emotional care and support to family members, directly addressing the need to keep families informed. Madam Speaker, I would like to commend the chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), and the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), for their hard work on this measure. I would also like to recognize the efforts of my colleague and western New York neighbor, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Quinn), the newly appointed chairman of the Subcommittee on Railroads. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying legislation. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REYNOLDS. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. REYNOLDS. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 36 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. REYNOLDS

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I wish today to honor an outstanding public servant, a faithful adviser and a trusted friend. For the past six years, Zenia Mucha has served as Communications Director and Senior Adviser to New York State Governor George Pataki. On Monday, February 12, friends and co-workers will gather at the Governor's Mansion in Albany, New York, to bid her a fond farewell as she begins her new duties as Senior Vice President for Communications with the ABC Broadcast Group. Before joining Governor Pataki's staff, Zenia served for 14 years on the staff of U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato, first as a staff aid and, during his last six years of service, as Communications Director. My own friendship with Zenia stretches back to her early days with Senator D'Amato. Like so many others, not only was I impressed by her knowledge and ability, but on countless occasions, benefited as well from her advice and counsel. In a recent column in the New York Post, writer Cindy Adams captured Zenia's personality as well as I have ever seen in print. ``She's sassy. She's brassy. She's tough. She tells it like it is. She's loyal as hell. She's brilliant.'' Mr. Speaker, I know how deeply Zenia's leadership and ability will be missed in New York's Capitol, and I ask that this House of Representatives join me in thanking Zenia Mucha for her leadership and service to New York state, and that this Congress join me in extending its sincerest best wishes for her continued success.

Mr. REYNOLDS

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the birthday of our 40th President, Ronald Reagan. It is natural on birthdays to reflect on the mark one has made in life. We have much to reflect upon today, on Ronald Reagan's Ninetieth birthday. Because of his leadership, Americans are more prosperous, secure, and free. Reagan's leadership has left America more prosperous. The record economic expansion of the past two decades can be directly attributed to the policy changes enacted by Ronald Reagan. Cutting taxes, deregulating industries, and greatly reducing the possibility of catastrophic war have proven a winning formula for economic success. Leaders across the world have learned and are copying his example. When his contemporaries pursued an industrial policy or a middle ground between capitalism and socialism, Reagan opted for limited government. As a result, America has reaped virtually uninterrupted economic growth and surged ahead of rivals in technological innovation. Reagan's leadership has left America more secure. His grand strategic plan brought down the greatest threat to our way of life. His contemporaries counseled detente and feared confrontation with the Soviet Union. But Reagan unabashedly called it the Evil Empire and wanted nothing less than its destruction. After years of military decline, Reagan rebuilt and restored the morale of our military. Never has a nation become so mighty as the Untied States, and it is due in no small part to leadership of Ronald Reagan. And Reagan's advocacy of the Strategic Defense Initiative will shortly bear fruit as we build a national missile defense. He recognized the insanity of MAD, and though we should instead construct a physical, rather than merely psychological, defense to protect Americans and our allies from the horror of nuclear war. Most important, Reagan's leadership has left Americans and the world more free. Domestically, Americans are freer than before Reagan entered the Oval Office. And, his philosophical legacy has shifted the momentum of history toward, rather than away from, greater individual freedom. Around the world, hundreds of millions of people formerly enslaved by communism have been liberated by the collapse of the Soviet Union, precipitated by Ronald Reagan. Only five countries remain so enslaved. Even citizens in countries that were not communist also enjoy greater freedom, as their governments recognize the success of the Reagan model and decrease government interference in their lives. In increasing our prosperity, security, and freedom, president Ronald Reagan succeeded greatly in the most crucial functions of government. For this, he is one of our greatest presidents.

Mr. REYNOLDS

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns on Thursday, December 14, it adjourn to meet at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 15.

Mr. REYNOLDS

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, an MV-22 Osprey crashed during a training mission in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The crash took the lives of all four Marines on board: Lieutenant Colonel Keith Sweaney of Richmond, Virginia; Major Michael Murphy of Blauvelt, New York; Staff Sergeant Avely Runnels of Morven, Georgia; and Sergeant Jason Buyck of Sodus, New York. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of these brave men who gave the last full measure of their devotion and service to our Nation. I know that all Americans join in mourning the loss of these brave Marines. While it is difficult to find the words that express the depth of our sadness and sense of loss, I am reminded of a 1864 letter from President Abraham Lincoln to Mrs. Bixby of Boston, which became widely known after its use in the film Saving Private Ryan. President Lincoln's simple eloquence is timeless and poignant: ``I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming,'' Lincoln wrote. ``But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. ``I pray that our Heavenly Father may ease the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.''

Mr. REYNOLDS

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 4 p.m. tomorrow.