Mike Ross

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize the life and achievements of a man who was not only a personal friend, but a friend to his entire community and a respected civic leader in Arkansas, First Ward Alderman J.C. Jeffries. J.C. passed away on Sunday, September 30, at the age of 57. Originally from Grady, Arkansas, J. C. moved to Topeka, Kansas, in high school and joined the Air Force upon graduation. Four years later, he joined the police department at Topeka and became involved in civic and youth issues. He returned to Arkansas and settled in Pine Bluff in 1979. J.C. spent the majority of his life caring for and taking an active role in the Pine Bluff community. J.C. always put service above self by trying to make Pine Bluff a better place in which to live. He was a quiet man who always moved and spoke deliberately and with consideration. Although J.C. had his own opinions concerning politics or policy, he would always listen to others ideas and concerns. Under his leadership and non-confrontational guidance, J.C. could bring together many different groups within the community. I was honored to have him serve on my congressional African American advisory council. As a member of the Pine Bluff City Council for 14 years, J.C. truly understood and enjoyed participating in city government. He had been an alderman since 1987 and was one of Pine Bluff's first African American city council members. As chairman of the council's public works committee, J.C. was dedicated to helping ``at risk'' youths through city programs. He fought hard for funding for the city's summer jobs program and made sure the money was used responsibly. The Pine Bluff Commission on Children and Youth was established under J.C.'s leadership. In addition to his work in City Hall, J.C. also advised members of the Pine Bluff's academic community. J.C. worked at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff most recently as a career counselor and held several posts over the past twenty years. He helped find money to pave UAPB's streets and get financing for the new state-of-the-art Golden Lions Stadium. J.C. was a man of great stature, a distinguished leader who showed compassion for everything he did and everyone he met. Even on his last day of life he was worrying more about his town's future than his own health. His passing is a significant loss not only to his family and friends, but also to the city of Pine Bluff and the people of Arkansas. I pay tribute to him for his lifetime of accomplishments, and I am deeply grateful for J.C.'s friendship, his devotion to assisting others, and his commitment to the betterment of his community. My thoughts and prayers are with his daughters, Jacquelyn, Rhonda, and Felicia, and all his family, friends, and loved ones.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize and express my sincere appreciation to the National Guard Troops from southern Arkansas, our men and women in uniform, who have just returned to the United States from staging operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina. These selfless individuals and their families made great sacrifices, including spending time away from their homes and jobs, to serve our country and to help the people of Bosnia in this time of need. They did so with honor and dignity, and I am grateful for their service. In May, several members of my staff traveled to Bosnia to visit our National Guard units from Magnolia and Sheridan, Arkansas, in my district, including my legislative assistant for military affairs, Toby Stephens, a former member of the Magnolia unit. I regret that I was unable to accompany them due to my congressional responsibilities in our Nation's capital, but I was pleased to hear that our troops were admirably representing Arkansas and the United States in a foreign land. As they return to their loved ones, their homes, and their daily lives in this current time of uncertainty, I want to personally thank each of these men and women for their invaluable servitude at home and abroad.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. We have heard a lot of debate over this amendment in the last few hours. My colleagues, this is not about rich farmers against poor farmers. It is not about corporate farmers against noncorporate farmers. It is not even about conservationists against those who feed America. Because our farm families, our row croppers were this country's first conservationists. This is about whether we want this country to become dependent on other countries for our food and fiber the way we have for our oil. We spent 8 months in the House Committee on Agriculture, where I sit, writing this farm bill in a bipartisan effort. It is not the bill I would have written. I am sure the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) would have liked to have seen more in it for conservation. I would have liked to have seen more in it for row crops. But this is a democracy, and in a democracy and in our committee we compromised. And let us never forget that that compromise included increasing baseline spending for conservation by 78 percent. The 1996 farm bill did not work. If this amendment passes, the 2001 farm bill will not work. Farmers are going broke across the delta, across the southern half of Arkansas, and across much of America. Despite the fact that they are able to produce yields that they never dreamed of just 10 years ago, they cannot control market prices. Market prices are down. Now, I am not real good in math, I will confess to that, but it does not take a rocket scientist to figure it out that if it costs 70 cents a pound to grow cotton, and the market price is 40 cents a pound, that farmer has to have some help. My farm families do not want to be welfare farmers. They do not want to be insurance farmers. But they need America to be there for them when market prices are down, just as those farm families have been there doing what they know how to do best, and that is feed America for many, many generations. Many are worried about a recession. If this amendment passes, I believe we will have a serious recession, not only with our farm families but many of the smaller banks located in the delta. This amendment will directly take, next year alone, $183.7 million out of the pockets of our farm families in Arkansas. Finally, let me say this. We all want to try and represent our districts. I truly respect the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) for trying to represent the people of his district. I am trying to represent the people of mine so they can continue to feed America.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. I am honored today to be a cosponsor of the Pickering-Ross amendment to the farm bill. The farm-raised catfish industry is an important part of the economy of my congressional district, which covers all of south Arkansas, where many farm families have converted their row-crop farms into catfish farms in recent years in order to turn a more decent profit. In fact, Arkansas is number three in catfish sales in the Nation, with nearly $66 million, or 13 percent, of the total United States sales, behind only Mississippi and Alabama. Today, these catfish producers in my district and around the country, especially in the delta region, are being unfairly hurt by so-called catfish being dumped into American markets from Vietnam and sold as catfish. The truth is, it is not catfish. It is even not the same species of fish. In fact, American farm-raised catfish and Vietnamese so-called catfish are no more related than a cat is to a cow. Our amendment would protect our farm-raised catfish producers by saying that the term catfish cannot be used for any fish, such as the ones from Vietnam, that are not specifically a member of the catfish family. Last year, imports of Vietnamese catfish totaled 7 million pounds, more than triple the 2 million pounds imported in 1999 and more than 12 times the 575,000 pounds imported back in 1998. Indications show that imports have now reached as much as 1 million pounds a month. Many catfish farmers estimate that these imports have taken away as much as 20 percent of their market share. In Vietnam, the so-called catfish can be produced at a much lower cost due to cheap labor and less stringent environmental regulations. Many of these fish are being grown in cages in polluted rivers. Then they are dumped into American markets and passed off as farm-raised catfish. This dumping of so-called catfish into our country not only hurts our farm families, if hurts our working families. Many of the plants where the catfish are processed, hire workers who are making the transition from welfare to work. Just a few weeks ago, I visited a plant in my district in the Delta in Lake Village, Arkansas that has already been forced to cut their work schedule to a 4-day work week. Other catfish processing plants are facing similar problems, and some are even facing the possibility of having to close altogether. It is really quite simple. Our farmers and our workers do not mind competition, but they do mind when the competition is unfair. I urge my colleagues to support America's farm-raised catfish industry, our farm families, and our working families. I urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Chairman, I fought hard for an appointment to the Committee on Agriculture when I got here in January, and I did so because, one, I understand agriculture. I grew up on my grandfather's farm. Secondly, agriculture is critical to the economy of my district in South Arkansas. This new farm bill was written after months of testimony. It was written in a bipartisan spirit and it is fair. It is fair to our farm families. It is fair for conservation. In fact, we increase baseline spending for conservation by 75 percent. This bill addresses the needs of our farm families. We all know that the 1996 farm bill did not work. We might as well have called it ``Freedom to Fail.'' I will lose farm families and perhaps a few banks in the delta without this new farm bill. We are already too dependent on foreign oil. The last thing we need to do is to lose our farm families and become dependent on Third World countries for our food and fiber. My farmers do not want to be welfare farmers. They do not want to be insurance farmers. They simply want to feed America. This bill ensures America will be there for our farm families when market prices are down, just as our farm families have been there for America for many, many generations. I rise in support of this bill.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, Tuesday, September 11, 2001, is a day that none of us in this Chamber--none of us in this country--will forget. It is a day when our nation experienced an attack unlike we have ever seen. Thousands of lives in our nation were lost and many, many more were forever changed because of the despicable and deliberate acts of terrorists. As we observe this National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for this terrible tragedy, our hearts are with all the victims and their families, and our thoughts and prayers are with those working so hard to remove the rubble and hopefully find additional survivors. We can no longer think of these terrorist attacks as something that we see on television that happen only in far away lands. The threat to our national security is evident, and our response to the attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon is critical. It must be strong, it must be carefully calculated, and it must be swift. The time has come for the United States to make a full force effort to eliminate the terrorist networks across the globe, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution authorizing the President to use such necessary and appropriate force against those responsible for the terrorist attacks on September 11 and anyone or any country who assisted them. This is no easy task, but our troops are ready, and our government stands united, Democrats and Republicans alike, in our resolve to end terrorism in the United States. Yes, Tuesday was dark day for America. But, Mr. Speaker, it was not near as dark as the days that lie ahead for the evil perpetrators who masterminded these attacks. The American spirit is alive and well, and our commitment to seek out and take action against those who would commit such heinous and cowardly acts is unwavering. We will not allow these terrorists to alter the kind of world that our children and grandchildren grow up in.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, the catfish industry is an important part of the economy of my congressional district that covers all of south Arkansas. Thirty-six states either produce or process farm-raised catfish, with Arkansas being the third largest producer in the nation. The catfish farmers in my district and across America are being hurt by the unfair practice of ``so-called'' catfish from Vietnam being dumped into our markets and sold as ``farm-raised'' catfish. Last year, imports of Vietnamese catfish totaled 7 million pounds, more than triple the 2 million pounds imported in 1999 and more than 12 times the 575,000 pounds imported in 1998. In Vietnam, these so-called catfish, also known as ``basa,'' can be produced at a much lower cost due to cheap labor and less stringent environmental regulations. In fact, many of these fish are grown in floating cages in the Mekong River, exposing the fish to pollutants and other conditions. They are then dumped into American markets and often marketed as farm-raised catfish. Vietnam says they are taking the necessary steps to fix the problem of mislabeling and dumping. However, this problem is not new and has been discussed with Vietnam for several years. We have yet to see any results to show that they are truly addressing this issue. America is a country founded on the principles of fairness and good faith, but Vietnam must still prove that their actions are, indeed, in good faith. They must stop the dumping of this so-called catfish into America's markets and allow our catfish farmers to have the level playing field that they deserve. Therefore, I do not support extending trade relations to Vietnam at this time.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, like all Americans, I was stunned, angered, and saddened by yesterday's unprecedented and unconscionable terrorist attacks in New York and here in our Nation's capital. Today is a time for all Americans to come together and pray for our country, for all the victims of this horrific tragedy and their families, and for all those working around the clock to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts that will get our Nation moving again. I am proud of the way that the people of New York City and Washington, D.C. and all across America have responded to these tragic events. As the details unfold, no doubt the number of casualties will be staggering, and we will have many questions to answer. Our country is in a state of shock, but we are resolved to not let these groups alter our Nation's livelihood. We will overcome this tragedy, and we will become a stronger Nation because of it. Mr. Speaker, yesterday's attacks were a threat, not only to our people, to our children, to our grandchildren, but to our freedom, and, indeed, the American way of life. Simply put, they were acts of cowardice that will not be tolerated. Our response should be swift and strong, one that will send a message, loud and clear, to terrorists around the world: we will not allow this to become the kind of country where our children and grandchildren will always fear, a fear of terrorism. Make no mistake about it, the President, the administration and this Congress will stand united as one America in our endeavor to root out, not only the perpetrators, but also those who harbor and support such evil and inhumane acts of terror.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize the life and achievements of a man who was not only a personal friend, but a friend to his entire community and a respected civic leader in southwest Arkansas, Mr. William Ralph ``Bill'' Routon. Bill passed away on August 26 at age 77 following a lengthy battle with heart and bone marrow related illnesses. He was a lifelong resident of Hope, Arkansas, where he was also a lifelong member of the Methodist church. During World War II, Bill served his country for three years with the U.S. Army Air Corps in England. Following his service, he returned to Arkansas to attend college at Henderson College and the University of Arkansas and then came home to take over the family farm and timber business. As a resident and community leader in Hope, Bill served on the Hope School Board for 16 years during the crucial time in the 1960s and 1970s when the Hope schools were being integrated. He was also a member of the board of the School of Hope, a school for developmentally challenged children. For 40 years, he served on the board of the Citizens National Bank, where he would visit each day and greet customers. In 1993, he was appointed by Governor Jim Guy Tucker to the state's Red River Commission, which promotes the economic viability of the southwest Arkansas region along the Red River. At the First United Methodist Church in Hope, Bill was chairman of several boards and committees and was a leader in the Century Bible Class. In addition, he was a member of the board of Rose Hill Cemetery and an active member of local chapters of the Masons and the Shriners as well as a 50-year member of the Yellow Creek Hunting Club of McNab, Arkansas. Bill could usually be spotted in his trademark khaki pants and diamond stickpin that he wore in place of a necktie. He was a friend to many in Hope and throughout Arkansas, including the late Virginia Clinton Kelley, mother of former President Bill Clinton. To those who knew him, he was regarded as a stalwart in the community, a true southern gentleman dedicated to his family and his fellow citizens. His passing is a great loss not only to his family and friends, but to the City of Hope and all the people of southwest Arkansas. I am grateful for his friendship and his devotion to serving others, and I honor him for his lifetime of accomplishments. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Bonnie, his children and his loved ones.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Chairman we need a real Patients Bill of Rights--one that truly takes the medical decisions out of the hands of the big health insurance company bureaucrats and the big HMOs and puts them back where they belong with physicians, nurses, and patients; one that allows patients to hold their HMOs accountable when they make bad medical decisions. That's what our constituents are asking for. That's what the Ganske-Dingell-Berry bill would do. I'm sick and tired of the scare tactics the big health insurance companies and the big HMOs have been using with our small business owners. I own a small business with 15 employees back home. We provide health insurance to our employees. And I can tell you, the scare tactics that these HMOs are putting out in regard to increased premiums and potential lawsuits are simply that--scare tactics. The state of Texas has this law on the books, and it is working. It's making the big HMOs accountable to their patients on the front end, and that is why there have only been 17 lawsuits filed in the state of Texas--a very large state-- since the law was enacted in 1997. The Norwood Compromise overrides states like Texas who already have patient protection laws on their books. It rolls back patient protections and shields HMOs from the consequences of their own bad medical decisions, unlike doctors and hospitals, who will be left to defend themselves. This is not a patient bill of rights. This is an HMO and health insurance companies' bill of rights. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to reject this legislation written by the big HMOs for the big HMOs. I urge my colleagues to vote against final passage of this measure.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, July 26, citizens in my hometown of Prescott, Arkansas, will be honoring one of our most beloved citizens, Mr. John Teeter. Mr. Teeter has devoted almost all of his adult life to serving his community and the people of Nevada County. For decades, he served as a weather reporter in Prescott for the National Weather Service. His work helped to warn the weather service and the community of incoming severe weather, which no doubt helped to save the lives of friends and neighbors. Whether rain, sleet, snow or shine--through the heat of summer and the cold of winter, through droughts and floods--Mr. Teeter was there to record and report the conditions. As a weather reporter, he also worked with the Nevada County Rescue Unit to help them anticipate and respond to any severe weather disaster. In addition to his service to the National Weather Service and the rescue unit, Mr. Teeter has been a member of the Kiwanis Club for over 40 years, helping to improve the lives of children in our community and throughout the world, and he is still active with the organization. He also continues to man the Nevada County Depot Museum in Prescott, which he has done for several years, showing students, visitors, and their families around the local museum at any time. John Teeter is an outstanding example of the value of giving back to the community and an inspiration to so many of us. As a young boy growing up in Nevada County, he was a role model for me. Although I will be unable to attend the celebration on Thursday due to my responsibilities here in our nation's capitol, I join his family and friends in honoring him for his lifetime of achievements, and I am grateful for his many contributions to people of Prescott, Nevada County, and the State of Arkansas. I extend my warmest wishes to him for continued health and happiness in the years to come.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Ganske- Dingell-Norwood-Berry managed care reform legislation, H.R. 2563. I would like to take a moment to talk about one of my constituents in south Arkansas. Her name is Wendelyn Osborne, who provides a real life example of the need for a meaningful Patients' Bill of Rights. Mrs. Osborne has a congenital and rare bone disease that involves continuous growth of her jawbone. She was not expected to live past the age of 14. She is now 35. Wendelyn's disease requires frequent trips to her specialist and surgeries. Unfortunately, each time she has to have an appointment, she must go through her primary care physician. Additionally, her surgeries to correct the continued growth of her jawbone, which are life- threatening, are considered cosmetic, but they are not. The Ganske-Dingell-Norwood-Berry bill will help Wendelyn in the following ways. It will remove the gatekeeper to her medical care and allow her care to be coordinated by her specialist, and it will give her a fair and timely external appeals process that will allow her to appeal her case to independent medical experts. Let us pass this bill. Let us pass it for Wendelyn Osborne.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, It is with honor and great pride that I wish to recognize and congratulate the new Miss Arkansas 2001 Jessie Ward, who was crowned Saturday, June 16th, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Jessie is a native of my hometown of Prescott, and I have watched her grow up since she was a little girl. Jessie has always been a caring, talented, and hard-working young lady. At her first press conference following her crowning as the new Miss Arkansas, Jessie said that during the competition she wanted to be different--to stand out, if you will--while remaining true to herself. I think it's safe to say she succeeded. In the talent competition, she performed an energetic tap-dance routine to ``The King of Pop,'' a medley of hits by the world famous pop singer, Michael Jackson. Her performance earned her preliminary talent winner honors as well as the coveted $1,000 Coleman Dairy Talent Scholarship. During an on-stage interview, Jessie explained to the crowd that she enjoys not only bass fishing with her father, but also a rather unique hobby, taxidermy. In her words, she said, ``to me, taxidermy is an art form, and everyone needs a little art in their life.'' In addition to her hobby, Jessie is also co-authoring a book with her mother, Karen Ward, on perseverance, which is something I think we could all use a lesson on from time to time. Jessie's platform as a contestant, and now as Miss Arkansas, is School Violence Prevention Awareness, and she has spent the past three years traveling through Arkansas and Texas to promote this message. In her program, she stresses the importance of recognizing warning signs and being aware of safe reactions to potentially violent situations. Just recently, she has developed a scholarship program to reward a graduating senior each year who exhibits dedication to his or her school and community. Jessie is affiliated with the National Center for the Prevention of School Violence, and her goal, she says, is to rally the state and national governments for funding of preventative programs and to reach at least two schools in every school district in Arkansas with her school violence prevention message. I know this is an issue that she cares very deeply about, and I want to applaud her for her interest and leadership in helping to make our schools and communities safer. Jessie is currently completing undergraduate degrees in biology and radio, television, and film at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She plans to attend medical school and begin working in rural medicine--something that is very important to south Arkansas. She eventually hopes to establish herself as a medical correspondent in the national broadcast arena. Again, I say to Jessie, ``Congratulations. We're proud of you, and we wish you all the best.''

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, the farm-raised catfish industry is an important part of the economy in my congressional district that covers the southern third of Arkansas. In fact, Arkansas is third in catfish sales in the Nation, behind only Mississippi and Alabama, with nearly $66 million, or 13 percent, of the total U.S. sales. I recently met with catfish farmers in southeast Arkansas, and I can tell my colleagues that catfish producers in my district are upset that so-called catfish are being dumped into our markets from Vietnam and sold as farm- raised catfish. The truth is that it is not farm raised, and I am not even sure it is catfish. Last year, imports of Vietnamese catfish totaled 7 million pounds, more than triple the 2 million pounds imported in 1999 and more than 12 times the 575,000 pounds imported in 1998. In Vietnam, these so-called catfish, also known as basa, can be produced at a much lower cost, due to cheap labor and less stringent environmental regulations. In fact, many of these fish are grown in floating cages in the Mekong River, exposing the fish to pollutants and other conditions. They are then dumped into American markets and often marketed as farm-raised catfish. Many catfish producers believe that these imports have taken away as much as 10 percent of our markets here at home. It is really quite simple. Farmers do not mind competition, but they do mind when the competition is unfair and untruthful. This is why today my colleagues, including the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Berry), the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Shows), and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Pickering) introduced, along with me, a bipartisan bill, H.R. 2439, the Ross-Berry-Pickering bill, that would amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require retailers to inform consumers of the country of origin of the fish that they sell. Under the bill, all fish would be covered. Each retailer would be required to notify the consumer at the final point of sale of the country of origin of the fish. And a fish product could only be designated as being from the United States if it is from a farm-raised fish that is exclusively born, raised, and processed in the United States. When our consumers go into the store and ask for farm-raised catfish, they deserve to know what they are getting is actually farm raised and catfish. By letting consumers know where the product is coming from, this bill will encourage the people in Arkansas and all across America to buy catfish grown by our farm families, not fish grown in a polluted river in another country. I urge my colleagues to join me in protecting consumers and to support a level playing field for America's farm-raised fish producers by supporting this measure.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, today we passed a resolution to honor our troops in Bosnia. I personally want to thank the National Guard troops, our men and women in uniform. I want to especially recognize them today because they spend time away from their families and their jobs. I know this because I have a neighbor in my hometown of Prescott, Arkansas, Kevin Smith, who is serving tonight in Bosnia through the National Guard while his wife remains home, pregnant, and continues to hold down a job. Our families make huge sacrifices so our men and women in the National Guard can serve our country and yes, serve Bosnia in this time of need and they do so with honor and dignity and I want to thank each and every one of them. This is especially important to me because I have two National Guard units from my district, one from Magnolia and another from Sheridan, that are presently serving in Bosnia. My legislative assistant for military affairs has been there to visit with the troops. I wish I could have gone, but it was at a time when we had votes going on here in our Nation's capital. So I want to thank all of them. I want to thank them for this important service to our country and to Bosnia during this time of need. Today we celebrate Juneteenth, something else that is important to me that I would like to visit with my colleagues about this evening. On this date in 1865, Major General Gordon Granger lead his troops into Galveston, Texas and officially proclaimed freedom for slaves for the State of Texas, concluding a 2\1/2\ year journey through the Deep South. Today I join African Americans and citizens of all races across Arkansas, across America, and across the world in celebrating Juneteenth in honor of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln and Major General Granger's historic journey. African Americans have played an important role throughout America's history and we should all be grateful for their many, many contributions to our society. Mr. Speaker, as we gather today with family, friends and neighbors in marking the tradition of Juneteenth, I extend my warmest wishes for a special celebration, one that we will remember, and I ask all citizens to renew our commitment to a nation that stands for civil justice and opportunity for all people. Finally, this evening I would like to visit for a few minutes on the issue of energy. Mr. Speaker, as temperatures across the country heat up and this summer's travel season begins, our Nation finds itself in the midst of an energy crisis like one that has not been seen in 2 decades. While my constituents in south Arkansas have not had to face the electricity shortages that California has seen, like all Americans, they have been strapped by the dramatic rise in oil and gas prices. The hardworking families of south Arkansas already struggle to make ends meet. Many of my constituents come from poor and rural areas where they depend on their cars or trucks to get to and from their jobs, oftentimes traveling many miles, or where they have large tractors and equipment to tend to their family farms. When already faced with the cost of feeding their families, paying their electricity bills, and paying for expensive prescription drugs to stay healthy and get well, they simply cannot afford these high gasoline costs. Mr. Speaker, I believe we must act to bring these prices down, and we must do it now. Since this most recent increase in gasoline prices began, I, along with many of my colleagues in Congress, have written letters to energy Secretary Spencer Abraham as well as President Bush asking them to come to the aid of gasoline consumers by aggressively lobbying OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, to increase the production of oil or, as President Bush suggested last year, ``open up their spigots'' to help alleviate this problem, this crisis. Just last March, OPEC decided arbitrarily to cut oil production by 4 percent in the countries that our men and women in uniform went to serve in Desert Storm. That is one million barrels a day. Mr. Speaker, it is time for OPEC to do right by the American consumers. It is time for OPEC to do right by the consumers of south Arkansas. Increase production, increase production now. In addition to pressuring OPEC to increase production, we must also work with U.S. oil producers to increase their dangerously low levels of oil inventories. Our nation lacks the refinery capacity to keep up with current demand for oil and gas. We should work to streamline regulatory requirements to facilitate investment in new refineries and other improvements to our energy infrastructure, and I urge the Administration to work with our current domestic refineries to increase their inventories of refined gasoline. But we cannot stop there. We need a balanced, proactive national energy policy--one that serves as an energy plan for the future that not only increases energy production, but also decreases energy demand. We must work to decrease our dependence on foreign oil through conservation, renewable energy, and energy efficiency programs. In the short term, we should look at ways to guard our consumers against potential price gouging by the big oil companies. For our home heating oil consumers, we should also look at incentives to encourage consumers to make energy efficient improvements to their homes, and we must make sure that we fully fund the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The money we invest in this program will be put right back into the economy through lower heating and fuel bills. In May, President Bush announced his Administration's plan to address our nation's current energy crisis, a plan for that calls for major increases in oil and gas production in the United States. I agree with the Administration that we need to increase production, but I believe their proposal is a plan for the past that seems to cater to the big oil companies. I am disappointed that their plan does not do more to support programs to increase research and development in new energy technologies that increase conservation and alternative and renewable fuel sources to reduce our oil dependence. This may not be an immediate answer, but it is certainly important for the long-term as fossil fuel sources diminish. Surely, if we can create the technology to send a man to the moon, we can develop a crop that our farmers can grow that can provide an efficient and affordable alternative source for fuel. Our current energy situation is a complicated problem with no easy answers, but it is of critical importance to the people of south Arkansas and across America. The sooner we take action, the sooner we can see results at the pump. I urge my colleagues to support a balanced, proactive, and bipartisan solution to this crisis so that we can bring relief to our hard working families.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Chairman, I stand here before my colleagues today as the proud son of public school educators, as the father of two children growing up in the Prescott public schools back in my hometown. I stand here in support of character education. I have talked a lot about safer schools and smaller class sizes, about the need to put respect for teachers and discipline back into the classroom; and, yes, I have talked a lot about the need for more character education. We must focus more through character education on things like respect and citizenship. I think we need to get back to some of the basics in education. We need to teach our children. We must strive for them to do academically, but we must also strive to help them become good citizens and future leaders for all of us. I am pleased to stand here today in support of this bipartisan amendment. I hope it demonstrates that a lot of us are truly trying to put our children and are truly trying to put progress before partisanship.

Mr. ROSS of Arkansas

Mr. ROSS of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. Currently, Arkansas residents pay on average $1.69 per gallon of mid- grade gasoline. Thousands of my constituents depend on their cars to get to and from their jobs or on tractors or equipment to tend to their farms each and every day. I live in a very rural district, and they simply cannot afford the drastic increase in gas prices that they are being forced to pay. With the summer season expected to be as hot as last year, we will probably have in Arkansas a drought for the fourth year in a row, and I anticipate that we are headed for a repeat of last year's overheated oil prices, the highest since 1990. In fact, we have already seen indications that the price is growing steadily. A recent national survey shows that the price of gasoline has skyrocketed 17 cents in the last 4 weeks alone, bringing the national average to $1.82 a gallon. These prices are unjustified, and our response to bring these prices down must be immediate. I call on the President and the administration to tell OPEC to increase their levels of oil production, which they cut as recently as March by a million barrels a day. It is wrong that a handful of foreign countries can get together and have a lot to do with dictating the price of gasoline at the pumps in south Arkansas. Our reliance on foreign oil has been steadily increasing. We must concentrate on increasing our domestic energy supplies and strengthening our energy infrastructure, and we must guard consumers against potential price gouging by the big oil companies. Now, the President, as recent as late last week, said that we needed a tax cut to pay for gasoline. Now, Mr. President, I have a problem with my constituents paying $2 or $3 a gallon for gasoline. Yes, Mr. President, we need a tax cut. We need a tax cut for working families to help them make ends meet, to help them pay for child care and, yes, to help them send a child to college. We do not need a tax cut to pay for gas. We need to bring the prices of gas back down. America's economic prosperity and national security have come to depend on the availability of reliable, affordable energy. We need a balanced, long-term energy policy, not one built for the past, as the administration is putting forth. We need a proactive energy policy for the future, one that helps consumers by increasing energy production while reducing energy demand; one that stresses the importance of conservation, building more energy-efficient products and developing more renewable and alternative fuel sources, the kind that can create new markets for our struggling farm families in south Arkansas. The production, generation, and distribution aspects must all be done with greater efficiency. Research and development in new energy technologies that increase conservation in all areas are imperative. In addition, we need to expand other energy sources, such as wind, solar and hydroelectric. Renewable energy sources may not be an immediate answer to our energy crisis, but they are certainly important for the long term as fossil fuel sources continue to diminish. These emerging technologies will need Federal support if we are to finally achieve energy independence. We must look at all available options to solve this complicated crisis. But whatever we do, we must guarantee that drivers in south Arkansas and all across America will pay less when they fill up. Mr. Speaker, I yield back to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Madam Speaker, I might clarify one thing. I am not a pharmacist. I never was smart enough to be one. My wife is one. Together we do own a family pharmacy. I come from a small town in rural south Arkansas. It is a town called Prescott, a town of about 3,500 people. It is a town I love very much. For those Members who were raised in small towns or perhaps still live in small towns like I do, they know what I am talking about when I say that in small towns, there are always one or two gathering places. My wife and I are very fortunate that in our hometown of Prescott, the family pharmacy that we own is such a gathering place. It is a place where people come to share recent photographs of their children and grandchildren, to celebrate the good times together and, yes, to be there for one another during the difficult times. I must say, I see way too many difficult times. Prior to being elected to the United States Congress last year, I worked in that pharmacy. This is an issue I do not just talk about. I worked with it. I saw seniors that were literally forced to choose between buying their medicine, paying their natural gas bill and buying their groceries. Living in a small town, I would learn a week later where a senior would end up in the hospital running up a $10,000 or $20,000 Medicare bill or where a diabetic would lose a leg or spend in excess of half a million dollars of Medicare money receiving kidney dialysis before eventually dying, simply because they could not afford their medicine or could not afford to take it properly. I do not just talk about this. I worked with it. I saw it. I can put names to the faces. This is America, and I believe we can do better than that by our seniors. That is why I will continue to fight to modernize Medicare to include a voluntary, but guaranteed, prescription drug benefit. Now what do I mean by that? When I say voluntary, that means if one has a plan, if they are fortunate enough to be one of the few seniors on Medicare in America who have medicine coverage from a previous employer, and they like it, they ought to be able to keep it. So it should be voluntary. Just recently, during the spring district work period, I had a townhall meeting in conjunction with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare in one of the more affluent counties in my 26-county district, Garland County. More than 100 seniors showed up for that townhall meeting on Social Security and Medicare, and I asked those who had medicine coverage of any kind to raise their hand. Less than 10 hands in the room went up. Then when I asked them to keep their hand up if they were confident they would be able to keep that coverage for the rest of their life, nearly every single hand in the room went down. I come from a very rural and poor district. The average household income in my district is only $19,000 a year. It is where very few seniors have any prescription drug coverage. So it should be voluntary, but it should be guaranteed. Just like under Medicare one can go to the doctor and they can go to the hospital. This is very important to our seniors. This is an issue that I ran for the Congress on, an issue that I will not stop fighting for until we finally do truly modernize Medicare to include a prescription drug benefit that is voluntary but guaranteed just like going to the doctor, just like going to the hospital. One of the problems we have in this country, I think, is created by the big drug manufacturers. I have bottles of medicine on the shelf of my pharmacy that cost more than I paid for a new car in 1979, and yet that same bottle is being sold in Canada and Mexico for ten cents on the dollar. We are talking about drugs that are being invented in America, oftentimes with government subsidized research. They are being made in America, and they are being shipped from America and sold for a fraction of the cost to these other countries. So what does that mean? That means all of us in America are subsidizing the cost of health care for these other countries. I think it is time we stood up to the big drug manufacturers and said enough is enough. It is time we demanded the kind of rebates to help pay for a Medicare drug program from them that they are now dishing out left and right to the big HMOs and to our States' Medicaid programs. Now I know the debate so far in Congress has been about the budget and tax cuts, and I hope we can now move from that very important subject of the budget and tax cuts into spending some quality time making something happen that will truly modernize Medicare to include medicine for every single senior citizen in America who needs it and wants it. Now we are hearing a lot of talk about this projected surplus, some $5 trillion. Well, it is a projection over 10 years, and it is being projected by the same bureaucrats that missed it by the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars last year. Seventy-five percent of that surplus does not even get here until 2006 through 2011, based on their projections, if they are right. Nearly half that surplus is Social Security and Medicare Trust Fund money. When we talk about the highway trust fund we do not dare talk about counting it in the surplus. I am not advocating that we do. The highway trust fund money ought to go to improve our roads. What I am advocating is that we stop talking about Medicare and Social Security when we talk about this Nation's surplus. That is why the first bill I filed as a Member of the United States Congress was a bill to tell the politicians in Washington to keep their hands off the Social Security Trust Fund, to keep their hands off the Medicare Trust Fund. I urge my colleagues to work together. Let us put progress over partisanship, and let us give our seniors a Medicare prescription drug benefit that means something, one that they can count on.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of partisan bickering that goes on in Washington these days. Unfortunately, our constituents are often caught in between us, between the Democrats and the Republicans. They are literally caught in the ropes, strangled by our inability, especially on health care. An issue as important as quality, affordable and accessible health care is not and should not be a political game played by the Democrats or the Republicans. It ought to be about what is best for the American people, the people who have placed their trust and confidence in us. Over these past 19 days, I have participated in more than 60 events in my district, as many of my colleagues did during the district work period. All across Arkansas' Fourth District, my constituents told me about the health care crisis they face each and every day in their lives. A health care issue about which I care deeply is providing a voluntary, but guaranteed prescription drug benefit as a part of Medicare. I believe it is time to modernize Medicare to include medicine. Medicare is the only health insurance plan in America that I know of that does not include medicine, yet it is the plan that nearly every single senior citizen in America relies on day in and day out to stay healthy and to get well. Mr. Speaker, I own a pharmacy in a small town in south Arkansas, and living in a small town and working with seniors there, I know firsthand how seniors end up in the hospital running up a $10,000 Medicare bill, or how diabetics eventually lose a leg or require perhaps as much as a half a million dollars in Medicare payments for kidney dialysis. All of these instances are real-life examples that I have seen in my hometown in the small pharmacy that I own back there that I used to work at. Every one of these could have been avoided if people had simply been able to afford their medicine or if they had been able to afford to take it properly. I did a town hall meeting this past week in Hot Springs, Arkansas, one of the more affluent counties and cities in my district. We had more than 100 seniors at that meeting that I conducted in conjunction with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. At that meeting, we said, raise your hand if you have medicine coverage. Less than 10 hands went up in that room. This is America, and I believe we can do better than that by our seniors, and that is why I will continue to fight to truly modernize Medicare to include medicine, just like we include doctors' visits and hospital visits. It should be voluntary, but guaranteed, and it should be a part of Medicare. That is why the first bill I introduced as a Member of the United States Congress was a bill that basically tells the politicians in Washington to keep their hands off the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds. It is the Social Security and Medicare Off- Budget Lockbox Act of 2001, H.R. 560. Also, during the district work period, I visited a Christian charitable medical clinic in my district, again in Hot Springs, one of the more affluent cities and counties in my district. At that facility, they literally spend millions of dollars with over 500 volunteers equaling millions of dollars in providing care for those who fall through the cracks. They only see those who live below poverty. That is all they see, people who live below poverty and yet do not qualify for Medicaid or any of the other programs. By and large, we are talking about the working uninsured, people that are trying to do the right thing, people that are trying to stay off welfare, but they are working the jobs that have no benefits. Mr. Speaker, I relish the opportunity to fight against the unfair inequities that have created an enormous uninsured population and fight against the big drug companies who continue to price Americans out of the market. It is wrong for the big drug manufacturers to invent drugs in America, oftentimes with government-subsidized research. They are invented in America, they are made in America, and then they send them to Canada and Mexico and sell them for 10 cents on the dollar. That is wrong. That is why I am proud to be cosponsoring legislation that tells the big drug manufacturers that whatever the average price that they sell to other countries is, they have to provide that price to our seniors back in America, one of many first small steps that we must take to finally have a voluntary guaranteed Medicare prescription drug package for every single senior citizen in America.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize the legacy and achievements of three distinguished Arkansans who passed away recently. For eight years, I had the privilege of serving in the Arkansas General Assembly with a distinct public servant and a champion for our schools, state representative Ode Lee Maddox. Rep. Maddox was a lifelong resident of a small town called Oden, Arkansas, where he represented the people in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1957 through 1998. While I served across the state capitol building in the Senate, I like so many of my colleagues, held the highest respect and admiration for Rep. Maddox. Rep. Maddox loved politics and loved serving in the state legislature. More importantly, though, he loved education. He spent 42 years working for the Oden School District, including 31 as superintendent of the school district. He started his career as a bus driver and coached two state champion basketball teams in 1948 and 1954. In the state legislature, colleagues affectionately referred to Rep. Maddox as ``Mr. Education.'' In fact, one of his former colleagues recently noted, ``He supported all of the education bills, if they were good bills.'' In 1983, Rep. Maddox helped secure funding for the Rich Mountain Community College in nearby Mena, Arkansas, which became one of his proudest accomplishments. Known for his quiet, easygoing personality, Rep. Maddox gained the respect of his peers through his ability to bring people together on important issues, such as education. Away from work, he loved being outdoors--hunting and fishing--and spending time with his family. Those of us who knew and loved him will remember Rep. Maddox for his devotion to his family and his community, and to seeing that our young people are provided the best education possible. Mack Lee Taylor, of Magnolia, Arkansas, was also a leader in his community as well as the banking industry. He, too, was a lifelong resident of Arkansas. Born in Warren, Arkansas, Mack moved with his family to Magnolia as a teenager. After graduating from Magnolia High School, he earned his bachelor's degree at Southern State College--now Southern Arkansas University--and graduated from the Southwest Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, before starting his career at First National Bank in Magnolia. During his career, Mack helped organize the Metropolitan National Bank of Little Rock, where he served as executive vice president and director. He later returned to Magnolia to serve as executive vice president and director and, eventually, as president and chief operating officer of Farmers Bank and Trust. Mack served on the boards of directors for several prominent organizations including the Southern Arkansas University Foundation, Arkansas Children's Hospital Foundation and Arkansas Council on Economic Education. He was an active member of numerous civic groups such as the Magnolia Rotary Club and the Magnolia Economic Development Corporation and was a leader in organizations like the Arkansas Bankers Association, the Southern Arkansas University Board of Governors, the South Arkansas Development Council, the Chamber of Commerce and others. In 1994, he was honored as a distinguished alumnus of Southern Arkansas University. Mack Taylor was a pillar in his community. His death is a great loss not only to his friends and loved ones, but to the people of Magnolia and all of Arkansas. The people of Arkansas also lost a distinguished veteran and outstanding citizen in Robert C. (Bob) McWilliams III. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Bob was raised and educated in Little Rock and Jonesboro, Arkansas. After graduating from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro with a bachelor's degree in military science, he received his master's degree in human resources from Central Michigan University and attended the Army Command and General Staff College. Commissioned into the Army in 1964, Bob served two tours in Vietnam, where he flew helicopters as an Army aviator. During his service to our country, he received numerous awards and decorations including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and senior aviator wings. Bob spent 30 years as a government employee, during which time he served as Provost Marshal and Chief of Security at the Pine Bluff Arsenal in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and president of the local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) at Pine Bluff Arsenal. He was also pastor of the Sherill United Methodist Church. Throughout his life, Bob dedicated himself to serving God and our nation, and to helping his fellow citizens and working families. He will be long remembered by all those whose lives he touched. Today, I honor these three individuals--Ode Lee Maddox, Mack Lee Taylor, and Robert C. (Bob) McWilliams--for their commitment to giving back to their neighbors, their communities, and their country, and I hope that their lives will serve as an example to future generations.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I support the largest tax cut possible, but I want to see a budget first. The law requires it, and as a small business owner, I demand it. We need to pay down the debt. It is out of control, nearly $6 trillion. The American people deserve to know that our government is spending over $1 billion a day simply paying interest on the debt, some $360 billion every single year. Mr. Speaker, I want to see in a budget how we pay down that debt. I want to see in a budget how we save Social Security, how we modernize Medicare to include medicine for our seniors. I want us to recognize and admit to the American people that while we had a surplus yesterday or last year, it is only $8 billion, when you take all the trust fund monies, the Social Security, the Medicare, military retiree, Federal employee retiree trust funds out of the equation. Mr. Speaker, $8 billion only pays 6 days of interest on the national debt. I want a tax cut. I want a budget first. I want to save Social Security. I want to pay down the debt.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, promoting awareness of black history throughout the month of February allowed all of us an opportunity to not only learn from the past, but also remind ourselves and others about the importance of practicing acceptance and inclusion. However, while black history is recognized in February, it does not stop today, on March 1. If it truly is history in February, it is also history in March through January. That is why I decided to make these remarks today, rather than in February. I am pleased that our Nation has chosen to recognize and celebrate the history of the African American culture. History teaches us that every culture and every society endures good and bad, and it is essential that we continue to learn from our past. From the days of early American statehood, when African Americans like Harriet Tubman and many others fought to gain freedom from slavery, to the inspiring civil rights movement fostered by the determination of individuals such as Rosa Parks, Daisy Bates, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to our current times today, African Americans have played a vital role in America's history. Last month, as we celebrated Black History Month, I was reminded of how the contributions of African Americans have had a particular influence on my life. Growing up during the 1960s and 1970s in south Arkansas in small towns like Emmet, Hope, and Prescott, I was fortunate to be among the first generation to attend integrated public schools. Those were difficult times for our Nation, but as the son of public school educators, I was taught early on that blacks and whites could live and work together and value each other's differences. As many small schools did at that time, our elementary school in Emmet combined two grades in each classroom. The teachers had close relationships with the students, and had a profound influence on our young lives. I remember that two particular teachers played a special role in my upbringing as a young student, perhaps because they were both African American, or perhaps because they were simply warm, caring individuals. Their names were Velma Rowe and Corrine Gilbert. Ms. Rowe and Ms. Gilbert always went the extra mile to make a difference in our lives as students, whether it was providing encouragement when we were having trouble keeping up, guidance and discipline when we stepped out of line, or congratulations for a job well done. I may have been too young at that time to fully understand the history of racial inequality in our country, but looking back, they gave me a special insight into the important role of African Americans in our community and in our society. The impact of their example as teachers and as leaders in the African American community helped to shape my view, as I grew older, that we must all work together to accept each other and respect our differences. In class, Ms. Rowe and Ms. Gilbert taught all of us that we were each important as individuals, no matter what our race or background, no matter whether we were rich or poor, and that we must show respect for all those around us. They instilled in us the value of a good education, and that, with hard work, determination, and a good heart, we could build a better world. On Sunday, February 18, my wife, Holly, and our two children, Sydney Beth and Alex, joined me in attending the black history program at Greater Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. I had the privilege of participating with African Americans, young and old, in the program, which highlighted historical accomplishments of African Americans, named by using each letter of the alphabet from A to Z. The service was a great opportunity for my family and me to reflect on how far we have come in the last 150 years towards the goal of racial harmony in this country, and yet, how far we still have to go in the continued battle for civil justice. As I told Pastor Lewis Shepherd's congregation following the program, we must continue to reflect on black history throughout the year as we work together to foster greater understanding so that we can bridge the racial gaps that still exist in today's world. I can only imagine what it was like for Ms. Rowe and Ms. Gilbert when they were growing up in the segregated South, and what challenges and obstructions they had to face each and every day. As adults, they used their lives and experiences to bring people together and to serve as role models for me and so many students. Our challenge is to be the Ms. Rowes and Ms. Gilberts of today.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I believe H.R. 2 is a good start, but I also do not believe that it goes far enough. I believe we all agree on the need for a lockbox for Social Security and Medicare. This bill has too many loopholes, too many keys, if you will, that can open the lockbox. There is a lot of talk these days about surpluses, a lot of talk these days about the need for tax cuts. I support a tax cut for working families. There is not much talk, unfortunately, these days, about the debt, some $5 trillion. When we talk about the surplus, let us not take Social Security and Medicare into account. Let us take it off the table. Yesterday I was in southeast Arkansas, the Delta region, one of the poorest regions in the country. People young and old were telling me that they want the politicians to keep their hands off of Social Security and Medicare. This is a personal issue with me. You see, my grandfather died when I was a year old. My grandmother first learned how to drive a car, she got her GED, and then she went to nursing school. She is 89 now. She is blind, and she lives from Social Security check to Social Security check. That is why I, along with the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore), have offered an alternative, a meaningful lockbox initiative that protects both the Social Security and Medicare surpluses. It is H.R. 560. It has no loopholes; it has no keys to unlock the box. That is why it is supported by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, the Nation's second largest senior advocacy group. If you truly want to protect Social Security and Medicare, then take the time to compare H.R. 2 with H.R. 560. If you do that, then I am convinced we will join together, like we are here today, and do the right thing by my grandmother and by seniors all across America.