Jim Saxton

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1604) to provide for the division, use, and distribution of judgment funds of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan pursuant to dockets numbered 18-E, 58, 364, and 18-R before the Indian Claims Commission, as amended.

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1604 will provide for the division, use and distribution of judgment funds of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan pursuant to the Indian Claims Commission dockets. These judgment funds were appropriated by Congress years ago and have been held by the Department of Interior for the beneficiaries. The funds would be divided according to a formula included in H.R. 1604 between individuals and on judgment distribution rules of decedents to be created by the Secretary of the Interior and 5 Michigan tribes. Those portions of the funds to be distributed to each tribe shall be disbursed after a plan for use and distribution by each tribe has been approved by the Secretary of the Interior. This is a good bill, it is fair. It has been approved by the tribes with whom we have worked who are entitled to the distribution of money. The Federal Government has delayed the distribution of these funds long enough. It is now time to act, and I urge a ``yea'' vote. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from American Samoa correctly points out the important role that the gentleman from Hawaii [Mr. Abercrombie] played in developing and getting this bill to the floor. So I would like to thank him myself for his support of the National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partnership Acts of 1997. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, if I may, H.R. 948, the proposed Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians would reaffirm and clarify the Federal relationship of the Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. The Burt Lake Band consists of approximately 650 individual decedents from the Cheboigan band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians who have lived for centuries along the shores of Burt Lake on Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The band, recognized by the Federal Government through various treaties and Federal court cases, was terminated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs without the approval of Congress earlier this century. H.R. 948 would restore the Federal recognition of the band by reaffirming the Federal Government's previous recognition. H.R. 948 is long overdue, and I recommend its passage by the House. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SAXTON. I think the gentleman from Michigan would just as soon wait to hear from the opposition, and then I will be happy to yield to him at that time.

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Kildee].

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

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to say, in response to the gentleman from Connecticut [Mr. Shays], the gentleman is correct in that under normal circumstances we would all certainly prefer to let the Bureau of Indian Affairs manage those affairs which they have been delegated. Unfortunately, the history of this set of circumstances is such that I believe the great majority of the Members of this House believe that the action we are taking today is quite appropriate, and, in fact, perhaps more than appropriate. Were we to step out of the way and permit the Bureau of Indian Affairs to complete their consideration, these things in the BIA take years. These people, these Native American people, have been waiting years if not decades to have their status as a recognized tribe restored. We can take an important step in that direction today. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Stupak].

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes and 30 seconds to the gentleman from American Samoa [Mr. Faleomavaega]. (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the eight bills just debated, S. 588, S. 589, S. 591, S. 587, S. 531, H.R. 1856, H.R. 1604, and H.R. 948.

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the committee for adding language to the House-passed version of the Defense Authorization Act that would commission a study to help resolve outstanding U.S. commercial disputes against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There remain, however, slight technical modifications to the directive report language I would like to clarify in this statement. The purpose of the study is to re-open the claims process established under the FY93 Defense Appropriations Bill and to require the Department of Defense to conduct a broad and comprehensive search into any remaining claims not resolved under the Act. As many in this body are aware, eighteen suits were filed against the Government of Saudi Arabia in the 1980's following their failure to pay for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of construction projects. To date, one important claim remains unresolved--the case of Gibbs and Hill, an engineering firm hired by the Saudi government to design a power and desalinization plant in the late 1970's. Following the completion of the facilities, the Saudi government refused to pay Gibbs and Hill the $55.1 million owed for their services. Almost twenty years later, the claim is still being pursued by Hill International, Inc., a firm located in my district. Although substantial Congressional support has been organized to pressure the Saudi government to settle this final claim, there has been little action. I am confident, however, that the upcoming report of the Secretary of Defense will help move the process along by identifying the Gibbs and Hill claim, and any other outstanding claims, resulting in a public record of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's failure to pay its debts to American businesses. With the support of the Senate Armed Services Committee for the House directive report language, I am hopeful the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretaries of State and Commerce, will issue this report in a timely matter.

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege for me to recognize and honor Stephen G. Raymond, longtime prosecutor of Burlington County for his many years of devoted public service to the residents of Burlington County. His journey from youngest prosecutor ever appointed in the State of New Jersey to his service as our State's senior prosecutor has brought him a murder clearance rate which is virtually unmatched. On the cutting edge of many victims' rights issues, Burlington County was the first in the State to institute a must-arrest policy in domestic violence cases; to open a child advocacy center, the only one in the State which is nationally accredited; to use closed circuit television in child abuse cases, a practice which has been endorsed by the U.S. Supreme Court; and, to institute annual comprehensive 24-hour mandatory training for all police officers in the county. Through his efforts and leadership, Burlington County received a COPS MORE grant for $2.7 million, one of the largest in the country, awarded due to the unprecedented level of cooperation among all county law enforcement agencies. The strong working relationships his office has achieved with schools, victims' groups, community groups, and governmental agencies are another significant achievement of his tenure as prosecutor. I have enjoyed working with Steve Raymond through the years on many issues of concern to our mutual constituents, and I wish him continued success in the future.

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of talk currently about changing the Tax Code and doing away with the IRS, et cetera. I suspect that in some form or another, eventually we may get to do something significant with regard to that. But in the meantime, there is an issue which cries out for attention and that is the double taxation of savings under our current Tax Code. Americans are dissuaded from saving, a very healthy activity that we all recognize; that is, savings. They are dissuaded because they tax money before it is saved and then we tax the returns on the money that is saved. That is why I recently introduced a bill to expand the individual retirement account provisions to include savings to be exempted for medical care, for education, for first-time home buyers, for unemployment as well as for retirement. These are all worthy goals, and I ask other Members to look seriously at this bill with an eye toward supporting our effort to reform and revise and expand the IRA provisions.

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, the Congress is about to enact one of the most important proposals in several years, legislation to reform the antitaxpayer bias of the IRS. Once this legislation to protect taxpayer rights is passed, the focus will shift once again to questions involving tax policy. As we all know, a national debate on fundamental tax policy issues is expected in coming months. This debate will center on several proposals advanced for sweeping reform of the current income tax system. Many expect actual tax reform to emerge only after an extended period of debate ends with the emergence of a consensus on a tax package. Given the complexity of the issues involved, this process could take a long time, perhaps years. In the interim, the current counterproductive tax system would still undermine economic incentives while tax reform efforts proceed. Some action is needed now to limit the damage resulting from the current tax system. The tax system we know today has many problems, but one of its main defects is its bias against personal savings. Personal savings is taxed once out of income and then the return on savings is taxed once again when we tax interest. This multiple taxation penalizes personal savings, a major source of economic growth, so it is no surprise that America has one of the lowest personal savings rates in the world. This bias can be addressed by increasing the tax deduction for IRA contributions, currently set at $2,000 annually. Earlier this year, I introduced a bill, H.R. 891, to boost IRA deduction limits by $500 per year over several years. When fully phased in, a middle class family could deduct up to $7,000 a year for an annual IRA contribution. I strongly urge that an increase in the IRA deductions be part of any tax relief plan offered in 1998. An increase in IRA deductions would help middle class families save for their future, become more financially independent, and be better able to deal with unexpected events and become less dependent, less dependent on government. It would also give them a greater stake in the United States economic system. It is a tax cut that average Americans would understand and strongly support. An increase in IRA deductions would increase personal savings, a major source of investment and economic growth. This would help firms to supply their workers with the best and most advanced tools, thus increasing productivity and income. If we want personal savings to increase, we should increase IRA deductions for middle class Americans. A tax code that penalizes savings and investment makes no sense. Middle class taxpayers need a means of addressing their responsibilities to save for retirement, for education, for medical expenses, for unemployment, for first-time homeownership and perhaps some other purposes. Federal tax policy should not discriminate against taxpayers willing and able to take on these responsibilities for themselves, but are prevented from doing so by the disruptive, destructive impact of the current tax system.

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the Senate amendments to House Concurrent Resolution 8.

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1787) to assist in the conservation of Asian elephants by supporting and providing financial resources for the conservation programs of nations within the range of Asian elephants and projects of persons with demonstrated expertise in the conservation of Asian elephants, as amended.

Mr. SAXTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. SAXTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SAXTON. Madam Speaker, I introduced H.R. 1787, the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997, along with the gentleman from Hawaii [Mr. Abercrombie] and 17 other Members on June 4, 1997. The fundamental purposes of this legislation are twofold: First, to create an Asian elephant conservation fund; and, second, to authorize the Congress to appropriate up to $5 million per year to this fund to finance various conservation projects for each of the next 5 fiscal years. The legislation is modeled after the highly successful African Elephant Conservation Act of 1988 and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994. The new authorization would be separate from those funds appropriated for African elephants or for rhinos or tigers. Under the terms of H.R. 1787, the Secretary of the Interior would carefully evaluate the merits of each proposed conservation project, select those that best enhance the future of the Asian elephant, and give priority to those projects whose sponsors demonstrate the ability to match some portion of the Federal funds. In addition, the bill stipulates the Secretary may accept donations to assist Asian elephants and shall spend no more than 3 percent of the amount appropriated to administer the fund. Unless immediate steps are taken to conserve this magnificent animal, it will surely continue to disappear from much, if not all, of its traditional habitat. We cannot allow the Asian elephant, which has such a direct impact on so many other species, like the clouded leopard, the rhinos and tigers, to become extinct. The goal of H.R. 1787 is to stop the decline and hopefully rebuild the population stocks of this irreplaceable species by financing, with a small amount of Federal money, a limited number of conservation projects. While not an exact list, it is likely that these projects would include efforts to monitor known populations of Asian elephants, develop improved conservation management plans, and educate the public about the value of this so-called flagship species. Finally, I want to acknowledge the tireless dedication of our former colleague, Andy Ireland. Due to his inspirational leadership, Feld Entertainment has played a major role in helping to move this legislation forward. This company, which has been a leader in Asian elephant conservation and husbandry for decades, is motivated by the goal of ensuring that there are Asian elephants living in the world, and will be for the next century. Obviously, I am going to urge a ``yea'' vote on this, but before I do that, let me pay particular thanks to our staff for helping move this bill forward this morning, and in particular a young lady by the name of Sharon McKenna, who is not able to be here with us today, as she is home taking care of her brand new little baby, Jackson. So we wish Sharon and her husband Mike, and Jackson, all the best, and thank her for the great work that she has done on this bill. Madam Speaker, let me just say that when I introduced this bill with the gentleman from Hawaii, who has joined us in the Chamber, I think we both were deluged with a number of questions as to why in the world a Congressman from Hawaii and a Congressman from New Jersey should devote the time and energy that we have to trying to save an Asian species, the Asian elephant. The answer to that is quite simple, and I think it was brought to bear quite clearly here today by the previous speakers, the gentleman from Alaska [Mr. Young] and the gentlewoman from Idaho [Mrs. Chenoweth], who were talking about the controversies surrounding the issue of global warming and making the point very clearly that this world's forests, not just this Nation's forests, but this world's forests are vital in the fight against global warming. This species, the Asian elephant, has been named a flagship species because it is easy to see. It is easy to see it disappearing. And one can quite readily draw the conclusion that one of the reasons it is disappearing is because of its disappearing habitat, the forests in which it lives. So by concentrating on this magnificent species that men and women and boys and girls all around the world recognize and have grown to love as one of God's creatures that we all recognize, by using it as a flagship species, so-called, we draw attention and educate ourselves as a world people about the importance of not only the Asian elephant but the African elephant as well and rhinos and tigers and the forests in which they reside. And so to the extent that we can set an example here today by passing this bill and working to save the Asian elephant in this case, we will also be successful in doing our part in the effort to combat global warming. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SAXTON. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. SAXTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SAXTON. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 8) recognizing the significance of maintaining the health and stability of coral reef ecosystems.