Bobby Scott

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, when we talk about the budget, it's helpful to know where we are and how we got here. This chart shows the budget deficit over the years and shows that when President Clinton came in, we reversed the trend of deficit and actually went into surplus and were going to stay into surplus until the Republican leadership had a President who would actually sign their bills. We immediately went in the ditch and have bounced around in the ditch ever since then. We had, when this administration came in, a projected surplus of $5.5 trillion, more than enough to pay Social Security for 75 years without reducing benefits. Unfortunately, those 8 years will come in at about a $3 trillion deficit, a reversal of over $8.5 trillion deterioration. And although they overspent the budget that much, they didn't create any jobs. This is the job growth since the Great Depression. These last 8 years have produced the worst job growth since the Great Depression. And so we have a budget that will reverse this. We have a budget that is fiscally responsible, it balances in 2012, remains in balance using realistic CBO estimates. It posts smaller deficits over the 5 years than the Republican alternative. It continues emphasis on fiscal responsibility by maintaining pay-as-you-go that served us so well during the 1990s. It also addresses our priorities, increases veterans' funding, energy funding, particularly renewable energy and energy efficiency, and assistance to low-income families. It invests in education and social services. It rejects the administration's cuts in environmental protection. It funds first responders, community development, and other high-priority services. It fully funds the defense budget.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise with great pride to call attention to a group of young women who have distinguished themselves, their school, their community, and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Heritage High School Girls Varsity basketball team beat Forest Park High School of Woodbridge, VA 50-29 to win the VHSL Group AAA girls state basketball championship game on March 14, 2008. The Lady Canes (30-2) became only the 10th Group AAA team in Virginia state history with 30 wins. This is a remarkable feat and I believe they deserve formal recognition for their accomplishment. I would like to extend my enthusiastic congratulations to the Heritage High School players and their families, Coach Gardner and the rest of his coaching staff, Heritage High alumni, and the entire Heritage High community for their remarkable accomplishment and wish them a wonderful celebration this Thursday night.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, May 30th, 2002 Attorney General John Ashcroft changed the guidelines established by Attorney General Edward Levi in 1976 to curb abuses by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), following revelations of an FBI ``enemies list'' in the wake of the Watergate scandal. The Levi Guidelines were adopted after the Church Committee found that the FBI had developed over 500,000 domestic intelligence files on Americans and domestic groups and had clearly targeted investigations to disrupt the efforts of dissenters. This famed Committee detailed the disturbing extent to which the FBI had spied on Americans such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., former Navy officer Father Roy Bourgeois, and Holocaust survivor and grandmother Edith Bell, all of whom were peaceful protestors and advocates for their beliefs. While the Levi guidelines ensured there was a justifiable criminal investigation and supervision of such investigations, the Ashcroft Guidelines have enabled the FBI to investigate groups and individuals whether or not there was evidence of criminal activity. The Levi Guidelines required that limited FBI investigations be instigated by facts or circumstances that reasonably indicate a federal crime has been, is being or will be committed. Under the Ashcroft Guidelines, we have even seen college students endure taxpayer funded FBI interrogations and investigations for simply placing irreverent posters up in their college communities. In one case, the FBI resorted to grilling a North Carolina college student about ``un-American materials'' in her apartment, such as a poster of George W. Bush holding a noose. It read, ``We hang on your every word.'' While some may argue this is not in good taste, it is far from a potential act of terrorism. The Ashcroft Guidelines have allowed the FBI to attend and begin to track those present in every public meeting, at every demonstration and visiting all internet chat rooms. Americans need to be able to meet and debate without fear that their associations and dissent will end up in an FBI database at every turn. By severing the tie between evidence of crime and initial FBI surveillance, the Ashcroft Guidelines fundamentally alter the role of the FBI in our society and ignore the very basis for adoption of the original Levi Guidelines. My Resolution is simple. It calls on Congress to reinstate the Levi guidelines which provide better protections for ordinary Americans from unwarranted, domestic FBI spying, on this, the 6-year anniversary of the eradication of such critical guidelines. This will end domestic spying such as that documented by the Church Committee report, where there is no evidence of criminal activity, while ensuring that the FBI can investigate anyone as long as there is a rational basis for doing so. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution urging that the Ashcroft Guidelines be replaced with a return to the Levi Guidelines.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

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

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee), the author of the resolution. (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, August 27 will mark the 100th anniversary of the birthday of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th President of the United States. President Johnson served his home State of Texas and this Nation during some of the most tumultuous and extraordinary years of our history. From the Great Depression, to the New Deal, to World War II, to the Civil Rights Era, President Lyndon Johnson shaped the events and left this Nation more prosperous, more just, and more free. Joining the House in 1937, his life embodied the values of the New Deal, progressive values that sought to secure for all Americans President Franklin Roosevelt's Four Freedoms: Freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom of want, and freedom from fear. In his own Presidency, the programs of the Great Society were the most ambitious of any administration before or since the New Deal. In his 1964 State of the Union Address, President Johnson launched an unconditional war on poverty. As a former teacher, he understood the central importance of education. And so he said, ``It is our primary weapon in the war on poverty, and the principal tool for building a Great Society.'' Among his key accomplishments in the field of education were Project Head Start, still one of the most successful education programs; the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; and the Higher Education Act of 1965. As a son of Texas' Hill Country, he also understood the importance of economic security. He told the Nation, ``The second prong on the attack on poverty is to protect individuals and their families from poverty when their own earnings are insufficient because of age, disability, unemployment, or other family circumstances.'' The programs he launched included the Social Security Amendments of 1965 and 1967; the Revenue Act of 1964, which lowered the withholding tax on middle-income workers from 18 percent to 14 percent; the Minimum Wage Bill of 1966, which broadened the Federal minimum wage and overtime pay protection and lifted the minimum wage from $1.25 to $1.60 per hour; the School Breakfast Program; the Special Milk Program; and the Food Stamp Program of 1964, which this House recently voted to expand by a bipartisan veto-proof margin. The third weapon in the War on Poverty was job creation. President Johnson once said, ``Our American answer to poverty is not to make the poor more secure in their poverty but to reach down and to help them lift themselves out of the ruts of poverty and move with the large majority along the high road of hope and prosperity.'' The programs included the Job Corps; the College Work Study Program; the Neighborhood Youth Corps; the Work Experience Program; and the Manpower Act. Some of the greatest accomplishments were, of course, the Civil Rights Era. More than any other President, he was a guiding force behind the enactment of civil rights legislation that changed our Nation forever. Following bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, President Johnson addressed a joint session of Congress to urge the passage of the Voting Rights Act. He told the Nation then that, ``What happens in Selma is part of a far larger movement which reaches into every section and State of America. It is the effort of American Negroes to secure for themselves the full blessings of American life. Their cause must be our cause, too. Because it's not just Negroes, but really it's all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice.'' He closed with the rallying refrain of the civil rights movement by saying, ``And we shall overcome.'' Among his historic accomplishments were the Civil Rights Act of 1957, where, as leader of the Senate, he ushered through the first civil rights bill since Reconstruction; the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which this Congress recently extended for another 25 years; and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. These landmark measures guaranteed the right to vote for millions of Americans who had been disenfranchised for generations, and outlawed discrimination in public accommodations and in housing, and outlawed discrimination in employment. President Johnson also made history when, in 1967, he appointed his Solicitor General, Thurgood Marshall, who, as the NAACP legal director from 1939 to 1961 had already argued many cases before the Supreme Court, including Brown v. Topeka Board of Education, to be the first African American Supreme Court Justice. Mr. Speaker, the life and accomplishments of President Johnson should inspire all of us to rededicate ourselves to the mission to which he devoted so much of his energies, to free all Americans from want, from fear, and from discrimination. This resolution is a fitting recognition of his accomplishments and his lasting inspiration. I want to thank the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) for bringing this to the floor today, and I urge my colleagues to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 354) recognizing the 100th birthday of Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President, designer of the Great Society, politician, educator, and civil rights enforcer.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 2829) to make technical corrections to section 1244 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, which provides special immigrant status for certain Iraqis, and for other purposes.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, again, we have seen ongoing news reports that those who have chosen to help us in our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan are risking their lives for our Nation's interests, and it is appropriate that we give them assistance. This bill is exactly what we thought we had done earlier in the year. This is a technical correction. It's not a change in policy. It is what we thought we were doing. In fact, I'm surprised we have opposition because we didn't think it was controversial. The Senate bill, just to read the original cosponsors, the Senate bill was introduced by Senators Kennedy and Lugar with bipartisan cosponsorship of Senators Leahy, Cornyn, Biden, McCain, Levin, Specter, Obama, Hagel, Durbin, Sununu, Cardin, Smith, Coleman, and Bond. An identical bill was introduced in the House by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren) with original cosponsorship of Mr. Fortenberry, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Sensenbrenner, Mr. Skelton, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Berman, Ms. Ros- Lehtinen, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Perlmutter, Mr. Pence, and Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas. Obviously those broad bipartisan cosponsors suggest that this is something that should not be controversial, especially when you consider it also has the strong support of the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the Department of Homeland Security. I would hope, Mr. Speaker, that we adopt the bill and do what we thought we were doing in January to protect our friends who have protected us. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from Texas, Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee. (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we owe a duty to protect foreign nationals who provide valuable service to our soldiers, diplomats, and other government officials overseas. Often these individuals risk their lives and those of their families to assist and protect our endeavors and our people. It's only right that we give them the assistance and protection that they need. When we pulled out of Vietnam, Vietnamese citizens who worked for our government, as well as their families, were at great risk of being killed if they remained in Vietnam. To protect them, we gave them the opportunity to resettle in the United States. That was the right thing to do then and it is the right thing to do now for those who help us in Iraq. This bill addresses two problems that currently interfere with our ability to protect those who deserve our protection. The first is a drafting error in the new Special Immigrant Visa Program that we enacted in January for Iraqis whose lives were at risk because of their valuable service to our government. The visas under this program were supposed to be available beginning this fiscal year, but the drafting error has rendered these visas unavailable until the next fiscal year. In the interim, we can't help those who need our help. Many of those could die because of this drafting error. This bill would correct the drafting error to ensure that these visas can be immediately accessed. S. 2829 also serves to assist several hundred Iraqi and Afghan translators who, because of the error, continue to apply for visas under the older program. Although many of their applications have been processed and approved, they can can't come to the United States because of a cap at 500 visas in the program that has already been reached. Despite having the support of the Department of Defense, the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security, these translators are without recourse and remain in danger. This bill addresses the problem by creating a 4-month transitional period under which the administration can allow persons with approved petitions in the old program to use one of the 5,000 visas in the new program. We have all seen in the news that those who have chosen to help us in our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan are truly risking their lives for our Nation's interests. They are targeted by insurgents for having helped us, their families are targeted, and this bill helps us protect them. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished author of this bill, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kagen).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6074) to amend the Sherman Act to make oil- producing and exporting cartels illegal and for other purposes.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself very briefly such time as I may consume just to reference a report. A comment was made about committee hearings. The report that I am referencing references the committee hearings and committee considerations and committee votes on the bill in the last year. It's essentially the same bill. The report is report number 110-160. It's an 11-page report that outlines what we did in terms of committee consideration. I would yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3480) to direct the United States Sentencing Commission to assure appropriate enhancements of those involved in receiving stolen property where that property consists of grave markers of veterans, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I hope that the House will pass the legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), a member of the Judiciary Committee. (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Memorial Day is a solemn time when we, as a Nation, commemorate the ultimate sacrifice that our brave men and women in uniform have made for us. Sadly, there are those who, despicable as it may be, desecrate the grave sites of these heroes. In cemeteries across our Nation, thieves have even looted the metal parts of grave markers and sold them for scrap metal. Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3480, the Let Our Veterans Rest in Peace Act, which will protect and honor the final resting places of our Nation's veterans. This bill will ensure that penalties are in place so that these despicable thieves are appropriately punished and would-be thieves are effectively deterred. Specifically, the bill directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review its guidelines in order to provide a fitting sentence for all offenses involving the desecration of, theft of, or trafficking in a grave marker, monument, headstone, or other object that had permanently marked a veteran's grave site. I commend our colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Carney), for his leadership in this unfortunately necessary measure. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, particularly as we prepare for the solemn observance of Memorial Day. These veterans have sacrificed greatly for us, and they deserve no less than the highest honor and dignity for their final resting places. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

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

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Today we take urgent action to prevent a critically important immigration program from expiring. No one disputes that there is a health care crisis in this country. With our population aging, there can be no doubt that the demand for health care will only increase. The problem is made worse by the fact that many people in communities across America lack access to health care because of a shortage of medical professionals, including doctors. H.R. 5571 will reauthorize the program, the Conrad 30 J Waiver program, that has been successful in helping medically underserved communities attract highly skilled physicians. If Congress does not act, the Conrad program will expire on June 1, 2008. And how important is this program? Well, to take just one example, a little more than a year ago, in early May 2007, a powerful tornado tore through a Kansas prairie, destroying 95 percent of the town of Greensburg and killing 11 people. Because of the Conrad 30 program, doctors were available in Greensburg to serve this community in need. The Conrad 30 program allows States, like Kansas, to recommend that doctors who have received medical training in the United States on a J- 1 visa and who now want to work in medically underserved areas receive waivers from the general requirement that doctors first return to their home countries for 2 years. This is too important a program to let expire. I want to commend the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren), the Chair of the Immigration Subcommittee, for her leadership on this issue. I also want to thank the ranking member of the full committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith); and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) for their efforts to make sure that this bill came to the floor. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5571) to extend for 5 years the program relating to waiver of the foreign country residence requirement with respect to international medical graduates, as amended.