Bobby Scott

Mr. SCOTT

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Chairman, there are a number of reasons that have not been pointed out why this bill is a bad bill, the reasons of why we have a fresh start, a tradition that if someone is inundated by debts so that they can cash in all they have and get a fresh start. Some people incur debts through no fault of their own, a business reversal, illness, loss of a job. There is no balance in this bill. We have heard if you can pay a substantial portion of your bills, you ought to pay those. There is nothing in this bill that limits it to a substantial portion. If you can pay $167 a month out of whatever your bills are, millions of dollars, you have got to pay that $167 for the next 5 years. This will lead to frustration and desperation suffered by many Americans. If our goal were to increase the number of people that go berserk and shoot their colleagues, this is the kind of frustration and desperation that would lead to that kind of result. I would hope that we would keep our traditional bankruptcy laws so that those who are totally inundated with debts and can never get out can get a fresh start.

Mr. SCOTT

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great pride to call attention to a group of young students from Newport News, Virginia who have distinguished themselves, their school, their community and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Heritage High School Hurricanes football team had a remarkable season and I believe the Hurricanes deserve formal recognition for their accomplishments. On December 2, 2000, the Heritage High School Hurricanes won its first state Group AAA Division 5 Football Final at the University of Richmond Stadium. The Heritage Hurricanes completed the 2000 season with a truly impressive record, 14-0. It was the only unbeaten team in the AAA. Established in 1996, Heritage High School is a magnet school specializing in engineering and technology. Heritage High School was named in honor of five former high schools located in Newport News. Students must meet rigorous academic requirements, take responsibility for academic progress, behavior and attendance, and they are expected to participate in school and community activities. This drive for excellence has now been extended into the field of athletics. To quote from our hometown newspaper, the Daily Press, [s]ome high school defenses have big kids. Some have fast kids. Some have smart kids. Once in a blue moon a Heritage comes along. A team with kids who are big, fast and smart. Their remarkable 2000 season carries on the tradition of championship football in Newport News, started by Newport News High School in 1931, and continued by Carver High School in 1961 and our last state champion--the 1966 Huntington High Vikings. I want to extend my enthusiastic congratulations for a job well done to the Heritage High School Hurricanes--the Group AAA Division 5 2000 Virginia High School League State Football Champions.

Mr. SCOTT

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the bipartisan ``Teacher Tax Credit Act'' which gives a $1,000 tax credit to eligible public school teachers to defray qualified costs for classroom expenses, professional development expenses, and interest paid on certain education loans. A similar bill, S. 225, has been introduced in the Senate by my Virginia colleague Senator John Warner. I think that most people would agree that America's teachers did not enter the profession because they thought that the pay would be good. They teach for far more altruistic reasons: to educate our children and make a lasting difference in their lives. I'm sure that every one of us can remember at least one teacher who changed our lives for the better. Despite the important role that teachers play in our children's lives, elementary and secondary school teachers remain underpaid, overworked, and all too often under-appreciated. Many teachers spend significant amounts of their own money on expenses that improve our children's education, both directly and indirectly. Teachers often spend their own money to buy learning materials for their classrooms such as books, supplies, pens, paper, and even computer equipment. They also have professional development expenses that indirectly benefit our children by insuring that they will be taught by qualified, competent people who know the latest teaching techniques. All of these expenses benefit students in the classroom either through better classroom materials or through better teachers, and that which benefits America's students benefits all of us. Why do our teachers have to spend their own money on things that benefit all of us? Simply put, because current school budgets are not adequate to meet the costs of educating our children. Our teachers have stepped in to fill the gap with their own money. Current tax law provides that teachers can deduct some of these expenses. There are several impediments to using this deduction, however, that result in few teachers actually realizing any benefit: teachers must itemize their returns, classroom and professional development deductions have to exceed 2 percent of their incomes, and student loan interest is deductible only for the first 60 months after graduation and is subject to an income phase-out. In order to better help teachers defray these costs, I am introducing this bill with my good friend and Virginia colleague, Senator John Warner, who is the primary sponsor for this legislation in the Senate. Our bill would ensure that qualifying teachers would not have to itemize their deductions or exceed the 2 percent floor to receive the credit. Teachers would not be phased out of the student loan interest benefit based on income level, and there would be no 60 month limitation. We all agree that our education system must leave no child behind. As we try to achieve this goal through strengthening and reforming our educational system, we must keep in mind their most important component--the teachers.

Mr. SCOTT

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, and under my reservation I would yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum) to explain the purpose of his motion.

Mr. SCOTT

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I ask for this time just to thank the Speaker for the distinguished manner in which he has presided today and on previous days. Much has been made about the acrimony of the House of Representatives, and I can say that if more Members behaved as the Speaker has in the honorable and distinguished way that he has conducted his legislative affairs, very little would have been heard about acrimony. So I want to join the gentleman from California in thanking the Speaker for his fine service.

Mr. SCOTT

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum) for an explanation of the bill.

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. SCOTT

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, under my reservation, I would want to express my appreciation as I did the last time we were here with what we thought was the last piece of legislation that we would be considering. The gentleman and I have worked together on the Subcommittee on Crime. I have enjoyed that work. We worked in a bipartisan way. Even when we did not agree, we were able to constructively work and try to come to as much consensus as we could. I wish the gentleman from Florida well in the future. Again, I want to express my appreciation for the way we were able to work together.

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I yield to the gentleman to explain the bill and his proposed amendment.

Mr. SCOTT

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, based on the explanation of the bill and the amendment, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I yield to the gentleman to explain the purpose of the bill and his proposed amendment.

Mr. SCOTT

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his explanation. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I yield to the gentleman for an explanation of the bill.

Mr. SCOTT

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me, and I rise today to honor our departed friend and colleague and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brother, Julian Dixon. Not only was Julian Dixon respected for standing up for the rights of all people, he was also known and respected for the soft spoken and thoughtful manner with which he accomplished those goals. Julian Dixon worked tirelessly for the cause of civil rights. His position on the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary of the Committee on Appropriations enabled him to maintain the Nation's commitment to civil rights by his advocacy for agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. During the 104th Congress, he worked to pass bipartisan legislation to establish a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in our Nation's capital. Once the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Julian Dixon was active in the fight in the mid-1980s to impose economic sanctions on racially segregated South Africa. Perhaps more important than his dedication to social justice, Julian Dixon was highly regarded for the way in which he worked for his goal. He did not seek the limelight or engage in demagoguery. Instead, he worked behind the scenes building bridges between Members. As an agent for social justice, Julian Dixon himself embodied the principle of judiciousness. As the leading member of two committees requiring a sensitive and judicious approach, the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Julian Dixon served with distinction. On the Subcommittee on the District of Columbia of the Committee on Appropriations, where he served as chairman, Julian Dixon consistently advocated for fairness for Washington, D.C., refusing to let partisanship interfere. But judiciousness is not only characterized by evenhandedness, it is also characterized by a reasoned approach to problem solving. Julian Dixon regularly did what was extremely difficult in a political environment. He disregarded the emotional appeal and made decisions based on a reasoned approach. In fact, Julian Dixon possessed a level of intellectual integrity that is rarely found in politics today. Julian Dixon has shown us that it is not just what one does that matters, but also it matters how one does it. He was a champion for justice and a gentleman who taught us cooperation, reason, judiciousness in doing what is right and necessary. As we honor his life today, I hope we can best honor him not just through our words but also through our actions. Thank you, Julian Dixon, for showing us the way.

Mr. SCOTT

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I would first point out that as the gentleman from Florida mentioned, this bill addresses important concerns and therefore ought to be passed. Let me congratulate the gentleman from Florida for his tireless efforts over the past few years as chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime and for his ability to work constructively even with those who disagreed with him on the particular bills, constructively on working towards fashioning legislation that would help the Nation. He has led the effort in addressing the Congress' efforts on the issue of crime. He has done it in a constructive way. We have been able to work together even when we disagreed. For that, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for his service and wish him well. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. SCOTT

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, this is the bill we passed, and the Senate amendment improved the bill.

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I yield to the gentleman from Florida to explain the purpose of his request.

Mr. SCOTT

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, was the request just to have the bill considered?

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum) to explain the purpose of his motion.

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop), who has worked extremely hard on this particular legislation.

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time and under my reservation, I just want to thank the Commonwealth of Virginia for its excellent crime labs under the leadership of Paul Ferrara. Virginia has done an excellent job in forensic technology. Mr. Speaker, based on the comments made by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop), I withdraw my reservation of objection.