Pete Sessions

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Austin for his indulgence in acceptance of this resolution on behalf all of the people of the United States. As a lifelong Texan, I take great pride today to honor a brave young Texan who represents the very best of honor and dignity for Texas and America. Mr. Speaker, we take special pride today in this resolution recognizing the place that Lance Armstrong has earned among the truly inspirational athletes of this century. His tremendous achievement in winning the Tour de France of 1999 would stand as the greatest accomplishment of many athletes' lives. This race, which occurs over a 2-week period through some of the hilliest terrain in Europe, requires exceptional fitness on the part of each and every competitor. It is a feat of endurance that is rarely matched in any field of athletic competition. Few Americans have ever won this event, and as was noted today, Lance Armstrong was only the second, and none have overcome the obstacles that Lance Armstrong did as he prepared for this monumental achievement. Just 3 years ago, Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer. This disease is one of the most common forms of cancers among men between the ages of 15 and 35. When he was diagnosed, doctors gave him less than a 50 percent chance of surviving. He faced a future of surgery, followed by radiation and chemotherapy and his training for bicycle racing took a back seat to overcoming the immediate threat to his life. Lance Armstrong has done far more than just survive. He has successfully completed his own treatment; and then, as he resumed his training for competition, he established the Lance Armstrong foundation to promote, through awareness, education and research, the fight against testicular cancer. In organizing this valuable community service, he has initiated the measures that will help many other young men receive information and to early dying knows that which is effective, early treatment. Mr. Speaker, this resolution expresses for the entire United States of America our House's acclaim for Lance Armstrong as an athlete and dedicated contributor to his community and as an outstanding American citizen. We applaud his accomplishments and wish him continued success in every aspect of his activity. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House agree to the adoption of H. Res. 264.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 257 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. McIntosh).

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SESSIONS. If the gentleman will continue to yield, it is my understanding that there will not be any legislative business on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, to respond to the gentleman, and I am going to read what I have been given, it is my understanding the House will be in pro forma session and that no votes will be held, in accommodation of Republican and Democrat Members who wish to attend services for our colleague, George Brown.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would like to echo the comments that were made by the gentleman from Wisconsin and give a quote so that we know where the figure came from. Professor Thomas D. Hopkins, Interim Dean, College of Business at the Rochester Institute of Technology is the gentleman that estimated the total regulatory cost in the United States will be over $700 billion a year. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this fair rule so that the House may continue this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. SESSIONS. I thank the gentleman for his concern and feel like we have responded appropriately.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), who is the vice chairman on the Committee on Government Reform.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining on both sides?

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan).

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to be removed from cosponsorship of H.R. 798.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Monday next for morning hour debates.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday next.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 798.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 258 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, for the purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During the consideration of this amendment, all time is yielded for the purpose of debate only. Mr. Speaker, the legislation before us is a modified open rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 1074, the Regulatory Right-To- Know Act of 1999. This open rule provides for 1 hour of general debate, equally divided between the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Government Reform. The rule provides that it shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purposes of amendment under the 5-minute rule the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Government Reform now printed in the bill. The bill provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be open for amendment at any point. The rule provides for the consideration of only those amendments preprinted in the Congressional Record, which may be offered only by the Member who caused it to be printed or that designee, and pro forma amendments offered for the purpose of debate only. The rule allows the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole to postpone votes during consideration of the bill and to reduce voting time to 5 minutes on a postponed question if the vote follows a 15- minute vote. Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. Mr. Speaker, the underlying legislation, the Regulatory Right-to-Know Act is important legislation. The purpose of this legislation is to increase public awareness about the costs and benefits of Federal regulations to increase accountability of the government and to improve the Federal program and rules. The bill achieves these goals by requiring the Office of Management and Budget to prepare an annual accounting statement containing cost and benefit estimates of Federal regulatory programs. Furthermore, this report would require an analysis of the cumulative impact of regulations on various sectors and functional areas, including the private sector. The Regulatory Right-To-Know Act is yet another significant step towards making this government more efficient and more accountable. A more efficient and accountable government provides us with a Nation with more freedom, liberty, and integrity. Mr. Speaker, since 1995, Congress has changed the direction of the Federal Government from the endless burden of more taxes and spending to the new fiscal discipline of balance and responsibility and accountability. Congress has passed legislation to prevent unfunded mandates from being passed from the Federal Government to State and local governments. This legislation is now law. Congress has passed the Small Business Paperwork Reduction Act as another incremental step toward relieving governmental burdens on small businesses and their employees. The Regulatory Right-To-Know Act builds on these successes and provides a straight cost benefit analysis of Federal regulations. Finally, a full and accurate accounting of regulations and their impact on the economy will now be readily available. The United States has become the global leader in technological development which, in turn, has created efficiencies in our economy and made life better for all of us. But the Federal Government remains the largest impediment to continued growth and development. Federal regulatory programs impose tremendous cost and restrictions on innovation in the private sector and on State and local governments. That is why this legislation is so important. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to continue the bipartisan manner in which this legislation was crafted and support this rule. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague on the Committee on Rules for yielding me this time and allowing me a few minutes to respond back to our colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I sit on the Committee on Rules and on a regular basis have an opportunity to hear the minority talk time, after time, after time about all the things that Republicans are doing to ruin our country; like welfare reform, and a balanced budget for the first time in 30 years, tax cuts for the first time in 16 years, our pledge to take 100 percent of Social Security dollars and the interest to Social Security. Over, and over, and over, and over Republican ideas are simply beaten up by the minority party. What they want to do is argue every single time that government should be better off than the middle class of this country. They want to argue that government should be the first one with their hand out and paid first. We happen to believe that the people who produce the income, the people who get up and go to work every single day, the people who are taking care of their families, the people who are taking care of their parents and their children, these are the people who deserve to get the money back. The previous speaker was talking about what it would mean, all these things the Republicans would take away. The fact of the matter is that in the State of New Jersey, over the next 10 years, the average person from New Jersey will get back $3,747. That is money that will go to people, the average person in New Jersey, so they will be able to take care of themselves, they will be able to take care of their family. It is their money and they earned it. The bottom line is that day, after day, after day we hear the same worn-out statements of what Republicans are doing to ruin this country. Let me tell my colleagues, it is all about freedom, it is all about economic prosperity, and it is all about more take-home pay. I believe that the American public understands the difference. I believe the American public will understand that when they get back this average, just like in New Jersey, $3,747 over the next 10 years, that they will recognize that it is something that they earned, that they will put it in their pocket and that it will help them take care of their own families. The difference between begging and freedom is what we are talking about here today.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tucson, Arizona (Mr. Kolbe).

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Lexington, Kentucky (Mr. Fletcher).

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 246 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Moakley), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, during consideration of this amendment, all time is yielded for the purpose of debate only. Mr. Speaker, the legislation before us is an open rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 2490, making appropriations for the Treasury Department, the United States Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President and certain independent agencies for fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, and for other purposes. This open rule provides for 1 hour of general debate equally divided between the chairman and the ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the bill. It waives House rules prohibiting consideration of unauthorized or legislative provisions in an appropriations bill. The rule accords priority in recognition to Members who have their amendments preprinted in the Congressional Record. The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may postpone votes and reduce the voting time on a postponed vote to 5 minutes so long as it follows a regular 15-minute vote. Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. H.Res. 246 presents this appropriations bill for House consideration under the normal processes by which appropriations bills may come to the floor. It is an open rule that permits Members to offer any amendments they wish, provided they are germane. Mr. Speaker, the underlying legislation makes the appropriations for the Treasury Department, the United States Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President, and certain other independent agencies. This is very important legislation. Nearly 90 percent of the activities funded under this bill are devoted to the salaries and expenses of approximately 163,000 employees who are responsible for administering programs such as drug interdiction, collection of revenues, presidential protection, violent crimes reduction, and Federal financial management. Through a judicious bipartisan process of hearings and testimony, the Committee on Appropriations arrived at the funding levels contained in the legislation. The funding levels are consistent with this Congress' policy of fiscal discipline, yet provide sufficient funding for agencies within the bill's jurisdiction to carry out their statutory responsibility. Specifically, this legislation allows increased funding to provide for more diligent enforcement of gun control laws, making it more difficult for convicted felons to obtain weapons. This legislation also appropriates funds necessary to carry out IRS reforms that were passed by the last Congress and stand to benefit all taxpayers across America. The road to the House floor for this legislation has been very bipartisan indeed. In fact, it passed the Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government with a unanimous vote under the stewardship of the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), ranking member. In his testimony before the Committee on Rules yesterday, the gentleman from Maryland was excessively gracious in his praise for the gentleman from Arizona (Chairman Kolbe) and the bipartisan manner in which this legislation was crafted. The rule, like the underlying legislation, deserves strong bipartisan support. Again, it is an open rule that permits any Member with germane amendments to have them considered by the floor. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to continue this bipartisan effort in this legislation and to make sure that we support this fair rule. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In furtherance of this discussion, as has been discussed by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), I would like to also say to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul) and to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Tiahrt) that I would like to thank them for bringing this issue up. The gentleman from Indiana (Chairman Burton) and the gentleman from Arizona (Chairman Kolbe) have also been a part of working with the Postmaster General, General Henderson, on reasonable changes as a result of the marketplace. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, this amendment strikes section 664, which doubles the President of the United States' salary from $200,000 to $400,000 effective January 20 at noon in the year 2001. I believe that doubling the President's salary in an era when we are expected to make tough, responsible decisions to save the American people's money, to save Social Security, and to ensure a smaller, smarter, common sense budget, means that we did not attempt to invoke reason or balance in this process. Our amendment is sponsored by the National Taxpayers Union, Citizens Against Government Waste, and Americans for Tax Reform. I am joined in this effort by the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Sanford). Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Sanford).