Pete Sessions

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3999) to designate the United States Postal Service building located at 5209 Greene Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the ``David P. Richardson, Jr., Post Office Building''.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3167, the bill just passed.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3810, the bill just passed.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2623) to designate the United States Post Office located at 16250 Highway 603 in Kiln, Mississippi, as the ``Ray J. Favre Post Office Building''.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Once again we have heard from the gentleman from Mississippi about people who have served our country not only as good husbands and fathers but also as postal employees, and I too give thanks for Mr. Favre, for his 36 years of service to the people of Mississippi and the people of the United States. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2623 was introduced on October 7, 1997, by our distinguished colleague from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor). The legislation enjoys the cosponsorship of the entire House delegation from the State of his Mississippi pursuant to the policy of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. H.R. 2623 designates the building of the United States Postal Service located at 16250 Highway 603 in Kiln, Mississippi as the ``Ray J. Favre Post Office.'' Mr. Favre was appointed postmaster of Kiln in 1940 and served in that position until his retirement in 1976. He was known for his prompt, courteous, and efficient service to all who use the postal facility. On many occasions, he went beyond the call of duty to provide aid and assistance, particularly to the people who were indigent. The Hancock County Board of Supervisors honored Mr. Favre on his retirement by proclaiming August 29, 1976, as ``Ray Favre Day'' in Hancock County. The Veterans of Foreign Wars also held ceremonies at their post honoring him upon his retirement. He was a member of several civic associations in Kiln until his death in April of 1996. The Hancock County Board of Supervisors unanimously requested that the Kiln Post Office be named in Mr. Favre's honor. Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to support this legislation and to honor Mr. Favre as a dedicated postal employee for his consistent work during his daily employment and for his exemplary work in the community. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3810) to designate the United States Post Office located at 202 Center Street in Garwood, New Jersey, as the ``James T. Leonard, Sr. Post Office''.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in its resolution number 98191, dated April 14, 1998, the mayor and the council of the Borough of Garwood, Union County, New Jersey formally requested that the Garwood Post Office be named in honor of Mr. James T. Leonard. I also urge all Members to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3810 was introduced by my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Franks). The legislation was introduced on May 7, 1998, and is cosponsored by the entire House delegation from the State of New Jersey pursuant to the policy of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. H.R. 3810 designates the building of the United States Postal Service located at 202 Center Street in Garwood, New Jersey as the James T. Leonard, Sr. Post Office Building. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Franks).

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I did not know that Mr. Edgar C. Campbell, Sr., was a mentor of the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), but I must state that he must have been a gentleman who taught well, because he has always not only been a gentleman but fought vigorously for all those things he believes in. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for us to name this post office in his honor, and it is great that the gentleman has brought this forth, and we appreciate that. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3999.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I want to share with my colleagues the positive impact that can be made by people who care. In East Dallas, there's a small neighborhood that makes a great impact in the lives of many. The Las Casas Neighborhood Association, which is headed by the indomitable Mary Malone, has grown exponentially since its inception, and it has made that part of East Dallas safer and better for everyone in that community and in surrounding areas. Early in its tenure, the Las Casas Neighborhood Association consisted of a few interested neighbors meeting occasionally to discuss problems in their community. Thanks to Mary Malone, the group has begun to meet more regularly, and its annual meeting draws as many as 300 people. At one time, this simple, neighborhood meeting drew more than 500 people. Each year, Mary Malone's Las Casas Neighborhood Association annual meeting is the gathering of those interested in making a difference. From fighting crime to improving traffic safety, the Las Casas Neighborhood Association meeting joins residents of East Dallas, elected representatives, and public officials to discuss the status of efforts to improve the neighborhood and the lives of the families that live there. I know that the Mayor of Dallas, Ron Kirk, will be in attendance, as will members of the Dallas police force. Mr. Speaker, I have the honor of acting as the Master of Ceremonies at this year's Las Casas Neighborhood Association annual meeting. Since 1993, I have been deeply involved with the Association and the Dallas Police Department in the fight against crime and drug activity in the neighborhood. And it's my honor to join Mary Malone, the President of the Association, because she has sacrificed to help so many others. Mary Malone has been honored with a proclamation by the State of Texas. She has been honored by the Dallas Police Department, and I had the pleasure of attending an event in her honor at the East Dallas Rotary. There is not enough room in the Congressional Record to name the things she has done for the Las Casas Neighborhood or the awards she has received to honor her work. But I want my colleagues to know that, when friends, neighbors, and families join in an effort to improve their lives, we can make a difference. And there is no better example of this than the Las Casas Neighborhood Association and Mary Malone.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk, but rather than introducing it, I rise to engage the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe) in a colloquy. I would like to discuss with the gentleman from Arizona, the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service and General Government, provisions, issues, that are contained in his fiscal 1999 appropriations measure. In title 3 of the bill, there is funding for high-intensity drug trafficking areas. As the gentleman knows, the illegal drug trade has been a problem in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for quite some time. However, in the last 13 months, it has gotten progressively worse. Since 1997, 13 young people have died from heroin overdoses in Plano, which is an affluent subdivision of Dallas. From January to June 1997, Parkland Hospital in Dallas has had 311 cocaine overdoses, 44 heroin overdoses and 19 methamphetamine overdoses. I reiterate, this is just in one hospital in Dallas. Recently, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Dallas and the Drug Enforcement Administration announced the seizure of $11.7 million in heroin at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. It is clear that the DFW area has become a major trafficking point for international narcotics trafficking. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a region's designation as a HIDTA is the result of massive collection and analysis of various kinds of drug and law enforcement information. This information should demonstrate that increased resources can be brought to bear in a specific area and would result in progress being made in that area. In our discussions with the Office of Drug Policy Director, Barry McCaffrey, General McCaffrey, has indicated that he believes that resources should be brought to bear in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This $5 million that we believe is necessary is something that we would like to ask to be designated as a result of these discussions and would ask that General McCaffrey designate this area as a HIDTA. My good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Texas, (Mr. Sam Johnson) and I wanted to engage in some discussions about this.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the distinguished gentleman from Arizona, and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson) and I both have worked very carefully with the chairman of the subcommittee, not only to enunciate what the problem has been in Dallas and Fort Worth, but also to receive his advice along the way in how to get this done. I have great respect and I want to thank the gentleman very much. I will tell the gentleman that the citizens of Dallas and Fort Worth, the police departments that will utilize this and the U.S. Attorney, we will spend the money very wisely. We have a great respect for the taxpayers who have provided this money, and we intend for our resources to be used very carefully. I thank the gentleman.

Mr. SESSIONS. I yield to the gentleman from Arizona.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall no. 243, I was inadvertently detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, today I have been joined by my preacher, the Reverend Kathleen Baskin from Greenland Hills United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, and it is especially important for me to be here today with my preacher because, Mr. Speaker, every week when I go home, I am met by those people who are members of the church, who embrace me and my family and offer the very best to me as one of the Members of Congress, and so it is wonderful that she today is a part of that which we get to do to open the House of Representatives today. Mr. Speaker, I give thanks not only for our heritage and our freedom, but the ability to share my preacher, a woman who speaks from the Bible, the Scripture, and who has abiding faith in our country and in our government. So I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing Kathleen Baskin and myself to be a part of that which we do today. God bless America, and God bless Texas.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. My amendment would require the secretaries of each military department to draft a plan and set a schedule for implementing best inventory practices for secondary inventory items. This may sound rather innocuous, Mr. Chairman, but this tiny amendment would reap substantial savings for the Department of Defense, the American people and, perhaps more importantly, the fighting men and women of this great country. The General Accounting Office recently reported that 62 percent of the hardware items purchased by DOD went unused for an entire year, and that an additional 21 percent of these items had enough inventory to last for more than 2 years. That means that 77 percent of the Department of Defense's $5.7 billion hardware inventory is wasting away in some warehouse. With innovative solutions throughout the Department of Defense, our fighting men and women will have more reliable logistic systems at a lower cost, and that is what this amendment is about.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, once again it is my privilege to speak before this body and to the American people. We cannot say enough how important the war on drugs is. This Resolution 423 clearly expresses our sense to the American people that no other victory other than the victory on the war on drugs to protect our children is acceptable. A few months ago, in the community of Lake Highlands, which is within the Fifth District of Texas, we were ravaged by vandalism; and it turns out that those perpetrators, those people who committed crimes, were high on marijuana laced with methamphetamines. It saddened me as a parent and also as a Member of Congress that our communities are being invaded by those who desire to pollute our children with killer drugs. We must act responsibly to address this issue by deterring demand, stopping supply, and increasing accountability.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, we are discussing this issue because this has been an ongoing dialogue that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) and I have had with the Department of Education. We believe that our work on behalf of Texas College is not only very deserving, but what we are attempting to do here this evening is to reinforce to the Department of Education that we believe that Texas College is making every single effort that they can to comply with the Department of Education and, further, to make sure that they have provided to the Department of Education those things that are necessary for certification. The reason that we are here is because this discussion is taking place today about education, and we would wish at this time to make sure that the Department of Education knows that we are attempting to work with them; and that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) and I, while we are offering this amendment, I believe that at this time we would wish not to go further with this amendment.

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

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. I will be happy to yield. (Mr. SUNUNU asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks and to include extraneous material.)

Mr. SESSIONS. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, the facts speak for themselves. We are attempting to run a fair and open bipartisan investigation of the wrongdoings of the Clinton White House. It will require a minimum of one Democrat asking to seek to have the truth. The bottom line is, in 1974, Senator Howard Baker stepped forth and insisted. We ask for that same resolve today.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I came here tonight to speak about what we had accomplished today over in the Cannon Building where we were talking to the American public about how we, the Republican majority, are going to talk about and have a discussion with the American public on drugs. But I am compelled now to change that topic and to speak on the comments that were just made by Members of the Democratic Party. I want you to know I serve on the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, and for the last 15 months we have seen a charade that is taking place where Members of the Democratic Party have not only ignored every opportunity to be bipartisan in their attempts to work with us in the majority on dealing with the abuses of the White House in campaign finance, but we have also seen that what they will do is not only not tell the truth but what they will do is to obstruct justice. Just last week we had a vote whereby we were going to have four people who we were attempting to grant immunity to. These four people are individuals who are involved in the campaign finance scandal of foreign money influence upon the White House. And what happened is that we very carefully laid out a case by which these four people, they are not high level and they are not involved in a big way, but to where we wanted to talk to these four people and to grant them full immunity from prosecution. We had worked directly with the Department of Justice, and they had indicated that they had no problem with us issuing this immunity. Yet on a 19-to-nothing vote we were not able to grant these four people immunity because it requires a two-thirds vote of the committee. Not one Democrat wanted to issue immunity because they did not want these four people to tell the truth and to tell their story. This White House, and I can tell my colleagues that this Democrat Congress and the Members of the Democrat Congress who are Members of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight repeatedly have attempted to block every single request that we have made that is reasonable and normal. And I tell my colleagues that back in 1974, when Richard Nixon was involved in not only illegalities but constitutional questions, it was the Republican Party that stood up with Senator Howard Baker and asked the tough questions. It was Senator Howard Baker who made sure that not only were the tough questions asked but that he made sure that this President did not escape telling the truth and the whole truth.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, during the past few days, we have heard a lot about the ability to hear from witnesses in an objective investigation of the facts surrounding campaign financing. All I hear from the Democrats is that Congress must vote on campaign finance reform. Well, my committee, the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, is trying to find out what is wrong with campaign financing. But our investigation had been stymied at every single turn. There are witnesses who have been unavailable to the committee, 46 witnesses who have refused to testify, asserting protections against self- incrimination, and 12 witnesses who have fled the country. Incredibly, the Democrats on the committee have refused to allow immunity for witnesses that Janet Reno, the Attorney General, says should have immunity. Mr. Speaker, this will prevent us from hearing from those witnesses. My question to the Democrats is this: What are you attempting to hide?