Pete Sessions

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. 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 H.R. 2883, the bill just passed.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Chairman, the amendment offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich) violates clause 7, House Rule 16, which states, in pertinent part, that no motion or proposition on a subject different from that under consideration shall be deemed admitted under the color of amendment. The amendment before the committee is not germane to the subject matter under consideration. The amendment would apply the Government Performance and Results Act to the legislative branch. GPRA, the Results Act, is a provision of law that only applies to the executive branch. Neither the bill before us nor the public law which it seeks to amend applies to the legislative branch. The Precedents of the House suggest that amendments which bring the legislative branch within the ambient of bills with general accountability to the executive branch are not germane. Therefore, Madam Chairman, the amendment is not germane, and I insist on my point of order.

Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Chairman, I have a point of order.

Mr. SESSIONS. My point would be this. It should be done until it is done correctly. There are small businesses, large businesses that all operate off a strategic plan. If they do their strategic plans such that they are able to survive, then that will be the determination.

Mr. SESSIONS. There was a report that was issued in the 104th Congress that talked about $650 billion worth of waste, fraud and error in the Government of the United States. We are attempting to make sure that we spend every penny that we should but not a dollar more. What we are trying to do is to be responsible and do the responsible thing, and we are asking to be met halfway. We have given a great deal of information back to every agency, we have been very specific in what we have talked about, and we think it is not only fair and right, but it is the proper thing to do for accountability.

Mr. SESSIONS. The grading was done by the people who had been working directly with the agencies. That was done with consent of the staffs. The minority staff was there the entire time that this was done and given every opportunity to participate.

Mr. SESSIONS. What we are trying to say is that we have looked at them. We have reviewed them. We have been in constant contact with agencies. We have given them specific feedback about the things that are lacking. It was not like an F grade with no comments. They are specific comments directly to the agencies about how they can make that better to where we can have the language between that and appropriations.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, I have some questions. How many of these plans did the gentleman from Ohio look at?

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

Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Chairman, the discussion that we are having today is about whether we will go back and look at those strategic plans that have been presented by agencies and whether they not only fit the criteria that they were supposed to and, also, whether we will go back now and ask them to revisit what they have done. What I would like to point out to my friends on the other side of the aisle is that we have repeatedly attempted to work with agencies. This law was passed in 1993. When I came to Congress, I was very careful to work with not only Inspector Generals, but also each agency head, to let them know that we were serious about getting their strategic plans so that we could make determinations, including those that would be appropriations-related, about the business that they were doing. As my colleagues can see from this chart, every single time we attempt to work with the administration, their plans get better. The fact of the matter is that some 19 out of 24 are still in an F-grade status. We are attempting to be honest and to accept the responsibility that is given to us through the American people when we ask the administration to please justify the work that they are doing to where we can make the appropriate decisions about money. When I spent 16 years in the private sector, I had to fill out a strategic plan. Of course, I did not like it. But it was given to the people who appropriated money to me in my business and that they would know what I was doing; and what I expected to be done was on that sheet of paper. I will politely tell my friends and remind them again that the plans that have been presented by these agencies will make it very difficult for us to appropriate money for all the things that need to be done. I am disappointed with what they are doing, and I am going to support this to ask that we get clear and better towards the people's business.

Mr. SESSIONS. The assumption is that we were not forthright in what we did by asking them directly. If what they would do is to listen to what we were saying about these agencies, we had professionals who were involved. The bottom line is that the business we are involved in is serious and we are trying to get the agencies to come and be responsible.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in favor of H.R. 992, the Tucker Act Shuffle Relief Act. This bill brings power back to its rightful place, the taxpayer or the property owner. For too long, our constituents had been denied a quick and painless pursuit of their Fifth Amendment freedom. Our Constitution clearly recognizes that the right to own and manage one's property is essential to protect the other rights delineated in the Constitution. We must ensure that property owners have the same access to Federal courts as any other individual who claims his constitutional rights had been violated. This bill simply streamlines the process to allow private property owners full recovery for a taking in one court. It does this by granting both Federal district courts and the Court of Federal Claims concurrent jurisdiction to hear all claims related to property rights. This procedural fix will end the delays and increasing cost of litigation inherent in the Tucker Act as well as provide swift justice for property owners seeking to enforce their constitutional rights under the Fifth Amendment. I want to thank my good friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) for offering this very important piece of legislation. His tireless work on this issue will ensure that private property owners across America will receive the protection they deserve under our United States Constitution.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma for yielding me the time. I rise today to give thanks also to my good friend, Sam Johnson, my friend and colleague, a man who has been a mentor for me politically for many years. But I want to admit that as we give great admiration to Sam Johnson, I want you to know that he has a family. He has a lovely wife, Shirley, who is with us today, who is here in the gallery, who has stood by her husband for years and years, a woman who has faith in God and faith in our country, to Sam's 3 children and 10 grandchildren. We give thanks to Sam Johnson because he is a hero, a captive warrior who came home, who gave his very best for America, but who gives it every single day today. Sam, we love you. We respect you. We appreciate you. Let the day never, never get too far away from us here. We can say not only thank you but thank you also to the men and women who did not come home who I know you live with in your heart every day. We are proud of you. And to you and Shirley we say, God bless you.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues Congressman Richard Armey, Congressman Joe Barton, Congressman Sam Johnson, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, Congresswoman Kay Granger, and I wish to inform other members of the House of Representatives about a situation in the greater Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area which demands our attention. Drug abuse and illegal drug trafficking are a major problem in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, as they are in all other parts of the country. However, there is evidence that points to the establishment of the area as a major transshipment point for major drug trafficking operations. For instance, major Colombian and Mexican drug trafficking organizations have established significant transshipment operations in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area. Law enforcement agencies in North Texas have reported dramatic increases in the importation, transportation, and distribution of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana. And the increased drug trafficking active in the area has become a breeding ground for the proliferation of street gangs and related violent crime. But, Mr. Speaker, despite the powerful statistics, what brings these problems home to us is the deaths of children recently in and around Plano, Texas. As the Dallas Morning News wrote in a recent editorial, ``At least a dozen young people from the Plano area have died from heroin-related overdoses since 1996.'' Just this week, we lost 17-year- old Natacha Marie Campbell to a heroine and cocaine overdose. This just adds a tragic, human dimension to our fight against illegal drugs. Although the law enforcement community has obtained significant convictions and sentences against major drug traffickers, the increased drug activity in North Texas is overwhelming current law enforcement resources. We urge the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to commit the necessary resources to the fights against drugs in the Dallas/Fort Worth area by making North Texas a High Intensity Drug Trafficking area. This crucial designation will mean greater resources or and coordination among area law enforcement agencies. It will help the parents in the Dallas/Fort Worth area take control of this problem. Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit for the record a resolution recently passed by the Greater Dallas Crime Commission which makes similar points, and urges the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to designate North Texas a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Greater Dallas Crime Commission Resolution Whereas: Major Colombian and Mexican drug trafficking organizations have established significant transshipment operations in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area (the ``Metroplex'') and North Texas generally since the early 1990's; and Whereas: Law enforcement agencies in North Texas have reported dramatic increases in the importation, transportation and distribution of heroin, methamphetamines, cocaine, and marijuana into the area since the early 1990's; and Whereas: Law enforcement seizures of heroin in North Texas have increased by more than 500% in recent years, and the purity of the heroin on North Texas streets has increased dramatically and lethally; and Whereas: The increased drug trafficking active in the area has become a breeding ground for the proliferation of street gangs and related violent crimes including theft, robbery, prostitution, assault and murder; and Whereas: The impact of the increased drug activity in North Texas has resulted in an increase of drug overdose deaths in the area, with most of the victims being teenagers or younger; and Whereas: Although the law enforcement community has obtained significant convictions and sentences against major drug traffickers, the increased drug activity in North Texas is overwhelming current law enforcement resources; and Whereas: Designation of North Texas a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area by the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy will mean greater resources for and coordination among area law enforcement agencies to combat drug trafficking organizations; and Now therefore, the Greater Dallas Crime Commission urges the designation of North Texas as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. In Witness Whereof This Twenty-second Day of January, 1998. Cullen M. Godfrey, Chairman. Nickie Murchison, Executive Director.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. You are.

Mr. SESSIONS. I thank the gentleman, Mr. Speaker, for yielding to me. I am glad to be here today because the problem of drugs in our country is dire and urgent. There is a moral crisis in America. I want to use some of the data published in a report by the House Subcommittee on National Security, International Affairs and Criminal Justice to illustrate just how bad this moral crisis is. The report entitled, National Drug Policy: A Review of the Status of the Drug War, details the startling use and rise of drug use among Americans, all Americans, but most especially those that are young Americans. According to the 1994 Michigan University study, 13 percent of eighth graders experimented with marijuana in 1993. That is almost twice the 1991 level. Experimentation among 10th graders increased about two- thirds the previous 3 years. And daily use among high school seniors was up by half over the 1993 levels. Increasing use was also reported in 1994, by the Drug Abuse Warning Network Data, which collected data from emergency rooms around the country on drug-related emergencies in 1993. That data showed an 8 percent increase in drug-related emergency room cases between 1992 and 1993, 45 percent of which were heroin overdoses. Cocaine was also at an alltime high, having almost doubled since 1988, and marijuana emergencies increased 22 percent between 1992 and 1993. 1995 data is even worse. The National Household Survey, released in September 1995, shows that overall drug use among kids, ages 12 to 17, jumped 50 percent in 1994, from 6.6 to 9.5 percent. The National Pride Survey of 200,000 students shows that one in three American high school seniors now smokes marijuana. There has been a 36-percent increase in cocaine use among students in grades 9 through 12, from 1991 to 1992, and hallucinogen use by high schoolers has risen 75 percent since 1988 and 1989. Finally, October 1995 DAWN data says that in 1994, cocaine-related episodes reached their highest level in history and registered a 15 percent increase from 1993, and a 40 percent increase from 1988. On top of this, marijuana or hashish-related emergencies rose 39 percent from 1993 to 1994. And total drug-related emergency room cases rose 10 percent between 1993 and 1994. The reason we are here today is to call on all Americans to join in this fight against drugs. As we know, this is Red Ribbon Week across America. That is what those red ribbons are there for. That is why we are calling on Americans now to join with us at this time to fight drugs. But parents can also start by demanding that their children and the schools that they attend, that they learn to be drug free. The fight against drugs must be waged in churches, schools and by every family in America. Kids should report drug dealers to their teachers, and parents and teachers need to do what they know is right by leading by example and doing the right thing. And that is by saying, no. I also wish adults had the courage to do the same thing. Currently, there is also a drug that has taken hold in neighborhoods throughout America, and this is wreaking havoc. This drug is called methamphetamine or it is called speed, crank or crystal. If there is a drug that enslaves the mind and destroys the soul, this is it. According to a report by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and I quote, the extreme agitation and paranoia associated with the use of methamphetamine often leads to situations where violence is more likely to occur. Chronic use of methamphetamine can cause delusions and auditory hallucinations that precipitate violent behavior or responses. End of quote. This is a violent drug that devastates the user. DEA Administrator Constantine, in a statement, attested to the horror of this drug, when he said, and I quote, during the summer in New Mexico a father, while high on methamphetamine, beheaded his 14-year-old son. Administrator Constantine also described how a mother and 3 young children under 5 were recently seriously burned when a meth lab exploded causing a fire in their home. Two of the children were rushed to the hospital in critical condition and one died. The responsible father fled the scene, abandoning his critically injured family before rescue teams arrived to assist them. Methamphetamine, just like other drugs, is a cancer on our society. In 1994, there were over 700 methamphetamine-related deaths in the United States. In several cities, meth-related deaths are up over 50 percent in the last three years. And in 1995 alone, the DEA seized 241 methamphetamine laboratories. Methamphetamine is easier to manufacture in the United States because its precursor chemicals are more readily available. If the penalties for the manufacture of this killer drug do not deter its production within our borders, how are we going to stop its rising use? I think we should make punishment more severe so that we push it out of America's cities and towns. It is important to note that the danger from those chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamine is immense. They are highly flammable and explosive and can cause extensive damage to first responders, including law enforcement, firefighters and civilians, as well as devastation to our environment. We must give law enforcement the tools to deal with this epidemic efficiently by getting those drug thugs off our streets. I believe that those involved in the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine should spend the rest of their lives in prison. I have drafted a bill to do just that, the Speed Manufacturing Life in Prison Act of 1997. This legislation will help stem the rise in methamphetamine production by giving those involved in the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine a mandatory sentence of life in prison. This is just one way to address the problem of drugs in our society. Unfortunately, in Washington, there are many who cannot even agree how to address the problem. According to the General Accounting Office, the bipartisan watchdog agency of the Federal Government, the current drug policy under the leadership of the Office of National Drug Control Policy is not clear. It is not coordinated. It is not comprehensive, and it is not consistent. It is no wonder we are here tonight calling on the families and communities of America to help us solve this problem. To save our children we will have to all work together and, if we do that, we can ensure that the lives of our children are safer, more productive and free of the drugs that can cripple the mind and destroy the soul. I want to thank the gentleman for being here tonight. I want to thank my good friend from New Jersey for allowing me the opportunity to speak on this important subject tonight.

Mr. SESSIONS. Yes. We have a terrible problem in Texas. Just outside of Dallas, in a neighboring community, we have had a minimum of eight heroin-related deaths by teenagers in the last year. Of course, this is causing a lot of inward thought to the community. And I want you to know that every single time those parents say, please talk about the problem, please tell the story, because many of them did not even recognize that their children were even on drugs. So this is why I think this is important. I thank you for bringing that up.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to take the opportunity to commend a segment of our working population that seldom gets the recognition it deserves. The construction industry, one of the largest industries in the Nation, provides well paying jobs with valuable career opportunities for close to 5 million American workers every year. To remain at the present level of activity, the construction industry needs an additional quarter of a million workers per year to replace an aging and retiring workforce. As it continues to bring productive and talented craftsmen and women into its ranks, the construction trade deserves our thanks. In order to keep pace with the growing construction needs of the American public, there must be adequate and appropriate training for individuals seeking to enter this important industry. Today, there is a program in place to meet that need. The National Center for Construction Education and Research administers a nationally recognized construction training program that allows individuals to advance at their own speed and competency to develop solid lifetime career opportunities. The merit shop believes work opportunities should be based on merit and recognizes the National Center for Construction Education and Research training programs as critical for today's workers. No two individuals work at the same pace. That's why the merit shop is the perfect place to teach and develop careers for the construction workers of America. The merit shop, through organizations such as Associated Builders and Contractors, is committed to perfecting training programs that are both efficient and effective, in order to meet the need for a highly skilled construction work force. An additional bonus of the merit shop apprenticeship programs is that they are excellent places for welfare recipients to gain on the job training and work experience through entry level jobs, which are the first step to obtaining the skills necessary to secure a career in the lucrative and rewarding field of construction. And merit shop contractors provide on the job work experience along with classroom training at the local level through nationally standardized and portable curricula. On October 16, 1997, the industry reached out to 175,000 students, teachers, counselors, and parents at some 3,500 high schools and universities through a nationwide video teleconference sponsored by the National Center for Construction Education and Research on opportunities for entering the construction industry. As the demand for highly trained and experienced construction workers increases, merit shops have consistently stepped in to fill that need. They will continue to offer Americans the training they need to fulfill the needs of the construction industry, and supply the increasing demands of economic growth in America. I applaud their efforts, and commend them for the excellent services they provide to the American people.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend a great American and a great organization. The Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind has a long history in Dallas of providing blind individuals with work opportunities. The six decades of work improve and enhance the job opportunities for sight-disabled Dallas residents. I am proud to have this modern industrial center in the Fifth Congressional District of Texas. This year the fifth district has been doubly blessed. One of my constituents, Jeddie Alexander, has been named the Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind's Ronald Pearce Blind Employee of the Year. Jeddie is a machine operator in the molding department of the lighthouse. In addition, he helped produce eyeglass cases and binders. Jeddie is completely blind, but his uncommon ability has allowed him to run a sewing machine. Jeddie's story vividly shows that we should focus on abilities, not disabilities. In 1985, Jeddie was shot. He lost the use of both eyes and has no light perception. As he recounts, ``When I lost my sight, I had the impression that that was the end of myself. I would have to wait on other people to do things for me. After about a month and a half, I realized I didn't have to do that.'' I applaud Jeddie's commitment to improving his life and the lives of the people around him. He has truly taken advantage of the opportunities the Lighthouse has given him. As a father of a young Down's syndrome boy, I understand the desperate need for organizations like the Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind. Organizations like this give the greatest gift in all of the world--freedom, independence, and self- reliance to individuals that need an extra boost on the road of life.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hastert]. I appreciate this opportunity to speak about this very important subject, and I rise to offer my support also to the United States and Japan negotiating team who are now entering the next rounds of meetings to continue talks on the long-awaited air transport agreement between our two countries. I think history will look at this moment as one that is a very important crossroads in the future of both our countries and our nations as we work together, not only now but in the future. For the first time in almost 50 years, the United States and Japan will come together and agree to a new level of passenger air service between the United States, Japan and beyond. What is even more significant, though, is the economic impact that that will accord and the opportunities that will surely follow in the coming years. This agreement will provide United States air carriers with a 25- percent increase in passenger flights to Japan. Nearly 3,600 new flights will be added each year. Further expansion can be expected as other carriers begin this service to the region, which I believe can only breed more competition in the marketplace. And the best part is that is only the beginning. This agreement will have an enormous economic impact to our economy. At present it is estimated that this agreement will generate almost $10.8 billion in direct and indirect economic impact. More importantly, this accord will open additional routes for United States carriers in growing Asian markets and certainly beyond Japan. That factor alone could inflate an additional $1.6 billion for U.S. air carriers. Clearly the biggest gain in this agreement can be felt in access to markets for American business men and women. The unprecedented increase in commercial and passenger air traffic will open a new day for each and every one of our business men and women as they wish to do business in Asian export sectors. We cannot underestimate the power that these new emerging markets will bring and the opportunities that are before us. Likewise, these increased opportunities will enhance Japanese investments in our country. The anticipated increase in cargo and tourism and traffic will enhance our own marketplaces and our economy. The possibilities are almost endless for a person from Texas to think about. Not only will it help our economy and our country, but it will bring new and expanded tourism to Texas and the United States. In closing, I would like to say that I agree with what has been stated here today; it is the marketplace, it is economics at its very best, and it is economic development. And I would like to thank my colleagues from Illinois, and in particular [Mr. Hastert] for taking the time to discuss this important development and support for our negotiators as they enter into these important agreements.

Mr. SESSIONS. Of course it does. We have many, many people who have come to our country with not only opportunities for their lives but have brought high-technology abilities to our country. They want to make sure that we are selling our products overseas. They want to make sure it is easy for us to do business. They do not want to have two or three stops before they get to Japan. So it is not only faster and better service, but it is a real boom as we near the 21st century.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1553 is extension of authorization of the Assassination Records Review Board. Mr. Speaker, the House is considering a very important piece of legislation, H.R. 1553, which extends the authorization of the Assassination Records Review Board for 1 year and authorizes $1.5 million for the review board to complete its final work, which will be done during fiscal year 1998. This bill was introduced by the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Burton], chairman of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight on May 8, 1997, and included as its original cosponsors the gentleman from California [Mr. Waxman] and the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Stokes], who sponsored the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Reports Collection Act, and who also chaired the House Select Committee on Assassinations. In 1992, almost 30 years after the assassination of President Kennedy, nearly 1 million records compiled by official investigators of the assassination still have not been made public. Congress decided to set up a process for reviewing and releasing to the public the records surrounding the Kennedy assassination. The result was that on October 26, 1992, President Bush signed the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 into law. The original act provided a 3-year timetable for a review board to complete its work. Unfortunately, extensive delays in the appointment of the review board's members delayed the board from beginning its work in a timely manner. In 1994, Congress restarted the clock and extended the 1992 law's termination date for 1 year until September 30, 1996. The review board subsequently exercised its authority under the statute to continue operating for 1 additional year. I believe that the public has a right to know what is contained in the Federal Government's records on the Kennedy assassination. By releasing these documents to the public, we advance the cause of total accountability to the citizens of our country. As a representative of the city of Dallas, TX, I want to assure the American people that all Texans from all over the State will stop at nothing less than knowing the whole truth about this tragedy as it occurred in our Nation's history. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1553 extends the authorization of the Assassination Review Board for just one year to allow the board to finish reviewing, and then to make public, the records relating to the assassination of our President John F. Kennedy. Under current law, the authorization expires at the end of fiscal year 1997. In his testimony last month before the Subcommittee on National Security, International Affairs and Criminal Justice, review board chairman John Tunheim assured the members of this subcommittee that only 1 additional year would be needed for the board to finish reviewing and releasing the remaining documents related to the Kennedy assassination and to issue its final report. I believe that it is important that we see this progress through to its conclusion, and accordingly, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1553) to amend the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 to extend the authorization of the Assassination Records Review Board until September 30, 1998.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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