John Shimkus

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald).

Mr. SHIMKUS. I thank my colleague. Now someone who spends a lot of time with you also, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley), would like to say a thank you.

Mr. SHIMKUS. Now I would like to ask my colleague and friend, the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), to say a few words.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. 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 the subject of my special order today.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, in addition to my statement for the record on May 22, 2002 during floor consideration of H.R. 3448, let me clarify that language included in the Conference Report regarding Section 307 as it relates to food packaging materials. Section 307 dealing with prior notice of imported food shipments should not be construed to apply to food packaging materials or other food contact substances if, at the time of importation, they are not used in food.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, the committee and our work, especially the Committee on Energy and Commerce, is two-for-two, 2 days in a row, two good bills, bipartisan agreement. I want to applaud both our majority side and our colleagues on the other side for two good pieces of legislation. Since the attacks of September 11 and the recent anthrax exposures, our Nation has had to reevaluate its ability to respond to a bioterrorism attack. The anthrax attacks, though small in scale compared to the scenarios envisioned by bioterrorism experts, strained the public health system and raised concern that the Nation is insufficiently prepared to respond to bioterrorist attacks. Improving public health preparedness, food safety protection, and response capacity offers protection not only from bioterrorist attacks but also from naturally occurring public health emergencies. This conference report substantially improves our country's ability to plan and prepare for such an emergency. It increases the ability of the Federal Government and communities to plan for any future biological emergencies. This includes improving communications and the public information flow, updating lab capabilities, authorizing a national stockpile, and assisting our health care providers to be prepared to provide care. In particular, Mr. Speaker, title II of this legislation creates a list of all biological agents and toxins and regulates which individuals can work with them. As many of the Members are aware, the Justice Department will start giving lie detector tests to hundreds of current and former Federal employees who worked at two Federal facilities where anthrax was kept. One former researcher at one of the labs said that nothing was in place to prevent workers from removing the deadly germs from the labs. This legislation will make sure that the government is well aware where these dangerous toxins and agents are being researched and stored and exactly who will be doing the research. If this provision had been in place prior to last year, the anthrax attacks might have been prevented. In addition, title I of this bill includes a provision that addresses health personnel shortages that would impact the ability of the Nation to respond during a bioterrorism attack. The bill establishes grants for training and education of these critical health care providers. I ask for full support of this bill.

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record the following on Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Response Act conference. food authorities of bioterrorism bill Title III of the bioterrorism bill responds to legislative proposals presented to Congress by the Department of Health and Human Services. We worked closely with Secretary Thompson and personnel of the Food and Drug Administration to craft the most extensive expansion of the food related enforcement authorities in the history of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). New authorities provide for expanded records access and maintenance, administrative detention of foods, registration of food facilities and several other provisions that are especially focused on assuring effective oversight of food imports. These new authorities strike a balance by adding significantly to the already strong enforcement authorities of the FDA, while assuring that the authorities will be used only for their intended purposes. I believe that my colleagues will be pleased with how this balance was struck to protect the American consumer and permit a robust competitive food system to provide consumers a wide variety of affordable foods. administrative detention: section 303 of the title Amendment to Section 304 of the FFDCA provides the Secretary with limited authority to detain administratively an article of food where the FDA has ``credible evidence or information indicating that such article presents a threat of serious adverse health consequences or death.'' ``Credible evidence or information'' requires that the FDA have specific evidence or information that it believes to be reliable and probative. The ``serious adverse health consequences'' standard, which is used consistently in Title III of this Act, relates to the situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death. This standard corresponds to existing FDA guidance under section 7.3 of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations. A detention order must be approved by a senior FDA official (district director for the district in which the food to be detained is located or a more senior official). In general, the Secretary should expedite the processing of seizure or injunction actions with regard to food that has been detained. The Secretary is required to provide by regulation for the expedition of such actions in the case of perishable food, such as fresh produce and seafood. Once a detention order is issued, the Secretary must insure that the detained article of food is kept in a secure facility under conditions commercially appropriate for the food to ensure that the safety and quality of the food is maintained during the detention. Any person who would be entitled to claim the article of food if the food were seized may appeal a detention order to the Secretary. If an appeal is filed, the Secretary must provide an opportunity for an informal hearing which would be conducted in accordance with the procedures set forth in Part 16 of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The Secretary has five days to confirm, modify or terminate the detention order; failure of the Secretary to provide for an informal hearing or to act on the appeal within five days of an appeal automatically terminates the detention order. The Secretary may not thereafter re-institute the terminated detention order. This section also permits the Secretary to request that the Secretary of Treasury hold food offered for import at a port of entry for a period not to exceed 24 hours if the FDA is unable to inspect, examine, or investigate the food when it is offered for import and the Secretary has ``credible evidence or information'' indicating that the article of food ``presents a threat of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals.'' The purpose of the temporary hold is to permit the FDA to inspect, examine or investigate the article of food. Amendments to Section 801 of the FFDCA provide for prior notice of shipments of imported food; consequently, the temporary hold authority should not be used routinely.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to speak on H.R. 3833, the Dot Kids Implementation and Efficiency Act of 2002. First, I would like to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Mr. Markey) for his great work and efforts in education as we move this process forward. Of course, my chairman, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), for believing in this concept and joining the team, I appreciate that, along with the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) for their great work. We do our best work in the committee when we work together; and this floor, this House, does our best work together when we work together; and this is a perfect example of doing that. Of course, we are only as good as the other members of our team. I have said this before in the committee briefings. Full committee staff Kelly Zerzan and Mike O'Rielly, I want to thank them. Chairman Upton's staff, Will Nordwind, I thank him for his help; of course, the impeccable Collin Crowell from the staff of the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey); Brendan Kelsay from the gentleman from Michigan's (Mr. Dingell) staff; and my own Courtney Anderson who did a lot of lifting. Again, we are only as good as those people around us, and we have got a good team of staffers that do that well. The development of the Internet has been a mixed blessing. It has moved our economy forward and provides us with a wealth of information after only a few strokes of the keyboard. Unfortunately, this new medium also has a dark side that holds a lot of danger for kids 12 and under. In addition to adult content and violence that kids inadvertently stumble on as they surf the net, the recent well-publicized FBI sting of the Candyman child porn news group reminds us that child predators are running rampant in chat rooms and other places where they have the opportunity to interact and entice minors. Following the logic of a child's section of a library, the Dot Kids Act will create a safe place for children on the Internet. H.R. 3833 facilitates the subdomain ``.KIDS.US,'' on our Nation's country code that will host content that is especially intended for children. A number of safeguards were put in this bill. ``.KIDS.US'' will be monitored for content and safety; and should objectionable material appear, it will be taken down immediately. The legislation does not allow chat rooms, instant messaging or e-mails unless the entity hosting the site certifies that they will be done safely. Furthermore, hyperlinks, which would take children out of the safe ``.KIDS.US'' base are expressly prohibited. Knowing that this child-friendly subdomain is a grand experiment, we have embedded in the bill an opt-out provision. If ``.KIDS.US'' turns into something it was not intended to be, the bill requires the Department of Commerce to take it down. While I believe strongly that there is a huge demand for a child friendly domain, if ``.KIDS.US'' is a place no one visits, then it can be eventually taken down. Finally, ``.KIDS.US'' will cost the taxpayers nothing. When it comes to the Internet, there is no replacement for good parenting. However, ``.KIDS.US'' will promote good Internet content for children and will be a tool for parents to use to help keep their children safe online. I urge my colleagues to join me this morning in voting to pass H.R. 3833. Again, I want to thank everyone that has been involved, especially my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey). It has been a long road. We still have additional hurdles to overcome, but I am confident that we can get our friends in the other body to take this up expeditiously, get it passed, and get it to the President's desk.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the achievements of Taiwanese Americans during Taiwanese American Heritage Week, which will be held from May 11th to May 18th of this year. This Heritage Week serves as a vehicle to promote the image and welfare of Taiwanese Americans to society, as well as to enhance a mutual understanding and consolidation among different generations of Taiwanese Americans. During this special week, we are able to embrace America's diversity and celebrate the spirit of community that binds us together as one nation. Two weekends ago, I had the pleasure of attending a Taiwanese American Heritage day at the St. Louis Zoo. During this event, I teamed more about the outstanding contributions that Taiwanese Americans have made to our nation and to the world. I was truly impressed to meet so many Taiwanese Americans that were passionate about preserving the value of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law for their mother country while building stronger ties with their new homeland. With all that Taiwanese Americans have accomplished, there can be no complete satisfaction until Taiwan's status and global contributions are respected and appreciated by the international community. I hope that the various Heritage Week celebrations around the nation will help further the positive contributions of Taiwanese Americans as they continue to make great strides in bringing together the best of the East and West. Mr. Speaker, together we can make the Taiwanese American Heritage Week a valuable and enduring means for celebration.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this joint resolution. I am also proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation. The vote that Congress will be taking today says that after 20 years of exhaustive scientific analysis the government is ready to designate Yucca Mountain--a barren, windswept desert ridge 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas--a safe site and move to the licensing phase for the development of an underground disposal facility. The industry, environmental, labor, consumer and business groups have applauded the President and Secretary Abraham for making this decision on sound science. The administration is acting responsibly to fulfill the Federal Government's longstanding obligation to the American people to safely isolate and dispose of used nuclear fuel and defense waste. Now Congress must act to affirm President Bush's decision and advance the Nation's energy, economic and environmental security. There has been and will be a lot of discussion today on transporting of nuclear waste. Numerous Members have come before this body and have expressed concerns about the safety of transporting spent nuclear fuel. The truth is their concerns are misguided. You cannot argue with the fact that almost 3,000 safe shipments of used nuclear fuel have taken place without any release of radioactive material. That is right. On some 3,000 occasions, used fuel has traveled by truck or rail across the country, including almost 500 in my home State of Illinois. The reason you probably have not heard about this is because not one of these shipments has threatened the environment or public safety. States like Illinois, which currently has 11 nuclear reactors and gets almost half of our electricity from nuclear power, have gone to great lengths to set up a system that will ensure safe transportation of nuclear waste through the State and across State lines. They inspect the trucks and trains; they inspect the roads, the rail lines. They have set up emergency response systems with local governments. They coordinate all routes with the Federal Government; and most of all, they ensure that the citizens of Illinois remain safe. Transporting spent nuclear material is safe. It has been proven to be safe, and there is no reason to doubt that it will remain safe. The State of Nevada has a tremendous nuclear legacy, as identified by this recently approved Nevada State license plate. The State of Nevada can again fulfill their nuclear legacy and continue to aid this Nation and our citizens by safely storing high-level nuclear waste for our country. I ask all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Wilkerson Chapel and the anniversary of its 140 years of service to the community of Collinsville, Illinois. The people of the Wilkerson Chapel are truly good Samaritans. They have spent 140 years preaching the word of Christ to Collinsville and surrounding areas and participating in other good works. To such people as Rev. Charles Orr and his congregation, the good deeds themselves are their own best rewards. Yet, on this special day, I think it is appropriate that they are recognized for their efforts. They are good Christians and good Americans, and remind us all of the compassion and energy that makes this country great. To the people of the Wilkerson Chapel, thank you for all your good works over almost the last century and a half; and may God grant you the opportunity to continue doing His work for many years into the future.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I want to first of all say to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), I am pleased to be able to speak on his first opportunity to have debate on a rule. As neighbors in our first term, I find that a great privilege; and I would rather be lucky than good. So it is lucky. For my friend from Louisiana, who we agree with and work hard, it is not personal, it is just public policy; and I look forward to working with him more in opportunities in the future. Not supporting this rule would mean letting the steel workers of our country down when they need us most. Furthermore, it would be a step backward from the progress made to help industries thus far. Free and fair trade, the proponents of trade talk about free and fair trade, and the opponents of trade talk about free and fair trade; and it was this administration that finally took action against unfair trade. That is kind of hard to believe when we had a lot of this steel crisis within the past administration, also; but it was a Republican administration that said there is illegal dumping of steel and we are going to take action against it. So that is why this resolution, I know well-intentioned, is very detrimental to getting our steel mills and our workers back into the mills and creating jobs. We have already seen some benefits from the 30 percent trade. Granite City Steel in Madison County, which I represent half the county, it is my home county, entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early March. Their latest report is that they have more orders than they can fill. A promising future from an industry that just months ago was on the cusp of not only destroying the tax base of a small community but also people not being able to be employed and take care of their families. Continuing the current tariffs will mean job security for 2,700 workers of this plant, as well as many plants across the Nation that have filed or were near bankruptcy. Another company that is moving aggressively to reopen a closed steel mill in Illinois is Alton Steel, and they have a short window of opportunity to move even rapidly now because of the tariffs, and we are working very diligently with them; and the imposition of this tariff is of great help to them and the working men and women of another part of Madison County which is Alton, Illinois. Furthermore, the 30 percent tariffs increase the likelihood of consolidation in the industry so that those who have lost their jobs may regain employment. Mr. Speaker, it is proven: the administration's decision for a 30 percent tariff is helping. The steel industry is and will continue to benefit. So why hold it back? On behalf of the steel workers of southern Illinois, I urge my colleagues to join with me in voting for this rule.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Wilkerson Chapel and the anniversary of its 140 years of service to the community Collinsville, Illinois. The people of the Wilkerson Chapel are truly good Samaritans. They have spent 140 years preaching the word of Christ to Collinsville and surrounding areas and participating in other good works. To such people as John A. Gregg and his congregation, the good deeds themselves are their own best rewards. Yet, on this special day, I think it is appropriate that they are recognized for their efforts. They are good Christians and good Americans, and remind us all of the compassion and energy that makes this country great. To the people of the Wilkerson Chapel, thank you for all your good works over almost the last century and a half; and may God grant you the opportunity to continue doing His work for many years into the future.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the resolution and the rule that we have in front of us, and I would like to commend the sponsor of the legislation, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros- Lehtinen), for introducing the legislation. I am also proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation. This legislation makes it a Federal offense to knowingly transport a minor across State lines with the intent to obtain an abortion in circumvention of State law and parental consent or parental notification law. This legislation is specifically important in my district, which lies on the border between Illinois and Missouri, and has an abortion clinic nearby that serves people from both sides of the Mississippi River. The problem is that Missouri has a parental notification law and Illinois currently does not. A young woman can cross the border into Illinois to have an abortion without the knowledge or consent of her parents. I would like to relay a quick story. This is not a hypothetical story. This is a true incident which recently took place in Illinois because of Illinois' failure to have a parental notification law in place, and reported in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and I include the entire article for the Record. In February of this year, a mother from Granite City got a call from her daughter's high school that her daughter had not shown up for school. After checking with friends, she learned her daughter was at a local clinic getting an abortion. The mother quickly ran over to the clinic to try to talk to her daughter. The woman was not allowed in the clinic to be with her daughter. When she contacted the police to help her, they told her there was nothing they could do. Instead, she had to sit outside the clinic and wait while her daughter underwent a major medical procedure. How many Members here today would like to be sitting outside a hospital while their child underwent a medical procedure, prohibited by law from being next to them, from being able to care for them, from holding their hand to ease the pain? Any other operation, any other treatment, any other reason for a minor to be in a hospital or clinic would require that the parent be present and consulted. But not for an abortion. We should strengthen and protect the family. We should also protect life, the life of the minor child and the life of her unborn child. In our Declaration of Independence it states we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, and among these are life. Mr. Speaker, let us protect life and strengthen families by supporting this rule and this legislation. Abortion Clinic Blocks Mother From Daughter Inside; Girl Was 16; Granite City Police Say Law Gives No Voice to Parents of Minors (By Colleen Carroll) A woman who tried to enter a Granite City abortion clinic to see her 16-year-old daughter last week was stopped by clinic officials and police. Granite City Police Chief David Ruebhausen said the woman was seeking entrance to the private Hope Clinic on Thursday morning when she went across the street to the Gateway Regional Medical Center and found one of his officers. Ruebhausen said she asked the officer to help her get inside the clinic. The officer called the station, and he was instructed not to bring the woman into the clinic. ``Parental consent is not necessary,'' Ruebhausen said, explaining that the Illinois abortion law allows minors to undergo abortions without the permission or knowledge of their parents. Ruebhausen said such incidents--of parents asking police to help them intervene in abortions or speak with their children who are inside abortion clinics--happen occasionally. But, he said, the law does not allow his officers to intervene on behalf of the parents. The woman could not be reached for comment. A group of abortion protesters who were at the clinic Thursday morning said the woman told them that she had received a call from her daughter's high school alerting her to her daughter's absence. The woman then learned from her daughter's friend that her daughter was at the Hope Clinic, said Angela Michael, one of the protesters. Michael said the woman was not allowed into the clinic until several hours after she first requested to see her daughter. ``I just stood there holding her and praying with her,'' Michael said. Hope Clinic executive director Sally Burgess said she would not comment on the cases of specific patients for legal and privacy reasons. She said uninvited visitors rarely come to the private clinic looking for patients during a procedure, ``but it does happen.'' When it does, she said, ``We're going to tell the patient what's going on.'' ``We always encourage, our patients to talk to their parents,'' Burgess said. ``But if the teenager is adamant, we're going to respect her privacy.''

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the students of All Saints Academy in Breese, Illinois, and their important and heartwarming efforts to help those affected by terrorism. On October 11th, 2001, President Bush made a request of the children of America. He challenged each of them to earn and send in one dollar. This money, sent by the kindness of the children of the United States, will be used to reach out to the unfortunate children in far off Afghanistan. The students of All Saints heard and met that challenge. I recently received a check for $1,000, made out to America's Fund for Afghan Children--that's more than one dollar for each student in All Saints, and more than our President requested. The students, parents, faculty, and members of the Breese community should be recognized for this fine effort. The terrorists believed they could accomplish their goals with the murder of American innocents; but the American citizens have responded with aid to the innocents of Afghanistan. Nothing else could better show how utterly Al Qaeda has failed. Mr. Speaker, as President Bush said in his announcement of the Fund for Afghan Children, ``One of the truest weapons that we have against terrorism is to show the world the true strength of character of the American people.'' The children of All Saints have shown that character, and they deserve our thanks. May God bless them, and may God bless the United States of America.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, many of our Founding Fathers, particularly George Washington, wanted to establish a military academy to teach the technical arts of war. On March 16, 1802, Congress passed legislation to establish such a military academy to be located at West Point, New York. Thomas Jefferson signed this bill into law. The Academy daily fulfills its mission: ``To educate, train and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character, committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country; professional growth throughout a career as an officer in the United States Army; and a lifetime of selfless service to the Nation.'' The Academy was the first school in America to teach engineering, produce graduates who were responsible for the construction of the Nation's first railroad lines and many of its early harbor improvements, bridges, roads, and canals. Graduates of the Academy have served with character and distinction in all of America's wars and military actions since the War of 1812. For 200 years, the military academy has educated and trained some of the best and brightest in the Nation. The ``West Point Experience'' includes a challenging academic program in the arts and sciences, military training, physical education, and moral and ethical development. From the day of its founding, West Point has remained committed to the task of producing commissioned leaders of character for America's Army. The Academy continues to provide men and women of all races and cultures to receive a college education and begin a life of service to the Army and to the Nation, and this resolution highlights some of the leaders that we know about from our history books. But I want to give my colleagues a snapshot of just one class, and that is my class, the graduating class of 1980 that entered in 1976, the first class at West Point with women. We admitted 1,366 men, 119 women, for a total of 1,485 cadets. Of that, upon graduation in 1980, 855 male graduates, 62 female graduates, a total of 917. Of that class, four were Olsmstead Scholars, one was a Rhodes Scholar, and one went on to be an astronaut. In September of 2001, of that graduating class of 1980, after our 20 years of service had expired, we still have 188 males serving in the active Army of our country and 12 females serving in the active Army of our country; and we are very, very proud of all of those graduates. That is a snapshot of just a class from West Point. But I also want to expound on those characters and attributes of those who are not always remembered and those who are not named. Dennis Michie introduced football to the military Academy and trained the first Army football team. When war broke out with Spain in 1898, Lieutenant Michie proved he was every bit of a soldier as he was an athlete. Acting as a runner with messages for the far right of the U.S. line during the battle of San Juan Hill, he traversed the entire length of the front during the morning of July 1. Somewhere along the way back from the forward battalion, Dennis Michie was killed. He was only 28 years old. Thomas Truxtun excelled in both soccer and lacrosse. When he was not on the playing fields, Truxtun was leading the Corps of Cadets. During World War II, near Tabio on June 6, 1945, Lieutenant Colonel Truxtun went forward with the infantry unit his battalion was supporting, he commanded a field artillery battalion, to ensure the fire his men provided was doing what the infantry needed. Far forward in an exposed position, he was shot and killed by a Japanese sniper. He was only 31 years old. Thomas Shea was born in Virginia. After serving as an Infantryman, he got an appointment to the Academy. He then excelled in track. He then made a life-changing decision upon his graduation. He had the opportunity to train as a track runner for the upcoming Olympics or continue his military training and go to Korea. He went to Korea. On July 6, 1952 Lieutenant Shea's company was stationed on Pork Chop Hill and was attacked by a numerically superior Communist force. Shea personally led a counterattack against the enemy and held the enemy back. On July 8, the Communists came again and, despite additional wounds, Shea led the counterattack. He died in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. Richard Shea was only 26 years old. Thomas Hayes was an athlete and a leader at West Point. Lieutenant Hayes called for covering fire, left his covered position and ran through concentrated fire to a wounded soldier and pulled him to safety. Lieutenant Hayes then began directing his platoon's fire against the well-entrenched enemy. Lieutenant Hayes died during this fight when a Viet Cong sniper opened fire and mortally wounded Hayes. Hayes' actions that day saved the lives of two of his soldiers. Thomas Hayes was only 25 years old when he was killed in action in 1968. More than 1,250 Academy graduates have been killed in action or died from battle wounds. At least another 500 were the victims of nonbattle deaths in military actions of our country. This is why we hold so dear our alma mater which says, in the last verse, ``And when our work is done, our course on earth is run, may it be said, 'well done, be thou at peace.' E'er may that line of gray increase from day to day. Live, serve, and die, we pray, West Point for thee.'' We have a national treasure in the upper highlands of the Hudson Highlands in New York. It is fitting that we recognize its bicentennial and its commitment to our country: ``Duty, Honor, Country.''

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Lady Hawks of Carrollton High School on their recent state basketball championship. The Lady Hawks defeated Augusta Southeastern, 24-20, to win their second consecutive Illinois High School Association Class A State Basketball Championship. In addition to being crowned state champs, the Carrollton Lady Hawks finished with a record of 34 victories and only 3 losses. This team was able to reel off 24 consecutive wins en route to back-to-back titles. The Lady Hawks gave Carrollton basketball fans a thrill throughout their historic season. I would like to personally commend the team members and coaches for a job well done. They are: Krisse Peters, Lauren Brannan, Justine Tucker, Alicia DeShasier, Tracy Stumpf, Katie Nolan, Dana Carter, Terra Stumpf, Amber Shelton, Molly Reed, Lisa Grummel, Jena Staples, Nicole Meyer, and Hannah Cunningham. Their coaches are Head Coach Lori Blade and Assistant Coach Donna Farley. I am very proud of you all.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) for yielding me the time. I appreciate the ranking member and this motion to recommit, and I want to associate with my colleague, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). On Monday I met with over 150 firefighters as they tried to figure out how to competitively complete work on the fire grant acts and try to get up to snuff to be able to respond. Of great concern to them is responding to bioterrorism. And I am a Federalist, I believe in Federal responsibilities and local responsibilities, but this new world, there is something new that has emerged. We have a responsibility if we want to rely on these people to respond to these great crises that could face our country. They have to be trained. They have to be equipped. They have to be able to be there. Because no matter, as an Army officer, no matter how we drop in a field medical office, those firefighters, those police officers, those local sheriffs are going to be there and they better be equipped and trained and be able to perform the mission, not only them but our local hospitals. This whole health care debate and the changing from hospital rooms, I think now there is a big gap. If there is a great crisis, where are these sick people going to go? How are we going to be able to respond? So the local hospitals, the community health clinics and those things are just critical, and I know this is a way that we are going to try to wrestle out some of those problems and get a way that we can help the local responders, and I am honored to be able to serve on the conference. I look forward to working hard.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to put an end to the claims from opponents of used nuclear fuel disposal who say transporting the material is unsafe. These claims have become louder since President Bush made a decision to move forward with the disposing of nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain. The truth is their concerns are misguided. You cannot argue with the fact that almost 3,000 safe shipments of used nuclear fuel have taken place without any release of radioactive material. That is right. On some 3,000 occasions used fuel has traveled by truck or rail across this country including almost 500 in my home State of Illinois. And the reason you probably have not heard about this is because not one of these shipments has threatened the environment or public safety. States like Illinois have gone to great lengths to set up a system that will ensure safe transportation of nuclear waste through the State and across State lines. Transporting spend nuclear fuel is safe. It has been proven to be safe, and there is no reason to doubt that it will remain safe.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) for bringing up this legislation, this very important piece of legislation. This is a good bill. We should not hold hostage data deployment to the voice fight, and that is what this is all about, long distance versus local; and that fight which should not be involved in this. This is an issue about data, and this is an issue about deploying data in rural America; and if we want to create jobs in deployment of data, not just in the data deployments but the small businesses in rural America that want to be able to market their goods in this world economy through broadband, this is how we do it. Without this bill, we will not have broadband deployment in rural America, and we will not have the job-creation activity, and we will see the people continue to offer broadband in urban America and not in the places that we need job growth. The other issue is that we have seen what has happened in the voices with the FEC and the lawsuits, the CARA lawsuits, the rulemaking, and that just stops the deployment of any type of service. And here people want to return to that. They want to bring more regulation into this new, exciting world of high-speed Internet services. So I am just excited that we have now got this bill on the floor. I think it is going to help create new jobs in rural America. I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for their foresight, and let us get this done.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. English), for his work on this and for his work for his constituents in Pennsylvania. We have would not be here if the President had not invoked section 201; and we would not be here if the ITC, the International Trade Commission, had not found in essence in our favor that there has been some illegal dumping. We hear a lot on trade, and a lot of the debate stems around free and fair trade. I think it is pretty clearly evident that when trade is not fair then we need to do just what we did in this case so far. What we have done so far is asked for a section 201 hearing that has been found in our favor, and now the administration has to finish the deal. They have a deadline of March 6 in which they are going to recommend the type of penalties that this country would like to see to get our steel industry back on sound footing; and, as with every other issue, there is always a debate of what those penalties should be. Well, the Steel Caucus, which the gentleman chairs and which we have many members of, have tried to weigh in on this. We have sent a letter to President Bush asking for a minimum of 40 percent tariff to be implemented over 4 years on all imported steel products. That is what we can do now, and I am glad to have signed that letter and sent that. But I also had a chance to personally speak with Secretary Evans on this issue and reiterate the importance of some strong, strong penalties, not only to help our domestic steel industry, but it sends a signal to the rest of the countries that we want to trade and do business with. We can compete with them. We cannot compete with them if they have subsidized their production, and that is what they do by a term called dumping, which means foreign countries are selling steel to us at below-market prices, usually subsidized by their own government. The International Trade Commission's ruling, they said that we in our domestic steel industry suffered serious injury due to the surge in imports. So that is why we need a substantial tariff for a maximum length of time, because the majority of steel that is making its way to America from off shore is being heavily subsidized. The imposition of tariffs over a 4-year period will demonstrate to foreign producers and governments that this administration is serious about addressing the problem of foreign excess steel capacity. And it is kind of ironic that our European allies, from what I understand, are not supportive of our heavy tariffs because they fear that if we are successful then they will be the target for the illegal dumping of steel and then they will have to deal with this issue. So we need to make sure that our allies and friends understand that steel is also a national security issue and it is important for us to have that domestic capability. The administration must take this lead in developing a plan to address the critical legacy costs which are preventing the industry from restructuring. The progress of the President's comprehensive steel strategy demonstrates once again his strong, decisive leadership on behalf of America, American workers and American families. It is now time to take the next step and implement a remedy that would be advantageous to the U.S. steel industry. I am confident that this Congress working with this President will provide help for those who have lost their jobs and benefits as a result of the bankruptcy of the steel industry. The 40 percent tariff that we suggest would bring the domestic steel industry back to a level playing field with foreign competitors and hopefully bring an end to the steel crisis in our country, not only for the factory itself, but for the workers, and not just for the current day workers but for the retirees. I appreciate all the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. English) has done on this behalf since the day he arrived here. We have made great inroads in working it together across the party lines and the caucus. And I am really proud of what the President has done with this issue. Now we want to him finish the job and get the work done.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, as an American of Lithuanian descent, I always come down to the floor around this time of year to commemorate Lithuanian Independence Day. The 16th of February is the most important national holiday for Lithuanians. Eighty-four years ago Lithuania declared their independence from Germany. At this time its government held two main principles, restore statehood and the right to national self- determination. Even after 50 plus years of Soviet occupation, these principles still hold true for Lithuania today. As soon as they established their independence in 1991, they have been working towards their goal towards NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. I am pleased that Lithuania has shown as much tenacity and discipline in its membership action plan program as it did towards achieving freedom. All indications show it will be a significant contributor towards the Alliance. Since 1994, over 1,000 Lithuania troops have served in NATO-led missions in the Balkans. Lithuania has expressed strong political and diplomatic support for the U.S. antiterrorist campaign, and it is ready to contribute its military and medical unit as part of the Czech hospital to the operation in Afghanistan and a military security unit within the Danish contingent to Kyrgyzstan as its practical contribution to the ``Enduring Peace'' operation. Moreover, Lithuania's current experience and positive relations with its neighbor, Russia, are poised to only get better once Lithuania receives an invitation to join NATO. I congratulate the people of Lithuania on their Independence Day for their hard work and perseverance, and I extend these greetings to all Americans of Lithuanian descent.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of American Heart Month. Sudden cardiac arrests lead to the death of over 230,000 Americans each year, including children. Take the case of Sean Morley, a 13-year- old boy from Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Playing baseball one day, a pitcher hurled a fast ball way inside and hit Sean in the chest. He immediately went into cardiac arrest. Thankfully, a nearby police officer was equipped with an automatic external defibrillator and was able to restore a normal heartbeat to the young ball player. Like Sean Morley, more lives could be saved if communities had access to automatic external defibrillators and were trained to use them. I have introduced legislation, along with my colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps), which would provide grants to communities to establish public access to defibrillator programs. The Senate unanimously passed companion legislation last Friday, and I urge the House to quickly bring this legislation to the floor. Mr. Speaker, 50,000 lives could be saved each year if more people implemented the chain of survival which includes the use of AEDs, or automatic external defibrillators.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Chairman, you have heard me say many times on this floor that freedom is not free, and it is paid for by the blood of our sons and daughters. This is a constitutional issue. This is a right of people to protect their right to keep and bear arms. Allowing people to have that discourse is critical in this constitutional Republic. I am proud that my constituents have called me today overwhelmingly in support of this amendment. I am going to be true to them. This is a pro-gun vote, and I want you to know and my constituents to know that I am standing up for the second amendment with this vote.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Tom Ryder, and all the great work he did as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives over the last 18 years. Mr. Ryder was born in 1949, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northern Illinois University, and received a Juris Doctor degree from Washington and Lee University. Then, in 1983, he was elected to the Illinois General Assembly as the Representative for the 97th District. There he served with honor and distinction until his recent retirement on November 13, 2001. He was the Deputy Republican Leader of the House and Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. In addition to his leadership responsibilities, he sponsored and cosponsored many important pieces of legislation, such as medical malpractice reform and the deterrence of welfare fraud and abuse. But his good works were not limited to the House floor--he was also a civic and community leader. Mr. Ryder was an active member of the Peace United Church of Christ, Chairman of the Jerseyville All-Weather Track Committee, founder of the Jersey Community High School Theatre Friends, former chairman of the United Way, and former co-chairman of the Jersey County Cancer Crusade Bike-A-Thon. He is truly a kind and industrious person. Mr. Speaker, we need more men like Tom Ryder. Not only has he admirably served both his country and his community for almost two decades in the Illinois General Assembly, but he also plans to continue his service after he retires, as Vice President of External Affairs with the Illinois Community College Board. For all of these things, he deserves the gratitude and well wishes of these chambers. May God bless him and grant him fortune in all his future endeavors.