Louise Slaughter

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to comment that there is censorship because the Democrats are not allowed amendments. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price). (Mr. PRICE of North Carolina asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay a special tribute to Richard J. Myers, a native son of Buffalo, New York. Richard J. Myers has devoted his entire career to the teaching, coaching, mentoring and overall development of our youth. Dick recently retired as an English teacher and the Head Basketball Coach for Gonzaga College High School after approximately 30 years of outstanding service. Coach Myers is credited with, among other things, taking a somewhat lackluster Gonzaga basketball program and transforming it to its current championship caliber. Mr. Speaker, in honor of his retirement, I am proud to recognize Dick Myers' legacy. His longstanding and tireless dedication to youth education and learning is without equal. As an athletic coach at Gonzaga College High School, he is regarded as an institution and treasure. Richard J. Myers was born in Buffalo, where a ``blue collar'' work ethic is the norm, and no one better personifies that strong ethic than Dick. While there is no doubt that Dick's inherent integrity, dedication to duty and commitment to community are qualities that were developed through the unselfish efforts of his parents and his family, there is little doubt that these attributes were nourished and allowed to blossom through his Jesuit education. The well-renowned teaching tradition of Jesuit educators, with a focus on the building of the ``whole man'' by equally focusing on mental, physical and spiritual growth, helped to lead Coach Dick Myers on his path of service to youth and his greatness as a teacher and coach. In addition to his work ethic, Dick maintains a modest manner. He will always let you know that it was his students and athletes who made him successful. However, it is undeniable and oft-repeated by his former students and players that it was largely Dick Myer's guidance, teaching, coaching and encouragement that opened the pathway to their personal and team achievements. Since his arrival at Gonzaga, Coach Myer's accomplishments are not only good grist for stories by sports enthusiasts of the Gonzaga community, but also can be measured in concrete and demonstrable facts. With his induction into the Gonzaga Hall of Fame on November 3, 2000, he was acclaimed as ``an extraordinary man of great talent and integrity'' with successes in the Gonzaga basketball program, including four WCAC championships and a DC City Title Championship. Significantly, an April 1999 Washingtonian Magazine article entitled ``Real Basketball,'' claims that under the tutelage of Coach Myers, the Gonzaga basketball team's third victory over DeMatha in 1999 was ``one of the most thrilling finishes of any sporting event in recent years.'' All of Dick's accomplishments would be too numerous to mention and, as is so often the case with the contributions of successful teachers and coaches, the true milestones of their achievements are, to a large degree, immeasurable. However, Coach Myers' recordbreaking mark as basketball coach at Gonzaga with a lifetime record of 714-362 provides some perspective into Dick's basketball coaching feats. Dick Myers, an outstanding athlete in his own student days, attended Canisius High School (CHS), a Jesuit institution in Buffalo. Dick was a three sports star at CHS, and received All-Catholic Honors in both basketball and baseball. He was also voted MVP for the Manhattan Cup Catholic League Championship game, won by CHS. In 1992, he was inducted into the CHS, Hall of Fame and was selected at the recipient of the prestigious ``John F. Barnes Memorial Trophy.'' He continued his academic and athletic successes at another fine Jesuit institution, LeMoyne College, in Syracuse, New York, graduating in 1964. At LeMoyne, he excelled in both basketball, helping to lead his basketball team to the NCAA playoffs in 1964, and in baseball, where his .300 batting average is still memorialized. In 1995, LeMoyne College honored Dick for his overall college level success by inducting him into the LeMoyne College Hall of Fame. Mr. Speaker, I know I can state unequivocally that Dick's family and the people of Buffalo are proud his many and varied accomplishments. More importantly, however, it is our country that should give praise to Dick Myers, and the many other dedicated teachers, coaches and youth mentors. Often in relative anonymity, these people have unselfishly dedicated their careers to a singular purpose of making our society and this great country a better place by their positive impact on our youth--our future.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Viktor A. Yushchenko on being sworn in as the President of Ukraine on January 23, 2005. After enduring personal hardships, President Yushchenko enters office as powerful symbol of victory over tyranny. His inauguration ends a bitter chapter in Ukraine's history and paves the way for the country to become a democratic leader in the former Soviet Union. As a founding member and former Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, I have regularly spoken out in favor of a democratic Ukraine. In 2002, I introduced a resolution urging the Government of Ukraine to ensure a democratic, transparent, and fair election process leading up to the March 2002 parliamentary elections. This resolution passed overwhelmingly and let the Ukrainian government know that the U.S. would not simply rubber-stamp aid to the Ukraine without also considering the serious issues involved in Ukraine's democratic development. Unfortunately Mr. Speaker, the former Ukrainian government continued to turn a blind-eye to the international community's insistence on truly democratic elections. The November 21 runoff presidential race was plagued by voter fraud, intimidation, and widespread use of counterfeit ballots. However, a truly significant event occurred after Viktor Yushchenko's opponent was initially declared the winner. Thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets in protest, surrounding the government buildings and refusing to leave until a new and fair election was announced. Their faith and determination was signified by the donning of orange scarves, and came to be known as the Orange Revolution. It was instrumental in forcing the Ukrainian government to hold new elections on December 26, which Yushchenko won handedly. I want to commend the Ukrainian people for their commitment to ending their political crisis in a peaceful and democratic way. The United States Congress stands ready to work with President Yushchenko as he undertakes the political and economic reforms necessary to bring about a bright future for Ukraine. I am hopeful, Mr. Speaker, that President Bush will soon invite President Yushchenko to Washington so that Congress can congratulate him and hear firsthand his vision for bringing about a reformed Ukraine dedicated to freedom and justice.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson- Lee). (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the minority leader.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green), a member of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Delahunt).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request to the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller). (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Mollohan), the ranking member of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. (Mr. MOLLOHAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, all over Washington and in the country, people are talking today about the majority's last-minute decision to abandon rules changes that would have eviscerated longstanding ethical guidelines in this House, and, with that, the integrity of the institution. And while in the end the majority was right to withdraw these provisions, they hardly deserve our congratulations. The Republicans simply succumbed to tough criticism from every major ethics group in Washington, several major news organizations and House Democrats. The rules changes in question were so egregious that rank- and-file Republicans would not support their leadership's plan. The proposals were so offensive that the Ethics Committee chairman broke with his own leadership on the issue. One of the changes would have permitted Members, indicted by a grand jury on felony counts, to continue to hold House leadership positions. The measure was similar to a conference rule the House Republican Conference passed last fall to protect its leadership in the event that one of them is indicted. The fact that they ever considered changing the rules of the House in this disgraceful manner is a sad commentary on the ethical compass of this body's leadership. They also planned to eliminate a 30-year standing rule that Members of Congress could be disciplined for actions that brought dishonor and discredit on this House, the people's House. This standard is similar to the one that exists for the men and women serving in our military. How could they even think about changing the House rules in this regard when to do so would mean demanding a higher ethical standard from an 18-year-old private in the Army than we who sit in this hallowed Chamber? How could we ask more from our young people than we ask of ourselves? It is hard to believe that there was a time in the not too distant past when the Republicans touted their high ethical and moral standards. Mr. Speaker, it seems to me that this entire episode has been a violation of the public trust. When Americans enter their voting booths and cast their ballots for Congress, they give us a very precious gift, their trust. American voters expect, and rightly so, that we as Members of Congress will conduct ourselves at the highest ethical standard and uphold democratic principles such as integrity and accountability. How can we as the guardians of democracy spread the values of self-governance across the world if we refuse to govern ourselves right here in this Chamber? Mr. Speaker, though we should all be relieved that the Republicans were shamed into abandoning the most overtly egregious provisions, the remaining ethics provisions in today's legislation will still destroy the House ethics process. I cannot say it more plainly than that. The ethics process will be destroyed. The tactics have changed, but the end result is the same. The House ethics system will be gutted. Mr. Speaker, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct is the only evenly divided committee in the House. As the rule stands today, if the five Republicans and five Democrats on the committee do not reach agreement about the merits of an ethics complaint, it is automatically referred to investigators. This approach was designed to take the partisan politics out of the equation and to ensure that meritorious complaints would be investigated regardless of the political winds of the day. Under the Republican rules package, one- half of the committee will now have the power to bury complaints, even the most meritorious ones. Under the rules package before us today, if the committee is deadlocked, the ethics complaint dies. This one provision gives the Republicans an enormous amount of control over who is and who is not investigated by the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. In practical terms, the Republicans have granted themselves veto power over any complaint it does not deem palatable. Mr. Speaker, this rules package would effectively eliminate the 45-day deadline the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct currently has to act on complaints. The 45-day requirement was designed to prevent ethics complaints from being buried away from public view and to ensure that those Members who should be held accountable for corruption would be. This provision ensures that no ethics complaint will move forward against a Republican without their leadership's consent. Mr. Speaker, we can be sure that if these rules changes had been in place in the last Congress, no ethics complaints would have seen the light of day. Under the Republicans, the ethical climate in Washington has eroded enormously. When I speak to constituents, I find myself telling them to forget what they learned in school about how a bill becomes a law. In times past, our laws were written to serve the public interest. But today the sad reality is that corporations like Enron write our Nation's policies. The Medicare drug bill that was rammed through Congress in the dead of night stands as a potent example of the ethical erosion of the House of Representatives. When the dust settled on the prescription drug vote, former Representative Billy Tauzin, the key author and then chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, had himself a $2-million-dollar-a-year job lobbying with the drug industry. After the ethical circus surrounding the prescription drug vote, this body should be acting to strengthen the ethics systems in this House, not to destroy it. We were even unable, Mr. Speaker, to ascertain from any official of the Federal Government how much the bill actually cost. The Republican rules package will reduce this committee to a paper tiger. The American people deserve much better than to have a ``for sale'' sign placed on the United States House of Representatives. They deserve to be able to trust their elected leaders and have faith in the integrity of this institution. They should be able to expect accountability from their government. Unfortunately, the lesson we have here today is if you have the power and you break the rules, you can just change the rules. Mr. Speaker, I know there are Members on the other side of the aisle, because I know them, who care greatly about the integrity of this Chamber, and I know that there are freshmen Members here today eager to cast their first vote on behalf of the constituents whose trust they hold and the Constitution they love. I challenge those new Members, and any other Republican who values integrity and the sanctity of the democratic process, to stand up for the values of those who trusted you to represent them. Mr. Speaker, at the close of this debate, I will be asking Members to vote ``no'' on the previous question so I can strike from the rules package language that would allow the Republicans to run out the clock on serious ethics complaints. Immediately following that vote, I will ask for a ``yes'' on a motion to commit the resolution so that we can add two important rules changes. The first would prohibit Members from negotiating lucrative job deals that capitalize on their committee membership. The other would guarantee that Members have at least 3 days to read a House report before voting on it. When bills are rushed to the floor, cobbled together at the last minute, warm from the machine, pages are missing or, worse, outrageous provisions are slipped in by committee staff. Lest we forget, the provision that opened up private taxpayers' records that was sneaked into last year's omnibus spending bill was by just such a staff member. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote to strike the egregious ethics changes in this package. We owe it to the constituents we serve, to this institution, and to the Constitution that we adore and revere to restore the ethics and integrity to the people's House. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I urge every Member of this House to vote no on the previous question. If the previous question is defeated, I will offer an amendment to strike from the proposed rules package a provision that effectively guts our already ailing ethics process. This provision would halt the investigation of properly filed ethics complaints if, after 45 days, the chair and ranking Member of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct have not set up an investigation committee. I urge the Members on both sides of the aisle to vote no on this previous question so we can delete this offensive provision. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment in the Record immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, after the vote on the previous question, I will call for a yes vote on the motion to commit. My motion to commit will prohibit sitting Members of Congress from negotiating for future employment with any person who has a direct interest in the legislation referred to any committee on which that Member serves. It also includes a rules change that would require a two-thirds vote in the House to waive the requirement in our standing rules that Members must have 3 days to read the committee reports. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert a statement as part of that immediately prior to the vote on the motion to commit.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I urge a no vote on the previous question. I call on all Members of this House, particularly the freshmen casting their first vote, please vote for ethics today. Do not vote against the Constitution. Vote for this House that you will love and revere as all of us do on both sides of the aisle. Please vote no on the previous question and vote yes on the motion to recommit. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion.

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

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my most sincere condolences to everyone affected by the devastating tsunami that ravaged Southeast Asia on December 26. My thoughts and prayers go out to those who perished that day and to their families. The destructive tsunami that shook Southeast Asia claimed the lives of over 156,000. Just this morning, I read the heart-wrenching story of a 13-year-old boy in Indonesia who lost his father, mother, and brother to the shocking natural disaster. Countless other families have been altered: thousands of children have lost their mothers and fathers, parents have lost their sons and daughters, men and women have lost their husbands and wives. The world has not seen a tragedy of this magnitude in decades, and my heart breaks for those who grieve the death of their family and friends. Despite the horrendous impact of this overwhelming tragedy, I am moved by the international outpouring of support and compassion to help the tsunami victims as they struggle to overcome the loss of loved ones and piece their lives together. The people of the world and of Southeast Asia have come together to take care of one another. Strangers, who themselves are struggling to find sufficient food and clean water, are taking in orphans who lost their families. International aid workers from countries, rich and poor, and large and small, have traveled to Southeast Asia to help provide essential materials to tsunami victims. Back in my district, a telethon hosted by a local television station along with efforts of the local branch of the American Red Cross helped Rochesterians raise $365,000 to help fund the disaster relief efforts. In Buffalo, various religious organizations have come together to raise money. The India Association of Buffalo raised $38,000 in a benefit held last Thursday and plans to continue fundraising. The number of people attempting to give money overwhelmed charity organizations collecting money for tsunami relief. Donations have ranged from $10 to thousands of dollars, and people from all economic brackets are giving what they can to help alleviate the suffering of their fellow fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, and children. When speaking of international natural disaster relief, President Dwight Eisenhower once said, ``These are deeds of peace. They speak more loudly than promises or protestations of peaceful intent.'' I hope that the worldwide generosity will continue until the need no longer exists, and that the solidarity among people from around the world will persist.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor the memory of former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, who was a national role model. I followed in the footsteps of Rep. Chisholm in several respects, having served both in the New York State Assembly and in the House of Representatives. To my knowledge, we are the only two Democratic women from New York State to have that distinction. Shirley Chisholm was a tireless advocate for social justice, and for that legacy our country will be eternally grateful. As the first black woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress and to run for president of the United States, Shirley Chisholm threw open the doors to greater opportunities for women and minorities. Along with Congresswoman Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan--also great women's rights leaders--Shirley Chisholm founded the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971. She also helped found the Congressional Black Caucus. Both of these organizations have served an important role in increasing representation of women and minorities in Congress. I think it is important to note her life-long passion for improving educational opportunities for our Nation's youth, carrying on this tradition after her years in Congress by serving as the Purington Professor at Mount Holyoke College. She also promoted increased assistance for urban areas, land rights for Native Americans, fair treatment of Haitian refugees, and more help for working-class families trying to make ends meet. I join together with our Nation in honoring her life's work. Along with my colleagues, I cosponsored a Congressional resolution today that would honor her life. This resolution will help ensure that her legacy and the positive momentum that she initiated through her work would continue, and I urge the House to bring this resolution up for a vote without delay.