Adam Schiff

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solemn remembrance of Ms. Mary Hamilton of Glendale, California. Mary Hamilton served as President of the Board of Trustees of Glendale Community College and passed away late in the evening of February 4, 2002. Mary's life was distinguished by her tireless service to her community and my prayers are with her family this day as they mourn the loss of such a great woman. Mary Hamilton was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, the granddaughter of the local congressman. She moved to Glendale after World War II and attended local Glendale schools, graduating from Hoover High School. She earned a business degree from the University of Southern California. Her professional life was marked by much distinction. She served as the controller of Artisan House, Inc., as a portfolio manager with Salomon Smith Barney, and in 1990 opened her own investment-counseling firm in Glendale, which today is part of Clifford Associates, the oldest investment firm in the United States. But what I believe Mary Hamilton would be most proud of were her efforts on behalf of the community. Her community involvement was without rival. She was the past President and Founder of the YWCA of Glendale Housing Corporation, a non-profit organization, which owns and manages the YWCA's transitional housing project in Glendale for battered and homeless women and children. She served at one time as the President of the Verdugo Hills Business and Professional Women's Organization and as a board member with the Kiwanis Club of Glendale, the Verdugo Club, the Glendale Adventist Medical Center Foundation, and the Glendale Salvation Army. In the past few years she has served on the Board of Directors of the Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center and the Women's Enterprise Development Corporation. She was honored as Woman of the Year by the Glendale Chamber of Commerce and served on the Alex Regional Theater board, which transformed the Alex Theatre from a closed movie theatre into a performing arts venue. The community she served for so long will truly miss her. They will not only miss the endless efforts of Ms. Hamilton in making her community a better place to live but they will also miss the way in which she performed her service. She opened doors and opportunities to so many who would have otherwise gone without. She was a remarkable woman whose spirit of selfless giving carries on with the lives of the people she touched and the work that she did to make Glendale the outstanding community it is today. I ask that all Members of Congress join me today in remembering the life of a woman whose generosity showed no limits and whose service affected the lives of many. She will be missed by her family and all of us.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an outstanding citizen of California's 27th Congressional District, Ms. Elizabeth Brown Calleton. Ms. Calleton has served as the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Pasadena for nearly twenty-two years and has been a positive force in this Congressional District for much longer. Ms. Calleton began her journey with Planned Parenthood of Pasadena as an Administrative Assistant in 1972 after having received her undergraduate degree in government from Smith College and her masters degree in public law and government from Columbia University in 1962. She quickly rose to the position of Associate Director in 1974 and shortly thereafter in 1979 became the Executive Director or what is today known as the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Pasadena. Her commitment to enhancing the lives of women in our community has never wavered. Over the last thirty years she has served on no less than seven boards and committees which are devoted to improving the status of women in the 27th Congressional District and throughout our nation. As the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Pasadena she has dedicated herself to ensuring that women have accessible family planning options and she has worked tirelessly to position women's health issues at the top of our national agenda. I know I am not alone when I say that the women of California's 27th Congressional District could not find a stronger and more loyal ally than Elizabeth Brown Calleton. So I ask all Members to join me in wishing congratulations to Ms. Calleton for her unending service to our community. I am sure that each person positively affected by Ms. Calleton's service will join me in wishing her much joy in the years to come and thank her for her time, her energy, and her efforts.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, Nancy has asked us all to be brief and therefore I will be. After all, she is the whip. Nancy, you are the greatest. Thank you for the passion you bring to your office. Thank you for all you have done to improve the quality of life for America's families and our most precious resource, our children. Thank you for all you have contributed to the Congress, for your advice and counsel to Members, old and new. And, America, get ready. If you do not know Nancy Pelosi yet, you are going to love what you see. Congratulations, Nancy. You make us all proud. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Tonight I join my colleagues in expressing my concern about the President's budget proposal. We applaud the President for outlining the priorities of beefing up homeland security and strengthening our national defense. What our troops have done halfway around the world in Afghanistan is nothing short of miraculous, and it is our obligation and our responsibility to make sure that the men and women in uniform have every tool at their disposal to win the war on terrorism and win it convincingly. But the President has also proposed in his budget new levels of domestic spending and more than half a trillion dollars of additional tax cuts. One critical issue has been left out of this budget and that is, how do we pay for all of this? So many American families are facing the challenge of making ends meet, especially during this recession. American families are struggling to live within their means, and it is our responsibility as the Federal Government to do the same. We must find a way to balance the budget and remain steadfast in our commitment to fiscal discipline. The new budget reports indicate that the government will return to deficit spending and raid all of the Medicare surplus and further raid the Social Security trust fund by more than $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years. This should be cause for great concern for our Nation's long- term economic well-being. We are, I fear, at risk of making the same mistakes we made 2 decades ago when we began a vicious cycle of deficit spending and burdened ourselves with terrible debt and crushing debt service. We are at risk of ignoring the lessons of our protracted climb out of debt during the 1980s and 1990s and the enormous economic benefits that the return to fiscal responsibility brought this Nation. Having failed to learn from that history, we are now perilously close to repeating it. Even now, credible voices within the administration are saying that debt simply does not matter. How soon we forget. During the debate last year, Congress and the President agreed that the Social Security trust fund surplus would be put in a lock box and saved to prepare for the retirement of the baby boomers. The new projections show that this promise will not be kept. Unfortunately, the new projections show return of budget deficits, of borrowing from Social Security, and a rapidly increasing national debt. Soon, very soon, the administration will be before this Congress asking us to raise the limit on the national debt; for permission, in effect, to open the Social Security lock box and throw away the key until one day, too far in the haze of our tomorrows to see now, we may find that key again. Now, it is reasonable and appropriate to run temporary deficits during a recession and wartime, and we all fully support the President's efforts in this war on terrorism. However, under responsible fiscal policy, the temporary deficits incurred during a period of economic weakness and war must be offset by a return to budget surpluses when conditions improve. The government is projected to run on budget deficits that will require the government to raid the Social Security and Medicare trust funds for the rest of the decade, even before, even before additional spending increases for defense and homeland security are even counted. We need a plan for the long-term budget that brings us back to fiscal responsibility. We are spending money now faster than it is coming in; and in doing so, we are risking the long-term solvency of the Federal budget and, worse, we are simply mortgaging our children's future. Because our great Nation is faced with the challenges of protecting our national security, both at home and abroad during this time of war, we need to make tough choices in addressing the budget outlook. We need simply a wartime budget, one that meets our national defense and homeland security needs, and one, like in past wars, that calls on Americans for something they are willing to give, if asked; something they, in fact, yearn to be asked for in plain and candid terms, and that is sacrifice. Yet, this administration and this Congress has not called on the American people for sacrifice; not yet. Not with a budget that says we can have our cake and eat it too. We must keep our Nation strong, and we will; but we should not force our children to pay for it. The price of freedom is high, as President Kennedy once said; and Americans have always been willing to pay it. We pay it still. We must sacrifice now for our children's future so we do not mortgage that future. While we stand in support of the President's efforts in this war on terrorism, we also must challenge our colleagues in Congress and in the administration to effectively address these economic circumstances and, working together in a bipartisan way, to return to a balanced budget, responsible fiscal discipline, and keep that Social Security trust fund sacred.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in order to honor the many Catholic elementary schools and high schools through the 27th Congressional District of California, which I am proud to represent. On January 27th, a weeklong celebration of Catholic Schools will begin. Catholic Schools Week is sponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association and the United States Catholic Conference and recognizes the outstanding educational contributions of America's catholic schools. The Catholic schools in my district are acclaimed for their academic excellence and are committed to an education which emphasizes the lifelong development of intellectual, social, and moral values. Catholic schools boast a 95 percent graduation rate and 83 percent of Catholic school graduates pursue college degrees. These impressive statistics are certainly a testament to the Catholic school concept of life-long learning. While Catholic schools set high educational standards, they are also vigorously pursuing the idea that their students must be committed to their community. Catholic school students are responsible for countless hours of volunteer service not only to their individual Catholic communities but also to our community in general. I can certainly attest to the values of a Catholic school education, as three members of my staff are graduates of both Catholic elementary schools and high schools. The Catholic schools of my district play a pivotal role in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for our nation. And so it is with pride in representing such valuable institutions that I ask all Members to join me in congratulating the Catholic schools of the 27th Congressional District and our entire Nation.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution and urge my fellow citizens to join the mentoring program near where they live. Several years ago when I was a State senator in Sacramento, we had a hearing at which Father Greg Boyle testified. Father Boyle works with at-risk youth in Los Angeles, and he was asked if he could point to any one thing that distinguished those young people from at-risk backgrounds that led to their success, that was a cause for their high achievement; and he said that they all had two common characteristics: they got a job, and they had a mentor. They had the dignity, the discipline, the hope that comes from work; and they had a mentor, someone who cared whether they succeeded or failed. It might have been a member of the clergy, a parent, a grandparent, a probation officer or a teacher, but someone who cared about what happened to that child's life. Those words had such an air of truth about them, I have kept them with me to this day. Mr. Speaker, 15 years ago I became a mentor. I walked into the Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles; and I was matched with a young man, then 7 years old, David McMillan. It was one of the best days of my life when I became a Big Brother. We started out going to the beach, the movies, roller skating and going to the park, or reading or talking with each other. He would give me criticism of my music taste, and I would accept it. We would spend time just catching up on each other's lives; and we have become in a very short space of time, family to each other, and we have shared in each other's successes and failures and trials and tribulations. It has been one of the best additions to my life. So while I cannot speak from the point of view of a mentee, I can speak from the point of view of a mentor about how it enriches the life of the mentor. David is doing phenomenally well. He graduated from Yale University and is now a graduate student at USC where he is an aspiring film maker. I am frequently asked whether, but for my influence in David's life, do I think he would have gone on to Yale University. And after much reflection, I have to say no. I think he would have gone on to Harvard University, which is, of course, the cruelest thing one can say to a Yalie. So if David is watching, I got him again. But this has more than a grain of truth in it. David is an exceptional young man, and he comes from an exceptional family. David would have done well under any circumstance; but there are many, many young people who really need the benefit of a mentor, need the benefit of someone in their lives to help them gain direction, gain a sense of self-worth, a sense of purpose, and most important of all, a sense of being loved by someone else. I hope this resolution today will encourage more Americans to become mentors to make a contribution. Much of what we do, whether in Congress or in our private jobs or in teaching or in any profession, we hope makes a positive difference in lives; but the result is often intangible and unknown. I encourage my colleagues to become a mentor because the results are very tangible, seen every day in the face of the young person mentored. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis) for being our Democratic floor manager.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) for his leadership on this issue, and I would also like to extend my appreciation to the chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), for introducing this bill and for all of his leadership on this issue. I am proud to serve as a member of the Subcommittee on Crime where the bill was first heard, and also to be a cosponsor of H.R. 3209. Mr. Speaker, our communities are struggling every day to meet the demands of our citizens and prepare for all kinds of potential terrorist attacks. They are working around the clock to develop and strengthen protocols to respond swiftly and safely in the event of an attack. But our communities are doing all of this with very limited resources. Every time a threat is identified, authorities spring into action, donning protective gear, bolstering hospital staffing, coordinating local, State, and Federal efforts, and calling upon additional law enforcement personnel to respond. These reports from our citizens are critical. We certainly want to encourage people to continue to be vigilant and report suspicious activity. A false alarm, however, is a false alarm. But every time a suspected threat turns out to be a hoax, it costs the taxpayers an enormous amount. In Los Angeles, a man who phoned in an anthrax threat because he wanted to avoid appearing in bankruptcy court that day, his call succeeded in shutting down the court and the courthouse, and cost taxpayers $600,000. In addition to closing down the very functioning of government, it is a tremendous waste of our precious resources. The resources that could be going into prevention and training are wasted. The manpower that is required to respond to a hoax is wasted. The funding that could be used to hire additional emergency personnel is wasted. While millions of dollars are going into the effort to combat terrorism, we frankly do not have a dollar to waste. We simply cannot allow reports that come from hoaxes to clog up the investigation of other potentially life-threatening dangers. Our citizens need to be acutely aware that hoaxes have consequences. It shakes our sense of safety; the fear that many citizens are struggling to cope with continues to grow as a result of hoaxes; there are financial consequences; and there are community consequences. There ought to be criminal consequences. The Anti-Hoax Terrorism Act of 2001, H.R. 3209, would create criminal and civil penalties for falsely reporting a chemical, biological, or nuclear threat. This would include threats that are in written or verbal form, as well as those communicated through physical actions. It is legislation that should not be necessary, but, regrettably, is certainly needed now. Those who would prey on the fears of the American public should be punished. As America works to regain its footing and return to as much of a normal life as possible, hoaxes only serve as a cruel joke on the American public. Those who would commit the ultimate prank on this Nation must be aware that they are, in effect, serving as accomplices to terrorism. They are interrupting murder investigations, and they are obstructing justice. According to the FBI, there are an estimated 7,000 agents spread out across the country investigating possible sources and suspects in the anthrax attacks. Can we really afford to have even one of those agents pulled off the killer's trail because of a hoax? Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow these hoaxes to go unchallenged. We do not have a minute to waste, we do not have a dollar to waste, we do not have an investigator to waste, we do not have a citizen to waste. The time for anti-hoax legislation is now. I urge the House to adopt the strongest possible measure. Again, I want to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman from Texas (Chairman Smith) for bringing this bill to the floor today. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Little White Chapel in Burbank, CA. The congregation will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Little White Chapel on December 2, 2001. Founded on Sunday, December 28, 1941, the Little White Chapel has been serving its congregation for 60 years now. In 1941, the Little White Chapel was built even before it had a single member and well before the congregation had been organized. The Greater Los Angeles Church Federation to the Christian Church, guided by the philosophy of, ``Build it and they will come,'' held Little White Chapel Day in 1941 and with the proceeds, erected the current day church. The first church services were held on Sunday, December 28, 1941, where Dr. Clifford A. Cole presented the church to the people of Burbank and opened its doors to all who would come. As the years went by, the church was able to add Sunday school rooms, a social hall, a kitchen, an annex for overflow crowds, and a Sanctuary. Throughout the years, the congregation has taken an active role in volunteering and working in the surrounding community of Burbank. The church's congregation has initiated the Good Samaritan Fund to help members of the community in times of distress and need. The fund has given over 36 percent of its funds to causes beyond the local church, especially those dealing with interfaith approaches to alleviating the causes of racism, poverty, hunger, and homelessness. So today, I ask all Members of Congress to join me in congratulating the Little White Chapel and its congregation on the celebration of their 60th anniversary and thank them for their outstanding participation and service to our community.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the House to pass hate crimes legislation before we recess this year. We are a Nation still at war. We are a Nation still healing, and we are still standing strong as a people unified. The events of September 11 have brought out the very finest in what America stands for. Communities have rallied around its law enforcement officers, neighbors have come together, individuals have stopped by a fire station to say a word of thanks. In many ways we have celebrated our diversity and united as a Nation. Unfortunately, some have taken the events of September 11 to act violently towards those who may appear different from the majority. Since September 11 there have been 1,200 recorded deaths, assaults, discrimination, bomb threats or intimidation against men, women, children and families who look like or are Arab or Muslim Americans. At a time when we are fighting a war against terrorism and hatred, we have a golden opportunity to show the world that we celebrate our diversity; that every American citizen or everyone who visits here will not be in danger because of their national origin or religious faith; that we will not allow these acts of terror to divide us; that we are one Nation under God, indivisible and we will stay that way.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in welcoming today's distinguished guest chaplain, Rabbi Carole Meyers, and thank her for leading the House in prayer. As Rabbi Emerita of Temple Sinai in Glendale, California, Rabbi Meyers has distinguished herself as a community leader. Over the past 15 years, Rabbi Meyers has served at Glendale's Temple Sinai, one of the most thriving synagogues in the area. During her tenure at Temple Sinai, the congregation nearly doubled in size, boosting its education programs for both children and adults. Rabbi Meyers significantly raised the profile of the temple through her extensive community involvement. Over the past few years, Rabbi Meyers has been involved with Habitat for Humanity and the Glendale Community Foundation. She served on the Mayor's Task Force on Hate Crimes, helping to craft a citywide response plan to hate crimes. Rabbi Meyers also trained as a chaplain for the Glendale Police Department and helped to create an annual AIDS Awareness Prayer Service with other Glendale religious leaders. Though Rabbi Meyers retired this past June in order to devote more time to her family, her influence on her community can still be felt. Today, especially in this time of national tragedy, the warmth of her words have indeed found a new meaning. We are all proud to welcome Rabbi Meyers here today as a guest chaplain.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my continuing concern over the economic stimulus package passed in the House and to urge my colleagues in the Senate to put forth a more balanced, effective stimulus that will stimulate our economy in the short and long term and provide help to those who have been most affected by the events of September 11. We need a smaller, more targeted, more temporary and more bipartisan stimulus package. Congress should act to restore consumer and investor confidence in the safety, security and solvency of America. We cannot use the economic predicament or the war as an opportunity to merely revisit priorities and agendas we advocated before September 11, thus spiraling Congress into budget-busting deficit spending. This would threaten the fiscal discipline that prompted much of the 1990s' economic boom. Already, long-term interest rates remain high despite the Federal Reserve's cut in short-term rates because of market concerns that deficit spending is making a comeback. We must concentrate on boosting the economy by doing everything possible to restore confidence in the management of our government, in the prosecution of the war, and in the development of a stronger and more secure nation. We should not be providing more of a tax cut for the wealthiest Americans, who have already enjoyed their fair share of tax cuts this year or for the Nation's most powerful corporations. Renewed fiscal discipline is important because we must maintain our standing in the world financial markets and ensure the solvency of the stock market. Further, we do not know yet how much this war on terrorism will cost. We must make sure that our military personnel are well-equipped and well-trained and, as Secretary Rumsfeld has stated, this is a marathon, not a sprint. We need to be prepared to support the cost of a long war without spending erroneously at the outset. But perhaps most importantly, we need to stimulate the economy by putting money in the hands of people who will spend it immediately. This is the true meaning of an economic stimulus. We need to focus on ensuring unemployment relief, training and reemployment opportunities for workers laid off as a result of the terrorist attacks. We also need to help the unemployed maintain their health insurance and provide relief for laid-off workers who would otherwise slip through the cracks in the current unemployment insurance system. By providing unemployment benefits and health care coverage to those laid-off workers, we will be targeting those who are most likely to spend and, thus, most likely to help in reviving the economy. If you give financial assistance, whether it is tax cuts or unemployment insurance, to people who can put the money in savings, they are not going to spend it; it is not going to stimulate the economy. If you provide unemployment or health benefits to a laid-off worker, they are going to spend it immediately. The rent is not discretionary. Food is not discretionary. Medicine is not discretionary. This is an effective economic stimulus. I have introduced legislation that I believe can be an essential component of these efforts to help those affected by September 11. My bill, the COBRA Coverage Act of 2001, would provide a 50 percent tax credit toward COBRA coverage for laid-off workers. We simply cannot allow so many hard-working Americans and their families to go uninsured. We must find a way to make COBRA coverage more affordable for the thousands of laid-off workers trying to recover from the September 11 attacks. This bill does exactly that. The COBRA Coverage Act of 2001 provides continuing health care coverage for laid-off workers at half the price. Under this legislation, laid-off workers would be eligible for a tax credit of 50 percent towards the COBRA coverage premium, receiving an immediate benefit, not having to wait till the end of the year to claim the tax credit. Nearly identical legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Jeffords, Lincoln, Chafee, Bayh and Snowe. Our bipartisan effort will ensure that American families can afford to remain insured in case of sickness or injury. We must take the lead in ensuring that the thousands of hardworking Americans who have fallen victim to the effects of September 11 are not further set back by a lack of health insurance. We must remain diligent in our efforts to protect the American people, and that starts right here in the U.S. Congress. Our commitment to sound, effective government must be reflected in our ability to provide relief to laid off workers and jump start the economy during our war on terrorism. I urge my colleagues to join me in this effort to make COBRA coverage more affordable for laid off workers and to offer the people of this country an economic stimulus package that actually works.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to honor the memory of Representative Julian Dixon by strongly supporting the redesignation of the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Los Angeles, California, as the ``Congressman Julian C. Dixon Post Office Building.'' Born in Washington, D.C., Dixon moved to Los Angeles where he attended California State University at Los Angeles and earned a law degree at Southwestern University. A bold, consistent voice for minority rights, Dixon devoted his life to serving Los Angeles, D.C., and the country as a whole. Starting out as an attorney, he spent three years in the California State Legislature where he rose to the post of chairman of the Assembly's Democratic Caucus before running to represent the area of west Los Angeles in the U.S. Congress. Once there, he tirelessly served his district, which stretches from Koreatown to Culver City and from Cheviot Hills to Crenshaw, for eleven impressive terms. Dixon served on the Ethics and Appropriations Committees, was the ranking Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and chaired the subcommittee overseeing the District of Columbia. Additionally, he served as a chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. He was a relentless, charismatic leader of civil rights, education, and urban development and loyally committed to his constituents. A perfect example of this is the effort he put forth in 1994 to introduce and spearhead the passage of a bill providing $8.6 billion in relief for Los Angeles earthquake victims. Because this bill specifically forbade discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, it set a precedent as the first language banning discrimination based on sexual orientation being included in federal law. However, this was not the only time he set precedent. While on the Appropriations Committee, he successfully lead the fight for federal funding of Los Angeles area public transportation measures--specifically its much-needed Metro Rail subway project. Additionally, he responded to constituents needs by making constant inroads on crime and gang prevention, by committing himself to improving Los Angeles schools, and by obtaining a ``dire emergency'' supplemental appropriations bill after the Los Angeles riots to meet emergency needs in his district and other affected areas. Julian Dixon is a true example of the difference one person's passion can make upon the lives of the American people and the way government works. His life-long commitment to improving his city and country is truly commendable and will not be forgotten.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support the bill before us today because it allows states and localities to develop programs on juvenile justice, according to the needs of their own communities. It is a credit to Crime Subcommittee Chairman Lamar Smith and Ranking Member Bobby Scott that we were able to improve this bill with an amendment I offered in Committee. The amendment requires a strong assessment component to any program funded by this bill. My amendment requires all applicants to provide information up front detailing how they will evaluate the success of their program. It requires an assessment to be undertaken at appropriate intervals (each year). These assessment will be submitted by the states or localities to the Department of Justice. The Attorney General could waive this requirement if an assessment would not be practical (i.e. building a facility) or if an assessment requirement would prove to be cost prohibitive. From these assessments, the Attorney General would submit a report to Congress on the progress of funded programs. The funding for these assessments comes out of their existing grant money, but I'm sure you would agree that is it important to be able to identify any unsuccessful program. As a former federal prosecutor, I have seen the successes and failures of programs designed to improve the juvenile justice system. It is critical that we evaluate programs we fund to ensure their effectiveness in achieving their stated goals. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. And I again want to commend the Leadership of both parties for bringing this bill before us today.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word to engage in a colloquy with my colleague from California. Mr. Chairman, I had intended to offer an amendment designed to correct an inequity in current law which penalizes students who attend low-cost colleges. Since 1973, the Federal Pell Grant program has helped nearly 80 million low- and middle-income students pay for college. At just one community college in my district, Glendale Community College, about 3,500 students receive Pell grants each year. And while their tuition may be less than $1,000 for an academic year, the full cost of attendance for a 9-month academic year is estimated to be over $5,600; and that is for a student living at home with parents or relatives. Unfortunately, these students and others at community colleges in California do not receive the full Pell grant award. At these colleges, books can often surpass the cost of tuition; and add to that other costs and fees of higher education, and there is an enormous burden on the lowest-income students. The tuition sensitivity provision unfairly penalizes these students in States like California, which have kept tuition low by strong State support for higher education. These are the poorest students at the least expensive schools. My colleagues might be wondering why they have not heard of the tuition-sensitivity provision. The answer is that right now this rule only affects California students. However, as the Pell grant increases, the tuition-sensitivity rule will limit financial aid to students in other States, like Texas, North Carolina, Arkansas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, just to name a few. By repealing the tuition-sensitivity trigger, we assure fairness and equity; we incentivize States to support higher education, not back away from funding. I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon), for all his work on this issue and his willingness to work together in the reauthorization process. He has done an extraordinary job for the students of California.

Mr. SCHIFF. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague for all his effort on behalf of the students in California and around this country. I very much look forward to working with him. I also want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for their consideration today.

Mr. SCHIFF. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce the introduction of a piece of legislation that I believe is an essential component of our efforts to help those affected by the attacks of September 11th. My bill, the COBRA Coverage Act of 2001, will provide a 50 percent tax credit toward COBRA coverage for laid-off workers. I believe this is the best way for us to ensure that the thousands of Americans recently laid-off do not go without health insurance. Under current law, commonly referred to as COBRA, workers who are laid off are allowed to remain in their employer-based health insurance plan for up to 18 months, provided they pay the full premium for the plan (their share plus the employer share) plus a small administrative fee. The problem is, the full premium for employment-based coverage averages almost $2,500 per year for self-only coverage and about $6,500 per year for family coverage. Since COBRA coverage is very expensive, many laid-off workers let their insurance lapse, gambling that they won't get sick or injured before they find another job. We cannot continue to allow so many hard- working Americans and their families to go uninsured. We must find a way to make COBRA coverage more affordable for the thousands of laid- off workers trying to recover from the September 11th attacks. And my bill does exactly that. The COBRA Coverage Act of 2001 provides continuing health care coverage for laid-off workers at half the price. Under this legislation, laid-off workers would be eligible for a tax credit for 50 percent toward the COBRA coverage premium. The credit would be limited to a maximum of $110 for an individual and $290 for a family per month, and would be administered by the employer. This way, workers can receive an immediate benefit and would not have to wait until the end of the year to claim tax credit. Now, more than ever, we must ensure that American families can afford to remain insured in case of sickness or injury. We must take the lead in ensuring that the thousands of hard-working Americans who have fallen victim to the effects of the September 11th attacks are not set back even further by the lack of health insurance. I urge my colleagues to join me in this effort to make COBRA coverage more affordable for our laid-off workers.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center. On October 7, 2001, the hospital will celebrate its 75th Anniversary at its 14th annual Evening of Wine & Ross celebration. The hospital's origins date back to 1926 when on January 13th Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center opened as Physicians and Surgeons Hospital with 47 beds. The hospital underwent three separate expansions in 1942, 1956, and 1968 making it better equipped to treat the growing population of the foothill communities. In 1955 the hospital's name was changed to Memorial Hospital of Glendale and then again changed in 1986 to its current name, Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health center. The hospital has always shown a commitment to improving its facilities and increasing its level of care. In 1987, the Glendale Memorial Cancer Center was completed. This state of the art center is devoted solely to the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer. In 1992, the hospital took on the challenge of treating some of the area's most critical patients with the completion of the Heart and Emergency Center. Even today, the hospital continues its expansion. Scheduled to be completed in the Fall of 2002 is the Orthopedic Center as well as an addition to the Cancer Center. I am proud to represent such an exceptional institution. With an outstanding staff of 1,250 full time employees and 562 physicians representing 63 specialties, it is no wonder that in 2000 the Heart center at the Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center was named as one of the top #100 heart centers in the country. So today, I ask all Members of Congress to join me in congratulating Catholic Healthcare West, the Glendale Memorial Hospital, the Health center Board of Directors, and all the physicians and staff on their outstanding service to our community and wish them much success as they join in celebrating the Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center's 75th Anniversary.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Southern California community of La Canada Flintridge. On December 8, the city will celebrate its 25th year of cityhood. In 1843, in the wake of the Mexican Revolution, Ignacio Coronel, a Mexican schoolteacher from Los Angeles, was granted a valley named ``Rancho La Canada.'' Later, U.S. Senator Frank Flint divided 1,700 acres south of modern-day Foothill Boulevard into large lots and called his subdivision ``Flintridge.'' Eventually, the valley came to be known as ``La Canada Flintridge,'' as it is called today. La Canada Flintridge experienced its most rapid growth during the 20th Century. A diverse and resourceful collection of farmers, professionals, intellectuals, and ranchers toiled to develop a prosperous city. To this day La Canada Flintridge reflects their hard work. It is a city with extensive cultural resources and an educated population that has never abandoned the vision of its founders of successful small-town life. La Canada Flintridge is a bustling suburb with several important landmarks. The most recognizable institution in La Canada Flintridge is the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the world's leading center for robotic exploration of the solar system, which is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology. La Canada Flintridge is also home to Descanso Gardens, a 165-acre botanical garden famous throughout the nation. The city also provides its citizens a full range of vital services and an excellent education in an independent school district. On this 25th anniversary of the incorporation of La Canada Flintridge, I offer my sincere congratulations to the city and its residents. La Canada Flintridge exemplifies the American dream of a diverse coalition of individuals and families working together to secure business success, a high quality of life, and the friendliness and cooperation that is a hallmark of America's small-town suburbs.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Southern California community of La Canada Flintridge. On December 8, the city will celebrate its 25th year of cityhood. In 1843, in the wake of the Mexican Revolution, Ignacio Coronel, a Mexican schoolteacher from Los Angeles, was granted a valley named ``Rancho La Canada.'' Later, U.S. Senator Frank Flint divided 1,700 acres south of modern-day Foothill Boulevard into large lots and called his subdivision ``Flintridge.'' Eventually, the valley came to be known as ``La Canada Flintridge,'' as it is called today. La Canada Flintridge experienced its most rapid growth during the 20th Century. A diverse and resourceful collection of farmers, professionals, intellectuals, and ranchers toiled to develop a prosperous city. To this day La Canada Flintridge reflects their hard work. It is a city with extensive cultural resources and an educated population that has never abandoned the vision of its founders of successful small-town life. La Canada Flintridge is a bustling suburb with several important landmarks. The most recognizable institution in La Canada Flintridge is the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the world's leading center for robotic exploration of the solar system, which is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology. La Canada Flintridge is also home to Descanso Gardens, a 165-acre botanical garden famous throughout the nation. The city also provides its citizens a full range of vital services and an excellent education in an independent school district. On this 25th anniversary of the incorporation of La Canada Flintridge, I offer my sincere congratulations to the city and its residents. La Canada Flintridge exemplifies the American dream of a diverse coalition of individuals and families working together to secure business success, a high quality of life, and the friendliness and cooperation that is a hallmark of America's small-town suburbs.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, a secondary blast at the Pentagon rocked my building as I prepared to leave for the Capitol. I walked down East Capitol while people streamed out of the House Office Buildings and passed me on the street. The Capitol Hill police were cordoning off the area, sirens wailing in the background; no one was permitted further entry and Members of Congress were barred from their own offices. Another hijacked plan was in the air and one presumed destination was another target in the Capitol. The Members of Congress, gathering at police headquarters to be briefed and set up makeshift offices, recalled Pearl Harbor. I thought of the Battle of Britain and Hitler's indiscriminate bombings of London. Churchill's words still so powerfully resonant. ``He hopes by killing large numbers of civilians and women and children that he will terrorize and cow the people of this mighty imperial city . . . . Little does he know the spirit of the British nation or the tough fiber of the Londoners . . . who have been bred to value freedom far above their lives.'' So true of America. Little do these petty tyrants and murderers know the spirit of the American people or the tough fiber of the New Yorkers, our defense workers, or the civilians who may have spared further casualties by taking down the hijackers and their own plane above Pennsylvania. Firefighters and police officers by the hundreds rushing into the collapsing wreckage of the World Trade Center to rescue the victims, many, God bless them, so many, losing their lives in the process. One firefighter, inured and lying in the hospital, telling the Governor of New York: ``What d'ya expect? We're New Yorkers.'' God, they make me proud. American doctors, nurses, search and rescue teams from all over the country, by car, bus and train, using any means to come to the wounded and offer their help. Citizens all over the country lining up to donate blood, so much blood, in lines up to four hours long. Children outside the federal building in Oklahoma, site of another terrorist attack, putting their Teddy Bears in a The face of this tyrant is new, and yet not so new. Like Hitler, he abhors a free society and democratic institutions. He is willing to kill innocent men, women and children to further his perverse aims; there are no means too inhuman, no tactic too appalling to further his ends. He thinks we are weak, because we do not tell our citizens what to think, how to act, whom to worship. Because we tolerate dissent. He does not realize this is our strength. And he has awoken the sleeping giant. ``What he has done,'' as Churchill had said, ``is to kindle a fire in [American] hearts here and all over the world which will glow long after all traces of the conflagrations he has caused in [New York, Washington and Pennsylvania] have been removed.'' What these petty tyrants do not understand, have never understood, is that for all our rough-and-tumble public discourse, we are one people, acting under one President, and capable of greater single-mindedness of purpose in times of adversity than any repressive regime. These acts of terror will not divide us. All Americans--young, old, Democrats, Republicans, men, women, Christians, Moslems and Jews--are united against the common foe. We will not be turned against each other. We will not tolerate acts of violence against Moslem Americans, many of whom lost their lives, serve as police and firefighters in the rescue effort, and all of whom are equally repelled at these atrocities. We will not relinquish our freedoms of speech, assembly and religion, nor sacrifice our precious right of privacy or way of life. ``The price of freedom is high, and Americans have always paid it,'' President Kennedy said. We pay it still. This is the Battle of America. The enemy may be new, but the fight has always been the same. Our government, our democracy is predicated on basic human freedoms, on the right of the governed to control their own national destiny. The civil war tested whether any nation so conceived could long endure. We have endured. We will go on, with growing confidence that we can fight terrorism wherever we find it, and strengthened by the conviction that the generation of Americans now being tested will not falter or flag.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, tonight we authorize the President to use all necessary and appropriate military force against any nation, organization or person responsible for the terrible attacks of September 11, or anyone who harbors such individuals. Make no mistake; it is a broad delegation of authority to make war on those who have attacked us. We do not do so lightly or without consideration for the weighty consequences of our act. After the attacks of this week, many Americans recalled Pearl Harbor. I thought of the Battle of Britain and Hitler's indiscriminate bombings of London, Churchill's words still so powerfully resonant: ``He hopes by killing so many numbers of civilians and women and children that he will terrorize and cow the people of this mighty imperial city. Little does he know the spirit of the British nation or the tough fiber of the Londoners who have been bred to value freedom above their own lives.'' So true of America. Little do these petty tyrants and murderers know the spirit of the American people or the tough fiber of the New Yorkers, our defense workers, or the civilians who spared further casualties by taking down the hijackers and their own plane over Pennsylvania. The face of this tyrant is new and yet not so new. Like others before him, he abhors a free society and democratic institutions. He is willing to kill innocent men, women and children to further his perverse aims. There are no means too inhuman, no tactic too appalling to further his end. He thinks we are weak because we do not tell our citizens what to think, how to act, whom to worship; because we tolerate dissent. He does not realize this is our strength, and he has awoken the sleeping giant. ``What he has done,'' as Churchill has said, ``is to kindle a fire in hearts here and all over the world which will glow long after all traces of the conflagrations he has caused have been removed.'' What these petty tyrants do not understand and have never understood is that for all of our rough-and-tumble public discourse, we are one people, under one President, and capable of greater single-mindedness of purpose than any repressive regime. We will not relinquish our freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion, nor sacrifice our precious right of privacy or way of life. ``The price of freedom is high, and Americans have always paid it,'' President Kennedy said. We pay it still. This is the battle of America. The enemy may be new, but the fight has always been the same. Our government, our democracy, is premised on basic human freedoms, on the right of the governed to control their own national destiny. The Civil War tested whether any Nation so conceived could long endure. We have endured. We will go on, with growing confidence that we can fight terrorism wherever we find it and strengthened by the conviction that the generation of Americans now being tested will not falter or flag.