Adam Schiff

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, today our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims. We pledge everything within our power to bring swift remedies to those who are still trapped, along with our thoughts and prayers. We saw yesterday also the strength and the courage of the American people, embodied by those firefighters and police who rushed into the wreckage; by those Americans, those physicians who came from around the region to lend their help; by the Americans still waiting in lines to donate blood. We saw the greatness of America yesterday. And to those who would perpetrate these unthinkable crimes against innocent men, women, and children, we say to you, we will hunt you down like the animals that you are. You will find no refuge, no succor, no shelter from the storm that will come. Others have felt democracy is weak, and they have found, as our enemies today will find, that there is nothing like the resolution of the American people. God bless this country.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, l rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Richard Nevins, who died on Saturday following a bodysurfing accident at St. Malo Beach in Oceanside, California. Mr. Nevins was a life-long resident of Pasadena, in the Congressional District I am proud to represent. He was very well-known throughout Pasadena, and indeed California as a whole, as a political representative, civic activist, and supporter of the beautification and heritage of his community. Dick served seven terms on the California State Board of Equalization--an impressive feat. During his terms on the Board he did much to instill a culture of service and professionalism. He was referred to as ``. . . an encyclopedia of tax policy'' by Lawrence de Graaf who took an oral history from Nevins shortly after his retirement. Professionally he was active in the State Association of County Assessors of California, International Association of Assessing Officers, National Association of Tax Administrators and American Society for Public Administration--Los Angeles Board of Directors. In addition to these professional organizations, Nevins was active in the Los Angeles Urban League, the NAACP (Pasadena Chapter), the World Affairs Council, Town Hall and the Commonwealth Club. His political legacy also included service as a delegate to three national conventions, including the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, where he was an early supporter of presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. He continued to promote Democratic candidates for the rest of his life. After retiring from the State Board of Equalization in 1986 he served as President of the Boards of the Pasadena Historical Museum and Pasadena Beautiful. He was a familiar figure in his 1935 Ford pickup truck carrying around-- gardening tools and planting trees. In fact, one week before his passing, California Governor Gray Davis approved $20,000 in the state budget on a project Dick had lobbied for-- landscaping at Pasadena schools. A fitting final contribution for his beloved home city. Dick was known and loved by people throughout his community. His service as a political representative, his work on civic affairs in Pasadena, and his spirit of community involvement will undoubtedly be felt for years in our region. Dick graduated from Arroyo Elementary School and Polytechnic School in Pasadena; from Midland School in Los Olivos; and from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in governmment in 1943. He was also a veteran who served our nation in the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II. Dick is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary Lois, by three sons, Richard Jr., William and Henry; and by five grandchildren. I would like to convey to his family and his many many friends, my deepest sympathies. Dick Nevins will be missed by all who knew him.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce H.R. 2715, the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act, directing the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of expanding the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the mountains and canyons in Southern California that are part of the Rim of the Valley Corridor designated by the State of California. For many families, the mountains above our communities are a nearby haven to enjoy nature, a refuge from the noise and commotion of Los Angeles. The National Park Service oversees the highly successful Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the world's largest urban park, spanning from the mountains to the sea and protected in perpetuity by Congress in 1978. In the Santa Monica Mountains, Park Service rangers work with state and local authorities and community groups on conservation and recreation projects. I am introducing the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act in an effort to bring back federal resources and expertise to the mountains above the San Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi and Conejo valleys as well as the famed Arroyo Seco canyon, home of Pasadena's Rose Bowl. Our mountains can and should be places where city-dwellers can easily go to enjoy such activities as hiking, camping, mountain biking, horseback riding, observing wildlife or even just to admire nature's scenic beauty, up close or afar from our communities. The Secretary of the Interior would complete the study within one to three years, consulting an advisory committee of representatives of the Los Angeles Mayor, Los Angeles County Supervisors, Ventura County Supervisors, and City Councils of Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Malibu, Calabasas, Burbank, Glendale, La Canada Flintridge, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Santa Clarita, Moorpark, as well as others. It would then be necessary for Congress to enact subsequent legislation to implement the recommendations of the study. I am pleased to report that this legislation has bipartisan support. With Reps. Howard Berman, David Dreier, Elton Gallegly, Howard ``Buck'' McKeon, Brad Sherman and Hilda Solis as principal cosponsors of the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act, every Member of Congress whose district includes portions of the Rim of the Valley Corridor is supporting the legislation. It is my hope that the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act will result in an initiative creating a lasting legacy of nearby natural open space for our children--and their children--to enjoy.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Two years ago, when I was a State Senator in California, I worked with my colleagues there to pass one of the strongest patient bill of rights packages in the Nation. Other States, Texas, New Jersey, about 30 in number, have adopted similar strong patient protections. But now, under the most recent capitulation to the insurance industry, these strong patient bill of rights protections around the Nation are preempted by Federal law. Brought to us by those strong champions of States' rights, this capitulation threatens to take away hard- fought patient protections enacted around the Nation. The new policy evidently is: we believe in States' rights, except where they collide with the rights of the insurance industry, and then the heck with the States. That is no kind of policy for this country. I urge support for the Dingell-Ganske patient bill of rights that protects and preserves the relationship between patient and physician. It has doctors making medical decisions, not insurance company bureaucracies. It is the real patient bill of rights, the one we have fought for for 6 years, the one we must pass for this country.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record the following letter on Nagorno-Karabakh Peace Process: Washington, DC, April 4, 2001. Hon. Colin Powell, Secretary of State, Department of State, Washington, DC. Dear Secretary Powell: I would like to extend my congratulations to you on your appointment earlier this year as our nation's new Secretary of State. Your expertise in international affairs and your prestige among world leaders will undoubtedly serve as an asset to the office and our country. As a representative of the largest Armenian community outside of Armenia, I am very interested in the recent developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, as well as U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and the economic well being of the Republic of Armenia. Your personal attendance at the talks on Nagorno-Karabakh in Key West, Florida is an indication of the Administration's interest in the region. I fully agree with your statement expressing our country's commitment to facilitating a mutually acceptable settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. While a lasting peace will serve as a stabilizing force in the Caucasus, I sincerely hope that the history of this region will be an important factor in determining outcomes. In his attempt to fortify his iron grip over a multiethnic and multicultural society that was the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin redrew the map of the region to weaken the indigenous populations by carving up ethnically homogeneous republics into unrecognizable autonomous and semi-autonomous regions, such as Nagorno-Karabakh, Nakhichevan and Javakh, all historically Armenian. The Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks may be our opportunity to correct one of the many historical injustices committed by Stalin. As a member of the House International Relations Committee, I would greatly appreciate an opportunity to meet with you in the near future to discuss the Administration's policy vis-a- vis the Caucasus. I look forward to hearing from your office regarding a meeting and look forward to working with you on foreign policy issues in the years to come. Sincerely, Adam B. Schiff, Member of Congress.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the base bill and in support of the substitute, the Greenwood-Deutsch substitute. Generally speaking, there are three types of stem cell research. There is adult stem cell research which shows great promise, but with limitations in that adult stem cells cannot be differentiated into each and every type of cell. There is embryonic stem cell work which shows even more promise because it does have the ability to be differentiated into a variety of stem cell lines for therapy and treatment. But perhaps the most promising is embryonic stem cell research that employs the technique of somatic cell nuclear transfer. The primary benefit of this research and therapy is simple: It is not rejected by the patient. What that means for a child who is diabetic, you can use that child's own DNA, place it into a fertilized egg, develop Islet cells that will help that child produce insulin with the benefit it will not be rejected by the child. What we are saying, if we allow stem cell research but we prohibit the research in this bill, we are saying we will allow stem cell research, but only if the patient will reject the therapy. What sense does that make when the substitute prohibits cloning for reproduction, prohibits the implantation of a fertilized egg with a donated set of DNA into a uterus for the purpose of giving birth to a child? That is prohibited under both bill and substitute. But we need the research. We are losing scientists who are going overseas to conduct this research. The base bill even precludes us from benefiting from the research done in other countries. This cannot be allowed to go on. Mr. Speaker, this is important to all of our futures. We must preserve this vital science research. I urge adoption of the substitute and rejection of the base bill.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment. I think the basis most clearly articulated by our ranking member, who pointed out that by operation of the first half of the amendment NASA is precluded from going over the cap and by operation of the second portion of the amendment NASA is precluded from deferring or delaying enhancements that would, in effect, force it to exceed the cap. It is unfortunately a Catch-22 that takes away the flexibility that NASA needs to sustain this program. The Space Station holds out great promise in terms of science, the advancement of science and the development of commerce. I urge my colleagues to reject this Catch-22 amendment.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate an anniversary of human suffering, loss of life, and the usurpation of the basic rights of people and nations to live within secure borders. The anniversary I am referring to is that of the Turkish invasion and occupation of northern Cyprus 27 years ago. Some 6,000 Turkish troops and 40 tanks invaded the resource-rich north coast of Cyprus. In less than a month's time, more than one-third of the island was under Turkish control, displacing 200,000 Greek Cypriots from their homes. Today, 35,000 Turkish soldiers, armed with the latest weapons and supported by land and sea, are stationed in the occupied area, making it, according to the United Nations Secretary General, one of the most militarized regions in the world. At an estimated cost of $300 million annually, Turkey continues to defy the international community and the U.N. resolutions with its policies towards Cyprus. To date, more than 1,600 Greek Cypriots and four Americans remain unaccounted for, serving as a silent reminder of the unlawful invasion. Eighty-five thousand Turks have been brought over from Turkey to colonize the occupied area with the aim of changing the demography of the island and controlling the political situation. The Greek Cypriot community that remains enclaved within the occupied villages continues to live under conditions of oppression, harassment, and deprivation. Throughout the occupation, the U.N. has been trying to encourage a solution to the Cyprus problem. U.N. Secretary Kofi Annan has sponsored proximity talks between the President of Cyprus, Glafcos Clerides, and Rauf Denktash, the self-proclaimed leader of the occupied area. Unfortunately, those talks have been suspended due to Rauf Denktash's abrupt departure from the negotiating table. Turkey's military and financial backing provides a leverage for the Turkish Cypriot leadership in its unwillingness to make any compromises. In 2000, Turkey provided $195.5 million to the self- proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to relieve budget deficits and a 3-year aid package to boost the economy. A sixth round of U.N.-mediated proximity talks did not convene in January, 2001, because Denktash refused to participate. The U.N. has said that Denktash has requested new talks not be scheduled. On May 29, 2001, the Turkish National Security Council, which expresses the views of the powerful Turkish military, declared an agreement depends on ``the acknowledgment of the sovereign equality of two states on the island.'' Mr. Speaker, the United States has a national interest in fostering peace and stability in the eastern Mediterranean region. We as a Nation cannot continue to pretend our NATO partner is not in clear violation of international law for its continued illegal occupation of its neighbor. Last year, the Turkish government announced it had awarded a $4 billion contract for attack helicopters to an American company, Bell- Textron. However, before the sale can take place, the Department of State must issue an export license, and its decision must take into account both foreign policy and human rights considerations. Sending attack helicopters to Turkey runs directly counter to American interests and values in the region and does not in any way foster peace and stability in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey has had a long record of using U.S.-supplied military equipment in direct violation of U.S. law. In 1974, Turkey employed U.S.-supplied aircraft and tanks in its invasion of northern Cyprus. Turkish forces continue to occupy today with the use of U.S.-supplied military equipment. For the past 16 years, Turkey has been illegally using American weaponry, especially attack helicopters, in a campaign against its Kurdish population and has threatened to use them against Greece and Cyprus as well. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and even our own State Department have reported that Turkey has illegally used American attack helicopters in these attacks on the Kurds. In a judgment delivered at Strasbourg on May 10, 2001, in the case of Cyprus versus Turkey, the European Court of Human Rights of the Council of Europe found Turkey to be in violation of 14 articles of the European Convention on Human Rights. The 16-1 decision relating to the situation that exists in the occupied northern part of Cyprus since the 1974 Turkish invasion, found Turkey to be in violation of (Article 2) right to life; (Article 3) prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment; (Article 5) right to liberty and security; (Article 6) right to a fair trial; (Article 8) right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence; (Article 9) freedom of thought; (Article 10) freedom of expression; (Article 13) right to an effective remedy; (Article 1 of Protocol No. 1) protection of property; and (Article 2 of Protocol No. 1) right to education. We in the United States pride ourselves for our respect for fundamental freedoms. Human rights norms are the cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. It is time, Mr. Speaker, for the U.S. to use its considerable influence with Turkey to press Ankara to end its 27-year occupation of Cyprus. Why are we so accommodating toward a country whose military regularly intervenes in domestic politics; a country that refuses to come to terms with its history of genocide against the Armenians; a country that is in violation of international law in the Aegean Sea; a country that imprisons an American citizen for allegedly conducting illegal prayer in a private home and insulting the secular regime; a country that has imprisoned four democratically elected Kurdish parliamentarians and a host of Turkish human rights activists and journalists; and a country that refuses to fully respect the rights and religious practices of its Christian communities? It is time to speak out against these violations. It is time for the United States to take the lead.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise to join my colleague and neighbor from California in his praise for your leadership as well as the leadership of the gentleman from West Virginia and to urge that we turn back the Senate's proposals which I believe will seriously undermine the Solar System Exploration Program. Mr. Chairman, as you know, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology, Caltech. The Senate makes three proposals that are damaging to Caltech, damaging to NASA and damaging to the space program. The first is the transfer of telecommunications and mission operations to an outside contractor, as discussed by my colleague; the second is the reduction of $50 million from the Mars Surveyor program; and the third is the transfer of the Europa mission and the entire Solar System Exploration Program from JPL to an ad hoc grants program. The combined impacts on JPL of these three proposals would be the elimination of 1,200 jobs at JPL and the resulting elimination of highly trained personnel and unnecessarily imperil our Nation's space exploration program. Essentially, the Senate proposes that the critical mass of talent, experience and know-how which resides at JPL should be dispersed and that the core of NASA's exploration program should be conducted piecemeal and ad hoc. At a time when the Nation is facing a critical shortage of experienced personnel in public service, the Senate proposals would terminate hundreds of engineers, technicians and scientists who possess the greatest level of knowledge regarding space exploration. The consequences would be tragic, and the Nation's space program would suffer a tremendous setback. Mr. Chairman, I am proud to represent the best and brightest in a field where the advancement of science inspires young children and captures the imagination of millions, but I believe the space exploration program at JPL also serves the Nation as a whole. NASA's solar exploration program carefully laid out and scrutinized resides at JPL because for the past 50 years this Congress has invested in the creation of the talent and infrastructure that exists at JPL. They are the experts, and this is rocket science. For this body to allow that investment in space exploration to be jeopardized in this manner would be a disservice to the Nation and contrary to the fiscal duty we owe taxpayers.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Norwood-Dingell- Ganske Patients' Bill of Rights. For 5 years now, advocates of better health care have advocated for the real Patients' Bill of Rights, only to see that legislation shot down in this House. This year, the fight goes on, and this year, as in the fight with campaign finance reform, opponents of a real Patients' Bill of Rights have offered a phoney. They cannot defeat it directly, so they try to defeat it indirectly with a watered-down, industry- supported version. Mr. Speaker, we must reject this. To use the parlance of the industry itself, we ought to tell the industry, we need strong medicine to restore the relationship between patients and their physicians, and that bill, that alternative, is simply not on the formulary. That bill exceeds the scope of coverage. That bill simply cannot get in the door without referrals to specialists. We need a real Patients' Bill of Rights. I worked on a real Patients' Bill of Rights in California and, like my colleague, we passed that bill, as in 30 other States, and now the alternative here, the Fletcher bill, would undermine the work of so many States around the country that have worked to foster the relationship between patient and physician. This cannot be allowed to happen.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of maintaining our commitment to the Republic of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. While I support the language on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and direct aid allocation, I am disappointed that aid to Armenia is somewhat less than the fiscal year 2001 level of $90 million. Nonetheless, I am hopeful that the Senate and the conferees will correct this oversight in the coming weeks. The United States has a long history of extending a helping hand to those people overseas struggling to make a better life, recover from a disaster or striving to live in a free and democratic country. It is this caring that stands as a hallmark of the United States around the world and shows the world our true character as a Nation. Armenia alone among the New Independent States faces the unique challenge of developing its economy in the face of devastating blockades. The dual Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades have cut off Armenia's traditional trade routes and severely limited Armenia's access to the outside world. As long as Armenia suffers from blockades on its east and west borders, continued and robust U.S. assistance to Armenia is necessary. It is alarming that aid to Armenia has been decreased by 8 percent, while the administration has increased aid to Azerbaijan by 46 percent. Why are we rewarding a government that blockades its neighbor and was recently cited among the most corrupt nations in the world? Reducing aid to Armenia, while increasing aid to Azerbaijan, would send the wrong message about American priorities in the region. Mr. Chairman, Azerbaijan continues to violate section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, a U.S. law enacted with bipartisan support in Congress and with the support of the Bush administration in 1992 in response to Azerbaijan's blockade of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. It is vital that the fiscal year 2002 foreign operations appropriations bill maintains section 907 of the Freedom Support Act without any weakening amendments or additional exemption being carved out. The reasonable and clear condition for lifting section 907 has not been met; and given the sensitive, ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh peace negotiations, section 907 must remain in place. Mr. Chairman, let us not reward the Azerbaijani government, which is in violation of U.S. law. That same government, Mr. Chairman, has consistently been cited by our own State Department for its grim human rights efforts, as well as its flagrant violation of the most basic principles of democracy, free and fair elections. We must apply a consistent set of conditions on foreign assistance recipients regarding their commitment to democratic principles, standards of international conduct, economic reform, and respect for human rights. According to the State Department's 2000 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, who assumed presidential powers after the overthrow of his democratically elected predecessor in 1993, was reelected in October of 1998 in an election marred by serious irregularities, violations of election law and lack of transparency in vote counting at the district and national levels. President Aliyev and his supporters continue to dominate the government and multiparty 125-member parliament. There were numerous serious flaws in the elections held in 2000. Serious irregularities included disqualifications of candidates, a flawed appeals process, ballot box stuffing, manipulated turnout results, premarked ballots, severe restrictions on domestic nonpartisan observers, and a completely flawed vote-counting process. The constitution, which laudably establishes a system based on a division of powers among the presidency, legislature and the judiciary, unfortunately has been undermined by a judiciary which does not function independently of the executive branch and has proven itself corrupt and inefficient. Severe disparities of income have emerged that contribute to patronage and corruption. In contrast, Mr. Chairman, the report by the State Department on Armenia says the following: ``The Armenian government demonstrated the strength of its constitutional system following the tragic events of October of 1999. In the wake of the assassination of the Prime Minister and other top leaders, Armenia followed constitutional procedures and continued the normal business of government. Exchanges and training and partnership programs provide opportunities for current leaders and the next generation of Armenians to learn about the U.S. society and institutions firsthand and to forge personal ties with individual Americans and U.S. institutions. Armenia continues efforts to improve its business climate, increase investment and create jobs. The government is implementing final measures necessary for entry into the World Trade Organization.'' Finally, Mr. Chairman, the government has demonstrated a willingness to cooperate with the U.S. in preventing weapons of mass destruction, proliferation, and in fighting international terrorism. We must continue the pressure on both Turkey and Azerbaijan and increase our support to Armenia.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule and to H.R. 7. The Founding Fathers established a separation of church and State out of a solicitude for religion and for the State; and this initiative as drafted, I believe, is a threat to both. It is a threat to the State and the efficient operation of its services by preventing the State from ensuring that Federal funds are spent. Who among us in this body is prepared to ask for an audit of a Jewish synagogue or the Catholic Church or the Mormon Temple for its expenditures of Federal funds? I would say probably none of us. And so the effective delivery of services cannot be effectively audited. But more than that, the risk of excessive entanglement of religion, of having religious denominations compete with each other for Federal grants, becoming vendors of Federal services, of being told if they receive Federal money they cannot talk about faith being a necessary part of recovery, is this a position we want the Government to be in, saying if you take the Federal money, you cannot talk about faith, but if you do not, you can? This is not in the best interest of either State or church, and I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, religious institutions have always played a vital role in serving the needs of society's most vulnerable members, our children, the poor, the disabled, the dispirited, not out of a motivation for public funding but driven by the beneficent dictates of their faith. That work goes on. It must go on. I applaud the administration for the desire to further this goal. But this bill is not the way. Providing Federal funding directly or indirectly through a massive multi-billion dollar voucher program, practically without restriction, for religious or nonreligious activities related to the delivery of social service runs squarely into conflict with our Constitution. Why does that matter? Perhaps the Founding Fathers got it wrong. Because there should be no separation of church and State. Perhaps the Founding Fathers were simply antagonistic to religion. No, they were not. The right of free exercise of religion and against the establishment of religion protected in our Bill of Rights are intertwined rights. They are inseparable. Allow the establishment of religion, and we do away with the free exercise of religion. Allow the excessive entanglement of church and State as represented in this bill, and we do not serve church or State.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. I rise in opposition to the rule, a rule that in effect takes Shays-Meehan and cuts it into 14 little pieces, a rule that says to the supporters of Shays-Meehan, If you are willing to vote for it once, we are going to put you to the test of voting for it 14 times. Why is this being offered over the opposition of both Shays and Meehan? Very simply for this reason, the opposition believes they cannot defeat Shays-Meehan in an up or down vote. The only way they can defeat this legislation is if they can obfuscate; if they can make it ambiguous, unclear; if they can conceal to the American people whether they are really for it or against it. The American people not only have the right to an up or down vote to end soft money and its corrupting influence on the political process, they have the right to the accountability that comes with a clear and unequivocal vote up or down on campaign finance reform. That is what is being denied with this rule. That is why we must reject this rule, so that the American people can have a clear and unequivocal vote for or against campaign finance reform. I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for their kind remarks. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay my deepest respects to the memory and legacy of California State Supreme Court Justice Stanley Mosk, a long-standing champion of civil rights and free speech, who passed away in his home on June 19, 2001, at the age of 88. Justice Mosk loved serving on the court and had very reluctantly decided to retire due to his advancing age. Sadly, Justice Mosk died on the day he was to submit his resignation to the Governor of California. I first learned of Justice Mosk as a law student in the 1980s when I studied his opinions as required reading at Harvard Law School, along with the opinions of Justices Tobriner and Traynor. Traynor, Tobriner and Mosk were the giants of the California courts. They were the three gentlemen who made the California court, in many people's view, many scholars around the country, truly the highest court in the land. Justice Mosk served 37 years on that court, the longest of any justice, and served with remarkable productivity, authoring 1,688 rulings. Smart, eloquent and principled, he had a magnificent record of upholding and expanding the rights of individuals. Born on September 4, 1912, in San Antonio, Texas, Stanley Mosk was educated in public schools in Rockford, Illinois, and attended the University of Chicago Law School, earning his J.D. from Southwestern University in Los Angeles. He was elected to serve as California attorney general in 1959 after campaigning in which he overcame tactics making his religious faith as a Jew an issue, and won by more than a 1-million-vote margin over his opponent, the largest majority in any contest in America that year. He was overwhelmingly reelected in 1962. As attorney general for nearly 6 years, he issued approximately 2,000 written opinions, appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court in the Arizona v. California water case, and other landmark matters. He served on numerous boards and commissions, handled antitrust matters, constitutional rights, consumer fraud, investigative fraud, authoring some of California's most constructive legislative proposals in the field of crime and law enforcement. He established the Attorney General's Civil Rights Division and fought to force the Professional Golfers Association to amend its bylaws denying access to minority golfers. Governor Pat Brown appointed Mosk to the California Supreme Court in 1964. I note with pride that the late Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina, on the floor of Congress on August 5, 1964, referred to Mosk as ``one of the finest constitutional lawyers in the United States.'' While on the court, Justice Mosk authored decisions that presaged decisions later reached by the U.S. Supreme Court. Mosk, as a superior court judge in 1947, overturned a restrictive covenant that had prevented African Americans and other minorities from moving into particular neighborhoods a year before the United States Supreme Court voided such covenants. He wrote a 1978 decision barring prosecutors from using preemptory challenges to eliminate minority or female jurors in criminal cases, a trailblazing ruling that later became Federal constitutional law when the U.S. Supreme Court reached the same conclusion 8 years later. Mosk, as commentators have noted, was consistent in upholding the rights of individuals. He detested quotas and led the court majority in striking down admission formulas used by the medical school at the University of California at Davis. ``Originated as a means of exclusion of racial and religious minorities, a quota becomes no less offensive when it serves to exclude a racial majority,'' he wrote. Personally opposed to the death penalty, Mosk nonetheless upheld the law in capital cases. As the Sacramento Bee columnist Peter Schrag has eloquently noted, Justice Mosk exhibited a ``combination of judicial creativity and practical sense that produced a string of imaginative legal departures.'' Among those imaginative legal departures, as Schrag notes, are decisions that handicapped parents could not be stereotyped and automatically ruled unfit to raise their children; that victims of a pharmaceutical drug who could not identify the specific maker of the pharmaceutical product they consumed could collect damages from all manufacturers in proportion to their market share when injured; and upholding State law requiring private owners of tidelands to permit public access. As the Sacramento Bee recently editorialized, ``Mosk's greatest contribution to the law and rights was pioneering the theory of `independent state grounds.' The rights of the people were lodged not just in the Bill of Rights and transitory interpretations of the Supreme Court majority,'' Mosk argued. ``They were embedded as well in State Constitutions, which sometimes offered greater protection to individuals than the minimum required by the Federal courts. The doctrine, widely adopted by State courts around the country, is the source of many path-breaking privacy rulings and has given States the chance to become agents for legal change.'' Justice Mosk is survived by his wife, Kaygey Kash Mosk; his son, Richard; and his grandson, Matthew Mosk, is in attendance in the House gallery here tonight. To them, I want to extend my sincere condolences and, as the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) indicated, all of our sincere pride in the work of that great man. As the Sacramento Bee editorialized so appropriately, Justice Mosk was ``California's brightest beacon of liberty.'' While his life has ended, his legacy shines brightly for all Californians and for our great Nation.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join you in welcoming today's distinguished guest chaplain, Pastor Michael Tyrone Cushman, Sr., and thank him for leading the House in prayer. As first General Overseer of the National Association of the Church of God, Pastor Cushman is responsible for more than 400 churches in the United States, Caribbean, and Africa. For 22 years, Reverend Cushman served at the Pasadena Church of God in Pasadena, California, one of the most thriving churches in our region. Pastor Cushman distinguished himself as a force for racial reconciliation and more harmonious human relations in southern California. In his new position, his mission is to unify the black and white branches of the Church of God. I am proud to say, that although Dr. Cushman will travel the world in his new position, he and his wife, Jacqueline, will maintain a home in Altadena, California, which I am proud to represent. Although we will sorely miss his influence in our community on a daily basis, I am happy to note that he will maintain an advisory role at the Pasadena Church of God. I am proud to welcome Chaplain Cushman here today as our guest chaplain.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, this amendment precludes funding for a highway project in my district. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from Kentucky (Chairman Rogers) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo) and their staff for help on this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I urge a yes vote on the amendment which passed in prior years on a bipartisan voice vote. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. For the last 2 years, the Transportation appropriations bill has included a provision to prohibit the expenditure of Federal funds on the California State Route 710 freeway extension project in Southern California. My amendment would extend that ban for one additional year. The 4.5 mile freeway extension would cost more than $1.5 billion-- with 80 percent of the cost federally funded. In lieu of the 710 freeway extension, which would deliver speculative traffic benefits at a cost far too high to the communities I represent, I encourage the support of local surface traffic mitigation measures proposed by experts in the communities of Pasadena, South Pasadena and El Sereno. In addition to $10.3 million in state funds I secured from Caltrans for local congestion relief, Congress has set aside $46 million in federal funds for these measures that will significantly and expeditiously relieve congestion in the extension corridor in Pasadena, South Pasadena, El Sereno and Alhambra. I am also pleased to note that the Transportation bill at my request and others, includes more than 7 million in funding for the Los Angeles to Pasadena Blue Line, a light rail project that will bring congestion relief and clean air benefits to the entire region. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment, and I thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for their support.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment proposing a modest increase in America's arts budget. I represent a district in California that lost thousands and thousands of jobs in the defense industry with the defense contractor downsizings of the last couple of decades, but we were fortunate. We gained these jobs back and many more in the high-tech and entertainment industries. In those industries, artistic skill and the creative thinking skills that are developed through arts education are essential, and support for the arts and support for arts education is as much a part of the economic infrastructure of States like California and many communities around the country as any other industry and, indeed, more than many other industries. We thought nothing of developing the infrastructure of other industries through focused educational efforts. We should do no less in this critical high-tech industry throughout the country. Objection is made that if this is so important to the entertainment industry or the high-tech community, why do they not fund it? The answer is, they do. They do. In thousands of communities around America, the high-tech community and the entertainment industry do fund local theaters and symphonies and ballet companies, et cetera, but they cannot do it alone. They cannot do it alone. Mr. Chairman, this modest increase in America's arts budget will allow not only the development of this industry and this economic infrastructure, but also support the cultural well-being of all of our communities by helping struggling theaters to survive and struggling ballet companies and museums and artists. NEA grants have gone to things as varied as, for example, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial here in Washington. So it is not simply for our own economic well-being that we should strengthen our arts infrastructure in this country, but our cultural well-being and richness as well. It is the reason many of us live in the communities we live in. It is deserving of our support, and it is good for the heart and soul of America. I urge the continued support of my colleagues.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to honor John A. Jackson, a resident of Altadena, who was awarded an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship. Mr. Jackson is a graduate of California State University, Los Angeles, and earned a Master's degree at the University of Southern California. He was awarded the fellowship based on his extraordinary success in inspiring students through ``action'' learning. Mr. Jackson is the Founder and Director of Project EARTH (Environmental Awareness Research Through Hands-on Activities), an award winning earth science and environmental education program for seventh grade students at Monterey Highlands School. Mr. Jackson also instituted a week-long earth science and environmental science field trips to the Salton Sea, Mono Lake, Yosemite National Forest, and Death Valley Park. Mr. Jackson is serving his fellowship at the National Science Foundation's Division of Graduate Education. He is working in the GK-12 program and is addressing the lack of Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (SMET) instruction in our schools. The GK- 12 goal is to increase classroom teachers' knowledge and understanding of scientific principles, improve communication and teaching-related skills for Fellows, and link through partnerships universities to local school districts. Mr. Jackson is very dedicated to these important goals and has agreed to serve another year in the fellowship program. John A. Jackson is a true example of the difference one person can make in lives of our young people. His ongoing commitment to life-long education is truly commendable. My district is very blessed to have an educator of his caliber and I am very proud to honor him here today.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Jefferson Stephens, Jr., who is retiring after more than twenty years as Headmaster of the Chandler School in Pasadena, California. On June 16th, the school will celebrate Mr. Stephens' career and the impact he has had on the lives of so many. The Chandler School was founded with a vision to provide young students with innovative, inspired academic programs taught by caring, dedicated faculty and staff. Under Mr. Stephens' guidance, the Chandler School treats each child as an individual and strives to create an environment in which children develop self-esteem and self-discipline, as well as respect for their fellow students. As headmaster, Mr. Stephens, has expected high standards of behavior, courtesy, and academic performance from each child who has come to his school, and has fostered a scholastic atmosphere that encourages curiosity and creativity. In addition to serving the academic community, Mr. Stephens has served as an associate pastor for the St. George's Episcopal Church. He has also participated in a wide range of civic duties, by assisting as a member of the Tournament of Roses Association and serving on the board of directors for a community housing project. Our community gives heartfelt thanks to Mr. Stephens for his lifelong commitment to education and his ongoing dedication to public service. He is an asset to our community, and I want to thank Mr. Stephens for his years of hard work and selfless dedication and congratulate him on a well-deserved retirement.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month this May 2001. Almost two decades ago, President Jimmy Carter signed a joint resolution declaring the first Asian Pacific American Heritage Week as May 4-10, 1979. Then, a decade ago, the celebration was extended to the entire month. Finally, Public Law 102-450 approved on October 23, 1992, designated May of each year as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. I am proud that the region I represent in Congress is a diverse one and is home to many people of Asian Pacific heritage. So many of my constituents have distinguished themselves through their accomplishments in education, business, medicine and science, and other forms of public and private sector involvement, and through a strong and successful family life. To commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I would like to briefly highlight the remarkable accomplishments of three distinguished Asian Pacific American civic leaders who represent constituents from California's 27th Congressional District, which I am proud to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. John Chiang has shown a deep and genuine commitment to public service as Vice Chair of the California Board of Equalization. Elected as the representative of the Fourth District of the Board of Equalization in 1998, Mr. Chiang has promoted public-private community outreach and taxpayer-education initiatives to better serve his more than 8 million constituents in Los Angeles County. Mr. Chiang organized the first joint Board of Equalization, Franchise Tax Board, and Internal Revenue Service seminar for nonprofit organizations and joined with the Los Angeles County Assessor's Office to hold a tax seminar for religious organizations. He has also organized business and labor forums on fighting tax evasion in the ``underground economy'' and sponsored state legislative reforms to enhance the California Taxpayers' Bill of Rights. John is the son of Judy Chiang, a generous and committed community volunteer, and Dr. Mutong Thomas Chiang, a thoughtful and dedicated scholar. Carol Liu has a long-standing record of community leadership, culminating with her election last year as the representative of California's 44th Assembly District. Assemblymember Liu's top priority is to restore California's public education system to be among the very best in the nation. Prior to her election to the State Assembly, Ms. Liu's work in education included serving as a PTA President, President of the Pasadena Matthew Y.C. Lin, M.D., is the first Asian American elected to serve as a Member of the City Council of the City of San Marino, California. Dr. Lin, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, has an extensive record of community service. His volunteer activities include leadership positions with the San Marino Schools Foundation, Pasadena Symphony, Chinese Club of San Marino, United Way of the San Gabriel Valley and Luke Christian Medical Mission. He has sought to improve the lives of our children through his service at the West San Gabriel Valley Boys and Girls Club, Asian Youth Center, and by coaching AYSO soccer and serving as assistant coach for the San Marino High School Judo Club. He has taken part in voluntary medical missions to aid the victims of disasters, responding to the Taiwan earthquake in September 1999 and the earthquake in El Salvador in January 200 1. Dr. Lin and his wife, Joy, are the proud parents of four adult children, Jenny, George, Tim and Jerry. I am proud to recognize the community and civic accomplishments of Councilman Lin, Assemblywoman Liu and Board of Equalization Member Chiang as we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. They are truly remarkable leaders who through their service to our communities are an inspiration to us all.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment. American domestic policy is built on the twin foundations of opportunity and responsibility. Our foreign policy should be built on no less of a strong foundation. The opposition objects that Lebanon is not responsible, and this is precisely the problem. Lebanon has not taken responsibility for its own borders, and we ought to use whatever leverage device we have to require them to take control of their own borders. The objection has been made that we will give greater rein to Hezbollah and terrorism, and yet Hezbollah already has a free run on the border. What greater rein could be given to the Hezbollah? Finally, the opposition argues that this will not accomplish what it has set out to do, and yet the opposition has no alternative to recommend, no alternative. If we cannot use the power of our purse and our financial support to force the Lebanese Government to exercise its own sovereignty, what else will work? Nothing. I urge Members' support.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 116, honoring law enforcement officers who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty. Often, the immeasurable contributions of our nation's law enforcement officers go unnoticed. The establishment of a Peace Officers Memorial Day would serve as a powerful tribute to slain officers as well as to those who continue to risk their lives each day to make our communities safe. In one of the communities I represent, Glendale, California, four police officers and one sheriff's deputy have been killed in the line of duty. Many more have suffered work-related injuries and illnesses that have contributed to early deaths. This ultimate sacrifice deserves honorable recognition. One of these fallen heroes is Charles A. Lazzaretto, a Glendale Police Officer, who was killed in the line of duty only four years ago. Chuck was born on October 5, 1966 and spent his early childhood living with his family in the California communities of Walnut and Montebello. In 1982, the Lazzaretto family moved to Burbank where his father served as city manager. While attending Glendale Community College in the mid- 1980s, Chuck was appointed as a campus public safety officer and subsequently promoted to the rank of sergeant. In 1985, he volunteered for the United States marine Corps Reserves and attended Officer Candidate School. Chuck joined the Glendale Police Department on May 3, 1987 where he was appointed as a reserve police officer. In 1991, he received the rank of officer, working assignments in the juvenile, burglary, auto theft, arson, and robbery/homicide areas. Chuck's favorite pastime was spending time with his family. He often spoke of his love for his wife and two sons, Andrew and Matthew, as well as his parents and three brothers. Chuck was a community leader and family role model. Police officers touch the lives of so many Americans. It is a long overdue tribute that we commemorate the courage and spirit of our nation's law enforcement officers with this resolution. I would also like to add my voice in support of H.R. 1727, which assists the families of those killed in the line of duty. May our fallen heroes and their families find solace in the national recognition of their sacrifice. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Glendale High School, which celebrates 100 years of academic excellence on May 19, 2001. This was the first high school in the city of Glendale and famous alumni include actors John Wayne and Madeline Stowe, athletes, Brooklyn Dodger Babe Herman and 3 time track Olympian Frank Wykoff, and entrepreneur Bob Wian, founder of Bob's Big Boy restaurants. Glendale High has grown from an initial enrollment in 1901 of 23 students, but today hosts 3500 students, each of whom receives a comprehensive educational experience designed to prepare them with the skills, knowledge and training necessary to achieve individual goals and to participate as a productive and responsible member of our ever- changing society and in our own multi-cultural environment. One of the keys to the success of Glendale High School are the independently-organized parent groups that are committed to continued involvement with the school. Another innovation is the unique grade- level student support services, which counsel and follow students from the time they enter until the time they graduate from Glendale High School. Please help me in congratulating co-principals Mrs. Gloria Vasquez and Mike Livingston, as well as all students, alumni, friends and family of Glendale High School on their 100 anniversary.