Charles Taylor

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, Mr. John Straub has recently finished three and one-half years of service to the House of Representatives as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer. I rise today to recognize and salute Mr. Straub as that service has been of a very high standard and filled with accomplishment. During his tenure as Deputy CAO, John also served as acting head of the Office of Finance. It was during this time that the House of Representatives received its first clean audit of its financial statements by outside auditors, PriceWaterhouse Coopers. While the entire Finance Office team was responsible for this achievement, John played a significant role in leading the House to a high level of financial management. John has also served as the point man working with the House Inspector General to guide and coach improvement of a number of House services. He was successful in assisting CAO personnel to take actions that have met the standards called for in several hundred audit recommendations issued by the House IG. Clearly, the Members, House staff and the public have benefited from the enhanced level of service and efficiencies that these improvements have made possible. The Appropriations Committee has relied on the CAO's office for assistance with the House budget as the annual Legislative appropriations bill makes its way through Congress. John frequently served as point man in making sure that we had accurate information and figures as our legislation was constructed. All too often, Mr. Speaker, in the rush of day to day activities, we elected Members of the House forget the hard work and dedication of House employees other than those in our personal offices. The American people are fortunate to have hard working public servants such as John Straub. In a hundred ways, John has made the House a better, fairer place to work and serve for literally thousands of other public servants. In closing, besides his many practical accomplishments, Mr. Straub brought to the House a personal style that is both professional and refreshing. He always had a kind word and a smile, and applied boundless energy to every task. While we in the House are disappointed to lose a person of his caliber, we're pleased that he'll be able to support one of the Nation's pre-eminent education institutions, Harvard University, as Associate Dean for administration of the Kennedy School of Government. On behalf of the members and the institution, we thank John Straub for his service and dedication, and wish him best of luck in his future endeavors.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, we have no objection to the amendment offered by the distinguished gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks, and that I be permitted to include tabular and extraneous material on the bill, H.R. 2647, making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year 2002, and for other purposes.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to present the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2002 to the House for consideration. I would like to thank the ranking member, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran) and all of the members of the subcommittee for their support in crafting this legislation. Mr. Chairman, we have a noncontroversial, bipartisan bill. It provides for a 4.4 percent increase over fiscal year 2001, and it is within the subcommittee's 302(b) allocation. The committee has done its job. It has done a good job, I believe. The bill deserves overwhelming support in the House. I do not intend to lengthen debate, but I would point out that the bill is under 1995 expenditures in real terms, and has been crafted, I think, with a great deal of care. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I include for the Record the following tables. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH31JY01.001 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH31JY01.002 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH31JY01.003 Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, we have no objection to the amendment.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. The committee is very concerned about construction contractor performance and delays in providing the required work to the Architect within the specified contract completion period. Apparently the Architect has not been including penalty clauses in construction contracts as do other Government agencies and the private sector. Based on these concerns, we have included language in section 111 prohibiting the Architect of the Capitol from entering into or administering any construction contract with a value greater than $50,000 unless the contract includes a provision requiring the payment of liquidated damages within specified amounts. I believe this will rectify the problem.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Yes, it is.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh), a member of the committee.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commend and celebrate the life and Golden Anniversary Celebration for Reverend Charles W. Sprinkle who has pastored Glady Baptist Church in Candler, North Carolina for fifty years. Reverend Sprinkle was born and reared in Madison County, North Carolina, son and grandson of pastors. He was the sixth child of fourteen, five of whom are also pastors. Following his graduation from Marshall High School, Reverend Sprinkle completed a tour of duty with the Navy. He was called to preach in October 1950. New Morgan Hill Baptist Church licensed Reverend Sprinkle on June 20, 1951 and ordained him on July 29, 1951. In May 1951, he was asked by Glady Baptist Church to preach and asked to be their pastor in June of the same year, fully a half a century ago. Reverend Sprinkle remains at Glady Baptist today. Pastor Sprinkle says that he received his training with his head buried in the Bible while on his knees. During his half-century ministry, five young men have been called to preach under his stewardship. Referring to these men as ``my boys in the gospel,'' he is very proud of the great work they are doing for the Lord. As the Glady Baptist congregation grew, it became necessary to build a new church building in the early 1970s. Due to Pastor Sprinkle's leadership the new brick church they use today was completely paid for in just one year. In the past fifty years, Pastor Sprinkle has conducted 102 revivals, performed 98 weddings and 361 funerals. Throughout the joys and sorrows, Pastor Sprinkle notes, ``I have seen good times and I have seen hard times, but God's grace was always with us. What a great God we serve!'' Reverend Sprinkle credits much of the success of his ministry to his wife, Lois, a faithful teammate for sixty years. Mr. Speaker, I know that all of my colleagues in the House of Representatives join me in praising Reverend Charles W. Sprinkle for his fifty years of service to Glady Baptist Church and the Lord.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commend and celebrate the life and Golden Anniversary Celebration for Dr. Nilous McKinley Avery. Dr. Avery has pastored Hill Street Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina for fifty (50) years. It has been my privilege to be in his church many times as he has held the summer ``Earning by Learning'' reading program in his church which I have sponsored for the past seven years. Dr. Avery graduated from Garner High School in Garner, North Carolina, and then went on to complete his Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Divinity, and Master of Divinity at Shaw University in Raleigh. He pursued a Doctor of Theology Degree (THD) in Psychology and Pastoral Counseling from the Boston University of School of Theology in Boston, Massachusetts and was recognized with an Honorary Doctor of Divinity from Shaw University. As a student Dr. Avery served as pastor of Pilot Baptist Church in Pilot, North Carolina; New Liberty Baptist Church in Louisburg, North Carolina; Macedonia Baptist Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina; and Malabys Crossroads Baptist Church in Knightdale, North Carolina. In 1951 he came to Asheville to pastor Hill Street Baptist Church, and fifty years later he is still the pastor. Since his arrival in Asheville, Dr. Avery has become an outstanding leader in the religious community. In 1956 he became the first African American to be elected president of the Interracial Ministerial Association of Asheville and Buncombe County. In addition, he has served in a leadership capacity in many organizations in the area as well as state-wide organizations. Dr. Avery is married to the former Christine Watson who is a retired teacher from the Asheville City Schools System. They have four children, all college graduates: Nilous M. Avery, II pastors Mount Zion Baptist Church in Salisbury, North Carolina. Kryste' N. Moore practices dentistry in Newark, New Jersey. CiCi Morton is the Supervisor for Community in Schools in Asheville, North Carolina. Nian Avery is a licensed embalmer and funeral director at Hart Funeral Service in Asheville, North Carolina. The Averys have eight grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, I know that all of my colleagues in the House of Representatives join me in saluting Dr. Avery's first fifty years of service to his Lord, his church and our community.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute Chief Robert E. Langston of the U.S. Park Police on his more than 35 year career to law enforcement to the government of the U.S. and the U.S. Park police. Chief Langston retired from public service on April 7, 2001. His exceptional career began from his graduation of Florida State University with a B.S. in Police Administration, where he began his U.S. Park Police Career in August 1965 as a patrolman covering foot, cruiser, and motorcycle beats. Upon promotion to Sergeant in 1971, he was assigned to the Training Branch, then to the Operations Divisions as a patrol Sergeant, followed by duty as a Motorcycle Unit supervisor. Promoted to Lieutenant in 1973, he served as a Shift commander before assuming command to the Communications Section. In 1975 he was promoted to Captain, first serving as Watch Commander and then assigned to the National Park Service's Southeast Region headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, where he served as Law Enforcement Specialist. After 2 years he returned to Washington, D.C. to the Operations Division as Commander of the Central District. Upon promotion to major in 1982, he saw duty at the National Park Service's Headquarters until his 1984 promotion to Deputy Chief in charge of the Field Office Divisions. Prior to his promotion to Assistant Chief in 1988, Langston also headed the Operations Divisions. Then in September 1991, Chief Langston was appointed to the duty of Chief of Police of the U.S. Park Service. As Chief of one of the Nation's oldest law enforcement agencies, he was responsible for a force of 700 officers and 135 civilian employees assigned to National Park Service lands, parkways, monuments, and memorials in the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Gateway National Recreation Area, including the Statute of Liberty in New York, and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, including the Presidio, in California. Members of the force are also detailed to the Federal Law enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia. Active in numerous civic and professional organizations, the Washington, D.C. native was a member and past chairman of the Police Chiefs Steering Committee for the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments, a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the D.C. Law Enforcement Executive Forum, the FBI National Executive Forum, the FBI National Executive Institute-Police Executive Research Forum, and a former president of the FBI National Academy Associates, District of Columbia Chapter. He was also a member and past president of the Board of Directors, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Chapter. He is also a past member of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Board. He has received numerous awards and honors for his professional contributions. Mr. Speaker, it is clear that we will clearly miss an inspirational member of the U.S. Park Police like Chief Robert E. Langston. I am sure that I speak for many when I say that his tireless work for the U.S. Park Police will not soon be forgotten and that we are very thankful. I would like to personally wish him well in this new stage of his life and know that he will continue to be a presence in Washington. I am certain that my colleagues will join me in honoring this remarkable man. Chief Langston and his wife, Beverly, have two children, a son Robert and a daughter Kellie.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Chairman Walsh) for his assistance.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for the tremendous work that he and the members of the subcommittee have done this year in preparing the conference report for the House consideration. As many of our colleagues may know, the subcommittee's initial allocation made the gentleman's task especially difficult this year, but the conference report we are considering today is truly an affirmation of the gentleman's commitment and this House's commitment to our Nation's veterans, and I thank the gentleman for his work. As my colleagues know, the 11th District of North Carolina, which I have the privilege to represent, has one of the largest numbers of senior veterans in the country. My constituents have served the United States in every war, and especially World War II to the Persian Gulf. Many of them now are needing assistance from our veterans hospital. They get their good assistance from the VA Medical Center at Oteen, but we are experiencing a growing health problem among the veterans of the Western North Carolina region. Alzheimer's disease is certainly impacting our area. The Asheville Center has proposed the creation of a unit devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of dementia-related illness as part of the fiscal year 2001 budget. This project has been included as a priority by the network in its most recent planning submission to the Department of Veterans Affairs. I will be working with the Department to secure funds for the staffing needs for the dementia unit in the upcoming year. I want to bring the project to the attention of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh) and ask for the support of the subcommittee and the House in making the much-needed project a reality for the senior veterans of western North Carolina.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, due to flight delays, I was again unavoidably detained in North Carolina and unable to cast a vote on rollcall vote No. 487. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote No. 487.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 488, I was unavoidably detained due to flight delays. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, due to flight delays, I was unavoidably detained in North Carolina yesterday and unable to cast a vote on Roll Call Votes 477 and 478. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call Vote 477 and YEA on Roll Call Vote 478. I ask unanimous consent that the permanent record reflect these intended votes.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, first I would like to thank again our staff and ranking members for the cooperation in the Legislative Branch bill. The conference agreement appropriates $2.53 billion for fiscal year 2001. Compared to FY 2000, including supplementals, the conference report is an increase of $40 million, about 1.6 percent. In personnel, the conference report cuts 47 equivalent jobs. There are no layoffs or RIFs, and all COLAs are funded. Since 1994, we have cut 4,222 jobs throughout the legislative branch. That is a reduction of 15.2 percent. No other branch of the Federal Government comes close to that amount of downsizing undergone by the legislative branch. The conference report includes funds for the further development of the National Digital Library program with the Library of Congress. This project is laying the foundation for integration of the Internet and our educational system. There is also a provision requiring penalty clauses to be placed in the Architect's construction projects. Without the ability to hold contractors to schedules and funding limitations, we are totally vulnerable to mismanagement and lax supervision. This provision is aimed at improving the Architect's control over his construction responsibilities. The conference report does not include merger of the Capitol, Library, and GPO police, nor does the report include the human resources legislation for GAO. The GAO matter may surface again at a later date. A few matters need to be worked out, and I am confident we can accomplish that in the future. We have asked the Comptroller General to concentrate on that. The agreement includes an emergency FY2000 supplemental appropriation of $2.1 million for congressional and Library of Congress security and $9 million for urgent repairs at the Cannon garage. In summary, Mr. Speaker, the bill provides $2.53 billion. It is 7.3 percent below the request of the President's budget. And FTE levels have been reduced by 47. The bill maintains a smaller legislative branch as established by the policies set in the 104th Congress, and it provides stability to those operations that must support our legislative needs. I include for the Record the following table that tabulates the funding agreement: [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH14SE00.004 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH14SE00.005 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH14SE00.006 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH14SE00.007 Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the conference report.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this motion asks the conferees to go along with the Senate amendment on the appropriations level for the General Accounting Office. We have no objection to that and accept the motion. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 4516) making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for other purposes, with Senate amendments thereto, disagree to the Senate amendments, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, due to flight delays, I was unavoidably detained in North Carolina yesterday and unable to cast a vote on rollcall votes 373 through 378. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 373, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 374, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 375, ``no'' on rollcall vote 376, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 377, and ``no'' on rollcall vote 378.