Charles Taylor

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

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

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I say to the gentleman, yes, and I have a letter from Chief Varey of the Chief of the Capitol Police received today. I include a copy of the letter for the Record: U.S. Capitol Police, Office of the Chief, Washington, DC, June 21, 2000. Hon. Charles H. Taylor, Chairman, Subcommittee on Legislative Branch Appropriations, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: As you may recall, the Conference Report for the Capitol Police Fiscal Year 2000 General Expenses appropriations contained the following language: ``With respect to vehicles, the conferees recognize the need of the Capitol Police to upgrade and possibly expand their existing fleet of motorcycles to help fulfill their security mission, and provide $103,000 for that purpose from existing funds.'' In response to this provision, the Department has surveyed the product lines of sixty motorcycle dealers and manufacturers who reportedly manufacture motorcycles in the United States which meet the specific needs of the Department's smaller sized motorcycles. As a result of this survey, only two United States manufacturers--Harley-Davidson and Buell--offer motorcycles which satisfy the Department's criteria in terms of engine size, body weight, and DOT street certification. Following this survey, on May 12, the Capitol Police met with representatives from Harley-Davidson to discuss the Department's need to upgrade and expand its motorcycle fleet. As a result of this meeting, Harley-Davidson has agreed to provide the Department with two, smaller displacement models for testing and evaluation--the Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 and the Buell Blast 492. Arrangements are currently underway to deliver these motorcycles to the Department for its assessment. Additionally, the Department has identified the need to upgrade its current fleet of the larger Harley-Davidson FLHTPI Electra Glide--a 1450 cc model utilized by the Department for special events, traffic enforcement and motorcades. It is the Department's intent to purchase six new Electra Glides while trading-in its three, older model Electra Glides to reduce the procurement costs of the new motorcycles and to avoid incurring unnecessary parts and maintenance expenses. I look forward to discussing this matter with you or your staff, should you so desire, and I will be pleased to forward the results of the product test and evaluation exercise for your review and information. Sincerely, James J. Varey, Chief of Police. The Chief says that they have identified two United States manufacturers, Harley Davidson and Buell, who have motorcycles that satisfy the Department's criteria. The Capitol Police have made arrangements to test these vehicles, and they will report the results to our committee for our review.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp).

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, we accept the amendment and thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp), again, for offering this cost-saving measure.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, as indicated before, we have nine steps in appropriating money, and three of them in the House, three in the Senate, then we go to conference, then we come back to the House and the Senate, and the President then signs the bill. It is a long process, and we try to improve the legislation as we move along. We think that the manager's amendment will be positive in this area.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, it is my pleasure to present the Legislative Branch appropriation bill for fiscal year 2001. First, I want to begin by thanking the members of the Subcommittee on Legislative for their hard work in writing this bill. They include the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp), the vice chairman; the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), a long-time member of the subcommittee; the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger); and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts). Then we have the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor), the ranking member, who has worked hard with the committee and myself to prepare this bill; the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha); and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), who are our other members of the subcommittee. I also want to thank the full committee chairman, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the full committee ranking minority member for their assistance. The bill was considered and ordered reported by the full committee on May 9. The bill was actually reported to the House May 23, 2000. Mr. Chairman, the bill continues the program begun in the 104th Congress to right-size the legislative branch of government. We have become more efficient, with a smaller workforce, and use technology wherever we can, as long as it helps us to do our jobs better. We have done those things. Since fiscal 1995, the last year of the other party's control of the House, we have reduced the legislative branch appropriation in real terms by a very significant amount. Had spending on legislative branch followed the old trend that we were on long before the Republican majority took over, the bill would total over $2.2 billion, fully $400 million higher than the bill we brought to the House today. Together, Mr. Chairman, with my predecessor subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Packard), and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh), we have saved the taxpayers nearly $1.5 billion in the last 6 years, if all the Senate operations are included. Since the early 1990s, legislative branch employment has been reduced by a full 8,217 full-time jobs. That is a reduction of 21.5 percent of our entire workforce. In comparison, the executive branch has only reduced their workforce by 10 percent, and the Judiciary has actually increased by 13.2 percent. The fiscal year legislative branch appropriation bill totals $1.8 billion in new obligation authority, of which $1.1 billion is for congressional operations, exclusive of Senate items. This includes operations of the House, Congressional Budget Office, several joint items, the Architect of the Capitol, and congressional printing. The balance of the bill, $705 million, is for the operations of other legislative branch agencies, such as the General Accounting Office, Library of Congress, and the Superintendent of Documents. The bill is actually $281 million below the budget request, a 13.4 percent reduction, and is $105 million below the current fiscal year, including the pending supplement, a 5.5 percent reduction. Mr. Chairman, those are the general parameters of the bill. I am not going into the details because I do have an amendment. Since the bill was marked up by the subcommittee, we have worked hard to raise the 302 allocations. We have succeeded. Our new allocation has given us the ability to present to the House a bill that both saves the country money by using technology, as technology has made our entire country more efficient, it is working in the legislature, and still enable us to carry on the work of the Congress and its agencies. Consequently, I have asked the Committee on Rules to allow, and the rule does allow, a manager's amendment, which I will offer at the conclusion of debate. This amendment has been worked out in a bipartisan manner. It reflects guidance from the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), and our leadership; it incorporates several suggestions made by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the ranking member of our full committee; and the ranking member of the subcommittee, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor). We are happy to offer this amendment. This amendment will avoid unwise and counterproductive layoffs, will maintain capitol security, building maintenance, and research and oversight capabilities at the Congressional Research Service and the General Accounting Office. It will provide the House with the staff, resources, and research capabilities needed to conduct our business. It will provide the necessary security to protect visitors, Members, staff and legislative activities. There will be no need for layoffs, no need to withhold cost of living or merit increases for those who are eligible or otherwise deserve such salary adjustments. There will be no reductions in force in any of the legislative branch agencies. There will still be an overall estimated decrease of 536 FTEs. However, these staff reductions can be achieved through buyouts and attrition. Mr. Chairman, I will defer further explanation until the appropriate time. 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, this amendment adds $95.8 million to the bill. It is a bipartisan amendment, and is offered on behalf of myself and the ranking minority Member of the Subcommittee on Legislative, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor). It will provide sufficient funds for all staff COLAs and merit increases throughout the legislative branch. That includes Member office staff, committee and our administrative staff, and our support agencies like CRS, GAO, the Architect's work force and others. It will add $20.3 million for the operations of the House, including an amount sufficient for Members' representational allowances. The amendment adds $22.6 million above the reported bill for police salaries. This will fund an additional 48 policemen to the number currently on board. There are also 93 officers in training that will soon be deployed. This means we will end up with around 1,241 sworn officers, that is almost 200 above the number we had on the tragic day in 1998 when the shootings took place. We want to monitor the number of police personnel closely. They do an outstanding job, but we also want to see improvements in technology and technical security measures. They have been funded, and there needs to be an interest to put these items in place, and we urge that to take place. The gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor) and I have asked the police board to substitute more modern technology for our security operations. We would like to see a review of the weekend and late-at-night open building policies that requires all of the posts to be staffed regardless of need or traffic. We do have several million visitors here, but unlike cities that have populations in the millions, those visitors are not here at night. They are not here on all the weekends and certainly on holidays. Since we believe these advances will reduce the manpower needs, the committee agreement has fenced some $2.5 million of the salary appropriations. These are the projected costs of filling vacancies that occur next year. These funds can only be spent with the approval of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations. Mr. Chairman, let me make a few brief remarks about the balance of the amendment. We have added $7.3 million to the Architect of the Capitol so that there will be no need for any layoffs. Building cleanliness and maintenance will be maintained and extra daytime cleaning of all our restrooms has been funded. We have added sufficient funds, $7.6 million, that CRS will maintain their current work force. If there is a need for more funds by CRS or the Copyright Office to avoid staff attrition losses, we will direct the Library of Congress to use the transfer authority provided in the bill to help CRS or copyright. We have added $18.2 million back to the Government Printing Office. All COLAs are funded. Also, the amendment restores all funding for the depository libraries to receive the 25,000 Federal publications that are only available in paper and other tangible formats. Finally, we have added $17.4 million to the General Accounting Office. No reductions in force will be necessary at GAO. Mr. Chairman, that is the substance of the manager's amendment; all $95.8 million of it. The bill will still be $9.8 million below the fiscal year 2000 level, including pending supplementals. I ask for the adoption of the amendment. I have a more detailed statement on this matter that I will place in the Record. manager's amendment Mr. Chairman, this amendment adds $95.8 million to the bill. It is a bipartisan amendment and is offered on behalf of myself and the ranking minority member of the legislative subcommittee, Ed pastor. During general debate, I stated several reasons for offering the amendment. If the amendment is adopted, the bill will not require any reductions-in-force in any legislative agency. It will provide sufficient funds for all staff COLA's and merit increases throughout the legislative branch. That includes Member office staff, committee and our administrative staff, and our support agencies like CRS, GAO, the Architect's workforce, and the others. It will add $20.3 million for the operations of the House, including an amount sufficient for Members' representational allowances. It will fund new Members' orientation costs, all transition costs to the 107th Congress and a small, but sufficient amount of funds to deal with the recent threats posed by Internet viruses. The amendment adds $22.6 million above the reported bill for police salaries. That's an increase of $14.4 million (18%) above the FY2000 appropriation. This will fund an additional 48 policemen to the number currently on board. In addition to these 48 police officers we are funding with this amendment, there are 93 officers in training that will soon be deployed. So there will be 141 additional security personnel shortly. That means we will end up with about 1,241 sworn officers. That's 189 above the number we had on that tragic day in 1998 when the shootings took place. We want to monitor the number of police personnel closely. We also want to see improvements in technical security measures. They have been funded and there needs to be an impetus to get these items installed. Mr. Pastor and I have asked the police board to substitute more modern technology to our security operations. The technology has been funded and should reduce our reliance on additional police personnel. As this technology gets installed (cameras, detection devices, etc.), we will look at the size of the force to see if reductions can be made. We would like to see a review of the weekend and late-at-night open building policies that require all of our posts to be staffed regardless of need or the traffic. We have been working with the chief and others to reassess the post assignment strategy they use. We will make sure there are a sufficient number of officers at each door. But we do not want so many that they become distracted. Since we believe these advances will reduce manpower needs, the committee agreement has fenced $2.446 million of the salary appropriation. These are the projected costs of filling vacancies that occur next year. Those funds can only be spent with the approval of the appropriations committees. In addition, the new chief, Jim Varey, and I have agreed that we want the force to be well trained. We will work with them to make improvements in that area. We want our officers to be well paid so that they are not going to be trained and then recruited away by the Metropolitan Police Force or other law enforcement agencies. So we will be working closely with police management to make sure they have the resources they need, the respect they deserve, and the recognition that they cannot be expected to do the impossible. Mr. Chairman, let me make a few brief remarks about the balance of the amendment. We have added $7.3 million to the Architect of the Capitol so that there will be no need for any layoffs. Building cleanliness and maintenance will be maintained and extra daytime cleaning of all our restrooms has been funded. We have added sufficient funds ($7.6 million) so that CRS will maintain their current workforce. There will be no diminution of their services to the Members. If there is a need for more funds by CRS or the Copyright Office to avoid staff attrition losses, we will direct the Library of Congress to use the transfer authority provided in the bill to help CRS or copyright. That is the virtue of having some flexibility in the appropriation available to our agencies. We have added $18.2 million back to the Government Printing Office. All COLA's are funded. Some of those funds will restore several documents to the printing appropriation such as the Congressional Directory, printing for the 2001 inauguration, and several other documents. Also, the amendment restores all funding for the Depository Libraries to receive the 25,000 Federal publications that are only available in paper and other tangible formats. None of the highly skilled document specialists will lose their jobs. Finally, we have added $17.4 million to the General Accounting Office. No reductions in force will be necessary at GAO. We all value and respect the job that great agency does. It was never our intent to damage GAO capabilities, and I said so on several occasions. But our earlier allocation gave us no choice. Mr. Chairman, that is the substance of the managers' amendment--all $95.8 million of it. The bill will still be $9.8 million below the FY2000 level, including pending supplementals. For those who do not believe supplementals should be counted, the bill is only above this year's level--by $2.8 million. I ask for the adoption of the amendment. I will insert a table which reflects the amounts in the bill included in the managers' amendment. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH22JN00.001 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH22JN00.002 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH22JN00.003 Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill (H.R. 4516) making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for other purposes, and that I may include tabular and extraneous material.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I support the rule. There are going to be three amendments. One will be an amendment supported by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor), the ranking member, and myself. We have worked hard since the original 302 allocations were given our committee, and they have been raised. We have been successful in that effort, and the amendment that we will take up first will be to debate and to offer the House the changes that we have made. If we do not pass the rule, we cannot debate the other amendments, and they will have debate, and then we can let the House work its will on the other two amendments that we have. We think that this is a good bill. We think that the technology that we have used is enabling the House, like the rest of the country in its use of technology, to be more efficient and carry on the work of the Congress. So I urge passage of the rule.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Appropriations may have until midnight, Friday, May 12, 2000, to file a privileged report on a bill making appropriations for the legislative branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for other purposes.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, today I mourn the passing of a good friend and a great citizen of western North Carolina. Kermit Edney of Hendersonville, NC, passed away on Sunday, April 30, at the age of 75. Kermit was a marvelous broadcaster. His morning program on WHKP, ``The Old Good Morning Man,'' in Hendersonville was a perennial favorite. Four generations of Henderson County residents dressed, ate their breakfast, and drove to work listening to him. He began his career in radio broadcasting with WHKP in 1946 and through hard work he eventually purchased the station. Kermit also built and operated WWIT Radio in Canton and WKIT in Greenville, SC. He served on the board of the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters and the board of the Protestant Radio and Television Commission based in Atlanta. Kermit's diligence and dedication to broadcasting was recognized in 1996 as he was named to North Carolina Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Broadcasting was Kermit's career, but his passion was community service. The list of community and nonprofit organizations that he served is almost endless. He served as chairman of the Western North Carolina Planning Commission and the Upper French Broad Economic Development Commission as well as the board of the Governor's Western Residence in Asheville. Kermit also was a member of the board of the YMCA and the president of the board of the Pardee Hospital for 12 years. As the president of the Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce and Merchants Association, he was instrumental in leading the effort to revitalize downtown Hendersonville. North Carolina Governor Jim Martin had the wisdom to appoint Kermit to serve on the North Carolina Board of Transportation. Kermit's devotion to charity in Hendersonville is an example for all; he founded the local chapter of the United Way and the Community Foundation. His dedication to excellence in education is unparalleled. He served on the boards of Brevard College and UNCA and pushed for UNCA to be included in the North Carolina System. I know that my colleagues in the House will join me in remembering this great man and the dedication that he had in making Hendersonville and western North Carolina a much better place.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to rise and commend a great public servant of Western North Carolina and the National Park Service, Gary Everhardt, Superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Gary has been devoted to making our National Parks cleaner, safer and more enjoyable for future generations. Today marks the beginning of Gary's well-earned retirement. Gary is a native of Western North Carolina and is a product of the Lenoir North Carolina School System. He graduated in 1957 with a degree in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University and immediately began work for the Park Service as a civil engineer for the Blue Ridge Parkway. He has served in engineering positions at the Park Service's Southeast and Southwest offices. Gary was also named the Superintendent of Grand Teton National Park in January 1972. While there he helped orchestrate and conduct the Second World Conference on National Parks. For his effort and hard work, Gary was awarded the Department of the Interiors Meritorious Service Award. President Gerald Ford recognized Everhardt's dedication, professionalism, and hard work as he named Gary the ninth director of the National Park Service on January 13, 1975. It was under Gary's leadership that the Park Service saw a period of unbridled growth and success. The Park took great steps in the areas of visitor services and safety. Gary, with President Ford's approval, proposed doubling the park size with the purchase of nearly 32 million acres of land in Alaska. Gary returned home to the Blue Ridge Parkway in 1977 to assume leadership as the fifth Superintendent of the Parkway and since that time Gary has worked diligently to improve relations with neighbors of the Parkway and government agency officials. Gary took a construction program that was near death and revived it. The final section of the Parkway motor road at Grandfather Mountain was completed in 1987. During Everhardt's tenure, the number of visitors to the park has risen to over 25 million. I would like to add my tribute to Gary to the long list of honors that he has received in the past. In 1985 Everhardt received the Department of the Interior's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. In 1990 he received the Cornelius Amory Pugsley Medal from the National Park Foundation for stellar contributions to the advancement of parks and recreation. In September 1998 Gary received the Walter T. Cox award at the George B. Hertzog Lecture at Clemson University, this Award recognized Gary's sustained public achievement in wise management of natural and cultural resources. Everhardt has a long list of involvement in other agencies and groups including his roles as Past President of the Asheville Federal Executive Association, a member of the Board of Directors of the Appalachian Consortium, and as a member of the North Carolina National Parks, Parkway & Forestry Development Council. I am sure that Gary will enjoy this well deserved retirement from the National Park Service. But I believe that it will leave him more time for the jobs that he enjoys most; being a husband, father of two, and a grandfather of three. I know that my colleagues will join me in saluting this fine public servant and community leader and thanking him for nearly 45 years of service to the National Park Service.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commend and celebrate the life and 100th birthday of one of Western North Carolina's most beloved citizens. I had the great opportunity to attend the birthday celebration of Myrtle Lillian Waldrup Sprinkle in Marion, McDowell County. While there I witnessed a gentle, gracious lady full of life, vigor and still displays an amazingly agile mind. Mrs. Sprinkle was born on April 4, 1900 in Madison County North Carolina. She moved to McDowell County in 1945 with her husband as he was named to be the pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church. For all of Mrs. Sprinkle's life two things have mattered most. She has an undying devotion to her church and her family. She has been a member of Zion Hill Baptist Church for over 55 years and taught Sunday school for many years. Her granddaughter, Wanda Childers, described Mrs. Sprinkle's faith as ``unwavering.'' Mrs. Sprinkle has been a pillar of strength in her family. She is, in essence, a quiet woman, full of humility. She has always been there for her community and her family. Through her life she has learned that simple things matter, like making a quilt for every one of her 45 grandchildren. She loves nothing more than cooking, canning vegetables, and crocheting. Her family includes five pastors who have all acquired her undying faith. Mrs. Sprinkle has many relatives who can share her love, affection, and warmth. Her 14 children are Lula Randall (deceased), Ida Lee Sprinkle (deceased), Julian Sprinkle (deceased), John Sprinkle (deceased), E.F. Sprinkle, Jr. (deceased), Charles Sprinkle, Paul Sprinkle, Alvin Sprinkle, Novella Cable, Jaunita Worley, Harry Sprinkle, Harold Sprinkle, Jack Sprinkle, and Eva Pollack. She also has 45 grandchildren, 112 great grandchildren, and 54 great-great grandchildren. I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating this amazing centenarian on the occasion of her 100th birthday.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, Henderson County, Western North Carolina, and the nation lost a truly outstanding American, Malachi Goforth. Mr. Goforth dedicated his life to serving his community and was tragically killed while helping a group of volunteers to repair the Shaw's Creek Baptist Church. Malachi served in the Navy during the Second World War, as a Deacon in the Shaw's Creek Baptist Church, and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Blue Ridge Community College. He was dedicated to the principles of the Republican Party and in 1999 he received the 11th Congressional District Golden Elephant award for service to the party. Malachi was known for his spirit and energy. Malachi was devoted to the great people in his community, as he put in hours of volunteer service. Children were one of Malachi's greatest joys. Many kids in Henderson County will remember him for putting up lollipop trees in his yard. His granddaughter Sally Wooten remembers how children were delighted to see Malachi Goforth's white handlebar moustache. In fact during trips to the mall at Christmas many children through that Malachi was Santa Claus. Malachi, on news of his death, garnered much praise from family, friends, and community leaders. Consider what the following people said in tribute to this great man: ``If someone were to say, `show me a man with character,' Malachi would be the person you would hold up.'' Henderson County Sheriff George Erwin, Jr. ``The whole Republican Party and the Republican men's club are gong to miss him. Everytime we had a meeting and you would look over that crowd, one of the comforting things that you always saw was that face and that moustache.'' Henderson County Republican club President, Fielding Lucas. Lucas also praised Goforth for ``always being ready to stand up and ask the pointed questions that needed asking.'' ``He has been a pillar of this community for decades and he will just be sorely missed.'' Henderson County Commission Chairman Grady Hawkins. I know that my colleagues will join me in saluting and remembering a great man whose death will leave a void that will never be filled.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, again due to a USAIR flight cancellation, I was unavoidably detained in North Carolina and unable to cast a vote on rollcall votes 96 and 97. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 96, On the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, As Amended, H.R. 1089, the Mutual Fund Tax Awareness Act. I would have voted ``yea'' on roll call vote 97, On the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3591, to award the Congressional gold medal to former President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy Reagan. I ask unanimous consent that the permanent record reflect these intended votes.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, due to a flight cancellation, I was unavoidably detained in North Carolina yesterday and unable to cast a vote on rollcall votes 76, 77, 78 and 79. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 76, On the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 2412. I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 77, On the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amended, to H. Con. Res. 292. I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 78, On the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Con. Res. 269. I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 79, to Agree to the Senate Amendments to H.R. 5, the Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act. I ask unanimous consent that the permanent record reflect these intended votes.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, Western North Carolina and America lost a true hero last week when Wade Thomas Sr., a Former Tuskegee Airman, passed away.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, Anthony Wayne Sapp, a mathematics teacher at Charles D. Owen High School in Black Mountain, North Carolina was named the NFL Teacher of the Month for the Month of September. The National Football League will grant a cash award of $2,500 to Mr. Sapp and $5,000 to Owen High School as part of this program. Mr. Sapp has taught at Owen High School for 22 years, specializing in mathematics. In addition to his regular load of classes, Mr. Sapp also is the coach of the high school math team, which consistently represents the school well at competition and has produced many exemplary performances by its members. It was one of Mr. Sapp's former students, and an exemplary performer himself, who nominated Mr. Sapp for this honor: Quarterback Brad Johnson of the Washington Redskins. Brad Johnson, a native of Western North Carolina, has been very active in community service with organizations such as Children's Miracle Network and the United Way of America. Of course, many would more likely know the work he has done to propel the Redskins back into the ranks of the elite in the National Football League. I am very proud of these two native sons of Western North Carolina who have proven time and again to be among the elite in their respective fields. And once again, I commend Anthony Wayne Sapp for his achievements.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch of both the House of Representatives and the Senate have actively supported for over two decades the Library of Congress' efforts to develop new paper preservation technologies aimed at ending the ``brittle book'' problem. Our joint objective has been to prevent and slow down the disintegration of ``the written word'' in the nation's libraries and archives due to the acids in modern books and manuscripts. The attached article from the Pittsburgh Business Times & Journal, dated April 2, 1999, describes the new ``Bookkeeper'' technology that chemically neutralizes these damaging acids in paper. Bookkeeper, with research, development and demonstration assistance from the Library of Congress, has perfected both a ``mass'' process for library books as well as consumer products that can be used for smaller collections. Mass deacidification makes it possible to preserve library books and manuscripts in their original format for hundreds of years, rather than allowing these precious materials to become brittle and unusable. It is a pleasure to recognize the efforts of the Library of Congress and Preservation Technologies Inc., the Pittsburgh-area company that owns the Bookkeeper process. They have worked collaboratively and energetically to save already nearly a quarter of a million Library of Congress books so they will be available for Congress and America's citizens to use for many more generations. It should be noted that this American process is now being used by scores of other institutions in the U.S. and Europe and that several governments and companies are still actively working on related processes to save endangered, at-risk cultural materials. James Burd, president of Preservation Technologies, said the product solves a perplexing problem facing scrapbook enthusiasts. ``They tell you not to put anything acidic in a memory book'' he said. ``They don't tell you what to do if you have something on acid paper, but you want to keep it.'' The need to use acid-free paper is a message that can't be avoided at a craft or scrapbook store. Making scrapbooks is a $3 billion annual business, part of the $20 billion craft industry, according to Mr. Burd. Archival Mist is, in essence, an antacid for paper. A powder, magnesium oxide, that resembles crushed Tums, is suspended, not dissolved, in an expensive inert liquid. The liquid evaporates within a minute, even if a page is drenched. It is said to be safe for use on virtually anything. The Library of Congress tested it on thousands of papers, inks, glues and book covers. But the high cost of the liquid, which is also used as a coolant poured over super computing chips, pushes the suggested retail price for Archival Mist to $40 for the 5.3 ounce bottle. Mr. Burd knows that's not the optimum selling point for a retail product no larger than a can of deodorant. ``Everybody said $20 is the magic price point,'' Mr. Burd said. ``But there are dollars in the bottle. The chemistry is very expensive.'' A bottle of Archival Mist can treat about 40 standard sheets of paper. Since most items put in a scrapbook are much smaller, such as a newspaper wedding announcement, Mr. Burd said deacidification costs about 20 to 25 cents per item. Ms. Higgins is convinced serious scrapbookers will spend the money. ``The thing about the $40 price is that one bottle contains enough to treat 300 typical clippings,'' she said. ``Really, if we can convince people that this is one of the best investments you can make in scrapbooking, it's not too much.'' It certainly isn't much compared with what the government spent trying to solve the problem. Charged with keeping books forever and faced with decaying acidic collections, the Library of Congress launched an all-out attack on acid in the 1980's. After the government spent 15 years and more than $30 million developing a gas-based antacid to treat a chamber full of books, the chemical company it had working on the project gave up. Though most of the technique's kinks were worked out, it brought challenges and risks that Bookkeeper does not. Once, a chemical reaction caused a major fire at a laboratory working with the gaseous mixture. Several other companies developed options based on dissolving an antacid in a liquid. But they required using more volatile liquids and they damaged some books. Richard Spatz had led the development of the first generation of Bookkeeper as a Koppers Industries, Inc. executive, receiving a patent in 1985. After his 1988 retirement, he bought the patent for Bookkeeper, which at the time used freon, and tried to sell the idea to the Library of Congress. But library officials didn't become interested until they had exhausted their own research's possibilities. [From the Pittsburgh Business Times & Journal, Apr. 2, 1999] What's a Memory Worth? (By Ethan Lott) Archival Mist can preserve scrapbook pages, but will the price reduce its mass market appeal? The quick explanation of Archival Mist is that it preserves memories. The how it works, why it's important and why someone should shell out $40 for a 5.3-ounce bottle requires an explanation that starts in the mid-1980s and covers Chemistry 101 and millions of dollars in government research. This complexity is one reason why marketing Archival Mist presents a challenge. So Preservation Technologies, the company launching Archival Mist as its first retail product, is turning to a market that understands the basic need to use acid-free paperscrapbook hobbyists and craft store regulars. Archival Mist was unveiled in February at the Hobby Industry Associations trade show in Dallas. Shipments to about 100 stores began two weeks ago. Last week, the company finalized its order with the nation's largest craft chain, Michaels Stores Inc., and started shipping to its 516 stores this week. Patrons of craft stores are more likely to already know that acidic paper becomes brittle as it ages. That's why some old books have pages that fall apart. Likewise, newspaper clippings, report cards and birth announcements may not stand the test of time in that old scrapbook in the attic. Archival Mist makes any paper it touches non-acidic. It is the retail version of the Bookkeeper solution Preservation Technologies uses to save aging library books. The company is in the midst of its second major contract with the Library of Congress, for which it is treating hundreds of thousands of aging books. After a dip in its pool of special liquid, acid in the book is neutralized. Within hours, the book is dry and ready to be shipped back to Washington. Archival Mist allows consumers to do the same thing, page by page, with a hand-held spray bottle. Get it? Becky Higgins, creative editor of Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Magazine, sure does. She's been trying out Archival Mist and gives it a glowing endorsement. ``I use it a lot,'' Ms. Higgins said. ``Scrapbooking has become a fun hobby. A lot of scrapbookers put together these gorgeous pages, but they won't last for generations because they include products that aren't acid free.'' Finally, the library took a look at Bookkeeper. After testing the product for 18 months, the library gave Preservation Technologies a $1 million test contract in 1995. The company treated 90,000 books under that contract, then in 1997 received a four-year, $3 million contract to treat up to 300,000 books. Ken Harris, preservation projects director at the Library of Congress, said the company's technology was the right solution at the right time. ``Aside from the fact that it works and works well, it doesn't have all these negative side effects,'' Mr. Harris said. ``The whole library community gives testimony to the Bookkeeper process by awarding contracts.'' Mr. Burd said the second contract with the Library of Congress is what finally gave the company credibility in the eyes of the library community. Though the Library of Congress is still the company's biggest customer, about 30 major research libraries, plus archive collection holders worldwide, have contracts with Preservation Technologies. Getting into the spray market was not an entirely new idea for the company. It already sells Bookkeeper as a spray to professionals who want to test it on their own or treat items too large or brittle to ship to Cranberry Township. Though he wouldn't give overall company revenue figures, Mr. Burd said Bookkeeper spray currently represents about 10 percent of the company's business. He said the total spray business could account for 25 percent of revenue as Archival Mist sales grow. Until more stores carry Archival Mist, the company will ship orders from Cranberry or direct consumers to the nearest retail store carrying the product. Information can be found at the company's Web site--www.ptlp.com.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the conference report.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the previous order of the House, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 1905) making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, and for other purposes.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to present the conference report on the FY 2000 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill, H.R. 1905. I would like to thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor), our ranking member, all members of the committee and our staff for the work they have done on this. Mr. Speaker, I would like to summarize the conference report by pointing out that the $2.4 billion in new budget authority to the Congress and support agencies and offices of the legislative branch, this is $165 million below the amount requested in the President's budget. Our bill is 6.3 percent below the President's request. It is 4.8 percent below the amount that was appropriated last year. It is almost 6 percent below the amount appropriated in 1995. We have also declined the number of FTEs almost 16 percent, almost 4,400 fewer jobs than we had 5 years ago. This has been hard work. We owe our predecessors a lot of the credit, but this committee has done well. In summary, the bill I think has reduced this area of government, but it is adequate for our purposes. I urge the adoption of the conference report. Mr. Speaker, I include the following for the Record. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH05AU99.500 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH05AU99.501 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH05AU99.502 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH05AU99.503 Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina

Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the conference report to accompany H.R. 1905, and that I may include tabular and extraneous material.