Tom Tancredo

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I have in front of me a letter from the Reserve Officers Association of the United States to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf). I would like to refer to excerpts from it and then enter it into the Record. Dear Congressman Wolf: Just within the past few weeks, China has made military threats against Taiwan and threatened military action against the United States if we defend Taiwan. Just 4 years ago, China fired several live missiles in the Taiwan Strait, necessitating deployment of two American carrier groups to the area. A report issued last month by the CIA and the FBI indicates that Beijing has increased its military spying against the United States. Less than a year ago, the Cox Committee reported that China stole classified information regarding advanced American thermonuclear weapons. Additionally, Beijing has exported weapons of mass destruction to Iran and North Korea, in violation of treaty commitments. Finally, China's record of human rights abuses is well documented. A recent Harris Poll revealed that 79 percent of the American people oppose giving China permanent access to U.S. markets.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. I would like to join other Members in support of the bill offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), as it was originally introduced. Avoiding per-minute charges for Internet access service, as we have since 1987, remains a worthwhile objective. How we treat Internet telephony will dictate the extent to which millions of Americans choose an affordable, yet innovative, alternative to traditional telephone services today. This is why I share the view of others that the SEC should not rush in and impose access charge regimes on providers of Internet telephone services. Access charges were designed in the wake of the break-up of AT&T to require long distance providers a means to compensate the local telephone monopoly. The FCC should carefully study the issue and reform today's current access charge regime before it rushes in to impose old regulations on new Internet applications.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, the Tancredo amendment to H.R. 853, the Comprehensive Budget Process Reform Act, would simply expand the reporting requirements for unauthorized programs which appear in the back of the House appropriations reports. I want to take this opportunity to bring to the attention of the committee and, to help put this thing in perspective, some historical tidbits that I think are interesting. In 1979, for instance, the Conservative Party leader, Margaret Thatcher, was elected Britain's first female Prime Minister, the Facts of Life began as a four-episode spin-off from an already successful sitcom Different Strokes, and the Legal Services Corporation was last authorized. In 1980, Mount Saint Helens erupted in May, Ronald Reagan was elected President in November, and the Department of Justice was last reauthorized. In 1983, the invasion of Grenada, the last episode of MASH was broadcast, and the EPA toxic substance program was last reauthorized. In 1984, the Olympics came to Los Angeles, the movie Ghost Busters premiered, and the Power Marketing Administration was last reauthorized. Well, I could go on, there are quite a bit of what I would call interesting tidbits that puts this issue in perspective. We have a lot of programs out there that are continuing to be appropriated for that have not been reauthorized for years. This is a dereliction of our duty, I think, and something we have to draw attention to. As my colleagues know, the current House rules require a list of all unauthorized programs to appear in the back of the appropriations report. While this current rule is very helpful in ensuring that Congress is aware of the programs that are unauthorized, I believe that much more needs to be done to increase the awareness. The amendment I propose would simply expand on current rules to include, one, the last year for which the expenditures were authorized; two, the level of expenditures authorized that year; three, the actual level of expenditures for that year; and, four, the level of expenditures contained in that current bill. I believe this is, although not a gigantic step in the direction I would like to take in terms of reauthorization, it is an important one. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Nussle).

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment made in order under the rule.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to my colleague, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. DeMint).

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, since coming to Congress a little over a year ago, I have spent a considerable amount of time trying to highlight the problems that I have come across in unauthorized spending. As I say, I know this is not the ultimate answer. It is our attempt to focus a little attention, a little light on the problem. The chart I have here does not come anywhere near indicating all the programs that are being presently appropriated for without authorization, but it just looks at a couple of things that I think are again interesting. Department of Justice, the last year it was authorized was 1980. The amount of authorization at that time was $1,954,000,000. The level appropriated in this bill $18,213,926,000. That growth has occurred without any authorization activity. For fiscal year 2000, according to the annual budget report released by the CBO, there were 247 programs funded in 137 laws, totaling over $120 billion wherein authorizations have expired. Last year there were 198 programs funded in 118 laws, totaling over $101 billion. I believe that this continuing practice has led to the deterioration of power of the authorizing committees and, thus, the loss of aggressive congressional oversight and fiscal responsibility. It has also led to the shift of power away from the legislative branch toward the administration and Federal bureaucracy. I recognize that H.R. 853 includes a provision requiring authorizing committees to detail how they will authorize programs within a 10-year period, but I believe it is time that the House adds additional provisions to shine the light on this egregious problem.

Mr. TANCREDO

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

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 456 to express the sense of the House to acknowledge and highlight the efforts of the Arapahoe Rescue Patrol. Since 1957, the Arapahoe Rescue Patrol has been helping shape the lives of young adults in and around the community of Littleton, Colorado. Over the past 43 years, this organization has assisted in over 2,000 rescue missions throughout the State and participants have volunteered over 50,000 hours of work. Young adults from around the community volunteer their time to aid and make a positive difference in their communities. They assist in every aspect of emergency response from fires to automobile accidents to searching for missing people. I want to give special recognitions to Stan Bush, who in 1957 started this program in an effort to organize a group to assist in rescue missions. The problem was that no one was interested, anyway no adult. Stan had originally sought adults to assist in this program but when there was a complete lack of interest, he turned to the community's youth and the youth responded. In fact, over 1,000 adolescents have responded over the last 43 years. Young people can start in the spring of their eighth grade year. They must provide their own equipment and that usually amounts to a cost of about $500. They begin their training with a 3-day excursion into the Rocky Mountains and 3 days at a search and rescue school and then another 3 days living in the mountains, and then there is a 6- month probation period. Only after they successfully complete this rigorous routine, they are made members. The students must also maintain a C average in school to be part of the organization. After completing this program, many students have gone on to become leaders in their own communities, from sheriff to fire chief to military academy graduates. The Rescue Patrol has proven itself to be a positive influence in the lives of these students. This program represents what is so good about American young leaders and young people. We have so many good kids who make up this Nation, Mr. Speaker, I often worry why we do not take time to recognize them more often. Just over a year ago, my community was rocked by the events of Columbine and we have all spent the last year asking why, and also asking what could be done to prevent crimes like this from happening again. One factor that we have found to be of interest here is the preventive, and something that can prevent destructive behavior is after-school programs, or extracurricular activities. The committees on which I have sat, Mr. Speaker, time after time after time have come back with a variety of different suggestions to the House and to community members as to what we can do to avoid these kinds of situations, and the one common thing that ran through every single response was that there is a time period from about 3:00 to 6:00 every single day that is not filled with positive stuff; that so many kids come home to empty houses; and this is a time when so many young people get into trouble. This is a program that can help fill that particular void. Long before the tragic events at Columbine, Stan Bush instituted the Arapahoe Rescue Patrol and the program has been paying dividends ever since. We may never know how programs such as this impact upon the actions of youth. We know it is positive in the long run. We do know that those who participate in the program admire, not disdain, the communities in which they live. These kids are provided with a sense of belonging and also provide a direct connection to the communities in which they live. We spend countless hours examining and reexamining the actions of those who do harm to our communities but we forget about the vast majority of our youth that want to participate positively. It is time to acknowledge what is good about young people. Mr. Speaker, I have introduced legislation to do just that. I want to recognize all of those who have participated in the Arapahoe Rescue Patrol over the 43 years and say thanks to all of them, and at this point I insert into the Record the names of those who have served. Arapahoe Rescue Patrol Earns Congressional Praise U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo (R-CO) presented the organizers of the Arapahoe Rescue Patrol of Littleton with a copy of a Congressional Resolution on April 19 in Englewood, praising their efforts within the community. ``I wish every child in Colorado could participate in this program,'' Tancredo said. ``When many young adults are crying out for role models, the Arapahoe Rescue Patrol has filled that important void for over a thousand Colorado children.'' Stan Bush, director of the Emergency Planning Department for the city of Littleton, founded for the Patrol in 1957 as a nonprofit organization that assists law enforcement agencies, fire departments and search and rescue missions. The volunteers gather in the basement of Fire Station 12 in Littleton, headquarters of the Patrol Most important, over one thousand students have participated in the program and been involved in more than, 2,200 reduce missions. Each student works approximately 10 hours a week assisting with emergencies, from fires and automobile accidents to searches for missing people. Tancredo introduced House Resolution 456 on April 3 ``to acknowledge and highlight the efforts of the Arapahoe Rescue Patrol.'' The resolution states: ``Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the Congress recognizes the Arapahoe Rescue Patrol of Littleton, Colorado for its 43 years of service to the local community, strong commitment from young adults, and selfless acts of community service to encourage positive outlets for young adults, teaching them a sense of commitment, responsibility, and belonging, all qualities essential to provide youth with the tools they need to succeed in the future.'' ``The children who have participated in the program are lucky, they have been associated with what I hope will be a model for every city in Colorado,'' Tancredo said. ``I want to say thank you to the Patrol on behalf of all the citizens in the Sixth Congressional District and Colorado. I consider all of you heroes.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. TANCREDO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks, and include extraneous material.)

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 456.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 456) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives to acknowledge and highlight the efforts of the Arapahoe Rescue Patrol of Littleton, CO.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I would inquire as to how much time remains.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire again as to how much time is remaining?

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo).

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As we are all aware, there is more to CARA than just land acquisition. It is a bill that was designed in part to combat the fast paced growth of urban areas. I am pleased to offer this amendment with the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) to direct our efforts toward mitigating the impacts of urban and suburban growth. I represent two of the fastest growing counties in the United States, Jefferson and Arapahoe County in Colorado. Having witnessed this growth firsthand, it perplexes me that the focus of the debate surrounding this bill should remain squarely on Federal land acquisition. CARA provides other mechanisms to meet our environmental obligations, especially in those suburban areas which are most impacted by rapid growth. Under our amendment, funding to the Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery program, or UPARR, will increase by $225 million over the current bill, improving the quality of life and environmental integrity of the urban areas. If we are going to spend this money, let us spend it where people can experience these improvements on a day-to-day basis. We will increase funding to the farmland protection program by $125 million. In Colorado, I would argue that the farmers of Jefferson, Arapahoe Douglas and Boulder Counties should be listed and protected as an endangered species themselves. Instead, they are under attack by the current endangered species policies of the Federal Government and they are afforded little, if any, help by the same Federal Government to protect their property. Our amendment can fix that. Our amendment offers a substantial increase in the funding made available to the endangered species recovery programs in title VII of this bill. If we want to recover a species of wildlife that are declining in population, let us do it by addressing the issue and not by acquiring more land. Make no mistake, this amendment does not prohibit the Federal acquisition of land. We can still pay for that through the normal appropriations process. However, it does remove a fund designated for that purpose. I challenge the notion that land is actually preserved by Federal land acquisition. It is true that development on that land may be prevented, but the Federal Government must become the steward of this land for the years to come once it obtains that land. In Colorado, even the United States Forest Service does not pretend that our national forests are healthy. They are diseased, infested and their roads and trails are deteriorating as well. We should provide local landowners, farmers and local governments the financial resources to better care for these lands themselves. If my colleagues want to address the issue of urban sprawl or urban growth, then let us allocate the money in this bill in a way that actually reflects that purpose. A dedicated fund for Federal land acquisition will not prove to be the answer. By and large, it will be a burden. Instead, let us empower our localities and property owners to better manage their own land. This amendment is a long-term solution to a long-term challenge that our country faces. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, ``We have a lot of fun. We don't sweat the small stuff.'' That is the message of Layla Willis, a resident of Evergreen, CO, who was recently named ``Mother of the Year'' by Working Mother magazine. By balancing her full time job, which requires frequent travel, with the daily tasks of raising three children, Layla has set an example for all working mothers to follow. The message she brings forth rings true in all our lives. Many times we have to stop and dwell on issues or problems that will have a minimal impact in the grand scheme of our lives. But the growth and development of our children and grandchildren is significant and deserves our utmost attention. Today, it is imperative in most homes that both parents work. My wife and I both worked full time jobs, as did my mother, but we can all stop and take steps to ensure that, regardless of this, our children never feel neglected. Layla has shown us all that it can be done in today's hectic lifestyles. I would also like to commend Layla for her commitment in providing all children with a well rounded after school curriculum. With working parents, many children have a void in their lives when they leave school. Layla realizes that students need tutoring for school subjects, and other extra curricular activities that develop skills such as arts and crafts, sports and reading. I urge all parents in Colorado and America who must work, to follow Layla's example, make your family the number one priority and stop sweating the small stuff.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the House overwhelmingly approved H.R. 4055, the IDEA Full Funding Act, which will allow the federal government to fully fund their share of special education. The bill provides a $2 billion yearly increase in special education spending, beginning with $7 billion for fiscal year 2001 and ending with $25 billion for fiscal year 2010. In 1975, Congress promised every child in America a quality education, and it has failed to fulfill that promise. Special education should be a top priority of America and this Congress as we prepare our children for the next century. No child in Colorado or America should be left behind simply because of their disability. Currently, the state of Colorado receives $28.4 million to educate special education students--even though the federal government promised to pay $145.7 million. If the federal government met its 40 percent commitment to IDEA, the state would receive $117 million more a year. This is money that could go to pay for more computers, increased pay for teachers or smaller classrooms. It is time for promises made to be promises kept. With millions of dollars being wasted on unauthorized or inefficient government programs, there is no excuse for failing to fulfill the promise to fund 40 percent of special education programs. With better accountability of programs within the budget process, we would already have the funds available for special education. Instead, we are on the path of underfunding and depriving special education students the quality education they deserve. Again, I would like to thank my colleagues for their support of H.R. 4055 and thank Chairman Goodling for his hard and dedicated work on this bill.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling), the honorable chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri).

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Con. Res. 310.