Lee Terry

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3616. I testify today in my capacity as co-chairman of the Impact Aid Coalition and as the representative of Offut Air Force Base in my home district. Offutt Air Force Base has as its tenants US/STRATCOM and the 55th Wing and a variety of other missions. This district is a heavily- impacted district. The land mass of Offutt Air Force Base is huge; and our school districts that educate the military children rely on their primary funding, property taxes, which, of course, because of the Federal base, this district does not collect. Each year Congress rides to the rescue for these type of school districts. Bellevue is a wonderful example of a school district dependent on the dead-beat dad of the Federal Government for its survival. Each year it survives attempts to cut the budget for these military families. Such as, in Bellevue, 45 percent of its school population is composed of military families. These families should not have to settle for less of an education than their counterparts surrounding Bellevue and Nebraska. Our military families should not be treated as second-class citizens. Mr. Speaker, I am especially pleased with how this legislation deals with section 8003(f). The Clinton/Gore administration, in their budget, recommended the elimination of this section, which would take $6 million annually from this school district. H.R. 3616 deals a blow to this proposal by taking section (f) from a pilot program and making it a basic part of the payment structure. It would also encourage the method under which the supplemental payments are calculated and paid, therefore expediting the receipts of payment by heavily-impacted school districts. Until now, these heavily-impacted school districts had to wait a significant amount of time in order to receive their Federal payments. Those in our armed forces need to know that the Federal Government is doing right by the school systems that teach their children. Education programs outside of Impact Aid are receiving increases, while we survive repeated attempts to cut Impact Aid. I urge my colleagues to vote for this legislation. The $4.8 billion, 5-year reauthorization will ensure that those schools that are heavily impacted will maintain its funding.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of full funding for special education. All children deserve a quality education, including children with disabilities. Over 24 years ago Congress committed to contribute up to 40 percent of the average per pupil expenditure of educating children with disabilities. We must keep this promise. The Federal Government has failed to keep its commitment to assist states and localities. This contradicts the goal of ensuring that children with disabilities receive quality educations. By keeping our promise, Congress will give state and local school districts the flexibility to educate children in the best possible way. This vote is an important step in securing the future of our children. Currently school districts have to divert money from their general fund to cover the costs of special education. When school districts are relieved of these federally mandated costs, the result will be increased flexibility in education. Necessarily undertakings such as wiring schools for new technology, increasing teacher salaries, new school construction, and local tax relief will be possible with these long-overdue funds. This vote is an important step forward in fulfilling our Nation's commitment to children and families who need special education services and to the local school districts that have been paying these mandated costs since the mid-1970's. Recent increases in Federal funding and the proposed schedule to fully fund these costs by 2010 represent significant relief for the local school districts in Nebraska and all across America.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you in support of the National Charter Schools Week. Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia currently allow charter schools to operate. Nearly 1,700 charter schools around the country are open, serving some 433,000 children. They have become an increasingly popular alternative among educators and local communities concerned about the effectiveness of traditional standards of public education. It provides alternatives for parents. We are here to celebrate those States that have adopted that, those 37, but my hope is that it also sheds light on the 13 States, such as mine, Nebraska, that have yet to pass effective charter school legislation. So my State is not able to stand with President Clinton and celebrate charter schools. This is truly a bipartisan issue. I got a letter just a few weeks ago from some parents in my district whose child was having difficulty learning in his home school, especially reading, under the traditional methods, and they had to send their child to a private school that would have met all the criteria of a traditional public charter school. Now, this is why for those 13 States we need to really heighten the discussion about why we need charter schools. Yet for all these parents in my district, with the needs for their children, the Nebraska legislature has refused to provide charter schools as an option for our students. Political leaders from both sides of the aisle here today, from top to bottom, from President Clinton to local districts, openly embrace this new concept. I am hopeful that in the next legislative session legislators in Nebraska will make it a priority, bringing our school children in our State the type of educational reform supported by parents, educators, and politically elected officials alike.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the H.J. Res. 94, the Tax Limitation Constitutional Amendment. I would first like to thank my distinguished colleague from Texas, Representative Pete Sessions for sponsoring this overdue piece of legislation. This legislation of which I am cosponsor, requires any tax increase passed by Congress to be supported by more than a simple majority. The Tax Limitation Amendment states that any tax increase must pass by a two- thirds vote of Congress. Taxes are the most fundamental means of pricing out the government, and yet few taxpayers understand the price that they pay when members of Congress pass tax increases by a simple majority. Currently, 14 states require tax limitation standards, which have caused tax and spending decreases while increasing employment and economic expansion. Why not implement a tax limitation standard on the federal level so that this same effect can be felt by all Americans? There are a number of important issues which require a two-thirds vote by Congress such as amending the Constitution, overriding a Presidential veto; two events which clearly require the parties of Congress to come to a consensus. The decision to increase taxes is an important issue and it too should require more than a majority, it should require a consensus. When Congress votes yes to increase taxes, it has an effect on everyone. When I was elected to represent the second district of Nebraska, one of my priorities was to fight against any and all attempts by the federal government to take more money away from my constituents. Last year many of my colleagues and I voted to cut $792 billion dollars in taxes for hard-working Americans, a great effort which was vetoed by the President. Unfortunately, we had no hope of overriding the Presidents veto because we could not muster the two- thirds votes necessary from the House. Any attempt by members of Congress to cut taxes is put in jeopardy by the Presidents ability to veto. We should require any increase in taxes to receive overwhelming support of Congress--a two-thirds vote. Many of the major tax increases levied on Americans have passed without a two-thirds vote. In 1982, Congress passed the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act which cost the taxpayer $214 billion dollars without a two-thirds vote; Congress passed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 totaling $40 billion dollars without a two- thirds vote; Congress passed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 for $25 billion dollars without a two-thirds vote; Congress passed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 for a whopping $137 billion dollars without a two-thirds vote. Finally, Congress passed one of the largest tax increases in American history, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 for $275 billion dollars by 1 vote not a two-thirds vote. I believe that I have made my point. If you are going to send Americans a tax bill, you better have the support from two- thirds of Congress. The economy of the United States is at a fiscally sound level, but our taxes remain to be the highest they have been since World War II. As Congress, our main goal is to keep our economy sound and contribute to the current prosperity. Preventing future tax increases will help us in this mission. One way to accomplish this is to require a two-thirds vote from Congress before making a decision that could alter our lives. Federal tax laws have numerous unintended consequences on Americans. Congress needs to make decisions in the best interest of Americans by ensuring that any federal tax increase is supported by more than just a simple majority. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this bill.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4051, ``Project Exile: The Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act of 2000.'' Project Exile adopts a zero-tolerance for federal gun crimes, with federal, state and local law enforcement and prosecutors working hand- in-hand to prosecute each and every firearms violation. This program imposes stringent and serious consequences on armed criminals by demonstrating that prosecution and punishment provides for deterrence and prevention. We need to send a real clear message to criminals who abuse our Second Amendment. Project Exile is a positive step in the direction to reduce firearm related crime in America by providing a five-year mandatory minimum sentence, with no eligibility for parole, for anyone who uses or carries a firearm in the commission of a violent crime, drug trafficking crime or for any convicted felon found to be in possession of a firearm. Project Exile is one of the most aggressive, creative and innovative crime control plans ever initiated. Since its inception in Richmond, Virginia, in 1997, Project Exile has produced overwhelmingly successful results; the Project has put more than 200 armed criminals behind bars; one violent gang responsible for many Richmond murders has been eliminated; the rate of gun carrying by criminals has been cut nearly in half; and the armed robbery rate for 1998 has declined 29 percent. This is just one state with significant examples of how the implementation of Project Exile has decreased gun-related crimes. It has proved to be so effective that Project Exile has expanded to other areas such as Rochester, New York and Philadelphia and other areas are considering adopting the same approach. Project Exile needs to be applied on a federal level and not just on a state level. We cannot comprise American families and their safety by just denying felons access to guns. We must do more. We must effectively enforce gun laws. We cannot be sure that our criminal justice system is doing all that it can do to keep guns out of the hands of violent felons if these felons are not consistently being prosecuted for their crimes. Our focus needs to be criminal control and not gun control. It is about time we take proactive measures to protect law-abiding citizens from becoming the victims of violent gun crimes. I urge my colleagues to vote for Project Exile.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from Colorado (Mr. McInnis) for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the floor another package of tax and fee increases proposed by the Clinton-Gore administration for the fiscal year 2001. This legislation proposes additional taxes and fees totaling $116 billion over the next 5 years. Now, this body a few weeks ago and the Senate just last week and this week, hopefully, will deal with the conference report on our budget. The thing to keep in mind is that our budget does not raise taxes. In fact, it cuts taxes by $150 billion over the next 5 years. Our budget protects the Social Security Trust Fund. Our budget pays down the public debt. And we did this without asking our constituents and the American public to pay one more dollar of their hard-earned money to the Federal Government. We think it is better that they keep their money in their pockets than in Washington. This resolution exposes the Clinton-Gore tax-and-fee package for what it really is, $116 billion in new fees and taxes. The President and Vice President propose 84 new spending programs. So as maybe some of the American public have watched the nightly news, they may have said, how do they do it? I hear them talking about spending or taking down the debt and expanding the size of government. Well, what they are not hearing is the fact that in that proposal is $116 billion worth of new taxes to do that. That is the smoke and mirrors. This package raises, for example, $12.8 billion on insurance products which Americans rely on to protect their families. Since I have gotten here, I fought hard to eliminate the death tax. This administration has proposed a stealth tax on our children, raising death taxes a whopping $3.8 billion. At the time that the price of oil and gas have risen to historic heights, and now leveling off, though, the President submitted a budget which included $1.6 billion in new energy taxes. Congress has made an effort to help our senior citizens by locking away their Social Security and protecting Medicare. Now this administration submits a budget raising Medicare premiums and other health care costs by $3.2 billion. This is what we are fighting to save them from. Now, I could go on with many more specific examples. But, Mr. Speaker, I will not. There is something in this resolution for everyone to dislike. I, for one, plan to demonstrate my opposition to this tax package and these fee increases; and I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in voting ``no'' to these fees and tax increases.

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the compliment from my colleague, the gentleman from New York, on my creativity, but I did feel the necessity to unlock that cage so the world could see this tiger. Because what my friends on the other side of the aisle were doing was putting a tarp over it so nobody could see that in this cage was $116 billion worth of new taxes and 84 new programs. I thought we needed to shed some light on this, and nobody on their side of the aisle took the leadership to show the public this. So I will back up my talk with the walk, and we can vote on it today. Mr. Speaker, I also heard that we were trying to embarrass the President. Frankly, I wish the teachers that were here today were listening to this and showing it to their civics classes, because today, Mr. Speaker, we saw the difference. We saw the difference between us. We saw how they will advocate for a tax increase of $116 billion to support their 84 more programs. That is taxing and spending, Mr. Speaker. That is the difference. We are here saying that the way we help everybody in America is that we control the growth of government. In a time when we are dealing with trillion dollar surpluses, that is not a time to grow government for more taxes. Now is the time to start saying, how do we help the people that are overpaying taxes? Yes, I would be embarrassed to introduce a budget that included $116 billion of new tax increases, several of which include taxation of our senior citizens in Medicare, the Medicare system, creating higher fees for nursing homes, for Medicare+Choice programs. When we talk about the tigers that are in the cage, what we are talking about is bringing out the new and the healthier tigers, the ones that we on the Republican side have, the healthy social security tigers, the healthy Medicare. I urge all of my colleagues to vote no.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3660. It is well documented that partial-birth abortions are widely performed on healthy mothers and healthy babies who might be able to live outside of the womb. In this horrific procedure, a baby is partially delivered feet first and stabbed in the back of head by an abortion doctor, who then vacuums out the baby's brains. The baby is killed only three inches away from taking its first breath and being indisputably recognized under the law as a human being with the right to live. Mr. Speaker, whether it is my first time or this body's seventh time, I urge my colleagues to do the right thing and support H.R. 3660.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment to aid the fire and emergency services of this country. The men and women who risk their lives day in and day out to protect life and property deserve our full support and I believe this amendment recognizes this by proving substantial federal funding in several areas. First, it provides $10 million to fully fund the volunteer fire assistance program. It makes $10 million available for burn research. It makes $80 million available to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for grants to volunteer, paid, and combination departments that provide fire and emergency medical services. I should point out that matters relating to FEMA fall within the jurisdiction of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. As vice chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight Investigations and Emergency Management of that committee, I note that we fully support this amendment which would set up new grant programs within FEMA. The amendment also makes community development block grant funds (currently at $4.75 billion) available for use by local authorities for the fire service. The amendment before us will strengthen the local capability to deal with fires and other emergency situations. Mr. Chairman, the Weldon-Smith amendment is a substantial step forward to help protect the health and safety of the public and firefighting personnel. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today on the occasion of Black Press Day. March 16 is the anniversary of the publication of the first black-owned newspaper in the United States. On this day in 1827, the first edition of Freedom's Journal rolled off the presses and onto the streets of New York City. I borrow from the National Newspaper Publishers Association when I recite the credo of the Black Press: The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonism when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back. And there is no better example of this credo than in my own district in Nebraska. The Omaha Star is one of the nation's most renowned black- owned newspapers. The late Mildred D. Brown, who was one of the nation's most widely known publishers, founded it in 1938. Since its inception some 62 years ago, the Omaha Star has never missed an edition, and it is distributed in nearly every state of the Union. The Omaha Star has been Omaha's main advocate and champion for the progress of African-Americans during its lifespan. Nebraska's only black-owned newspaper, the Omaha Star and Mrs. Brown were irreplaceable in their contributions to the city's growth and gain. We owe a special debt of gratitude to the pioneers at the Omaha Star, both past and present, who lead the fight for acceptance of all races. And so, on behalf of all Nebraskans I say to the people of the Omaha Star, ``Thank you.''

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today on the occasion of Black Press Day. March 16 is the anniversary of the publication of the first black-owned newspaper in the United States. On this date in 1827, the first edition of Freedom's Journal rolled off the press and on to the streets of New York City. I borrow from the Newspaper Publishers Association when I recite the credo of the Black Press. The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonism when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back. There is no better example of this credo than in my own district in Nebraska. The Omaha Star is one of the Nation's most renowned black- owned newspapers. We owe a special debt of gratitude to the pioneers of the Omaha Star, both past and present, who lead the fight for acceptance of all races. So on behalf of all Nebraskans, I say to the people of Omaha Star, thank you.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 39, I was inadvertently detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. DeMint), the initiator and sponsor of this important legislation. (Mr. DeMint asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2952) to redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Orchard Park Drive in Greenville, South Carolina, as the ``Keith D. Oglesby Station''.

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2952, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. DeMint) introduced H.R. 2952 on September 27, 1999, along with the entire South Carolina delegation as original cosponsors. The Congressional Budget Office has reviewed the legislation and has estimated that its enactment would have no significant impact on the Federal budget and would not affect direct spending or receipts. Therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. This bill contains no intergovernmental or private sector mandates as defined by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on State, local, or tribal governments. The legislation redesignates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Orchard Park Drive in Greenville, South Carolina, presently known as the Orchard Park Station, as the Keith D. Oglesby Station. Keith Oglesby was the postmaster of Greenville for 6 years. Unfortunately, sadly, tragically, he drowned last year while on vacation with his family. Among the many activities the postmaster was associated with are chairperson for the Greenville Counties Combined Federal Campaign for 5 years; postal co-chair for the Upstate Postal Customer Council and he served on the board of directors for 4 years and President for a year of Senior Action, an organization to provide and raise funds for social events for senior adults in Greenville County. Mr. Oglesby was awarded the Benjamin Award, the Postal Service's top public relations honor. He received the second award posthumously. Postal employees, his peers and customers in Greenville have requested that Mr. Oglesby be remembered in the community where he lived, worked, and served. Mr. Oglesby was known by his words, quote, ``do the right thing,'' end quote. I believe that such an honor initiated by one's own community is the right thing and I thank our colleague, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. DeMint), for sponsoring H.R. 2952, naming a postal facility after postmaster Keith D. Oglesby, and I urge all of our colleagues to support this legislation. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

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

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chairman, I am a cosponsor of H.R. 1827, the Government Waste Corrections Act. I commend our leadership for bringing this bill to the floor. At a time when there is a lot of talk about reducing waste, fraud and abuse in executive branch programs, I am pleased that the House is taking some action. I want to express particular concern about HCFA, and that agency's lax oversight of Medicare contractors. By HCFA's own admission, billions of dollars are lost through waste and abuse each year. Testimony from GAO, as well as the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, has documented that Medicare contractors have improperly paid claims and failed to recoup overpayments to providers. Recently, GAO has cited ``integrity problems'' and ``pervasive'' fiscal mismanagement among Medicare contractors. This has included such questionable activity as arbitrarily turning off computer audits of claims, altering documents that involved questionable claims, and even falsification of documents and reports to HCFA. Yet these contractors are the very same companies that are supposed to be HCFA's front line force for the identification and recovery of Medicare overpayments. There is an inherent conflict of interest in having Medicare contractors both pay for provider claims and then audit their own performance. This certainly is not the way that insurance companies in Omaha and across the country do business. When private resources are at risk, insurers obtain independent reviews to identify and recover overpayments. In protecting public resources HCFA would do well to follow the private example, perhaps turning to some of the same businesses that have extensive experience in the area. GAO will report to Congress later this year on the results of a study HCFA's performance in the identification and collection of Medicare overpayments. The HHS Inspector General's office also has plans to compare Medicare overpayment and recovery methods with those of private insurers. I am hopeful that the result of these studies will be that HCFA does what the Veterans Administration already has done--that is, approved use of private firms for cost recovery. The bill now before us is an important first step recovering the millions of dollars the federal government over-pays each year. this is an important bill, and I urge its approval.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 3018, introduced by the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn) on October 5, 1999, and cosponsored by each member of the South Carolina House delegation, designates the U.S. Post Office located at 557 East Bay Street in Charleston, South Carolina, as the Marybelle H. Howe Post Office. The legislation was approved, as amended, by the Subcommittee on the Postal Service on October 21, 1999, and forwarded to the Committee on Government Reform, as amended. The Committee ordered the legislation be reported, as amended, on October 28, 1999. The Congressional Budget Office reviewed the legislation on October 29, 1999, and estimated that the enactment of H.R. 3018 would have no significant impact on the Federal budget and would not affect direct spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. The bill contains no intergovernmental or private sector mandates as defined by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on State, local, or tribal governments. The amended legislation includes the provisions of H.R. 3018, H.R. 3017, H.R. 3018, and H.R. 3019, which were all introduced by the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn) on October 5, 1999, and also cosponsored by the entire House delegation of the State of South Carolina. Section 1 of the amendment, originally H.R. 3016, designates the U.S. Post Office located at 301 Main Street in Eastover, South Carolina, as the Layford R. Johnson Post Office. Reverend Johnson is a lifelong resident of Eastover. He was the son of farmers, and after working on the Works Progress Administration, an employee of the Civilian Conservation Corps and also for a lumber company, he became a full- time, self-employed farmer. He is associate pastor and steward emeritus at St. Phillip A.M.E. Church. Reverend Johnson has been a dedicated Meals-on-Wheels volunteer for 10 years. Additionally, he also volunteers to provide transportation to the polls on Election Day. Even at age 80, Reverend Johnson pastors, volunteers, farms, and lives by the Golden Rule. Section 2 of the amendment, formerly H.R. 3017, designates the U.S. Post Office located at 78 Sycamore Street in Charleston, South Carolina, as the Richard E. Fields Post Office. Richard Fields, born in 1920, received his B.S. in 1944 from West Virginia State College, then received his LLB in 1947 from Howard University. Mr. Fields served as a judge of the municipal court from 1969 to 1974 and then the family court from 1974 to 1980. He was elected to fill an unexpired term as judge of the ninth judicial circuit in 1980 and stills serves in that position. Section 3 of the amendment, H.R. 3018, honors Marybelle Higgins, who was born in Georgetown, South Carolina. The third of six children, she helped in raising three younger siblings because of her mother's ailing health. She graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of South Carolina in 1937 and married Gedney Howe, whom she met there. The Howe family settled in Charleston, where Marybelle was a homemaker, active in the PTA, her church, and politics. In 1950 she was elected President of Church Women United, a biracial group which administered to the needs of migrant laborers and their families on Sea Island. In the late 1950s she worked with others to open Camp Care on John's Island to minister to the children of migrant workers. This later became known as the Rural Mission, Inc. Before her death, the mission honored Mrs. Howe by making her the first person to be placed on its Honor Roll. Her work for migrant workers was instrumental in establishing the South Carolina Commission for Farm Workers, which later became a model for Federal assistance programs. Mrs. Howe also worked to help African Americans. She was named the founding chairman of the Charleston County Commission on Economic Opportunity. She served as a board member of the Charleston County Library for 25 years and chair of its board of trustees for many years. She served on the Board of Women Visitors of the University of South Carolina for several years and was honored by the university for her service to her church, to her community, and the university. Marybelle Howe pursued her convictions even though they were not often popular in the eyes of her peers. She was a great inspiration to others, in addition to being a wife, mother, journalist, and community leader. Section 4 of the amendment, originally H.R. 3019, designates the U.S. Post Office located at 4026 Lamar Street in Columbia, South Carolina, as the Mamie G. Floyd Post Office. Mamie Goodwin Floyd still lives in the house where she was born in Columbia. She attended Benedict College, graduating in 1943 with a degree in history. After graduation, Mamie Goodwin married J. Hernandez Floyd. Mrs. Floyd taught at various public schools, and then received her master's degree in education from South Carolina State College. She is active in the Ridgewood Missionary Baptist Church, serving as its treasurer and being recognized twice with its Women of the Year Award. Mrs. Floyd became very interested in politics and encouraged voter registration and provided transportation to the polls. She was selected as an alternate delegate to the 1992 Democrat National Convention. She worked tirelessly to restore the historic Holloway House, a community center for home work assistance, enrichment programs, and senior citizens activities, which subsequently was renamed in her honor. A devoted mother, she cared for her two sons who had sickle-cell disease before much was known about its treatment. She, however, encouraged others to get tested so that they could receive proper treatment. Mrs. Floyd, affectionately known as Miss Mamie Lee, is a source of inspiration to her community of Ridgewood in the Columbia area. I strongly encourage full support of H.R. 3018, as amended.

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3018, as amended.

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3018) to designate the United States Post Office located at 557 East Bay Street in Charleston, South Carolina, as the ``Marybelle H. Howe Post Office'', as amended.