Michael Turner

Mr. TURNER of Ohio

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 162 honors the City of Dayton, Ohio, and its many partners for hosting Inventing Flight: The Centennial Celebration, a celebration of the centennial of Wilbur and Orville Wright's first flight. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to speak on behalf of Concurrent Resolution 162 as an original cosponsor, along with every member in the Ohio delegation, in honoring the City of Dayton, Ohio, as they begin to celebrate 2003, Inventing Flight: The Centennial Celebration. On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright launched man's first- ever sustained and controlled flight in a heavier-than-air engine- powered aircraft at Kill Devil Hill, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Although the first flight lasted only 12 seconds and covered approximately 120 feet, this achievement changed the world forever. The Wright Brothers had been fascinated by flight from an early age. The vision they shared of sweeping across the sky without boundaries, limits or rules, led to countless hours of imagination, experiments, and pure hard work. Their lives centered around the possibility of flight. Together they opened a bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, in 1892. Upon seeing the countless bicycle shops already in existence during the newly industrialized America, they began to believe in the ability of flight. The lonely hours and late nights spent at drafting tables and workshops in Dayton fueled the brothers' obsession with making their dream a reality. With every failed trial came a new way of thinking. With every small success, they were a step closer to their vision. In 1899, they began building kites and gliders to test the theories that had been so diligently part of their work. Eventually, they met with success and began building their own plane. They built their first plane in Dayton, Ohio, and took it to Kitty Hawk to fly it in the coastal winds of North Carolina. Remarkably, a mere 11 years after the Wright Brothers opened their bicycle shop in Dayton, the first successful flight was completed. After watching the brothers in flight, an Ohio merchant remarked, ``Imagine a locomotive that has left its track and is climbing up in the air without any wheels, but with white wings instead, and you have something like what I saw.'' In a telegram sent by the Wright Brothers from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina to their father, Reverend Milton Wright, on December 17, 1903, they said, ``Success. Four flights Thursday morning. All against 21- mile wind. Started from level with engine power alone. Average speed through air, 31 miles. Longest, 59 seconds. Inform press. Home Christmas.'' Success, their achievement, changed our world, making it smaller and bringing us all closer together. The super highways of the sky have united families, cultures, and encouraged the spread of ideas across the world. The achievement of flight, through the determination and innovation of the Wright Brothers, changed the world forever on a winter day in 1903. Upon achieving their first flight, the Wright Brothers returned to Dayton, Ohio where they continued to study aerodynamics and perfected flight. The location where they learned to sustain flight and, most importantly, to turn the aircraft is today the location of Wright Patterson Air Force Base where the Air Force continues to perfect flight and advance our advantage in aerodynamics and composite structures for airplanes. In his youth, Wilbur Wright was afflicted with the belief that flight is possible. Together the brothers were crazy enough to believe that they, two men from Ohio, the heartland of America, could change the world with the achievement of flight. It is our great good fortune in their youth their hearts were touched with fire. Leonardo DaVinci envisioned a flying machine that would be carried upward and freely roam the skies in search of adventure, new places, and far-away cultures. The Wright Brothers applied their knowledge of mechanics and motion to achieve their collective dream. Today, flight remains as magical and awe-inspiring as it did when DaVinci dreamed of flying and the Wright Brothers first took to the skies. In honor of the Wright Brothers' flight, Dayton, Ohio invites the Nation to a celebration of the first century of powered flight with the Inventing Flight Celebration, a 17-day event starting on July 3 and ending on July 20 with the Dayton Air Show. Some of the groups performing include the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, and the Canadian Forces Snow Birds. This once-in-a- lifetime show will be of Olympic proportions, complete with fireworks, blimp races, acrobatic air maneuvers, special guest speakers, children's centers, and orbit zones. Attendees can enjoy the Wright Brothers National Park, which includes the original and first airplane of the Wright Brothers that was capable of sustaining flight; the United States Air Force Museum, which hosts over 1 million visitors a year; and the National Aviation Hall of Fame, which chronicles the accomplishments of our aviation history. In closing, let me thank the members of the Ohio congressional delegation for joining me in sponsoring this legislation. I also want to thank the people of Dayton, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, and the surrounding communities for their enthusiastic support of the Inventing Flight Centennial celebration. I would also invite all Members of Congress and their families and their staffs to come to Dayton, Ohio with us to celebrate one of the world's most remarkable achievements: flight. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. 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. 162.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of this rule and this bill. I am from Dayton, Ohio; and this bill is incredibly important to the people of Ohio and my district, and as a result, from our experience, I believe for the people of this country. Ohio passed its ban on this horrific procedure known as partial-birth abortion because the people of Ohio know how inhumane and how unsafe the practice is. In my district, in Dayton, Ohio, the Women's Medical Plus Center of Dayton has performed this horrific procedure, despite the fact that the facility is not properly licensed by the Ohio Department of Health. It has nothing to do with women's health; it has nothing to do with Roe v. Wade. It has to do with late-term abortions and killing viable children. The State Health Department attempted to close the Women's Medical Plus Center of Dayton, but has been unsuccessful. This bill is an important first step in protecting women's health from this center. A woman 5 months pregnant came to the Women's Medical Plus Center in Dayton, Ohio, to receive a partial-birth abortion. During the 3 days it takes to have the procedure, she began to have stomach pains and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Within minutes, she was giving birth. A medical technician pointed out that the child was alive, but apparently the chances of survival from the procedure were slim. After 3 hours and 8 minutes, this baby died. The community named the baby Hope. Hope was a person, a child, a baby, that fought to retain the life that others were seeking to end. Just 6 months after Baby Hope died, another baby in the middle of this 3-day abortion procedure was born alive in the Dayton, Ohio, hospital, when her mother went into labor before the abortion could be completed. The woman was believed to be 26 weeks pregnant. This time, however, despite the massive trauma of the baby's environment, a miracle occurred. By grace, this little baby survived, and so she is now called by the community Grace. I am appalled by the fact that these heinous partial-birth abortion attempts occur. Our local paper has indicated most are performed on healthy women, that most are performed on healthy fetuses.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, this bill is an important bill because it provides an opportunity for true reformation of the Department of Defense in its effort to go into the new century. Certainly we have tremendous successes that we have seen through the Department of Defense and our civilian employees and our men and women in uniform. But the opportunity to always achieve more and to have greater efficiencies is there before us. What we are doing in this bill in the area of the civil service is not something that is unknown or is speculative. It is based upon demonstration projects throughout the country, where civil service employees who have participated in it have found greater satisfaction, greater pay based on performance, greater retention of those employees who are contributing, a greater feeling that their work actually makes a difference with respect to their success and certainly the overall success of the Department of Defense. There have been many things that have been said over the past debate concerning this that are just absolutely not true. There have been allegations that collective bargaining is not preserved in the bill, but in fact the bill specifically references collective bargaining, and on page 1118, lines 14 to 15 of the bill before the Committee on Armed Services specifically set out language requiring collective bargaining. Similarly, the civil rights provisions are specifically provided in the bill, both by reference and by specific statement. The allegations of nepotism are specifically not true. Section 9902(b)(3)(A) and (B) and also the incorporation of 5 USC 2302(b)(7) specifically prohibit nepotism. Within the area of political patronage allegations, the bill specifically says that employees are protected against any actions based upon political affiliation. This is language in the bill. What is interesting as we listen to the debate, as we listen to people that make allegations that say this bill is egregious in its impact to employees of the Department of Defense, their allegations really go to the extent that they would shock your conscience, if they were true. But they are not true, because, in fact, in the committee 58 to 2 was the vote in the Committee on Armed Services, and the gentleman from Tennessee voted for the bill that includes all of these provisions. Certainly, if all of these things were true, the gentleman from Tennessee and others would have found it in their conscience to try to defend them. But the reality is they are specifically included in the bill. Veterans preferences are specifically identified and referenced in 5 U.S. 2302(b)(11). The Department of Defense has done a great job in making certain our veterans have access to the Department of Defense as part of the workforce. The McHugh amendment in this provides for a grievance protection system in the civil service system. In short, this bill provides the opportunity for the Department of Defense to look to the future, while protecting the rights of civil servants and actually giving them opportunities in known demonstration projects for greater achievement.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, our friends on the other side of the aisle continue to tell horror stories of what this bill, if enacted, would do with respect to civil service and the employees in the Department of Defense. I think we all know that we honor our employees at the Department of Defense. Just like the men and women in uniform who gave us the success in Iraq and in Afghanistan, they too make the difference in our success. They give us the tools, the weapons, the technology, the expertise that allow us to be successful on the battlefield and to have a strong national defense. Certainly, if the horrors our friends on the other side of the aisle were true, then we should vote this bill down. They say the horrors are that this will result in political patronage; that civil rights will be taken away; that there will be no rights for collective bargaining. Surely if those things were the outcome of this bill, I would vote against it myself. So one would expect that our friends on the other side of the aisle voted against it too. But they did not. In fact, the gentleman from Florida, who told us of the horrors of the possibilities of political patronage, voted for this bill. The gentleman from Tennessee, who spoke about there being no civil rights or collective bargaining for employees of the Department of Defense, voted for this bill. This bill comes to this floor out of the Committee on Armed Services with bipartisan support and a vote of 58 to two. The horrors they describe are not true. And instead of telling us the sections that would reference the truth about this bill, I thought it would be best to read from it. With respect to political patronage: ``The public employment principles of merit and fitness set forth in section 2301, including the principles of hiring based on merit, fair treatment without regard to political affiliation or other nonmerit considerations, equal pay for equal work, and protection of employees against reprisal for whistleblowing.'' Those are preserved and specifically set forth in the bill. Then, with respect to collective bargaining, which again our friends on the other side of the aisle say do not exist if this bill passes, the bill specifically says: ``Ensure that employees may organize, bargain collectively as provided for in this chapter, and participate through labor organizations of their own choosing in decisions which affect them, subject to the provisions of this chapter.'' Clearly, the fact that this bill comes before us with bipartisan support, a vote of 58 to two out of the Committee on Armed Services, shows that the bipartisan support should carry through to passage of this bill; and that, truly, this system of increased flexibility would provide increased opportunity and actually honor our Department of Defense employees.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, it is interesting, hearing the debate about this bill, and the issues and opportunities for debate on the issues and input for amendments. I serve on the Committee on Government Reform and the Committee on Armed Services, which this bill went through. We had over 10 hours of committee debate, including consideration of numerous amendments, and 20 hours on the Committee on Armed Services, including numerous amendments. Clearly, we had a full and exhaustive discussion. No back-room discussions here. This was out in the open, with full participation and full airing of the amendments that were presented. One thing we know is that the need for this is evident in some of the circumstances that we currently have in the Department of Defense. Members can look at some of the experiences that have occurred. It took the American Federation of Government Employees and the Air Force 10 years to bargain over day care centers. Bargaining disputes led to an arbitration hearing, two appeals to the Federal Labor Relations Authority, two court challenges, a petition to the Supreme Court, a Court of Claims case, a decision by the Comptroller General, and $750,000. Similarly, a case in St. Louis over an annual employee picnic took 6 years and $275,000. A dispute over an agency's decision to close its facilities over a holiday weekend and require employees to use 1 day of leave took 8 years to resolve. These are not issues that should be addressed at the expense of national security. Other agencies have similar flexibilities that we are providing to the Department of Defense, the CIA, the DIA, the NSA, NIMA, TSA, FAA, IRS, Foreign Service, and the GAO. The Department of Homeland Security has many of the same flexibilities, including equally broad labor-management flexibility. What is really important, and the allegations of what this is doing to employees are not true, the basic rights of employees are protected. Collective bargaining is specifically mentioned in the bill and is a right granted to the employees, both on a national and local level. Civil rights are specifically protected and are referenced in 9902(b)(3)(c), and also the ability to have an appeals process. The McHugh amendment provided for an appeals process so grievances and disputes can be heard. The bill protects employees' rights, at the same time providing the flexibility we need as we move into the next century.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize the work of Ambassador Tony Hall and support the naming of the Tony Hall Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Dayton, Ohio. Ambassador Tony Hall represented Ohio's Third Congressional District, which included the Dayton area, for over 24 years. Mr. Hall resigned from Congress on September 9, 2002, to accept an appointment to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome, Italy, where he oversees the World Food Program, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Mr. Speaker, many of his colleagues will long remember Tony Hall for his compassion and steadfast commitment to the causes that he championed. Perhaps he is most well known as a leading advocate for hunger relief programs and improving international human rights conditions around the world. As a man of faith, Tony Hall aggressively supported the President's faith-based initiative and coauthored legislation to make changes to the Tax Code which would promote faith-based charities. He also worked with his Ohio colleagues to support Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, built upon the Air Force Research Laboratory's success in research and development, and worked for the nuclear cleanup of the weapons lab facility at the Miamisburg Mound. Ambassador Hall was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian efforts and received numerous recognitions from the United Nations for his work on preventing hunger. In 1993, he raised public awareness in America and throughout the world by fasting for 22 days. Born in Kettering, Ohio, Mr. Hall attended Denison University, where he was an All-American tailback and named the Ohio Conference's most valuable player in 1963. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand in 1966 and 1967, and served in both the Ohio statehouse and senate before being elected to Congress in 1978, where he served on the prestigious Committee on Rules for 22 years. The people of the Third District of Ohio are grateful for Tony Hall's commitment to public service.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 1596, introduced by the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay), designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2318 Woodson Road in St. Louis, Missouri, as the Timothy Michael Gaffney Post Office Building. The entire delegation from the State of Missouri has cosponsored this legislation. Madam Speaker, it is my hope that today this House will honor one of the most devoted and distinguished members of the U.S. Postal Service community by naming one of its facilities after him. Timothy Michael Gaffney worked for the Post Service in St. Louis since 1967, when he began his career as a substitute city letter carrier. He served the Postal Service in many capacities before reaching the rank of Customer Service Manager at St. Louis' Overland postal facility. Sadly, the St. Louis area and all of America suddenly lost Mr. Gaffney on December 26 at the age of only 54. I commend the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) for introducing this meaningful measure that celebrates the life and career of Mr. Gaffney. His outstanding resume includes the position of Superintendent of Branch Operations, Network Planning Specialist, and Manager of Customer Service for several USPS branches in St. Louis. He will be missed, and I hope that the Gaffney family will take some comfort in the likelihood that soon a postal facility in Mr. Gaffney's hometown will be named after him. Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 1596 to honor the legacy of Timothy Michael Gaffney's career with the United States Postal Service. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) for introducing this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. 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. 1596.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1596) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2318 Woodson Road in St. Louis, Missouri, as the ``Timothy Michael Gaffney Post Office Building''.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the bill under considerations.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1609) to redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 201 West Boston Street in Brookfield, Missouri, as the ``Admiral Donald Davis Post Office Building''.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 1625, introduced by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1114 Main Avenue in Clifton, New Jersey, as the Robert P. Hammer Post Office Building. The entire delegation from the State of New Jersey has cosponsored this legislation. Madam Speaker, Robert P. Hammer was the highly regarded city manager of the New York City suburb of Clifton. He was credited with promoting rapid business expansion which helped to revitalize this northeastern New Jersey community. He improved countless roads, city parks, and single-handedly orchestrated a complex reorganization of city departments that greatly increased their efficiency. Unfortunately, Mr. Hammer's 7-year tenure as Clifton city manager and his distinguished life was cut tragically short when he passed away last December 20, just over 1 week before the beginning of his retirement. By scanning the news clips that covered his funeral service last December, the words that appear time and again to describe Mr. Hammer include ``wonderful,'' ``respected,'' ``friend,'' ``leader'' and even ``hero.'' The prayers and condolences of this House go out to Mr. Hammer's wife, Kathleen, and their five children, Megan, Sean, Kelly, Staci and Brett. He was a man who was genuinely devoted to public service. He cared deeply about his community, his friends, and his family, and worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for all Clifton residents. I urge all Members to honor Mr. Hammer by supporting the passage of H.R. 1625. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey for introducing this legislation. I urge all Members to support the passage of this measure. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. 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. 1625.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1625) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1114 Main Avenue in Clifton, New Jersey, as the ``Robert P. Hammer Post Office Building''.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill under consideration.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1740) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1502 East Kiest Boulevard in Dallas, Texas, as the ``Dr. Caesar A.W. Clark, Sr. Post Office Building''.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 1740, introduced by the distinguished gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1502 East Kiest Boulevard in Dallas, Texas, as the Dr. Caesar A.W. Clark, Sr. Post Office Building. The entire delegation from the State of Texas has cosponsored this legislation. Madam Speaker, by renaming this post office for Dr. Caesar A.W. Clark, this House will commemorate a remarkable American. Dr. Clark has served as the venerated pastor of Good Street Baptist Church in Dallas for over 50 years and is well known throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. At 88 years of age, Dr. Caesar A.W. Clark still preaches on Sundays at Good Street Baptist Church. He has delivered his vibrant sermons all over the world during his extraordinary career in the clergy. In addition, he has served as president of the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas and as vice president of the National Baptist Convention. Growing up, Caesar Clark could not continue in school past the seventh grade because his help was too valuable to the family farm. He ultimately educated himself during his teenage years and earned admittance to Bishop College from which he graduated in 1946. In 1950, he became pastor at Good Street Baptist. While his professional focus has always been squarely on the valued worshippers at Good Street Baptist, Dr. Clark is also an involved community leader who continues to enjoy membership on the Boy Scouts of America Advisory Committee and the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Dr. Clark played an active role in our Nation's civil rights struggle. Perhaps most notably he was responsible for drawing Dr. Martin Luther King to his church in 1958 for his first of many speeches in Dallas. Dr. Caesar A.W. Clark's life is one of dedicated service, compassion, faith, and devotion. For all these reasons, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 1740, which names this Dallas post office building after Dr. Clark. I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for introducing this important legislation. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) for introducing this legislation. I urge all Members to support the adoption of this measure. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.