Jerry Weller

Mr. WELLER

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California, Chairman Thomas, so much. I also want to commend my colleagues, the gentleman from California, Congressman Riggs, and the gentleman from Washington State, Congressman Randy Tate, for their leadership on an issue which, frankly, just makes so much sense. I was back home over the last weekend and was talking with some folks in local coffee shops, the grain elevators, and the union halls, and I was talking about this very bill. Their response was, well, it is about time. It is about time that we told congressional felons that if they commit a crime while they are in public trust, serving the people and on the public payroll, that they are going to lose something which many people hold dear, and that is their pension. The folks back home said it is about time that we cancel the pensions of congressional felons. Because in representing the Chicago region, and I represent the most diverse district in Illinois, I represent the city of Chicago and the south suburbs and rural communities 100 miles west, nothing outraged the people of the Chicago area more than when they learned that Dan Rostenkowski is collecting almost $100,000 a year while his feet are propped up on the prison cell bed. Ladies and gentlemen, it is about time that we pass this legislation to cancel the pensions of congressional felons. And, clearly, no one better exemplifies the need to do this than the most well-known congressional felon, Dan Rostenkowski of Chicago. This is an important reform and just one of many reforms that this Congress has passed. In fact, I am proud that on our very first day we did something that previous Congresses refused to do, and that is, we said if we are going to make the laws, we should obey the laws. And we did that on day one. We also passed the first lobbying disclosure and lobbying reform legislation in 40 years; eliminated free gifts and travel and meals for Members of the House; provided for term limits for committee chairmen and the speaker; reduced our committee staff bureaucracy by one-third; and did something that politicians are not known to do, and that is, we cut our own budget. In fact, we cut our own budget by 10 percent, which is a significant amount, and we cut the White House's budget. They probably were not quite as thrilled as we were. But if we are going to ask everyone to live within their means, we need to learn to lead by example, and we did this. Ladies and gentlemen, it is about time. It is about time that we passed the Dan Rostenkowski Pension Reform Act of 1996. Let us make it very clear that if a Member violates the public trust, if a Member commits a felony while serving in Congress, that Member will lose their taxpayer-financed pension. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman once again.

Mr. WELLER

Mr. WELLER. In a spirit of bipartisanship, I rise in strong support of this bipartisan bill, Mr. Speaker. This legislation responds to the pleas we all heard from families at the Subcommittee on Aviation hearings in June and then again on September 5. At our subcommittee markup the bill, as revised, reflects some of the concerns raised by the families, the airlines, and the Red Cross. Specifically, the bill requires the NTSB to designate an employee to act as a point of contact with the families within the Federal Government and as a liaison between the airline and the families. The NTSB is also directed to designate an independent, nonprofit organization; for example, the Red Cross, to address some of the emotional needs called upon by the families. H.R. 3923 sets out in some detail the responsibilities of the NTSB, the Red Cross, and the airlines. It is very important to note that the airlines will continue to be responsible for notifying the families of the death of a loved one. However, the bill also requires that the passenger list be turned over to the National Transportation Safety Board, the NTSB, and the Red Cross, if requested, so families will have someone else to turn to if the airline notification process is too slow. As we all know, Mr. Speaker, there were too many complaints from families about the ValuJet and TWA crashes, but these complaints did not originate with these accidents. Similar problems have been brewing for many years, going back to KAL 007 flight and PanAm 103. At our hearing in June, Chairman Shuster committed to the families that we would develop legislation in response to their concerns. This bill, a bipartisan bill, fulfills that commitment. But we never could have done it without the bipartisan cooperation and input of the ranking members, the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Oberstar] and the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Lipinski], whose experience and viewpoint made them invaluable partners in this process. I also would like to thank the gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. Duncan], the chairman, the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. LaHood], the gentlewoman from Missouri [Ms. Danner], who made significant contributions to this bill. This bill has broad-based sponsor support. We have over 40 cosponsors. So in short, Mr. Speaker, I think we have a good, well- balanced, thoughtful piece of legislation. I urge bipartisan support.

Mr. WELLER

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to congratulate Wayne Doede as the New Lenox Chamber of Commerce's 1996 Citizen of the Year. Mr. Doede is a long-time resident and small business owner in New Lenox whose contributions to the community have been greatly appreciated by the residents. As the owner of Doede Nursery & Garden Center, Mr. Doede has been very active with the Chamber of Commerce. He has chaired the Chamber's Old Fashioned Christmas Tree Decorating event for 14 years, and has served on the Economic Development Committee. Retail Committee Chairman, Citizens of the Year Decorating Committee and has chaired the Candidates Forum for 10 years. As a well-respected member of the community, Mr. Doede has also been named the ``Rookie of the Year'' 1981-1982 for the Lions Club, he was chairman of the United Methodist Men for 12 years and been active in the church's youth group organizing several events. Mr. Doede and his wife Donna have been married for 30 years and have three children. Many of his friends describe Wayne as hard-working, a person with a vision and a good person who is fun to be around. However, it is his commitment to family, church, and community earns him the Chamber's Citizen of the Year award. Congratulations Wayne on this wonderful award. You are deserving and I thank you for your dedication and devotion to your community, neighbors, friends and family.

Mr. WELLER

Mr. WELLER. I thank the chairman of the committee for yielding time to me, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Water Resources Development Act, 1996, which I note passed unanimously with strong bipartisan support on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. This legislation is essential if we want to improve our Nation's infrastructure by improving and protecting our communities from flood problems and improve water infrastructure. This bipartisan bill will create jobs, protect property, lives, and protect the environment. I do want to note that approximately one-fourth of the funding authorized in this bill is directly related to preserving and protecting the environment. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak very briefly about two provisions in this bill that are very important to my home State of Illinois and also to my congressional district, two provisions that will create jobs, protect property from flooding, and preserve the environment. First, this bill authorizes a much needed stormwater retention facility in the village of Frankfort. The village experiences constant flooding of the intersections of two strategic regional arterial highways following any significant rain. Construction of this water retention facility will greatly reduce the flow rate during heavy rainfall. The second provision I would like to touch on would provide for improvements near lock 14 for future development of a marina on the north side of the Illinois River, will bring jobs, promote tourism, and promote recreation. Both projects have bipartisan support locally. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his help, and I ask for bipartisan support for this important legislation.

Mr. WELLER

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I come to the well today to speak on behalf of this bipartisan bill, which will enable tens of thousands of rural veterans to have greater access to VA outpatient health care. H.R. 3118 provides much-needed authority and allows the VA for the first time ever to enter into sharing agreements with local health care providers so that rural and suburban veterans can benefit from the convenience of utilizing health care services in their local community, to be treated by local doctors and local hospitals they know and trust. For example, in my home district in LaSalle County, IL, the closest outpatient center for veterans is 60 miles away. We have 45,000 veterans in the LaSalle County area. Sixty miles is a long way to travel, and for many veterans it requires that they ask friends and family to take off half a day or a full day just to provide transportation. This past spring, the gentleman from Arkansas [Mr. Hutchinson] and the Subcommittee on Hospitals and Health Care held a field hearing in LaSalle County and brought to light the need for some changes in VA authority to be brought forward. Thanks to this hearing, we noted that the VA is currently prohibited from contracting with private, nonprofit health care providers. This legislation, when passed into law, will not only benefit counties like LaSalle in Illinois, but other rural care areas throughout the Nation. This language was originally in H.R. 3321, a bill I introduced to allow the VA to enter into contractual agreements with local health care providers, doctors and hospitals in order to provide health care to veterans locally. Mr. Speaker, it just makes common sense to make it easier and more convenient for veterans to have the opportunity to obtain veterans health care right in their local community, right from their local doctors, right from their local hospitals they know and trust. I want to note that this legislation has broad-based support in the veterans community; has broad-based bipartisan support amongst local officials and members of this committee. I am proud that we are keeping our commitment to our veterans and doing it in a bipartisan fashion. Let us move forward and provide quality health care for our veterans and meet our commitment to our veterans and give this bill bipartisan support. Mr. Speaker, I commend the chairman of the committee, the gentleman from Arizona [Mr. Stump], and the ranking member for their efforts and their bipartisan leadership.

Mr. WELLER

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Chairman, I of course want to thank the gentleman for the support he has given the people of the south suburbs and the fact that we have allocated $6,650,000 to help continue construction of the Thornton and McCook Reservoirs will be a big help for flood relief. Of course I want to thank the gentleman for his personal time and investment in this project and also for his support, the fact that it was included in this important piece of legislation.

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to strike the last word.

Mr. WELLER. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Chairman, I rise to engage the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Myers], the chairman, in a colloquy. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate this opportunity to discuss with the gentleman the importance of a provision in this particular bill. First, I want to thank the chairman for his hard work in bringing this vital piece of legislation to the floor. This bill includes funding for many important energy and water initiatives throughout the country, and there is one particular project of particular concern to the people of the Chicago metropolitan area, particularly in the south suburbs which I represent. That is a project which I know the gentleman is personally familiar with because of his personal visit to the south suburbs earlier this June. That is particularly the tunnel and reservoir project, which many know as the deep tunnel, TARP, in the Chicago metropolitan area. As you know, the Thornton Reservoir, in the south suburbs, is an important project which is designed to protect south suburban communities in the south suburbs and will provide about 5 billion gallons of floodwater storage when completed. The reservoir has a service area of 91 square miles and provides flood relief to 131,000 dwellings in 14 communities with a current population of over a half million. Mr. Chairman, I flew back to Illinois just this past weekend, on Friday, because of excessive flooding that occurred in my district and throughout the Chicago area. Like my colleagues in the Chicago area, I saw firsthand the devastation to hundreds of homes and small businesses caused by these high waters. In fact, four counties in my district were declared a state of emergency by the Governor. The Governor has since requested Federal disaster relief. If the TARP were fully operational, most of this flooding would not have occurred. It is my understanding, Mr. Chairman, and I would like to clarify this with the gentleman, that there is carryover construction funding for the Army Corps of Engineers which has been included in this particular bill. The energy and water report language directs the Corps of Engineers to use $6,650,000 of this funding to continue construction of the McCook and Thornton Reservoir projects. Mr. Chairman, is that the intended use of this funding?

Mr. WELLER

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank my friend, the gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. Quillen], for yielding me this time. Of course, I stand in strong support of this open rule and also stand in strong support of this bill. I particularly want to congratulate my friend, the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Myers], on his leadership on this bill in bringing it to the floor and also thank him, his subcommittee and the ranking member for their bipartisan efforts. This week the Chicago region suffered a devastating flood throughout the entire Chicago metropolitan area, particularly in the south suburbs and the southwestern suburbs which I represent; in fact, affecting hundreds if not thousands of homes, millions if not multimillions of dollars' worth of damage affecting both homes and, of course, small businesses. Governor Edgar moved very quickly to declare a state of emergency in a number of the counties and, of course, has since requested from the President a disaster declaration on a Federal scale. As I pointed out earlier, hundreds if not thousands of homes are damaged and hundreds if not thousands of small businesses are now being surveyed for damage as a result of this high water and floods that devastated the Chicago metropolitan area. Particularly in Will and Cook Counties which I represent, we saw excessive damage. I do want to point out that in the south suburbs there is an effort that has been under way for the last generation which, had it been completed, it is estimated at least 90 percent of the damage that occurred would not have occurred, protecting hundreds if not thousands of homes from flood damage. That project is known as the tunnel and reservoir project, or the deep tunnel as it has been nicknamed for the last generation. It is not done yet and we are continuing to work in a bipartisan effort to complete this project. The deep tunnel or the tunnel and reservoir project is a system of tunnels drop shafts, pumping stations and reservoirs. Unfortunately, one of the uncompleted reservoirs in this whole project, the Thornton Reservoir, actually is located in my district in the south suburbs. When completed, this reservoir will provide 5 billion gallons of floodwater storage and could have prevented the bulk of the floodwater damage that occurred to hundreds if not thousands of homes and small businesses in the south suburbs. This reservoir, when completed, will have a service area of over 90 square miles and will provide relief to 131,000 dwellings in 18 communities. In fact when it is done, the real benefit to many homeowners will be lower flood insurance premiums as well as higher home values. The taxpayers and constituents in the south suburbs of Chicago are deeply in support of the Thornton Reservoir and the deep tunnel project and greatly appreciated the fact that Chairman Myers came to my district the week of the Fourth of July and personally surveyed and spoke with local officials. The timing could not have been better, considering the floodwaters came just 2 weeks later. This is an investment in the future. I do want to thank my colleagues of both parties in the House for the bipartisan effort, our efforts to bring flood relief to the south suburbs as they progressed. I want to point out that the House in the last few weeks has approved $101 million in the ag appropriations bill for the Little Calumet and Thornton Creek flood control project, $10 million in the VA-HUD appropriation to continue work on the tunnels involved, and this particular bill sets aside $6.65 million in construction funding for the Corps of Engineers to complete and continue work on the Thornton Reservoir. I urge an ``aye'' vote, Mr. Speaker. This is a good bill. This is an effort that I appreciate very much in behalf of my constituents to protect the homes in the south suburbs of Chicago from flooding. We do need flood control. Mr. Speaker, I include the following extraneous material for the Record: [From the Star, July 21, 1996] The Flood Disaster Weather disasters are so commonplace in the news that we tend to discount their importance--until we are confronted, first-hand, with the human realities of such events. Almost all of us were forced to do that through the night Wednesday and into the weekend as we tried to cope with the worst flood emergency in this region in recent history. Depending on where you live in the South or Southwest Suburbs, you now are faced with anything from a time- consuming backyard and basement clean-up project to a complete disaster it will take you weeks or even months to recover from. No local area was spared the torrential downpour of Wednesday night and Thursday morning. But people in some communities--notably villages in Paloa, Orland, Bremen and Thornton townships--watched in awe and fear as anywhere from seven to 15 inches of rain pelted down, totally inundating their communities with flood water. That's the most rain ever recorded in 24 hours in the history of those communities. The impact was immense. Whole neighborhoods were flooded, some so much so that families had to be evacuated. Most, if not all, major viaducts were under water, forcing the rerouting of traffic and in some cases the total shutdown of travel. Thousands of people could not get out of their garages, much less to their jobs. Thousands more basements and downstairs living quarters were filled with water, ruining furniture, carpets, drapes and furnishings and seriously damaging or destroying utilities. Electrical and telephone service was disrupted or totally knocked out in all areas. Sewers backed up, causing a potential health crisis; in unincorporated areas septic fields were swamped causing sewage to float into backyards, basements, garages and homes themselves. Thousands of vehicles were disabled by floods and their owners faced the prospect of paying hundreds in repairs to get ruined motors running again. Insurance agencies reported more claims calls on Thursday than on any single day in memory. Fortunately, as of Saturday, no flood-related deaths to persons in the area had been reported. But there was the compelling story of a family in Homewood that lost three show dogs who drowned in the lower level of their home when it flooded. The total cost of this disaster is far into the millions of dollars, probably beyond accurate calculation. On the positive side, there were hundreds of tales of people helping people and of governmental agencies--local and state--coming to the rescue of flood victims. We were able to observe what we have heard about in other places when earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes or other natural disasters strike--that most people are at their human best when their neighbors need them most. Last week will be one to remember. Hopefully, there will not be one like it again in many years to come.

Mr. WELLER

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege of representing the most diverse district in the State of Illinois. I represent part of the city of Chicago, the south suburbs, in Cook and Will Counties, and farm communities as well as cornfields. That means that I have a district not only that is very diverse, but time and time again I am looking for ways and issues and concerns that are very, very common throughout this very diverse district that I have the privilege of representing. I have found over the last 17 months now that I have had the privilege of representing my district two of the most common priorities that the people of the district that I represent have. Of course, they want to see a change in how Washington works but they also want to see a Congress in Washington looking out for local concerns. I am proud that in the last 17 months we have been working to keep our commitments, to honor those principles and to change how Washington works while looking out for local concerns. As I look back over the last 16, 17 months, I am particularly proud that some of those most basic principles that we have worked for in changing how Washington works are being honored. One of the most basic, of course, is forcing Washington to live within its means. Of course, the deficit today is at its lowest level in 15 years, having dropped $60 to $70 billion because we have lived and worked hard to bring down that deficit, doing something that every family does, working to live within our means. We have twice sent now to the President real welfare reform that emphasizes work and family, responsibility. Unfortunately, he vetoed it. And also we sent to the President a plan which would lower taxes for working families. In my district for a family with children, that would mean almost an extra $1,000 in take-home pay had the President signed that bill rather than vetoing it. We also, because of our concern for seniors, people like my mom and dad that are on Medicare, we are working of course to prevent Medicare from going bankrupt. Everyone knows Washington does nothing and Medicare goes bankrupt in 2001. We sent to the President this past year a plan to save Medicare, to keep it solvent for the next generation. In fact we increased funding for Medicare by 62 percent, $724 billion, as part of that plan and would have kept Medicare solvent until the next generation. Unfortunately, partisan Presidential politics got in the way and the President vetoed that plan. But also not only are we working to keep our commitment to change how Washington works by working to balance the budget, to save Medicare, to reform welfare and, of course, lower taxes for working families, but we are also honoring the commitment to look out for local concerns. I am particularly pleased that in the last few months alone, this House has passed and sent to the Senate as well as sent to the President legislation that looks out for local concerns important to the State that I represent, the land of Lincoln, the State of Illinois. I was particularly pleased that back in February the President signed our legislation to redevelop the Joliet Arsenal, 24,000-acre military facility to redevelop it for conservation, a veterans' cemetery and job creation. It was a bipartisan project, a bipartisan priority. Because of bipartisanship we were successful in getting it signed into law. Of course now it is time to put the money where our mouth is and to move forward and, of course, fund that priority. I am particularly pleased that the House honored our request to provide $18.4 million which will complete development of the veterans' cemetery at the Joliet Arsenal. In fact the VA says that if that legislation is signed into law that that funding would allow the cemetery to be opened by 1999. In the Interior appropriations bill, thanks to the help of a lot of people including the gentleman from Illinois, Sid Yates, and the Illinois delegation, we have $3.35 million for continued development of the National Tall Grass Prairie. Redevelopment of the Joliet Arsenal is clearly our top conservation and veterans' priority for Illinois for many of us and I am pleased that we are making progress. When it comes to crime which is so important to the south suburbs and the parts of the city of Chicago that I represent, we are also making some real progress. Last year the President signed our legislation which allowed Federal prison grant funds for the first time ever to be used for juvenile detention center construction and operation. In the appropriation bill that we are going to be debating today we provide $680 million for prison grants, $50 million more than the President asked for, and for the first time ever counties such as Will and Kankakee and La Salle, struggling to deal with gang problems, will now be able to apply for and use those funds for construction and operation of juvenile detention centers. That is an important issue. We are looking out for local concerns. But one issue today I want to close with is something very important. Last Friday a number of my colleagues and I from Illinois went home to a flood-devastated Chicago region. In fact I have a photo of a news clipping here. Thousands and thousands of homes were flooded in the Chicago region. Many of those homes saw severe damage.

Mr. WELLER

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, let me tell my colleagues, we all came to Washington to change how Washington works, and one of the most basic, fundamental changes we need to bring, of course, is reforming our welfare system. Between 1965 and 1994, America's taxpayers have spent $5.4 trillion on welfare, and what have we gotten? A failed welfare system. Who suffers the most under welfare today? The children of our Nation. In fact, as a result of our failed welfare programs are high rates of juvenile crime, more children living in poverty than ever before and higher rates of teenage illegitimacy. Our current welfare system has failed. Just last week this House passed real welfare reform, welfare reform that emphasizes work and family and responsibility. Twice now we have passed and sent to the President real welfare reform that emphasizes work and family and responsibility, and President Clinton vetoed it twice. Well, let us send it again. Let us send real welfare reform that emphasizes work and family responsibility. Let us hope that the third time is the charm. Let us hope the President signs the bill this time. We need welfare reform.

Mr. WELLER

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Chairman, I of course want to thank the gentleman from Kentucky, Chairman Rogers, for yielding me this time, and I rise in strong support of this bill. I also want to commend the bipartisan leadership in the subcommittee for producing a good bill. Let us make it very, very clear, this legislation fights crime. Not only does it increase funding or provide funding to train and equip new police officers and provide for better enforcement along our borders, but it does something else that is very, very important, and that is, it provides $680 million in funding for prisons and juvenile detention center development. In fact, that is $50 million more than the President asked for. That is particularly important to States like Illinois, which I represent, and there is a reason why. If we look at crime statistics, the biggest increases are in juvenile crime. In fact, in Illinois, unfortunately, while we are seeing an increase in juvenile crime, there are only 351 juvenile detention center beds outside of Cook County. Counties such as Grundy, Kankakee, and La Salle, which I represent, are seeing an increase in youth crime but no place to put them. Thanks to this Republican Congress we passed legislation, signed into law this year, which allows these funds to be used for juvenile detention center jails. I urge an ``aye'' vote, and look forward to working with local law enforcement. This is a good bill.

Mr. WELLER

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

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I might consume. Mr. Chairman, in closing let me just be very brief. Let us get to the bottom line here. Today it is a real struggle for many families to be able to afford a home. We are seeing that as taxes are too high, interest rates are too high and working families' incomes are being squeezed. Many cash- strapped young working families are struggling, trying to obtain a home and pursue the American dream. Last year, thanks to FHA, we saw 850,000 families had the opportunity to purchase a home thanks to FHA, and 250,000 of them would not have had the opportunity to own a home unless we had the FHA single-family 100 percent loan guarantee program. It is an important mission, and if we want to help young families, young working families, young cash- strapped working families afford the American dream, we need to help them out. At this time when interest rates are going up, let us give them a break, help reduce their closing costs by $200. I ask bipartisan support for his amendment. I appreciate the bipartisan support we have received.

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona [Mr. Hayworth].

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Chairman how much time is remaining?

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Chairman I yield myself such time as I may consume. Before I begin discussing my amendment I do want to take a moment and commend the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentleman from California [Mr. Lewis] and also the ranking member, the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Stokes], for their leadership and their management of this particular bill. I think they have gone out of their way, Mr. Chairman, to work towards bipartisanship. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment that helps working families by working towards expanding homeownership opportunities for first-time home buyers by working to lower the up-front costs for FHA loans. This amendment, which has bipartisan support, I would like to point out, Mr. Chairman, would lower the FHA mortgage insurance premium for first-time home buyers to get ownership counseling. Currently the maximum rate is 2\1/4\ percent of the loan value. This amendment would reduce that to 2 percent, saving the average FHA homeowner about $200 a year and $200 towards their up front closing costs, and of course counseling, working with these aspiring homeowners, would help reduce the default rate. Some in Washington would call $200 probably chump change, saying that is not very much, but for real working families back in Illinois and throughout this country who are struggling to make ends meet, $200 is a lot of money each year. This amendment is needed to promote home ownership, helping American families pursue the American dream because we all recognize that strengthening home ownership strengthens families, and when someone owns a home in a community, that strengthens their communities. This amendment is needed like many undisturbed that we see a decline in home ownership, particularly among the young. Statistics show that home ownership rates among heads of households under 35 years of age is three-fourths of what it was in 1979. In fact, in 1979, 45 percent of heads of households under 35 were homeowners. Today, in 1995, this past year, 39 percent of heads of households under 35 were homeowners. We have seen a 9-percent drop. Over the past 6 months as interest rates have gone up, we have seen about a 1\1/2\ percent rate increase on home mortgage rates. That averages out to about a $1,000 a year increase in home ownership costs for the average family and the average home loan. Unfortunately, we did not reach a balanced budget agreement this year which would have brought down interest rates, but we are still working on that, and this effort will help reduce those costs. As I pointed out, interest rates, mortgage rates have gone up 1 to 1\1/2\ percent, driving up the average cost a thousand dollars a year, or about $85 a month for the average home mortgage. This amendment restores opportunity, my colleagues. Let us help aspiring potential home buyers afford a new home. Let us help reduce their costs and give them a $200 break on their closing costs as well as a $200 break in their annual costs of FHA insurance. As we know, increased home ownership strengthens communities. I do want to point out this amendment has bipartisan support, is basically identical to what the President endorsed a few weeks ago in his initiatives. I ask for bipartisan support. Let us help working families afford a home. Let us strengthen communities, strengthen home ownership. Let us make home ownership more affordable. Mr. Chairman, I ask for bipartisan support and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WELLER

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

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

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Chairman, first I would like to take a moment to commend my two friends, the gentleman from California [Mr. Lewis] and the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Stokes], for their extraordinary efforts to accommodate bipartisan concerns in supporting legislation while keeping our commitment to live within our means for the first time in 27 years, to keep us on the road to a balanced budget. This amendment that I offer tonight is designed to help working families by working to help make homeownership more affordable. My amendment works to expand homeownership more affordable. My amendment works to expand homeownership opportunities for first time home buyers by working to lower the cost of FHA loans. This amendment would lower the FHA mortgage insurance premium for first time home buyers who get ownership counseling. Currently the maximum rate is 2\1/4\ percent of their loan value. This amendment would reduce that for these first-time home buyers to 2 percent. It would save the average FHA homeowner about $200 in savings annually. I recognize there are some in Washington who might call $200 chump change, not much money. But for working families back in Illinois and many of our home States and districts, $200 is a lot of money. I also want to point out that this amendment is needed to promote homeownership. I, for one, I know many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle agree that homeownership is important in strengthening families and strengthening communities. In fact, the more homeownership you have, the higher rates of homeownership you have, the stronger the families you have, the stronger the communities. I am particularly disturbed, if you look at the statistics today, particularly for our younger families, homeownership is on the decline. In fact, the homeownership rates among heads of households under 35 years of age is three-fourths of what it was in 1979. In fact in 1979, 45 percent of heads of households under 35 were homeowners. Today, in fact, if you look at 1995 statistics, 39 percent of heads of households under 35 were homeowners. Those statistics need to turn around. We need to receive greater opportunity for homeownership, to give families the opportunity to pursue the American dream. Unfortunately, we have seen the cost of homeownership increase this past year. Unfortunately, the House and Senate, Congress and the White House were unfortunately unable to reach a bipartisan agreement on a balanced budget. Unfortunately, because of that failure to reach a balanced budget agreement, we failed to achieve the lower interest rates that would have resulted from a balanced budget. In fact, had a balanced budget been signed into law, the average 30-year home mortgage would have dropped about 2.7 percent according to economists. On a 30-year, $50,000 mortgage at 8\1/4\ percent interest, a family would see a savings of a little over $1,000 a year or a little over $32,000 over the life of that loan. A balanced budget would also increase the value of a home, home values, by 8 percent as a result of balancing the budget. This past year we have seen mortgage rates go up 1 to 1\1/2\ percent. For the average homeowner, aspiring homeowner, young family who would like to buy a house, that means about an $85 to $100 increase in the monthly home mortgage payment because of higher interest rates. This amendment is designed to restore those opportunities for homeownership, particularly for young families. It offers young home buyers, first-time purchasers the opportunity to better be able to afford a new home. This $200-a-year premium reduction restores part of that lost opportunity to save an extra thousand dollars because of higher interest rates. Increased ownership, homeownership equals increased home starts, increased jobs, increased opportunity, strengthened families and strengthened communities. I do want to point out that this is kind of a bipartisan initiative. I do want to point out that the President himself, just a few weeks ago, endorsed this type of idea as a way to make homeownership more affordable. I ask bipartisan support for this amendment. I think it is time that we strengthen the opportunity for homeownership, that we strengthen families, that we help families pursue the American dream. Let us help families pursue that American dream by providing bipartisan support for this amendment which will help make homeownership far more affordable.

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will continue to yield, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment for the purpose of offering it tomorrow during general provisions debate on this particular bill, title IV.

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman's interest in my amendment and his accommodating my opportunity to offer the amendment once again. I feel this is a very important amendment. The opportunity to accommodate, of course, the chairman of the subcommittee and working with the gentleman in his role as the ranking member, I do appreciate the opportunity to offer the amendment. I an anxious to work with them. I ask for the gentleman's support tomorrow when we have the opportunity to once again offer the amendment.

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. WELLER

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time to address the House and rise in support of the rule and in support of this VA-HUD appropriations bill. I represent probably the most diverse district in the State of Illinois. I represent part of the city of Chicago, the south suburbs in Cook and Will Counties, bedroom communities, farm towns, and a lot of corn fields. When I represent a very diverse district, I always look for things where there is a very common consensus, and in my district there is one item where there is unanimous consensus and that is for redevelopment of the Joliet Arsenal, a former military facility, largest single piece of property in northern Illinois, to redevelop that for peacetime uses. Frankly, I am very pleased that this effort, which has been a bipartisan effort, continues to move forward. The President signed our legislation in February to accomplish our goal setting aside 19,000 acres for conservation, 3,000 acres for job creation, 985 acres to create the second largest national veterans cemetery. The VA-HUD appropriation bill continues that effort by working to make this veterans cemetery a reality. The Chicago area is now facing a shortage. We need new places to honor and bury our veterans. This legislation provides $18.4 million in funding for redevelopment and complete construction of this new veterans cemetery. I want to point out that the funding that is in this bill is exactly what the VA says they need in order to have this veterans cemetery in place and honoring our veterans by 1999. Again, I want to thank the chairman, my friend, the gentleman from California, Congressman Lewis, for his assistance, and the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Stokes, the ranking member, for making this project, which has been a bipartisan project, to redevelop the Joliet Arsenal a reality. This legislation funds our veterans cemetery, and again I want to thank the House and urge bipartisan support and passage of this appropriations bill.