Lynn Woolsey

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Thurman) for all of their work on strengthening and improving our Social Security system and paying particular attention to the needs of women. Right now, we have a plan from the President to strengthen the future of Social Security. In contrast, the majority party supports a plan that would replace Social Security with a complicated system of individual accounts that would benefit high-income individuals, particularly men, and endanger the parts of Social Security such as the standard of living index that are so very important to women. Being just a few years shy myself of legal retirement age, I have a good idea how women across the Nation are feeling about the safety net of Social Security. I know that many retired women count on Social Security income to meet their basic needs, food, clothing, shelter. Twenty-five percent of unmarried women rely on Social Security benefits as their only source of income. A recent GAO report showed that 80 percent of women living in poverty were not, and I would like to emphasize ``were not'' poor before their husbands died. Because a woman lives an average of 7 years longer than a man, the danger of her golden years turning into years of poverty and struggle is very real. In this great country, women earn 76 cents for every dollar a man earns. In fact, women earn much less than men over their lifetime because even those in high-paying positions tend to leave the work force to give birth, to raise a family and to care for parents. This means many women must truly depend on their Social Security benefits. If we privatize Social Security, as some people want to do, this could cut spousal benefits by at least one-third because women earning less over the course of a career have much less to invest. Also, because women generally live longer, annuity companies could shrink their monthly benefits and privatization would not adjust benefits annually for the cost of living. This is not the first time women in Congress have gathered together to talk about the special needs of women, and I am sure it will not be the last time. But with Social Security the stakes are high and the issues are complicated. We cannot proceed with reforming our Social Security system without addressing how each and every proposal will affect women. We need to seize this day to ensure that Social Security reform includes the unique and overwhelming needs of women in this Nation.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I am standing to support the amendment of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) to the amendment because it is consistent with Ed-Flex. Often schools waivers from Federal regulation and returning in return for increased accountability. We cannot have waivers if we do not have accountability because then we have an open ended shoot that we could end up undoing and redoing our entire Eisenhower program. We must protect the emphasis on math and science education, and we have to ask schools to explain how they will meet their training needs for their math and science teachers. That is all there is to it. We do not want math and science teachers that are not prepared to teach the subject they are teaching. We must give control on how these funds are used to the States and the local schools absolutely, but in return they must be accountable for the fund they receive from the Federal Government. The amendment offered by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) does not pull the Eisenhower program out of Ed-Flex, does not prevent local schools from using Eisenhower funding for teacher training and other subjects, does not add burdensome paperwork requirements to the waiver process. What it does is adds accountability for the waiver from Federal regulation. Nearly every school in this Nation relies on Eisenhower programs for their training and for math and science, and we need to be expanding it to technology. The Eisenhower Act is the only universally available Federal program that helps teachers become better trained in math and science, and if you support math and science and technical education for the children of this country, if you support the Eisenhower Professional Development Program, you will support the Holt amendment to the amendment.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Miller-Kildee amendment. I rise in support because it is about accountability. This amendment says that States must show the progress or the lack of progress that students are making from year to year. We are not telling local schools how. We are asking them what. What are the expected results? What are the measurement criteria? The Miller-Kildee amendment requires States to show what they want their students to learn and how they will measure if the students are actually learning what they intended. In the State of Texas, this information will be broken down by race, gender, and income, giving special attention to the students who are the most at risk. The funds that the Federal Government sends to the States and schools are, as many of us have said today, and I have heard it on the other side of the aisle, too, and I am grateful for that, these funds are not enough. I would like to work with the other side of the aisle to put together a plan to fully fund IDEA. But whatever the funding, that funding is in place so that we will be clear that there will be outcomes. The use of Federal funds is in place to ensure that our children in America, all of our children, rich or poor, black, brown, or white, girl or boy, has access to a good quality education. I know this is what all of the supporters of Ed-Flex want. The Miller-Kildee amendment makes this possible. We still do not really know what the effects of the demonstration programs will have on education. If we are going to extend waivers further, we must have accountability. We must measure whether students are learning in schools. We must measure that Ed-Flex has reached the goal that States have intended. After all, in the end, is not the purpose of Ed-Flex and all of our education programs to enable our students to learn more? Mr. Chairman, I want to vote for Ed-Flex, but do not ask me to without accountability. I cannot do it.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask my colleagues, my colleagues in the House of Representatives, to take a stand for women. In honor of Women's History Month, I am reintroducing a resolution urging the Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women known as CEDAW, C-E-D-A-W. The convention holds governments responsible for first condemning and then working to eliminate all forms of discrimination against all women. This agreement establishes rights for women not previously subjected to international standards including political laws, including employment law, including education and health care. CEDAW was approved by the United Nations General Assembly 19 years ago to codify women's equality, 19 years ago. Since then more than 160 nations have ratified CEDAW. Also, more than two-thirds of the U.N. members have gone on record dedicating themselves to ending state sanctioned discrimination against women and girls. The one glaring exception is the oldest democracy in the world, the United States. Mr. Speaker, since 1994 the President has repeatedly submitted this treaty to the Senate where it has languished in the Committee on Foreign Relations. The position of the United States as an international champion of human rights has been jeopardized by its failing to consider and ratify CEDAW. Worse yet, our failure to act strips the United States of its ability to sit on an international committee established in the treaty to ensure that nations are adhering to the treaty's guidelines. This action sends a message loud and clear to women in this country and all over the world. The message is that we are unwilling to hold ourselves publicly accountable to the same basic standards of women's rights that other countries apply to themselves. This is despite the fact that since federal and state laws already prohibit many forms of discrimination against women, the United States could ratify the convention without changing domestic law. The President, the Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, and national and international women's groups have expressed their commitment to CEDAW. Let us ratify CEDAW this year and make the 21st century the first century in the history of humanity where women do not know government sanctioned discrimination. I encourage my colleagues to join me on this resolution with 41 other original cosponsors and make our desires known loud and clear that we want CEDAW, we want it ratified and we want it now.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from New York (Mr. Crowley) for putting together this very important special order. He is doing a great job. Mr. Speaker, I ran for Congress because I believe that our children's education must be the number one priority in our country, and that is why I am on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. We must prepare all of our children for the high skill, high wage jobs that will ensure America's leadership in the next century in the entire world market, and at the same time ensure that our children have a good place in the workforce. We also can prevent dependency on welfare here at home. Last year, Congress agreed that small classes are crucial to good learning. We passed the President's class size reduction program to help schools so that they can recruit, train and hire qualified teachers so they will reduce the class size to an average of 18 students in grades 1 through 3. We did this because current research findings prove what parents have known all along what teachers have been telling us for years, is that kids who are in smaller classes learn better, especially in the lower grades. Now we must go the next step, and we must pass the President's school modernization and construction initiative. Children, even in small classes, cannot learn in trailers or in old school buildings that are crumbling around them. We cannot expect our children to get a first class education if they are being educated in second and third class school buildings. We know that America's schools are overcrowded and that they are wearing out. In its report, School Facilities, Condition of America's Schools, the GSA estimated that billions of dollars are needed to upgrade school buildings all across America. About 60 percent of all American schools need at least one major repair or replacement. My home State, California, leads the Nation in projected student growth. It is estimated that overall school enrollment in California will increase by 15 percent by the year 2008. This is not even 10 years from now. More than 30,000 additional classrooms will be needed to accommodate this growth. It is expected to cost more than $4 billion to construct enough schools and school rooms to meet this need, and this amount does not include the cost of repairs that will be needed for existing schools. How will communities in California and communities across the Nation be able to finance these school improvements? If Congress approves President Clinton's schools construction modernization tax incentive, schools will be able to take advantage of interest-free bonds to build or modernize what is needed for their expansion and their continued education. The President's proposal will provide 15 years, 15 years, of interest rate subsidies for school construction. That will come through bonds that are issued over the next 2 years. It is time to show all of our children that their school is equally as important as a shopping mall or a prison. If we do this, our children will know that they are our top priority. Let us put our money where our mouth is. Let us pass a real school construction initiative and let us do it this year. Remember, although children make up 25 percent of our population, they are 100 percent of the future of this Nation, and their education must be our number one priority.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 863. While I strongly support taking social security off-budget once and for all, I believe the Republican leadership is exploiting the bill to pursue a hidden agenda of tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I ran for Congress, and I am here today because I believe that our children's education must be the number one priority in our country. Education is another of President Clinton's major budget priorities because he also agrees that we must prepare all of our children for the high-skill, high-wage jobs that will insure America's leadership in the world marketplace and at the same time prevent dependency on welfare here at home. Public education is the backbone of our country. It is why we are a great Nation. Public education is available to all. This Congress we have an opportunity that comes along once every 5 years, and that opportunity is to review and update the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. ESEA is best known for Title I, the program that educates the disadvantaged. Title I is important because it helps disadvantaged children achieve along with their more fortunate peers. Title I must be supported. Tax relief for the well off must wait.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, today I am proud to introduce legislation that would restore federal recognition for the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, which is primarily composed of the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo tribal members. This is a matter of simple justice, because in 1966 the United States government terminated the tribe's status under the California Rancheria Act of 1958. My bill, the Graton Rancheria Restoration Act, restores all federal rights and privileges to the tribal members. It reinstates their political status and makes them eligible for benefits now available to other federally recognized tribes, such as Native American health, education, and housing services. The bill also specifically prohibits gambling on tribal lands affected by the bill. The earliest historical account of the Coast Miwok peoples, whose traditional homelands include Bodega, Tomales, Marshall in Marin County and Sebastopol in Sonoma County, dates back to 1579. Today there are 355 members of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. Legislation passed by Congress in 1992 and later amended in 1996, established an Advisory Council in California to study and report on the special circumstances facing tribes whose status had been terminated. The Council's final report, which was submitted to Congress in September 1997, recommended the restoration of the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria. Mr. Speaker, the tribes of the Graton Rancheria are a rich part of the North Bay's cultural heritage. Terminating their status was wrong then, and it would be wrong now for us to continue to deny them the recognition that they deserve.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I ran for Congress, and I am here today, because I believe that our children's education must be the number one priority in this country. We must prepare all of our children for the high-skill, high-wage jobs that will ensure America's leadership in the world marketplace and, at the same time prevent dependency on welfare here at home. Public education is the backbone of our country. It is why we are a great Nation. Public education must be available to all, and it must be the best in the world. Public education does not discriminate; and it must be strengthened, not weakened. This Congress, we have an opportunity that comes along only once every 5 years, and that is the opportunity to review and update the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, ESEA. ESEA is best known for Title I, the education for the disadvantaged. ESEA is known for the dollars it sends to schools. Title I is important because it helps disadvantaged children achieve along with their more fortunate peers, and it helps poor and impacted schools and school districts keep up with the more advantaged schools and school districts in this Nation. Title I must be supported; and, as well, we must ensure that every child gets individual attention in the early grades to build a solid foundation for future learning. We can do this by making the administration's initiative to reduce class size permanent. This initiative helps school districts recruit, hire, and train enough qualified teachers to reduce class size to an average of 18 in grades 1 through 3. Current research findings prove what parents and teachers have known for years: Kids who are in smaller class sizes learn better, especially in the lower grades. Our schools need 100,000 new, well-trained teachers. We also know how hard it is for children even in small classes to learn in trailers or in old school buildings that are crumbling around them. I support the President's proposal to make it easier for school districts to fund needed schools and to build new ones by providing interest rate subsidies for school construction bonds over the next 2 years. Is it not time to show all of our children that their school is as important as a shopping mall or as a prison? While I certainly support the current emphasis on ending social promotions, ESEA is also the place to assist all schools in preventing students from failing in the first place. Title XI of ESEA lets school districts spend up to 5 percent of their Federal education funds on coordinated services, services that will bring schools and their local communities together to make sure that, every day, every student comes to school ready to learn. Services such as health care, before and after school care, and tutoring ensure that no child is doomed to fail before they even enter the classroom. There are wonderful examples all around the Nation of schools and communities working together to lift children and their families out of an endless cycle of failure and into a future of success. Students who are ready to learn need well-trained teachers who are experts in their subjects. They need a challenging curriculum and up- to-date technology to prepare them for the sophisticated world we live in. Every student, regardless of family income, race or gender must have access to the most modern technological education available. In addition, teachers as well as students must have mentors; and they must have support for learning to use technology so that they will be comfortable and knowledgeable in a technological environment. As a member of both the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Science, I am excited to have this significant opportunity to make positive changes in our children's education; to remove any economic or gender gap in science, math and technology; to ensure small classes with well-trained teachers; to provide funding for modern, safe schools; and to give all students a world-class education. Mr. Speaker, children are only 25 percent of our population, but they are 100 percent of our future. A sound public school system is how we protect that future. A good education for all of our children will ensure America's future.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, had I been present for rollcall vote No. 28 on February 25, 1999, I would have voted ``yea'' on final passage of the Wireless Privacy Enhancement Act.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a resolution to express the sense of Congress that the United States take the critical first steps toward the negotiation and conclusion of a nuclear weapons convention. Just as conventions exist to abolish both chemical and biological weapons, the world needs a convention for the reduction and elimination of nuclear weapons. Although the Cold War has ended, U.S. nuclear weapons expenditures remain significant. The United States currently spends $35 billion a year, or 14 percent of the defense budget, on efforts such as the $4.5 billion we plan to spend on the Stockpile Stewardship program. That $4.5 billion is more than what we spent on average each year over the entire Cold War between 1948 and 1991. At that time we spent $3.6 billion a year when we were developing and building hundreds of thousands of new warheads and when we had nuclear testing sites common throughout our Nation. How much is $35 billion? It is 13 times the budget for the National Cancer Institute. It is 120 times the amount spent annually on domestic violence, battered women's shelters, and runaway youth. Our current priorities dictate that nuclear weapons are more important than health care and the environment. Of every discretionary dollar that Californians, and all Americans, as a matter of fact, paid in taxes, 7\1/2\ cents went to nuclear weapons, 4.7 cents went to health care, and 5 cents went to the environment and energy. Speaking of health and the environment, we still do not know how nuclear testing is going to affect both. It is estimated that the cleanup of nuclear weapons will eventually cost as much as the total cost of developing and manufacturing actual warheads. That would be $400 billion. That is outrageous. The money we have spent on nuclear weapons throughout our Nation's history is definitely shocking. From 1940 through 1996 we have spent nearly $5.5 trillion in constant 1996 dollars. We have spent nearly $5.5 trillion in U.S. nuclear weapons activities. The amount of money spent on nuclear weapons, represented as a stack of $1 bills, would stretch more than 459,000 miles. That would be to the moon and nearly back again. That $5.5 trillion is more than we have spent on any single program, except Social Security, over the same period of time. Even worse, because of poor management and oversight, hundreds of billions of dollars were wasted on programs that contributed little or nothing to defense and deterrence. In other words, for many of these projects the American taxpayer did not get anything for the money they spent. For example, the U.S. spent $21.3 billion on the Safeguard Antiballistic Missile System that was ultimately canceled because of high operational costs that eclipsed the limited defense benefits. It took that figure for us to know that the costs outweighed the benefits of this program. Whatever happened to accountability? We also wasted $12.5 billion on the development of the B-1A bomber which was canceled. On this program we spent $12.5 billion and made a total of four planes, two that crashed. The Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Program cost $7 billion only to be canceled due to poor management. Finally, the Midgetman/Small ICBM cost taxpayers over $5.5 billion, only to be canceled due to lack of need at the end of the Cold War. Enough is enough. We cannot spend money on unnecessary, unneeded nuclear weapons while we neglect our children. Reducing our nuclear arsenal here at home, or through an international treaty, will save billions of dollars and shift our Nation's priorities to investment in a healthy, safe and well educated Nation. Providing children access to health care, a safe environment, and a quality education is the kind of investment that will truly secure our Nation's future. That is why I am asking my colleagues to support the Nuclear Weapons Convention resolution that I introduce today urging the President to initiate multilateral negotiations for an early nuclear weapons convention.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, we have been hearing for the last 4 months that the majority party wants to meet the Democrats in the center; they want to come together and work with us and meet us in the middle. Well, I am telling my colleagues the middle does not start in the center and go to the right. The middle is the center between the left and the right. And meeting in the middle means that the Republicans would meet with Democrats, for starters, to invest our surplus and reduce our national debt by putting that surplus in Social Security and Medicare and not indulging in reckless tax cuts. Let us think big. Let us really think in the center. Let us think for the majority of the people of this country. Let us look at the budget surplus, the future of our Nation, reducing our national debt, and protecting our children and their children and a safety net for Social Security and Medicare.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, it has been nearly three years since we passed the Nation's welfare reform law, and most news reports paint a very glowing picture. The welfare rolls are at a 30-year low; more people than ever are working; billions of surplus welfare dollars stack up in government coffers, unspent and unused. The great social experiment, the 1996 welfare reform law, is a great success, right? Right? But, Mr. Speaker, what about the 14.5 million children still living in poverty, or the 71 percent of welfare recipients who end up in dead- end jobs that pay below the poverty line? What about the many States that get people off welfare by simply turning away people asking for help, or the States that meet their goals by shifting welfare recipients into low-paying jobs with no benefits and no career or salary ladders. We do not hear much about these families, Mr. Speaker, because we are still thinking about welfare reform in the wrong way. We had it wrong when we set out to end welfare as we know it. Our goal should have been then and should be now to end poverty as we know it. Mr. Speaker, I know it is not fashionable or popular to talk about making changes in the welfare law these days. But, Mr. Speaker, I would say that today is exactly the right time to be rethinking our Nation's welfare policies. With the economy booming and a surplus growing in Federal welfare accounts, States do not have to content themselves to simply get people off of welfare. States should and could be taking advantage of the opportunity they now have to invest in helping low- income families become truly self-sufficient. Yesterday, I introduced a new bill: The Building Opportunities Bonus Act, or BOB. It will be easy to remember. BOB provides $1 billion over five years to reward the ten States that do the best job in three key areas, key areas to getting welfare recipients in self-sufficiency. First, child care. Second, job training. And third, assistance for victims of domestic violence. Services like these will ensure that poor children are not left behind; that welfare recipients can access good jobs, jobs actually that can weather a dip in the economy; and that battered women can get and keep jobs while keeping themselves and their families safe. Thirty years ago, Mr. Speaker, I was a single mother on welfare. Because I was employed, I was forced to shuffle my kids, ages one, three and five, among 13 different child care providers in a single 12- month period. I was working at the time, using my welfare check to pay for child care and health care for my family, but it was not until I had a consistent, reliable child care situation that I was able to truly grow in my job, and immediately I was able to support my family without the welfare safety net. Every family on welfare needs quality and accessible child care. Welfare moms also need educational and training opportunities. Americans have long realized that education is the door to success. But our new welfare law has too often told welfare recipients that the only door open to them is the employees' entrance to McDonald's. Without job skills, welfare recipients are shifted into dead-end jobs, entry level jobs that pay below the poverty line. These jobs cannot support a family, and they are the first to go when the economy falters. Many poor women struggle not just with their economic situation, but also face the harsh reality of domestic violence. Studies show that between 15 and 30 percent of welfare recipients suffer from domestic violence and from abuse. We need to address this issue head-on and make sure women suffering from domestic violence can improve first their home situation, and then their economic situation. And we do not want to trap them in jobs that are dead-end. The sad truth is that we are nowhere close to providing enough of these services: child care, job training, and help from domestic violence. We need to give States an incentive. That is the only way welfare reform is really going to work for all Americans, so that welfare-to-work equates into true self-sufficiency.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, in 1992, the Republicans' mantra when I was running for election the first time was deficit and national debt and the harm it was causing to our children and our children's future. Being the realist that I am, I came here and got immediately involved in doing away first with our deficit. The 1993 budget passed with only Democratic votes, and got us on the road to where we are today with a surplus. We did what we were supposed to do. We came up with a surplus. That is our challenge now. What does the majority party do? What are they proposing? Rather than saving Social Security and in so doing, reducing the national debt, they return to their real mantra of spending our surplus on tax cuts, tax cuts that will give two-thirds of the wealthiest people in this Nation the benefit. It will give the top 10 to 20 percent of the well- off two-thirds of the benefit. This will not reduce our national debt. It will not protect Social Security.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding public servant, Mr. Fred Mattei, whose life-long commitment to the City of Petaluma is to be commended. Fred Mattei died last December at the age of 83 in the city that he loved. I wish to join his family, friends and colleagues in celebrating his distinguished life. Fred Mattei spent most of his life involved in his family business, located in the heart of downtown Petaluma. Opened in 1907, Mattei Bros. became a Petaluma tradition that has been sadly missed since it closed four years ago. Mr. Mattei also served on the City Council and as Mayor of Petaluma for 15 years. During his tenure as a member of the City Council, Mayor Mattei was supportive of the adoption of the landmark growth control ordinance that was eventually upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Fred Mattei's devotion to the community was admirable. In 1996, he was recognized for his long service to the community when he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Petaluma Community Recognition Awards Ceremony. He worked tirelessly to support community organizations, including the Petaluma Rotary Club, the Petaluma Chamber of Commerce, and the Petaluma Boys and Girls Club. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to pay tribute to Fred Mattei. His dedication to the residents of Petaluma will be greatly missed. I send my very best and my heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday, while attending church in my hometown of Petaluma, California, I was struck by how utterly sad I am. Sad about the President's behavior, sad about the Committee on the Judiciary's unfair decision to not allow censure as an alternative, and the impact all of this will have on our Nation. Today, my heart is even heavier, because we are conducting this debate while our troops are in harm's way. My heart aches for the division separating us in this House, the distraction from the work of government that we were elected to do, the threat of this unfair process on our democratic system, and I am heartsick about the shame and waste of this impeachment process. Shamed because the President's conduct, while reprehensible, does not fit the definition under the Constitution. Waste, because while we carry on, we are not working for the important business of our Nation, and we ignore our young men and women fighting abroad. With these thoughts in mind and these feelings, I would like to share with my colleagues the prayer that I prayed Sunday in my church: Please, Lord, give wisdom, strength, and compassion to every Member of the House so that we do not turn against our country and our need to punish one man. Please help every Member of this House see that the real mistake would be to push forward without the alternative of censure to punish our Nation for one man's personal weakness. And please, help us to remember the difference between partisan politics and leadership. So that we will not make a decision against the people of this country, we will make a decision for Americans based on fairness, based on forgiveness, not against one person, our President. Dear Lord, help us, through compromise and conscience, heal our Nation. Amen.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor one of California's very distinguished and dedicated public officials, Representative Jane Harman. Jane is being honored as she retires from the House of Representatives after three terms of significant public service. I am proud to mark this occasion with my fellow colleagues in the House of Representatives. Jane is widely recognized for her instrumental work on behalf of women's issues in her service to California's South Bay. As a native Californian, private lawyer and legislator, Jane fought for a woman's right to reproductive choice and led investigations of sexual misconduct in the military, roles for women in combat, and access to reproductive services for military women and their dependents. Jane's career accomplishments are many. Among the most noteworthy is her attendance at the bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, where Jane solidly voiced her support for China as an appropriate site for a healthy debate on women's issues. As an esteemed Member of the House National Security and Select Permanent Intelligence Committees, Jane was first appointed to the Congressional Conference Committee to meet on the Fiscal Year 1998 National Defense Reauthorization. As a conferee, Jane consistently sought to reinstate the right of military women and their dependents to have access to a full range of reproductive choices. This year Jane was again appointed as a conferee member to the Fiscal Year 1999 National Defense Reauthorization where she had the lead role on the particularly contentious debate over how to best train our military's new recruits. Jane has unfailingly served this institution over the years. After first serving as Legislative Director to U.S. Senator John Tunney (CA), and then as Chief Counsel and Staff Director to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Constitutional Rights, in the late 1970s, she was Deputy Secretary to the White House Cabinet and Special Counsel to the Department of Defense. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay tribute to Congresswoman Jane Harman. The State of California owes Jane a great deal of gratitude for her tireless efforts throughout her public service in the House of Representatives I extend my hearty congratulations and best wishes to Jane, her husband Sidney, and her four children, for continued success and joy in the years to come. Jane Harman will be missed and remembered.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a truly outstanding and special woman in my Congressional District, Mrs. Elizabeth Terwilliger. Everyone knows her as ``Mrs. T,'' and it's not an understatement when I say that almost everyone in Marin County, California, knows Mrs. T. Her devotion to people and the environment has made Mrs. T legendary, and has truly shown what a very special person she is. As an internationally recognized environmentalist and naturalist, Mrs. T has molded generations of nature lovers who now care for our nature trails the way she does. For the last four decades, hundreds of families in Marin County have joined Mrs. T for her renowned nature walks. No one has cared for Marin County's pristine, natural surroundings the way she has, which is why the exceptional Elizabeth Terwilliger Nature Education Center was dedicated in her honor. The Nature Center was founded to foster Mrs. T's unique multi-sensory teaching technique that advances the exploration of our environment. The Center allows children to discover nature through a variety of field trips and educational resources, and arranges the famed nature walks for all ages. Last year alone, these wonderful programs involved 70,000 children from the Bay Area in the wonders of nature and the stewardship needed to preserve it. Recently, the legions of Elizabeth Terwilliger's fans gathered in Olompali State Park in Novato, California to celebrate her 89th birthday. Fittingly, these events are as spontaneous and special as Mrs. T herself. Families brought picnics to the park to enjoy the company of each other and the wonderful woman who brought them all together. This year, a wonderful bronze statue of Elizabeth was unveiled as part of the celebration. I would like to take this opportunity to salute Mrs. T and offer my sincere birthday wishes. She is what makes California's Sixth Congressional District so wonderful. Elizabeth Terwilliger's curiosity and passion for both nature and people has been infectious among Marin County residents, and that is her gift to us all. I am proud to honor this living legend, and I ask my colleagues to please join me in recognizing Mrs. Elizabeth Terwilliger.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to World War II hero Claude Ganaye, who in September 1944, was a 16-year-old French national whose actions saved the lives of United States combat troops of the 29th Infantry Division. Veterans of that division gratefully recall his bravery. Even though Claude Ganaye and his family had been driven from their home in Brest, France, by Nazi troops, young Claude had the presence of mind to note the location of German mines, snipers and gun emplacements. Claude Ganaye found a French-speaking GI, Philip Roy of Company L, 116th Infantry to whom he provided his detailed intelligence. Acting on this information, the 29th Infantry Division was able to avoid casualties while taking enemy positions and capturing 40 prisoners. Twenty years ago, Mr. Ganaye moved to California where he became a naturalized citizen of the country whose troops he guided from harm's way. Mr. Ganaye resides with his family in the 6th Congressional District whose citizens thank him for the courage and composure he, as a teenager, demonstrated in the mind-numbing conditions that marked the heroic allied invasion of France. It is fitting too, as we honor our veterans, to join them in acknowledging Claude Ganaye's contribution to his adopted nation. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Claude Ganaye.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support House Resolution 597 and to offer my sincere sympathies to the family of Matthew Shepard. I cannot imagine their pain. I offer my sympathies also to all families who have suffered needless losses due to discriminating hate and prejudice. What happened to Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming is not an example of a breakaway faction, of an out-of-touch community in rural America. What happened to Matthew Shepard happens every day to citizens in our very own country whose only crime is to be honest, honest about who they are and what they believe. Mr. Speaker, it is time to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Harassment and hate crimes against the gay community is commonplace. It is time to come together as a Nation to condemn such hate crimes. Mr. Speaker, I am greatly disturbed that hate crimes like the murder of Matthew Shepard are on the rise. This is a type of crime that embodies intolerance, an act of violence against a person based on a victim's race, color, gender, religion or sexual orientation. Hate crimes leave deep scars not only to the victim's family but also to the larger community. Unfortunately, every year thousands of Americans are victims of hate crimes, and we suspect that many, many hate crimes go unreported. To honor Matthew Shepard, Mr. Speaker, we must as a Congress make sure that families like Matthew's know that there is not a person in this body that would make it easy or easier by making it OK for a hate crime to be carried out, for a person to have a prejudice against another person because of their sexual orientation. Mr. Speaker, we must pass this resolution.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle need to brush up on their history lessons. When they talk about block granting the President's teachers initiative to put 100,000 more teachers in the classroom, they should start by reviewing the history of the cops on the beat program. In 1995, House Republicans voted to eliminate the cops on the beat program and replace it with a block grant. But we prevailed; the program remains intact. And despite all the predictions of an out-of- control bureaucracy, the cops program has been one of the most successful and popular Federal programs in our history. This program is making a real difference to people across this country. It is making a real difference to the people in my district in Northern California, the district just north of the Golden Gate bridge. The cops program is helping my district to be a safer place to live, a safer place to raise our children. This same program is making other districts, all of the districts across the country that much safer for families. Since the cops program began, local police departments in my district, which includes Marin and Sonoma Counties, have received a total of more than $4.4 million in Federal funding, including nearly $2 million in funds for public safety departments, to hire the equivalent of 38 new police officers. Cops funding has been used for a variety of public safety programs, including establishing domestic violence reduction programs. Guess what? There is no out-of-control bureaucracy. There are no hoops to jump through, no red tape. Police departments have had the flexibility to put officers and other resources where they need them the most. The Clinton initiative for schools to hire 100,000 new teachers would be much the same. Yet despite the overwhelming success of the targeted cops program, House Republicans want to do the same thing that they proposed for that program to the President's teachers initiative, that they tried to do before. They want to use a block grant rather than target funds to hire the new teachers. Will they never learn? We already know that overcrowded classrooms is one of the biggest obstacles to improving education for our children, and we know that a block grant cannot guarantee our kids smaller classes unless we guarantee more trained teachers. Democrats want to target funds to schools to hire more teachers using the title I formula. They want to use the title VI formula. They will not use the title I formula, when title I is the most successful education funding formula and it will guarantee that our Federal dollars are used to hire teachers and, in turn, reduce class size. Democrats also want to help schools reduce class size by financing school bond initiatives. Too many American students are trying to learn in crumbling, unsafe school buildings or in temporary trailers which have turned into permanent trailers in school parking lots. Democrats also want many of our students that are already missing out on technology and being part of the technology superhighway to help their schools get wired. This Congress should be helping communities repair their unsafe schools. They should be helping communities renovate their school buildings and they should be helping their communities make sure that these temporary-turned-into-permanent trailers are not a real ongoing part of their school. Mr. Speaker, children make up 25 percent of our population, but they are 100 percent of our future. Investing in their education is the best way to invest in their future and, therefore, the best way to invest in the future of the United States of America.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of my Congressional District's very dedicated individuals, Carney Campion. Carney is being honored as he retires from the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District after 23 years of successful innovative transportation leadership. I am proud to mark this occasion with his family, friends, and colleagues on November 30, 1998 as we celebrate his truly remarkable accomplishments. Carney Campion is widely recognized as a transportation pioneer in his service to California's North Coast. As the eighth General Manager of the Bridge District, Carney successfully balanced a comprehensive transportation plan that effectively kept the North Coast linked to San Francisco. Due to Carney's strong leadership skills he was able to adapt the changing needs of our communities to the needs of individuals. He reduced automobile traffic and congestion, while protecting the environment with efficient and reliable alternatives such as buses and ferries. Carney's career accomplishments are many. Among the most noteworthy are the development and modernization of the unified bus and ferry system; the implementation of the District's public awareness, environmental health and public safety program; the purchase of the abandoned Northwestern Pacific Railroad right-of-way from Novato to Willits for vital future rail service; and his fervent commitment to the seismic safety of the Golden Gate Bridge. Carney has been instrumental in the advancement of electric toll collection systems on bridges throughout the world. As a long time advocate of North Coast transportation matters, he served as Past President to the Board of Directors on the Electric Toll and Traffic Management Task Force, and Vice Chair to the International Task Force of the International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Association. In his many impressive civic endeavors, Carney has served as Secretary, Treasurer and Vice President to the Press Club of San Francisco during his 35 years of membership. He was also Vice President of the Marin Forum, and Director of the YMCA/Marin and the Marin Theatre Company. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay tribute to Carney Campion. The North Coast owes Carney Campion a great deal of gratitude for his tireless efforts throughout his 23 years of public service at the Golden Gate Bridge District. I extend my hearty congratulations and best wishes to Carney, his wife Kathryn of 45 years, his six children, and ten grandchildren for continued success and joy in the years to come. Carney Campion will be missed, and remembered.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) for holding this special order and sharing it with us tonight. I would like to talk about two issues under this, what I am kind of coining as the ``do-nothingness Congress.'' It just keeps coming up and coming up to me. One the environment, and two education. I would like to start with education, because I keep hearing the other side of the aisle talking and talking about all they have accomplished in education in this Congress, and it makes me think that some of them, some of our Republican colleagues need to go back to school themselves, because these education initiatives passed this year, the education bills passed in this Congress simply do not add up to meet the real needs of our kids and our schools. Our children, 25 percent of our population, 100 percent of our future, and the Republican agenda does not make the grade when you consider how important our children's education and their future and their education is to not only their future but our future. So those of us who have done our homework know that overcrowded classrooms are one of the biggest obstacles to improving education for these important children. We have read the studies that confirm that what parents and teachers all over the country already know, and that is that smaller class sizes result in a better education experience and better education results. In fact, even my very Republican Governor in California, Governor Wilson, has made my home State step up to smaller class sizes and made that a priority in California. But do my colleagues know what we learned right away? We learned immediately that smaller classes mean training more educators, means hiring more teachers, and building more classrooms. So we have a mandate in California, for grades K through three, 18 is the largest class that a school can have; and they do not have any classrooms and the teachers are not certified. So that is why President Clinton has asked the Congress to pass legislation which will allow schools across America to hire and train 100,000 new qualified teachers. That's why President Clinton has asked the Congress to pass legislation to help communities with their unsafe schools, renovate their old schools, and build new schools. What answers do my Republican colleagues give to the President? Their answer is education block grants and vouchers for private schools. But we all know that block grants and vouchers do not make the grade. Block grants and vouchers do not repair crumbling schools or get more teachers into the classroom. It is really a good thing that this Congress is not on a pass-fail grading method because, so far, my Republican colleagues and this do- nothing Congress would fail. But there is still time. We have a little bit of time with this week to do some extracurricular work in the omnibus appropriations bill to make classes smaller, to make schools safer, and to make our children our number one priority around this country. About the environment. We are also waiting to see whether the Republicans are going to hold our precious environment hostage during these last days of this do-nothing Congress. They added many harmful riders to the interior appropriations bill that President Clinton would have vetoed, so we did not even vote on it. Now they are working in the back rooms, and I am scared to death that they are going to add these riders to the omnibus appropriations bill. This will make the appropriations bill unpassable, adding to the do- nothingness of this Congress. I joined many of my colleagues writing to the President, asking him to oppose such assaults on public health, public lands, and our public treasury; and I am hopeful that the majority party will do what is right. Some of these riders range from leaving our beautiful lands unprotected to leaving our children exposed to toxic chemicals. Everyone, Republican and Democrat alike, should agree that these important policy issues should not be solved through back-door methods on appropriations bills. Sometimes the Republicans actually do the environment a favor by doing nothing at all, and that was evident last week when the omnibus parks bill, which contained many harmful environmental measures, was soundly defeated, with Democrats and Republicans alike. The reality is that the general public wants us to protect their environment. They like clean air, they like clean water, and they like the parks and forests we all treasure. The American people will not tolerate these constant attacks. They not only care about themselves, they care about their children and their children's children and all the children in the future. Between the Republican attacks on education and our environment, perhaps a do-nothing Congress is best because it might be the best we could hope for. Unfortunately, when this Congress decided to do something, they decided to do something in the wrong direction. We can only hope the Republicans see the light, the light of important issues such as education for our children, our number one priority, and environment for ourselves, our future and our children's future. Hopefully on election day, the American people will show the majority party the way.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. If the gentlewoman will yield on this thought, then later I have more words. Thirty years ago my children and I were abandoned by their father. My children were 1, 3 and 5 years old. I went to work immediately. I had good job skills fortunately. I was a very healthy young woman. My children were healthy. We were really fortunate. But the most fortunate part of that horrible situation was that I had a good education. I had 2 years of college. I quit college so that I could help my children's father finish school. But I had enough education to get job opportunities and make those job opportunities work for my family and myself while I continued to finish my college education. Without that education, I do not know where we would be today, because it made all the difference in the world in my self-esteem, and in my ability to go forward.