Lynn Woolsey

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Colonel Alfredo A. Xeres-Burgos, Sr., a Philippine National who has helped preserve a valiant moment in American history on the island of Corregidor, Philippines. Colonel Burgos has demonstrated unique perseverance and deserves our gratitude and recognition. May 6, 1998, will mark the 56th anniversary of the fall of the Corregidor to Imperial Japanese forces. For those who fought under the command of Gen. Douglas MacArthur in the heroic defense of Bataan and Corregidor against Imperial Japan and who survived the infamous Bataan death march and captivity in Japanese prison camps these memories have not faded. During these historic events and throughout the war, U.S. Marines and Filipinos displayed selfless sacrifice rivaling any other military units. Filipino and United States defenders of the Philippines engaged Japanese forces from the beaches of the Philippine islands to the last defense of Bataan and Corregidor in a grueling battle lasting 150 days. That defense compelled Japan to divert thousands of additional troops to the Philippines. In that defense, the members of the Filipino forces and their United States counterparts struggled against difficult odds and desperate circumstances and faced, with indomitable spirit, fortitude, and loyalty to America, powerful Imperial Japanese forces. Today, the island of Corregidor is a superb living monument to the courage of the American soldiers, sailors and Marines who defended it, and to the horror of war. Thanks to the initiative taken by Colonel Burgos, Corregidor is one of the most impressive of all WWII memorial parks to be found anywhere in the world. Colonel Burgos has repaired the battered road linking the gun batteries and bomb-shattered buildings of this fortress, Fort Mills. He has created informative signs, trained guides and organized tours and transportation while walking a fine line between preserving historic relics for the benefit of posterity and a benefit for tourists from all over the world. In 1995, Colonel Burgos served as the personal guide to President Clinton when he visited Corregidor. Most amazing is the way Colonel Burgos has persevered over the years in preserving this WWII island fortress despite a number of difficulties and inadequate funding. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize a member of my constituency who has worked hard to honor the legacy of Colonel Burgos: Robert F. Reynolds. Through his efforts, Mr. Reynolds has ensured that Colonel Burgos is recognized for his hard work and dedication to Corregidor. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I pay tribute to Colonel Alfredo Xeres-Burgos for his dedication to Fort Mills and Corregidor. The American veterans who survived the Fall of Bataan and the Fall of Corregidor can be proud that we have not forgotten the battlefield where they so valiantly fought. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Colonel Burgos and wishing him many more years of success.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, for years the American people have told us loud and clear what they want with campaign finance reform. They want a system that encourages every American to participate, they want a system to close special interest loopholes, and they want to ban all soft money. But instead of what the American people want, we have the special interest groups and their friends giving us a bill that benefits big business and their lobbyists. The worker gag rule singles out workers, making it not easier but more difficult for them to participate in the electoral process. At the same time, large corporations are allowed to pour shareholder money into campaigns. The fact is, Mr. Speaker, in the last election cycle alone, corporations outspent unions by a margin of 11 to 1. This is like letting a CEO vote 11 times while giving the worker only 1 vote. That is the worker gag bill.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, each year in the developing world, 600,000 women die from pregnancy-related complications. Maternal mortality is the largest single cause of death among women in their reproductive years. That is why, Mr. Speaker, support for reproductive health services becomes more important every day. Voluntary family planning services give mothers and their families new choices and new hope. These services increase child survival, they promote safe motherhood. Without support for international family planning, women in developing nations face more unwanted pregnancies, more poverty and more despair. Mr. Speaker, it is ironic that the same people who would deny women in the developing world the choice of an abortion would also seek to eliminate support for family planning programs, programs that reduce the need for abortion. Without access to safe and affordable family planning services, there will be more abortions, not fewer. The abortions will be less safe and put more women's lives in danger. Mr. Speaker, I wish that we were here today to support legislation that would pay for a full range of reproductive health services. But at the very, very least, we should keep the doors open for more family planning clinics. And we must do this so that we can provide these individuals and these families with the information and the services they need. I urge my colleagues to vote against this conference report.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, the Fairness for Small Business and Employees Act is neither. It certainly is not fair to employees and it is certainly not fair to small businesses. Mr. Chairman, H.R. 3246 allows any employer, large or small, to refuse employment to workers because of suspected labor union affiliations. Suspected. This is the road that this Congress and this country should not and cannot go down. First of all, the right to organize and join a labor union is a basic American civil right. Unions give American workers a voice at their jobs and they give the union worker a voice in our economy. They also give American workers a voice in our electoral process, but that is another bill we are going to have to fight. This bill, H.R. 3246, allows employers to refuse to give jobs to workers they suspect will organize other employees to join a union. Suspect. Once employers can refuse to hire suspected union members, what will come next? Some employers may want to refuse to hire a young woman because they suspect she will get pregnant someday, or an older man because they suspect he will take too many sick days. We could end up with employers telling job applicants, I am just not going to hire you because I do not like the way you look. Mr. Chairman, it is every American's right not to be judged by suspicions. Surely American workers have this right too. H.R. 3246 punishes American workers. It is antiworker, it is anti- American. And I do not suspect, but I know, we must vote it down.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove the name of the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger) as a cosponsor of H.R. 3086, my bill.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Randolph Newman. The death of Dr. Newman on February 27, 1998 was a sad day for anyone who knew Ran. He will be greatly missed, both as a dedicated supporter of Santa Rosa Junior College and as a generous and caring individual. Dr. Newman was raised in Oakland, California. He began his career in education as a business education teacher at Healdsburg High School before serving in the Army Air Corps. He returned to the field of education and eventually received a doctorate in higher education at Berkeley. The Santa Rosa Junior College family will forever remember Dr. Newman's dedication as President and close friend of the Foundation. As President, he expanded the college to become a community resource that offered, along with the traditional first two years of a baccalaureate degree, vocational and business training, adult education, and a variety of enrichment programs. He transformed the role of this junior college into a true community college--one of the best in the nation. But Dr. Newman's work did not stop with S.R.J.C. His commitment to over 40 organizations, including his active membership in the Santa Rosa Symphony Association and the Sonoma County Library, is admirable. It is special people like Randolph Newman who make me proud to represent the California 6th District in Congress. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I acknowledge the loss of Randolph Newman. He was a tremendous asset to our community and an inspiration to us all. I extend my deepest sympathies to the Newman family and all who knew this wonderful man.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me. I thank her for her kind words, for her very hard work on behalf of women and for her energy and for her great intelligence. I also thank the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson), the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) for celebrating Women's History Month, for participating in this special order and for organizing it in the first place. Mr. Speaker, I come to the House this evening to honor the story behind the creation of National Women's History Month. In doing so, I salute the National Women's History Project from the 6th Congressional District of California, the district that I represent. This year, our Nation celebrates the 150th anniversary of the women's rights movement. In my home district, this is of particular interest and a particularly special occasion because Sonoma County is the birthplace of the National Women's History Project, the organization responsible for the establishment of Women's History Month. The National Women's History Project of Sonoma County is a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1980. The history project is committed to providing education and resources to recognize and celebrate women's diverse lives and historic contributions to our society. Today they are well known by educators, publishers and journalists as the resource for U.S. women's history information and referrals. As recently as the 1970s, women's history was virtually an unknown subject. In 1978, as chairwoman of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women, I was astounded, as well as the other members of our commission, by the lack of focus on women. During this time, with the leadership of Mary Ruthsdotter who followed me as the next chair of the Commission on the Status of Women, the commission designated the week of March 8 for International Women's Remembrance. This celebration throughout county schools was met with enthusiastic response, beyond anything we had anticipated. I am proud to tell Members that this observance marked Sonoma County's first Women's History Week, the first women's history week in the country that we call America. The key to the celebration was to have communities and schools recognize the importance of women and the mark that women of all cultural backgrounds have made on society and on our history. It soon became a goal to get Congress and the governors nationwide to declare National Women's History Week. By 1981, with the hard work of the History Project, Congress declared a National Women's History Week. Together, the women of my district and the National Women's History Project succeeded in nationalizing awareness of women's history. As word of the celebration's success rapidly spread across the country, State departments of education encouraged activities to honor Women's History Week as a way to educate students about the diverse role of women in history. Within a few years, thousands of schools and communities nationwide were celebrating National Women's History Week. In 1987, the National Women's History Project first petitioned Congress to expand the national celebration to the entire month of March. Due to the project's successful efforts, Congress issued a resolution declaring March Women's History Month. Each year since, nationwide programs and activities on women's history in schools, workplaces and communities have been developed and shared during the month of March. In honor of Women's History Month, I must also pay a very special tribute to Molly MacGregor, Mary Ruthsdotter, Maria Cuevas, Bonnie Eisenberg, Suanne Otteman, Lisl Christie, Donna Kuhn, Sunny Bristol, Denise Dawe, Kathryn Rankin and Sheree Fisk Williams, the women at the National Women's History Project. These women from Sonoma County serve as leaders in the effort to educate Americans about the contributions women have made and are making in our society. The history project works with teachers and leaders of national women's organizations to encourage the development of programs and events that celebrate the diversity of women's lives. The project also works with curriculum specialists in school districts throughout the country to help teachers integrate women's history into the schools. Under strong and thoughtful leadership, the National Women's History Project has been recognized for outstanding contributions to women's and girls' education by the National Education Association, for diversity in education by the National Association for Multicultural Education, and for scholarship service and advocacy by the Center for Women Policy Studies. I am grateful to all the devoted women at the National Women's History Project for developing women's history month, and for coordinating this year's 150th anniversary of the women's rights movement for this country. Again, I am proud to honor the National Women's History Project, an organization which has brought national visibility to women's accomplishments. They have left an indelible mark on Sonoma County and across the Nation. Their legacy and work serve as a reminder of the barriers women have overcome and the barriers that yet remain. Congratulations, wonderful women, and thank you for all that you have done. I thank the gentlewoman for organizing this special order.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Chairman, I join my colleagues in the California delegation in supporting H.R. 3130. It would be truly tragic if we allowed any child in California to be penalized for the State's inability to implement a statewide computerized child support collection system. But even if we are successful today in our efforts to keep California's welfare dollars, we will be doing absolutely nothing to force deadbeat parents to live up to their responsibilities or to help a single child out of poverty. The only way we are going to increase the rate of child support collection in California, which is currently an abysmal 14 or even 13 percent, some say, of court-ordered amounts, and across the Nation, is to make child support collection a Federal matter. That is why the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) and I have introduced H.R. 2189, the Uniform Child Support Enforcement Act. This bill would use existing national computer systems to collect and distribute child support. Not only would collection go up dramatically, but welfare would go down to the same degree. We would not be wasting any more time or money trying to fix a doomed State-by-State, county- by-county computer system. Kids in California, children across the country should not have to wait any longer to get the child support they deserve. From the ashes of California's computer meltdown, let us bring to life a Federal system to make sure that every child support check is truly in the mail.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding individual, Mr. Gary Giacomini. Gary is being honored by the Citizens Foundation of Marin and the Marin Council of Agencies as the 1997 Citizen of the Year. Marin County has a history of electing wonderful members to the Marin Board of Supervisors and Gary is a prime example. He fought hard for his constituents. In fact, he still is fighting for them. Gary truly loved his job. As a member of many county and state agencies, from the Marin County Transit District to the California Coastal Commission, Gary supported the issues that are important to the residents of Marin County. I have had the pleasure to work with Gary on several Marin County issues. But where I've gotten to really know him is through the Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Shortly after I was elected to the House, Gary came to me with his vision to encourage agriculture by protecting lands east of the National Seashore from development. Based on Gary's vision, I introduced H.R. 1995, the Pt. Reyes National Seashore Farmland Protection Act, to offer willing land owners conservation easements to support agriculture. I made H.R. 1995 one of my top priorities. I will always appreciate Gary sharing his vision with me, and I will always be thankful for his support. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay tribute to Gary Giacomini. His dedication and success to preserve agriculture in Marin County and fight for the causes he and his constituents believe in is admirable. I wish Gary and his family the best.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, the Point Reyes National Seashore Farmland Protection Act, H.R. 1995, is a unique solution to a growing problem in our country--How do we protect disappearing farmland while simultaneously protecting our natural resources? Keeping local farms in agriculture is absolutely essential to local economies across the country, and California's Sixth Congressional District is a prime example. Approximately, 167,000 acres--half of Marin County's total land--are farms or ranches. In Sonoma County, 40 percent of the 1.2 million acres of land is agriculture. The majority of this farmland is divided into small third and fourth generation family-owned operations. Of the 285 agricultural operations currently in Marin County, 78 are considered large farms (annual gross income of $100,000 or more), and 207 are considered small or mini-farms. The average farm size is 588 acres. By authorizing the purchase of agricultural conservation easements, H.R. 1995 allows willing landowners to receive compensation for keeping their farms in agriculture. At the same time, the lands remain on the tax rolls, and private property rights are protected. The majority of local landowners support this bill--including Joe and Doris Mendoza. Point Reyes Station, CA, November 7, 1997. Hon. James Hansen, Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Hansen: We are writing in support of Lynn Woolsey's legislation H.R. 1995, the Point Reyes National Seashore Farmland Protection Act. We operate a 500-cow dairy on the ``Historic B Ranch'' located on the Point Reyes peninsula which became part of the Point Reyes National Seashore when it was authorized in 1962. We have enjoyed a favorable tenant/landlord relationship with the National Park Service for over 25 years, and have operated a viable business partnership with our son during that period. We reinvested our proceeds from the sale of the ``B'' Ranch in 2,300 acres of land on the east side of Tomales Bay. This property lies within the boundary of the Farmland Protection Act. Lynn Woolsey has worked very diligently to write this legislation in a manner to address the concerns of the agricultural land owners while protecting the interests of the people of the United States and their investment in the lands of the Park. We feel that this innovative concept protects the land from development for the benefit of the park while providing for agriculture's need of a ``critical mass''. It leaves the land in private ownership and on the local tax rolls. Win! Win! We also greatly support the principle of using a local land trust to administer this arrangement. Please enter our support of H.R. 1995. Sincerely, J.H. Mendoza, Sr. Doris S. Mendoza.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to see this resolution on the floor today because I think that it would have benefited from the Committee on Education and Workforce markup that was scheduled and then canceled. Since other members of the committee and myself had amendments to offer to H.Con.Res. 202, I truly had assumed that the committee would mark up and have it rescheduled. Silly me. I should have known that the majority would not give members of the committee an opportunity to improve the resolution so that it would actually acknowledge the importance of all families. Certainly we should honor families who can choose to have one parent at home with their young child. Certainly we should honor families where parents get up and go to work every day, but cannot afford child care. And we should also honor the people that were covered in my amendment, those who give up or would be forced to give up their sole source of income because of the lack of child care, keeping them from fulfilling their work requirements under the new welfare law. Had there been a committee markup, I would have offered an amendment expressing the sense of Congress that we must increase from age 6 to age 11 when a single parent would be forced to leave a child home if they were unable to find an appropriate child care. Mr. Speaker, our current law allows this exception only for single parents with children under 6 years of age. This means that some parents with children as young as age 6 are forced to leave their children home alone before and after school, during school vacations, and all summer long. Or if the parents choose to stay at home with their young children, they lose their temporary assistance for needy families. As we take time today to applaud the lucky parents who can stay at home with their children, I wish we were also protecting working parents who risk the loss of their sole source of income because they do not have child care.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, last fall, Members of Congress from both parties worked with the administration and drafted a bipartisan agreement on what we could and what we could not do regarding national testing. Since then, there has been no evidence that the administration or any of the agencies named in that agreement have broken the agreement. Yet here we are, Mr. Chairman, not 3 months later, after putting the agreement together, debating again the development of national tests. I cannot help but believe that this legislation is motivated more by political urgency than by any real need. I hope that my colleagues will join me in putting the partisan politics aside. Vote ``no'' on H.R. 2846 and let us get to work on what we really need to do on reducing crowded classrooms, training more teachers, building new schools, and helping all of our children achieve high standards.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, last week, I had the privilege of taking part in a ceremony to honor a true American hero. Ellen Straus, and her family, were named the recipients of the 1998 Steward of the Land award by American Farmland Trust. Ellen was selected because of her tireless efforts in promoting responsible land stewardship, farmland conservation policy and the use of environmentally and economically sustainable farming practices. This national award could not have gone to a more deserving person. Born in Amsterdam, Holland, Ellen came to the United States in 1940. She met and married Bill Straus in 1950 and moved to his dairy on the Tomales Bay, in Marin County, where they have been farming ever since. In 1993, the family converted their traditional dairy to an organic operation. The Straus Family Creamery, the first organic dairy and creamery west of the Mississippi, now sells over one million bottles of organic milk per year, in addition to cheese, butter and yogurt. Their commitment to environmentally sound practices dominates their operation. Their cows are fed 100 percent organically grown feed and are not treated with hormones or antibiotics. Their milk is sold in reusable glass bottles. A windmill pumps water to cows pastured uphill to reduce land erosion. Their bottle washing equipment has been redesigned to use 90% less water than originally designed, and the reclaimed water is used to wash floors. Wastewater generated at the creamery is treated in containment ponds and is later used to irrigate pasture lands. And, they are the first ranch in the area to use a no- till drill for seeding crops. The Straus family's farming practices have been a model to ranchers throughout Marin County and serve as a standard for organic farming nationwide. One of Ellen's greatest legacies is the organization she co-founded in 1980, the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT). MALT was the first land trust in the country to focus exclusively on the protection of farm and ranch lands. Through her efforts, Ellen was able to build a consensus among the agricultural, environmental and political communities to protect the farmland which is such an important part of the heritage of Marin County. Currently, MALT holds easements on over 25,000 acres of land, protecting 38 Marin County farms from development. Ellen's vision has served as a model for other land trusts which have been developed across the country. As a Member of the House of Representatives, I have the good fortune to represent some of the greatest constituents in the country, and Ellen Straus is one of these people. She and Bill have advocated for a lifestyle in which they truly live and believe. Ellen has been an inspiration to me for her vision, her dedication, and her desire to protect the environment and agriculture as a way of life. Without her efforts, the agricultural heritage of West Marin County would have disappeared to development and urban sprawl many years ago. Instead, Ellen Straus has protected the peace and beauty of the West Marin hills for generations to come.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. And, Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for letting us do this. I promise I would have been here earlier, but I was on an airplane coming from a very rainy, rainy California. I tell Ron this story because it made such an impact on me. Ron Dellums came to my district and spoke in front of a group of my friends. He spoke outside and the birds stopped singing because they were listening to him. There was not a person listening that had a dry eye. Every single person in that group, and there was at least 100 some people, had a story that they remembered about Ron Dellums and what he has done for this country. So then I had the fortune to come here and work with you, Ron, and I am so privileged that that has been part of my growing up here as a very junior Member of this Congress. And I appreciate you for daring all of us in this House of Representatives by giving us the challenges to go and do more than we thought we should do and could do. You dared us to not just settle for what is politically possible. You dared us and you inspired us to think beyond the day-to-day battles, to look at the big picture; to think about what we are doing and how it relates to our children, our families, our seniors, our communities. You did not ever have one small vision of what you were doing and talking about. I, like those ahead of me, could go on and on, but I want to tell you, Ron, that I have always thought of you as the dean of our delegation, of the Bay Area delegation, the California delegation; the person that has taught me the most about integrity. But what I am going to miss the most with your leaving us is that booming voice here on this House floor. I am going to miss that. I am going to miss your leadership and I will miss your message, but I will not forget it. Thank you for being my friend.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, several months ago I visited a charter school in Santa Rosa CA. I spend the morning with students in their small classes, saw the individual attention they got from their teachers, and met many of their parents. And when I left that school, I wept. I wept, Mr. Chairman, because I want every child to go to a school where the classes are small; where each student has an individual learning plan; where parents participate almost daily. You and I know how few students have these privileges. That is why I rise in strong support of Mr. Martinez' amendment to the Charter Schools Amendment Act. Mr. Chairman, during the hearing on charter schools in the Education Committee, we heard testimony that students with disabilities are consistently denied admission to charter schools, or, denied services once they are admitted. This is unacceptable. Charter schools are public schools, and they are required to comply with the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. I know that many charter schools are started by parents and teachers who aren't familiar with IDEA and have never thought about educating a youngster with disabilities. That's why Mr. Martinez' amendment is so very important. This amendment says that when a charter school applied for Federal funds, the application must include a description of how the school will comply with the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. This amendment gives people who want to start a charter school a clear heads up that they have to comply with the act. It gets them to think about compliance, which, I am convinced, will give more kids the opportunity to go to a charter school. Mr. Chairman, I voted for the Charter Schools Act in committee and I will vote for it again today. Charter schools offer a good chance for improving public education. Classes are small in charter schools, parents are more involved in their children's education and teachers have a stronger voice in what they teach. I want all public schools to be so lucky. But, until they are, we need to make sure that charter schools are ready and able to educate all students. Traditional public schools accept and educate all students--we must ask for nothing less from charter schools. We must pass the Martinez amendment.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to day to pay tribute to an outstanding public servant, Mr. Ernest J. Gray. Mr. Gray is retiring as councilmember for the city of Novato after 20 years of outstanding service. I wish I could join his family, friends, and colleagues in celebrating his distinguished career. Mr. Gray is the city's longest serving councilmember. During his tenure, he served as Novato's mayor for four terms--more often than any other member of the council. Prior to joining the city council, he served on the Novato Planning Commission. Ernie Gray's devotion to the community is admirable. He has been a member of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Homeless, the Highway 101 Corridor Action Committee, the Human rights Commission, and was involved with the Community Development Block Grant. And, he has worked tirelessly to complete the reuse of Hamilton Air Force Base. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay tribute to Ernie Gray. His service to the residents of Novato will be greatly missed. I wish him the best in his retirement from public office.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, a sound public school system is the way to prepare 100 percent of our children for the high-skill, high-wage jobs that will ensure America's leadership in our world marketplace in our future. At the same time, Mr. Speaker, a good, sound public education system prevents dependency on welfare at home. Public education is the backbone of our country. It is why we are a great Nation. Public education is available to all. It does not discriminate and must be strengthened, not weakened. There is no question that the bill before us today will profoundly harm our public schools. This bill gives precious education dollars that public schools need to private and religious schools. Supporters of this bill say that it ensures parental choice in education, but we all know that private schools self-select their student body, and no voucher plan is going to change that. Parental choice is meaningless when it comes to private schools and self-selection. What this bill does is make it easier, by adding $40 million to the budget, for a chosen few to go to private schools while leaving the majority of American school children in public schools. This is not acceptable. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to speak up for public education in America. It is not perfect, but the solution to the problems with our public schools is not to give vouchers to a few kids. The solution is to fix our schools. Put that $40 million toward improving public education so that all children want to be in a good public school. The supporters of this bill act as if vouchers are a magic bullet for American education, but H.R. 2746 does not help teachers or give them more opportunities for professional development. It creates yet another gap.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2 of rule IX, I hereby give notice of my intention to offer a resolution which raises a question of the privileges of the House. The form of the resolution is as follows: Whereas, Loretta Sanchez was issued a certificate of election as the duly elected Member of Congress from the 46th District of California by the Secretary of State of California, and was seated by the U.S. House of Representatives on January 7, 1997; and Whereas A Notice of Contest of Election was filed with the Clerk of the House by Mr. Robert Dornan on December 26, 1996; and Whereas the Task Force on the Contested Election in the 46th District of California met on February 26, 1997 in Washington, D.C., on April 19, 1997 in Orange County, California and October 24, 1997 in Washington, D.C.; and Whereas the allegations made by Mr. Robert Dornan have been largely found to be without merit: charges of improper voting from a business, rather than a resident address; underage voting; double voting; and charges of unusually large number of individuals voting from the same address. It was found that voting from the same address included a Marines barracks and the domicile of nuns, that business addresses were legal residences for the individuals, including the zoo keeper of the Santa Ana zoo, that duplicate voting was by different individuals and those accused of underage voting were of age; and Whereas the Committee on House Oversight has issued unprecedented subpoenas to the Immigration and Naturalization Service to compare their records with Orange County voter registration records, the first time in any election in the history of the United States that the INS has been asked by Congress to verify the citizenship of voters; and Whereas the INS has complied with the Committee's request and, at the Committee's request, has been doing a manual check of its paper files and providing worksheets containing supplemental information on that manual check to the Committee on House Oversight for over five months; and Whereas the Committee on House Oversight, subpoenaed the records seized by the District Attorney of Orange County on February 13, 1997 and has received and reviewed all records pertaining to registration efforts of that group; and Whereas the House Oversight Committee is now pursuing a duplicate and dilatory review of materials already in the Committee's possession by the Secretary of State of California; and Whereas the Task Force on the Contested Election in the 46th District of California and the Committee have been reviewing these materials and has all the information it needs regarding who voted in the 46th District and all the information it needs to make judgements concerning those votes; and Whereas the Committee on House Oversight has after over nine months of review and investigation failed to present credible evidence to change the outcome of the election of Congresswoman Sanchez and is pursuing never ending and unsubstantiated areas of review; and Whereas, Contestant Robert Dornan has not shown or provided credible evidence that the outcome of the election is other than Congresswoman Sanchez's election to the Congress; and Whereas, the Oversight Committee has not challenged the results of any other Members' elections, even though many other Members won their election by slimmer margins; and Whereas, the Committee on House Oversight should complete its review of this matter and bring this contest to an end and now therefore be it; Resolved, That unless the Committee on House Oversight has sooner reported a recommendation for its final disposition, the contest in the 46th District of California is dismissed upon the expiration of November 7, 1997.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, a sound public school system is how we prepare all of our children for the high skilled, high wage jobs that ensure America's leadership in this world marketplace and ensures that these children will earn a livable wage and not be on welfare as adults. Public education is the backbone of our country. It is why we are a great Nation. Public education is available to all. It does not discriminate, and it must be strengthened, not weakened. Today's rule will profoundly weaken our public schools, forcing charter school supporters to go on record supporting school voucher plans that support a religious school. That, Madam Speaker, flies in the face of providing opportunity to all children. We do not hesitate in thinking that religious schools should be available. What we say is choose your religious school. Do not take it away from our public education system. That is where the real opportunity lies.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, on a truly sad day for this Chamber and for this country, I rise to honor our colleague, Walter Capps, a leader, a role model, and a friend. Walter represented the people of Santa Barbara with energy, zeal, and honor. I admired Walter for his principles and for the solid direction of his moral compass. Walter was a member who didn't just talk about values and principles. He lived them. And for this, Walter was a role model to us all. Working with him as part of the California delegation taught me so much about the kind of leader and the kind of person that we all strive to be. He gave his heart and soul to the service of the people of his district, to the people of California, and to the people of our Nation. He was a great thinker, a great philosopher, and a great man. I will never forget Walter's generous spirit and warm heart. Walter dedicated his life to solving problems and resolving conflicts. And even without his physical presence, his spirit lives on in the Halls of this Chamber.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, over 200 years ago John Hancock and dozens of other patriots signed the Declaration of Independence to proclaim their independence from England. Well, today, Mr. Speaker, my colleagues from both sides of the aisle and I are putting our John Hancock on a discharge petition on campaign finance reform. We are doing this to declare this Government's independence from big money and special interests. Just as King George refused the American Colonies the representation they deserve, so has the Republican leadership continued to refuse the American people the debate on campaign finance reform that they want and that they deserve. The colonists declared no taxation without representation. It is time for us to say, no adjournment without a debate on campaign finance reform.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, there truly is no rest for the weary. And I tell my colleagues, the women of this country are weary. They are just plain tired of the constant stream of attacks launched by the Republican leadership in this House. Mr. Speaker, today's assault on women is especially dangerous. It is dangerous because it puts women's health at risk. I rise in opposition to this rule today because it does not allow an amendment to safeguard the health of women in this country. The health of women should be what this bill is about, Mr. Speaker. Instead, this bill makes complicated medical pronouncements while ignoring the health of women, those who are most affected. That is why the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Nurses Association, and the American Medical Women's Association all strongly oppose this legislation. These groups oppose the bill, Mr. Speaker, because it will hurt women, plain and simple, hurt women. Mr. Speaker, it continues to amaze me that Members of this House have so little faith in women, the very people who bear and raise the children of this country, so little faith that they would deny them access to the lifesaving procedures out of some ridiculous notion that pregnant women do not care about their children, that they wait until the last moment to abort a pregnancy. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues, put women ahead of politics. I urge my colleagues, defeat the previous question. I urge my colleagues to let the decisions be made between the women and their doctors.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, we have heard from the White House, we have heard from the Senate, and we have heard from the American people loud and clear. It is time to move forward and pass meaningful campaign finance reform. Now we are hearing that the majority leader might do something sometime. When is this House going to be ready? When will the leadership of this House be prepared to clean up the campaign finance mess we have in this country? This House, the people's House, should be the loudest voice in the chorus. We must put a stop to big money special interests flooding the halls of our Government. It is time, Madam Speaker, for the Republican leadership to join with us to tell the American people that the buck stops here.

Ms. WOOLSEY

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

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.