Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 105 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 105 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 143 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1997 No. 143 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE CONGRESS SHOULD NOT GIVE UP called to order by the Speaker pro tem- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Will the ON PUBLIC SCHOOLS pore [Mr. SNOWBARGER]. gentlewoman from California [Ms. (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given f SANCHEZ] come forward and lead the permission to address the House for 1 House in the Pledge of Allegiance. minute and to revise and extend his re- DESIGNATION OF THE SPEAKER Ms. SANCHEZ led the Pledge of Alle- marks.) PRO TEMPORE giance as follows: Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, just two I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the weeks ago Speaker GINGRICH forced The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- this House to pass a publicly-financed fore the House the following commu- United States of America, and to the Repub- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, private school voucher program in the nication from the Speaker: indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. D.C. appropriations bill. This provision WASHINGTON, DC, f initially failed to pass the House, but October 22, 1997. the Speaker held the vote open and ba- I hereby designate the Honorable VINCE SNOWBARGER to act as Speaker pro tempore PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS sically twisted his fellow Republicans' on this day. IMPLEMENTATION ACT arms to change their vote. In spite of this near failure, Speaker NEWT GINGRICH, (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given Speaker of the House of Representatives. GINGRICH will take another step at cut- permission to address the House for 1 ting public education. He will bring to f minute and to revise and extend his re- the floor this week another bill to pour marks.) taxpayer dollars into private and reli- PRAYER Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in gious schools. It is called an education The Chaplain, Rev. James David support of H.R. 1534, the Private Prop- savings account, but would primarily Ford, D.D., offered the following pray- erty Rights Implementation Act. Al- benefit wealthy families. er: lowing property owners their day in Democrats have an alternative that With grateful hearts we laud and court to defend their constitutional would use the money for school con- praise every person who uses the tal- rights should be an easy vote. Why struction bonds to help public schools ents and abilities You have given, O should property owners face enor- that are in disrepair or in need of new God, in ways that promote justice and mously expensive hurdles in attempt- construction. serve the common good. ing to defend their Federal rights in Mr. Speaker, let us improve public May Your good blessing, O God, be court? education rather than siphon Federal with the men and women who serve in Some opponents of the bill are now dollars for private schools. Mr. Speak- this place and encourage them along standing as defenders of federalism and er, I urge my colleagues: Do not give the way. Give them vision to see the local decisionmaking. I hope their up on the public schools. way of justice, give them grace to faith in State and local officials and f withstand all the pressures of the day, their ability to make responsible deci- and give them patience and under- sions carries over to future discussions FOR EFFECTIVE EDUCATION standing to demonstrate the spirit of about block granting various Federal PARENTS SHOULD BE IN CONTROL unity in their words and in their ac- programs. (Mr. HAYWORTH asked and was tions. The fact is that H.R. 1534 does not given permission to address the House Bless us this day and every day, we impose any new limit on the ability of for 1 minute and to revise and extend pray. Amen. local governments to make decisions his remarks.) affecting zoning or any other land use Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I lis- f controls. Those limits are imposed by tened with great interest to the gen- the Constitution, not H.R. 1534. H.R. tleman from New Jersey [Mr. PALLONE] THE JOURNAL 1534 simply allows an individual who and let me simply, gently correct the The SPEAKER pro tempore. The feels their fifth amendment rights have gentleman. Chair has examined the Journal of the been violated the opportunity to have The proposed legislation we will last day's proceedings and announces the facts of their case heard without bring to the floor of the House will help to the House his approval thereof. fighting bureaucratic hurdles for years. every American family by empowering Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on every parent with the choice of how nal stands approved. H.R. 1534. best to educate their child, whether in b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H8931 H8932 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE October 22, 1997 public schools or in an alternative set- Mr. Speaker, another DOE contractor In 1992, the voters abandoned the Re- ting. estimated that that could cost up to publican and Democratic Parties in Also, the bill we will bring to the $19.4 billion, that is with a B, billion, significant numbers, attracted by the House with a tax-free, interest-bearing to clean up. reform platform of Ross Perot, who un- account will allow those parents of Mr. Speaker, we are aware of the real derstood that the people are tired of children with special needs to have the threat of terrorism and accidents in the Washington status quo. ability to find a way to educate their this country. I say to my colleagues, if Mr. Speaker, we cannot surrender children and, moreover, there will be it could happen in their district, there control of Congress to the multi- no time limit on those children with is no reason to transport nuclear national corporations and unions, special needs because we understand waste. which pump millions of dollars of soft full well the challenges they will face, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to money into the system. We must re- the special needs they have. vote ``no'' on H.R. 1270. turn power and influence to the grass- Mr. Speaker, what this bill does in- f roots, to the people who sent us here. stead is allow parents the dignity to SAY NO TO FAST TRACK Mr. Speaker, as a conservative, I decide how best to educate their chil- came to Washington with just such an (Mr. DEFAZIO asked and was given dren, free from the Washington bureau- agenda; to return authority to the peo- permission to address the House for 1 crats and the notion of centralized ple back home. To abandon that reform minute.) planning. It is as elementary as ABC. would be to abandon that effort. I can- Mr. DEFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, those of Mr. Speaker, for an effective edu- not do so. cation, parents need to be in control. lesser intellect might question the wis- f f dom and efficacy of our trade policy. After all, our deficit rose last month. ``RADICAL REPUBLICANS'' NOT A $13,000 TOILETS BUILT BY PARK In fact, the $10.4 billion deficit in Au- MODERN MONIKER SERVICE gust was the worst in 7 months. We are (Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was headed toward a $114 billion budget def- (Mr. TIAHRT asked and was given given permission to address the House icit this year, eclipsing last year's permission to address the House for 1 for 1 minute and to revise and extend record of $111 billion. minute and to revise and extend his re- his remarks.) Mr. Speaker, we are headed toward marks.) Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, the an all-time high deficit with China and Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, often, U.S. Park Service built a $500,000 out- our deficit with our NAFTA, free-trade very often, we have heard the Repub- house. That is right. This Taj Mahal partners increased once again. There licans and their ideas called derogatory has a slate roof, a porch, and a cobble- was only one spot on the horizon that names, names like ``extremist,'' ``far stone foundation. The paint cost $80 a looked a little dark. We are actually right,'' ``radical,'' ``radical Repub- gallon. The wildflower seed was $720 a running a surplus, a trade surplus with licans.'' But this is not the first such pound. Central and South America. Imagine occasion this has happened. Unbelievable. To boot, it is earth- that. That is against the principles of In fact, Mr. Speaker, it was about 130 quake proof, able to withstand the free trade. years ago when in this very room the shock of 6.5 on the Richter, either from But do not worry, Mr. Speaker. This defenders of the status quo called a without or within. administration and the Republican group of Republicans radical. During Mr. Speaker, if that is not enough to leaders want to fix that. They want to Reconstruction, it was radical Repub- warm your globe, there is no running jam through a fast track trade agree- licans who were criticized 130 years water and the special high-technology ment so we can have free trade and the ago.