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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 106 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 146 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, MAY 22, 2000 No. 64 House of Representatives The House met at 12:30 p.m. and was seven new people are on the Internet and Internet access at home and stu- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- every second. As elected officials, we dents who do not. pore (Mr. KUYKENDALL). should note that 78 percent of Internet Children with computers and Inter- f users almost always vote in national, net access at home have an advantage State, and local elections, compared when it comes to doing their home- DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO with only 64 percent of non-Internet TEMPORE work as well as using the Internet to users. contact the Library of Congress to do The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- It took just 5 years for the Internet research on school papers. fore the House the following commu- to reach 50 million users. It took 38 nication from the Speaker: years for the radio to reach that same If my colleagues talk with lower-in- come families who do not have com- WASHINGTON, DC, audience, 13 years for television. In May 22, 2000. 1998, the Internet economy employed puter and Internet access, they tell us I hereby appoint the Honorable STEVEN T. 4.8 million workers, more workers than that the main reason is the cost; the KUYKENDALL to act as Speaker pro tempore steel and auto and petrochemical in- cost of Internet access is really the on this day. dustries combined. barrier to digital opportunities for that J. DENNIS HASTERT, I would note that, with the economic family. Speaker of the House of Representatives. growth we are enjoying today, the av- As Republicans, of course, our goal is f erage high-tech wage is 77 percent to reduce that cost. We believe in a MORNING HOUR DEBATES higher than the average U.S. private tax-free, regulation-free trade barrier, sector wage and that Alan Greenspan, free new economy; and we want to en- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- Chairman of the Federal Reserve, indi- sure that the information super- ant to the order of the House of Janu- cates that one-third of the economic highway is a freeway and not a toll- ary 19, 1999, the Chair will now recog- growth that we have enjoyed today is way. We are looking for ways to re- nize Members from lists submitted by resulting from the high-tech, new econ- move those toll booths and make sure the majority and minority leaders for omy. the Internet is free or at minimal cost morning hour debates. The Chair will I am proud to be from a State that is to families. alternate recognition between the par- a high-tech State. Illinois is a State ties, with each party limited to not to which ranks fourth today in high-tech- I am proud of what we have been ac- exceed 30 minutes, and each Member, nology employment. We also rank complishing. Just over the last few except the majority leader, the minor- third in high-technology exports. So weeks, we passed legislation which ity leader, or the minority whip, lim- clearly, this new economy, this tech- says no new taxes on e-commerce, ex- ited to not to exceed 5 minutes. nology economy that we are enjoying tending for 5 years the current Internet The Chair recognizes the gentleman today is providing tremendous oppor- tax moratorium on e-commerce. I am from Illinois (Mr. WELLER) for 5 min- tunity for every American family. proud to say that we passed legislation utes. We often wonder who is really taking just 2 weeks ago which prohibits the Federal Communications Commission f advantage of the opportunities that are there, how is the Internet and digital from using the authority they have had NEW ECONOMY IS IMPORTANT FOR or new economy available to the aver- for a long time to impose new fees and EVERY AMERICAN age American. Statistics also show taxes on Internet access. Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I appre- that if a family makes $75,000 or more, This week the House is going to vote ciate so much this opportunity to take they are 20 times more likely than on legislation to eliminate the 3 per- a few minutes today to talk about families with less income to have cent excise tax on telephone calls, something many of us call the new Internet access at home. which really is a 3 percent excise tax economy, some call the digital econ- And when you think about it, our on Internet access, because 96 percent omy, the high-tech economy. But let educators, our school teachers, the of Americans who use the Internet and me begin by just sharing some statis- school board members, and school ad- go on-line use their telephone service. tics, statistics that really illustrate ministrators back home in Illinois and So clearly, when this House votes this how important the new economy is for Chicago and the south suburbs that I week to eliminate that 3 percent tax on every American. represent have told me they notice a telephone calls, we will be removing Today over 100 million United States difference in the classroom between one more toll on the information su- adults are using the Internet. In fact, those students who have a computer perhighway. 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. H3477 . H3478 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE May 22, 2000 Clearly, as Republicans, our goal is THE JOURNAL If Uncle Sam will turn the other cheek simple. We want the information super- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The on Taiwan, China will laugh all the highway to be a freeway and not a toll- Chair has examined the Journal of the way to the bank on this trade deal. way. last day's proceedings and announces Beam me up. We have gone from better I also want to mention two other pro- to the House his approval thereof. dead than red to dead meat. posals I am proud to sponsor, legisla- Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- I yield back America's Naval fleet tion which is designed to ensure the in- nal stands approved. being called dead meat by Naval ex- formation highway is a freeway not a f perts. toll-way. I talked earlier about lower- f income families not having computer PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IT IS TIME TO ABOLISH THE and Internet access at home. I am The SPEAKER pro tempore. Will the SPANISH AMERICAN WAR TAX proud to say that major employers in gentleman from Ohio (Mr. TRAFICANT) the State that I represent in Illinois come forward and lead the House in the (Mr. HEFLEY asked and was given have stepped forward, the private sec- Pledge of Allegiance. permission to address the House for 1 tor stepping forward to provide Inter- Mr. TRAFICANT led the Pledge of minute.) net and computer access as an em- Allegiance as follows: Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, one of ployee benefit so the children of their I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the the top movies in America today is janitors and laborers and assembly line United States of America, and to the Repub- ``Gladiator,'' a story of a young upstart workers of companies like Ford, Intel, lic for which it stands, one nation under God, struggling against an outdated and American Airlines, and Delta Airlines indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. cruel dictatorship. have those computers. f This week, the House will witness a Well, those computers should be tax similar struggle, Americans with phone SCANDALS OF THE free. Right now the IRS would like to lines versus the Internal Revenue Serv- ADMINISTRATION tax them. That act would ensure they ice. are treated the same as an employee (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given More than 252 million businesses and benefit, such as pensions and retire- permission to address the House for 1 families use phone lines, allowing them ment, as well as health care. I ask bi- minute and to revise and extend his re- access to telephones, faxes, computers, partisan support, and I look forward to marks.) and cellular phones. They are bene- working with my colleagues on these Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, well, it ficiaries of modern technological ad- proposals. took almost 2 years, but memos from vances that have changed our society, f FBI Director Louis Freeh regarding the and yet every time Americans use this Democratic fund-raising scandal have RECESS technology, the IRS financially penal- finally been turned over to Congress. izes them with the outdated Spanish- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- Perhaps the Clinton administration American War phone tax. ant to clause 12 of rule I, the Chair de- was hoping that the memos would This tax was used to fund the Span- clares the House in recess until 2 p.m. never turn up, especially since they ish-American War, a conflict which Accordingly (at 12 o'clock and 37 state that key administration officials began and ended in 1898, 102 years ago. minutes p.m.), the House stood in re- were under a lot of pressure not to go It is yet another case of a greedy and cess until 2 p.m.

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