Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 106 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 106 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 145 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 1999 No. 55 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- Mr. Speaker, Americans across this called to order by the Speaker pro tem- nal stands approved. Nation are trying to come to grips with pore (Mr. SHIMKUS). f the latest senseless tragedy that hit f one of our schools. Why do some of our PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE children feel the need to kill? How can DESIGNATION OF THE SPEAKER The SPEAKER pro tempore. Will the they feel such hate? And why do they PRO TEMPORE gentleman from California (Mr. RADAN- not have the moral framework that The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- OVICH) come forward and lead the would stop this kind of tragedy? fore the House the following commu- House in the Pledge of Allegiance. There are no easy answers to these nication from the Speaker: Mr. RADANOVICH led the Pledge of questions, but some things I do know, WASHINGTON, DC, Allegiance as follows: that we must do our best to make our April 21, 1999. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the schools safe. We must provide our chil- I hereby appoint the Honorable JOHN United States of America, and to the Repub- dren with the moral framework from SHIMKUS to act as Speaker pro tempore on lic for which it stands, one nation under God, which they can distinguish between this day. indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. right and wrong. We must stop the cul- J. DENNIS HASTERT, f ture of death that makes vicious kill- Speaker of the House of Representatives. ers out of too many of our children. f MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE Mr. Speaker, our children are our fu- PRAYER A message from the Senate by Mr. ture. If we do not teach them the dif- Lundregan, one of its clerks, an- ferences between right and wrong, our The Reverend Bill Shimkus, Hope nounced that the Senate had passed a Nation's future is in peril. Lutheran Church, Idaho Falls, Idaho, bill of the following title, in which the My deepest condolences go out to the offered the following prayer: concurrence of the House is requested: community of Littleton, Colorado and Most gracious heavenly Father, this S. 507. An act to provide for the conserva- especially to the parents of the stu- morning we are shocked and saddened tion and development of water and related dents of Columbine High School. As a by the tragic killings that took place resources, to authorize the Secretary of the parent of two boys, I can only imagine yesterday in Colorado. Our hearts go Army to construct various projects for im- the grief that you are feeling today as out to all of those who have lost loved provements to rivers and harbors of the you try to make sense of yesterday's United States, and for other purposes. ones in this terrible act of violence. tragedy. Comfort the survivors in their time of The message also announced that f sadness and loss. Grant healing to pursuant to Public Law 105±83, the those hospitalized from wounds re- Chair, on behalf of the Majority Lead- WE NEED PRAYER IN OUR ceived in this attack and to those who er, announces the appointment of the SCHOOLS will carry wounds inside them for years Senator from Ohio (Mr. DEWINE) to (Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was to come. serve as a member of the National given permission to address the House As we again witness the sad spectacle Council on the Arts. for 1 minute and to revise and extend of senseless violence perpetrated on our f his remarks.) school campuses, we ask Your guid- Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I ance. Help us, we pray, find ways to CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE want to associate myself with the re- safeguard the schools in which our (Mr. HASTERT asked and was given marks of our distinguished Speaker children learn and grow, and to help permission to address the House for 1 and his leadership. dysfunctional families with troubled minute and to revise and extend his re- We have another school tragedy now children prone to violence. In Jesus' marks.) in Colorado. Experts are calling for name, Amen. Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, yester- more money, more police, more coun- f day our Nation witnessed a senseless selors, and certainly that would be a tragedy in Littleton, Colorado. Before I help. But I think there is something THE JOURNAL begin my 1 minute, I would like the else fundamentally missing. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The House to take a moment of silence to In America, when our schools can Chair has examined the Journal of the remember the lives of those poor stu- teach about Hitler and war but we can- last day's proceedings and announces dents who died at Columbine High not discuss God, something is very to the House his approval thereof. School. wrong, I say to my colleagues. Not to 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. H2205 . H2206 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE April 21, 1999 use this great tragedy as the catalyst They want a system where inequalities ensuring that women have an equal say for a proposition we should be consid- generated by the market economy do in the crucial issues that affect us all. ering, but I believe school prayer not undermine political equality. Let f should be strongly considered by this us give the American people what they body. People who pray together are not want: Equal access and a commitment STOP THE VIOLENCE likely, through history, to kill one an- to service instead of campaigns. Let us (Ms. DUNN asked and was given per- other. I believe it is a reasonable thing pass bipartisan campaign finance re- mission to address the House for 1 to pursue. It may not be the total an- form and revive the guarantee of one minute.) swer, but it is a start in the right direc- citizen, one vote. Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, there are no tion. f words to describe the tragedy that Let me remind Members that the took place yesterday at Columbine Constitution may separate church and ARMENIAN GENOCIDE High School in Colorado. As a mother, state, but it was never intended to sep- (Mr. RADANOVICH asked and was I can only empathize with those par- arate God and the American people. We given permission to address the House ents who were waiting for hours to find all pray for the families and grieve for for 1 minute.) out if their son or daughter was able to the victims. Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I leave that school safely. f rise today to join my colleagues, the These young people have seen more gentleman from California (Mr. in a few hours than any of our Nation's SENSELESS VIOLENCE IN ROGAN); the gentleman from Michigan children should see in a lifetime. Par- COLORADO (Mr. BONIOR); the gentleman from New ents whose children were one month (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given Jersey (Mr. PALLONE), and a bipartisan from graduating, one month from permission to address the House for 1 group of legislators in introducing a starting a brand-new chapter in their minute.) resolution to bring together all the lives are now grieving with an incon- Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, like my U.S. records on the Armenian Genocide ceivable loss. This community has a colleagues here, we all rise today to ex- and to provide this collection to the heartache no one in his worst night- press our grief and sadness to the fami- House Committee on International Re- mare could ever have imagined. lies of Littleton, Colorado, and once lations, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial After the school shooting in Spring- again the television sets across this Museum, and the Armenian Genocide field, Oregon last year, the gentleman country have flashed the words, Museum in Yerevan, Armenia. from Oregon (Mr. DEFAZIO) and I ``breaking news.'' This is another inci- U.S. archives contain extensive docu- teamed up in an effort to do something dent of violence that has occurred at mentation of the widespread opposition to stop the violence on our Nation's one of our Nation's schools. to Ottoman Turkey's brutal massacres school grounds. There is no cure-all, Yesterday, senseless and tragic and deportations. They contain, as but the Schoolyard Safety Act will shooting at Columbine High School is well, records of the unprecedented ef- help by beginning awareness before the another painful reminder of the risk forts of the American people to bring tragedy occurs. our children face every day as they at- relief to the survivors of this, the cen- We know that legislation is not the tend school. tury's first genocide. final solution. High school students at Last year in my district I held sev- In introducing this legislation, we Columbine reported they knew the sus- eral townhall meetings to discuss the challenge those who would deny geno- pects in the shooting were troubled, issue of school violence. The interest cide, past or present. youths who needed our help long before generated by these forums provided an Please add your name today as a co- the tragedy occurred.