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, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1997 No. 132 House of Representatives The House met at 10:30 a.m. and was leaders and the minority whip limited I am not saying that there is no need called to order by the Speaker pro tem- to not to exceed 5 minutes. for reform. In fact, I have introduced a pore [Mr. NETHERCUTT]. The Chair recognizes the gentleman bill that would make Members of Con- f from Michigan [Mr. KNOLLENBERG] for 5 gress more accountable to their con- minutes. stituents and less beholden to Washing- DESIGNATION OF THE SPEAKER f ton special interests. But I believe the PRO TEMPORE old saying, ``Do not place the cart in PEOPLE'S BUSINESS DELAYED BY front of the horse.'' It applies to this The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM fore the House the following commu- situation. The American people have elected us nication from the Speaker: Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, last week my colleagues on the other to do their business in a deliberative WASHINGTON, DC, and a thoughtful manner. They under- September 29, 1997. side of the aisle held the House hostage stand the way we finance elections is I hereby designate the Honorable GEORGE in an attempt to score political points. R. NETHERCUTT, Jr. to act as Speaker pro In apparently a panic mode over the flawed, but they are not looking for tempore on this day. endless scandals from the 1996 Presi- knee-jerk solutions or reactions that NEWT GINGRICH, dential election, they repeatedly forced may have the unintended consequence Speaker of the House of Representatives. procedural votes that delayed our work of making the system worse. At this f on the appropriation bills. They justify point, we do not know enough about delaying the people's business as an at- what went wrong in 1996 to offer a solu- MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE tempt to force consideration of cam- tion. A message from the Senate by Mr. paign finance reform. Just consider, for example, the scan- Lundregan, one of its clerks, an- Mr. Speaker, campaign finance re- dal involving the 1996 Teamsters presi- nounced that the Senate had passed form is an important issue, but it is dential election. On September 18, three political consultants for Team- bills of the following titles, in which also a complex issue. Before acting, we sters president Ron Carey pled guilty the concurrence of the House is re- should first fully understand all that is to criminal conspiracy charges related quested: involved with the current system. to a money laundering scheme that From the beginning of this year, S. 462. An act to reform and consolidate may involve the Democratic National the public and assisted housing programs of scandal after scandal involving the Committee, Clinton campaign aides, the United States, and to redirect primary Clinton White House, the Democratic and senior White House officials. responsibility for these programs from the National Committee, and their liberal Federal Government to States and localities, For background purposes, a 1989 set- political allies have dominated the tlement between the Teamsters and and for other purposes; headlines. S. 1178. An act to amend the Immigration the Justice Department over rack- and Nationality Act to extend the visa waiv- Given this onslaught of negative eteering charges called for the Federal er pilot program, and for other purposes; and press coverage, I understand why my Government to finance and oversee the S. 1227. An act to amend title I of the Em- Democratic colleagues would like to 1996 Teamsters presidential election. ployee Retirement Income Security Act of change the subject and create the ap- Ron Carey won the election by a nar- 1974 to clarify treatment of investment man- pearance that they are good Govern- row margin, but on August 22 a court- agers under such title. ment reformers. But I believe it is appointed Federal overseer threw out f critically important for Congress to the election, the results, and called for act in a deliberative fashion on this a new election because of fundraising MORNING HOUR DEBATES issue. It is not enough to say that the abuses. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- system stinks. We need to identify the Mr. Speaker, under current law it is ant to the order of the House of Janu- people who make the system stink and illegal for Teamsters funds to be spent ary 21, 1997, the Chair will now recog- hold them accountable for skirting the on a candidate in a union election. The nize Members from lists submitted by law. money laundering scheme that Carey's the majority and minority leaders for The money laundering schemes in- political aides pled guilty to involved morning hour debates. The Chair will volving illegal foreign contributions using Teamsters funds to make politi- alternate recognition between the par- are serious allegations, and they are al- cal contributions to outside groups ties, with each party limited to not to legations that need to be fully inves- which then sent the money back to the exceed 30 minutes, and each Member tigated before campaign finance legis- Carey campaign, a clear violation of other than the majority and minority lation is considered. the law. 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. H8057 H8058 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE September 29, 1997 A memo has emerged that indicates When we evaluate the information in are less available, so part of those costs Teamster money may have been con- this report, we do need to recognize are passed along to students and their tributed to State and local Democratic that the overwhelming number of col- families through tuition and fee in- parties in exchange for DNC officials leges, universities, and community col- creases. funneling money into Carey's cam- leges across the land are keeping their Once again, to use MIT as an exam- paign. Senior Clinton advisers have annual tuition increases within the 2 ple, in 1980 the Federal Government been implicated in this scandal, and to 3 national percent average for infla- provided about 40 percent of financial while we do not know the extent of tion. Even some of our most elite col- aid grants to students based on eco- their involvement at this time, the leges are attempting to keep increases nomic need, with MIT providing about possibility of the President's men being in tuition within this national bound- 50 percent. In 1996, the Federal Govern- involved in a conspiracy of this mag- ary. ment provided 10 percent of need-based nitude is certainly troubling. After all, Last week the president of the Mas- grants and MIT raised funds for 80 per- the Clinton Justice Department was sachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. cent of those grants. supposed to ensure that the Teamsters Charles Vest, visited my office and re- If we are going to make a college election was conducted in a fair and lated how MIT has managed to keep its education affordable for every student honest manner. To carry out this re- costs down to 2 percent of inflation. Dr. qualified to attend an institution of sponsibility, Congress provided some Vest said that he had taken a page out higher learning, then we must make $22 million. of the corporate handbook to contain grant funding a far greater priority for As a member of the House Committee operating costs. MIT has closed down national spending. on Education and the Workforce, I am its in-house office supply system and is This year, the combination of in- pleased that the gentleman from now contracting with private supply creases in the Pell grant maximum Michigan [Mr. HOEKSTRA] and the gen- companies. It has outsourced many of award and education tax credits will tleman from Illinois [Mr. FAWELL] have the publications it once handled in provide financial support and relief for scheduled hearings on this troubling house as well. many American families. In spite of matter, and I look forward to working No one would argue that our colleges President Clinton's commitment to in- with them to get to the bottom of this and universities could not do more to crease the Pell grant maximum to scandal. keep overall costs down so that those $3,000, an amount upheld in the House Mr. Speaker, we must reform our sys- increases are not passed along as tui- Labor-HHS-Education appropriations tem to make political candidates more tion increases. We should recognize, bill, we must still do more. We must do accountable to the people they rep- however, that like all institutions, col- much more. resent and less beholden to the big leges and universities have been having If the Pell grant were to have the money and interests that provide it, to adjust their operations to face a new same value and impact this year as it but we must first examine what is century and a new future. did when it was created, then the Pell wrong with the system before we can The top three factors for tuition and grant maximum would have to be in- offer a workable solution. After all, a fee growth have been: First, the need creased today by $5,000, a level that doctor would not prescribe a patient or to make technological improvements would not only increase the average a treatment for a patient that he has on campus such as the purchase and award amount but would also broaden not examined.