E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 104 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 141 WASHINGTON, FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 1995 No. 55 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was FOX] come forward and lead the House National security restoration to pro- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- in the Pledge of Allegiance. tect our freedoms. We kept our prom- pore [Mr. CUNNINGHAM]. Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania led the ise. f Pledge of Allegiance as follows: Government regulatory reform. We I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the kept our promise. DESIGNATION OF THE SPEAKER United States of America, and to the Repub- Commonsense legal reform to end PRO TEMPORE lic for which it stands, one nation under God, frivolous lawsuits. We kept our prom- The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. ise. fore the House the following commu- f Welfare reform to encourage work, not dependence. We are doing it right nication from the Speaker: ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER now. We will pass it. WASHINGTON, DC, PRO TEMPORE March 24, 1995. Family reinforcement to crack down I hereby designate the Honorable RANDY The SPEAKER pro tempore. The on deadbeat dads, tax cuts for middle- ``DUKE'' CUNNINGHAM to act as Speaker pro Chair announces that there will be 20 1- income families, congressional term tempore on this day. minute speeches on each side. limits to make Congress a citizen legis- NEWT GINGRICH, f lature. Speaker of the House of Representatives. This is our Contract With America. f REPUBLICAN CONTRACT WITH AMERICA f PRAYER (Mr. HOKE asked and was given per- The Chaplain, Rev. James David mission to address the House for 1 GEJDENSON ELECTION STILL NOT Ford, D.D., offered the following pray- minute.) SETTLED er: Mr. HOKE. Mr. Speaker, last fall (Mrs. KENNELLY asked and was For the sun to brighten the day, for House Republicans entered into a Con- given permission to address the House the rains to nurture the land, for chal- tract With America, for the first time for 1 minute.) lenges to be confronted and responsibil- in American political history a written Mrs. KENNELLY. Mr. Speaker, as a ities to be accepted, for sacrifices to be contract with the American people. former secretary of the state of Con- endured and for all of life to be fully We have done more in the first 80 necticut, I have every reason to be lived, for friends to accompany and for days of this Congress than was done in proud of my State's tradition of honest family to love, we offer these words, O the entire 103d Congress. We have an elections and a revered court system. God, of thanksgiving and praise. We opportunity to make more changes of So it was with chagrin that I learned earnestly pray that we will be faithful substance than have been made in the yesterday of a decision not to dismiss to the opportunities and the tasks that past 10 years. the challenge of our seated Congress- are before us, so that in all things, we Our contract states the following: man, SAM GEJDENSON, from the Second will do Your will and serve people ac- On the first day of Congress, a Re- District, a decision in stark contrast to cording to their need. Amen. publican House will require Congress to precedents established in 47 previous f live under the same laws as everyone cases since 1969. else, cut committee staffs by one-third, The facts are clear. Our colleague THE JOURNAL and cut the congressional budget. We from Connecticut's Second District was The SPEAKER pro tempore. The have done all of that. elected and not once, not twice, but Chair has examined the Journal of the It continues that in the first 100 days three times declared the victor, elec- last day's proceedings and announces we will vote on the following items: tion night, in an automatic recount, to the House his approval thereof. A balanced budget amendment. We and by the highest court of the State of Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- kept our promise. We passed it. Connecticut, our supreme court, head- nal stands approved. Unfunded mandates legislation. We ed by Chief Justice Peters, a revered f kept our promise, with your help, and court legalist. we passed it. ``The cloud that Mr. Munster per- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Line-item veto. We kept our promise. ceives,'' it was said by the court, ``has The SPEAKER pro tempore. Will the A crime package. We kept our prom- no basis in fact, law or reason. It sim- gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. ise. ply does not exist.'' 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. H 3735 H 3736 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE March 24, 1995 Mr. Speaker, we have laws, prece- WELFARE REFORM nightmare compassionate. Their sys- dents, and standards which should gov- (Mr. NORWOOD asked and was given tem is not compassionate, their system ern our actions. The people of Con- permission to address the House for 1 is obscene. necticut will have every right not only minute.) Today, we have an unprecedented op- to be surprised but amazed that these Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I hear portunity to save the lives of millions decisions have been set aside. the other side wail and whine that we of children who would otherwise be are hurting the children. Perhaps they trapped in the system which has ruined f are so busy defending the status quo previous generations. We cannot be in- that they fail to see the dismal failure timidated by the liberals in Congress REAL WELFARE REFORM our system has become. Perhaps they and in the media who offer no solu- (Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas asked think it is compassionate for our sys- tions, only scare tactics. They throw and was given permission to address tem to encourage illegitimacy. Perhaps out words like ``cruel'' and ``mean'' but the House for 1 minute.) they think that it is OK for 1 in 3 ba- I ask you, Mr. Speaker, what is more Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. bies in this Nation to be born out of cruel, what is more mean, than to con- Speaker, for 40 years the Democrats wedlock. Perhaps they think it is OK demn a child to life on the liberal wel- controlled the Congress. They did noth- that the average length of stay on wel- fare dole. That is the cruelest punish- ment imaginable. We cannot allow an- ing but protect and expand to the tune fare today is 13 years. But it is not OK, other generation of American children of $5 trillion a cruel welfare bureauc- Mr. Speaker. It is unbelievable that we to fall victim to the ``compassion'' of racy. ever allowed the Federal Government to become the caretakers for so many the American left. We must be strong, For 2 years the Democrats controlled people. Fortunately, Mr. Speaker, the we must be bold, and we must act now the House, the Senate, and the White American people know better. They re- for H.R. 4. Our children deserve no less. House and still promoted this destruc- alize that we can do nothing worse f tive government-run, one-size-fits-all than to keep the current system. It is program that perpetuates a cycle of de- just sad to see that the other side is so VOTE AGAINST H.R. 4, PERSONAL pendency. wedded to big government, nanny- RESPONSIBILITY ACT For 2 years the President talked and State programs that they fail to see (Mr. VOLKMER asked and was given talked and talked about ending welfare what is right. * * * What is right is permission to address the House for 1 as we know it but did nothing, and this voting to end the current welfare sys- minute and to revise and extend his re- year, guess what? He is still silent. But tem today. marks.) since January 4, the Republican Con- f Mr. VOLKMER. Mr. Speaker, yester- gress has replaced talk with action, re- day I too voted for real welfare reform placed rhetoric with real change. A BAD REPUBLICAN WELFARE BILL under the Deal bill. But the Republican The Republican welfare bill does not welfare bill, commonly known as the lack compassion. It is born out of com- (Ms. DELAURO asked and was given let-the-children-go-hungry-so-the- passion. The real lack of compassion permission to address the House for 1 rich-can-feast bill, cuts $66 billion from was shown by those who stood by and minute and to revise and extend her re- school breakfasts and lunches, food did nothing while more and more marks.) stamps from the elderly retirees and Americans were pushed further and Ms. DELAURO. Mr. Speaker, I was working poor, child care from working proud last night to join all my Demo- further away from the American mothers, and yet the mean-spirited cratic colleagues in voting for real wel- dream. radical right majority says they are fare reform. The Deal substitute was not cutting any of these programs but Today we will pass real welfare re- real welfare reformÐit demands more spending more. form and give America back that responsibility by requiring that welfare Sorry, folks.