E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 105 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 144 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1998 No. 109 Senate The Senate was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Monday, August 31, 1998, at 12 noon. House of Representatives WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1998 The House met at 10 a.m. and was last day's proceedings and announces as a state public relations director, dis- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- to the House his approval thereof. trict commander, and chaplain in local pore (Mr. PETERSON). Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- post 5691. f nal stands approved. f Joe also has served the Holy Cross DESIGNATION OF THE SPEAKER Lutheran Church in many positions PRO TEMPORE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE and has balanced his life between his The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Will the church, family, and the VFW. I am fore the House the following commu- gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. KAPTUR) proud to recognize this veteran who nication from the Speaker: come forward and lead the House in the has answered the call to serve in so Pledge of Allegiance. many ways throughout his life, and I WASHINGTON, DC, Ms. KAPTUR led the Pledge of Alle- August 5, 1998. giance as follows: offer him congratulations and thanks I hereby designate the Honorable JOHN E. on behalf of all veterans. PETERSON to act as Speaker pro tempore on I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the this day. United States of America, and to the Repub- It is with the tireless efforts of peo- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, NEWT GINGRICH, ple like Joe Berg that the memories indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Speaker of the House of Representatives. and deeds of those who fought on for- f f eign soil will not be forgotten. PRAYER ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE f The Chaplain, Reverend James David The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Ford, D.D., offered the following pray- Chair will entertain 15 one-minutes per er: HOUSE TASK FORCE ON SERIOUS side. With all the tasks before us and the MENTAL ILLNESS f competing voices that demand atten- (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given tion, may we hear Your still, small TRIBUTE TO ILLINOIS VFW MAN permission to address the House for 1 voice, O God, that calls us to lift our OF THE YEAR JOE BERG minute and to revise and extend her re- eyes to see Your vision and to hold fast (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given marks.) to our faith to see each day through. permission to address the House for 1 We pray, O loving God, that Your grace minute and to revise and extend his re- Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, we all will be sufficient for all our needs and marks.) know the name Russell Weston, Jr., Your promises will lead us in the way Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, today I and we all know that he tragically of truth and righteousness. Guide us in rise in tribute to Illinois VFW Man of took the lives of two fine Americans, the day and protect us all the night the Year, and Collinsville native, Joe Officers Jacob J. Chestnut and John through so that we will be good stew- Berg. Mr. Berg was selected from near- Gibson. But many Americans still do ards of Your gifts to us. In Your name, ly 100,000 Illinois Veterans of Foreign not know that this tragedy could have we pray. Amen. Wars to be named the 1997±98 Man of been avoided, not by installing even f the Year and has been a dedicated lead- er in both his post and the state VFW more security here, but by improving THE JOURNAL organization. the state of health care available to The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Mr. Berg has held numerous positions the seriously mentally ill among our Chair has examined the Journal of the with the VFW, most recently serving citizens. 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 typefaceindicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member ofthe House on the floor. H7181 . H7182 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE August 5, 1998 The state of psychiatric care in our A press release says Nish's students crat Party took nearly $3 million in il- country has spawned growing home- will not only paint with the fresh blood legal campaign contributions from lessness, more neglect, as well as in- of these sacrificed beasts but also their Communist China. creasing violence since deinstitu- entrails. One would think that the penetration tionalization of mental patients oc- Who is this guy teaching? Jeffrey of the American electoral system by a curred over 2 decades ago with no com- Dahmer? Ridiculous. If that is not foreign power, a communist dictator- munity follow-up. enough to massage your Mona Lisa, art ship with 13 nuclear missiles aimed at The gentlewoman from New Jersey critics say this is an improvement over our shores no less, would not be a par- (Mrs. ROUKEMA) and I are working hard this Dracula of canvas last offering. tisan issue. to establish a special House task force My colleagues, this guy decorated What are we to conclude from the on serious mental illness. This task beautiful, naked women with the bow- other side's total lack of interest in force would be responsible for examin- els of dead animals. Beam me up. What getting to the bottom of this shocking ing the state of our mental health sys- is next, folks? The Lorena Bobbitt do- scandal? What are we to conclude from tem, especially those who are not being it-yourself art expo? the other side's silence, total silence, adequately treated. This task force This art business is out of control. in the face of FBI Director Louis Freeh would gather testimony about what We have gone from Michelangelo and and Justice Department investigator America can and should do. Picasso to Herman Nish and Charlie Charles LaBella's public pleas for an Please support our effort to establish Kruger. I yield back any body parts left independent counsel to investigate this a task force on mental illness. Contact after this expo. matter? the leadership. Urge them to move so f I really would hate to even speculate. we can begin to repair the tattered f dreams of millions of American fami- PLIGHT OF PRAIRIE DOGS lies. (Mr. HEFLEY asked and was given WESTERN SAHARA f permission to address the House for 1 (Mr. PITTS asked and was given per- NATIONAL GAMING IMPACT STUDY minute.) mission to address the House for 1 COMMISSION Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, this week minute and to revise and extend his re- the National Wildlife Federation of Vi- marks.) (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given enna, Virginia has petitioned to have Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today permission to address the House for 1 the Black Tail Prairie Dog listed as an to urge all parties involved in the 20- minute and to revise and extend his re- endangered species in 10 western year conflict over Western Sahara to marks.) states. fulfill their commitments under the Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, well, Understand, this was not your run-of- Houston Agreement and the United Na- here we go again. The counterfeit logic the-mill petition but a request for an tions mandate. of some Washington bureaucrats is emergency listing due to the loss of The parties negotiated a cease-fire once again putting the sovereignty of with the understanding that the people every state in this Nation at risk. habitat. While supporters of the peti- On January 22 of this year, the Sec- tion admit that the prairie dog popu- of Western Sahara themselves could retary of the Interior unilaterally lation is not critically low, the logic participate in a free, fair, and trans- made a regulatory decision that would seems to be that we should protect parent referendum to decide their own literally strip every state of their most them now because some day they future either as a part of Morocco or as fundamental rights, rights established might be endangered. an independent country. under the Tenth Amendment to the Let me tell my colleagues about the However, the July 10 report by Sec- Constitution. It seems the Secretary's prairie dog. They are everywhere in the retary General Kofi Annan raises par- new regulation would give him the sole West. If they want habitat, come west, ticular issues of concern about the ref- individual authority to approve Indian we specialize in habitat for prairie erendum process: Obstructions to the gaming in any state. Not the voters, dogs. With all the growth we have had UN opening an office in the territory, not even the governor, nor the elected along the front range of Colorado, they the lack of progress in the demining of officials of that state would have a de- are still in abundance. the territory, and the refusal of Mo- cision. If we fly over the West, we see the rocco to identify 2,000 individuals to This unconscionable trampling of the ground plowed as if it were plowed by a vote in the referendum. Tenth Amendment is taking reserved steel plow. But it is not. It is by prairie Mr. Speaker, a free, fair and trans- rights from us, from our states, from dogs.