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, THURSDAY, JULY 17, 1997 No. 102 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. GOVERNMENT CANNOT BUILD temporary help industry is exploding. The Chaplain, Rev. James David PROSPERITY; ONLY FREE INDI- Workers can no longer count on work- Ford, D.D., offered the following pray- VIDUALS CAN ing for the same employer for their en- er: (Mr. BALLENGER asked and was tire lives. Now is the time for Federal With all the wonderful traditions given permission to address the House policy to promote a high-wage/high- that have blessed our lives, we pray, for 1 minute and to revise and extend skill economy which values workers gracious God, that we will be more ap- his remarks.) and encourages employers to invest in preciative of the families who have Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, I the skills and long-term productivity nurtured us along the way and given us often wonder if the other side has for- of working people. But the independent contractor pro- the very gift of life. For mothers and gotten what motivated people from vision in the Revenue Reconciliation fathers, for grandparents and relatives, every corner of the globe to come to Act would reclassify and misclassify and for all those people who fostered our shores throughout history. Indeed, American working people as independ- our growth and looked to our care, we the forefathers of the very same people offer words of thanksgiving and grati- ent contractors without wage and ben- who reflexively attack the idea of tax efit guarantees, without unemploy- tude. We recognize that as we give cuts as tax cuts for the rich came to value to our family heritage and honor ment or worker's compensation, with- America to escape government oppres- out prevailing wage, minimum wage, our own history, we strengthen our sion, to escape the idea that govern- own lives and gain the power to share without protections or equal employ- ment has a higher claim to the fruits of ment protections. It would reduce these same gifts with those who follow your labor than you and your family us. In Your holy name, we pray. Amen. American workers. do. The last time we had a system like America as a land of opportunity was f the independent contractor provision, not built into a rich and prosperous we had an America that was filled with Nation by this way of thinking. In fact, company stores. We are not going back THE JOURNAL America is a land of opportunity for to that era. The SPEAKER. The Chair has exam- reasons which are exactly the opposite We have to value American workers, ined the Journal of the last day's pro- of this way of thinking. invest in them, and give them an op- ceedings and announces to the House Government cannot build prosperity. portunity to support their families his approval thereof. Only free individuals can. with decent wages and to have decent Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- Americans became rich because free benefits. nal stands approved. individuals had dreams, took risks, and f worked hard to realize those dreams. f The other side might wish to remem- CUT TAXES FOR WORKING ber that their rhetoric has absolutely FAMILIES PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE nothing to do with making America (Mr. ROGAN asked and was given more free, nothing to do with telling permission to address the House for 1 The SPEAKER. Will the gentleman children to dream great dreams, and minute and to revise and extend his re- from North Carolina [Mr. MCINTYRE] nothing to do with making a nation marks.) come forward and lead the House in the prosperous. It is very sad to see. Mr. ROGAN. Mr. Speaker, one of the Pledge of Allegiance. f most important debates that will occur Mr. MCINTYRE led the Pledge of Alle- during this Congress is whether this giance as follows: INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR PRO- Congress will send more money back to I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the VISION OF THE REVENUE REC- the people who work for a living and United States of America, and to the Repub- ONCILIATION ACT WOULD RE- earn that money. As one might expect, lic for which it stands, one nation under God, DUCE AMERICAN WORKERS we are hearing both sides in this debate indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given talking about tax cuts. f permission to address the House for 1 But let's look at the record. Repub- minute and to revise and extend his re- licans have controlled Congress for the marks.) last two Congresses. In each of those ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, our Congresses we have passed tax cuts for The SPEAKER. The Chair will enter- country is going through a major tran- working men and women in this coun- tain 10 one-minutes on each side. sition in employment relations. The try. 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. H5407 H5408 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE July 17, 1997 For 40 years before that, the other Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, this is PORKER OF THE WEEK AWARD side controlled this Congress. When the end of the week. By now we have (Mr. HEFLEY asked and was given they began their reign in 1955, Ameri- heard all the exhaustive cries of our permission to address the House for 1 cans paid about 10 percent of their in- liberal friends over here that the Re- minute and to revise and extend his re- come in taxes. publican tax bill provides tax cuts for marks.) Today, thanks to their pattern of the rich and, as they will have us be- Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, an inves- continuing tax increases, for the first lieve, the rich do not deserve a tax tigation by the inspectors general of time in American history the average break. the Department of Health and Human family spends more in taxes than they However, a close look at who they Services found that a $15.3 million spend for food, clothing, and shelter label as ``rich'' is very revealing. In training program based at the Univer- combined. fact, it reveals a tale of deception on sity of Mississippi, underwritten with When we look at the record, this every American worker. According to a Federal tax dollars, was only 8 percent shows which party has real credibility recent independent study, the Demo- effective. The goal of this program was on this issue. The other side fights tax cratic definition of rich is the total in- to help participants earn the equiva- cuts today by calling them tax cuts for come of any household making more lent of a high school diploma, the GED. the rich. Who are the so-called rich than $56,200 a year. They contend, Yet, for all the money spent, just 720 that the liberals refer to? They are therefore, that 1.7 million union mem- of the 4,300 participants even took the talking about foundry workers, school- bers are too rich to deserve tax cuts, GED exam. Of those, only about half teachers, machinists, and police on the 2.4 elementary and high school school- passed and went on to receive the GED beat. This is who they deem to be the teachers are too rich to deserve a tax diploma. The final price tag, now get rich. This is why they intend to deny cut, 8.1 million government workers, this, for each GED diploma was $40,584. tax cuts. 4.2 million mechanics, repairmen, and That looks like the cost of a 4-year This has to end. We have to give peo- construction workers, and the list goes stay at a State-run college, rather than ple back more of the money they have on and on and on. a remedial education effort. earned, and give families the freedom Mr. Speaker, the Democrats com- Why do we keep spending tax dollars to spend that money on their children. plain, and they claim that the only eq- on feel-good programs that are not Republicans will end the wrong-headed uitable way to provide tax relief to the working? It appears these folks could practice of taking money from working American people is to allow those who use a little education in the arithmetic families and sending it to Washington. pay no taxes to receive a bigger refund. category. They simply are not making That day of financing every liberal Mr. Speaker, the Republican tax bill the grade. The U.S. Department of wish list at the expense of working provides that much-needed tax relief to Health and Human Services gets my families will be over, Mr. Speaker, hardworking middle-class citizens of Porker of the Week Award. when the Republican tax cut takes ef- this country. I urge all my colleagues f fect. on both sides of the aisle to support f this bill. A NATIONAL COMMITMENT TO RE- FAIRNESS TO FARMERS PLACING OUTDATED LIBRARY f BOOKS (Mr. MCINTYRE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 (Mr. BLAGOJEVICH asked and was minute and to revise and extend his re- ORDINARY HARDWORKING AMERI- given permission to address the House marks.) CANS WILL RECEIVE NO TAX RE- for 1 minute and to revise and extend Mr.