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, MONDAY, MAY 11, 1998 No. 58 House of Representatives The House met at 2 p.m. and was THE JOURNAL the Senator from Iowa (Mr. GRASS- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The LEY); and pore (Mr. MILLER of Florida). Chair has examined the Journal of the the Senator from Minnesota (Mr. last day's proceedings and announces GRAMS). f to the House his approval thereof. The message also announced that Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- pursuant to Public Law 100±696, the DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO nal stands approved. Chair, on behalf of the President pro TEMPORE f tempore, appoints the following Sen- The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- ators as members of the United States PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE fore the House the following commu- Capitol Preservation Commission: nication from the Speaker: The SPEAKER pro tempore. Will the the Senator from Washington (Mr. gentleman from Texas (Mr. BENTSEN) GORTON); and WASHINGTON, DC, May 11, 1998. come forward and lead the House in the the Senator from Utah (Mr. BEN- I hereby designate the Honorable DAN MIL- Pledge of Allegiance. NETT). LER to act as Speaker pro tempore on this Mr. BENTSEN led the Pledge of Alle- f day. giance as follows: COMMUNICATION FROM THE NEWT GINGRICH, I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. United States of America, and to the Repub- CLERK OF THE HOUSE lic for which it stands, one nation under God, The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- f indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. fore the House the following commu- f nication from the Clerk of the House of PRAYER MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE Representatives: The Reverend Douglas Tanner, Faith A message from the Senate by Mr. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, and Politics Institute, Washington, OFFICE OF THE CLERK, Lundregan, one of its clerks, an- D.C., offered the following prayer. Washington, DC, May 11, 1998. nounced that the Senate had passed a Let us pray: Hon. NEWT GINGRICH, bill of the following title in which the Almighty God, who created, sustains, The Speaker, House of Representatives, Wash- concurrence of the House is requested: ington, DC. and redeems us, we come before You S. 414. An act to amend the Shipping Act of DEAR MR. SPEAKER: Pursuant to the per- today thinking we have seen enough 1984 to encourage competition in inter- mission granted in Clause 5 of Rule III of the rain for a while. We are quite ready for national shipping and growth of United Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, I the warm, clear days we have come to States exports, and for other purposes. have the honor to transmit a sealed envelope expect in the Nation's Capital in May, The message also announced that the received from the White House on May 8, 1998 with the sun shining on bright flowers Senate had passed without amendment at 2:08 p.m. and said to contain a message from the President whereby he transmits and fresh foliage. Yet, that which we a concurrent resolution of the House of have learned to expect and that for proposed legislation entitled the ``Class-Size the following title: Reduction and Teacher Quality Act of 1998.'' which we ever more deeply yearn is not H. Con. Res. 265. Concurrent resolution au- With warm regards, yet here. We must learn to live with thorizing the use of the East Front of the ROBIN H. CARLE, the rain and we must wait. Capitol Grounds for performances sponsored Clerk. Teach us, we pray, to recognize the by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Per- f parallels to other areas of our lives and forming Arts. our life as a nation. Help us to see that The message also announced that CLASS-SIZE REDUCTION AND which we can have now, that for which pursuant to section 276d±276g of title TEACHER QUALITY ACT OF 1998Ð we must wait, and that which we could 22, United States Code, as amended, the MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT be doing in the meantime, especially Chair, on behalf of the Vice President, OF THE UNITED STATES (H. DOC. where spiritual values intersect with appoints the following Senators as NO. 105±249) public life. members of the Senate Delegation to The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- At the same time, remind us, in the the Canada-United States Inter- fore the House the following message words of Dr. King, that while the moral parliamentary Group during the Sec- from the President of the United arc of the universe may be long, it ond Session of the One Hundred Fifth States, which was read and, together bends toward justice, and rainy days Congress, to be held in Nantucket, with the accompanying papers, without will yield to brighter ones. Amen. Massachusetts, May 14±18, 1998: objection, referred to the Committee 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. H3017 H3018 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE May 11, 1998 on Education and the Workforce and bility in distributing these funds, while V. Lewis, Drexler and his future NBA ordered to be printed: ensuring that the most needy school teammate, Hakeem Olajuwon, took the To the Congress of the United States: districts receive a fair share. Cougars to the NCAA's Final Four in I am pleased to transmit today for Moreover, because my proposal would 1982, with Clyde averaging 15.2 points your immediate consideration and en- actually appropriate the funds needed and 10.5 rebounds per game. actment the ``Class-Size Reduction and to carry out the program, States and In 1983, Drexler earned first-team All- Teacher Quality Act of 1998.'' This leg- local communities could count on America honors after leading the Cou- islative proposal would help States and these funds without the need for sepa- gars to their second straight NCAA local school districts recruit, train, and rate congressional appropriations each Final Four in the first national cham- hire 100,000 additional well-prepared year. This proposal is fully paid for pionship game. The Cougars, known as teachers in order to reduce the average within my Fiscal Year 1999 Budget, and Phi Slamma Jamma, ended the year class size to 18 in grades 1 through 3 in therefore would not reduce the budget 31±3 and won their first Southwest Con- our Nation's public schools. It is an es- surplus. ference regular season championship sential part of our overall effort to School districts would use these with a perfect 16±0 record, and were strengthen public schools throughout funds to reduce class sizes in grades 1 ranked atop the national polls. Drexler the Nation. through 3. Just as importantly, these is the only Cougar to amass more than As schools across the Nation struggle funds would also be available for a va- 1,000 points, 900 rebounds, 300 assists, to accommodate a surge in enroll- riety of activities to ensure that stu- and 250 steals in a career. His 268 career ments, educators and parents have be- dents in the early grades receive sound steals remain as a UH record. come increasingly concerned about the and effective instruction, such as mak- A first round selection of the Port- impact of class size on teaching and ing sure that teachers know how to land Trail Blazers in 1983, Drexler led learning, particularly in the critically teach reading and other subjects effec- the team to two NBA finals and made important early grades, where students tively in small classes. the playoffs in each of his 15 seasons. A learn reading and other basic skills. This proposal includes strong ac- member of the original Olympic Dream This concern is justified: rigorous re- countability for results. Participating Team, Drexler won a gold medal in search confirms what parents and school districts would produce ``report Barcelona in 1992. teachers have long believedÐthat stu- cards'' documenting reductions in class Clyde was reunited with Olajuwon dents in smaller classes, especially in sizes and the achievement of their stu- when he was traded to the Rockets on the early grades, make greater edu- dents in reading, based on rigorous as- February 14, 1995, and helped lead the cational gains and maintain those sessments. Schools whose students fail Rockets to their second straight NBA gains over time. These gains occur be- to make gains in reading would be re- championship. Drexler was named one cause teachers in small classes can pro- quired to undertake corrective actions. of the NBA's 50 all-time greatest play- vide students with more individualized In addition, the Department of Edu- ers in 1997 and made five all-NBA attention, spend more time on instruc- cation would undertake a comprehen- teams. tion and less time on discipline, and sive national evaluation of this pro- Drexler, Oscar Robertson, and John cover more material effectively. More- gram and its impact on reading Havlicek are the only players in league over, the benefits of smaller classes are achievement and teaching. history to post more than 20,100 points, greatest for poor, minority, and inner- I urge the Congress to take prompt 6,000 rebounds, and 6,000 assists. His city children, the children who often and favorable action on this proposal.