December 20, 2001 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E2411 security enhancements of critical impor- Security and Bioterrorism Response Act of dance of love and philanthropy and support tance’’ or ‘‘significant threats to public 2001, H.R. 3448. As you know, this bill con- causes for young people and the elderly. health.’’ However, existing SDWA programs tains a provision related to matters in the Bishop Madison’s ministry promotes higher which provide assistance to water systems jurisdiction of the Committee on Transpor- have not provided assistance for continuing tation and Infrasturcture. Specifically, Sec- education, exercises business acumen, im- expenses such as operations and mainte- tion 135 of the bill amends the Stafford Act proves the spiritual fiber of society and main- nance or personnel expenses. This legislation (42 U.S.C. §§ 5121, et seq.), which is under the tains the United House of Prayer as a beacon does not change this long-established public jurisdiction of the Committee on Transpor- of light for those who need inspiration and a policy. tation and Infrastructure. safe haven from the harsh realities of life. Finally, Title IV clarifies that EPA has In the interest of expediting consideration It is my pleasure to stand before the House discretion to act under Part D, Emergency of the bill, the Committee will not seek a re- Powers, of the Safe Drinking Water Act to pay tribute to Bishop S.C. Madison as he ferral of this legislation and will support marks 61 years in the ministry and 10 years (SDWA) when the Agency has received infor- your request to schedule floor action on the mation about a specific threatened terrorist bill. This action should not, however, be con- of service as the outstanding role model and attack or when the Agency has received in- strued as waiving the Committee’s jurisdic- leader of the United House of Prayer for all formation concerning a potential terrorist tion over future legislation of a similar na- people. attack (but not necessarily a specific, identi- ture. f fied threat) at a drinking water facility. In Thank you for your cooperation on this exercising this discretion, the EPA should matter. DEBT-FOR-NATURE AGENDA OF only rely upon substantial, credible informa- Sincerely, BANK REGULATORS AT THE tion. EPA should not interpret ‘‘potential DON YOUNG, FDIC AND OTS terrorist attack’’ to mean that there is Chairman. merely some possibility or statistical prob- ability of a terrorist attack. Neither should f HON. JOHN T. DOOLITTLE EPA interpret a general warning, general an- OF CALIFORNIA nouncement or general condition to be suffi- TRIBUTE TO BISHOP SAMUEL C. cient information of a threatened or poten- MADISON ON THE 75TH ANNIVER- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES tial terrorist attack. Specific, credible infor- SARY OF THE UNITED HOUSE OF Thursday, December 20, 2001 mation is required, and all other elements of PRAYER FOR ALL PEOPLE’S Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, in the 106th section 1431 must be met, including the ex- CONVOCATION, HIS 61ST ANNI- Congress, I chaired a Task Force formed by istence of an imminent and substantial VERSARY AS MINISTER, AND endangerment to the health of persons, that then-Chairman DON YOUNG to examine wheth- 10TH ANNIVERSARY AS BISHOP appropriate State and local authorities have er bank regulators at the FDIC and OTS used AND CHURCH LEADER not acted to protect the health of persons their powers to leverage privately owned red- served by the drinking water system, and wood trees, known as the Headwaters Forest that the EPA Administrator has consulted HON. MELVIN L. WATT in California, from an individual. with State and local authorities regarding OF NORTH CAROLINA the correctness of the information regarding The task force, which included Representa- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES both the specific threat and the actions tives POMBO, THORNBERRY, BRADY, and which the State or local authorities have Thursday, December 20, 2001 RADANOVICH, undertook an 8 month review of taken. The authority granted to EPA in sec- Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I the debt-for-redwoods matter. We held one tion 1431 is a limited, case-by-case, contin- rise today to honor an exemplary leader, terribly long hearing on the subject on Decem- gent emergency power. Bishop S.C. Madison, who is celebrating the ber 12, 2000. 75th anniversary of the United House of Pray- In the 107th Congress, Chairman HANSEN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, er for All People’s Convocation, his 61st anni- continued work on the subject and dedicated COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE, versary as minister and his 10th anniversary staff to draft a staff report to summarize the Washington, DC, December 11, 2001. evidence of the FDIC and OTS redwoods Hon. DON YOUNG, as bishop of the United House of Prayer. Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Bishop Madison is an exceptional leader who debt-for-nature scheme and conclusions Infrastructure, Rayburn House Office has championed the causes of eliminating drawn from the oversight work. The report ex- Building, Washington, DC. poverty, inadequate and unaffordable housing, poses how banking regulators took on an un- DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Committee on unemployment, illiteracy, economic disparities authorized, political agenda of leveraging red- Energy and Commerce has requested that and spiritual depravation. The magnitude, wood trees. the House take up the Public Health Secu- A member of the Task Force, Representa- rity and Bioterrorism Response Act of 2001, depth and substance of his contributions to tive POMBO, inserted the text of the staff report H.R. 3448. While the bill primarily contains improve human welfare and social reform provisions related to the matters in the ju- have brought him national acclaim. into the RECORD on June 14, 2001. Just as risdiction of the Committee on Energy and The leadership of Bishop C.M. Grace, important as the report itself, is the collection Commerce, I recognize that section 135, Bishop W. McCollough and Bishop S.C. Madi- of evidence and documents, appended to the which amends the Stafford Act (42 U.S.C. son has had a positive impact on the growth report. Those documents validate the accu- §§ 5121, et seq.), to require release of emer- of the United House of Prayer since its earliest racy of information presented in the report. gency plans, falls under the jurisdiction of existence in tents and storefront locations. Today, for the benefit of my colleagues, I have the Committee on Transportation and Infra- put those appendices into the RECORD. The structure. Currently, under the leadership of Bishop Allowing this bill to move forward in no Madison, there has been expansion to 135 Financial Services Committee should review way impairs your jurisdiction over that pro- congregations in 26 states. The church’s mas- this information as they deal with re-author- vision, and I would be pleased to place this sive, nationwide building program has resulted izing the FDIC and the OTS. These entities letter and any response you may have in the in construction of over 800 units of low and are clearly out of control, and I want to sum- Congressional Record when the bill is consid- moderate income housing. These housing marize why this is so. ered on the floor. In addition, if a conference complexes are located in New Haven, CT; Bank regulators at the FDIC and OTS have is necessary on this bill, I recognize your very specific statutory charges. They are to re- right to request that the Committee on Washington, DC; Norfolk, VA; Charlotte, NC; Transportation and Infrastructure be rep- Augusta, GA; Savannah, GA; and Los Ange- cover money from the owners of banks and resented on the conference with respect to les, CA. More than 100 units have been devel- thrifts when the institutions fail. This system the provision amending the Stafford Act. oped for senior citizens. keeps depositors whole through federally- Sincerely, The extraordinary success of Bishop Madi- backed insurance funds and collects money W.J. ‘‘BILLY’’ TAUZIN, son has led to numerous honors and awards from the banks’ owners if they failed to prop- Chairman. from national, state, and local organizations. erly manage the bank. I emphasize, bank reg- Academic institutions have presented honorary ulators are to recover money. U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, degrees to him acknowledging his outstanding We found boxes of evidence that clearly COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND achievements in helping to overcome deplor- showed that the bank regulators at the FDIC INFRASTRUCTURE, able conditions that plagued people and cities. and OTS deviated from their statutory charge Washington, DC, December 11, 2001. He has received Doctor of Humane Letters and actually concocted a scheme, in concert Hon. W.J. BILLY TAUZIN, Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, from the Saturday College of Washington, DC with the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, Washington, DC. and Bowie State University of Bowie, MD. to obtain redwood trees from an owner of the DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Thank you for your Bishop Madison continues to demonstrate failed bank. The scheme was initiated, pro- recent letter regarding The Public Health outstanding leadership, dispense an abun- moted, and lobbied by radical EarthFirst! VerDate 11<MAY>2000 06:09 Dec 28, 2001 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00073 Fmt 0666 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A20DE8.155 pfrm07 PsN: E20PT1 E2412 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks December 20, 2001 ecoterrorists. It was embraced by FDIC law- The bank regulators were thick into red- hired by the FDIC to pursue a parallel ad- yers and facilitated by FDIC’s outside counsel, woods early in the process. They hired outside ministrative action against Mr. Hurwitz. The and it was sanctioned at the highest levels of counsel based on the supposed expertise to coordinated purpose of that strategy was to provide more leverage to get ‘‘the trees,’’ ac- the agency.