[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 203 (Monday, December 18, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H14978-H14979]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TIMOTHY C. McCAGHREN CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING

  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2415) to designate the U.S. Customs Administrative Building 
at the Ysleta/Zaragosa Port of Entry located at 797 South Ysleta in El 
Paso, TX, as the ``Timothy C. McCaghren Customs Administrative 
Building,'' as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2415

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The United States Customs Administrative Building at the 
     Ysleta/Zaragosa Port of Entry located at 797 South Zaragosa 
     Road in El Paso, Texas, shall known and designated as the 
     ``Timothy C. McCaghren Customs Administrative Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the building referred 
     to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to the 
     ``Timothy C. McCaghren Customs Administrative Building''.


[[Page H14979]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Maryland [Mr. Gilchrest] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Traficant] will be recognized for 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Gilchrest].
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill would name the U.S. Customs Administrative 
Building at the Zaragosa Port of Entry in El Paso, TX as the ``Timothy 
C. McCaghren Customs Administrative Building.'' Tim McCaghren was a 
Customs inspector assigned to the border crossing at this port of entry 
in El Paso, TX. In February of 1990, Tim McCaghren attempted to stop 
and search a van at the port of entry and the driver accelerated, 
rammed the border crossing, and struck this dedicated public servant. 
He died the following day from head injuries sustained in the incident. 
Inspector McCaghren was a devoted father and was one of the top 
narcotics intradiction offers in El Paso. This bill is supported by the 
U.S. Customs Service and the National Treasury Employees Union. I urge 
my colleagues to support the legislation. I urge its adoption.

                              {time}  1330

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume, before yielding to the gentleman from Texas here [Mr. 
Coleman], who is retiring, in order to say on behalf of the authorizing 
committee, and I am sure everybody will when they have the appropriate 
time, that we would like to thank him as a Member of the Committee on 
Appropriations for working with us and for always being fair. He has 
been a great Member. We will sorely miss him, especially those on this 
authorizing committee. A lot of times people do not see the good things 
done for the country in these public policy areas.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Texas [Mr. Coleman], who introduced this legislation.
  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio and the 
gentleman from Maryland as well for hearing this legislation. I think 
it is important that we do take the time, from time to time, to honor 
those in law enforcement who are, after all, working for us.
  All of us here, as citizens, understand, and as taxpayers understand 
that we need people to do some of these jobs that are not always the 
most pleasant. Indeed, I am a strong believer that those who serve us 
in the Customs Service of the United States of America are oftentimes 
on the very front lines in dealing with crime, in dealing with drugs, 
in dealing with violence, and it was such an incident that occurred in 
1990 that took the life of Inspector McCaghren.
  Timothy C. McCaghren was a good officer, a man who had said a number 
of times that if he was able to stop a specific load of drugs coming 
into the United States, that was at least one bunch of drugs that would 
not get to his children. He is survived by those two children, Chastity 
and Brandt, and his wife, Dedra.
  By naming the administrative building at this port of entry after 
Timothy C. McCaghren, I would say that all of us, as citizens, are 
doing just a small part in remembering those who are willing to 
sacrifice everything so that all of us can live our lives in a way that 
we believe we should be able to live them in these United States.
  As the chairman knows as well, I have fought to obtain law 
enforcement status for Customs inspectors. We do not have that yet in 
the United States. I believe that they are that first line of defense 
against the smuggling I talked about of illegal drugs; but, indeed, 
today, they are also on the front line of defense in dealing with the 
issue we know as terrorism. Many inspectors carry firearms and face the 
constant threat of severe bodily injury; and, in this case, as we know, 
even death.
  A recent study showed that more Customs officers died due to service-
related injuries than any other group, with the exception of the Drug 
Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Prison officers in our 
Federal Government. Earlier this session, I introduced legislation that 
would grant Customs inspectors a 20-year law enforcement retirement 
package, that which we would give to others in similar circumstances. I 
am hopeful that we will eventually be able to pass that legislation, 
and I am proud to tell my colleagues that I have had members of this 
particular committee, the authorizing committee, offer to cosponsor 
that legislation with me.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing I would only say that Inspector McCaghren 
exemplified the hallmarks of a good Customs inspector. His attributes 
of public service, his humility, and his devotion to country will best 
be remembered by the action we take here today. And, with that, Mr. 
Speaker, I thank the committee and I thank the Members of this House 
and urge adoption of this legislation. I thank the gentleman from Ohio 
for his time,
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, as so eloquently stated by the gentleman, 
Timothy McCaghren was a U.S. Customs Inspector and was killed in the 
line of duty. Ladies and gentlemen, killed in the line of duty in El 
Paso in 1990. Mr. McCaghren displayed the ultimate commitment to public 
service.
  I would like to comment on, just briefly, and commend the gentleman 
from Texas [Mr. Coleman] on his introduction of H.R. 2415, legislation 
that would obtain law enforcement status for Customs inspectors, and 
that would deal with some of those issues that were so eloquently 
stated.
  The life, career and contributions of Inspector McCaghren can now be 
honored and must be honored by designating the Customs Administrative 
Building in El Paso in his name and in his honor. With that, I join 
forces with the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Gilchrest] in supporting 
this legislation and thank the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Coleman] for 
his excellent job here.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
to say that I, too, want to join in the heartfelt words that the 
gentleman from Texas [Mr. Coleman] has spoken about Mr. McCaghren, his 
family and his friends, and the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Traficant] as 
well. Public servants such as Mr. McCaghren, Federal employees, set the 
highest example for us as elected officials to follow.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this legislation, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hayworth). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Gilchrest] that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2415, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof), the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was 
passed.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to 
designate the United States Customs Administrative Building at the 
Ysleta/Zaragosa Port of Entry located at 797 South Zaragosa Road in El 
Paso, Texas, as the ``Timothy C. McCaghren Customs Administrative 
Building'.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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