[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 89 (Monday, June 23, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1301-E1302]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             REGARDING THE UPPER GREAT PLAINS FLOOD OF 1997

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. EARL POMEROY

                            of north dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 23, 1997

  Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my appreciation to 
the people who have helped the disaster-stricken communities of North 
Dakota. Whenever a community suffers from a disaster, people often look 
to their local leadership to help them get through trying times and 
help them get back on their feet. With the blizzards and floods of 
1997, local leaders in North Dakota have not only risen to the task, 
they've become heroes to the people they serve. Few can forget the 
images of Grand Forks Mayor Pat Owens working around the clock as her 
community suffered the worst disaster in North Dakota history. And 
between working endless hours helping her city through this time and 
numerous trips to Washington to make a case for Federal support, she 
was always available to also lend a shoulder to the Grand Forks 
resident who needed comfort.
  Many other mayors across North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota 
showed their unshakeable commitment to the people they serve. Mayor 
Lynn Stauss of East Grand Forks, Mayor Bruce Furness of Fargo, Mayor 
Hetty Walker of Pembina, Mayor Dan Rood of Wahpeton, and so many other 
community leaders deserve our thanks and our praise.
  When our communities needed their leadership the most, they were 
there for us--providing strength, courage, and leadership that has 
truly made a difference to the lives of the people they represent.
  The flood of 1997 on the Upper Great Plains brought out the best in 
people as neighbors helped neighbors get through some very difficult 
times. People from around the country stepped forward to lend a hand 
and show the residents of Grand Forks that they weren't alone. I would 
also like to recognize the incredible help provided by the men and 
women of the Grand Forks Air Force Base. From acting as the mass care 
shelter to hosting the senior prom, the assistance from the air base to 
the community continues. The response activities, and now the ongoing 
recovery efforts, could not happen without those extraordinary efforts.
  Other groups that contributed to the disaster far above the normal 
call-of-duty include the men and women who worked to restore power 
after the blizzard. Linemen who in some cases were wearing snowmobile 
helmets as they worked to restore power lines during the height of the 
ice storms deserve our thanks for a job well done. The thousands of 
volunteers who fought the flood, in some cases even while their own 
homes were being inundated, should be remembered for their selfless 
acts and hard work.
  Donations poured in from every corner of the United States as the 
magnitude of this disaster and suffering became known. Other acts of 
kindness from individuals and corporations were commonplace, their 
generosity at times truly defying description.
  At the same time, other agencies stepped forward to do their usual 
jobs of helping people recover. Unfortunately, the Red Cross and the 
Salvation Army all too often are taken for granted for the support they 
provide. Let me tell you that in North Dakota, and especially in Grand 
Forks, they are not taken for granted. They set new standards for 
caring and commitment.
  To all those who stepped forward to help those in need I say thank 
you.

[[Page E1302]]

                       SENATE COMMITTEE MEETINGS

  Title IV of Senate Resolution 4, agreed to by the Senate on February 
4, 1977, calls for establishment of a system for a computerized 
schedule of all meetings and hearings of Senate committees, 
subcommittees, joint committees, and committees of conference. This 
title requires all such committees to notify the Office of the Senate 
Daily Digest--designated by the Rules Committee--of the time, place, 
and purpose of the meetings, when scheduled, and any cancellations or 
changes in the meetings as they occur.
  As an additional procedure along with the computerization of this 
information, the Office of the Senate Daily Digest will prepare this 
information for printing in the Extensions of Remarks section of the 
Congressional Record on Monday and Wednesday of each week.
  Meetings scheduled for Tuesday, June 24, 1997, may be found in the 
Daily Digest of today's Record.

                           MEETINGS SCHEDULED


                                JUNE 25
     9:30 a.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
       Communications Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on international satellite reform 
           proposals.
                                                            SR-253
       Governmental Affairs
       Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
         To hold hearings to examine emerging fraud in the 
           Medicare program.
                                                            SD-342
       Rules and Administration
         To hold hearings to examine campaign financing, focusing 
           on whether political contributions are voluntary.
                                                            SR-301
       Veterans' Affairs
         To hold hearings to review a recent General Accounting 
           Office (GAO) report entitled ``Gulf War Illnesses: 
           Improved Monitoring of Clinical Progress and Re-
           examination of Research Emphasis Needed''.
                                                            SH-216
       Indian Affairs
         To hold oversight hearings on the Administration's 
           proposal to restructure Indian gaming fee assessments.
                                                            SD-562
     10:00 a.m.
       Appropriations
       District of Columbia Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
           year 1998 for the District of Columbia.
                                                            SD-192
       Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
       Securities Subcommittee
         To resume oversight hearings to examine Social Security 
           investment in the securities markets.
                                                            SD-538
       Foreign Relations
         To hold hearings on pending nominations.
                                                            SD-419
       Judiciary
         To hold hearings to examine encryption, key recovery, and 
           privacy protection in the information age.
                                                            SD-226
     2:00 p.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
       Science, Technology, and Space Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed legislation authorizing 
           funds for fiscal year 1998 for the United States Fire 
           Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency and 
           the Office of Associate Administration for Commercial 
           Space Transportation.
                                                            SR-253
       Judiciary
         To hold hearings on pending nominations.
                                                            SD-226


                                JUNE 26
     9:00 a.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
         Business meeting, to consider pending calendar business.
                                                            SR-253
     9:30 a.m.
       Energy and Natural Resources
       Forests and Public Land Management Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on S. 783, to increase the accessibility 
           of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
                                                            SD-366

                                JUNE 26
     9 a.m.
       Environment and Public Works
       Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property, and Nuclear Safety 
           Subcommittee
         To hold oversight hearings on recent administrative 
           changes and judicial decisions relating to Section 404 
           of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
                                                            SD-406
       Small Business
         Business meeting, to mark up S. 208, to provide Federal 
           contracting opportunities for small business concerns 
           located in historically underutilized business zones, 
           and proposed legislation authorizing funds for the 
           Small Business Administration.
                                                           SR-428A
     10:00 a.m.
       Judiciary
         To hold hearings to review the Global Tobacco settlement.
                                                            SD-226
       Judiciary
       Technology, Terrorism, and Government Information 
           Subcommittee
         To hold hearings to examine the threat of domestic 
           terrorism, focusing on allegations from the recent 
           trial of Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing.
                                                            SD-226
     2:00 p.m.
       Energy and Natural Resources
       National Parks, Historic Preservation, and Recreation 
           Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on S. 308, to require the Secretary of 
           the Interior to conduct a study concerning grazing use 
           of certain land within and adjacent to Grand Teton 
           National Park, Wyoming, and to extend temporarily 
           certain grazing privileges, and S. 360, to require 
           adoption of a management plan for the Hells Canyon 
           National Recreation Area that allows appropriate use of 
           motorized and nonmotorized river craft in the 
           recreation area.
                                                            SD-366
       Judiciary
       Immigration Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposals to extend the Visa Waiver 
           Pilot Program, including S. 290, to establish a visa 
           waiver pilot program for nationals of Korea who are 
           traveling in tour groups to the United States.
                                                            SD-226

                                JULY 10
     2:00 p.m.
       Energy and Natural Resources
       National Parks, Historic Preservation, and Recreation 
           Subcommittee
         To hold oversight hearings to review the preliminary 
           findings of the General Accounting Office concerning a 
           study on the health, condition, and viability of the 
           range and wildlife populations in Yellowstone National 
           Park.
                                                            SD-336

                                JULY 23
     9:00 a.m.
       Finance
       International Trade Subcommittee
         To hold hearings with the Caucus on International 
           Narcotics Control on the threat to U.S. trade and 
           finance from drug trafficking and international 
           organized crime.
                                                            SD-215

                                JULY 30
     9:00 a.m.
       Finance
       International Trade Subcommittee
         To resume hearings with the Caucus on International 
           Narcotics Control on the threat to U.S. trade and 
           finance from drug trafficking and international 
           organized crime.
                                                            SD-215

                             CANCELLATIONS

                                JUNE 24
     9:30 a.m.
       Small Business
         To hold hearings on proposed legislation authorizing 
           funds for the Small Business Administration.
                                                           SR-428A

                                JUNE 25
     9:30 a.m.
       Labor and Human Resources
         Business meeting, to consider pending calendar business.
                                                            SR-430

                                JUNE 26
     9:30 a.m.
       Labor and Human Resources
       Children and Families Subcommittee
         To hold oversight hearings on the implementation of the 
           Family and Medical Leave Act.
                                                            SR-430