[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 138 (Tuesday, October 6, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H9597-H9625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 4194, DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND 
HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS 
                               ACT, 1999

  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 574 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 574

       Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be 
     in order to consider the conference report to accompany the 
     bill (H.R. 4194) making appropriations for the Departments of 
     Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and for 
     sundry independent agencies, boards, commissions, 
     corporations, and offices for the fiscal year ending 
     September 30, 1999, and for other purposes. All points of 
     order against the conference report and against its 
     consideration are waived. The conference report shall be 
     considered as read.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Upton). The gentleman from California 
(Mr. Dreier) is recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the 
customary 30 minutes to my very dear friend from South Boston, 
Massachusetts (Mr. Moakley), pending which I yield myself such time as 
I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time 
yielded is for the purpose of debate only.
  (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks and include extraneous material.)
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, this rule waives points of order against the 
conference report to accompany H.R. 4194, the VA, HUD and independent 
agencies appropriations bill for fiscal year 1999. A key element of 
this rule is that it permits the inclusion in the conference report of 
the public housing reform bill that the House passed last year with 
substantial bipartisan support. That legislation will provide more 
flexibility for local housing authorities and greater housing 
opportunities for the working poor. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing, the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Lazio), for his successful efforts in moving this good government 
reform bill forward.
  I would also note that the conference report provides nearly three-
quarters of a billion dollars more than the President requested for 
various veterans assistance programs such as medical care and research, 
and at this point, Mr. Speaker, having said that, I am going to move 
into a very, very important issue here, and I am going to take time and 
encourage my colleagues to join me as we pay tribute to the guy who has 
done more than almost anyone for veterans in those areas of medical 
care and research, and I am referring of course to my great pal from 
Glens Falls, New York, the distinguished chairman who will be retiring: 
Jerry Solomon.
  Nobody has worked as aggressively and as tirelessly on behalf of our 
nation's veterans and for all those programs that benefit them than 
Jerry Solomon.
  Mr. Speaker, as you know, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon), 
as I said, will retire this year after two long decades of very 
distinguished service here in the House of Representatives. During the 
last 8 years he served as the top Republican on the House Committee on 
Rules, and during the last 4, as we all know, and especially the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Moakley) knows this, Jerry Solomon 
has served as chairman of the committee. I know I speak for many of his 
colleagues in Congress, his constituents in the Adirondacks and other 
parts of New York, our men and women in uniform and the millions of 
veterans who bravely serve their country when I say that we will all 
miss the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon).
  Jerry was first elected to Congress as part of the very distinguished 
class of 1978, which includes, of course the gentleman from Georgia 
(Mr. Gingrich), my colleagues from California, Jerry Lewis and Bill 
Thomas and a number of others. But the legacy he will leave behind is 
as impressive as some who have served in this institution for 
generations.
  Inspired, as I was, by President Ronald Reagan, Jerry Solomon has 
worked to strengthen the morale and preparedness of our military and to 
make the government fiscally responsible by rooting out waste and 
inefficiency. He is a principal author of the line item veto 
legislation that was enacted in the Congress in 1996. He fought 
tirelessly for the defense build up of the 1980s that led to the end of 
the Cold War. At a time when the all volunteer Army is serving our 
Nation well, Jerry reminds us every year of the pending dangers that 
loom on the international horizon by his spirited advocacy of the 
Selective Service program. His unquestioned patriotism and love of 
country

[[Page H9598]]

have been a source of leadership and inspiration to those who have been 
fortunate enough to spend their entire lives in a world free from 
global conflict.
  But if there is one legacy that Jerry Solomon can be most proud of 
Mr. Speaker, it can be found in the veterans programs and their funding 
levels contained in the appropriations bill that this rule makes in 
order.
  As a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, as my late father 
was, he served during the Korean war and was a former Member of the 
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. There, as I said, there was no 
better advocate for our brave men and women who have made sacrifices 
for our country and for the freedoms that we enjoy, and there is no one 
more committed to the long-term success of our military. Serving with 
Jerry Solomon on the Committee on Rules and on the front lines to 
implement the policies of Ronald Reagan has been one of the most 
rewarding experiences of my years here.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to offer my very best wishes to Jerry and his 
wonderful wife, Frieda, and their great family as he pursues what I am 
sure will be another long and very distinguished career in the years 
ahead.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I will urge adoption of this rule.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. MOAKLEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, my dear friend from 
California (Mr. Dreier), for yielding me the customary half hour, and, 
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this rule, and I rise to pay 
tribute to my dear friend and for a few weeks remaining my chairman, 
Jerry Solomon. I think the VA, HUD and independent agencies rule is 
really the perfect place to pay tribute to Jerry.
  Mr. Speaker, during his 20 years in the Congress, Jerry Solomon has 
been a tireless defender of the American veterans. Many fights up in 
that Committee on Rules, I saw him put people in their place because 
they did not feel that the veterans role was still important. He has 
worked harder than just about anybody to make sure that the men and 
women who gave themselves in defense of this country are treated with 
the honor and gratitude that they deserve. And he is so proud of his 
beloved Marine Corps that he still gets the Marine Corps hair cut, and 
I do not think anything has touched him more than receiving the 
Marine's Iron Mike award.
  At a time when our national security is threatened by more regional 
unrest and threats of terrorism than large global conflicts, many 
people overlook the contributions made by America's fighting men and 
women, but not Jerry Solomon. Jerry has been at the forefront of nearly 
every debate on veterans' health, veterans' pensions, the POWs, the 
MIAs and also defense spending. In fact he will find any way to sneak 
his military service into about any conversation.
  I have sat next to Jerry Solomon for many years, and I have to say 
that I preferred having him on my right. But he has been a very 
dedicated chairman, and, believe it or not, Mr. Speaker, he has even 
granted a few open rules.
  Alongside his favorite President, Ronald Reagan, Jerry fought the 
spread of communists all over the world. From insisting on a balanced 
budget to a shrinking Federal Government, Jerry has been a dedicated 
soldier of the conservative movement.
  As chairman of the Committee on Rules, Jerry filled those shoes as 
well as anybody that handled that committee before him. He served with 
distinction, and he has done his party a great service. It has been a 
great pleasure for me to be working with Jerry. Even though our 
ideologies are 180 degrees apart, we still have a fond friendship for 
each other which shows that opposites really do attract.
  But his district has been very fortunate to call him Representative, 
and I have been fortunate to call him my friend.
  So Jerry, semper fi.
  I rise in support of this rule and congratulate my colleagues Jerry 
Lewis from California and Louis Stokes from Ohio for their good work on 
this bill.
  Although at one point the VA/HUD conference report contained some 
pretty awful Housing language, it has been removed and the bill is much 
better for it.
  This bill funds Americorps, boosts veterans medical programs, and 
fully funds clean water action. It provides $3.7 billion for the 
National Science Foundation which I completely support. In this high-
tech era we cannot devote too much time or energy to advancing 
scientific research or training our children to take that research 
over.
  This bill provides housing for the elderly and the disadvantaged. It 
fully funds section 8 and public housing modernization which I can say, 
as a former resident of public housing, is tremendously important.
  I urge my colleagues to support this rule and support this 
conferences report.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Bakersfield, California (Mr. Thomas) with whom, as I mentioned in my 
opening remarks, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon) came to the 
Congress.
  (Mr. THOMAS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)

                              {time}  1030

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, apparently there is a long list of people 
who want to get their licks in, so we apparently have only a brief 
period of time.
  The one thing that I enjoy almost as much as anything since I came to 
Congress with Jerry was to indicate that he is leaving with my ability 
to say Mr. Chairman. When we first came, we were not completely 
believing that we would ever, ever be able to be in the majority. It 
was a long difficult haul. But Jerry was key to making it happen.
  There are a lot of people around here who hold a lot of opinions and 
we never really know where they stand. Neither of those are a problem 
with Jerry. He believes certain things. He believes them very strongly. 
He will let us know exactly where he is on those issues. That means 
that it is a joy to work with him--if we are on the same side. If we 
are not, it is full combat. Since we are almost always on the same 
side, it has been an absolute pleasure to work with him.
  Just one short vignette to give my colleagues the feeling of how 
wonderful it has been over these last 2 decades. We were freshmen, and 
there were 35 of us meeting out at the Marriott for our orientation. I 
came late actually. I replaced a Member who had died after the primary 
in 1978.
  On my left was Dan Lundgren as a freshman Member now running for 
Governor of California. On my right was Jerry Solomon. Jerry leaned 
over and talked to Dan and said, ``Dan, I really admire you. You ought 
to run for freshman president.'' Dan felt pretty good, so he stood up 
and said I am announcing for freshman president. I did not say anything 
and moved to Jerry, and Jerry stood up and said ``I am announcing for 
freshman president.''
  With Jerry, we know exactly what we get; and the saddest thing of all 
is we are not going to get him anymore.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. MOAKLEY. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, are there no Democrats on the other side who 
want to talk either about this spectacular conference report or the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon)?
  Mr. MOAKLEY. I do not think so.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman just spun around. I am sure 
they will be breaking down the doors to come in here.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman 
from Charlotte, North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick), a member from the 
Committee on Rules and my friend.
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I do rise today in honor of our chairman, 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon), and to say that our 
committee is a small one, but it is definitely dominated by the humor 
and the kindness and actually the temper of our chairman.
  There is no better place than today in VA-HUD to honor him, too, 
because no one has worked harder for the veterans of this country than 
Jerry has. I know New York State is going to name a veterans' cemetery 
after him.

[[Page H9599]]

  He is a true hero in the likes of Ronald Reagan whom I know very much 
that Jerry totally supported and is very pleased to be cut out of that 
same mold.
  My first impression of the chairman was actually when I was here my 
first year and in the leadership, and Mr. Solomon challenged somebody 
to step outside. I thought, gee, that is really different. Fortunately, 
I was never challenged myself personally to step outside, thank 
goodness.
  But his humor is interjected in everything we do, and we very much 
appreciate that. Sometimes in serious moments in committee meetings or 
leadership or other places, why, Jerry will come up with something that 
just totally breaks the ice and makes everybody laugh.
  One of those times was, very recently, we were discussing the very 
serious problem of the year 2000 and what is going to happen to all of 
our computers. Jerry sat down and was talking about it, and he said, 
you know, that TY2 thing. Everybody just broke up, which I thought was 
really great.
  Anyway, we are going to truly miss him, and I want to say that he is 
very much a great patriot of our country.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to my dear friend, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart).
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, for many years, I used to go to lunch 
in a little restaurant in Little Havana in that section of Miami. The 
restaurant was called La Hacienda. It was near the courthouse. Other 
assistant State attorneys would go to lunch there as well as public 
defenders and police officers.
  Very often, also having lunch at La Hacienda was an accountant and 
businessman named Oliver Martinez. Now just imagine someone as pleasant 
and charming as Jerry Solomon. It was impossible not to like Oliver, 
and we became very good friends.
  Oliver Martinez is a cousin by marriage to Jerry and to his lovely 
wife Freda. Oliver would always say ``My cousin Jerry is a very 
important Member of Congress.'' He would talk about how proud he was of 
his cousin Jerry.
  Well, years later, it was my privilege and my honor to be elected to 
this Congress in this miracle of freedom and human dignity known as the 
United States of America, and I met Oliver Martinez's cousin Jerry. I 
learned that, indeed, he was an important Member of Congress. I also 
learned that he was much more than that.
  Jerry Solomon is the personification of what is greatest about 
America. If one had to use only one word to describe Jerry Solomon, and 
many other words accurately describe him, such as integrity and 
patriotism and decency and talent and loyalty and friendship and 
courage and energy, but if I had to use one word with which to describe 
Jerry Solomon, I could do it. That word is character.
  When you are able to spend 4 years working in the Committee on Rules 
day in and day out under the leadership of Jerry Solomon, Mr. Speaker, 
you understand what the word character is all about. You also learn 
what hard work means in the context of teamwork.
  It has been my immense privilege to become a friend of this 
extraordinary American patriot, an extraordinary American patriot 
devoted to his family and to his colleagues, generous in spirit, 
gracious to all, but unyielding in his defense of America, its people, 
and their freedom.
  I will truly miss his daily counsel and guidance. I will never be 
able to fully reciprocate his graciousness. To my leader and chairman 
and to Freda and the entire family, may you enjoy many, many more years 
of health and happiness, and may God's grace be forever with you.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, when my dear friend the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Dreier) asked me if I had any speakers, the reason there are no people, 
we have a very important Democratic caucus going on right now. I know 
there would be teams and teams of Democrats ready and willing to say 
something nice about Jerry, but they are tied up in a very important 
caucus
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. MOAKLEY. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, tell them to cancel that meeting and get 
over here.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Maybe if Jerry would change the rule to increase the 
time.
  Mr. DREIER. Where are your priorities?
  Mr. Speaker, I yield a minute and a half to the very distinguished 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey), our majority leader.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Dreier) for yielding. And certainly the gentleman from Massachusetts 
(Mr. Moakley) is correct, we have no doubt about it, if, in fact, the 
democratic Members of the House of Representatives did not, in fact, 
have things far more pressing to do they would be here, Jerry, in large 
numbers to celebrate your leaving. I would say to the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Moakley), we understand that and we appreciate it; 
there is no doubt about it.
  Jerry Solomon is one of the fortunate ones. Those of us that have the 
great privilege of coming to Washington and working on behalf of our 
friends and neighbors back home also often come to the House of 
Representatives as our first stop, and those of us that I think that 
are fortunate enough to perceive early that the House of 
Representatives is a unique place in the history of the world, I think 
of it as the most unique institution of freedom in the history of the 
world, soon fall in love with this institution. I think Jerry Solomon 
has clearly done that, and I tell people often, and I think, Jerry, 
you, must, too, say I love the House of Representatives; I love its 
procedures; I love its camaraderie. I even like some of the partisan 
fights we have here because we are all working here in this House for 
things in which we invest so much of our life's heartfelt belief, and 
Jerry has done that.
  He is an intense man. He is a colorful man. He is a funny man on 
occasion. On occasion, he is an angry man. He can be a stubborn man, 
but he is also a joyful man.
  Jerry, congratulations to you to have come to this town to begin your 
service in Washington. To spend your time in this wonderful place, 
until your retirement, I think is an extraordinary privilege.
  I laugh when I think back. I am sure it was for you, Jerry, like it 
was for me and for all of us when we first came to town, we were the 
new kids on the block. There was not a lot of fanfare. There was not a 
great deal of notice and, to a large extent, when in fact we were 
noticed at all it was only to ask, who is that guy?
  Then we worked and we did our job and we made our associations and we 
made our mark and we tried this legislation and we tried that 
legislation. We fought against legislation. We worked with our 
colleagues. We invited them outside. We even talked about horse 
whipping on occasion.
  After all of these years, to look back, Jerry, on that anonymity, 
where you must have felt like all of us do, a little insecure, a little 
worried, will I fit in here, to think that now after all of these years 
you are retiring, the amount of time and attention that goes to the 
celebration of your retirement, what a mark you have made. People that 
hardly noticed you when you came here have their hearts filled with joy 
that you are leaving.
  There can be no doubt, there can be no doubt, that Jerry Solomon will 
be a memory to those of us who have had the privilege of serving with 
you, Jerry, and you will be a part of these halls forever and ever, as 
I hope we will all have a chance to earn; just a little bit of a time 
where our ghost might be welcome back here. Sometime way off into the 
future when there is a heated debate on this floor, in the middle of 
that debate we will all hear a voice come out, ringing through the 
floor, saying, ``step outside.'' I look forward to seeing the 
wonderment on the faces of the Members as they ask, who was that guy? 
Where did it come from? But we will know.
  Thank you, Jerry, for the privilege of being a colleague.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, having spent more time in the woodshed than 
probably any of my colleagues, thanks to the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Solomon), I know the feeling that was just mentioned by the 
distinguished majority leader.

[[Page H9600]]

  Mr. Speaker, I yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from 
Lincoln, Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), a classmate of the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Solomon).
  (Mr. BEREUTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, as a classmate, as a friend, as a long-
term colleague of the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Solomon), I am pleased to say a few words about him. There is much that 
could be said about his many very positive contributions to this 
Congress and to the governance of this Nation.
  Our colleague from New York and I have worked together on so many 
issues. Of course, we have had our policy disagreements from time to 
time but they are few. Our wives also have become very good friends. 
Sweet, long-suffering, patient Freda and my wife Louise, are good 
friends, and Jerry Solomon since you are a marine, and I dare not say 
former marine, in addition to his public service, after retirement from 
the House, can now devote more attention to trying to bring to order 
that moving mountain he calls his dog before it chews up all of his 
wife's carpets and tears up the entire lawn.
  Quite seriously I would like to focus on just one aspect of this 
gentleman's very distinguished service and that is his service and 
contributions in the North Atlantic Assembly and his focus on NATO 
issues. Jerry Solomon has served as a House delegate to the North 
Atlantic Assembly since 1982 and he has served there for us with great 
distinction. He is currently one of the two longest serving members of 
the House delegation. In that capacity, he served with distinction as 
the chairman of one of the five committees there, the Political 
Committee, for the entire maximum length of time for that position. He 
currently is the North American vice president for the North Atlantic 
Assembly.
  That parliamentary group of NATO countries has had a dramatic effect, 
I might say, in helping the delegates of the countries of the former 
Warsaw Pact to understand their parliamentary role in a functioning 
democracy. Additional, Representative Solomon, among other things, has 
been in the leadership of that NAA effort to help our colleagues from 
the associated member nations of Eastern and Central Europe.
  I also would say that the time he spent here in this House preparing 
the entire Congress, including our Senate colleagues, for the upcoming 
vote on NATO expansion, and his strong, and I think correct views, on 
the necessity of NATO expansion, were a major contribution to the 
success of the recent enlargement round for NATO and for the 
enlargement rounds yet to come.
  Beyond that, our distinguished colleague from New York (Mr. Solomon) 
has focused necessary congressional attention on the nations of the 
Caucasus region and on the Central Asian republics and for that we are 
very grateful and benefitted as Americans. So, Jerry Solomon, my 
colleague, friend, and classmate of 20 years, I say for the American 
delegates to the World Atlantic Assembly and for so many of us in this 
Congress, well done. We do not expect you have completed your public 
service but this part of your career is approaching an end and we thank 
you.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Hall), a dear friend, a man who served with Jerry on the 
Committee on Rules for many years.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Moakley) for introducing me.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor my friend and colleague from the 
Committee on Rules, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon). He is a 
very distinguished chairman of the Committee on Rules, who will be 
retiring at the end of this Congress and we will miss him.

                              {time}  1045

  Being chairman of the Committee on Rules is a difficult job. It is by 
design one of the most partisan positions in the House, yet the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon) has succeeded in winning the 
respect of committee members on both sides of the aisle. Being in the 
minority sometimes is not a lot of fun, and oftentimes when we get run 
over by Jerry he does do it with style, I will say that.
  Despite the strong differences of opinion in the Committee on Rules, 
he has maintained an atmosphere of collegiality that is too rare in the 
House these days. Jerry and I both share a passion for people that are 
hurting and certainly for reducing the suffering of oppressed people 
the world over, and he has been very generous with me in support of my 
efforts to aid the victims of dictators and totalitarian regimes, and I 
thank him for that.
  Jerry is a man of sincerity and integrity. He is committed to his 
causes. He is one of the giants in the House, and his expertise, drive, 
and dedication have been an enormous influence in shaping the 
legislation that has passed through here.
  Good luck, Jerry. We will miss you.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my 
friend from Metairie, Louisiana (Mr. Livingston), the very 
distinguished chairman of the Committee on Appropriations.
  (Mr. LIVINGSTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, to my friend Jerry Solomon, let me say 
that our friend, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall) just said being in 
the minority is not very fun. We know that, but we also know that being 
in the majority is fun. And my colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle knew it for so long: 40 years. We had an opportunity, and it has 
been a wonderful opportunity for me, to share that change of life from 
minority to majority with my friend, a former Marine and longtime 
Congressman, the Chairman of the Committee on Rules, and a public 
servant par excellence, Jerry Solomon.
  He is a great American. He is a patriot. He is a man who means what 
he says and says what he means. If you do not like it, he will step 
outside with you. The fact is, though, that everyone respects him. 
People always wonder when Members retire about who will be missed and 
who won't be. I happen to think that he will be one of the most missed 
Members. He is one of the most colorful, one of the most dedicated, and 
one of the most hard-working. The Washingtonian magazine did say he was 
one of the most hard-working, and I think it was on the money there.
  I am going to miss that big file folder with ``Solomon'' written on 
it being carried to and fro. I am going to miss our conversations about 
the dairy farmers, and I know that as soon as that subject comes up 
next year I will be hearing from him. But we want to wish you and 
Freda, bon voyage.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
to say that I know that Jerry is listening to all of these accolades, 
and I know last week some people had some nice things to say about him. 
They were talking about how warm Jerry Solomon was, what a warm fellow 
he was, so Jerry went back and looked up ``warm'' in the dictionary. It 
says, ``not so hot.'' Only kidding, Jerry.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Gilman), my dear friend, just to show how bipartisan this is, the 
chairman of the Committee on International Relations.
  (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, along with my colleagues from the State of 
New York and throughout the Congress, we find it hard to believe that 
our distinguished colleague, the chairman of the Committee on Rules, is 
not going to be with us following adjournment of this session.
  As senior Republican of the New York Congressional Delegation, I 
express my regrets on behalf of our entire delegation that our dear 
colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon) has chosen to step 
down after 20 years of distinguished service in this body.
  I came to know and admire Jerry soon after he came to Congress in 
1978. His experience as a Marine, as a town supervisor, a county 
legislator and member of the New York State Assembly, as well as his 
experience in the insurance business, brought to this Chamber an 
outstanding combination of experience, balance, public service, and 
most of all, common sense. Jerry's ability to forcibly, and I 
underscore

[[Page H9601]]

forcibly, articulate an issue, his energy and, most importantly, his 
integrity, personified the Congress to many of us.
  Jerry, like myself, is a graduate of the New York State Assembly, a 
superb training ground for legislators, and he worked well there. Jerry 
acquitted himself meritoriously in that body, his constituents having 
promoted him to the Congress and keeping him here for some 20 years. I 
especially appreciate Jerry's leadership role in helping to champion 
our cause of POWs and MIAs in Southeast Asia, one of our major 
priorities.
  It is well-known that Jerry has had a deep interest in foreign policy 
and was a strong defender of our United States national security 
interests. Thus, it was no surprise when he joined us on the House 
Committee on Foreign Affairs in the 98th Congress in 1983, and I was 
privileged to serve with him on the Subcommittee on Asia and the 
Pacific under the tutelage of our Ranking Republican, Joel Pritchard of 
Washington. That was the only Congress during which we served together 
on a subcommittee.
  Jerry went on to become the Ranking Republican on the Subcommittee on 
International Operations and Human Rights in the 99th Congress. Even 
after leaving our committee in 1989 and joining the Committee on Rules, 
Jerry has continued his strong interest on issues that affect U.S. 
economic and national security interests. Jerry has been a battler for 
human rights and against oppression wherever it has reared its ugly 
head in the world.
  My nickname for Jerry is ``the battler,'' because he battles so 
ardently for his views, but he also enjoys a well deserved reputation 
for always being willing to listen to the other side.
  The job of chairman of the Committee on Rules, a chief legislative 
traffic cop for this institution, is not an easy task, and Jerry has 
met those challenges in balancing the many diverse views that have come 
his way, like so many cars at a busy intersection during rush hour, 
with aplomb, fairness to all, and good humor, and with his good 
partner, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Moakley).
  Jerry has also been a true and loyal friend of the veteran. His 
support for their well-being has made him one of the most beloved of 
all of our colleagues to them. It was of great comfort to our entire 
New York Delegation to know that Jerry was there to help when it was 
learned that the VA was shortchanging our New York veterans' hospitals.
  In other areas, especially the efforts to prohibit the desecration of 
our flag, as well as to bring jobs to New York with a good working 
wage, Jerry has been a dedicated foot soldier.
  So in closing, let me say that when Jerry leaves us, I, regrettably, 
will be the only committee chairman left in our New York Delegation. 
Jerry's sage advice and friendship is going to be missed by all. To 
Jerry, to Freda, to their 5 children, I extend my best wishes for their 
health and happiness in the days ahead and remind them that they will 
always be welcome and always have a home here in the Congress.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my very good 
friend, the gentleman from Atlanta, Georgia (Mr. Linder), a valued 
member of the Committee on Rules.
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, it is a treat for me to be able to be here 
on this Tribute to Jerry Solomon Day.
  About 3 years ago a huge battle over an amendment broke out on the 
floor of this House and it created quite a stir, and people came 
running to the floor of the House to see what the problem was, and I 
figured and discovered that Jerry Solomon was right in the middle of 
it. A senior leadership aide, those are the ones who are quoted more 
often in Roll Call than leadership, a senior leadership aide walked 
over to me and said, what is Jerry doing? I said, you need to 
understand something. Jerry is a Marine, and he is going to take that 
hill whether you like it or not.
  He has been since he was a Marine a public servant, both to his 
neighborhood and his community, his State and his Nation. And he has 
been an inspiration to all of us.
  I have been privileged for 4 years to serve on the Committee on Rules 
with him, and he is a fighter, but a fair fighter. Always insisting 
that the minority have an opportunity to be heard too, always insisting 
that all sides of an important issue get aired on this floor in terms 
of an amendment or an opportunity for debate.
  I do not know that I have ever seen anyone enter into more fights and 
scraps and battles than the chairman of the Committee on Rules, but I 
do not believe he ever has left behind an enemy. Adversaries, yes; 
enemies, no. This is a great tribute to a public man, and I am honored 
to have served with him.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. McNulty), who is a fellow New Yorker with the person we are 
honoring here today.
  Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Massachusetts for 
yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, when I get up in the morning, the first 2 things I do 
are to thank God for my life and thank veterans for my way of life, 
because if it had not been for the men and women who wore the uniform 
of the United States military through the years, I would not have the 
privilege as a citizen of the United States of America of going around 
bragging about how we live in the freest and most open democracy on the 
face of the earth. Freedom is not free. We have paid a tremendous price 
for it.
  I shall always be grateful to those who, like my brother, Bill, made 
the supreme sacrifice, and to people like that man right there, Jerry 
Solomon, who served with distinction in the United States military and 
then came back to our home region in upstate New York, was a successful 
businessman, but more importantly in my eyes, who entered a career in 
public service. From the local government roles to his national role 
today, he has rendered such outstanding service.
  I have been in the United States Congress for half of Jerry Solomon's 
tenure, and what a privilege it has been, Jerry, over these past 10 
years to serve with you, as a team, because together we have 
accomplished a great deal for the capital region of the State of New 
York, and I will not go into those items right now. But one day on the 
steps, I think I was in my first or second term, we were having 
pictures taken with our respective constituents and Jerry grabbed me 
and asked the photographer to take a picture of the 2 of us. He later 
inscribed that photo and sent it over to my office and it is on my 
office wall today and it will stay there, and it says, ``Mike, thank 
you for being part of the 1-2 punch for the capital region of New 
York.'' Let me acknowledge, there was never any doubt about who was 
number 1 and who was number 2.
  But I want to say to my friend, Jerry, what a great honor it was, and 
it has been, to be number 2 on that team with you. And today I want to 
look you in the eye and say thank you for your service to our country, 
number 1, for the tremendous service you gave to your constituents 
throughout your long and distinguished career; and most importantly, 
thank you for what you gave to me. You have been a true and loyal 
friend, and while you are leaving here, and I regret that deeply, the 
one thing I take comfort in knowing is that that wonderful friendship 
will continue.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the 
gentleman from Redlands, California (Mr. Lewis), my very good friend, 
and the man who will be managing the conference report when we finally 
get to that point.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate my 
colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) yielding me this 
time.
  I simply wanted to rise to let the House try to remember the good old 
days of the House of Representatives. It was just after the election of 
1978 that the real bomb-throwers came to the Congress. I mean there 
were the likes of Newt Gingrich, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Solomon. I remember 
saying to Jerry one time, I do not sell life insurance, I help people 
buy it. We were the only 2 insurance agents in our class. He said, my, 
God, I wish I had thought about that.

                              {time}  1100

  Jerry kids me a lot about the fact that he has mellowed over the 
years. Many of us, Jerry, have mellowed. But also in this business, 
while we come

[[Page H9602]]

with preestablished notions about the way the world should work in the 
toughest business in public affairs, you do not understand that working 
with other people and recognizing that most issues have little to do 
with partisanship, per se, compromises, the way you move towards your 
objective in terms of the future of the country, not a Member in the 
House has done more of that kind of growing than Jerry Solomon.
  He has made a tremendous contribution to the House. He has told us 
all time and time again that we can work together if we will. And while 
he pounds his hand on the table, at the same time with a soft velvet 
glove he gets an awful lot of work done that very few people will 
understand.
  His district will have great difficulty ever replacing the quality 
and mix that has been Jerry Solomon in this House. I am proud to be his 
friend.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Stokes), the ranking member on the Subcommittee on VA, HUD and 
Independent Agencies Appropriations, who is also retiring, my dear 
friend.
  (Mr. STOKES asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts 
(Mr. Moakley), for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to associate myself with the remarks of my other 
colleagues and the tributes paid here today to chairman of the 
Committee on Rules, Jerry Solomon. As a Member of the Subcommittee on 
VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations, I can personally 
attest to the great respect that I have for the gentleman from New York 
and the manner in which he has represented the citizens the New York 
and the veterans of this country.
  All of us on that subcommittee became used to Jerry monitoring 
everything we did for veterans. We also knew that if we did not do what 
he felt should be done in any particular bill, that we would hear from 
him either when we went before the Committee on Rules or on the floor 
of this House.
  I had the opportunity to appear before Jerry Solomon on several 
occasions when I chaired the VA-HUD Subcommittee on Appropriations. I 
have also appeared before him on numerous occasions as the ranking 
member of the subcommittee. I have to say that I did not always get 
what I wanted from him, but I was always accorded a full hearing and a 
patient understanding of my concerns. Jerry was always courteous and 
considerate.
  I have always enjoyed watching Jerry in action on the floor. He is 
animated, passionate, and a real showman. No matter how much one may 
disagree with him, you must also always admire him.
  All of us, also, Jerry, admire your fierce patriotism and your love 
of this country. You have had a great career in the House. You have 
been a credit to this institution and to our Nation. As we both end our 
careers here at the end of this term, I just want you to know that it 
has indeed been a great honor for me to have served with you.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania (Mr. McDade) the distinguished chairman of 
the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, who also is joining 
that very distinguished group with Mr. Solomon and will be, 
unfortunately, retiring at the end of this term.
  (Mr. McDade asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. McDADE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from 
California (Mr. Dreier), the able gentleman and next chairman of the 
Committee on Rules for yielding me this time. I am grateful for the 
opportunity to join in this tribute to the distinguished gentleman from 
New York, my good friend, Jerry Solomon, chairman of the Committee on 
Rules.
  Jerry Solomon showed himself to be a patriotic champion for 
conservative causes as well as a masterful legislator. He has done 
yeoman's work. We have all benefited from the ``wisdom of Solomon,'' 
and so has the Nation. As the Marine, Semper Fi became more than a 
model for Jerry Solomon. It is his creed. He is genuinely always 
faithful, and it is part of what makes the gentleman from New York such 
a tenacious advocate for our Nation's citizens, veterans, workers, GIs 
and the list goes on and on.
  Throughout his career, the gentleman from New York has worked to 
protect our Nation's proud ensign and promote the fiscal prudence that 
has led to the elimination of the deficit.
  Mr. Speaker, I know that Jerry is not going to retire, so I will not 
use that word. He is much too active to do what retirement often means 
to people. And I wish to you and your wife, Freda, much success and 
happiness in your new life.
  I was looking forward, Jerry, to perhaps playing a game of golf with 
you. I thought maybe he does not golf. Maybe we could go fishing. I 
found out that Jerry does not fish much. What Jerry did is work, work 
with that huge envelope of material in front of him. You have been a 
great, great credit to the House, and we appreciate it.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Pasco, Washington (Mr. Hastings), a very valued member of the Committee 
on Rules and my good friend.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Dreier) for yielding me this time. It is my pleasure to 
be here to pay tribute to the chairman of the Committee on Rules, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon).
  Mr. Speaker, I have been using this first time on the committee to 
observe how really a master runs a very political committee, and I 
think the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon) has done a remarkable 
job.
  I first was aware of Jerry Solomon when I ran for office in 1994. I 
think on a weekly basis I would get faxes from his campaign office on 
various issues that Jerry Solomon felt very strongly about. I have to 
say, I agreed with a vast majority of what he said, which I think is a 
compliment to him. There are some things I disagreed on. But there was 
one thing that came to my mind about Jerry Solomon and that is this: He 
is very, very opinionated in his positions, as people have mentioned 
before, and yet here he is a chairman of a committee that is probably 
the most political committee in the Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I think the way that the gentleman has chaired that 
committee over the 2 years that I have been on it, and the 2 years 
prior to that time, has been very commendable. Probably the greatest 
measure of how well he has carried that out is that everybody on both 
sides, we hear today on the Democrat side, on the Republican side, that 
the gentleman has been very, very fair in carrying out his duties as 
chairman of that committee. That is probably the best measure of 
success.
  One last question I would like to ask. What really is in that folder 
that you carry around?
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I can recall being at a committee hearing when Jerry was 
presiding and after we recessed, an elderly gentleman came up and said, 
``Mr. Solomon, I have been watching the way you move here in the Rules 
Committee.'' He said, ``could you give me a copy of the rules by which 
you run the committee?'' Jerry took out a picture and just autographed 
it and said, ``Here it is.''
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. 
Meek).
  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Moakley) for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I would just like to say to Jerry, I really hate to see 
you leave. I seem to have a strong affinity with the older yet really 
good men in the Congress, Jerry.
  Everyone keeps addressing Jerry as a New Yorker. But many should know 
that he is also a Floridian. And he is sort of a little enigmatic to me 
at times in that he always tells me, ``Carrie, you get exactly what you 
want when you come before the Committee on Rules.'' But you know what, 
I do not. But I do not feel badly about it because Jerry has a way of 
turning you down with a smile. He shows no animosity. He shows no 
partisanship. He just tells you ``no'' when he does not agree with you. 
I appreciate that about you, Jerry.
  I think you can be identified with several identifiers as I see you. 
Number

[[Page H9603]]

one, you are very tenacious. There is a bulldog in him and he does not 
give up very easily. He makes his point on issues that are important to 
him. He smiles, he listens, but he never agrees, but he is fair.
  He is determined to represent the best in this Congress, and that is 
fairness. And even in his conservative nature, he is able many times to 
express issues from both sides of the point.
  I like Jerry also because he loves his wife. Some never mention their 
significant others in this Congress, but Jerry does. He talks about his 
wife. He talks about his family. He believes in the things that he 
comes to this well and purports to be.
  I like him because he is a clever strategist, a good politician, but 
he is not hypocritical. That is, he espouses his point of view, and, of 
course, he is able to do that in a very, very intelligent manner. He is 
funny. He is honest.
  Jerry, I want to thank you for your dedication to the veterans of 
this country and the way you have expressed your concerns before this 
Congress. We are going to miss you, Jerry. Thanks for serving with us 
this time.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Wood Dale, Illinois (Mr. Hyde), my very, very dear friend, the 
distinguished chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, which has 
gotten a little attention in the last 24 hours or so.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, saying good-bye is one of life's least 
pleasant tasks, especially when it is people you love, people you have 
grown to respect and count on. This year, and at the end of every 
Congress, we say good-bye to so many wonderful people. But Jerry 
Solomon is quite special.
  I could describe him as a perfect blue-white diamond in a sea of 
zircons, but that makes the rest us zircons and that might not be the 
most apt description.
  Jerry, they have talked about your fierce patriotism, about your 
loyalty to the party, about your energy, your activism. I just want to 
say two things about you.
  One, I know of your personal physical courage, spiritual courage. It 
is rare and it is marvelous. But most of all in a time of overpowering 
cynicism, you have proven by your 20 years here in Congress that 
politics can be a noble profession, because you have brought real 
nobility to it. We will miss you.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek) just alluded to 
Mr. Solomon's wife. When I first heard about Mr. Solomon's wife, I 
pictured a big, burly woman with a submachine gun guarding his premises 
in New York, as he brought up in one of the debates on gun control. 
Then I saw this beautiful, petite young lady in the Committee on Rules 
and I said, ``Are you still sitting at the window with that rifle?'' 
She denied it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Hinchey).
  Mr. HINCHEY. Mr. Speaker, I was over in my office listening to the 
proceedings here. I did not realize that this tribute to Jerry was 
going on, but I wanted to come over and participate in it. And while I 
was walking over here, of course, I was reminiscing about my 
relationship with Jerry over the years, if one could call it that.
  I first met Jerry almost a quarter of a century ago. I had just been 
elected to the New York State Legislature, and it was late in the year, 
1974, I think December. And I was going through the legislative office 
building, and the place was pretty dark and empty. I walked down the 
hall, and all the offices were dark. There was no one there, except I 
came upon this one office with the door opened. I looked inside, and 
there was someone working assiduously at a desk. It turned out to be 
Jerry Solomon.
  Mr. Speaker, that is the first time I met him. He made an impression 
on me that particular occasion, only because I remember it after all of 
these years. And that impression was not a false one. It was a very 
accurate one. The impression was simply this: that this was a man who 
was dedicated to his work; this was a man dedicated to his profession 
and to the people who elected him; this was a man dedicated to his 
work.
  He has lived up to that impression every single day that I have known 
him in the intervening 24 years. I served with Jerry for a short time 
in the State Assembly and then he was elected to the Congress, and then 
I knew about him only from time to time, and we would run across each 
other, reading about him in the newspapers.
  Then when I came here a few years later to begin to serve with him, I 
could witness again that same kind of energy, that same kind of 
enthusiasm, that same kind of dedication to his profession, to his 
work, to his constituents, and to his beliefs.
  Jerry and I differ on issues, and we have from time to time from the 
very beginning, and we continue to differ on some issues and will for 
the rest of our lives, I feel safe in saying. Nevertheless, I bear for 
him the greatest respect and admiration because he is an example of the 
total absence of ambivalence.

                              {time}  1115

  He believes in things. He believes in them fully, firmly and 
devoutly. You never have to question yourself with regard to where 
Jerry stands on any of the issues. He is very happy to tell you, and to 
tell you in the most direct and forthright way.
  So it is with a sense of sadness that I see him leave this chamber, 
but also with a sense of joy for him and for his family, because I know 
that he is going on to a new and productive life. And whatever it is to 
which Jerry dedicates himself, that will have the full devotion of a 
very competent man, indeed.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Corning, New York (Mr. Houghton).
  (Mr. HOUGHTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HOUGHTON. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Massachusetts said 
something about referring to a dictionary and trying to find out the 
definition of the word warm. I tried to do the same thing. I was 
thinking of Jerry as a great marine, a model marine, and I looked up 
model and it said miniature replica of the real thing. So I decided I 
would not use that.
  However, I do think of an article I read many years ago written by 
Bob McNamara, when he left Ford Motor Company and he joined the Defense 
Department, and he described people in positions of importance, of 
leadership. And he said there were two types of people; people who were 
sort of judicious and passive and sat back and made their judgments; 
and the others, who were active and pushing and doers and enablers. 
Jerry, you represent the finest of that, and I am honored to have 
served in this body with you.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Torres), a fellow Member who is also retiring.
  Mr. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great honor to stand here with so many of 
my colleagues and pay tribute to a great American, Jerry Solomon. And 
as has been just mentioned, he and I will exit here together. We will 
not be here next term. But I feel a good feeling leaving with a person 
like Jerry Solomon from these hallowed chambers.
  I have watched him over the years perform his job, as many of my 
colleagues here have mentioned, with great diligence and great 
dedication. Tough, but with well meaning in his heart. Honorably. We 
talk about an ex-marine, a model marine. That he is.
  I had the distinct privilege to travel with him to South Korea 
recently where we visited the DMZ, and I was so proud to stand with him 
on that line where he described his negotiations with the North 
Koreans, along with former Representative Sonny Montgomery, as they 
negotiated to bring back American bodies from that war-torn land. It 
was, indeed, an inspiration to be there with him.
  I would say to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) that he would 
have been proud of Jerry. I saw Jerry act as a statesman in the way he 
handled discussions in the Middle East, in central Asia, and in the Far 
East on many questions that are so close to the people in this body; 
peace negotiations, the discussion on the financial markets, the 
discussion on NATO questions. He, indeed, epitomizes a great

[[Page H9604]]

statesman, here in the House and abroad, and we were all so proud of 
him.
  We hate to see you leave, Jerry, I know, but I am going with you. So 
I hope that on some occasions we will come back here to meet again. I 
wish your wife Freda, an elegant lady, the best, and you and your 
daughter the best ever. Thank you so much. It has been a pleasure to 
serve with you.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Sanibel, Florida (Mr. Goss). We are all very gratified that our 
colleague from Sanibel has returned and that his wife is recovering 
well.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Goss).
  (Mr. GOSS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished friend from 
California (Mr. Dreier) for his words and the well wishes, as does my 
wife, and I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding me the 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to be here for this occasion to speak about 
the distinguished gentleman from Glens Falls, New York. He is a very 
unique Floridian. He is the one who went the wrong way. He was born in 
Florida and went to New York. Most of New York is coming to Florida, as 
we know, and we welcome him and we hope to get Jerry back, and Freda 
and others, back to Florida. We would be proud to have you.
  I think of a lot of things when I think about Jerry Solomon and my 
years of service with him. I started out being one of four on the 
Committee on Rules when he was the minority leader for us. I learned an 
awful lot. Then he did something magic and suddenly we were nine and 
the majority, and I have learned even more having him as our chairman.
  I think of energy. I think of vitality. Every time I think of Jerry, 
I think of a marine. Just find me a hill to charge up. He has got 
nonstop energy and will take on anything.
  And in this town particularly, I think of forthrightness. With Jerry 
Solomon, I do not think it is a question of having to read the tea 
leaves. If you have not figured out where he stands, listen to him for 
a minute, he will tell you very clearly. I think of integrity, 
professionalism, knowledgeability.
  I know, from my travels with Mr. Solomon around the world, from the 
love of his family, the love of his friends for him here and abroad, 
that he will not be forgotten. The wisdom of Solomon will endure very 
definitely, the reputation of Solomon will endure, and we all hope that 
Solomon will endure, and we look forward to working with him now and 
forever.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Glenwood Springs, Colorado (Mr. McInnis), another valued member of the 
Committee on Rules.
  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, the chairman of the Committee on Rules has 
ably served our country, and I can tell him that I have always looked 
at him with a great deal of respect not only as chairman but like a big 
brother.
  As I hear the stories, I first of all want to affirm that Freda is a 
wonderful, wonderful person. I wish she could be on the House floor. I 
wish our rules allowed her to be here to receive some of these tributes 
as well.
  But I do want to very quickly relate a story about how dedicated, in 
the marine type of environment, that our chairman is. Tragically, he 
lost a constituent in my district, in a river. And as my colleagues 
know, the Rocky Mountains can be terribly unforgiving. So the chairman 
called me up and said, look, we have this body, a constituent, and the 
family is grief stricken. I want that body recovered.
  I said, Mr. Chairman, you do not just recover these bodies that 
easily. It is somewhat of a difficult task. He said, I will bring in 
the Navy. I said, no, do not bring in the Navy. It will take a while 
for this thing to come up.
  The next day we had Navy helicopters in my district, we had Navy 
frogmen in my district. And the worst editorials I have ever gotten 
from my newspapers were because I knew Jerry Solomon and he brought in 
the military into the wilderness of Colorado.
  At any rate, you did succeed in your mission. You are dedicated to 
your constituents, you are dedicated to this country, and you are also 
dedicated to your colleagues. You have helped us a lot. So I want to 
confirm all those compliments and that we are going to miss you, Mr. 
Chairman.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Quinn).
  Mr. QUINN. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding me this 
time. There are too many people on that side, Jerry, so I had to come 
over to my good friends on this side of the aisle to get some time for 
you.
  I want to say, on behalf of all of us in New York, and I just left 
the American Legion's conference over in the Cannon Building, to come 
over and thank you on behalf of all veterans and all American Legion 
members and all citizens for your work on the flag amendment. We 
appreciate that deeply.
  Also, as a New Yorker, when we first came here, now three terms ago, 
a bunch of us were just dropped into the U.S. Congress and then they 
told us about something they called the committee on committees. We 
could not believe there was such a thing, but it was you who helped and 
guided us.
  I guess what I want to say on behalf of a lot of us, Jerry, as a 
former schoolteacher for many years up in Buffalo, New York, you have 
probably served, without even knowing it, because of your example and 
your discipline, as a teacher to many of us. And I am not talking about 
staff members, and not about the pages, I am talking about other 
Members of Congress. And for that, and all the other things you have 
heard here this morning, we thank you very much.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Richmond, Virginia (Mr. Bliley), one of my classmates, and the very 
distinguished chairman of the Committee on Commerce.
  (Mr.BLILEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BLILEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time. Like the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Henry Hyde) said so 
eloquently, it is always hard to say goodbye.
  Jerry is everything, but especially a patriot. We know about his 
efforts to create the Department of Veterans Affairs, about his efforts 
to pass a law that says if you do not register for the draft, you do 
not get any Federal funds or aid; if you are a college or university, 
and you do not allow military recruiters on your campus, you do not get 
any aid. His tireless work for Taiwan and the relationships between 
Taiwan and the United States. His tireless work to not forget Latvia, 
Lithuania and Estonia; that they should be members of NATO. And I know 
he will continue to work on that when he leaves this great body.
  But I would like to remember some of our travels with the North 
Atlantic Assembly. I remember particularly one time going with him to 
Maras, Turkey. We went on a boat up a river. It kind of reminded you of 
Moses and the papyrus and the reeds along the Nile. We got a terrible 
rain but we got up there.
  Another time we were in Brussels and we had a meeting with Sir Leon 
Britton, who represents very ably the European Community and the 
European Union on trade, and he really took on Sir Leon, so much so 
that, and these meetings with the Europeans always start late and 
finish later, but this one finished early. They were dumbfounded. And 
his great debates with the liberal labor member from Great Britain on 
defense, Bruce George.
  Mary Virginia and I loved being with Jerry and Freda. We will sorely 
miss you, Mr. Chairman. You have been a great friend. We have not 
always agreed, but you have always been helpful and a great inspiration 
to all of us. Godspeed.
  Jerry Solomon is a true American patriot. He is an ardent anti-
communist who supported the policies of Ronald Reagan. These policies 
brought down the Berlin Wall and won the Cold War. Jerry was only in 
his second term when Reagan entered office but Reagan knew he could 
count on Jerry to lead the charge on his anti-communist policies.
  Love of God, love of family, and duty, honor, country best describe 
Jerry. As a Marine, Jerry know peace did not come cheaply. Jerry fought 
strenuously for causes he cared

[[Page H9605]]

about as our colleague. His love of God and country guided him in his 
legislative accomplishments on Capitol Hill.
  His most significant accomplishment was the creation of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. During the bill signing, President 
Reagan paid tribute to Jerry. President Reagan remarked, ``We have it 
this year because Marine veteran Congressman Jerry Solomon worked to 
make sure the job would be completed before Congress adjourned.''
  In Jerry's unabashed style, he passed legislation which barred 
federal aid to those who refuse to register for the Selective Service; 
he also championed legislation that halts federal aid to colleges and 
universities that bar military recruiters from campus. And next year, 
Jerry, it will be the year a Constitutional Amendment banning flag 
burning passes both the House and the Senate and is sent to the States 
for ratification.
  Jerry, my friend you have a lot to celebrate in your retirement. In 
1978, when you were first elected to Congress, the Soviet Union and the 
spread of communism was running rampant. America was told by its 
President we were in a great malaise. Well, Jerry did not believe 
America's best days were behind us, and neither did a former Governor 
of California.
  Ronald Reagan believed in a Shining City on the Hill when he entered 
the White House. So did Jerry and I. We worked to strengthen the 
military because peace through strength is the only guarantee that 
America's freedom will be secured. We worked to pass President Reagan's 
tax cut that led to the longest peacetime expansion of the economy. 
Jerry was a leader on the war against drugs.
  Your leadership will be missed by many of us in Congress. Jerry, 
thank you for your friendship and camaraderie for the last 18 years. I 
have enjoyed traveling with you on our important North Atlantic 
Assembly missions.
  I wish you and Freda well in your retirement. You fought the good 
fight for the country you have loved. We owe you a debt of gratitude 
for your service to our country. The country is in better shape since 
you entered Congress 20 years ago. America's best days lie ahead and I 
know Jerry will never stop fighting for his country and his beliefs.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Ocala, Florida (Mr. Stearns).
  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, Jerry, it is with joy but also with sadness 
that I come down here in this short amount of time to tell you what a 
great guy you are and how much we are going to miss you.
  I think a lot of people do not realize Jerry was an entrepreneur, an 
insurance agent. He was making a lot of money. And for him to come 
here, he gave up a lot of his business. It has been quite a sacrifice. 
In fact, I imagine he would be a multi-millionaire by now if he had 
still kept his business.
  Many of my colleagues talked about his experience in the Marine 
Corps. He also has served with distinction as an active member of the 
Disabled American Veterans, the American Legion and the Marine Corps 
League. So I think his patriotism is there for all of us to see.
  This gentleman also served with distinction on the Foreign Affairs 
Committee and on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. And we talk 
about his great distinction as chairman of the Committee on Rules, but 
those committees also were his forte. In addition, he is a former 
chairman of the Prisoners of War, Missing in Action Task Force, and is 
still an active participant in this task force.
  He has been identified with various issues, but the issue that I 
really identify with him is the second amendment and the fourth 
amendment. I will never forget on the House floor, in the evening, when 
Mr. Solomon stood up to argue for the right to bear arms, in which he 
talked about his wife alone in upstate New York. There was silence and 
quiet, stillness on the House floor, when he said, she is alone 
tonight, and I want to ensure that my wife, who is alone, should have 
the right to protect herself against unwanted intruders. I know his 
debate and his expression carried the day.
  So we all know of Jerry Solomon's patriotism. We know he has the 
wisdom of Solomon, and we are going to miss him. He certainly lives up 
to the Marine Corps motto: Semper fidelis. Always faithful. God bless 
you Jerry Solomon and God bless America.

                              {time}  1130

  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I want to look you right in the eye, Mr. 
Chairman, because this is a special day.
  When I first came to this Congress just a few years ago, I was 
looking for this ``Mr. Chairman,'' Mr. Solomon. He was described to me 
as a shy and retiring person, someone whom you might not often know 
what his opinion was; quite the contrary Jerry Solomon did let you know 
where he stood. After a few times on the floor, someone came to me and 
said, ``You know, you are just as shy and retiring as Chairman 
Solomon.'' That was a compliment.
  Mr. Solomon, our experiences together were quite interesting. I came 
frequently to the Rules Committee, and I would like to thank you, for 
even though disagreeing with me, you treated me fairly and gave me the 
opportunity to express my views and to come to the gateway committee 
and say that I think this particular legislation should be done this 
way or that way.
  This is an appropriate time to give you honor and appreciation, for 
you helped us understand the ultimate sacrifice made by veterans, those 
living today as well as those in the military who gave their lives for 
our country. We thank you for that.
  One of my fondest memories since I see Chairman Gilman sitting next 
to you, was that I was able to join you along with Chairman Gilman when 
we honored the fallen men in World War II and honored them by placing 
wreaths on their graves in Europe. That was a particularly special 
occasion for those of us who claim birth after World War II, for it 
helped us understand fully what this country's freedom truly means.
  I applaud you also for the love that you express for your family, 
your wife, your daughter, and that great New York community that has a 
lot of apples in it which you represent. Finally, I just simply wanted 
to thank you for teaching me a thing or two about the Rules Committee, 
however, I also want to let your colleagues know and the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Moakley), whose service I appreciate, I will be 
back. We look forward to being with you in the future. Mr. Solomon, 
Godspeed!
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, it is a great tribute to the gentleman from 
New York that more than a couple of people want to talk about him; as 
some said celebrate his planned departure.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that we extend the allotted time 
5 minutes for the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Moakley) and 5 
minutes for our side.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Upton). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) 
is allocated an extra 5 minutes as is the gentleman from Massachusetts 
(Mr. Moakley).
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my very good 
friend, who also is retiring, the gentleman from Naperville, IL (Mr. 
Fawell).
  Mr. FAWELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for yielding 
time. Jerry, I want you to know that I am not going to miss you in the 
106th because I am not going to be here, either. But I know that 
Congress will miss you very much.
  You are the leader of the Rules Committee. You are a leader in many 
ways. I would describe you simply as a leader of men and people in 
general. There are two kinds of people I have been told in this world 
when faced with a problem and they ask either how can I help or what is 
in it for me. In politics sometimes it is the latter, where the ego 
takes control. I have never found that to be the case with you. I have 
found that what you see is what you get in Jerry Solomon. You know 
exactly where you do stand and basically that means that here is a man 
who is very interested in serving people because he is empathetic and 
concerned about people. Time and again I can say as one who did not 
serve in any committee with you, that when I was in trouble on the 
floor, many times I was in trouble, you were there. Many times when I 
did not even ask you, you would come down here, when I was a pork-
buster,

[[Page H9606]]

for instance, and time and time again you did give me so much help.
  You are a man that believes in giving. You know that by giving, that 
is how you receive. You know that by loving, that is how you really are 
loved. That is why the people in this Congress, I think, think so very 
much of you. You got a big file, but you do not need that. You are a 
big man, anyway.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Rangel) the ranking member of the Committee on Ways and 
Means.
  (Mr. RANGEL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, let me thank my colleagues for extending the 
time. I never would have forgiven myself if I had not been here to join 
with my colleagues to say thank you for the friendship that Jerry has 
extended to all of us in this Congress. It is great being an American. 
It is great being a Member of this august body. It is even better being 
a New Yorker type of an American, but for those people that have never 
been able to serve in the past, it was a different atmosphere than we 
have today, and the friendships that we made then have proven that no 
matter how testy the issue, no matter how partisan the House, it has 
never really affected the friendships that we have had over the years.
  In the Rules Committee, whether in the minority or as the chairman, 
the courtesy, the professionalism that has been extended even when you 
know that you are not going to get what you want, you leave knowing 
that you have been treated fairly. Certainly as the dean of the New 
York State delegation where we have political views from the left and 
the right, you have been the hub, Jerry, for all of us, because no 
matter how contentious the issue, you have always maintained a 
friendship, your smile, and your personality.
  I would just like to say in closing, however, that once you came to 
me and indicated that I had been in combat in Korea with the Marines 
and you were semper fi-ing and everything to me, and I wondered whether 
or not you really had the right guy and whether you were so friendly 
because you thought I was in the Marines and I had to tell you, that, 
no, it was my son that was in the Marines and I was in the Army, and I 
often wondered as to whether or not it made a difference. But I value 
your friendship. You have made a great contribution to this House, but 
more importantly in the lives of those of us who have been fortunate 
enough to serve, you have made a difference.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, my friend from New York (Mr. Rangel) has 
just touted the greatness of being from New York. I think it is great 
to be from California.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my fellow Californian, the 
gentleman from Newport Beach (Mr. Cox).
  Mr. COX of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from 
California for yielding time. It is fitting that we are here on the 
floor giving tribute to Jerry Solomon under a structured rule that 
limits the time for debate. Most of us would like to take an hour at 
least to say what we have on our minds and in our hearts.
  When 48 years ago Jerry Solomon left college to volunteer for the 
Marine Corps, to deal with the Communist invasion of South Korea, he 
started a lifetime of service to his country. As I look on the floor 
and see the portraits of George Washington and the Marquis de 
Lafayette, I see two men whom we can see in Jerry Solomon, soldier 
statesmen who loved their country even when for them it was just an 
idea, the idea of freedom to which Jerry has committed his life.
  There was somebody else that I met and had a chance to work for that 
I thought was unique, President Ronald Reagan. I worked for him in the 
White House. I was quite sure that I should have given up my job in 
California and come to work for Ronald Reagan because there would never 
be another one like him, but I found here in the House of 
Representatives one like him, one very much like him, Jerry Solomon, 
the chairman of the Rules Committee, who is tough as nails on issues, 
just like Ronald Reagan was, but who interpersonally is friendly and 
courteous and respectful of his colleagues and of his constituents. He 
smiles a lot. Because just as much as he loves his country, he loves 
life. He loves his family, he loves this institution, and I daresay in 
our better moments all of us. Your way, Jerry, your sense of 
patriotism, your love of everything in which you have involved yourself 
is contagious. You have brightened this institution for a generation. 
You have brightened my life. Even when you are not here, when you come 
back as maybe a Supreme Court Justice to give us shorter, more to the 
point opinions, we will always know that we are your friends and you 
ours. Thank you so much for the opportunity to serve with you.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
New York (Mrs. Kelly).
  Mrs. KELLY. Jerry, you have been such a great friend and a neighbor 
of mine ever since I came to this body and really before I got here in 
1994, 1995. But mostly you have been a mentor to me. You have been a 
true leader of this House. You have built support for various 
legislative initiatives over the course of so many years. The 
experience you have brought here to this body has made the body a 
better place. It has brought more of New York common sense to 
Washington than many of the others of us. You have stood, you have 
fought not only for the Nation but you fought for our State and our 
Nation as a whole. I think that is a wonderful attribute, Jerry. So 
many people are here that do not speak with quite as loud a voice as 
you have, Jerry, and I have to tell you, that strong, loud voice is 
something we New Yorkers love and appreciate and are going to miss 
tremendously. The House is going to seem less next year. That is 
because the very large role that you, Jerry Solomon, have crafted here 
in Congress is going to be empty. So those of us from New York will 
continue to build consensus and make the bills we pass good for New 
York and this Nation we will try to make as good as possible, but we 
will do that with you in our hearts, Jerry.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my very good 
friend, the gentleman from Winter Park, FL (Mr. Mica).
  (Mr. MICA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, and my good colleague Mr. Solomon, I am really 
sad that Jerry is leaving us now. He served 10 years with my brother 
Dan Mica and the truly sad part about his leaving is after 6 years, he 
no longer calls me Dan.
  All kidding aside, Mr. Speaker and Mr. Solomon, at a time when our 
country is really cynical about its leadership in Congress and 
politicians in general, I cannot think of anyone who has set a better 
example by his life and his conduct than Jerry Solomon. Jerry Solomon 
has been in all instances a national leader, someone who typifies what 
people want of their individuals who serve in politics. He came from 
business, gave up his fortune, time with his family to dedicate it here 
to his country.
  Jerry Solomon, I tell you this from the bottom of my heart, I know is 
a true patriot and his top priority has been those who wear the uniform 
and his daily concern has been to strengthen our national security. No 
one exemplifies true patriotism more than Jerry Solomon.
  Lastly, Jerry Solomon, if you do not know him or have not known him, 
is a family man. No one greater sets an example for this country or for 
this Congress than Jerry Solomon and the example he has set as a family 
man. I salute everyone and particularly Jerry as my friend and will 
miss him, but he has a special place in all of our hearts and our 
memories.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Fox).
  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts 
(Mr. Moakley) for yielding time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute a great individual, a role model 
Congressman, Jerry Solomon from New York. He has showed in every way he 
has worked, whether as an advocate on the floor, whether in committee 
work, the perseverance for the people.

                              {time}  1145

  His high character shows about what he is all about, a proud veteran, 
a Marine's Marine, someone who fights for

[[Page H9607]]

not only people from New York but all across America, for veterans 
matters, for military matters, for anything that matters to the people 
of this country. He has been fair, he has been compassionate, he has 
been our great friend, and I look forward to seeing him be back on the 
floor, and hopefully maybe some day in the Senate, maybe some day 
President.
  Mr. Speaker, I know he wants to retire from this body, but we need 
him back for this country because he has been a fighter for the people, 
he has done a great job, and we could not be more proud of him.
  God love you and your family, may God's blessing be on you from every 
day here forward.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Kennedyville, Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest), fellow Marine with the 
gentleman from New York, Mr. Solomon.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Jerry, I guess some decades ago when you occasionally 
were barely able to hold up your M-1 rifle because you were holding it 
for hours in the rain with sand fleas on that glorious place called 
Paris Island you did not really dream of serving your Nation in this 
capacity as an U.S. Member of Congress. But those early days on Paris 
Island gave you a sense of pride, not pride in yourself, but pride in 
America, and your presence here on the House floor has lifted us up 
with your pride because your pride comes from your love of your 
country, your love of your colleagues, and so that gift that you have 
given to us has been enormous.
  I heard one time, Jerry, from a Marine that there are five words that 
make up a person's life, and you really are the epitome of those things 
when someone gets to know you personally, and that is humility, 
commitment, compassion, faith and love. And that is being American, 
Jerry, and you have given us quite a gift.
  So we salute you. Semper fi.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Staten Island, New York (Mr. Fossella).
  (Mr. FOSSELLA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. FOSSELLA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Dreier) for yielding this time to me, and I have been listening to this 
tribute to an American original. The gentleman from upstate New York is 
the essence of what this country really is all about, the notions of 
liberty and freedom. But more important, the willingness to die for 
those things.
  I have only been here about a year, and I have not had the privilege 
of serving for the 20 years that so many other Members of this body 
have had to serve with Jerry Solomon. But in less than a year I have 
come to respect the man who is the benchmark for integrity, and in days 
when there are so many relatives around in terms of, well, it is 
relatively okay or it is okay for now, Jerry Solomon represents the 
notions that there are absolutes: truth and integrity.
  The people of upstate New York are some wonderful, wonderful people, 
and they represent the best of this great country, and they have 
exercised their great judgment for the last 20 years in sending us an 
American original. Mr. Solomon, as the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. 
Kelly) said, you are a mentor to many of us. I salute you.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to another great 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Forbes).
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from California for 
yielding this time to me, and it is with great emotion frankly and 
eternal respect for my good friend, Jerry Solomon, who served not only 
this Nation so ably, but the people of the 22nd district, and I 
remember almost 23 years ago when I first met Jerry Solomon, and at the 
time he was a member of the Assembly of the State of New York and 
distinguished himself there as a champion for the Empire State and took 
that great leadership role that he had in New York and brought it to 
Washington when he was elected in 1978. And for me it has been a 
wonderful ride with Jerry.
  Jerry, you are truly, as my friend from Staten Island noted, you have 
been a mentor to many of us. I remember as a young staffer in the State 
Assembly how you at that time became a role model and, even more so, 
when I was distinguished and allowed to represent the first district of 
New York.
  I have to tell you that it is with great sadness that we watch as you 
prepare to accept new challenges at the end of the year. You have 
served this Nation so ably.
  And when I think of terms like ``a man of the people,'' I mean, my 
colleagues, you must know that Jerry Solomon treated the 22nd district 
and worked so hard every day as if it was a cliff hanger for him. He 
would drive up and down the Northway and the Thruway and Route 9, and 
at a moments notice he would stop in on a community and meet with 
constituents, any group of constituents, and he did that, and he never 
took the people for granted, he worked very, very hard. And frankly 
when I think of terms like ``patriotism'' Jerry Solomon to me embodies 
all the best attributes of patriotism. He has been not just a role 
model, but a dedicated patriot, and God love you Jerry, and Godspeed.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to extend the debate 
for 5 minutes on each side.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Upton). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Pelosi).
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished ranking member for 
yielding this time to me and thank him also for giving me this 
opportunity to speak about our mutual friend and colleague, Mr. Solomon 
of New York.
  Mr. Solomon and I have nothing in common politically; is that not 
correct? However I have enjoyed following his leadership on human 
rights issues throughout the world where he has been an unsurpassed 
champion. It speaks, I think, to how the House used to be that people 
so far a part on the political spectrum could come together and work on 
an issue.
  I first became acquainted with Mr. Solomon and his magnificent wife, 
Frieda, in the North Atlantic Assembly proceedings and saw his 
leadership on behalf of our country there, and, yes, his patriotism 
there. When he became Chair of the Committee on Rules, although that 
meant the Democrats were no longer in power, he always with a smile 
either granted an amendment on those rare occasions or with a smile 
turned down an amendment or even admonished us, but always with a 
smile.
  But the one overriding observation I would like to make is how 
devoted Mr. Solomon was and is to the district he represents. Every 
time he spoke on the floor he spoke from the perspective of his 
constituents and certainly his conscience and the Constitution, but 
never forgetting his constituents. How many times you took off that 
jacket and showed us that shirt that used to be made in his district 
demonstrating his concern for the workers in his district, and in that 
way workers throughout America who are caught up in this change of 
globalization.
  So on behalf of my own constituents, Mr. Solomon, I want to thank you 
for your leadership on human rights issues throughout the world, I want 
to thank you for your leadership on behalf of American workers, I want 
to thank you for your cooperation from time to time, but even when not 
cooperating, always with a smile. And I want to wish you and Frieda all 
the best as you go forward.
  Thank you for your service. Congratulations on your decision. We will 
miss you. It is hard to imagine the House of Representatives here 
without Mr. Solomon and without the famous Solomon folder.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Jacksonville, Florida (Mrs. Fowler), my good friend.
  (Mrs. Fowler asked and was given permission to revise and extend her 
remarks.)
  Mrs. FOWLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my appreciation to 
a good friend for his leadership and his service to the American 
people. As my colleagues know, in addition to being an advocate, strong 
advocate, of conservative ideals, Jerry has always been concerned about 
our issues of national security. As has been mentioned here several 
times today, he is a former Marine, fought during the Korean war, and 
he has always remained semper fi

[[Page H9608]]

to his country and the duty of protecting its military interests.
  It has been said that the test of a vocation is the love of the 
drudgery that it involves, and I do not know for sure if Jerry loves 
that aspect of serving as a chairman of the Committee on Rules, but he 
certainly deserves all of our heartfelt thanks for his service in this 
difficult and sometimes very thankless job.
  So as we approach the final days of the 105th Congress, I wish Jerry 
and his wife, Frieda, the best of luck. I know they are going to enjoy 
the time they can now spend with their family, including their six 
grandchildren, but I will say I am going to miss a good friend, a good 
adviser. I went to him so many times for advice, and it was always 
good.
  So, Jerry, we wish you well, and we will truly miss you.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Somerset, Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), my good friend.
  Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding this time 
to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I do not know what we will do around here for opinions 
when Jerry Solomon leaves. I suspect we will find a way to give 
opinions, but certainly the opinionated Mr. Solomon, the Marine that is 
still a Marine in this body is someone we are going to miss, all of us.
  You always knew where Jerry Solomon stood. He was not hesitant to let 
you know what his feelings were about a given topic, and that continues 
to this day. We need more of that around here, but certainly Jerry 
Solomon gave us during his tenure here his ideas and his passionate 
feelings about every issue that hit this floor, and that is what we 
admire about him. We admire his honesty and his truthfulness and his 
integrity because you knew exactly what he was telling you came from 
directly in the heart, and that heart was of course made of solid gold, 
molded during some of our Nation's most tumultuous times in Korea in 
combat and otherwise.
  So, Jerry, we are going to miss you. Your service, especially these 
last few years as the traffic cop of all legislation coming to the 
floor of the House, Chairman of the Committee on Rules, is a service 
that is a pretty thankless job, but we are all here to say thank you.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Enterprise, Alabama (Mr. Everett) my good friend.
  (Mr. EVERETT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. EVERETT. Mr. Speaker, I want to associate myself with all these 
great things that have been said about Jerry Solomon, but I also like 
to tell the Members something that is going to surprise them.
  I got here in the 103rd Congress, and there were two Members from a 
little place called Midland City, Alabama, population 400, myself and 
my friend Earl Hutto, the gentleman from Florida. We found that we 
lived in the same house in this small Dale County, Alabama town. Well, 
also my good friend, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. John Lewis) is 
from about 18 miles up the road, just over the Dale County line in Pike 
County, Alabama. Being very proud of that, I told Jerry Solomon the 
story one day, and he started laughing.
  I said, ``What are you laughing at?''
  He said, ``You don't know where I'm from?''
  I said, ``Well, I guess you're from New York. You've represented them 
now for 18 years.''
  He said, ``No, I'm from Echo.''
  Mr. Speaker, Echo is 7 miles from Midland City, Alabama, and then had 
a population of about 40 people. We had in the 103rd Congress 4 U.S. 
Congressmen from a rural southeast county of Alabama.
  I recently, last week, gave Jerry a note from a relative of his who 
stated how much his Dale County family they loved and admired him. 
Jerry, I think you have heard here today we love you, and we admire 
you, and we are going to miss you.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Hall).
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to get to rise and say a 
few words for Jerry Solomon.
  I served as a Judge for 12 years in Texas. I was 10 years in the 
Texas Senate. I have been up here 18 years. As my colleagues know, part 
of the compensation we get for public service is getting to know people 
like Jerry Solomon. I know of no one in the years whom I have met all 
through the years, anyone that has influenced me more or that I have 
been more impressed by or that I would rather be a role model for my 
sons than this man we are honoring here today.

                              {time}  1200

  I know there is a tombstone in Blairsville, Pennsylvania that says 
``Stop here my friend and cast an eye. You are now; so was I. As I am 
now, you will be. Prepare for death and follow me.'' And, Jerry, 
somebody added later, ``To follow you, I am not content until I know 
which way you went.''
  Let me tell you we know which way you are going. You are going home 
to a family that loves you. You are going home to a district that 
respects you. You are going home to a country that you served well. You 
lit the fire to the Reagan revolution here. You are my kind of guy.
  God bless you. And how lucky I am to have known you and how lucky the 
people are to have come home.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Pleasantville, Pennsylvania (Mr. Peterson).
  Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to share my 
admiration for a Member of Congress who I think is unique. If I had a 
list of top 10 effective Members of Congress to affect this country, 
Jerry, you would be in it and near the top.
  Jerry, I admire your tenacity, your toughness, your intensity, but 
your soft and gentle kindness and good spirit. Now those yet good 
spirits may change when people cheat you or lie to you or are unfair. 
But that is the way it should be.
  I admire that you fear nobody, that it does not seem to matter what 
the issue is. You do not show fear. You do what is right.
  I admire how you fought for our veterans and how you fought for the 
defense and sovereignty of America as much as anyone in this country 
ever has.
  Jerry, you are the kind of Congressman I hope to be. You are the kind 
of person I want my son to be like. You are a model to us all, and you 
have made a huge difference as you have served us here, and I thank 
you.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent again that we extend 
the debate for 5 minutes on each side.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Blunt). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Reno, 
Nevada (Mr. Gibbons).
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from 
California, for yielding to me. I find it a true honor as a freshman to 
be here standing and addressing my good friend, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Solomon), because you do not have to be here 20 years, as I 
have been only 1 year, to find him to be a true friend and a man that 
we all look up to.
  I say, as we look out today among our colleagues here, we are 
approaching the end of an era at the end of the 105th, the era of 
Solomon in this Congress. The gentleman from New York will be truly 
missed as a gentleman who fought for veterans, fought for the flag, 
fought for this country.
  I think of General MacArthur when he said, and I will paraphrase, 
``Duty, honor, country.'' Those three hallowed words mean and reflect 
all that you can be, all that you should be, all that you will be. I 
think those of us who admire Jerry Solomon believe those three words 
are indeed the reflection of Jerry.
  Jerry, as you go home to your family and a loving constituency, I 
want to wish you the very best and to your wife and family as well. I 
salute you for your hard work, your dedication, and your friendship in 
this body.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New 
Hartford, New York (Mr. Boehlert).
  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a special pleasure for me to 
be

[[Page H9609]]

here in this well to talk about a man with whom I have had some of my 
fiercest battles with in my service in these 16 years in the Congress 
and some of the most pleasant satisfying victories.
  I know of no individual who is a better friend of the veteran, of the 
farmer, of the working men and women in America than Jerry Solomon. He 
will be missed for all the right reasons.
  He is as conservative as any Member of this House; but underneath 
that hard veneer, he has got a heart as big as all outdoors. There are 
a lot of people who have benefited from the service of Jerry Solomon in 
the Congress of the United States. So it is a privilege for me to be 
here in this well saluting this very distinguished American.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Syracuse, New York (Mr. Walsh), one of our distinguished cardinals.
  Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Dreier) for yielding me time to come here and say some nice things 
about my friend, Jerry Solomon, as so many others are.
  You are rich in friends, Mr. Chairman, and it is deservedly so. You 
are truly one of the leaders of our country. You are truly the leader 
of the New York State delegation. I owe you my position that was just 
mentioned on the Committee on Appropriations. Without your strong 
support, fiery support, I probably would not be there. So I am indebted 
to you for that.
  You are a gentleman, a soldier, a Congressman, and a true defender of 
this country, its flag, and its veterans and all its marvelous 
institutions. We thank you for your sense of humor and, more 
importantly, we thank you for your sense of honor.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to my good friend, the 
gentleman from Huntington Beach, California (Mr. Rohrabacher).
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, Jerry Solomon has given a new meaning 
to the words ``the wisdom of Solomon.'' All of us who have served with 
him, and I have served with him for the last 10 years, understand what 
that means.
  Jerry Solomon, first and foremost, and this is, I think, the word 
that best describes Jerry, is that Jerry Solomon is a patriot. That is 
what America has always depended on, the likes of Jerry Solomon. I am 
very proud to have served at your side, Jerry. Jerry Solomon is a 
patriot. Jerry Solomon is courageous. He is a man of integrity.
  To all of us who you are leaving behind, you are leaving behind 
friends. You are a good friend. We respect you. We admire you. We wish 
you luck, Jerry. Thank you very much for the service you have done for 
the United States of America. You have done a good job for our country.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to my friend, the gentleman 
from Saint Joseph, Michigan (Mr. Upton).
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, it has been a great delight for me to serve 
as Speaker pro tempore during part of this great tribute to a wonderful 
man who loves this House, Jerry Solomon.
  I have had the opportunity to know the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Solomon) for a long time from my days when I served for Ronald Reagan 
and now as a Member of this House. We all love this House. No greater 
love comes from a man with terrific respect, Jerry Solomon.
  It is a great tribute to you that, as you finish this year, we have a 
balanced budget; and now we can, in fact, use that surplus to reduce 
the debt. That is the next battle.
  I can remember the days and the issues where we met together on so 
many different times moving the Solomon budget. Yes, it was bipartisan. 
We got one Democrat, we got 19 Republicans, and we fell far short of 
getting the battle won. But somehow, some way, today we prevailed.
  It is because of your great efforts in so many different ways that we 
do love this House and we love the men and women who serve it. Thanks 
to people like you, a man with courage, with heart, thoughtfulness and 
compassion, a great man that we look forward to seeing again. Thank 
you, Jerry.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to close this debate by saying that this 
was clearly one of the most moving testimonials, to a Member who is 
going to retirement, that I have seen in the 18 years that I have been 
privileged to serve here.
  Many people have talked about great things but one of the things that 
struck me is this issue of sacrifice. It is a privilege for all of us 
to serve here, and most everyone enjoys their service, but, in fact, 
there is sacrifice that goes with service as a Member of the United 
States Congress.
  Those of us who sit on the Committee on Rules have had the 
opportunity on many occasions to hear Jerry Solomon refer to the fact 
that when he came to the Congress he had to sell his real estate, his 
securities and his insurance businesses, and, it, in fact, has been a 
sacrifice for him.
  We often hear of our Founders who gave their lives, their fortunes 
and their sacred honor. We are glad that Jerry has not given his life 
and we know that he has not given up his sacred honor, but we know that 
he did have to give up much of his fortune to do that. So he has made a 
great sacrifice.
  His book, The Balanced Budget, has been a dream that he has had for 
many, many years, long before he came here. I am very gratified that we 
have been able to pass the first balanced budget in a quarter of a 
century while Jerry was here serving as a member of that committee.
  God and the voters willing, I will have the chance in the 106th 
Congress to keep the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Moakley) sitting 
at my right as the ranking member, and to try to fill Jerry's shoes as 
chairman of the Committee on Rules.
  It will be an impossible task, but I have been privileged to enjoy 
his encouragement and support for the many years that I have served 
there.
  Mr. Speaker, while I know the time is rapidly coming to a close, I 
yield one minute to my very, very dear friend, the gentleman from Glens 
Falls, New York (Mr. Solomon).
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I will not take but a minute because there are a lot of 
things I like to brag about that I am good at but I am not good at 
this. I am afraid of what might happen if I stood up here and talked 
too much because I am an emotional person. In 20 years, I have had some 
emotional events on this floor. Some that I'm proud of, some that I 
might not be so proud of.
  I can recall something a couple of years ago. I was raised by my 
grandmother and my grandfather. They were of Scottish descent and they 
always taught me first and foremost that you always respect and honor 
women. And I remember I got into a debate late one night with the 
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), on that side of the aisle, 
and I did something that I was always ashamed of because I was rude to 
a woman. I was rude to a Member of this body, and that is something we 
should never, never do.
  I would just tell the Members that we can be emotional, we can be 
opinionated, as I am, but we should always be respectful of each other.
  Ron Dellums, like the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), is on 
the opposite end of the political and philosophical spectrum from me. 
Ron Dellums and I had some tremendous battles on this floor but we 
always walked off the floor and we were friends afterwards. That is 
what will make this place a success, and I would just thank all of the 
Members for their remarks. It means a great deal to me.
  I better not talk any longer, but I will say this right now, I am 
going to invite all of the Members, men and women, the Members of this 
body, to step outside so that I can hug the women and shake hands with 
the men and tell them how much I love and respect this great 
institution. It has been a great honor and privilege to serve here for 
two decades and I have cherished every minute of it. I thank all of you 
for your generous remarks. I love you all.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a large group of people who are unable to speak 
here on the House floor. They sit here regularly; they work upstairs in 
the Committee on Rules, on many occasions around-the-clock, and I would 
like to, on behalf of those members of the staff

[[Page H9610]]

of the Committee on Rules, say how much they will miss the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Solomon) and how much they have appreciated their 
great time of service with him.
  Mr. Speaker, I will say that there are many other Members who have 
indicated to me that they would like to have had the chance to 
participate in this tribute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Solomon), but because of the exigencies of their schedule they were 
unable to.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on this tribute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon) that 
surrounds House Resolution 574.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I rise with my many colleagues on both sides 
of the aisle to offer a many-gun salute to one of the clearly most 
vigorous, admired, and truly respected leaders ever to come to these 
Halls of Congress.
  My colleagues, this courageous and dynamic Marine veteran who arrived 
on the Hill twenty years ago has not only been a credit to the Marine 
Corps in terms of the vitality and drive with which he discharged his 
duties, but also to this House to which he has for so long given so 
much of his energy and good judgment. These Halls will remain desolate 
for a long time after our very good friend Gerald Solomon has departed.
  As the Chairman of the Rules Committee, one of the most important and 
difficult tasks on Capitol Hill, Jerry attacked his work with a 
spirited dedication rarely seen on the Hill. Involved in every serious 
piece of legislation, his ability to control the flow of business and 
determine which alternatives should be brought up for a vote has been 
close to legendary.
  The 22nd District of New York, which includes much of Hudson Valley, 
has been a Republican area since the birth of the Republican Party, and 
Jerry Solomon has aggressively supported most of the conservative 
programs of the Party, reflecting his own convictions and those of his 
loyal constituents. Year after year the voters have returned him to 
office by wide margins because they could see that Gerald Solomon was 
no sleeping Rip van Winkle, the legendary figure which Washington 
Irving placed historically in Jerry's district high up on the Hudson 
River. According to the story, Rip van Winkle slept for twenty years. 
No one can accuse Jerry Solomon of sleeping during the twenty years he 
has been the two-fisted Representative of the 22nd District of New 
York.
  My colleagues, we will not soon again see the likes of this genial 
and industrious Marine veteran who has easily earned the warm 
friendship of so many of his colleagues in this maelstrom of 
legislative activity.
  May he find real solace in retirement on the quiet banks of the 
Hudson and in the hollows and the hills of upper New York area of his 
youth. We are sure that Jerry will not be satisfied with just an 
occasional short emulation of Rip van Winkle, because we really expect 
that he will father a memoir or two, giving his perspective on his many 
years of generous and cheerful jousting on the Floor of this House.
  We will sorely miss this good man, a friend of so many and a model 
for every new member to emulate. We would be most unhappy if Jerry did 
not come back to the Floor often to reacquaint us all with the 
cordiality and enthusiasm with which he so often greeted us these many 
years. God bless, Jerry, and Godspeed!
  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak in tribute to Jerry 
Solomon and his many years of service and leadership to this country.
  Chairman Solomon is a strong, effective and passionate chairman of 
the Rules Committee. He is a true Leatherneck--no-nonsense, patriotic 
and capable of getting the job done.
  I had the pleasure of working closely with Jerry Solomon on the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act--which has effectively ended the 
irresponsible practice of Congress passing the bill to state and local 
governments and the taxpayers they represent. Jerry's commitment to 
unfunded mandates relief--and his tireless advocacy were key to passage 
of this landmark legislation.
  Jerry has also been one of the most vocal Members of Congress in the 
vital fight to reduce drug abuse in this country. I've been pleased to 
work with him on a number of issues--the Drug Free Communities Act and 
the recently passed Drug Demand Reduction Act. There is no member of 
this body more committed to reducing substance abuse than Jerry 
Solomon. The issue burns in his heart.
  The U.S. House of Representatives is losing a real fighter in Jerry 
Solomon. Happily, he is leaving the Rules Committee's gavel in capable 
hands, but we'll miss his drive, energy and determination.
  I know Chairman Solomon will be watching C-SPAN in upstate New York 
to keep an eye on us, and I hope and expect to continue to hear his 
firm and passionate voice on issues of concern to our country.
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, what can I say, at the end of this Congress 
America is going to truly miss one of it's great Conservative leaders.
  The powerful Chairman of the House Rules Committee, Jerry Solomon 
will be retiring to pursue new opportunities.
  This former Marine, serving the United States House of 
Representatives since 1978, has been known for defending the American 
flag, fighting the war against drugs, protecting our nations veterans, 
the interests of our nations military, and running a committee that is 
fair to this body and fair to the American people.
  Not only has Congressman Solomon been known for his policy, he is 
also know for his great sense of humor, his devotion to his family, and 
his pride in his work.
  Congressman Solomon, it has truly been an honor serving this great 
nation together, and you will be greatly missed. I wish you, your wife 
Freda, and your entire family all the best.
  As a veteran, and man who loves this country, as I know you do, today 
sir I salute you for your hard work, honesty, integrity, and devotion 
to this country.
  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about a great friend of mine 
who throughout his congressional career has been a strong and 
passionate leader whom I am personally proud to have served alongside 
of in the House of Representatives.
  He is a loyal patriot to his country and devoted husband and father 
to his family. No one can doubt his allegiance to the Marine Corps and 
no one can doubt his sincerity nor his passion to serve his country.
  I have had the privilege of traveling with him as members of the 
National Security Committee and throughout our travels have gotten to 
know him on a personal basis. His strong devotion to our country and 
military has been an inspiration to me. Every place we traveled, he was 
always interested in the issues of that country and how the United 
States could act on those issues and provide leadership.
  I wish him happiness and a long productive life in his retirement. We 
will greatly miss his presence in this House.
  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, although I am one of the 
newer Members of this body and have had the privilege to serve with Mr. 
Solomon for only one term, I am very sorry to see him leave us. When I 
first came to Congress, Mr. Solomon asked me to call him Jerry, but I 
have never been able to do that. Not because I didn't feel close to him 
but because I have such a deep respect for him both as a person and as 
a public servant that I felt that he deserved a title reflecting that 
respect.
  Sometimes as Members of Congress, we don't always treat each other or 
this institution with the respect that it deserves. We let partisanship 
cloud our better judgment and we aren't very civil in our debates. 
Although Mr. Solomon and I couldn't have held more opposite points of 
view on certain issues, I always felt that we could be open and honest 
in our disagreement. And we would always part ways, maybe disagreeing 
but with a mutual respect for each other and our differences. He is a 
true gentleman, one that will be greatly missed by this body and the 
New York delegation in particular. God's speed, Mr. Solomon, and thank 
you for your years of service to this country and to New York.
  Mr. KIM. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Chairman of the 
Rules Committee, my friend Jerry Solomon.
  Jerry Solomon was one of the first members I met when I came to 
Congress six years ago as a freshman. I had never served in a 
legislature before and the challenges of Washington seemed 
overwhelming. He was a cool veteran with many years of experience. From 
his initial hello and genuine interest in making sure I got off to a 
good start, I knew Jerry Solomon was a colleague I could respect and 
trust. I'm proud to call him a friend.
  As a little boy growing up in Seoul, Korea during the war, my family 
and I were rescued by the U.S. Marines from the living hell of 
communist North Korean occupation. I will never forget the sacrifices 
these brave Americans made to save a little soul like mine far, far 
away from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Their caring 
attitude, determination and patriotism made me want to be an American 
right then and there. Now, I don't think Jerry Solomon was one of the 
Marines who came down my street, but he very well could have been. Even 
today, many years after his service in the Marines, Jerry still 
embodies those same qualities and that same Marine can-do spirit. He's 
what America is all about.

[[Page H9611]]

  As a faithful and effective Representative, I know that his 
constituents in upstate New York will miss his service in the House as 
much as the rest of us will. After 20 years in Congress, Chairman 
Solomon can retire, though, knowing that he has left a very positive 
and enduring legacy for others to follow. Good luck, Jerry.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I 
move the previous question on the resolution.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 
574, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 4194) making 
appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and 
Urban Development, and for sundry independent agencies, boards, 
commissions, corporations, and offices for the fiscal year ending 
September 30, 1999, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 574, the 
conference report is considered as having been read.
  (For conference report and statement see proceedings of the House of 
Monday, October 5, 1998, at page H9359.)
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) 
and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis).


                             General Leave

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks on the conference report to accompany H.R. 4194, 
and that I may include tabular and extraneous material.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.

                              {time}  1215

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  As this bill went off the floor not so long ago, we may all recall 
that we spent much of half a day discussing my colleague, my chairman, 
and now the ranking member of this subcommittee of appropriations, the 
gentleman from Cleveland, Ohio (Mr. Stokes). We are not going to repeat 
that extended period this go-round, but it certainly should be brought 
to the attention of Members and his friends that the gentleman is in 
the process of presenting his last bill on the floor of the House of 
Representatives.
  This conference report involves all of the funding for programs that 
are very important to the American public, those that relate to 
veterans' medical care, for example; all of the many public housing 
programs, the funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, the 
funding for NASA and the like.
  The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) we all know is an appropriator's 
appropriator, but the gentleman has done another thing during this 
legislative year. He wanted to make sure that each of us remember that 
before appropriations there was authorization. And so just to make a 
demonstration of that fact, this year he has accomplished that which is 
almost unbelievable to those of us who have watched this process for 
some time. He has snuck into this little package just about 60 pages of 
minor legislation that deals with his favorite field, and that is the 
field of housing. For working with our colleague on the banking 
subcommittee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lazio) on this side and 
the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy) on the other, the 
gentleman from Ohio has proceeded to include what was the Housing 
Reauthorization Act within this appropriations bill, a bill that is 
called a ``must-pass bill.''
  Now, frankly, those who really know the gentleman know that he 
actually went about this because his friend and the ranking member of 
that same subcommittee of the Committee on Banking has his last bill on 
the floor today as well, and that is the bill that was tucked away 
here, and I was quite surprised when the gentleman brought this to my 
attention, and he was going to such an extent to recognize the years of 
the very capable work of our friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts 
(Mr. Kennedy).
  So there are many details that I might go over with my colleagues 
regarding this bill, such as the fact that within VA medical care we 
are some $300 million over the President's budget in that category of 
funding. We are responding to the crisis that is ahead of us that deals 
with NASA's funding because of problems in Russia and some changes of 
government in the European space agencies.
  In the meantime, I will spare my colleagues those details, for we all 
have heard this bill discussed in great detail before.
  So I look forward to further conversation with my friend from 
Cleveland (Mr. Stokes).
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it is not without a certain bittersweet feeling that I 
rise today in support of this conference agreement. This is the final 
appropriations bill that I will help bring to the House, along with the 
chairman of the subcommittee, the distinguished gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lewis). Thanks to his leadership and patience, we 
present today a balanced, bipartisan conference report that is worthy 
of the Members' support.
  In many ways the bill we present today is better than the House-
passed version. I will mention several instances that demonstrate this 
point. First, while the House bill included no funding for Americorps, 
the conference provides the Senate amount of $425 million. Given the 
President's personal interest and commitment to this program, I think 
we all realize there would be no bill without this funding.
  Several environmental provisions that were of great concern have been 
modified, including the ones dealing with the Kyoto protocol, Mercury, 
and contaminated sediment dredging.
  The House provision regarding domestic partners that would have 
restricted funds available to the City of San Francisco has been 
dropped. One-half of the reduction to the housing opportunities for 
persons with AIDS program imposed by a floor amendment has been 
restored. More than one-half of the House-recommended increase for 
veterans' medical care has been retained without any adverse impact on 
the Federal housing administration. Mr. Speaker, 50,000 new housing 
vouchers have been included to help families make the transition from 
welfare to work. This is a significant increase above the levels 
originally recommended by both the House and the Senate.
  The Housing Authorization bill, which my chairman, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lewis) has just made reference to, H.R. 2, has been 
included. Now, this version has been crafted by a bipartisan group from 
both bodies and has the support of the ranking Democrats involved in 
the negotiations. I want to take a moment too to say, as did my 
chairman, that we really owe a debt of gratitude to the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy) for the excellent work he did, along with 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lazio) in giving leadership to the 
bill that we now include in H.R. 2 as a part of the Committee on 
Appropriations.
  I want to take a moment too, Mr. Speaker, just to say that one of the 
things I have enjoyed so much working from the appropriations aspect 
has been the great work that has been done over on the Subcommittee on 
Housing and Community Opportunity by its ranking member, the gentleman 
from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy). I do not know of anyone in the House 
that has any greater knowledge or greater commitment to those who live 
in public housing and who has been the kind of an expert he has been in 
trying to get the kind of legislative reforms that would help those 
people who are relegated to public housing have the kind of decent 
housing that they are entitled to live in. I just want to take a moment 
to commend him for the great work he has done as he too prepares to 
leave this body.
  I might say also I have talked with the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development, and he supports H.R. 2 that has been included in 
this bill.
  Although I have not seen a formal statement of administration policy 
on

[[Page H9612]]

the conference agreement, I believe this compromise should be endorsed 
by them. I am hopeful this measure will soon be signed into law so that 
the departments and agencies funded in the bill can have the benefit of 
congressional guidance and drop out of the continuing resolution.
  Now, although we have not been able to do everything in this bill 
that I would like to see or that the administration would like to see, 
I feel that given the constraints under which we had to operate, the 
conferees have done a very credible job, and no small part of the 
credit belongs to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), our 
chairman.
  Rather than go into detail about the specific provisions of the 
conference agreement, I would like to take just a moment or 2 to tell 
the House what a pleasure it has been to serve on this subcommittee 
with the gentleman from California. He has been patient, courteous to 
the extreme, always willing to listen and try to accommodate opposing 
views, but all the while nudging and cajoling and moving the process 
forward.
  This is a very large and complex bill with many diverse elements that 
are sometimes pitted against one another. It is a difficult task to 
navigate this legislation through the minefields and the shoals that 
could easily torpedo it. It is a testament to the gentleman's 
legislative skills that once again he has been able to bring to the 
House a free-standing bill deserving of the support of all of us. I 
count the gentleman not only as a valued colleague, but also as my 
personal friend. Along with my wife, Jay, I look forward to many more 
years of friendly association with you, Jerry, and with your lovely 
wife, Arlene.
  Mr. Speaker, I also want to take a moment to express my personal 
appreciation to the subcommittee staff director, Frank Cushing, for his 
professionalism and for the manner in which he has worked with me and 
the other members of the minority. I also want to express my 
appreciation to Paul Thomson, Tim Peterson, Valerie Baldwin, Dena 
Baron, who is a detailee to our subcommittee, along with Jeff Shockey 
and Alex Heslop on the chairman's personal staff. My special thanks 
also to 2 members of the Minority staff whom I have grown to be very 
close to and who have both been invaluable to me, Del Davis and David 
Reich, along with Fredette West of my own congressional staff.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg).
  (Mr. KNOLLENBERG asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the VA-HUD 
conference report. I extend congratulations to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lewis) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Stokes).
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the VA-HUD Conference 
Report. I want to commend Chairman Lewis and Ranking Member Stokes for 
their leadership on this bill. This is a good bill that contains many 
important provisions, one of which I would like to highlight this 
morning.
  During the VA-HUD Conference last Thursday, I worked with my 
colleague, the senior Senator from West Virginia, on a provision to 
protect workers, manufacturers, farmers, and every citizen in this 
country from the devastating impact of mandated greenhouse gas 
reductions required under the Kyoto Protocol. The product of this 
carefully crafted agreement will prohibit the Environmental Protection 
Agency from implementing the Kyoto treaty through ``back door'' 
regulatory actions.
  Specifically, the Conference Report language reads as follows: ``none 
of the funds appropriated by this Act shall be used to propose or issue 
rules, regulations, decrees, or orders for the purpose of 
implementation, or in preparation for implementation'' of the Kyoto 
treaty until it has been ratified by the Senate.
  The Kyoto Protocol is a bad deal for the American people. It would 
exempt the developing world from having to reduce its greenhouse gas 
emissions, placing the entire burden on the United States and other 
industrial nations. This exemption creates an enormous loophole for 
nations like China, India, Mexico, and Brazil which are estimated to be 
the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the next century.
  This gross inequity will have a chilling effect on the U.S. economy. 
Those who can least afford it would be hardest hit by increases in the 
cost of electricity, gasoline, food, and other goods.
  Mr. Speaker, the language included in this Conference Report is 
critical to stop the implementation of a fatally flawed treaty. I urge 
every member of the House of Representatives to support the VA-HUD 
Conference Report and this vital funding limitation.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Solomon), the chairman of the Committee 
on Rules.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for 
yielding me this time.
  I am only going to take a minute just to, more than anything else, 
praise and commend the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) and the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) for the outstanding job that they have 
done, not just on this bill but on the bills that they have brought to 
this body every single year for so many years under the chairmanship of 
the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) and before that, the 
chairmanship of my very good friend, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Stokes).
  When we look at this particular appropriation bill, to think that the 
Veterans' Administration is getting $42.6 billion out of a total 
allocation of $70 billion, and that is outstanding. I know we will have 
Members that say it is not enough, and maybe even I think it may not be 
enough, but my colleagues have such a difficult situation as they deal 
with not only the Veterans' Administration, but the Department of 
Housing, which is extremely important and very costly; when they are 
dealing with the Environmental Protection Agency; when they are dealing 
with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and just dozens 
and dozens of all of the other independent agencies.
  I do not know how my colleagues do it with the allocation that they 
get, but they have done a tremendous job, and I just want to sing the 
praises of both of my colleagues and their staffs on both sides of the 
aisle. Because they are good, but they would not be as good if they did 
not have the great staff to go with them. So I salute all of my 
colleagues, they have done a great job. And I thank the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Stokes) for all of his service.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I mentioned a few moments ago in my remarks 
the outstanding job that the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy) 
has done with reference to the inclusion of H.R. 2 in this bill, and it 
is indeed a pleasure for me to yield 5 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy).
  Mr. KENNEDY of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me thank 
my good friend, the gentleman from Cleveland, Ohio (Mr. Stokes) for the 
tremendous job that he has done, not only in this particular bill, but 
in so many other bills over the years of making sure that the poorest 
people in our country are provided the basic protections that I think 
all Americans believe in. I also want to thank the gentleman from Ohio 
for the tremendous years of service that he has provided all of the 
people across this country, not just in his own home district, but any 
poor American who feels that they can look to their government for a 
helping hand from time to time ought to recognize that behind the 
helping hand of the government was always Lou Stokes' long shadow. I am 
just so honored to be able to have worked with him in this process on 
bringing this bill to the House floor this afternoon.
  I also want to thank the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Lewis) for the fine work that he continues to do 
and will continue to do into the future in terms of looking out after 
the Nation's housing needs, in particular.
  It is important that we understand that we have a major commitment to 
housing our poor and our senior citizens, our elderly people across our 
country, and it is only through the generosity and the willingness of 
people like Lou Stokes and Chairman Lewis to take stands to protect 
those people that we are able to bring this bill to the floor.
  I also want to pay particular thanks to my good friend, the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Lazio) who I crashed with more than once over this 
piece of legislation, but I am glad to say that

[[Page H9613]]

we both found ways of working together and coming up with what I 
believe is a very, very good compromise.
  I said to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes), I have never heard 
more nice things said about he and the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Solomon), and even the Boston Herald wrote a nice story about me 
yesterday.

                              {time}  1230

  I was figuring that I would highly recommend quitting, if Members 
want to get good press around here. Maybe I should recommend that to a 
few more guys on the other side. But nevertheless, I do want to say a 
brief word about this legislation, because I do think it is important.
  We have a basic principle in America that we are going to look out 
after the poor. We are going to make sure that they get protected when 
they need a helping hand in terms of housing. And what we have done is 
seen this country, over the course of the last several years, house 
over 3 million families in our country. What we have not done, however, 
is provided them the necessary subsidies to keep those housing units in 
good shape.
  As a result, every American is now familiar with the sight of some 
monstrosity that is called public housing that is deteriorating, that 
is full of very poor people and full of violence and crime and drugs. 
And people say look at public housing, it simply does not work.
  Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that if we continue to have 
policies where we just concentrate the poorest of the poor in large 
public housing units and do not provide them with the subsidies they 
need to keep those housing units in decent shape, we are going to see 
further deterioration. If we do not, in fact, provide the funding 
levels to make sure that the apartments are kept up and what we end up 
doing is just concentrating the poor, then we see the deterioration.
  If, in fact, on the other hand, as the Republican chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Lazio) had proposed, that all we do is simply bring in 
more moderate-income people into public housing, that might solve the 
issue of looking at buildings and saying, well, they are in much better 
shape. The problem is what it does do is it leaves the very poor 
without shelter.
  So, what we found is a way of making certain that we provide 
protections for the very poor, and that is a great tribute to the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Lewis) in terms of their capability of finding us an additional 50,000 
vouchers to make certain that any poor person that is going to be 
displaced by the basic provisions of this bill are, in fact, going to 
find their housing needs met by our country in any event.
  There are also some other protections that come in the form of the 
Brook amendment, which continues to be in place, but we do make certain 
that other kinds of requirements making certain that there are not work 
disincentives in the bill are eliminated.
  I am happy to say in working with Secretary Cuomo that we have been 
able to raise the FHA loan limits, which will open up home ownership 
opportunities for millions and millions of families all across this 
country. And I think that HUD today is an agency that has come back a 
long way from the days of an agency that was full of difficulties, of 
bureaucratic anomalies and all sorts of issues pertaining to how public 
housing and assisted housing was getting built. It is now an agency 
that is well-run, and I think that people on both sides of the aisle 
have recognized the fact that there has been professionalism brought 
back to HUD, and we now see the Congress of the United States being 
willing to pump billions of dollars worth of increased funding into 
this agency and into the housing units that it provides to the poor.
  So, I want to very much thank my friend, the gentleman from New York 
(Chairman Lazio), for the great leadership he has shown and tell him 
what a great pleasure it has been to work with him over the course of 
the last few years, and I look forward to working with him for at least 
a few more days.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lazio), the chairman of the 
subcommittee of the Committee on Banking and Financial Services that 
deals with housing, as I thank him for his cooperation and fine work 
this year.
  Mr. LAZIO of New York. Mr. Speaker, I want to begin with a few 
``thank yous'' of my own. First of all, I would like to thank the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Stokes) for their assistance and for their leadership in helping to 
bring this bill to the floor and for allowing us on the authorizing 
side to carry almost 400 pages of authorizing provisions that comprise 
the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act to this floor.
  I would be remiss if I did not also at this time thank another 
important person, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon), who was 
responsible for helping to craft the rule, not just this time, but on 
three earlier occasions that helped bring this to the floor.
  Jerry Solomon is a great New Yorker. People say Jerry is three 
things. He is a marine, he is a Republican, and he is an insurance 
agent, not necessarily in that order. He has always been a man who has 
done great service to this body, who has brought honor on this 
institution, and so it is my pleasure to tip my hat as I say to Jerry, 
``Good luck as you just `step outside.' ''
  Let me thank also my staff who have been very important to this. This 
process began over 3 years ago, Mr. Speaker, in my office when we got 
out a chalk board and started developing policy about what we needed to 
do after visiting a number of different public housing authorities that 
were just devastating in their impact on tenants.
  I want to thank Paul Callen from the Legislative Counsel's Office, 
who worked countless long hours when we knew there was going to be 
final legislation and kept on redrafting and redrafting. He was 
enormously helpful, and personifying the very best of the staff work in 
this House. Aquiles Suarez, Clinton Jones, Sarah Chapman, Richard 
Scott, the staff director, Joseph Ventrone and David Horne, who as 
counsel to the committee literally bled and sweated through this 
process. I want to thank all of them for their extraordinary hard work.
  I want to thank the House leadership. As I mentioned earlier, Mr. 
Speaker, this is the third incarnation of this bill. Three times this 
bill was passed on the House floor, once in the last Congress in a 
bipartisan fashion with over 100 Democrats supporting, once this 
Congress with over 70 Democrats supporting and virtually every 
Republican supporting this monumental reform of public welfare, and a 
third time as part of VA-HUD. This legislation really is the second 
step of reforming the welfare system by reforming public housing. And I 
want to acknowledge the work of my friend and colleague, the gentleman 
from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy). And as I bid him a farewell after 
this week, I want to say it has been a pleasure to work with him, and I 
compliment him for his very good work.
  This Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act speaks to the 
concepts that we hold dear as Americans of family, of accountability, 
of responsibility, of working, of stronger communities, of safer 
communities, of empowerment of the individual and of neighborhoods over 
Washington institutions.
  We have in this bill made significant changes that remove the 
disincentives to work.
  There are more tenant choices in this bill, giving tenants the 
incentive to go to work and to have a family without being punished by 
the perverse rules that have punished work and punished family.
  We allow tenants to use vouchers for home ownership, giving them an 
opportunity of the American dream.
  This is a victory of one, dynamic vision of public housing over a 
static vision. One is to defend the status quo, which we reject here 
and which we have rejected in the past, and the second, which we 
embrace today, which is to create a dynamic environment in public 
housing where the working poor and the people who are not employed can 
live together; where people can fulfill their greatest ambitions, 
including going to work or creating a family; where we remove the sense 
of despair and loss and a sense of failure with success, with a sense 
of opportunity, with a sense of progress, with a sense of growth.

[[Page H9614]]

  We embrace in this bill a policy that encourages an American work 
ethic. We say that community service is very important to build our own 
communities. People in public housing deserve to live in peaceful 
enjoyment in their own apartments just like other Americans. We screen 
out people who are violent criminals. They will not even get a first 
strike. They will not get into public housing. For people who disrupt 
other tenants in the halls, they will be removed from public housing.
  We say to public housing authorities that work well and to the 
successful public housing authorities that they will be rewarded with 
more flexibility. We are going to trust them. We are going to reject 
the immorality of rewarding failure and penalizing success. We will 
look at public housing authorities that have been doing a poor job year 
after year after year and say, ``No more.'' No more are we going to 
throw good money after bad. And, in fact, we are going to expect 
performance. We are going to expect that our dollars are going to be 
used effectively. We are going to expect that people will have a chance 
to be transformed. We are going to expect that good tenants and good 
neighbors are going to be embraced and celebrated.
  This bill is every principle that we say as Americans we support. I 
have had the opportunity to visit many housing authorities in many 
urban areas. In New Orleans I spoke with a cabdriver who came from the 
very housing authority that I was going to visit and refused to take me 
there because he said it was too dangerous for me. Yet children are 
expected to grow up there. Families are expected to be formed there. 
Lives are expected to be nurtured there.
  That is not right, Mr. Speaker. This bill marks a pivotal point in 
transforming those housing authorities. In Chicago, which I visited 4 
years ago, there are the Robert Taylor Homes, with broken windows and 
garbage in the hallways and drug addicts controlling hallways, broken 
playgrounds, abysmal maintenance, money wasted, nobody working. Four 
years later, that reality is still the same.
  This bill marks the turning point. This bill embraces a sense of 
change, of transformation, of expecting success, of not tolerating 
family deterioration, of embracing accountability and responsibility.
  Mr. Speaker, I feel passionately about this. I feel passionately 
about the House success in making this happen, because I know in my 
heart that without this bill, the Quality Housing and Work 
Responsibility Act being on this VA-HUD bill, we would not be at this 
point. We would not have the parties at the table. We would not have 
agreement, and we would not be able to promise the change and 
improvement and opportunity that we are going to promise to public 
housing residents throughout America.
  So, I urge passage. I thank my colleagues. I thank the House 
leadership for their extraordinary efforts on our behalf. I thank the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Leach), chairman of the full Committee on 
Banking and Financial Services, for his trusting me and his help 
throughout the process. And again, I want to thank Mr. Lewis (of 
California) my colleagues on the Committee on Appropriations for their 
patience and for their leadership.

  Title V of the FY99 VA/HUD Appropriations Conference Report, ``The 
Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998'' Subtitle Summary 
                          of Major Provisions

       The short title of the bill is the Quality Housing and Work 
     Responsibility Act of 1998. The bill removes disincentives 
     for residents to work and become self-sufficient, provides 
     rental protections for low-income residents, deregulates the 
     operation of public housing authorities, authorizes the 
     creation of mixed-finance public housing projects, and gives 
     more power and flexibility to local governments and 
     communities to operate housing programs.
       Generally provisions are effective for Fiscal Year 1999. 
     Specific provisions are made effective for Fiscal Year 2000 
     primarily due to budgetary impact.


                     subtitle A--General provisions

       Declaration of Policy and Public Housing Agency 
     Organization. States that it is the policy of the United 
     States to assist States and political subdivisions of States 
     to remedy unsafe housing conditions and housing shortages and 
     to vest in public housing agencies (PHAs) the maximum amount 
     of responsibility and flexibility in program administration. 
     Recognizes that the Federal Government cannot through direct 
     action alone provide for the housing of every citizen, but 
     must promote the independent and collective actions of 
     private citizens to develop housing and strengthen 
     neighborhoods.
       Requires that the board of directors of a PHA include at 
     least one resident of assisted housing (who may be elected by 
     the residents, if provided in the PHA plan). Exceptions to 
     the requirement are (1) where the PHA is required by State 
     law to have a salaried, full-time Board of Directors, or (2) 
     where a PHA oversees less than 300 public housing dwelling 
     units and no resident has agreed to serve on the Board.
       Minimum Rent. Provides that a public housing authority may 
     establish minimum rental contributions of not more than $50 
     per month. Establishes certain mandatory financial hardship 
     exemptions from the requirement.
       Determination of Adjusted Income and Median Income. Defines 
     ``adjusted income'' for purposes of this Act to mean the 
     difference between the income of the members of the family 
     residing in a dwelling unit or the person on a lease and the 
     amount of any income exclusions--some of which are 
     mandatory--for the family as determined by HUD. Mandatory 
     exclusions are for: (1) elderly and disabled families ($400); 
     (2) medical expenses; (3) child care expenses; (4) allowance 
     for minors residing in the household; (5) certain child 
     support payments; (6) spousal support expenses, (7) earned 
     income of minors. PHAs may establish other permissive 
     exclusions, such as for excessive travel expenses, for 
     example.
       A twelve-month mandatory income disregard is established 
     for persons who have been unemployed for 1 or more years and 
     who obtain employment, whose income increases as a result of 
     participation in a family self-sufficiency or job training 
     program, or who was within six months assisted under any 
     State program for temporary assistance for needy families 
     (TANF).
       Family Self-Sufficiency Program. Transition provisions 
     which maintain the Family Self-Sufficiency requirements for 
     vouchers currently used by PHAs in such programs, maintaining 
     current obligations but eliminating program requirements 
     prospectively.
       Public Housing Agency Plans. Requires each PHA to submit a 
     plan, composed of an initial five-year plan showing the PHA's 
     statement of needs and goals for that period (updated every 
     five years), and a moral detailed operating plan, which shall 
     be submitted annually. The contents of the annual plan (which 
     may be submitted as part of a comprehensive housing 
     affordability strategy) much include, among other things, 
     information on the housing needs of the locality, population 
     served, method of rent determination, operations, capital 
     improvements, unmet housing needs of families with incomes 
     less than 30 percent of median, homeownership efforts, and 
     efforts to coordinate the program with local welfare agencies 
     and providers and other items. One or more resident advisory 
     boards must be established by the PHA, and the plan must be 
     developed in consultation with the resident advisory boards. 
     The Secretary may grant waivers from some of these 
     requirements for PHAs managing less than 250 units.
       Discusses the standards by which the Secretary may review 
     PHA plans, notice of approval or disapproval, treatment of 
     existing plans, and authority of a public housing authority 
     to amend plans. Enhanced rulemaking procedures are required 
     to ensure sufficient participation by public housing agencies 
     and other appropriate parties in developing HUD regulations 
     governing the plan.
       Community service and family self-sufficiency requirements. 
     Requires adult residents of public housing to contribute no 
     less than 8 hours of work per month within the community in 
     which the adult resides, or to participate on an ongoing 
     basis in an economic self sufficiency or job-training 
     program. Annual leases are required in public housing. Annual 
     compliance reviews are required for the work requirement, and 
     leases shall not renewed unless a resident is in compliance 
     with the work requirements. Exceptions from community work 
     are provided for working families, senior citizens, disabled 
     families, persons attending school or vocational training, or 
     physically impaired persons. PHAs may administer work 
     requirements through resident groups or third-party nonprofit 
     organizations.
       Income Targeting. Forty percent (40%) of public housing 
     units are reserved for families whose income do not exceed 30 
     percent of area median income (``AMI''). Seventy-five percent 
     (75%) of Section 8 vouchers shall be reserved for those whose 
     income does not exceed 30% AMI. A PHA shall be able to reduce 
     targeting requirements in its public housing program, with 
     regard to specific projects that are located in poverty 
     census tracts, by offsetting increases (on a one-for-one 
     basis) in Section 8 targeting (``fungibility''). A floor of 
     30% is established in public housing, so that reductions in 
     public housing targeting levels will not result in less than 
     30% of public housing being reserved for those at or below 
     30% of area median income. Current law requirements are 
     maintained for Section 8 Project-Based projects, but 
     targeting is reduced to the same as in public housing (40%) 
     of those under 30% of AMI). Targeting changes are effective 
     upon enactment of the Act.
       PHAs are prohibited from concentrating the poorest families 
     only in certain developments. A PHA is required to submit 
     with its annual plan an admissions policy, for review

[[Page H9615]]

     by HUD, designed to encourage income-mixing of residents. 
     PHAs may offer incentives in connection with such admissions 
     plans. Certain income and eligibility restrictions may be 
     waived by an authority that provides units to police 
     officers, law enforcement and security personnel.
       Repeal of Federal Preferences. Permanently repeals 
     imposition of federal preferences. Appropriations acts have 
     repealed such provisions annually.
       Joint Ventures and Consortia of Public Housing Agencies. 
     Authorizes PHAs to enter into consortia with other PHAs, or 
     into joint ventures with third parties, to administer public 
     housing programs or the provision of supportive or social 
     services to public housing residents.
       Public Housing Agency Mortgages and Security Interests. 
     Authorizes PHAs to mortgage or grant security interests in 
     any public housing project or property of the PHA, subject to 
     terms and conditions prescribed by the Secretary. No action 
     taken may result in any liability to the Federal Government.


                       subtitle b--public housing

       Public Housing Capital and Operating Funds. Provides 
     general parameters for developing capital and operating funds 
     for distribution of funding to PHAs. Funding for the Capital 
     Fund is $3 billion for FY 99 and such sums as may be 
     appropriated annually thereafter through FY 2003. Funding for 
     the Operating Fund is $2.818 billion for FY 99 and such sums 
     as may be appropriated annually thereafter through FY 2003. 
     Mandates that such formulas include a factor that would 
     reward superior performance by PHAs.
       Beginning in FY 2000 and thereafter, PHAs shall have the 
     ability to use up to 20 percent of their capital grants for 
     PHA operations. Beginning in FY 99 and thereafter, PHAs with 
     less than 250 units are afforded full flexibility between 
     operating and capital funds.
       PHAs that receive income from non-rental sources may retain 
     and use such amounts for the benefit of low-income housing 
     purposes without any decrease in the amounts otherwise 
     received by the PHAs under this section.
       Total Development Costs. Deletes from the calculation of 
     total development costs the costs associated with demolition 
     of public housing projects, or the costs of remediation of 
     environmental hazards associated with public housing units. 
     Excludes HOME and CDBG funding from total development cost 
     limitations.
       Family Choice of Rental Payment. Families residing in 
     public housing will have a choice as to whether they would 
     rather pay a flat rent for a unit, to be established by the 
     public housing authority for each unit in its inventory, or 
     to pay no more than 30% of the family's adjusted income as 
     rent. The purpose is to allow public housing authorities to 
     create rental structures that would reflect the asset value 
     of the unit, similar to the private rental market and which 
     would remove disincentives to families obtaining employment 
     and achieving self-sufficiency, while maintaining income 
     protections for the residents.
       Site-Based Waiting Lists. A PHA is given authority to 
     establish site-based waiting lists notwithstanding any other 
     HUD handbook or regulation, provided such site-based waiting 
     list is in compliance with civil rights laws.
       Pet Ownership. Residents of public housing may own one or 
     more common household pets subject to the reasonable 
     requirements of the public housing agency and in accordance 
     with state and local laws and regulations.
       Conversion of Public Housing to Vouchers. Permits public 
     housing authorities, in accordance with the PHA plan, to move 
     toward a voucher program for certain buildings after a cost-
     benefit analysis of maintaining and modernizing the building 
     as well as an evaluation of the available affordable housing. 
     Mandates that a one-time cost assessment be done of every 
     public housing project within two years of the date of 
     enactment of the Act to determine the relative costs of 
     converting the project to vouchers versus maintaining it as 
     public housing.
       Transfer of Management of Certain Developments to 
     Residents. Allows residents or non-profit resident management 
     corporations to assume the responsibility of managing or 
     purchasing a development. Allows a public housing authority 
     to contract with a resident management corporations to manage 
     one or more developments.
       Homeownership. Authorizes PHAs to design homeownership 
     programs for sale of public housing units to public housing 
     residents, to entities for resale to residents or other low-
     income persons, or directly to low-income persons. There is a 
     downpayment requirement, the amount of which is determined by 
     the PHA, for the purchase of any unit to be provided by the 
     purchasing family. Resale restrictions are imposed on 
     purchasers for five years after sale to prevent purely 
     speculative purchases. Homeownership programs under this 
     section are not subject to the demolition or disposition 
     requirements. Allows high-performing PHAs to use proceeds 
     from disposition of scatter-site public housing to purchase 
     replacement scattered-site housing which will be considered 
     public housing.
       Required Conversion to Tenant-Based Assistance. Contains a 
     mandatory conversion provision requiring PHAs to provide 
     housing assistance in the form of vouchers in lieu of 
     continuing to subsidize certain distressed developments. 
     Requires notification of tenants in public housing 
     developments subject to conversion and provides them tenant-
     based housing assistance or occupancy in a unit operated or 
     assisted by the PHA. Authorizes the Secretary to determine 
     whether a PHA has failed to comply with this subsection and, 
     in such case, to withdraw funding from the development.
       Mixed-Finance Public Housing. Provides authority for PHAs 
     to develop mixed-financed projects, which may include 
     projects containing some public housing units with non-
     assisted market rate units. PHAs may provide assistance to 
     such developments from operating or capital funds, in 
     accordance with regulations established by the Secretary of 
     HUD, in the form of grants, loans, guarantees, or other forms 
     of investment in the project. Allows PHAs to deposit certain 
     grant funds in escrow accounts for use as collateral in 
     connection with certain tax credit development financing.


       subtitle c--section 8 rental and homeownership assistance

       Merger of Certificate and Voucher Programs. Merges and 
     consolidates the Section 8 certificate and voucher programs. 
     Allows PHAs to establish a set of local preferences based on 
     local housing needs and priorities. The screening and 
     selection of tenants shall be the responsibility of the 
     owner. PHAs are given the power to terminate contracts with 
     owners who fail to evict tenants that engage in activity 
     which threatens the health, safety or peaceful enjoyment of 
     the premises of other tenants or that is drug-related or 
     violent criminal activity.
       Administrative Fees. For FY99, sets administrative fees for 
     public housing authorities at 7.65 percent of grant amount 
     for the first 600 units at fair market rent for a two bedroom 
     and 7.0 percent of the grant amount for all units in excess 
     of 600. The Secretary may increase this fee in certain 
     circumstances.
       Advance Notice to Tenants of Expiration, Termination or 
     Owner Non-renewal of Assistance Contracts. Authorizes a 
     Section 8 owner and HUD to enter into a five-year renewal 
     agreement, whereby the owner agrees to continue in the 
     program each year for five years provided funds are 
     appropriated. Owners who enter into five-year agreements with 
     HUD are not required to provide annual notice to tenants. For 
     owners who have not entered into five-year renewal agreements 
     with HUD, they shall provide notice to tenants which shall 
     include certain required information.
       Homeownership Option. Allows public housing authorities to 
     use funds under this title to assist a low-income families 
     trying to attain homeownership through lease-purchase 
     programs. HUD is authorized to establish a demonstration 
     homeownership program.
       Authorizations. Contains a specific authorizes for FY 2000 
     and 2001 of an amount sufficient to fund 100,000 incremental 
     vouchers under this section for each of those years; 
     authorizes such sums for FY 99 through FY 2003 for relocation 
     and replacement housing, witness relocation, and other uses.


           subtitle d--home rule flexible grant demonstration

       Flexible Grant Program. Provides localities with 
     substandard PHAs a ``home-rule flexibility option'' that 
     would allow them great latitude to design and implement 
     creative solutions to local problems. Jurisdictions with PHAs 
     that rank in the lower 40% of HUD assessment scores are 
     eligible to develop alternative housing programs and apply 
     for waivers from certain existing program rules. PHAs 
     classified as ``high performers'' under HUD assessment scores 
     would be excluded from eligibility. HUD has discretion to 
     approve programs from up 100 jurisdictions over four years 
     (throughout 2002). HUD would enter into ``performance 
     agreements'' with the jurisdictions setting forth specific 
     performance goals.


  subtitle e--accountability and oversight of public housing agencies

       Study of Alternative Methods for Evaluating Public Housing 
     Agencies. Requires that a study be conducted of alternative 
     methods to evaluate the performance of public housing 
     agencies. HUD is to contract if possible with the National 
     Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) to conduct the study. 
     The findings are to be reported to Congress 12 months after 
     execution of the contract.
       Expansion of Powers for Dealing with PHAs in Substantial 
     Default. Authorizes the Secretary to (a) solicit competitive 
     proposals from other entities to manage all or part of the 
     authority's assets, (b) take possession of all or part of the 
     authority's assets, (c) require the authority to make other 
     arrangements to manage its assets, or (d) petition for the 
     appointment of a receiver for the authority, upon a 
     substantial default by a housing authority of certain 
     obligations. Mandates that after two years of being 
     designated as a ``troubled'' PHA, the Secretary shall take 
     one of the prescribed actions unless HUD determines that the 
     PHA has improved its performance by more than 50% as measured 
     by HUD assessment scores. The Secretary may provide emergency 
     assistance to a successor entity of an authority. Allows 
     an apponted receiver to abrogate contracts that impede 
     correction of the default or improvement of the 
     authorities classification, demolish and dispose of assets 
     in accordance with this title, and create new public 
     housing authorities in consultation with the Secretary.

[[Page H9616]]

       Audits. Provides that the Secretary may withhold amounts 
     from assistance otherwise payable to a PHS for purposes of 
     paying the reasonable costs of conducting an independent 
     audit of the PHA.


           subtitle f--safety and security in public housing

       Provisions Applicable to Public Housing and Section 8 
     Assistance. Provides that the National Crime Center, police 
     departments, state law enforcement agencies designated as 
     registration agencies under a state registration program, or 
     other law enforcement agencies shall provide to the PHA upon 
     its request information regarding the criminal background of 
     an adult applicant for housing assistance. An applicant must 
     be given an opportunity to dispute any such information. PHAs 
     may be charged a reasonable fee for provision of the 
     information.
       Screening of Applicants. Provides that a family is 
     ineligible for federally-assisted housing for three years if 
     evicted by reason of drug-related criminal activity or for a 
     reasonable time (as may be determined by the PHA) for other 
     criminal activity. A PHA or owner of federally-assisted 
     housing shall establish standards prohibiting admission of 
     persons or families who the PHA reasonably determines to be 
     using an illegal substance or whose use of illegal substances 
     or alcohol would interfere with the health, safety, or right 
     to peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other residents.
       A PHA or owner of federally-assisted housing may deny 
     admission to any applicant household that, during a 
     reasonable period prior to applying for housing assistance, 
     had engaged in any criminal activity. A PHA or federally-
     assisted housing owner may require that an applicant 
     household prior to admission authorize the PHA to obtain any 
     relevant criminal records from the National Crime Information 
     Center, police departments, and other law enforcement 
     agencies.
       Termination of Tenancy and Assistance for Illegal Drugs 
     Users and Alcohol Abusers. Requires a PHA or owner or 
     federally-assisted housing to establish safeguards and lease 
     provisions allowing termination of assistance to residents 
     who the PHA or owner determines to be engaging in the use of 
     a controlled substance or whose illegal use of a controlled 
     substance interfers with the health, safety, or right to 
     peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other residents.
       Ineligibility of Dangerous Sex Offenders. Requires that 
     owners prohibit admission to federally assisted housing to 
     any household that includes any individual who is subject to 
     a lifetime registration requirement under a State sex 
     offender registration program.


               subtitle g--repeals and related provisions

       Repeals Relating to Public Housing and Section 8 Programs. 
     Repeals numerous obsolete individual public housing grant 
     programs and authorities.
       Amendments to Public and Assisted Housing Drug Elimination 
     Act of 1990. Amends certain provisions of the Anti-Drug Abuse 
     Act of 1988, which allows the Secretary of HUD to make grants 
     for use in eliminating crime in and around public housing and 
     other federally assisted low-income housing projects. An 
     authorization of $310 million is provided for FY 1999, and 
     such sums as may be appropriated through FY 2003.
       Treatment of Occupancy Standards. Prohibits HUD from 
     Establishing a national occupancy standard. Mandates that HUD 
     publish by Notice in the Federal Register the contents of a 
     HUD memo (the ``Keating Memorandum'') setting forth HUD's 
     standards for enforcement with respect to discrimination 
     complaints involving familial status.
       Income Eligibility for HOME and CDBG Programs. The HUD 
     Secretary shall within 90 days of enactment of the Act grant 
     for not less than 10 jurisdictions exceptions to the 
     limitations based on percentage of median income applicable 
     to those jurisdictions under the HOME and CDBG programs.
       Use of Assisted Housing by Aliens. Makes certain technical 
     drafting corrections to the Illegal Immigration Reform and 
     Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (the Immigration Reform 
     Act). The corrections are necessary to prevent a PHA from 
     having the option not to enforce the provisions of the 
     Immigration Reform Act contrary to the intent of Congress.
       Protection of Senior Homeowners Under Reverse Mortgage 
     Program. Permanently authorizes HUD's reverse mortgage 
     program and establishes a limit of 150,000 mortgages. 
     Requires that the Secretary consult with consumer groups to 
     identify alternative approaches to providing consumer 
     information regarding home equity conversation mortgages. 
     Provides that HUD shall develop restrictions to prevent the 
     elderly from being defrauded by third-party financial 
     advisors. The Secretary is required to issue rules that would 
     ensure that the mortgagor does not fund any unnecessary or 
     excessive costs of obtaining the mortgage, including costs 
     for estate planning, financial advice, or other related 
     services.
       Native American Housing Assistance. Makes technical 
     amendments to the Native American Housing Act of 1996.
       Amendments to Rural Housing Programs. Simplifies and 
     expands Single Family Loan Guarantee Homeownership Program by 
     basing homeownership opportunity solely on individual income, 
     up to 115 of Area Median Income rather than area loan limits. 
     Authorizes a permanent extension of undeserved areas program 
     that requires a 5% set aside of rural housing programs for 
     undeserved areas. Preference [current law] for these area 
     will be given to projects where poverty is 28% or greater and 
     where 13% of the housing is substandard.
       Authorizes permanent extension of Section 515 program 
     (Rural Multifamily Direct Loan Program) of rental housing for 
     very low, low and moderate income families, the elderly and 
     disabled in rural areas through direct government loans to 
     eligible borrowers to construct or to acquire and 
     rehabilitate rental housing.
       Authorizes permanent extension of nonprofit entities that 
     requires that 9% of Sec. 515 funds be allocated to non-profit 
     groups.
       Authorizes permanent extension of Sec. 538 program (Rural 
     Multifamily Loan Guarantee Program) to allow the USDA 
     Secretary to guarantee eligible loans for the development 
     of rural rental housing.
       Requires the USDA Secretary to guarantee rural multifamily 
     loans (Sec. 538) where funds from tax-exempt bond financing 
     are involved and therefore expands the base of funds a group 
     may use to leverage funding for rural multifamily housing.
       Expands non-profit participation in Sec. 514--Farm Labor 
     Housing by making limited dividend partnerships, controlled 
     by non-profit corporations, eligible for farmworker housing 
     loans and therefore expands the base of funds a group may use 
     to provide farmworker housing.
       Eases rules on Farm-Labor Housing and Rental Assistance by 
     permitting seasonally operated farmworker housing projects to 
     be funded on an operating basis and therefore eases paperwork 
     burden by permitting project rents to be based on the area 
     income of farmworkers rather than individual income.
       Reauthorization of National Flood Insurance Program. 
     Authorizes homeowner's flood insurance by extending 
     authorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) 
     for homeowners through FY 2001.
       Extends emergency implementation of NFIP to the end of 2001 
     by allowing certain communities lower flood premiums while in 
     the middle of implementing mitigation and other flood control 
     plans that ultimately reduce the community's risk for 
     flooding.
       Assistance for Self-Help Housing Providers. Expands 
     competition of Self-Help Housing Program (SHOP) by requiring 
     HUD to make self-help housing program nationally and 
     regionally competitive. [Program provides funds for 
     infrastructure and land acquisition to groups who sponsor 
     self-help housing programs. Program started in FY 1996 with 
     $40 million, assisting over 4,000 homes at an average 
     government cost of $10,000 to provide homeownership.]
       Extends time to complete FY96 SHOP projects by extending 
     from 24 months to a total of 36 months the time grantees may 
     use funds under this program to build housing. Extends SHOP 
     program for FY 1999 and FY 2000 by granting two year 
     extension.
       Special Mortgage Insurance Assistance. Updates 
     underutilized FHA program for high-risk borrowers by 
     providing limited mortgage insurance for high-risk borrowers 
     who participate in CDFI led pre- and post-purchasing 
     counseling for mortgages under $70,000 and requires 
     participation through a certificed CDFI who will share in any 
     losses incurred.

  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 15 seconds to the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy).
  Mr. KENNEDY of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to 
acknowledge the tremendous work, and one of the great aspects of 
working in the Congress is to see the tremendous diligence and 
dedication of the staff,. I particularly want to thank Angie Garcia and 
Rick Maurano from the Committee on Banking and Financial Services for 
their hard work on the housing bill. Also, Scott Olson from my own 
staff, who has really worked very, very hard on this bill, and also Del 
Davis and David Reich for the hard work that they have done to continue 
to protect the interest of the poor who occupy our housing units.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. LaFalce), the ranking member on the Committee on Banking and 
Financial Services.
  (Mr. LaFALCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time very much.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the conference report providing 
appropriations to VA-HUD and Independent Agencies for fiscal year 1999. 
First of all, I, too, want to join in the plaudits of the gentleman 
from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy) for the tremendous staff work that we 
have received on this bill from both sides of the aisle, and he has 
enumerated the individuals.
  As on every bill, there are some individuals in the Congress who are 
deserving of special attention. Certainly the gentleman from California 
(Chairman Lewis), the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) the ranking 
member, certainly

[[Page H9617]]

also the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lazio) and the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy).
  I point out in particular the work of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Stokes) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy), not because 
they are partisans on my side of the aisle, but because they will be 
leaving Congress this year, and this legislation can stand as one of 
the most significant hallmarks of their work here, something of which 
they can be very, very proud.
  We would also be remiss if we did not acknowledge the tremendous 
impact and influence and tenacity of the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development, Secretary Cuomo, in attempting to come up with a bill that 
everyone could support. If it were not for that tenacity, that 
doggedness, that perseverance, we would not be standing here today as 
we are. So I applaud him, too.

                              {time}  1245

  There are many reasons to support this bill. Core HUD programs, such 
as the modernization program for public housing; the Section 8 
incremental account; the McKinney homeless programs, all receive needed 
increases. $42.6 billion is provided to veterans programs in benefits, 
$439 million more than requested by the administration. And the 
AmeriCorps program receives $22 million more than provided last year.
  Most notably, however, the VA-HUD conference report includes landmark 
public and assisted housing reform legislation. The legislation, which 
was a product of months of bipartisan negotiations between Members of 
the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services and the Senate 
Committee on Banking, Housing, and urban Affairs, represents a balance 
between the need to reduce the concentration of very poor families 
living in public housing and the necessity to preserve adequate housing 
assistance for the very poor. I think that balance was achieved, in 
part because the authorizers agreed to establish targeting requirements 
that far exceed the provision in the original House-passed bill, H.R. 
2, which I had to oppose. That balance, however, was enhanced by the 
work of the appropriators to fund new units of Section 8 assistance for 
those with families working to move from welfare to work. I do not 
think we would have had an adequate balance without those additional 
units of Section 8 housing.
  Today, I rise in support of the conference report providing 
appropriations to VA-HUD and Independent Agencies for fiscal year 1999. 
As Ranking Member of the Banking Committee, there are many reasons to 
support this bill. Core HUD programs, such as the modernization program 
for public housing, the section 8 incremental account, and the McKinney 
homeless program, receive needed increases. $42.6 billion is provided 
to veterans programs and benefits--$439 million more than requested by 
the Administration. The Americorp program receives $22 million more 
than provided last year.
  Most notably, however, the VA-HUD conference report includes landmark 
public and assisted housing reform legislation. The legislation--a 
product of weeks of bi-partisan negotiations between the House and 
Senate Banking Committees--represents a balance between the need to 
reduce the concentration of very poor families living in public housing 
and the necessity to preserve adequate housing assistance for the very 
poor. That balance was achieved, in part, because the authorizers 
agreed to establish targting requirements that far exceed the provision 
in the House-passed bill, HR 2, which I opposed. The balance, however, 
was further enhanced by the work of the Appropriators to fund new units 
of section 8 assistance for those with families working to move from 
welfare-to-work.
  This balance, however, did not come easy. For years, the Congress has 
deliberated upon dramatic reforms to the public and assisted housing 
programs which serve over 4 million low-income, American families 
today. But today, I believe the four-year campaign of Congressional 
Democrats , the Administration, and tenant advocates against onerous 
rent reforms and irresponsible targeting levels has finally brought 
positive results. Policy issues of most concern to me and my Democratic 
colleagues--including maintaining affordable rents for tenants; 
reserving an adequate number of units of public and assisted housing 
for the poor; streamlining the administrative burdens on Public Housing 
Authorities (PHAs); and replacing dilapidated housing with sustainable, 
mixed income communities--have been resolved fairly and appropriately 
in this conference report.
  For instance, the report targets 75 percent of section 8 tenant based 
housing and 40 percent of public housing for ``very poor'' families, 
those with incomes at and below 30 percent of the area median income. 
If a PHA has housing developments located in areas where there are high 
concentrations of very poor families, it may reserve up to 10 percent 
fewer units of public housing for the very poor as long as it increases 
the number of section 8 assistance reserved for the very poor from 75 
percent to 85 percent. The conference report also provides that tenants 
may choose either an income-based rent of up to 30 percent of the 
tenant's adjusted income or a market-based rent. Protections for 
tenants who choose to pay a market-rate rent but then suffer a change 
in income making the market rent unaffordable, or who choose to pay an 
income-based rent and benefit from an increase in income, are also 
provided.
  I do want to point out, however, that I would have preferred a less 
punitive resolution to the ``community work'' requirements promoted by 
my Republican colleagues. The conference report goes too far in making 
the requirement a condition of occupancy and authorizing a PHA to evict 
a tenant found in non-compliance. Certainly, I support encouraging all 
Americans to contribute to their community. But I cannot support an 
approach that could result in evicting families from public housing for 
failing to volunteer in their community.
  I am also concerned that the conference report includes the Home Rule 
block grant that permits localities to apply to HUD to administer their 
public and assisted housing programs. Despite the fact that this 
provision was strongly opposed by PHA and without vocal support from 
the mayors or cities, the conference report permits 55 localities 
served by a troubled PHA and 45 localities served by a non-troubled, 
non-high performing PHA to apply to receive public housing operating 
and capital funds and section 8 funds directly and to administer 
comparable housing programs with such funds. I intend to closely 
monitor the implementation of this program to ensure that localities 
continue to serve as many families in need as possible and preserve the 
public and assisted housing stock as affordable housing.
  Again, I want to express my appreciation to Secretary Andrew Cuomo 
and my colleagues on the Banking Committee--Chairmen Leach and Lazio, 
Ranking Member Kennedy, Chairmen D'Amato and Mack, Ranking Members 
Sarbanes and Kerry--for working with me to develop a thoughtful and 
progressive public and assisted housing reform bill which I am proud to 
support.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach), chairman of the 
Committee on Banking and Financial Services.
  (Mr. LEACH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague for 
yielding me this time, and let me just echo the comments of so many 
about the distinguished service of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Lou 
Stokes), whose friendship is much appreciated; as well as that of the 
gentleman from New York, (Mr. Solomon), who, through the Committee on 
Rules, has truly shaped the agenda of the last two Congresses.
  Second, I would like to thank my good friend, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Jerry Lewis), for working with the authorizing 
committee in such a forthright way, in an appropriations context, which 
is a rather unusual circumstance but much appreciated.
  Second, I would like to underscore, as the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy), the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaFalce), 
and most of all, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lazio) have, that 
included in this appropriations bill is the Quality Housing and Work 
Responsibility Act of 1998, which represents the first major updating 
of our public housing laws since the depression.
  This landmark legislation is one of the two or three most important 
issues before this session of this Congress. Outdated laws and programs 
are replaced with a new empowering approach for people in our smaller 
communities as well as our larger cities. There is much to be proud of 
in this bill, home ownership, local control, volunteerism, and 
empowerment, to name a few.
  On a philosophical note, I am reminded of a speech given last year by 
the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He stated: ``In the 1960s, 
people thought government was always the solution. In the 1980s, people 
said that government was the problem. In the 1990s, we know that we 
cannot solve . . . problems . . . without government, but that

[[Page H9618]]

government itself must change if it is to be part of the solution.''
  Mr. Speaker, both the majority and minority members of the Senate and 
the House committees of jurisdiction, and as has been mentioned here, 
our extraordinary staffs, as well as the administration, led by 
Secretary Cuomo, worked tirelessly to craft a reasonable and 
responsible approach to reform public housing programs in a manner that 
I believe will achieve efficiencies at the Federal level and advantages 
at the local level, and empower some of the most needy in our society 
with the resources to become self-sufficient and to make decisions 
based on responsible choices.
  The Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 makes 
necessary changes to be part of the solution. It symbolizes many 
things, not the least of which is that serious legislation can be 
considered during times of difficulties between the administration and 
the Congress.
  Finally, let me just conclude by stressing again the extraordinary 
work of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lazio) in putting this bill 
together; the extraordinary thoughtfulness and cooperation of the 
ranking member, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy); as well 
as the ranking member of the full committee, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. LaFalce); and, of course, the thoughtfulness of the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Lewis); as well as the full committee chairman, 
the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Livingston).
  I strongly urge support for this legislation. And I would be remiss 
if I did not say that I am very proud of this particular work product 
of this Congress.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Brown), the distinguished ranking member of the 
Committee on Science.
  (Mr. BROWN of California asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BROWN of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much 
for yielding me this time, and I will try to be brief.
  I believe that we have before us an excellent bill, H.R. 4194, which, 
while not perfect, and no bill can be, goes a long way toward dealing 
with a lot of the problems which I have, particularly in my role as the 
ranking member of the Committee on Science. These problems involve 
NASA, the National Science Foundation, EPA research, and other related 
matters. Overall, the bill deals positively with all of these agencies, 
and I am proud to support the bill and acknowledge the fine work of my 
two good friends, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), and our 
ranking member, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes).
  I think perhaps more important than the matters that I have mentioned 
relating to the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science is the 
precedent set in this bill for approving authorizing legislation 
dealing with the housing problems that are the subject of this bill. 
This probably represents a greater degree of cooperation between 
authorizers and appropriators than we have seen in the history of this 
Congress. And by sheer coincidence, I spent part of my time in the last 
week drafting a revision to the rules of the House which would 
facilitate exactly what has been done in this bill, and it requires 
only rather minor changes in the wording of the rules. This will, of 
course, if appropriate, be brought up for discussion when we reorganize 
in the next Congress.
  In addition to what I have already said, praising the overall impact 
of this bill, let me make special mention of the cooperation that I 
received from the committee in dealing with a small but I think 
significant program involving cooperative research between the U.S. and 
Mexico.
  We have been working for a number of years establishing a joint U.S.-
Mexico research foundation. And, of course, any time we try to do 
something new, we run into lots of problems. I would say that the work 
of the gentleman from California and the gentleman from Ohio has been 
critical to solving these problems, which are procedural in large part. 
The amount of money involved is not all that great. But I want to 
express my deep appreciation to them for their willingness to assist on 
this matter, and I am sure that the results will bear fruit that they 
will be proud of in improving our relationships with our neighbor to 
the south in future years. I look forward to continuing to work with 
them, assuming I am fortunate enough to be reelected in the years 
ahead.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant).
  (Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I want to just take a few seconds to pay 
tribute. I missed an opportunity to pay tribute to a great American, a 
great marine, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon), chairman of 
our Committee on Rules. And Godspeed. He is one of our greatest.
  I want to pay tribute also to the chairman of this committee, and 
thank him for all the help that he has given my community and the 
Nation.
  And I want to pay a special tribute to an individual who I consider 
to be one of the strongest legislators in the history of our Nation, 
the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Lou Stokes), the first African American to 
be a cardinal in the Congress of the United States. Absolutely amazing. 
He is certainly one of the best.
  Now, the business. I want to thank the committee for including the 
language of my bill, which will extend housing counseling services to 
veterans who are in danger of losing their homes. In addition to that, 
I want to thank them for the money for my community, hard-pressed, that 
will turn an old abandoned hospital into a community asset.
  I also want to thank them once again for including ``buy American'' 
language, so that when these funds are spent, these agencies will keep 
in mind the fact that American taxpayers are American wage earners, and 
American wage earners are those who have American jobs. People have 
American jobs because Americans, as consumers, buy American products. 
And when our government buys, they should consider buying American.
  So with that, in closing, I do want to make this last tribute on this 
appropriation bill to be handled by the distinguished Member, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes). My community wants to thank the 
gentleman for all he has done for the Nation, for the State of Ohio, 
and for the 17th Congressional District of Ohio. Without a doubt, his 
legacy will long be remembered and felt here and he will be deeply 
missed.
  I thank the chairman for all his help.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez).
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, as the representative of one of this 
country's largest public housing populations, I strongly oppose this 
conference report. The public housing provisions in the agreement will 
only ensure that the difficult lives of the extremely poor become a 
nightmare.
  Over the years, the nature of public housing has changed. Clearly, 
reform has become necessary. But the provisions in this report 
represent a significant departure from our national commitment to 
helping those most in need. This report simply gives up on housing the 
very poor.
  A year ago, when the Republican leadership brought these provisions 
to the floor, they left little hope of a bright future for public 
housing tenants. Democrats fought hard and won on some points of basic 
fairness. Although this conference report eliminates some of the worst 
provisions in that bill, it still does not pass the compassion test.
  Decent and affordable housing will remain out of reach for millions 
of the neediest families. People affected by this legislation are some 
of the most vulnerable members of society. Many of these families are 
working to become self-sufficient. We should be addressing those issues 
instead of unraveling one of our most vital safety nets.
  My colleagues, if we are going to reform public housing, we must do 
so in a reasonable and compassionate way. Preserving rent limits and 
improved targeting are only a small step. The question we must ask 
ourselves is whether the poorest families are going

[[Page H9619]]

to be better off. The answer is clearly no.
  I urge all of my colleagues to oppose this conference report.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Sheila-Jackson Lee).
  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his 
kindness and for yielding me this time.
  Let me pay special tribute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) 
for the leadership that he has shown in Congress, and over this 
particular legislation that impacts so many Americans. We thank him for 
his leadership. And the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), we thank 
him for cooperatively working with the gentleman from Ohio. They have 
been a dynamic team.

                              {time}  1300

  I somewhat disagree with my good friend from New York on the pain of 
those living in public housing. Might I say that although there are 
some points of this bill that I certainly appreciate in this 
appropriations bill and agree with, but I do want to acknowledge that 
there are hardworking Americans in public housing, those who want to 
live at a higher level, and I am concerned that some of these elements 
may not do that. Frankly, I think the forced volunteerism certainly 
begs a lot of concern about putting something on one group of people 
because they happen to be in public housing.
  I do applaud the fact of the reinstatement of the 1937 act which 
allows public housing residents to be hired. It is important, however, 
that we look to improve their working and living conditions. I am glad, 
however, of the $283 million for 50,000 new Section 8 vouchers. I 
encourage our community, the City of Houston, to use those vouchers. We 
have 10,000 families living on Section 8.
  I also am glad that NASA is funded and particularly the Space 
Station. I think it is extremely important that we have continued 
research in support of the Space Station, the money tagged for minority 
research and education programs, and I am delighted that we are moving 
in that direction.
  The National Science Foundation also will continue to be able to do 
its research and work extensively on teaching our children math and 
science and helping those teachers who need professional development.
  For once we have recognized the value of the AmeriCorps Service. I 
thank the gentleman from Ohio and the House committee and this 
conference committee for understanding that young people are out there 
working to improve the lives of Americans. AmeriCorps has been finally 
funded so that those young people can go to college and help child 
care.
  Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I say thank you for the veterans' support and 
thank you for the money for Covenant House that will help young people 
be housed in Texas. The runaways will now have a place to live because 
of the support of Covenant House in Texas.
  I would ask the gentleman from Ohio to continue his good work and 
continue his good service.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my opinion on H.R. 4194, the VA-
HUD-Independent Agencies Appropriations for FY 1999. Although the 
measure has some redeeming elements, I am still unhappy with some of 
the provisions.
  First, this is a VA-HUD Appropriations bill, not a public housing 
authorizing bill. For the life of me I cannot figure out the why of the 
provision requiring unemployed public housing tenants to contribute 
eight hours of community serve each month to remain in public housing. 
The 13th Amendment of the Constitution states that ``Neither slavery 
not involuntary servitude will be permitted except for a punishment of 
crime where the party shall have been duly convicted.'' Forcing people 
into mandatory community service so that they can remain in public 
housing amounts to nothing less than slavery. This mandate would thrust 
this country back into the dark ages of slavery by encouraging forced 
labor of individuals who are down on their luck.
  However, I am very relieved that as part of a deal with the Clinton 
Administration, we now have 50,000 new vouchers for Section 8 housing 
residents. In the city of Houston, there are approximately 10,000 
families living on Section 8 assistance and approximately 15,000 
families on the waiting list for Section 8 assistance. These additional 
vouchers in this bill are sorely needed to provide housing assistance 
to Americans with low incomes. This definitely makes this bill a lot 
more viable, especially for the Members who represent large urban areas 
where these needs are vast.
  Although this bill continues our current trend of reducing NASA 
funding, I do appreciate the appropriations provided for this very 
important and very vital agency. By funding NASA at $13.7 billion, we 
will continue to viability of several important minority and gender-
oriented programs. Also, $55,900,000 is tagged to fund minority 
research and education programs, $10,000,000 above the requested 
amount. Such appropriations are necessary and will insure the 
successful development of minorities and women in the fields of science 
and engineering.
  The Appropriations Committee graciously raised the level of funding 
for other space-related programs. For instance, the funding for the 
Near-Earth-Asteroid budget was increased by $1,600,000. It is equally 
important that grater funds are provided for the Mars 2001 program, and 
the Life and Microgravity Science Department.
  I also thank the Committee for providing funding for the National 
Science Foundation (NSF). We should always strive to continue advances 
in scientific research and development. The Committee has funded the 
NSF at $3.4 billion. Although the levels is $146 million below the 
Administration's request, it is good that we continue to support this 
significant Foundation. More specifically, appropriations for necessary 
upgrades and overhauls of important research and regulatory equipment 
are continued. Other provisions aptly address the NSF educational 
budget, which assists K-12 schools to teach their children about math 
and science. Funding for this budget is $10 million over last year's 
budget. However, I am concerned at the refusal of support of the Kyoto 
Global Warming Treaty. There are also some other research on the EPA 
that we must fix. The preservation of our environment is very 
important.
  Finally, the budget for the Corporation for National and Community 
Service, better known as Americorps, was zeroed out in the House 
version of the bill. I was astonished at this move. Americorps has 
valiantly served our country during its short existence, and I hope 
that we will continue to support it. I believe that any program as 
positive as this, which highlights the American virtue of volunteerism 
and altruism, should be continued indefinitely. I am very pleased that 
the other body added the $426 million back in for 1999--equal to the 
1998 funding.
  I am also grateful that the Conference bill includes $42 billion in 
VA programs and benefits. This Report includes much needed funding for 
medical and prosthetic research, service connected compensation 
benefits and pensions, and major construction of veterans' facilities. 
I love our veterans, and I am glad that the Congress remains vigilant 
in taking care of those who have served our country through military 
service.
  Lastly, I am very pleased that the funding for Covenant House has 
been added to the bill and $300,000 for the city of Houston. Covenant 
House Texas, located in Houston, is a non-profit agency which provides 
shelter and comprehensive service to homeless and runaway youths under 
the age of 21. There is a tremendous need for these programs in Texas, 
to serve at risk, young people who have had little in their lives in 
the way of basic education, career training, and independent living 
education. I thank both the chairman, Mr. Lewis, and the ranking 
member, Mr. Stokes, and to all of the conferees for ensuring that this 
much needed program was included in the Conference Report.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Waxman), the distinguished ranking member of the 
Committee on Government Reform and Oversight.
  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time.
  When the VA-HUD appropriations bill was passed by the House in July, 
it contained numerous provisions in the accompanying report that were 
intended to interfere with the implementation of our environmental 
laws. In the legislation now before us, I see that the conferees have 
improved most of these anti-environmental riders. However, there is 
still some potentially damaging language in the bill and I want to 
mention some of these specific provisions.
  The report urges EPA to start over in their efforts to clean up air 
pollution in our national parks. I understand this language was 
included by the Republicans at the request of coal-burning utilities in 
Colorado.
  In the mid 1970s, there was growing public concern regarding air 
pollution clouding the beautiful vistas of our national parks. As a 
result, Congress directed EPA to address the problem in

[[Page H9620]]

the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977. After a stalled effort, the 
program was improved and strengthened in 1990. Unfortunately, just as 
this program was finally beginning to be implemented, the program was 
stalled for 9 years by an anti-environmental rider attached to this 
year's highway bill. The language in the VA-HUD appropriations bill now 
adds insult to injury by urging EPA to start over and not encourage the 
States to even plan or think about addressing this serious issue.
  There is language in this bill which is intended to prevent the 
reduction of mercury emissions from power plants until after the turn 
of the century. There is language which is intended to slant 
implementation of our pesticide safety laws in favor of pesticide 
chemical companies at the risk of public health. Additionally, there is 
language designed to interfere with the dredging of PCB contaminated 
sediments in our rivers and our lakes.
  Mr. Speaker, I am somewhat comforted by the chairman's past 
assurances that this is all report language and is not binding on the 
agency. However, it is now up to Carol Browner, the Administrator of 
the EPA, to take the chairman at his word and to deal with or to ignore 
some of these harmful provisions. I am pleased that the bill before us 
is better than the one we passed through the House. I wanted to put in 
the Record some of my concerns.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume just by way of a brief reaction. I could not help but pay 
close attention to the comments of the gentleman from California, for 
he was expressing concern about report language in the bill, and we 
have discussed this before. He knows the relative impact of report 
language. But what he may not know is that for the riders he is really 
concerned about, we had serious discussions and negotiations and work 
with the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Byrd) who was the key player 
involved in all of this and want to make sure we understand that he is 
a Democrat, that we recall that.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend the conferees, 
especially the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Stokes), the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy) 
and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lazio) for the outstanding work 
that they did on the housing report. Gone are the heavy-handed 
provisions that would have mandated community service for unemployed 
residents of public housing. In its place this bill requires either 8 
hours of community service or 8 hours a month of participation in an 
economic self-sufficiency program. This is real problem-solving without 
the insensitive and stoic responsibilities to existing circumstances in 
public housing that we witnessed earlier in the process.
  When I look at my congressional district in Chicago, where only 18 
percent of the residents of Dearborn Homes are employed, where only 9 
percent of the residents of Robert Taylor A are working; where only 9 
percent of the residents of Stateway Gardens are working, there is 
clearly a need for job training. I believe that this is where we need 
to direct our focus. This is a most welcome undertaking and is proof 
positive of the type of agreements this body can reach. I thank the 
conferees for an outstanding piece of work.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Meek), a hardworking and very dedicated member of the VA-
HUD subcommittee.
  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank our leader Lou Stokes who 
is retiring from Congress. I thank Chairman Lewis. The two of them have 
what I have always described as a dynamic duo. With the fact that they 
work so well together as a member of that conference committee, the 
work was sometimes strenuous and caused us to have to make hard 
decisions, but they were good decisions.
  At first I was a little bit dissatisfied with H.R. 2, but after the 
many compromises that were made, particularly those compromises that 
had to do with additional Section 8, also additional public service for 
the people who are in such distressed conditions, I want to give my 
full support to this conference report and hoping that the volunteerism 
that perhaps is forced on some of the residents will cause them to make 
this a virtue and work this into what they will give to society.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Ford).
  Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the conference report and 
to pay tribute to the leadership of this giant Lou Stokes, this 
gentleman and giant. The gentleman from Ohio deserves special praise 
for helping to produce today what will be his final VA-HUD 
appropriations bill. He was able to work with both the administration 
and his very able and amiable friend and chairman of the committee the 
gentleman from California to produce and craft a bill that includes a 
landmark housing reform package that provides opportunities, 
responsibilities, is less onerous and gives more autonomy to local 
public housing authorities.
  The gentleman from Ohio is leaving a great legacy to this Congress. 
He has done so much to honor our veterans, to improve the lives of 
millions of Americans by expanding affordable housing, cleaning up our 
environment and advancing medical research in my district and districts 
around the Nation.
  On a personal note, Mr. Stokes and Mr. Clay and Mr. Dellums and Mr. 
Rangel are like fathers to me. I have known them since I was a child. 
Aunt Jay and certainly Judge Stokes, and Chuck and Shelley and Lorie 
are like cousins. He will be missed not only by those of us in this 
House but those throughout this Nation. He is one that has provided me 
with great counsel and advice since being in the Congress and just on a 
very personal note, I want to say to my friend and uncle and father 
figure Mr. Lou Stokes, thank you for what you have meant to me, thank 
you for what you have meant to this Congress and thank you for what you 
have meant to this Nation. You are indeed a true patriot and you will 
be missed.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Roukema).
  (Mrs. ROUKEMA asked and was given permission to revise and extend her 
remarks.)
  Mrs. ROUKEMA. Mr. Speaker, I know there have been wonderful accolades 
given to the chairman and other members of the committee, the ranking 
member, and I want to join in that. I particularly want to commend the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Lazio) and the public housing provisions 
in this bill. Having been a member of the Banking Committee for a good 
number of years and the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Housing, 
I know what a giant step of reform this is. I want to commend them. But 
I especially want to reference the fact that the money was put in to 
deal with the veterans' needs in States like New Jersey and other 
States. After all, when our veterans served, they did not serve one 
region of the country or another. They served all Americans.
  I just want to congratulate the committee for doing what is fair and 
right for all the veterans no matter what States they live in, and 
particularly for our veterans' hospitals in New Jersey.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Conference Report 
for H.R. 4194, the VA, HUD Appropriations Act for FY 1999. This is a 
very good Conference Report with many strong aspects.
  Public Housing.--This Conference Report includes H.R. 2, the Public 
Housing bill. I want to commend Chairman Lazio for his strong 
leadership on this effort.
  Our public housing programs have been a failure. For years I served 
as the Ranking Minority Member on the Banking Housing Subcommittee. 
While we made repeated attempts to address the waste, fraud and abuse 
inherent to our public housing system, this is the first time we have 
had a comprehensive plan offering effective solutions.
  We have made great strides in reforming our welfare system in an 
effort to give people the hand up they need rather than a hand out. 
With the passage of this Conference Report, we move a step closer to 
completing the job of reforming our welfare system. These reforms are 
real and help people by giving public housing families the tools they 
need to achieve financial independence.
  Ramapo.--In addition, I would like to thank the Chairman for his hard 
work and dedication. I would like to thank him and the Committee for 
including a grant to Ramapo College.

[[Page H9621]]

This grant will help to offset the cost of constructing a Center for 
the Performing and Visual Arts that will serve all the people of 
northern New Jersey.
  Moderate Rehabilitation.--I would also like to thank the Chairman and 
the Committee for including language on Moderate Rehabilitation 
contracts. Moderate Rehabilitation properties are vital neighborhood 
assets in many lower income communities that hold neighborhoods 
together.
  Veterans.--But, I would like to take the rest of my time to speak on 
an issue that is vital to the veterans of New Jersey and the Northeast. 
This Conference Report contains language that urges the Veterans 
Administration to provide for a one time credit of $20 million to the 
Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) Three, which serves veterans 
of New Jersey and the Northeast. This language is right and fair. The 
veterans served their country, and there should be no difference on 
their care and treatment according to state or regional locations. This 
Conference report puts the money back and brought equity for all our 
veterans.
  A General Accounting Office (GAO) study revealed that the Network 3 
returned $20 million for the Fiscal Year 1997 budget to the Veterans 
Administration national offices in Washington. According to the GAO, 
the Network 3 Director found ``no prudent use'' for these funds.
  At the same time this money was returned to Washington, my office had 
numerous complaints from the East Orange and Lyons facilities. Most 
recently, a patient at Lyons Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which 
mainly serves psychiatric patients, was found dead after wandering off 
site unsupervised. He was missing for three days and found only 150 
feet from the Hospital's administration building. It is also 
interesting to note that due to funding restraints, New Jersey's VA 
hospitals have eliminated over 240 jobs. It is obvious to me that the 
$20 million could have been spent in many prudent ways.
  The crisis facing our veterans, brought about by implementation of 
the VA's new funding formula known as Veterans Equitable Resource 
Allocation (VERA), has negatively impacted funding of veterans' health 
care in New Jersey and the northeastern United States. New Jersey and 
the Northeast will lose millions of dollars over the next several 
years.
  To save money, the VA has cut back on numerous services for veterans 
and instituted various managed care procedures that have the impact of 
destroying the quality of care the veterans receive. For instance, the 
VA has reduced the amount of treatment offered to those who suffer from 
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and reduced the number of medical 
personnel at various health centers.
  As a result of these cutbacks on top of the $20 million give away, 
there has been an erosion of confidence between veterans and the VA. 
This erosion threatens to destroy the solemn commitment that this 
nation made to its veterans when they were called to duty.
  This credit of the $20 million will help to restore the confidence of 
our veterans in the VA. I call on the Secretary of the VA to act 
immediately on the Committee's direction after this bill is signed into 
law.
  I thank the Chairman and urge adoption of this Conference Report.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Vento).
  (Mr. VENTO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the conference report.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Conference Agreement on H.R. 
4194, the VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations for FY 1999.
  Overall, I am supportive of the funding levels for the Veterans 
programs and for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. I 
have concerns about the wisdom of limiting the implementation of the 
Kyoto global warming treaty in the manner prescribed. It is short 
sighted to ignore the facts that are building on global warming and it 
is more short sighted for the United States not to be taking a lead 
role in the international community on these efforts to control 
greenhouse gases. So, although this bill has been tempered from what 
was in the House bill it is still overreaching. It is also regrettable 
that this bill contains hundreds of millions of dollars of earmarks 
among housing and environmental programs, continuing a usual pattern 
for this bill that I find less than appealing, with the limited funds 
available, the report picks winners and losers for such funds based on 
nonobjective criteria.
  There is always too much to say about appropriations bills that cover 
the whole range of issues and programs that we have before us. That 
task has been multiplied by the inclusion of the authorizing 
legislation, H.R. 2, which has many provisions that I have worked on 
over the past few Congresses.
  I do support the agreement brought together in this bill on H.R. 2. 
Because I have not had adequate time to study the nuances of all the 
language, I cannot unequivocally endorse the entire product. I remain 
concerned about the community work requirements and the inclusion of 
the Home Rule Flexible Grants Demonstration program in the agreement 
and have some concerns about the potential negative effect of public 
housing operating subsidy and modernization formulas that are as of 
yet, not created and therefore, untested. The final provisions are 
limited in scope and time and attempts to avoid duplication with other 
Federal requirements.
  Nonetheless, I must praise those who came to this agreement for 
moderating the House bill which was extreme in its so-called reforms. 
From not repealing the 1937 Housing Act to providing much better 
targeting of scarce housing resources to the very poor, this agreement 
is a significant improvement and a reasonable compromise. The inclusion 
of this agreement today shows that Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) 
can be given flexibility without destroying the underlying protections 
for those in need of housing assistance: the Brooke amendment which 
limits families' rent contributions, and targeting of 75 percent of 
Section 8 assistance vouchers and 40 percent of public housing units to 
the very poor.
  I am pleased that some form of the changes I had worked on for 
several years in Housing Authorization bills in the past three 
Congresses have been included in the agreement. In particular, I refer 
to the expansion of the Public Housing Drug Elimination Program (PHDEP) 
to a more comprehensive crime oriented program which had been called 
COMPAC. Section 586 of the bill does make amendments to PHDEP to assure 
that this program, already effective in many cities across the country, 
can be improved to include the eradication of drug-related and violent 
crimes, primarily in and around public housing buildings with severe 
crime problems. While not entirely including my COMPAC provisions that 
were in the House-passed bill, these changes will link community 
policing efforts and local anti-crime efforts with public and assisted 
housing security and crime reduction initiatives. I am concerned, 
however, that in lieu of an actual formula for distribution of the 
crime and drug elimination program funds to PHAs that apply and 
demonstrate security and crime reduction needs, there is only a 
preference for PHAs that have previously received funds under PHDEP 
with a small, undefined ``set-aside'' of funds for a ``class of public 
housing agencies that have urgent or serious crime problems.'' I 
believe the latter is an attempt to assure medium- to small-sized PHAs 
have an opportunity to receive funds even if they have not to date, and 
thus would not be subject to the preference for funds over the next 
four years. I would also hope that either in developing the preferenced 
set of PHAs and the special class of PHAs, that HUD will fairly 
allocate these funds across the country to PHAs like St. Paul that have 
received funding in the past, and to others that have needs that have 
not received PHDEP monies.
  Thankfully, the agreement does not create the ill-advised Housing 
Accreditation Board that the House bill was to have foisted upon the 
system, regardless of whether it is necessary. The creation of a 
commission to study the effectiveness of current public housing 
performance assessment is a much better outcome and should be more 
useful and cost effective in the long-run than super-imposing a new 
government bureaucracy.
  As the work of the appropriators, I wish to thank and commend the 
Conferees for including some relief, though not all that we hoped for, 
on the matter of tenant notification of the prepayment of a mortgage on 
the apartment building in which they live. As Members may recall, I 
offered an amendment to provide for 12-month of notice to affected 
tenants based on a Senate amendment accepted in the VA-HUD bill. 
However, the amendment was out of order at that time as it was 
legislating on an appropriations bill. Thankfully, we are over that 
hurdle by a long shot in this bill with extensive authorization to say 
the least. Since then, I have been working with my Minnesota colleague 
from St. Paul's sister city, Minneapolis, to ensure that tenants, state 
and local governments, and advocates have advance knowledge of 
prepayment, in part to enable them to the degree it is possible, to 
preserve the existing assisted housing. Without Preservation funding 
requests from the Administration and without the appropriations of 
funds for preservation, the real heavy lifting to keep affordable 
housing units isn't likely to be possible. I hope this policy path will 
change in the future. Until then, this notice is a small step forward 
to give tenants in states like Minnesota which has developed its own 
funding program for preservation the opporutnity to preserve a few 
buildings. I will continue to work to see that the federal government 
pulls its share of the weight on preservation and provides adequate 
funding by whatever means are available so that it is a true partner to 
the states and our citizens in this endeavor.

[[Page H9622]]

  I am also very pleased that the Conference agreement has included an 
increase of the FHA loan limits: an increase in the floor to 48% of the 
Freddie/Fannie conforming loan limit that is almost as much as the 50% 
of the conforming loan amendment that I had offered successfully in the 
1994 housing bill that died in the other body, and, an increase to 
$197,620 for the FHA ceiling that will help many middle income and 
first time home buyers in high cost areas. Both of these increases 
should be helpful to keep this program relevant in the market place and 
making it more responsive to the actual cost of building and buying a 
home in large and small, rural and suburban, urban and ex-urban real 
estate markets across the country. The five years delay in responding 
to the changes in the market speak to a need for autonomy for the FHA, 
administration so that the program is not hobbled by political limits. 
It is good to note, as well, the permanent authorization of the popular 
and proven FHA HECM program, better known as the Reverse Mortgage 
program for Seniors.
  I do note that the Conference Agreement provides almost a billion 
dollars, or $975 million, for homeless assistance, thirty percent of 
which is targeted to permanent housing assistance. While I am pleased 
with that funding level for the HUD McKinney programs, I do regretfully 
note that the FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Grant program has 
remained level funded at $100 million and would point out that the 
matching requirements have been diluted. Hopefully those who receive 
such funds will maintain their current efforts.
  The Appropriations Conferees should be praised as well for the 50,000 
incremental, or new, vouchers that this bill providing funding for. 
Democrats in the House have long been fighting for additional section 8 
assistance, so it is indeed a good bill that can bring those new 
Section 8 vouchers to fruition. I would only note that I am a little 
concerned that many of those vouchers are earmarked for certain cities 
in a way that may not be what is reflected by actual need for the 
vouchers. Furthermore, the one-year commitment for the redefined 
vouchers continues to snowball into a larger commitment each year. 
Without a multiyear commitment the public and assisted housing sponsors 
have no clear long term policy from the Federal Government.
  I would be remiss not to note the inclusion of $426 million of 
funding for the AmeriCorp program and $80 million for the Community 
Development Financial Institutions Fund, two Administration programs of 
which I am very supportive. As a supporter of the effective 
Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation and its Neighborhood Housing 
Services, I am pleased at the $90 million allocation of which $25 
million could be used for a pilot home ownership initative.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been six long years since we have openly wrote a 
comprehensive housing policy measure for our nation into law. This 
product on balance is positive, but a weak substitute for what needs to 
be done our nation is on the CUSP of a Housing Crisis our Budget 
priorities and the agenda doesn't effectively deal with it. The 
Congress has been reduced to reacting to the crisis and while this 
measure is a positive step it is not the answer to the issue.
  Nevertheless, I ask my Colleagues to support this Conference 
Agreement which has been tempered in many ways from the House-passed 
VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies appropriations bill that I could not 
support when it was considered earlier this year. Hopefully, we will 
see this kind of balanced and fair compromising as we continue to wrap 
up the appropriations bills this Congress, in the week ahead and 
beyond.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill. It has been a tough bill to craft. 
This bill is always a very tough bill to craft. Thanks to the 
leadership of the gentleman from California, we have crafted a bill 
that I can commend to all of the Members as being a good bill.
  In closing, I want to take once again just a moment to say, we could 
not bring a better bill to the floor than this bill, the last bill on 
which I will be the ranking member of the committee.
  Jerry, I want you to know, I am proud of this bill, I am proud of my 
association, of my friendship with you. It has been a great honor to 
serve with you. I am very proud to commend this bill to all the Members 
of the House.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume. By way of closing the discussion on this bill, I first 
want to take a moment myself to express the same level of appreciation 
and respect to our very fine staff that was expressed by my colleague 
Louis Stokes earlier: Frank Cushing and Del Davis, Paul Thompson and 
David Reich, Valerie Baldwin, Fredette West; Jeff Shockey of my 
personal staff and Alex Heslop who have helped so extensively with this 
work. Tim Peterson and Dena Baron. And, of course, Louis, Arlene Willis 
had something to do with all this.
  An item that may or may not be known by the gentleman from Ohio 
because in this world that we work in, there are no secrets, but you 
never can tell, we might have preserved one. Mr. Speaker, there is one 
matter that I do want to bring to the House's attention. It concerns my 
good friend Louis Stokes. For 24 years, the gentleman from Ohio has 
served on this subcommittee, what is now called the VA, HUD and 
Independent Agencies appropriations subcommittee, first as a member and 
then as chairman. While he is now ranking member, he will always be my 
chairman.
  During that time, he has always been a strong supporter of veterans, 
and that is especially true for minority veterans. Among other things, 
Louis Stokes has worked to get the VA to reach out to minority 
veterans. He has worked to get VA to increase the number of minority 
employees in higher grades. He has worked to get the VA to make certain 
that more contract funds were available to minority firms.
  Louis Stokes served honorably in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946. To 
honor and to recognize Congressman Stokes' long and distinguished 
career in support of veterans and veterans programs, the conferees on 
the VA-HUD appropriations measure have, I would say discreetly, my 
staff wants me to say secretly, agreed to rename the Cleveland VA 
Medical Center at Wade Park as the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of 
Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that all Members will agree that it is both 
fitting and proper to name the Cleveland Medical Center for our friend 
and colleague Louis Stokes.
  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the 
conference agreement. I especially want to congratulate the gentleman 
from California, Chairman Lewis, and the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. 
Stokes, the ranking member, for their evenhanded bipartisan work in 
putting together this difficult piece of legislation.
  The bill has broad support from both parties and in both Chambers. In 
numerous ways this conference report addresses our nation's critical 
priorities and gives support to areas in need. This bill includes 
funding for the construction of a Greater Sacramento Urban League 
office on Marysville Boulevard in Del Paso Heights, California. This 
project will symbolize the renewal of hope and revitalization of one of 
northern California's most depressed areas.
  According to the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA), 
the area where this project will be suffers from an unemployment rate 
of 22% and a per capita income of only $5,551. Del Paso Heights is 
extremely economically depressed and suffers from a decaying 
infrastructure. The SHRA has also found that 31% of the residents 
receive AFDC and 40% live below the poverty line.
  This earmark to help move the Greater Sacramento Urban League offices 
to this area can help turn these numbers around. Last year alone, 100 
young people earned their G.E.D. from their Project SUCCESS program. 
150 people graduated from their office technology program and 25 
students earned certification as nursing assistants/health aides. Over 
2,700 people have learned about HIV/AIDS prevention and personal 
responsibility. They have also helped over 1,000 people develop job 
readiness skills and placed 300 people in jobs.
  I was also pleased to find that funding was made available for the 
new City of Citrus Heights, California. These needed funds will go 
towards the transitional costs that are associated when an area of this 
size becomes its own city.
  In particular, these funds will be used for the continuation of the 
efforts of Citrus Heights to address and mitigate long term solutions 
to the problems that are priorities to the city and may not have been 
priorities to the county that they belonged to last year.
  The County of Sacramento also received another year of funding for 
the Sacramento River Toxic Pollutant Control Program and the Combined 
Sewer System in the EPA section of the bill. These are vital multi-year 
projects that will help ensure the health and well-being of 
Sacramento's residents. Both projects are part of Sacramento County's 
long-range pollutant control plans, and I am pleased to have been able 
to support these projects over the past several years.
  In short, this is a bill that is of benefit to my congressional 
district, my state and the entire

[[Page H9623]]

nation. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting it.
  Mr. DOYLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4194, the 
FY1999 VA/HUD/Independent Agencies Conference Report.
  While there are many parts of this bill that I am proud to support, I 
am especially pleased that the Housing Opportunity and Responsibility 
Act, H.R. 2, was included in this Conference Report.
  Mr. Speaker, it was not too long ago that the House considered and 
passed H.R. 2, which represents the first significant reform of public 
housing in several years. Among other substantial improvements, the 
bill eliminates many current obstacles that local housing authorities 
face in receiving funding. During the consideration of H.R. 2, I worked 
diligently with my fellow colleague from Pennsylvania Representative 
Ron Klink to successfully include the text of a bill we crafted, the 
Community Right To Know Act, as part of H.R. 2.
  The Community Right to Know Act, H.R. 212, requires local public 
housing authorities to notify, and consult with, potentially impacted 
local governments when negotiating any settlement of, or consent decree 
for, significant litigation regarding public housing assistance from 
the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Thanks to our 
hard work and persistence, the House passed our bill in the form of an 
amendment unanimously, by voice vote last year.
  When the House considers this Conference Report today, we will be 
requiring HUD to consult with local communities before they attempt to 
implement any housing program. This is especially important to my 
constituents in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, where they have been 
working hard to implement the Sanders Consent Decree, a housing 
desegregation class-action lawsuit which involves HUD and the Allegheny 
County Housing Authority (ACHA).
  The Consent Decree states that HUD, ACHA, and the plaintiff's 
attorney's will work to end alleged discriminatory housing policies in 
the County and distribute 100 public housing units throughout the 
County rather than concentrating them in blighted areas. Disputes 
stemming from the consent decree began early in the implementation 
process when HUD, ACHA, and the plaintiff's attorney's, as members of 
the Sanders Task Force, decided to schedule closed door meetings in 
which the general public was not invited.
  To make matters worse, the Task Force does not include community 
leaders, private citizens, local officials or any Congressional 
Representatives and has made little or no effort to consult with 
citizens in developing their plans. As a result, the Task Force's 
initiatives are often ill-advised and poorly managed.
  The Klink-Doyle ``Community Right To Know'' initiative would prohibit 
closed-door meetings and allow the public at-large to voice their 
concerns, comments and make suggestions as to how to implement consent 
decrees, and other HUD programs in the best possible manner. I am 
especially pleased that the House and Senate Conferees included this 
bill in this Conference Report.
  This Conference Report is the product of a compromise between the 
Administration, the House and the Senate. I am proud to support this 
Conference Report and urge my colleagues to vote yes on H.R. 4194.
  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the VA, HUD 
and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill.
  I urge my colleagues to support this measure and I would like to 
express my appreciation to Chairman Lewis and Mr. Stokes for crafting a 
bill that is both equitable and fair to veterans, homeowners and 
renters and supporters of cleaner environment.
  It is never an easy task to establish the right priorities and 
funding levels for the Veterans Administration, the Environmental 
Protection Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
but the conferees appear to have done so once again.
  I would also like to express my appreciation for the spirit of 
compromise that was reached between the Administration, the authorizing 
committee and the appropriations committee on legislation that will 
substantially rewrite public housing programs.
  Last year the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2, the Housing 
Opportunity and Responsibility Act, by a vote of 293 to 132. The public 
housing reforms contain key elements of H.R. 2, but are responsive to 
concerns raised by the administration and many low income housing 
groups.
  I am especially pleased to see that all parties agreed to retain 
tough screening and eviction procedures that cover not just public 
housing but privately-owned publicly assisted housing.
  As you know, I have a personal interest in the expedited eviction 
procedure.
  Unfortunately, it took the tragic death of Alexandria police officer 
Charlie Hill before HUD began to explore procedures to expedite the 
eviction of drug dealers from public housing projects. The police and 
the community knew who the drug dealers were, but every time they 
attempted to do something, they were stymied by the legal aid 
advocates. Fortunately, Alexandria was successful and the city's 
subsidized housing units are a far different place to live in today.
  The expedited eviction procedure works but it needed to be 
strengthened further.
  Today's legislation builds on past efforts by permitting housing 
authorities to access criminal records for screening and evicting 
tenants. It also extends these useful tools to private owners and 
managers of Section 8 housing.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill, it deserves strong bipartisan 
support.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this conference 
report. I am pleased that it increases funding for veterans health, 
public housing, and services for some of our most needy citizens. I 
remain concerned that under the VERA formula, Connecticut veterans may 
face additional cuts in their health services, and I look forward to 
working with the VA and the rest of the Connecticut delegation to 
address this problem.
  I am pleased that the report includes language which directs the 
Consumer Product Safety Commission to revisit its flammability 
standards for children's sleepwear.
  In 1996 the CPSC voted to weaken the standards for children's 
sleepwear which protect children from being burned. Those standards, 
which had been in place for more than 20 years, required children's 
pajamas to be made from material which self-extinguishes if it catches 
on fire. The standards are credited with saving tens of thousands of 
children from injury and death.
  The language in the conference report gives the CPSC the opportunity 
to examine all the data and revoke, modify or retain its weakened 
standard without waiting for the numbers of children burned to rise.
  I am proud to join Congressmen Weldon and Andrews, Fire Marshalls, 
Chiefs, and fire safety organizations from around the country in 
supporting this language and calling on the CPSC to return to its 
original, protective standard. This is truly a matter of life or death 
for many children, and I appreciate the assistance of Chairman Lewis, 
Ranking Member Stokes, and all of the conferees in addressing this 
important issue.
  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, first, let me thank Chairman Lewis and 
Ranking Member Stokes for their leadership in crafting this Conference 
Report.
  As always, my good friend from California has presented this House 
with a bill that will improve the livelihood of our nation's veterans, 
preserve housing programs and maintain our commitment to scientific 
excellence at NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the EPA.
  We are all aware of the Chairman's dedication to a healthy 
environment. By authoring the California Clean Air Act, Mr. Lewis made 
possible the environmental advancements our region in southern 
California has experienced in recent years.
  I share his dedication to clean air and a healthy environment. And I 
stand in strong support of the language in the Conference Report 
regarding the Administration's misguided Kyoto Protocol.
  I went to Kyoto last December and talked to many of the international 
key players there. I was interested to hear from Chinese 
representatives that they had no intention of adhering to this 
international agreement.
  Because China will become the number one emitter of Carbon Dioxide 
sometime in the next two decades, the treaty doesn't work.
  I also held three hearings in my Science Subcommittee on Energy and 
the Environment before attending the conference. At those hearings, top 
climatologists told us that no clear scientific evidence exists 
indicating that there is human-induced global warming.
  So, the treaty will not work and the science doesn't show that we 
need it. But that is not the only reason to support the language in the 
Conference Report.
  I also support the language because it stops this Administration from 
implementing the Kyoto Treaty without Senate ratification. If they were 
able to do so they would be ignoring the sanctity of the Constitution.
  If the President believes this treaty is good for America, let him 
send it to the Senate so it can be weighed on its merits in a full and 
open debate. That is what the Constitution demands.
  Again, I thank Chairman Lewis and Ranking Member Stokes for their 
excellent work on this Conference Report and urge a yes vote.
  Mr. McINTOSH. Mr. Speaker, the Kyoto Protocol is a bad deal for 
America. In the face of inconclusive science, this treaty goes too far, 
too fast, and involves too few countries. The fact is that, even if we 
stopped operating every car, truck, boat, train, and airplane in this 
country, the energy savings still would not be enough to meet the U.S. 
commitments under the Protocol.
  Moreover, under this treaty, all of the burdens are imposed on the 
industrialized countries, while the developing countries enjoy all

[[Page H9624]]

the benefits. Huge emissions producers like China, India, South Korea, 
Brazil, and Mexico are totally excluded from any commitments. As a 
result, even if every developed country were to achieve its emissions 
reduction obligations, there still would be not net reduction in 
greenhouse gas emissions.
  Without global participation, this country could well face crippling 
economic consequences: the elimination of millions of American jobs, 
significant increases in our energy prices, and deterioration of our 
standard of living. Given the scientific uncertainties, we don't need a 
Kyoto Protocol that hamstrings our future and leaves this country 
incapable of coping with real crises. Needless to say we cannot 
countenance any Administration attempts to make this treaty a reality 
before it is submitted to the Senate for advice and consent and before 
Congress can agree upon any necessary implementing legislation and 
regulations.
  The Clinton/Gore Administration has recognized the Protocol's 
deficiencies and promised that it will not submit this treaty for 
ratification until there is ``meaningful participation'' by developing 
countries. Under Secretary of State Elizenstat also has repeatedly 
disavowed any intention of the Administration to implement the Protocol 
before it is submitted to the Senate.
  But these assurances notwithstanding, EPA has taken actions that 
strongly suggest that the Administration may be trying to jump the gun 
on Congress and issue rules and regulations through the back-door. Take 
for example, EPA's attempt to cap carbon emissions in the 
Administration's electric utility restructuring plan. An internal 
Agency memorandum that was provided to my Subcommittee revealed that 
EPA saw this proposal as a ``concrete step to move forward domestically 
on global warming while continuing to work for progress internationally 
in follow-up to Kyoto.''
  In a hearing before my Subcommittee, an EPA official also testified 
that the agency has the authority to regulate the carbon dioxide that 
we exhale every day as an air pollutant under the Clean Air Act, as if 
it were the same as other air pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, 
nitrogen oxide, or mercury, that are already regulated.
  We have to pass the bipartisan funding limitation in H.R. 4194 to put 
the breaks on back-door regulatory actions. We cannot allow EPA to make 
an end-run around fundamental democratic procedures to advance the 
Administration's social engineering.
  The Kyoto Protocol is a fundamentally flawed treaty. Our only 
safeguard against this bad deal is our constitutional process of Senate 
advice and consent. The Clinton/Gore Administration must be held to its 
promises to Congress and the American public, while the treaty remains 
a ``work-in-progress,'' and while the Clinton/Gore Administration 
continues to ``explore'' ways to achieve ``meaningful participation.'' 
This is a global issue. ``Meaningful participation'' must mean global 
participation by all countries. We will settle for nothing less.
  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this conference 
report and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, I first would like to thank Chairman Lewis, Congressman 
Stokes and the Subcommittee staff for their guidance throughout the 
year. As all of know this is the final VA, HUD Conference Report for 
Lou Stokes. Having served with Lou on this Subcommittee for four years 
I know that he will missed for his insight and knowledge of the vast 
array of issues that face this Subcommittee each year. Lou, you have 
made serving on this subcommittee a educational experience and I wish 
you all the best in your retirement.
  Mr. Speaker, this conference report is a balanced one. It provides 
funding for many vital programs for our nation's veterans, for 
protection and preservation of our environment, for meeting the housing 
needs for our elderly and disabled and for scientific research and 
discovery.
  In total this report provides over $93 billion for the Departments of 
Veteran Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and 17 independent 
agencies and offices. Nearly half of the bill's funding supports the 
Department of Veterans Affairs' efforts to provide health care, housing 
and benefits.
  As a member of this subcommittee I am pleased that this bill provides 
increased funding for the VA Health Care System. However, I remain 
concerned over the way the VA has chosen to implement the Veterans 
Integretated Network System (VISN) and intend to continue to follow 
this implementation very closely. Funding has increased each year for 
the last three years yet some area networks are not seeing any 
increases and in fact are receiving cuts in funding and services. As 
implementation continues, I intend to make sure that the quality of 
care for our veterans continue at a very high level.
  During subcommittee mark-up I offered report language, accepted by 
the Conference Committee, which would require the Veterans 
Administration to give back $20 million to VISN 3. These funds were 
wrongly given back to the VA Headquarters any my report language will 
rectify this situation. There is no doubt that VISN 3 can use this 
funding and I will continue to monitor this situation to see that the 
VA uses this funding to provide services to my state's veterans and 
does not divert this funding for administrative needs.
  In addition to veterans funding, H.R. 4194 provides funding for the 
Section 811 program, housing for people with disabilities, at $194 
million, $20 million more than the President requested and the Section 
202 program, housing for older Americans, at $660 million, $501 million 
more than the President's request. Both of these programs are working 
extremely well at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and I 
am pleased that the Committee provided increased funding for them.
  The conference report also continues a set-aside program that the 
Committee started two years ago to meet housing needs for people with 
disabilities. The Committee has included $40 million for tenant-based 
rental assistance to ensure decent, safe, and affordable housing in 
communities for low income people with disabilities. I am also pleased 
that the Conference Committee has included language to direct the 
Secretary of HUD to use his waiver authority to allow non-profit 
organizations to apply directly for these funds instead of through a 
Public Housing Authority. It is my belief that this change will provide 
better access to housing for more individuals with disabilities. I 
sincerely hope that Secretary Cuomo and I can continue our mutual goal 
of giving more individuals with disabilities the opportunity to live 
independently.
  On another issue, this report includes an increase for the National 
Science Foundation. Specifically, the bill includes $3.7 billion for 
NSF, $242 million over last years funding level. This increase will go 
along way towards moving scientific research forward. Scientific 
research has been a high priority of mine since being named to the 
Appropriations Committee and I am pleased that the FY99 Conference 
Report continues to emphasis the importance of basic science research.
  Finally, there continues to be a desperate need for Superfund reform 
and change. The program needs to be re-authorized and it needs to 
promote actual clean-ups based on sound science, not the rhetoric of 
political science. Polluters need to pay and steps need to taken to 
assure that public or private funds are used for environmental clean-
up, not to sustain endless litigation. Comprehensive reform is needed 
in order to continue a strong viable program.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a balanced conference report and it deserves our 
support. I urge my colleagues to adopt this conference report.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise and say 
a few words to my friend and colleague, Harris Falwell. In the short 
time that I have served as Ranking Democrat on the Education and the 
Workforce Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations, I have found him 
to be thoughtful in pursuit of bipartisan agreement and compromise. 
When I first assumed the ranking position on that Subcommittee, Harris 
extended himself to me as a gesture of his trademark comity and 
friendship. Although we come from ideologically different perspectives, 
I appreciated the fact that he was open to debate and discussion on 
many issues. In fact, he encouraged it.
  One of the most rewarding experiences I had while working with 
Chairman Fawell was when we collaborated to introduce the Savings Are 
Vital to Everyone's Retirement (SAVER) Act, which was enacted into law 
last December. He solicited and encouraged input from all of our 
colleagues with an interest in this issue. As a result of the 
bipartisan participation, this effort was successful in creating a 
number of initiatives, both public and private, aimed at increasing 
public awareness about the importance of preparing for retirement. This 
project culminated in the first White House Summit on Retirement 
Savings.
  Because of his leadership and legislative achievements, he served the 
13th Congressional District of Illinois with distinction. I wish 
Chairman Fawell continued success in his next endeavor and look forward 
to working with him again.
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support today for the NASA 
funding provided in this bill. Last year at this time, there were 
rumors floating that NASA's proposed budget was going to be cut by $1 
billion in 1999. This would have seriously damaged NASA's programs. Mr. 
Weldon and I rallied support for NASA. 201 Members of Congress signed a 
letter to the Speaker arguing for stabilization of NASA's budget. The 
$1 billion dollar cut was avoided in the President's budget as a result 
of the overwhelming bipartisan support which NASA enjoys in the House.
  Today, I am very happy to see an increase in NASA's budget to $13.7 
billion. This is more than the President's request and more than

[[Page H9625]]

the House and Senate in the VA-HUD Conference Report. NASA is a 
government agency that looks to the future. For every dollar we invest 
in the space program, we receive a return of at least $2 in direct and 
indirect benefits. With the International Space Station program close 
to launch and assembly, it is crucial that NASA receives no further 
cuts. I am especially pleased to see that more money is included for 
aeronautics research and for life and microgravity sciences, research 
areas at NASA Lewis Research Center in my district.
  NASA Lewis is NASA's Lead Center for Aeropropulsion and also a NASA 
Center for Excellence in Turbomachinery. Microgravity research in 
combustion and fluids is also performed at Lewis.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time, as I congratulate Louis Stokes on his fantastic career.

                              {time}  1315

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Blunt). All time having expired, without 
objection, the previous question is ordered on the conference report.
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the conference report.
  Pursuant to clause 7, rule XV, the yeas and nays are ordered.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 409, 
nays 14, not voting 11, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 483]

                               YEAS--409

     Abercrombie
     Ackerman
     Aderholt
     Allen
     Andrews
     Archer
     Armey
     Bachus
     Baesler
     Baker
     Baldacci
     Ballenger
     Barcia
     Barr
     Barrett (NE)
     Barrett (WI)
     Bartlett
     Barton
     Bass
     Bateman
     Becerra
     Bentsen
     Bereuter
     Berman
     Berry
     Bilbray
     Bilirakis
     Bishop
     Blagojevich
     Bliley
     Blumenauer
     Blunt
     Boehlert
     Boehner
     Bonilla
     Bonior
     Bono
     Borski
     Boswell
     Boucher
     Boyd
     Brady (PA)
     Brady (TX)
     Brown (FL)
     Brown (OH)
     Bryant
     Bunning
     Burr
     Burton
     Buyer
     Callahan
     Calvert
     Camp
     Campbell
     Canady
     Cannon
     Capps
     Cardin
     Carson
     Castle
     Chabot
     Chambliss
     Chenoweth
     Christensen
     Clay
     Clayton
     Clement
     Clyburn
     Coble
     Coburn
     Collins
     Combest
     Condit
     Cook
     Cooksey
     Costello
     Cox
     Coyne
     Cramer
     Crapo
     Cubin
     Cummings
     Cunningham
     Danner
     Davis (FL)
     Davis (IL)
     Davis (VA)
     Deal
     DeGette
     Delahunt
     DeLauro
     DeLay
     Deutsch
     Diaz-Balart
     Dickey
     Dicks
     Dingell
     Dixon
     Doggett
     Dooley
     Doolittle
     Doyle
     Dreier
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Edwards
     Ehlers
     Ehrlich
     Emerson
     Engel
     Ensign
     Eshoo
     Etheridge
     Evans
     Everett
     Ewing
     Farr
     Fattah
     Fazio
     Filner
     Foley
     Forbes
     Ford
     Fossella
     Fowler
     Fox
     Frank (MA)
     Franks (NJ)
     Frelinghuysen
     Frost
     Furse
     Gallegly
     Ganske
     Gejdenson
     Gekas
     Gephardt
     Gibbons
     Gilchrest
     Gillmor
     Gilman
     Gonzalez
     Goode
     Goodlatte
     Goodling
     Gordon
     Goss
     Graham
     Granger
     Green
     Greenwood
     Gutierrez
     Gutknecht
     Hall (OH)
     Hall (TX)
     Hamilton
     Hansen
     Harman
     Hastert
     Hastings (FL)
     Hastings (WA)
     Hayworth
     Hefley
     Hefner
     Herger
     Hill
     Hilleary
     Hilliard
     Hinchey
     Hinojosa
     Hobson
     Hoekstra
     Holden
     Hooley
     Horn
     Houghton
     Hoyer
     Hulshof
     Hunter
     Hutchinson
     Hyde
     Inglis
     Istook
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson-Lee (TX)
     Jefferson
     Jenkins
     John
     Johnson (CT)
     Johnson (WI)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones
     Kanjorski
     Kaptur
     Kasich
     Kelly
     Kennedy (MA)
     Kennedy (RI)
     Kildee
     Kilpatrick
     Kim
     Kind (WI)
     King (NY)
     Kingston
     Kleczka
     Klink
     Klug
     Knollenberg
     Kolbe
     Kucinich
     LaFalce
     LaHood
     Lampson
     Lantos
     Largent
     Latham
     LaTourette
     Lazio
     Leach
     Lee
     Levin
     Lewis (CA)
     Lewis (GA)
     Lewis (KY)
     Livingston
     LoBiondo
     Lofgren
     Lowey
     Lucas
     Luther
     Maloney (CT)
     Maloney (NY)
     Manton
     Manzullo
     Markey
     Martinez
     Mascara
     Matsui
     McCarthy (MO)
     McCarthy (NY)
     McCollum
     McCrery
     McDade
     McDermott
     McGovern
     McHugh
     McInnis
     McIntosh
     McIntyre
     McKeon
     McKinney
     McNulty
     Meehan
     Meek (FL)
     Meeks (NY)
     Menendez
     Metcalf
     Mica
     Millender-McDonald
     Miller (CA)
     Miller (FL)
     Minge
     Mink
     Moakley
     Mollohan
     Moran (KS)
     Morella
     Murtha
     Myrick
     Nadler
     Neal
     Nethercutt
     Neumann
     Ney
     Northup
     Norwood
     Nussle
     Oberstar
     Obey
     Olver
     Ortiz
     Owens
     Oxley
     Packard
     Pallone
     Pappas
     Parker
     Pascrell
     Pastor
     Paxon
     Payne
     Pease
     Pelosi
     Peterson (MN)
     Peterson (PA)
     Pickering
     Pickett
     Pitts
     Pombo
     Pomeroy
     Porter
     Portman
     Price (NC)
     Quinn
     Radanovich
     Rahall
     Ramstad
     Rangel
     Redmond
     Regula
     Reyes
     Riley
     Rivers
     Rodriguez
     Rogan
     Rogers
     Rohrabacher
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Rothman
     Roukema
     Roybal-Allard
     Royce
     Rush
     Ryun
     Sabo
     Salmon
     Sanchez
     Sanders
     Sandlin
     Sawyer
     Saxton
     Schaefer, Dan
     Schumer
     Scott
     Serrano
     Sessions
     Shadegg
     Shaw
     Shays
     Sherman
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Sisisky
     Skaggs
     Skeen
     Skelton
     Slaughter
     Smith (MI)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (OR)
     Smith (TX)
     Smith, Adam
     Smith, Linda
     Snowbarger
     Snyder
     Solomon
     Souder
     Spence
     Spratt
     Stabenow
     Stark
     Stearns
     Stenholm
     Stokes
     Strickland
     Stump
     Stupak
     Sununu
     Talent
     Tanner
     Tauscher
     Tauzin
     Taylor (MS)
     Taylor (NC)
     Thomas
     Thompson
     Thornberry
     Thune
     Thurman
     Tiahrt
     Tierney
     Towns
     Traficant
     Turner
     Upton
     Vento
     Visclosky
     Walsh
     Wamp
     Waters
     Watkins
     Watt (NC)
     Watts (OK)
     Waxman
     Weldon (FL)
     Weldon (PA)
     Weller
     Wexler
     Weygand
     White
     Whitfield
     Wicker
     Wise
     Wolf
     Woolsey
     Wynn
     Yates
     Young (AK)
     Young (FL)

                                NAYS--14

     Conyers
     Crane
     DeFazio
     English
     Hostettler
     Lipinski
     Paul
     Petri
     Roemer
     Sanford
     Scarborough
     Schaffer, Bob
     Sensenbrenner
     Velazquez

                             NOT VOTING--11

     Brown (CA)
     Fawell
     Kennelly
     Linder
     McHale
     Moran (VA)
     Poshard
     Pryce (OH)
     Riggs
     Torres
     Wilson

                              {time}  1334

  Mr. LARGENT changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
  So the conference report was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________