[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 99 (Tuesday, July 17, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H4029-H4034]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING PAUL D. COVERDELL

  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 360) to honor Paul D. Coverdell.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                 S. 360

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

     SECTION 1. PEACE CORPS HEADQUARTERS.

       (a) In General.--Effective on the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the headquarters offices of the Peace Corps, wherever 
     situated, shall be referred to as the ``Paul D. Coverdell 
     Peace Corps Headquarters''.
       (b) References.--Any reference before the date of enactment 
     of this Act in any law, regulation, order, document, record, 
     or other paper of the United States to the headquarters or 
     headquarters offices of the Peace Corps shall, on and after 
     such date, be considered to refer to the Paul D. Coverdell 
     Peace Corps Headquarters.

     SEC. 2. WORLD WISE SCHOOLS PROGRAM.

       Section 603 of the Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools Act 
     of 2000 (title VI of Public Law 106-570) is amended by adding 
     at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(c) New References in Peace Corps Documents.--The 
     Director of the Peace Corps shall ensure that any reference 
     in any public document, record, or other paper of the Peace 
     Corps, including any promotional material, produced on or 
     after the date of enactment of this subsection, to the 
     program described in subsection (a) be a reference to the 
     `Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools Program'.''.

     SEC. 3. PAUL D. COVERDELL BUILDING.

       (a) Award.--From the amount appropriated under subsection 
     (b) the Secretary of Education shall make an award to the 
     University of Georgia to support the construction of the Paul 
     D. Coverdell Building at the Institute of the Biomedical and 
     Health Sciences at the University of Georgia.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for 
     fiscal year 2002.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Hyde) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde).


                             General Leave.

  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on S. 360.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.

[[Page H4030]]

  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to call up S. 360, a bill to 
honor the late Senator from Georgia, Paul Coverdell. I believe the 
enactment of this legislation is a fitting and appropriate way to 
memorialize Senator Coverdell and his work.
  We were all shocked and saddened last July when he died so 
unexpectedly. The State of Georgia lost one of its greatest public 
servants, a soft-spoken and tireless public servant who served the 
people first and politics second.
  In a public career spanning three decades, from the Georgia Senate to 
the Peace Corps to the U.S. Senate, he served with dignity and earned 
everybody's respect.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution has three components. The bill names the 
Washington headquarters of the Peace Corps after Paul Coverdell. The 
legislation reaffirms language approved at the end of last year to 
ensure that the Peace Corps World Wise Schools Program will carry his 
name, as well.
  Senator Coverdell created the program during his tenure as Peace 
Corps director. The World Wise Schools initiative links Peace Corps 
volunteers serving around the globe with the classrooms here in the 
United States. Senator Coverdell correctly saw that such an effort 
would promote cultural awareness and foster an appreciation for global 
connections.
  Finally, the legislation authorizes an appropriation of $10 million, 
to be augmented by $30 million of State and private funds to construct 
the Paul D. Coverdell building for biomedical and health sciences at 
the University of Georgia.
  Senator Coverdell was a tireless supporter of education in Georgia, 
and this building will be a living memorial to him, and an unparalleled 
resource for the students, researchers, and educators of his State and 
our Nation.
  I can believe there can be no more fitting tribute to Senator 
Coverdell and to all he achieved for the people of Georgia and the 
country that he loved and served until the day he died.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill. Mr. Speaker, S. 
360 honors our former colleague, Senator Paul Coverdell, for his 
service to the country. Senator Coverdell served the citizens of the 
State of Georgia and the United States for over three decades as a 
State legislator, as Peace Corps director, and as United States 
Senator. I believe that this bill is a fitting and appropriate way to 
memorialize Paul Coverdell's work and service to our Nation.
  This legislation, introduced by the distinguished minority leader of 
the Senate, Trent Lott, has three components. The bill names the 
Washington headquarters of the Peace Corps after Paul Coverdell, and 
ensures that the Peace Corps' World Wise Schools program will carry his 
name, as well.
  Senator Coverdell served as Peace Corps director from 1989 to 1991, 
critical years during which we witnessed the implosion of the Soviet 
Union and the opening up of Eastern Europe.
  When the Berlin Wall came down, Senator Coverdell seized the 
opportunity to move the Peace Corps into Eastern Europe to promote 
freedom and democracy. This move not only broadened the agency's 
mission, but also increased et cetera prestige across the globe.
  During his tenure as Peace Corps director, Senator Coverdell 
established the widely-acclaimed World Wise Schools program.

                              {time}  1015

  Under this program, Mr. Speaker, Peace Corps volunteers who have 
returned to the United States visit schools to give their students 
impressions and lessons from their overseas service. Senator Coverdell 
correctly saw that such an effort would promote cultural awareness and 
foster appreciation of global connections.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, our legislation authorizes funds to construct 
the Paul Coverdell Building for Biomedical and Health Sciences at the 
University of Georgia. Paul was a tireless supporter of education in 
Georgia, and this building will be a living memorial to him and an 
unparalleled resource for the students, researchers, and educators of 
his State and of our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a fitting tribute to a great man and a good 
friend. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Linder).
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I first met Paul Coverdell in 1972. He was 
one of few Republicans in the Georgia State Senate, soon to become its 
Republican leader, a position he served in for 15 years.
  He had come to Georgia as a teenager from Iowa. He then attended the 
University of Missouri, graduated with a degree in journalism, and he 
went from there to the Army and was stationed at Okinawa and Taiwan. 
When he returned to Atlanta, he involved himself in a very, ultimately 
very, successful insurance business, the Coverdell Insurance Company, 
and continued his activities in politics.
  In 1989, as has been said, he received an appointment as the head of 
the Peace Corps from President George Bush. I was curious as to why 
that was the position he wanted, since he could have had many others. 
He and President Bush were very close friends for very many years. But 
he told me that things were changing all over the world; that socialism 
and communism were going to ultimately be extinct. He had watched the 
uprisings in Poland in 1980. And, of course, it was not long after he 
became the head of the Peace Corps that the walls came down. He sent, 
through the Peace Corps, its first volunteers to Bulgaria, the Czech 
and Slovak Republics, Hungary, Poland and Romania. And he also paved 
the way for the establishment of Peace Corps programs in China and 
Mongolia.
  When he stepped down from the Peace Corps, he ran for the United 
States Senate and won. So he won four elections that year. He came very 
close in a primary, a primary runoff, a general election, and a general 
election runoff. And one of the first assignments he sought when he 
came to the Senate was the Committee on Agriculture, an industry that 
is so important to our State.
  He got himself involved behind the scenes in the Senate as a hard 
worker. And those of us who have known him for all these years knew, he 
had always been a hard worker and he liked to work behind the scenes. 
It became part of the lore of the Senate that whenever a sticky issue 
came up, the Senate leader Trent Lott would say, ``Send it to Mikey.'' 
There was a commercial at the time saying ``Mikey will do anything; 
Mikey will eat anything.'' But the funny part of the story was that 
Paul had never heard of Mikey. He just thought it was a neat idea he 
was given all these challenges.
  He focused on education, and it was his savings accounts targeted at 
children and children through high school that passed, along with 
Senator Torricelli. They were the authors of the A-Plus Accounts, or 
Education Savings Accounts. They now allow for a $2,000 education 
savings account so parents can set aside for public or private K 
through 12 expenses tax free.
  He was also a leader in Latin American drug enforcement, authoring a 
Federal law requiring the annual listing of the world's top suspected 
drug dealers in 1999, the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act.
  This bill is a tribute to a lifetime of hard work for the people of 
this country, the people of Georgia, and for his party, in that order. 
The $10 million authorization for the University of Georgia to 
construct the Paul D. Coverdell building at the Institute of Biomedical 
and Health Sciences at the University of Georgia is one-fourth of the 
cost of that project. Our Governor has committed $10 million in State 
matching funds, and the University of Georgia has already arrived at 
the other $20 million privately to build this living memorial, as the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) said, to a lifetime of service.
  I recall waking up the morning that I heard that Paul had died and 
felt that there was a huge hole in my life because he had been a large 
part of it for 25 years. I am most sad that most of America will never 
know how much he is missed because his work was so quiet and so behind 
the scenes. I thought

[[Page H4031]]

sometime ago that I cannot, over 25 years of working with this man, 
think of a single former friend of Paul's, not a single one, who ever 
left his side in anger, because Paul was such a decent and gentle man. 
This is a fitting tribute to that decent and gentle man.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 5 minutes to my 
distinguished colleague and good friend, the gentleman from Virginia 
(Mr. Moran).
  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I hesitate to do this, and I will 
probably be the only member in this body to do so, but I oppose this 
resolution.
  I am sure that Paul Coverdell was a far more accomplished politician 
than I will ever be and that many in this body will ever be; but I do 
not consider him to be a great man, I do not consider many people in 
our generation to be great, and certainly not this generation of 
political leaders. And that is what I would like to speak to today.
  I think we are a self-indulgent generation that operates on the 
assumption that the heroes in our experience are the only ones that 
matter. We build buildings on every piece of prime open space and name 
buildings after people in our experience rather than leave their legacy 
to the test of time. We put our own spin on history.
  We have been blessed with the longest period of sustained peace and 
prosperity that any generation has ever experienced that they did not 
have to struggle for, and yet we reward ourselves by spending our 
surplus and giving ourselves deep tax cuts all at the expense of our 
children and grandchildren. We operate under the assumption that 
subsequent generations will never have heroes as great as those in our 
experience, and that is self-indulgence and self-deception.
  Specifically to the Peace Corps Building, why not name it after Mrs. 
Ruppe, who headed the Peace Corps for 8 years under the Reagan 
administration, who for 2 years did not take a salary because she did 
not feel she understood the Peace Corps well enough. There are many 
people who deserve it, for example Sargent Shriver, who started it. But 
most importantly, all those Peace Corps volunteers who struggled and 
sacrificed and who made a real difference in the lives of the poor and 
oppressed around the world, what they want is for the building to 
continue to be named the Peace Corps Building after the organization, 
the mission and the volunteers, and that is as it should be.
  And thus, I will oppose this resolution.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the 
distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).
  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Illinois, 
the chairman of the Committee on International Relations, for bringing 
this bill to the floor today, and I do think that it is certainly 
fitting.
  I also want to thank my colleagues from the Georgia delegation for 
their hard work. Our committee shared some of this jurisdiction early 
on, and in an effort to move this bill today, I yielded to the 
gentleman from Illinois to bring this bill up. Why? Because Paul 
Coverdell was our friend. Not only was he a director of the Peace Corps 
under President George Bush's reign in the late 1980s and early 1990s, 
he was a respected member of the Georgia legislature.
  Paul was an insurance agency owner. He understood the private sector. 
I know Paul because he and I worked closely during my years in the 
Republican leadership here in the House, with Paul representing the 
Republican leadership in the Senate. We worked closely in a meeting 
that occurred every single week for about 4 years. I can tell my 
colleagues that Paul Coverdell was a man of great integrity, someone 
who worked very hard on behalf of his constituents and on behalf of his 
Members of the Senate. Not only did he work with his Republican Members 
but with his Democrat Members as well.
  And when I look back through the 10 years I spent in this Congress, I 
can tell my colleagues that there are but few people who rise to the 
stature of former Senator Paul Coverdell. Why? Not just because he 
worked there, not just because he worked with all his colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle, but because Paul Coverdell was a man of great 
integrity who believed strongly in the words of freedom. He understood 
the private sector, understood the need to allow the genius of the 
private sector and individuals to be all that they can be and stood up 
proudly for that each and every day.
  We miss Paul Coverdell here in the halls of Congress. I rise today to 
support this resolution to honor him as a man that we all can look up 
to, not only today but for generations to come.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 5 minutes to my good 
friend and distinguished colleague, the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. 
McCollum).
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to oppose S. 360, the bill 
sent to us from the other body, to place the name of the late Senator 
Paul Coverdell on the Peace Corps headquarters. While I did not know 
Senator Coverdell, my opposition to this bill is not intended to show 
any disrespect upon a man that served our Nation with honor and dignity 
and proud public service.
  Senator Coverdell, as the Peace Corps' 11th director, and as a United 
States Senator from Georgia, was an advocate for the agency, for 
volunteers, for the value returned volunteers contribute to our 
communities here at home. Mr. Speaker, the National Peace Corps 
Association, which advocates on behalf of the agency and returned 
volunteers, opposes placing the name of Senator Coverdell on the Peace 
Corps headquarters.
  Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record the following letter from the 
National Peace Corps Association.

                                                    National Peace


                                            Corps Association,

                                    Washington, DC, July 17, 2001.
     Hon. Betty McCollum,
     Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Rep. McCollum: We have just learned that you plan to 
     address the House regarding House bill S-360, which includes 
     a provision to rename the Peace Corps Headquarters, wherever 
     sited, after the late Senator Paul Coverdell. The National 
     Peace Corps Association, the alumni organization of former 
     Volunteers and staff of the Peace Corps with more than 13,000 
     members, opposes that section of the bill. We believe, based 
     on the reactions of former Volunteers around the country, 
     that this position reflects the view of a clear majority of 
     former Peace Corps Volunteers.
       We have great respect for the late Senator Coverdell and 
     the leadership that he provided as Peace Corps Director. We 
     note especially his establishment of the World Wise Schools 
     Program (now named after him), which brings the Peace Corps 
     experience directly into classrooms here in the United 
     States.
       However, it is the view of the National Peace Corps 
     Association that, as the heart of the Peace Corps is the 
     Volunteers themselves, the headquarters should not be named 
     after any single director, no matter how distinguished.
       We have no objection to the other parts of the bill.
       Thank you.
                                                    Dane F. Smith,
                                                        President.

  Mr. Speaker, returned volunteers from my Minnesota district have 
contacted me, and they do not want the Peace Corps headquarters named 
for any individual. They oppose this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I am also submitting for the Record at this point the 
following constituent letters from the returned Peace Corps volunteers.


                                                 St. Paul, MN,

                                                    March 2, 2001.
       I am a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Zaire 1973-75) and 
     wish to express my very strong opposition to the bill which 
     was passed by the Senate and referred to the House, S. 360. 
     RFH. This bill would name the new Peace Corps building in 
     Washington after Senator Paul Coverdell. Senator Coverdell 
     was a brief and undistinguished director of the Peace Corps. 
     If the building is to be named, it should be for people who 
     made a major contribution: President Kennedy set it up, 
     Hubert Humphrey supplied the suggestion, Sargent Shriver was 
     the first and very dynamic director, and Loret Ruppe (if they 
     want a Republican) was also a very dynamic and much 
     appreciated director. I have received many communications 
     from other former Volunteers and the opposition to naming the 
     building after Coverdell is very strong among all I have 
     heard from. There are over 5,000 former volunteers in 
     Minnesota, and about 160,000 nationwide. It would be an 
     insult to all of us to let the Peace Corps headquarters be 
     used in this political way. Thanks,
                                  ____



                                                 St. Paul, MN,

                                                    March 1, 2001.
     Re: S. 360.RFH.

       Happy Peace Corps Day!
       Today is the 40th anniversary of the founding of the United 
     States Peace Corps! Since

[[Page H4032]]

     then about 161,000 Americans, young and old and in-between, 
     have represented the best of our country around the world, 
     sharing their expertise in helping the poorest of nations 
     develop, and, just as important, sharing the friendship of 
     the American people. The recruiting slogan of the Peace Corps 
     ``The toughest job you'll ever love,'' is true--although full 
     of rewards, this is not easy work! Over 300 Peace Corps 
     volunteers have even died while in service (mostly in auto 
     crashes).
       But I am writing you now about a proposal by Senators Trent 
     Lott and Phil Graham to name the Peace Corps building in 
     Washington after the late Senator Paul Coverdell, who served 
     as Peace Corps director for barely two years in the early 
     '90s. This is a slap in the face of Peace Corps' 161,000 
     alumni. It is not that Coverdell was that bad Peace Corps 
     director; it's just that he wasn't a distinguished one. And 
     it appears that he wasn't even that interested in the job, 
     using the office to campaign for his Senatorial seat.
       There are far more appropriate people to name the building 
     after, like JFK, who founded the Peace Corps, or Sargent 
     Shriver, it's first director, or the late Loret Ruppe, a 
     director who was at once both warm and supportive to the 
     volunteers in the field, and shrewdly effective on Capitol 
     Hill. Or it could be named after all 161,000 of us who 
     served, with special attention to the 300 who died while 
     serving.
       Naming it after Coverdell would be an extreme insult to us.
           Sincerly,
                                                           ------,
                                            RPCV Lesotho, 1987-90.
       P.S. I just heard that this bill has already passed the 
     Senate. Thus it even more critical that you try to stop it. 
     The bill number is S. 360.RFH.

  Mr. Speaker, I stand here today opposed to S. 360 because it places 
the name of one man on the Peace Corps headquarters, and it is very 
clear that the Peace Corps was never intended to be about one person.
  The Peace Corps is about the 7,300 Americans that are currently 
serving our Nation with pride and distinction in more than 77 
countries. The Peace Corps is about the more than 163,000 Americans, 
including 5,000 Minnesotans, that have served as volunteers in the most 
remote corners of the planet.
  The Peace Corps is about all 15 directors and the thousands of 
dedicated staff, past and present, that have supported volunteers 
abroad and returned volunteers at home. And sadly, the Peace Corps is 
also about the 300 men and women that have died serving their country 
as volunteers.

                              {time}  1030

  Mr. Speaker, today we are asked to place the name of a former Peace 
Corps director on the agency's headquarters. Yet this administration 
has still not seen fit to nominate a director to go inside and work in 
the Peace Corps headquarters to lead the agency forward.
  As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Peace Corps this year, 
President John F. Kennedy stated that the Peace Corps, ``is not 
designed as an instrument of diplomacy or propaganda or ideology 
conflict. It is designed to permit our people to exercise more fully 
their responsibilities in the great common cause of world 
development.''
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House to respect the 
thousands of former volunteers and their service to America by not 
naming the Peace Corps headquarters. Please oppose S. 360, and let us 
find another way to honor and respect the memory of the late Senator 
Coverdell.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Kingston).
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois and 
the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Boehner) for their support of this legislation and for moving it 
forward.
  Mr. Speaker, I am a friend of Paul Coverdell's family, his wife 
Nancy, and certainly was a good friend of Mr. Coverdell; and I am proud 
to stand in support of this. I am saddened and disturbed by those who 
are in opposition of this legislation. I would ask, Mr. Speaker, is 
there a road, is there a bridge, is there a building in the United 
States of America that was built by one person, one personality, one 
act of one man? I would say certainly there is not. Yet routinely we in 
this body name roads, bridges and buildings after one person. It is 
symbolic. It does not say there was no one else involved in it. It only 
says here was somebody who was typical of the spirit of that group or 
that organization.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot name every building after everybody. It is too 
bad because we know all great acts and great institutions have myriads 
players. That is what we are doing today, not to slight others, but to 
commemorate many through naming it for one person.
  Mr. Speaker, I would ask my colleagues who are opposed to this to 
abandon their pettiness and ask them to abandon a little veiled 
partisanship that seems to be taking place. If this is their standard, 
it must disturb them greatly when we name the post offices and 
buildings and roads and bridges which we routinely do under the 
suspension calendar.
  I want to talk a little bit about Paul Coverdell. I first learned 
about him in 1974. At that time, he was a candidate for the Georgia 
Senate; and my mother, who was urging me to look into a political 
career or be interested in politics, she cut out an article from the 
Atlanta Constitution about a guy running for the Senate. And this guy 
was doing something unconventional. Rather than just working the good 
old boys barbecue circuit and going to the back room power brokers, he 
was a reformer. He was standing by the side of the road and knocking on 
doors and going direct to the voters, the unknown and the unnamed and 
untitled voters, to say, ``I am Paul Coverdell. I would like to be 
Georgia's next senator. Here is what I stand for. Do you have any 
questions?'' In 1974, that was an unconventional campaign.
  Mr. Speaker, when Paul got to the Georgia Senate, at that time there 
were only three Republicans in the Georgia Senate. When I joined it in 
1984, and I was a member of the General Assembly with the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Isakson), the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder) and 
the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins), there were nine Republican 
Senators. Paul Coverdell was the minority leader; and yet, despite the 
numerical odds against him, he never was without ideas. He played in 
the arena. He was a force in the arena because of his ideas.
  Mr. Speaker, I remember one idea he had on DUI legislation. His 
approach, rather than just keep increasing the DUI penalties, he said a 
lot of these repeat offenders are alcoholics. Why not require an 
assessment and then rehabilitation. That was a new idea, but that was 
typical of Paul Coverdell.
  Mr. Speaker, when he came to the United States Senate and when he 
served in the Peace Corps, he was also a man of ideas. As a Peace Corps 
director, he had a world vision. So many directors prior to him used 
this as a political plum for backing the right candidate for President, 
but not Paul Coverdell.
  Mr. Speaker, he went into the most difficult and remote places and 
countries and said, ``How can we help with health care? Are there 
better farming techniques out there? Is there a way to get cleaner 
water? What can we do for the children?''
  I remember during that period of time when he was director of the 
Peace Corps, we had a meeting at our house. We had all kinds of Peace 
Corps volunteers there. It is interesting to hear some of the comments 
today. I do not remember any of those volunteers being resentful of 
Paul Coverdell's leadership. They loved the fact that he would ask 
former volunteers what they thought.
  Mr. Speaker, we were in the middle of our meeting and Mr. Coverdell 
was giving a world view wrap-up, and my little girl who was 4 years old 
came running into the room. She had been playing out in the backyard 
with the other kids, and she said, ``Mom and Dad, I fell off the slide, 
and I hurt my heinie, and all the other children are laughing at me.'' 
The room full of grown-ups fell silent; and all eyes went to the little 
girl who was at the foot of this soon-to-be U.S. Senator, a very 
dignified and somewhat sophisticated man and a tad old-fashioned in his 
mannerisms, to a very positive extent, I might add, and he looked down 
at her and smiled. It said it all. Everything was fine, and the little 
girl got herself back together and ran back out on the playground with 
the rest of the kids.
  Mr. Speaker, that was the grace and charm of Paul Coverdell. Here is 
a man with a world view but could look at a 4-year-old girl and say, 
everything is okay. That is what made Paul Coverdell special.
  Mr. Speaker, when he came to Washington both with the Peace Corps and

[[Page H4033]]

as a U.S. Senator he worked for farmers and veterans. He worked for 
education. He was a member of the back rooms with the high and 
connected, yet he never forgot the common person.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this legislation, and I think 
those who will study the life of Paul Coverdell will also be proud to 
support it as well.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Isakson).
  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Hyde) and I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the chairman 
of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for their hard work 
and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder) for his hard work on this 
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, this is the people's House, and I would like to answer 
the question asked in the limited objection to this bill: Did Paul 
Coverdell possess the greatness to receive this honor?
  Mr. Speaker, if I ask any woman in America what is great about a man, 
they would say one that is a man of fidelity and lives true to his 
values and his marriage throughout his career, and Paul did that to 
Nancy.
  Mr. Speaker, if I ask a bureaucrat what is great about an American, 
they would say give me a director who not only talks the talk but walks 
the walk; and Paul Coverdell walked Eastern Europe, he walked 
battlefields, he walked back jungles.
  If I ask a legislator what is greatness, they would say someone who 
is willing to reform and stand against great odds.
  Mr. Speaker, Paul Coverdell was the minority leader of the Georgia 
House when the odds politically were 11-1. He passed drunk driving laws 
and tolerance laws that brought about reform in our State, saving of 
lives and addressing the appropriate way one should behave.
  Mr. Speaker, if I ask a man or woman in the U.S. military what is 
greatness, they would say give me a politician who served his country 
and risked his life; and Paul Coverdell served with distinction as an 
officer in the United States military.
  Mr. Speaker, in this day and time when the failures of a few elected 
politicians become fodder for nightly television and coffee-table 
discussions, it is appropriate that S. 360 recognizes one of us whose 
life was an example of greatness, a man who dispelled all of those 
images some like to portray of us.
  Mr. Speaker, Paul Coverdell did it with an articulate voice, with 
hard work and dedication and with commitment. Personally, I am sorry we 
are here today for this because I wish Paul Coverdell was alive. I wish 
he was right here. God took him far too soon. But I am pleased we honor 
him with this recognition of the Peace Corps building, and I am pleased 
we honor him with this great building at the University of Georgia.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to commend my friend, a 
great person, Paul Coverdell.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Collins).
  Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the authorization for 
funds for the Paul D. Coverdell Building at the Institute of Biomedical 
and Health Sciences at the University of Georgia.
  It is appropriate because this man we seek to honor, Paul Coverdell, 
was a teacher's teacher. He led by the strength of his character and 
the strength of his ideas. He never missed an opportunity to educate 
his colleagues, the press and the public. He was a hard-working, 
thoughtful legislator who was a leader, a good man and a very good 
public servant.
  To me, Paul Coverdell was more than a colleague. He was a true 
friend, a mentor.
  Mr. Speaker, when I was first elected to the Georgia State Senate, we 
walked together through his neighborhood so he could educate me on the 
difficulty of serving in the Georgia State Senate as one of the 11 that 
were mentioned earlier. But that was his style. He was quiet, 
purposeful. He was a teacher, someone who was more concerned about 
getting the job done than who received credit.
  Mr. Speaker, the job of a scientist or doctor researching medicine 
and health is long, hard and painstaking. It is also often a labor in 
obscurity. The fruits of research, however, can have a major impact on 
lives today and in the future. This building's dedication to education, 
to improve people's lives and the future of this country is why those 
of us who knew Paul Coverdell believe this building is an appropriate 
monument to a real patriot, Paul Coverdell.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I have only one further request for time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia 
(Mr. Deal).
  Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding 
me this time, and it is an honor to speak on this measure before the 
House today.
  Mr. Speaker, exactly 20 years ago this month we had completed the 
first legislative session in which I participated as a freshman member 
of the Georgia Senate. When I arrived there, Paul Coverdell was already 
entrenched in that body. He and I were on different sides of the 
political spectrum, but I soon learned that he was a man that everyone 
respected first for his integrity and, secondly, for his willingness to 
work without regard for personal gratification or recognition.
  Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that we dedicate this building and 
this entire enterprise to his memory today. For those that suggest that 
we are self-indulgent by recognizing one of our own generation, I would 
simply say a generation that is without heroes or models of public 
service is indeed a bankrupt generation. Thankfully, we have the Paul 
Coverdells of our day. It is appropriate that we take action to 
recognize him.
  Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, today we approve important legislation in 
honor of Paul Coverdell, a sterling example of what a U.S. Senator 
should be about. And this measure we pass is more than a gesture, it is 
legislation of substsance. I believe Senator Coverdell would be quite 
pleased with that fact.
  We honor his memory by designating that Peace Corps Headquarters be 
named in his honor.
  We honor his legacy of achievement by appropriating funds for the 
completion of a state of the art health research center at the 
University of Georgia, one that will provide benefits for all the 
people of America for generations to come.
  Why do we so honor this man? Paul Coverdell provided the kind of 
leadership for Georgia, America, and the world, that will be sorely 
missed.
  Paul Coverdell was unshakable in his resolve to support the right 
policies for Georgia and America. Yet in 6 years of serving with him in 
Congress, I never heard him utter an unkind word toward an opponent.
  He was a man of reason and principle, and provided a shining example 
of civility in action in the arena of public debate.
  He never backed down on principle, yet he held his ground with 
dignity and respect for the positions of those who disagreed. And he 
never gave up.
  Since coming to Washington in 1993, Senator Coverdell fought to 
improve the education of America's children. That fight continues 
today. Because of his efforts, I believe that fight will eventually be 
won. When it is, the final product will have the fingerprints of Paul 
Coverdell on every page.
  Senator Coverdell was likewise a champion of those who have served 
this country in our armed forces.
  When Congress forgot the promises made to our veterans, Paul 
Coverdell reminded us all of those commitments. His legislation to 
restore those promises is still pending in both chambers.
  In this House, 305 members have cosponsored this legislation, The 
Keep Our Promises To America's Military Retirees Act. The finest 
tribute we could all pay to this true statesman would be to pass that 
measure into law before this session ends. Today, I recommit myself to 
helping make that happen.
  There are far too many issues to mention in which Senator Coverdell 
played a decisive role. But we do need to reflect on Paul Coverdell's 
public service before he became a Senator, for it reflects a lifetime 
of public service.
  He began adult life by serving America in the U.S. Army in Okinawa, 
Korea, and the Republic of China.
  He served his State in the Georgia Senate for nearly two decades.
  He served America and the world as Director of the Peace Corps, where 
his leadership in building democracy was vital in reclaiming much of 
Eastern Europe from the dictatorship of communism.

[[Page H4034]]

  Paul Coverdell can no longer be with us in body. But the wisdom, 
generosity, civilty, patriotism, and dedication that he brought to this 
Congress will never die.
  We honor his memory today through enactment of this important 
legislation.
  But I say we should continue to honor his life's work by seeing his 
missions through--from giving our children a choice in education, to 
restoring the health care of the defenders of America.
  Mr. Speaker, let us pay tribute to a great leader, by not only 
passing this bill today, but also redoubling our efforts to see all the 
reforms of Senator Paul Coverdell enacted into law.
  Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 360, which 
honors the memory of our esteemed colleague, Paul Coverdell.
  As a respected Member of the U.S. Senate and leader of the Peace 
Corps, Paul Coverdell's devotion to public service knew no partisan 
bounds. It is fitting that we consider a measure honoring him.
  But rather than having buildings named after him, I believe a more 
fitting tribute would be to finish the work he helped start, to restore 
health care to America's military retirees.
  Paul Coverdell was one of the four original sponsors of The Keep Our 
Promise to America's Military Retirees Act. Along with Senator Tim 
Johnson, Congressman Charlie Norwood and myself, Senator Coverdell 
introduced the bill that is largely credited with giving rise to 
Tricare for Life.
  TFL will go a long way to restoring earned health care to many 
elderly military retirees, but we need to keep our promise to all 
military retirees.
  TFL does not help military retirees who don't qualify for Medicare 
and don't have access to quality care at military bases. We need to 
keep our promise to them.
  And retirees who entered the service prior to 1956 actually had heath 
care benefits taken away from them. We need to keep our promise to 
them, too. That is what Paul Coverdell wanted and that is what we 
should do.
  Paul Coverdell would prefer a legacy of helping restore health care 
to people who need it, who earned it and were promised it.
  We should honor the memory of our late colleague by passing the Keep 
Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in respectful opposition to S. 360. 
Let me make it clear that my opposition to this measure is in no way, 
shape or form a reflection on Senator Paul Coverdell or his memory. 
Paul Coverdell was an able Senator and dedicated public servant. He 
deserves to be honored by the Congress of the United States; indeed, we 
did so last year when we passed the Paul Coverdell National Forensic 
Sciences Improvement Act. This was a fitting tribute as Senator 
Coverdell made the improvement of forensic science services one of his 
highest priorities.
  The Congress frequently names buildings, post offices and bridges 
after individuals. The Peace Corps is different. This organization is 
the work of thousands of dedicated men and women who volunteer to serve 
in the most remote corners of our planet. The Peace Corps is the sum of 
their efforts, not the work of any individual.
  I received a letter on this subject from one of my constituents who 
was himself a Peace Corps volunteer. He writes, ``As a former Peace 
Corps Volunteer, I am requesting that S. 360 not be brought to the 
House floor as a non-controversial bill. I, along with what I suspect 
is a majority of former volunteers, am against the idea of naming the 
Peace Corps Headquarters after the late Senator Coverdell. I have 
nothing against the late Senator. It's my understanding that he was a 
good man who did his best as a Senator and a Peace Corps Director. 
However, the Peace Corps building should not be named after any one 
single person . . . .''
  In the memory of the thousands of men and women, including Paul 
Coverdell, who have served the Peace Corps, I urge my colleagues to 
join me in opposing this legislation.
  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today we honor Senator Paul D. 
Coverdell for a lifetime of service to the people of Georgia and this 
country. S. 360 dedicates the U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers Headquarters, 
the World Wise Schools Programs, and a yet to be constructed building 
at the University of Georgia, to this outstanding public servant. Paul 
Coverdell was an honorable man and this is the least we can do for 
someone who gave so much of his life to serving the community and the 
nation.
  Known for his unfailing work ethic, the Senator was not one to let 
grass grow under his feet. A veteran of the U.S. Army and the Peace 
Corps, Senator Coverdell was elected to Georgia State Senate in 1970 
where he served as minority leader for 15 years. He was then appointed 
director of the U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers in 1989, a position from 
which he initiated the World Wise Schools Programs, pairing students 
with Corps volunteers, to give them a personal experience serving the 
world's less fortunate. It is only fitting we rename the Peace Corps 
Volunteers Headquarters Building and the World Wise Schools Programs, 
in his honor.
  Deeply concerned with education policy, Senator Coverdell chaired the 
Senate Republican Task Force on Education, in addition to drafting 
legislation to create Education Savings Accounts. He was also a strong 
proponent of drug policy reform--he defended the decision to continue 
U.S. support for the fight of the Colombian drug trade; and he authored 
the 1999 Foreign Kingpin Designation Act.
  I am proud to have served with my fellow Georgian, Senator Paul D. 
Coverdell. Though we can never replace him, he will not be forgotten. 
On this day, I ask my colleagues to remember him as a man of principle 
and conviction, and offer S. 360 as a small token of our appreciation 
for his life and legacy.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Isakson). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 360.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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