[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.
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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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