[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 157 (Wednesday, November 14, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H8142-H8144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    WAIVING POINTS OF ORDER AGAINST CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2500, 
DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE, THE JUDICIARY, AND RELATED 
                   AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2002

  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 286 ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 286

       Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be 
     in order to consider the conference report to accompany the 
     bill (H.R. 2500) making appropriations for the Departments of 
     Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and related 
     agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2002, 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. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder) is 
recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the 
customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall), 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. Speaker, H. Res. 286 is a rule providing for the consideration of 
the conference report for H.R. 2500, the fiscal year 2002 Commerce, 
Justice, State appropriations bill.
  The rule waives all points of order against the conference report, 
and against its consideration. It also provides that the conference 
report shall be considered as read.
  The underlying bill, H.R. 2500, provides a total of roughly $42 
billion in funding for a variety of various departments and agencies, 
about $1 billion more than the current fiscal year and $700 million 
more than President Bush's budget request.

                              {time}  1030

  This bill represents the eighth appropriations conference report that 
we have been able to bring to the floor, as the Congress works with the 
Bush administration to put into place a fiscal year 2002 budget. As the 
Congress continues to make progress on moving appropriations bills 
through the legislative process, we can hopefully make progress toward 
completing our legislative agenda for this year as quickly as possible.
  I urge my colleagues to support this rule so that we may proceed with 
general debate and consideration of this bipartisan bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Linder) for yielding me this time, and I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  This rule will allow for consideration of the conference report to 
accompany H.R. 2500. The rule waives all points of order against the 
conference report.
  The bill responds to America's need for increased domestic security 
following the attacks of September 11. The bill funds important 
activities of the Justice Department that will counter the threat of 
terrorists. It also funds much needed security improvements in our 
Nation's embassies overseas. It also increases money for protection of 
the courts.
  The bill also funds our Nation's dues payment to the United Nations, 
and that will help strengthen the United

[[Page H8143]]

 Nations, which is needed even more than ever during these troubled 
times.
  I want to commend the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), the 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the 
Judiciary, and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano), the 
subcommittee ranking member, for their work on this bill. In recent 
years, these appropriations bills, or especially this one, was one of 
the most controversial and among the last to be considered. Under the 
able leadership of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), who is new 
to the chairmanship of the subcommittee, the bill has moved with speed 
and bipartisanship.
  I want to take this opportunity to express concerns about the 
decreasing number of special agents of the FBI. Special agents help 
investigate a wide range of criminal activities, including organized 
crime, drug dealing, civil rights violations, foreign 
counterintelligence, terrorism, government fraud, and bank robberies. 
Not only has the number of special agents decreased, but many are 
nearing retirement age and the FBI could find itself in a critical 
shortage.
  For example, in the FBI office in the City of Dayton, which is my 
district, the number of special agents has declined by 50 percent in 
the last 20 years, while the responsibility of the office has 
increased, and the problem is only made worse with the recent increased 
demand on the FBI to focus resources on fighting terrorists. Other 
traditional activities of the FBI will suffer unless more agents are 
hired. I hope that the FBI can use the funding in this bill to hire 
more special agents.
  Finally, I note that the Senate version of this bill contained the 
Clean Diamonds Act that would have begun to put an end to the scourge 
of conflict diamonds. These are diamonds that are mined in parts of 
Africa that are controlled by brutal rebels who use their profits to 
maintain the grip on the territory. Recently we learned that some of 
the profits help fund Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network. 
Unfortunately, the provisions of that Act were stripped out of this 
conference report.
  The Clean Diamonds Act is supported by a remarkable coalition of 
human rights, faith groups, and the diamond industry, including Amnesty 
International, World Vision, Oxfam American, Physicians for Human 
Rights, Jewelers of America, and the World Diamond Council.
  During a recent colloquy on the House floor, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Thomas), the chairman of the Committee on Ways and 
Means, promised to move the Clean Diamonds Act's House companion, H.R. 
2722, as a separate bill. I appreciate the efforts of the chairman, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), as well as the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Rangel), and certainly the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Houghton) to strengthen a bill proposed by the administration on this 
subject. I also want to thank Ambassador Zoellick and his staff and the 
staff at the State Department for their efforts.
  If the House fails to take up this bill, or if we settle for a weak 
substitute, we will hurt ourselves, the Americans and Africans who 
deserve protection from terrorists and rebels, and the jewelers in 
every community in this country. I want to take this opportunity to 
urge the Bush administration to work with this effort.
  Mr. Speaker, it is important for the House to pass this conference 
report so we can move closer to completing all of the regular 
appropriation bills. I urge adoption of the rule and of the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall), and I thank the gentleman from Georgia 
(Mr. Linder).
  As a member of the Committee on the Judiciary, this is an important 
appropriations bill. I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. 
Wolf) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano) for their 
leadership. I rise to support the rule and I rise to support the bill, 
with concerns, with qualifications.
  Let me first acknowledge the importance of supporting the COPS 
Program, which includes $1.1 billion for community-oriented policing. 
That is going to be particularly helpful, Mr. Speaker, because so many 
of our first responders are under extreme stress as we work in the 
shadow of September 11, and these dollars will be very helpful. Legal 
Services Corporation, I still believe in the value of the sixth 
amendment and providing for legal services to all Americans. I had 
hoped that there could be more money, but I appreciate the 
appropriations there.
  We are disappointed in the cut in the Small Business Administration 
and hope that maybe as we work our will, that this may be fixed soon in 
the next year's appropriation. Many of our small businesses across 
America are being hurt, and we should be reminded of the support that 
they need in these times. It is good to see that those individuals who 
lost sponsors of citizenship rights, meaning they were sponsoring 
individuals to become citizens, were able to continue that process by 
granting those individuals the right to proceed towards citizenship, 
even though their sponsors were killed on September 11.
  I am disappointed however, again, that we did not follow the Senate's 
guide and extend 245(i). I believe we are going to have to bring that 
bill up separately. This is legal amnesty, access to citizenship. 
Immigration does not equate to terrorism. We have to be reminded of our 
values in this country, and that is that people who come here for 
justice and to escape prosecution and persecution, we should not 
penalize them. We should separate them from those who have come to do 
evil and to do misdeeds. These are not the people that we are dealing 
with.
  I also would like to ask this House to bring that bill up, as it is 
important that 245(i) get passed.
  I am pleased, however, that we have looked at the Advanced Technology 
Program and we are funding that. Hopefully, I will be able to join in 
that program with a technology center in the Fifth Ward of Houston, 
Texas, trying to ensure that we close the digital divide. It is 
extremely important.
  I have been working on the Homeland Security Task Force with the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), who is chair of that task 
force. Many Members are working very, very hard. We realize how 
important it is to restructure the INS. I believe that an approach I 
have offered, H.R. 1562, to restructure the INS with the head Deputy 
Attorney General or the Associate Attorney General is the way to go. 
But this bill at least acknowledges minimally the importance of adding 
more Border Patrol, the importance of providing services to increase 
the opportunity for people who have been waiting in line for 20 years 
because their paperwork has been lost or the INS has not processed them 
to move forward on helping these individuals access citizenship.
  What I believe is missing here, however, is more dollars to secure 
not only the southern border, but the northern border. That is where we 
need additional assistance in technology, and we are going to have to 
be able to work our will on a homeland security supplemental, I hope, 
or dollars going into a supplemental that include homeland security. We 
need infrared technology. We need to expand the biometric card that 
will allow us to utilize that card. It is extremely important.
  Let me conclude, Mr. Speaker, and show my appreciation for again 
local law enforcement grants that are going to provide block grants to 
local law enforcement, again, first responders, the utilization for 
that. The violence against women grants that we have worked so hard for 
provides $391 million.
  I close finally on something that is extremely important. I chair the 
Congressional Children's Caucus, along with the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), and I want to express my appreciation for 
the $1 million for a youth violence prevention initiative that will be 
utilized by the Houston Independent School District and the City of 
Houston. This is extremely important, because even as we confront these 
terrible incidences that have occurred in our Nation, let us not forget 
our children. Let us teach them to be peaceful and nonviolent. Let us 
help save their lives.

[[Page H8144]]

  I rise again to support the rule and the legislation, with concerns, 
and I hope we can work our will on some of those concerns.
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Utah (Mr. Matheson).
  Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Speaker, I recognize that much of this bill I am 
very supportive of, but I want to talk about one component that has 
been left out of this bill.
  Many years ago, about 1990, Congress passed something called the 
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. At that time, Congress admitted, 
the Federal Government admitted that it had lied to people in this 
country about the safety, the safety of open air nuclear testing, the 
safety of those who worked in the uranium mines. I have constituents in 
my State, in my State who are dying from these conditions. Congress 
admitted they were at fault, that the Federal Government lied to these 
folks and they said, we are going to compensate you for this.
  But something interesting happened in the past year. We did not 
appropriate enough money. So we had people literally dying that were 
sent letters saying, well, you do qualify for this compensation, we 
just do not have money from Congress to pay you.
  Now, we took care of it this year on a short-term basis with a 
supplemental appropriation, and that was fine and good. We got payments 
to some of those folks before they died, but there is no reason for us 
to have to go through this on a year-by-year basis. We should make this 
a mandatory component. It is not in the Commerce-State-Justice 
conference report that we are looking at now.
  It is my understanding, however, that on the Senate side there is 
discussion about making this a more permanent program in the defense 
authorization. I hope that we can reach agreement on that. We have not 
had that bill move through the House yet. But it is imperative, it is 
imperative that we recognize the wrongs that we have committed and that 
we provide these good folks with compensation.
  I can tell my colleagues from my own personal experience, my family 
had many people living in southern Utah during the open air nuclear 
testing during the 1950s. Many people have died of cancer at an early 
age. There is no question that it is related to what was going on with 
the open air testing, and they were told, they were told by the 
government that it was safe. Yet we found out later on the government 
only did that open air nuclear testing when the prevailing winds took 
the fallout to the least populated areas, which happened to be southern 
Utah.
  So as I say, while many aspects of this bill I support, I am 
disappointed that this was omitted from this conference report. I hope 
and urge Congress to take up this matter in the defense authorization 
bill.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, with that, I would just say please 
support the rule and the bill. I think it is in pretty good shape.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the rule and the bill.
  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.

                          ____________________