[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 3, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H4806-H4809]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        BIRCH BAYH FEDERAL BUILDING AND UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 763) to designate the Federal building and United 
States courthouse located at 46 East Ohio Street in Indianapolis, 
Indiana, as the ``Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States 
Courthouse.''
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                 S. 763

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF BIRCH BAYH FEDERAL BUILDING AND 
                   UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE.

       The Federal building and United States courthouse located 
     at 46 East Ohio Street in Indianapolis, Indiana, shall be 
     known and designated as the ``Birch Bayh Federal Building and 
     United States Courthouse''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the Federal building 
     and United States courthouse referred to in section 1 shall 
     be deemed to be a reference to the Birch Bayh Federal 
     Building and United States Courthouse.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Terry). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) and the gentlewoman from Indiana 
(Ms. Carson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette).
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 763, which is identical to H.R. 1082 which was 
introduced by the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson), designates the 
Federal building and United States courthouse located at 46 East Ohio 
Street, in Indianapolis, Indiana, as the Birch Bayh Federal Building 
and United States Courthouse.
  This bill has the bipartisan support of the entire Indiana 
delegation, and I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson) for 
agreeing to bring S. 763 to the floor in lieu of her bill, which the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure favorably reported out 
on May 21, 2003. I would like to have inserted into the Record that the 
gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson) has been diligent not only in 
this Congress, but in the last Congress, in attempting to achieve 
passage of this legislation, not only in this body, but in the other 
body; and the Bayh family has a great champion on their side when it 
comes to the gentlewoman.
  Senator Bayh was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1928 to school 
teachers, and it is from them he inherited an ethic of public service. 
Upon graduation from high school, Senator Bayh volunteered for and 
served in the United States Army from 1946 to 1948. Upon his return, he 
attended and graduated from the Purdue University School of Agriculture 
at Lafayette in

[[Page H4807]]

1951. This education served him well, since throughout his long career, 
he always found time to work on and oversee the family farm, growing 
corn and soybeans for more than four decades.
  Senator Bayh's political career began in 1954, when, at the age of 
26, he was elected to serve in the Indiana House of Representatives. 
While serving in that body, he served as speaker in 1959 and as the 
Democratic floor leader in 1957 and 1961. Despite these 
responsibilities, he also found time to attend and graduate from 
Indiana University School of Law in 1960, and was admitted to the bar 
in 1961.
  In 1962, at the age of 34, Senator Bayh entered the United States 
Senate where he served three terms from 1963 until 1981. While in the 
Senate, he served as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on 
Intelligence, working with the CIA, the National Security Agency and 
the FBI. He also was a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on 
Transportation where he called for and funded efforts to build the 
District of Columbia's Metro subway system which so many of us enjoy, 
and to modernize the Amtrak rail system.
  Senator Bayh is best known as chairman of the Constitution 
Subcommittee where he authored two amendments to the Constitution, 
something we will not see any time soon in subsequent Congresses, the 
25th Amendment on Presidential and Vice Presidential succession, and 
the 26th Amendment which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
  This is a fitting tribute to a dedicated public servant. I support 
this legislation and encourage Members to do the same.


                         Parliamentary Inquiry

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a parliamentary 
inquiry of the Chair.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state it.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, is the Chair aware of any rule of the 
House which would provide a nexus between this legislation and the tax 
bill except for the fact that Birch Bayh at one time was a child?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will have to listen to the debate 
before making a determination.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as I rise to speak in favor of S. 763, I would like to 
pay respect to my colleague who also hails from the Midwest, the 
honorable gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette). There were several 
occasions where he felt he was being stalked to move this legislation 
forward, and I am very happy that he remained a gentleman and a genteel 
man in terms of allowing us to get this out. He indicated he had to 
have a companion from the other side of the aisle, and I presume he 
found a companion on the other side of the aisle.
  S. 763, as my colleague has mentioned, is a companion bill to the 
bill I introduced, H.R. 1082, and it really does not matter whose name 
appears first as author of this bill; the subject matter is very 
noteworthy on behalf of an individual who served this country well, the 
honorable former U.S. Senator Birch Bayh from the State of Indiana.
  The bill, as Members know, designates the Federal building of the 
United States courthouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, in my district, as 
the Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse. This is 
the second legislation I have authored. The first one I did was to put 
my predecessor's name on a Post Office, and now we are going to put 
Birch Bayh's name on the Federal building and United States courthouse, 
and I am pleased to sponsor, and it is cosponsored by the entire 
Indiana delegation.
  As the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) indicated, the Honorable 
Birch Bayh was born to two school teachers in Terre Haute, Indiana, on 
July 22, 1928. He began his political career at the young age of 26 
with his election to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1954, and 
in that body he rose to become minority leader in 1957 and then Speaker 
of the House in 1959. In 1962, he entered the United States Senate 
where he distinguished himself on the Subcommittee on the Constitution 
of the Committee of the Judiciary.
  Now, there is some distinction between Terre Haute, Indiana, and a 
town called Schererville, Indiana, and apparently the United States 
Senator wants to be known as coming from Terre Haute instead of 
Schererville, but Schererville is immediately contiguous to Terre Haute 
so whichever place the gentleman wants him to be born, I am sure it is 
fine with him. But in all fairness, there has not been a lawmaker since 
the Founding Fathers who has authored successfully two amendments to 
the United States Constitution.
  Senator Bayh was the principal architect of title IX, the provision 
of law which helped give access to athletic achievement for many of our 
daughters. In his 18 years in the United States Senate, he 
distinguished himself by ushering successfully through the amendment to 
the Constitution which provides for the succession of the President 
which was the 25th amendment to the Constitution, and he also 
successfully authored and ushered through the 26th amendment to the 
Constitution which lowered the voting age from 21 years to 18 years of 
age, which was ratified in 1971.
  The Federal courthouse in Indianapolis was called the ``Old Post 
Office,'' but now it rises to a magnificent building of importance, and 
that is where our Federal courthouse is located. It will now enjoy the 
name of a very honorable, incredible, dynamic public servant, the 
Honorable Birch Bayh. It is very suitable historically to name that 
building for such a person who served this Nation with distinction.
  Mr. Speaker, I am happy that the Honorable Birch Bayh is alive and 
well, and probably watching the presentation of this matter. I also 
thank Senator Lugar, who is the senior Senator from Indiana, for 
authoring this bill and ushering it through the United States Senate.
  While I do not agree with them most of the time, we have two 
Republicans, the honorable gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette), and I 
hope that does not impugn his motives, Mr. Speaker, and Senator Lugar, 
and I speak about those two gentlemen very favorably, and I hope that 
does not violate House rules that I speak about Republicans favorably 
in this particular instance.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, let me just say, I am sure that 
the historical accomplishments of Birch Bayh have been covered well by 
my colleagues. All I want to say is, though he is in the other party, 
he is a heck of a nice guy.
  You can tell a lot about people by their children. Evan Bayh, who is 
the United States Senator from Indiana and the son of Birch and 
Marvella Bayh, is in the other party, and we have our differences like 
all people do on a political basis, but Evan is a real credit to the 
institution of the United States Senate, and I think a lot of that is 
due to his mother and his father. Birch Bayh and Marvella Bayh did an 
outstanding job in raising Evan, and I think he is doing a good job in 
the United States Senate.
  Let me just say that Birch Bayh, who was elected to the United States 
Senate, I think, when he was 34 years old, did a good job for the State 
of Indiana, and his wife Marvella was a real leader in Indiana as well.
  One of the things that I most appreciate about Birch Bayh was a 
personal attachment that I received from him when my wife was suffering 
from breast cancer. His wife, Marvella, died of cancer, as my wife did, 
and he showed a great deal of concern for me and my family while we 
were going through that tragedy. And anybody like that, I think, 
deserves accolades from people regardless of their party affiliation.
  Senator Bayh is a fine human being, and he was a fine United States 
Senator. His wife Marvella was a credit to the State of Indiana, and 
their son Evan is doing a fine job in the United States Senate and is a 
credit to both his mother and father. And I want to add my two cents to 
the applause for Birch Bayh, and I think it is a fine and fitting thing 
that we are doing here today by naming the Federal building after him.

[[Page H4808]]

  Born in Terre Haute in 1928, it seemed that Birch Bayh was destined 
for success. He received an undergraduate degree in Agriculture with 
distinction from Purdue University, and divided his time after 
graduating between farming and politics.
  In 1955, Birch Bayh became a member of the Indiana General Assembly, 
and in 1957, he enrolled in law school. While still a law student, he 
was elected Speaker of the Indian House.
  Senator Bayh was a skilled politician and excellent student. He 
received the prestigious Edwards Scholarship, which is awarded for 
merit and he graduated with distinction in 1960. However, as we all 
know, the story doesn't end there!
  In 1962, at the age of 34, he was elected to the U.S. Senate and 
Senator Bayh went on to serve three terms.
  As ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Bayh was 
considered one of the Senate's foremost experts in constitutional law. 
As Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, he wrote and 
sponsored two amendments to the Constitution: the twenty-fifth 
amendment (for Presidential succession in case of death or disability) 
and the twenty-sixth amendment (lowering the voting age to 18).
  From 1977 to 1980, Senator Bayh was Chairman of the Senate Select 
Committee on Intelligence. During his tenure as Chairman, he helped 
strengthen intelligence gathering while protecting American citizens 
from abuses of their rights.
  Senator Bayh also served on the Senate Public Works Subcommittee on 
the Environment for 10 years.
  In 1976, Senator Bayh entered the race for President of the United 
States. I have an Internet copy of a Birch Bayh for President 1976 
Campaign Brochure. ``Senator Birch Bayh--The Democratic candidate for 
President with a plan for economic recovery . . .'' All one has to do 
is change the date and name and it could be used for the 2004 
elections.
  Senator Bayh's distinguished career goes beyond the Beltway. He was 
the founding partner in the Washington DC law firm of Bayh, Connaughton 
& Malone. He also served as the chairman of the Institute Against 
Prejudice and Violence from 1984 to 1994.
  Senator Bayh is currently working for the Washington, DC law firm of 
Venable, Baetjer, Howard & Civilette as a member of the Government 
Division's Legislative.
  Also, Senator Bayh was appointed to the J. William Fulbright Foreign 
Scholarship Board by former President Clinton on July 20, 1995 and was 
reappointed in 1997 and 2000 for a term expiring September 22, 2003.
  Senator Bayh's accomplishments are a source of pride for my home 
state of Indiana. I wish him congratulations on this designation.

        [From a Birch Bayh for President 1976 Campaign Brochure]

Senator Birch Bayh--The Democratic Candidate for President With a Plan 
                      for Economic Recovery . . .

       ``We need a President who is less concerned that too many 
     jobs will cause inflation, and more concerned that too few 
     jobs will cause human suffering.''
       Two Republican Administrations following a deliberate 
     policy of planned unemployment, have led us through two 
     recessions and record inflation. Only a genius for ineptitude 
     could have produced recession and inflation together. Only a 
     totally insensitive Republican Administration could have 
     tolerated both.
       Despite some evidence that the current recession has hit 
     bottom, the American economy is still a long way from 
     recovery. Economic recovery will not come naturally. Economic 
     recovery cannot be sustained by doing nothing. Only positive 
     government action now can produce and sustain an economic 
     recovery broad enough to put America back to work. That is 
     the number one priority for a President today . . . and 
     tomorrow . . .
       With unemployment at 8.6 percent and American industry 
     operating at two thirds of capacity, the President's concern 
     that too strong a recovery will reignite an inflationary 
     spiral is misplaced. We need a President who is less 
     concerned that too many jobs will cause inflation, and more 
     concerned that too few jobs will cause human suffering.
       Nearly 8 million Americans are still unemployed, while 
     millions more are either underemployed or have given up 
     looking for employment. We are losing $200 billion a year in 
     our gross national product--that's more than $3,000 for each 
     American family and yet inflation continues because 
     Republican economics is blind to the cost of oil monopolies 
     and grain deals.
       Unemployment cannot cure our current inflation--not only is 
     it morally wrong, it is bad economics. Inflation is a serious 
     problem, but the record of the last 5 years is clear--
     increasing unemployment does not reduce the monopolistic 
     price of energy; increasing unemployment does not drive down 
     the price of food. It only adds to the welfare rolls and 
     increases unemployment insurance costs.


                               jobs . . .

       I believe that putting Americans back to work is the single 
     most important task facing the President. A President 
     committed to putting Americans back to work can do just that 
     by:
       Proposing a major tax cut for low and middle income 
     families. We need to restore consumer confidence and 
     stimulate consumer spending. That is the surest way to expand 
     production and provide jobs. We need a tax cut plain and 
     simple, without any political gimmicks about budget-cutting. 
     The President's proposal to balance a tax cut with a budget 
     cut is unacceptable economic policy. It will not produce and 
     sustain economic recovery.
       Pressuring the Federal Reserve to expand the money supply 
     substantially and hold interest rates down. We can't afford 
     to have the Federal Reserve working against an expansionary 
     fiscal policy. A restrictive monetary policy and higher 
     interest rates will short-circuit economic recovery before it 
     is even underway. In order to avoid repeating the mistakes of 
     monetary policy, we need to curb the independence of the 
     Federal Reserve. That requires a Federal Reserve Board 
     responsive to the public interest--shorter terms for members 
     and publicly arrived at targets for monetary expansion are 
     necessary ingredients in reforming the Fed.
       Proposing a public service jobs program. We can find useful 
     employment for the innocent victims of Republican engineered 
     recessions. For example, I was successful in obtaining funds 
     for a railroad track rehabilitation program that will put 
     thousands of unemployed railroad workers back on the job--a 
     job that needs to be done.
       Preventing a New York City default by developing a national 
     guarantee program that will enable state governments to 
     assist their hard pressed cities. We will never have economic 
     recovery if New York City defaults and the municipal bond 
     market collapses. Our recovery is much too fragile to absorb 
     the shock of default--to say nothing of the disastrous 
     consequences of the increased cost of borrowing for every 
     state and local jurisdiction in the nation.
       Proposing an anti-recessionary revenue sharing program that 
     is triggered on and off by the unemployment rate. We need to 
     temporarily compensate state and local governments for the 
     increased costs of welfare and for the fall off in revenues 
     that both result from a failure of national economic policy.


                            inflation . . .

       Despite a major recession, inflation is still a serious 
     problem? Why? Because of:
       A failure in energy policy;
       A failure in food policy; and
       The monopoly market power of a few firms.
       Energy--Oil and gas prices must be regulated. As long as 
     OPEC maintains its solidarity and the major domestic oil 
     companies are permitted to follow their non-competitive 
     practices, there will be no free market in energy. Decontrol 
     of oil and deregulation of natural gas prices will force all 
     prices upward, increasing the Consumer Price Index by four 
     percent. That is clearly inflationary.
       Food--Food prices are subject to wide fluctuations in world 
     demand, and weather conditions that affect production. We 
     can't control world demand nor the weather, but we can 
     insulate food prices from these forces by establishing a 
     strategic grain reserve to achieve a better balance between 
     supply and demand. A strategic reserve would have to include 
     safeguards against dumping for political ends--but properly 
     administered it could mean adequate supplies with price 
     stability and that is in the long-term interests of family 
     farmers and consumers alike.
       Monopoly Pricing--When 20 oil companies control more than 
     75 percent of all oil production, refining and marketing in 
     the U.S., and more than 90 percent of the oil pipeline 
     capacity, it is clear they have the ability to set prices 
     without regard to competition or market forces. And that is 
     exactly what the oil companies are doing. Instead of letting 
     the oil and other monopolistic forces repeal the law of 
     supply and demand, we must take decisive action. That is why 
     I have introduced and held hearings on legislation to break 
     up the major domestic oil companies. We have a serious 
     problem. We need a firm response.
       Our economy is at a crucial turning point. The problems of 
     skyrocketing energy and food costs and the inability of the 
     free market to function effectively have led me to conclude 
     that recent policy failures are the result of an outdated 
     view of the American economy. Therefore, I am proposing the 
     establishment of a Temporary National Economic Committee--
     similar to the Committee established by President Roosevelt 
     in 1938--to publicly investigate the concentration of 
     economic power in America today.
       If economic power is too heavily concentrated in the hands 
     of a few, then we need stronger anti-trust action. I want the 
     free enterprise system to work.


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair reminds Members that remarks in 
debate may not characterize a sitting Senator even on favorable terms.
  Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Burton) for those kind remarks, and I know the Chair would 
not admonish him as much as it would me.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.

[[Page H4809]]

  Mr. Speaker, I simply want to say, I will not choose to characterize 
a sitting Member of the United States Senate favorably or unfavorably. 
I would note historically that Senator Bayh did vote in favor of the 
tax package which has been discussed here today.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I first got to know Senator Birch Bayh 
through my father, John Visclosky, the former Mayor of Gary, Indiana, 
following his election to the United States Senate in 1962. My father 
has always had a deep respect and strong feelings towards Senator Bayh.
  As a Member of Congress, I have always considered Senator Birch Bayh 
a friend and a mentor. As a citizen, I am grateful that he chose a life 
of public service, paying constant attention to the needs of working 
people and those who were not given a fair chance in life. Senator Bayh 
fought hard for those who wanted an honest days work at a living wage 
in order to support their families. For instance, he fought hard and 
was successful in obtaining crucial funding for a railroad track 
rehabilitation program that put thousands of unemployed workers back on 
the job.
  While I am proud that we are naming a federal building after Senator 
Bayh today, we will forever be served by him through the two changes he 
authored to the Constitution. I have always believed that the 
Constitution is one of the two greatest documents ever written by man. 
To think of Birch Bayh improving it not once but twice is not only 
breathtaking, but expected from such a unique person. The structure of 
the Constitution had not been so impacted by a single lawmaker since 
its creation by the founding fathers.
  Senator Bayh is a person who developed the talents that God gave him 
to serve others and a person of deep compassion and caring. A person 
who never lost his perspective, is fun to be with, and who can always 
make you laugh. My father would describe Senator Bayh as a ``100 
percent guy.'' I would too, and I congratulate him on this great honor.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1315

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Terry). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 763.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. 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.

                          ____________________