[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 21046]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    GOP TAX CUT SELLS CHILDREN SHORT

  (Mr. CROWLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, over the August recess, the message from 
America was clear:
  We do not want the GOP tax break.
  What is realized, the GOP plan provides little tax relief for middle-
and lower-income Americans, the ones who need it the most. It does 
nothing to continue our efforts to reduce the Federal debt. It does 
nothing to strengthen Social Security or Medicare, and it does nothing, 
it does nothing to help the dire conditions of our schools, the 
infrastructure of our schools in the United States. Republicans offer 
only a small arbitrage provision in the recently passed tax bill as 
their aid for our beleaguered school system. This initiative would 
provide minimal tax benefits to school districts. These benefits can 
actually delay school construction for more than 2 years.
  We can fix our highways; we can rebuild our bridges. Why do we sit by 
and do nothing for the infrastructure that houses our Nation's greatest 
asset, our children? There are many chilling accounts of near fatal 
accidents at schools in New York, and I fear the day that conditions at 
our schools deteriorate to the point where accidents are simply 
unavoidable.
  I know that providing tax relief to our schools for construction 
assistance is not only the right thing to do as a Congressman, but the 
right thing to do as a new parent and as an American.

                          ____________________