[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 23327]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                          SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to speak 
this evening on an issue that is critically important for communities 
throughout my district and across this country and that is school 
construction.
  I am pleased to be joined this evening by several of my Democratic 
colleagues in a series of special order speeches to call on the 
Republican leadership to pass real school construction legislation 
before this Congress adjourns.
  Since the beginning of my service in the United States House nearly 4 
years ago, I worked hard with members of both bodies across the 
partisan aisle to craft a creative legislative response to the urgent 
problem of overcrowded schools, run-down facilities and the widespread 
use of trailers and closets as classrooms.
  Mr. Speaker, across my district and many places in this country, our 
schools are bursting at the seams. Just about every day I hear from 
teachers, parents, students and others that the need for better schools 
for our children to learn and teachers to teach are desperately needed.

                              {time}  1900

  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that so many Members have come together to 
support a common sense bipartisan piece of legislation to address this 
problem.
  H.R. 4094, the Rangel-Johnson-Etheridge bill, has enjoyed the support 
of 228 cosponsors in the House, Republicans and Democrats alike. This 
important bill would provide about $25 billion in new school 
construction bonds for communities throughout this country.
  We now have a clear majority of the Members in the U.S. House who 
will vote for this bill if we can just get it to the floor for a vote; 
but, unfortunately, the Republican leadership continues to keep it tied 
up in committee.
  Mr. Speaker, this refusal to act on this common sense bipartisan bill 
to build and renovate schools stands in sharp contrast to the blatant 
manipulation of the appropriations bills to bring pork back to their 
home districts.
  For example, the Transportation appropriations bill is full of 
earmarked projects for the House districts of powerful Members of the 
Republican leadership. Senator John McCain of the other body stood on 
that floor, and I quote, said ``there were over $700 million in transit 
earmarks in the Chicago Metropolitan Transit Authority in the home 
district of the Speaker of the House, and yet the Republican leadership 
refuses to allow an up and down vote on our modest proposal to provide 
tax credits to help finance just a few neighborhood schools.''
  The Transportation appropriations bill also reported earmarks of $102 
million for something called the U.S. 82 Bridge across the Mississippi 
River in Greenville, Mississippi, in the home State of the majority 
leader of the other body; and yet the Republican leadership of this 
Congress refuses to have a vote for simple school construction for the 
children of this country.
  Mr. Speaker, as the former chairman of my State's House Committee on 
Appropriations, I know well the need for government investment in 
certain projects to help give people a hand up, but I also know that 
budgets and appropriations represent more than just items on the 
balance sheet. They represent our values.
  What does it say about the values of this Congress that the 
leadership refuses to allow a vote on a bipartisan school construction 
bill, while at the same time it loads up must-pass bills with these 
special-interest pork projects?
  The Interior appropriations bill contains many special items 
earmarked. For example, there is $500,000 for a National First Ladies 
Library in Ohio for a senior ranking member. It contains $176,000 for 
the Reindeer Herders Association, and it contains $1.5 million to 
refurbish the Vulcan Statue in Alabama.
  Mr. Speaker, these projects may have their merit. I am not an expert 
on every line item in an appropriations bill; but as the former 
superintendent of my State schools, I do know that our schools are 
bursting at the seams. Our communities need our help to help build and 
modernize schools, reduce classroom sizes and relieve overcrowding and 
enhance good order and discipline in classrooms and improving education 
for all of our children.
  H.R. 4094 will not solve all of our problems, but it is a good step 
in the right direction; and I urge the Republican leadership of this 
House to bring this common sense bill to the floor without further 
delay and let us pass it.




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