[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 24903-24904]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



COMMENDING CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS AND AMERICAN PUBLIC RELIEF EFFORTS 
           IN THE AFTERMATH OF SEPTEMBER 11 TERRORIST ATTACKS

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 259) expressing the sense of 
Congress regarding the relief efforts undertaken by charitable 
organizations and the people of the United States in the aftermath of 
the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on 
September 11, 2001.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 259

       Whereas the people of the United States have a long and 
     honorable tradition of assisting individuals, families, and 
     communities in need;
       Whereas charitable organizations play a vital role in 
     delivering services to individuals and families that are in 
     need of relief;
       Whereas charitable organizations are providing relief to 
     the victims of the terrorist attacks against the United 
     States that occurred on September 11, 2001, and their 
     families;
       Whereas the people of the United States have been extremely 
     generous in contributing to charitable organizations that 
     provide relief to the victims of the terrorist attacks and 
     their families; and
       Whereas more than $1,000,000,000 has been collected for 
     charitable work related to the terrorist attacks: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) praises the people of the United States for their 
     patriotism and generosity in donating their money, time, and 
     blood to support the victims of the terrorist attacks against 
     the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001, and 
     their families;
       (2) commends charitable organizations for their hard work 
     in providing needed assistance to the individuals and 
     families who have been affected by the terrorist attacks;
       (3) urges charitable organizations to use the money 
     collected from the people of the United States for the 
     purposes for which the money was donated, and to limit the 
     extent to which such money is used for administrative costs; 
     and
       (4) condemns individuals and groups that fraudulently use 
     contributions for objectives unrelated to the purpose for 
     which the contributions were made.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Clement) 
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, House Concurrent Resolution 259 expresses the sense of 
Congress regarding the relief efforts undertaken by charitable 
organizations and the people of the United States in the aftermath of 
the terrorist attacks of September 11.
  Mr. Speaker, the tremendous outpouring of assistance in the wake of 
the September 11 attacks has become something of an epic legend. Over 
$1 billion has been collected to support the relief efforts across the 
country.
  These organizations serve a vital role in these relief efforts. They 
were the ones providing hot meals and medical care to the rescuers; 
they were the ones providing grief counselors to victims and their 
families; they were the ones ensuring that the displaced had a place to 
sleep and food to eat; and they are the ones that continue to serve at 
Ground Zero in New York and at the Pentagon, and wherever victims and 
their families are located.
  The resolution does not mention the work by Federal, State, and local 
governments; but I want to commend each of them for their effort after 
the terrorist attacks and that which continues today. FEMA, the Small 
Business Administration, and the State of New York disaster assistance 
programs have contributed over $696 million.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a good piece of legislation. It is fitting that 
the Congress, through its sense of Congress resolution, praise the good 
efforts of generous Americans and condemns those that abused this 
trust.
  I commend the important work done by the Federal, State, and local 
governments and charities and individual volunteers, and urge my 
colleagues to support the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 
259, a resolution expressing the sense of Congress regarding the relief 
efforts undertaken by charitable organizations and the American people 
in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks against the United States 
that occurred on September 11, 2001.
  I would like to begin by thanking the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Bilirakis) for sponsoring this legislation. Our country has a long and 
proud tradition of helping families and communities in need, and our 
charitable organizations have often played a critical role in 
delivering these services.
  Immediately after the September 11 terrorist attacks, thousands of 
volunteers began to donate their services, their talents, and even 
their blood. But they did not stop there. The people of the United 
States have been extremely generous in donating their money to various 
charitable organizations that provide relief to the victims of 
terrorist attacks and their families. In fact, more than $1 billion has 
already been collected for charitable work related to the terrorist 
attacks.
  Mr. Speaker, Congress commends the people of this country for their 
patriotism and unwavering generosity in donating not only their money 
but their time and efforts, as well. We also commend the various 
charitable organizations for their tireless efforts in providing 
assistance to the victims and their families who have been affected by 
the terrorist attacks. We expect the money collected for this disaster 
to be used for this disaster. To do otherwise would be an insult to the 
memory of the victims of the tragedy, and it would be a betrayal of the 
public trust.
  I wholeheartedly support this resolution to recognize our Nation's 
citizens who selflessly and generously gave their time, effort, and 
money after the September 11 attack. By supporting these charitable 
efforts, we salute and pay tribute to the victims of this tragedy.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as 
he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), the 
author of the legislation.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time 
to me.
  Mr. Speaker, since the devastating events of September 11, Americans 
young and old have opened their hearts and their pocketbooks to help 
the victims of this terrible tragedy. To date,

[[Page 24904]]

over $1 billion has been raised for relief efforts, proving once again 
that Americans are the most compassionate and generous people in the 
world.
  However, shortly after the contributions began to pour in, we started 
to hear reports suggesting that charitable organizations are not acting 
in good faith to use the contributions of generous Americans to deliver 
timely assistance to the victims of September 11 and their families. 
How do we explain, we should ask ourselves, to elementary 
schoolchildren that their hard-raised contributions may not actually be 
used to help the families in need?
  Today I am wearing a pin made by the students of Cyprus Woods 
Elementary School in Tarpon Springs, Florida. These students sold 
patriotic pins for $1 each and raised a total of $3,500. This amount 
was matched by a local corporation for a total of $7,000, all of which 
went to the American Red Cross.
  Another elementary school in the same area, Brooker Creek, raised 
$2,300 for relief efforts. It would send a terrible message to these 
children and the community if charitable organizations did not use 
their contributions to directly aid the victims and their families.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased, and I think all of us are, that the 
American Red Cross has decided to modify the operation of its Liberty 
Fund by using all proceeds from the fund to increase support for people 
affected by the September 11 terrorist attacks.
  This decision, however, came after public pressure was put on the Red 
Cross by Members of Congress and the news media. I believe that it is 
important to send a message to charitable organizations that 
contributions should be used for the purposes for which they were 
given. That is why I introduced the resolution before us today.
  House Concurrent Resolution 259 praises the people of the United 
States for their patriotism and their generosity in donating their 
money, time, and blood to send support to the victims of September 11. 
It also commends charitable organizations for their hard work in 
providing assistance, but urges them to use the funds collected for the 
purposes for which the money was given.
  Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to the majority leader and the gentleman 
from Alaska (Chairman Young) for allowing this resolution to be 
considered under suspension of the rules. Many Americans lost their 
lives by the hands of terrorists on September 11, and their memory and 
sacrifice for their country should be honored by providing for the 
needs of their families in a timely and effective fashion.
  I urge my colleagues to support House Concurrent Resolution 259.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the incredible relief efforts 
that have taken place after September 11, 2001 are unprecedented. 
Charitable donations collected for the victims of the attacks and their 
families, have exceeded $1 billion in money alone. This spirit of good 
will and benevolence is what separates Americans and civilized people 
around the world from those who kill and seek to destroy out of hatred 
and for personal gain.
  While the vast majority of these charitable efforts have been well 
meaning and appropriately administered, there have been reports, 
including by the Department of Justice, that some of these groups have 
allocated portions of the donations toward administrative and other 
non-disaster specific ends. While a great deal of these allocations may 
legitimately advance the delivery of services to individuals and 
families that are in need of relief, Congress has a responsibility to 
oversee this process in order to ensure that compliance with reasonable 
standards is ongoing.
  This resolution acknowledges that the people and charitable 
organizations of the United States have a long and honorable tradition 
of assisting individuals, families, and communities in need. The vital 
role played by these people and organizations in delivering services to 
individuals and families that are in need of relief cannot be 
discounted.
  This resolution also expresses the Sense of Congress praising the 
people of the United States for their patriotism and their donations of 
time, money and blood in the wake of the September 11 attacks. The 
resolution also commends the charitable organizations that provided 
assistance to the victims of the attacks and their families. It further 
urges the charities that collected relief money to use it for the 
purposes for which it was donated, and urges them to limit the extent 
that donations are used for administrative expenses. Furthermore, it 
condemns individuals and groups that fraudulently use contributions for 
objectives unrelated to the purposes for which the contributions were 
made.
  In the aftermath of September 11, we must take the time to recognize 
the efforts of those who give to others who have lost so much. In doing 
so, we must take care to identify those who misappropriate and 
mismanage the fruits of those charitable efforts. This resolution helps 
to fulfil those two parallel obligations.
  I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 
259.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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