H 4458 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE May 2, 1995

RESCISSION PROPOSALS AFFECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE DEPARTMENT OF

TRANSPORTATION, AND THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND

SPACE ADMINISTRATION—MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF

THE UNITED STATES

The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following message

from the President of the United

States; which was read and, together

with the accompanying papers, without

objection, referred to the Committee

on Appropriations and ordered to be

printed.

To the Congress of the United States:

In accordance with the Congressional

Budget and Impoundment Control Act

of 1974, I herewith report three rescission proposals, totaling $132.0 million.

The proposed rescissions affect the

Departments of Justice and Transportation, and the National Aeronautics

and Space Administration.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON.

THE WHITE H

fOUSE, May 2, 1995.

CONDEMNING THE BOMBING IN

OKLAHOMA CITY

Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on

the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of the resolution (H.

Res. 135) condemning the bombing in

Oklahoma City, and ask for its immediate consideration.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The

Clerk will report the resolution.

The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

H. RES. 135

Whereas on Wednesday, April 19, 1995, a car

bomb exploded outside the Alfred P. Murrah

Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, collapsing the north face of this 9-story concrete building, killing and injuring innocent

and defenseless children and adults;

Whereas authorities are calling this the

‘‘deadliest terrorist attack ever on United

States soil’’;

Whereas Federal law provides for the imposition of the death penalty for terrorist murder; and

Whereas additional antiterrorism measures are now pending for consideration in the

United States House of Representatives:

Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) condemns, in the strongest possible

terms, the heinous bombing attack against

innocent children and adults at the Alfred P.

Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City;

(2) sends its heartfelt condolences to the

families, friends, and loved ones of those

whose lives were taken away by this abhorrent and cowardly act; and expresses its

hopes for the rapid and complete recovery of

those wounded in the bombing;

(3) applauds all those courageous rescue

and volunteer workers who are giving unselfishly of themselves, and commends all law

enforcement officials who are working determinedly to bring the perpetrators to justice;

(4) supports the President’s and the United

States Attorney General’s position that Federal prosecutors will seek the maximum penalty allowed by law, including the death penalty, for those responsible;

(5) commends the rapid actions taken by

the President to provide assistance to the

victims of the explosion and for promptly beginning an investigation to find the perpetrators of this crime, and it urges the

President to use all necessary means to continue this effort until the perpetrators and

their accomplices are found and appropriately punished; and

(6) will expeditiously approve legislation to

strengthen the authority and resources of all

Federal agencies involved in combating such

acts of terrorism.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there

objection to the request of the gentleman from Oklahoma?

There was no objection.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr. LUCAS] is

recognized for 1 hour.

GENERAL LEAVE

Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may

have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on House

Resolution 135.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there

objection to the request of the gentleman from Oklahoma?

There was no objection.

Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, for the purposes of debate only, I yield 30 minutes

to my friend and colleague, the senior

member of the Oklahoma House delegation, the gentleman from Oklahoma,

[Mr. BREWSTER], pending which I yield

myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I truly wish the first

bill that I had managed on the House

floor would have been anything other

than the resolution that we have before

us today. I would like to thank the

leadership on both sides of the aisle for

allowing the House to consider this

measure in such an expeditious manner. Over the next hour we will talk of

lost innocence, tragedy, death, resilience, human spirit, and rebuilding. I

thank my colleagues for taking part in

this debate.

Mr. SPEAKER, I reserve the balance

of my time.

Mr. BREWSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield

myself such time as I may consume.

(Mr. BREWSTER asked and was

given permission to revise and extend

his remarks.)

Mr. BREWSTER. Mr. Speaker, it is

with great sadness that we have this

resolution before the House today. I

wish we were not here. I wish the tragic disaster that happened last April 19,

had not happened. The deadliest terrorist attack that ever happened on America’s soil happened in Oklahoma city.

This cowardly act killed more than

138 people, including 15 children. Over

40, including 4 children are still missing. Over 465 people were injured in the

blast.

Mr. Speaker, it becomes very personal when you see and know the individuals affected. I have lost friends,

and many of my friends have lost loved

ones. I have attended memorial services and seen the pain—undescribable

pain—on these innocent faces. Children

who have lost a parent; parents who

have lost their children. Families torn

apart from the senseless act of terrorism.

The healing process will be long and

difficult. Just today, Mr. Speaker, I

read a letter written by one of the victims of the bombing. Susan Farrell, a

37-year-old attorney for HUD who grew

up in Chandler, OK, was in the building

during the explosion. She had written

me only 2 days before the bombing asking for support for the Legal Services

Corporation.

The shock waves from this cowardly

act will long be felt in the heart of

Oklahomans, and in the heart of Americans. April 19 has been burned into our

history books as a day to remember

the lives lost, the children who never

saw another birthday, the families who

felt the pain, and the innocence left behind in Oklahoma.

Mr. Speaker, today I stand proud to

be an Oklahoman. Countless volunteers

and workers have donated much of

their time to help those suffering and

help in the relief effort. I recall listening to those early news reports that

continued to praise Oklahomans for

being so kind, and reporting with

shock that these citizens reached out

with everything they had to help the

victims. I was not surprised at the outpouring of love and support. Oklahomans are a proud and honorable people.

I want to also recognize the outpouring of all Americans. Relief groups

traveled from all over the country to

help Oklahomans in their time of need.

Those people, and their efforts will not

be forgotten.

It has been additionally heartwarming to hear the remarks by President Clinton, Rev. Billy Graham, Gov.

Frank Keating and his wife Cathy, and

Mayor Ron Norick throughout this

tragedy. All have reached out to comfort and console those families and let

them know this evil act will not be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution today

expresses our condolences, sympathies,

and prayer for the families of the victims, to the injured and also for the deceased. We pray for them and we want

them to know of our outrage for the

crime and our compassion for those individuals as well.

The resolution states our strong support for the President and the law enforcement officials who are doing everything within their power to apprehend and try and punish those people

who are responsible, and it states that

we support the President and the Attorney General as they say this is certainly a case in which the death penalty is appropriate.

This resolution also goes further to

thank the volunteers and the countless

people who have put so much into easing the pain.

In the aftermath of this terrible tragedy, we must be very careful not to go

too far as we respond legislatively. We

cannot be too careful when considering

legislation which impacts every American—balancing constitutional rights

with protections needed to prevent this
May 2, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE H 4459

event from happening again should be

weighed very carefully

Mr. Speaker, I urge this House to

first focus on finding those people responsible and punish them as swiftly as

possible. I also urge this House to show

compassion and assistance for the families whose lives have been shattered

by this blast, and for those families

who still have loved ones missing in

the wreckage. And, finally I urge this

House to thank and support the law enforcement officers, rescue workers, fire

officials, volunteers, political leaders

and so many other tireless efforts by

all Americans.

We want them to know we support

them and appreciate their efforts. We

appreciate the sacrifices they made to

show that good can overcome evil. I

think we have seen that in my State. I

am very proud of Oklahoma, and our

country, as a result.

b 1300

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of

my time.

Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 51⁄2

minutes to my colleague, the gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr. ISTOOK].

Mr. ISTOOK. Mr. Speaker, everyone

who was in this country in 1941 knows

where they were on Pearl Harbor day.

Everyone knows where they were when

the Challenger blew up as it was

launched from Cape Canaveral. And everyone in Oklahoma will always know

where they were at 9:02 in the morning

on April 19, 1995.

The shock from that blast was felt as

far as 55 miles away. I myself was in a

building 8 miles away and people were

afraid from the shaking of it that it

was going to come down as well.

We have all seen the depictions on

TV, in the newspapers and in magazines about what happened there, but it

does not capture it. If anyone on this

floor has not seen some of the pictures,

I have brought a collection. But nothing can convey what really occurred

and to how many people it happened.

But if you see someone from Oklahoma with tears in their eyes right

now, you cannot tell when it is tears of

sorrow and when it is tears of pride.

For our State, our city, our community has united like I believe no one

has ever seen before in the face of a

common disaster.

When the workers came in, and we

are so grateful they did, from nearby

Maryland here, from Virginia, from

California, from Arizona, from Minnesota, from Texas, from all over this

country, they came together with help,

and we say thank you. To the brave

workers who were there on the scene,

people passing by on the street that

rendered immediate aid, that did not

worry about danger to themselves, that

rushed into the building that was still

in the process of collapsing, and while

there were fires still burning from cars

that had exploded in the chain reaction

of the blast, we say thank you.

A plane full of doctors on their way

to a meeting in Texas turned around

and came back to help with the disaster victims. Medical personnel were

called all over.

Mr. Speaker, the sad thing was, after

the first rush of over 400 injured people

to the hospitals, they kept waiting.

They kept waiting in the emergency

rooms, they kept waiting in the downtown area. They kept waiting for more

victims of about 200 people still known

to be missing and, Mr. Speaker, the

other injured never came, because they

were the ones whose bodies were left

shattered and torn in the rubble.

Our city has responded with outreach

to the families, to the ones left behind.

People could not all be rescue workers,

could not all go down and dig through

the rubble, could not all be part of the

investigation. So they said, what do

you need? Do you need people to go out

and comfort the families? We’ll do it.

Do you need to take care of the rescue

workers? We’ll do it. Not out of Government response but just from private

citizens.

About 100,000 meals were donated,

from all over the community. If the

rescue workers needed something to

pick through the rubble, whether it be

shovels, whether it be leather gloves,

knee pads because they had to crawl

through, flashlight batteries to try to

dig through the cavern underneath,

they just mentioned it, and it materialized downtown. No procurement

process, no worry about payback. Just

private citizens trying to do everything

they could to help.

This is the spirit of brotherly love

that we believe in in Oklahoma. We are

grateful that all political differences

were set aside. When we held a memorial service a week ago Sunday, the

President and First Lady came in, half

of the Cabinet came in, and they were

received out of the respect of their concern for us and the dignity that is due

their office.

About 20,000 Oklahomans came together, only 11,000 could fit in the

building, the rest had to wait outside,

to honor the dead, their families, our

State, our city, and our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, it was not just the Federal building. We have probably 19

buildings in downtown Oklahoma City

that are going to have to be razed because of the structural damage. We

have hundreds of others with degrees of

damage because that was how tremendous the blast was.

One of the saddest things may be

that a church immediately across the

street to the east of the Federal building, in the midst of the shattered

stained glass windows and the crumbling brick, they have had to take a

church, a house of God, a house of worship, a house of prayer, and use it as

the morgue to take care of the victims.

Mr. Speaker, I wear a ribbon and all

true Oklahoma people are wearing ribbons in honor of the things that are

being done. We want to say thank you.

We want to say thank you for everything everyone has done. If you come

to Oklahoma City, and I hope and pray

that you will have an occasion to do so,

to meet the people that fit the title of

being in the heartland of America, you

will find that in addition to all the ribbons flying, there are signs all over our

town, and they say God bless Oklahoma City.

Mr. Speaker, I know He does. It says

above you there and above the flag, in

God we trust. Mr. Speaker, there is no

other way we could have made it. We

want to thank the Lord, as well as the

people of this country, for the blessings

that He has given us to make it

through.

Mr. BREWSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield

3 minutes to the gentlewoman from

California [Ms. HARMAN].

Ms. HARMAN. Mr. Speaker, I join all

my colleagues, particularly those from

Oklahoma, in condemning of the bombing of the Federal office building in

Oklahoma City and in support of this

resolution.

To the families and friends of the victims, I extend my heartfelt sympathies

and those of every resident from California’s South Bay. To the thousands

of rescue workers who combed through

the destruction looking for trapped individuals, I extend deepest thanks and

appreciation for a job well done.

The gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr.

ISTOOK] has eloquently acknowledged

and thanked many States for sending

help. Among the rescue workers descending on Oklahoma City were two

Torrance, CA fire fighters, Mark Andersen and Ian Burnett. Like hundreds

of others, both men put their lives and

safety at risk searching the devastation for victims of the bombing.

But while other workers exhausted

themselves cutting re-bar with bolt

cutters in their search for survivors,

Andersen and Burnett easily sliced

through the re-bar using Life Shears, a

cutting tool developed by Hi-Shear

Technology Corp., also of Torrance.

The 20-pound, 18-inch long tool originally was designed for the military to

cut communications cables. Andersen

worked with Hi-Shear to adapt it to

fire and rescue work. It uses a bulletlike propellant to shoot a sharp blade

through the re-bar.

Rescue workers from other agencies

were dazzled by the tool, so much so

that the Federal Emergency Management Agency requested 40 additional

Life Shears be sent to the bombing

site. FEMA also advised other fire departments nationwide to buy the tool.

Funding for the development of Life

Shears came from the Technology Reinvestment Program [TRP]. It is one of

the many examples of the application

of defense technology to civilian use.

Out of this tragedy came stories of

heroism, selflessness, and compassion.

It also became the venue for demonstrating technologies that can save

lives.

Mr. Speaker, let’s hope we can prevent incidents of this enormity, but

let’s also pledge to be prepared in the

event of any future natural or humanmade devastation. In doing so, we can
H 4460 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE May 2, 1995

save lives and ease the difficult burden

of rescue workers.

Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3

minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr. WATTS].

Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, the tragedy in Oklahoma City is the

most horrific act of terrorism and violence ever to have occurred within the

borders of our great Nation. I have

been at the site several times and I

have seen the destruction firsthand.

Yesterday afternoon I made a few remarks at the funeral of a dear friend,

Clarence Wilson, who was the general

counsel for HUD there in Oklahoma

City. We lost more than two dozen residents in my district, including an 18-

month-old child in Chickasha, OK.

My heart goes out to all the victims

and all the people that are involved in

this tragedy. Nothing can replace the

loss, and only a lot of time, love, and

prayers can begin to heal the wounds.

As the father of five healthy, vibrant

children, I cannot imagine anything

worse than losing a child. The sight of

the fireman carrying Baylee Almon

will be forever etched in the minds of

Americans.

In the face of tragedy, once again the

heart of this great Nation is shown to

be strong and compassionate. The

whole country has unified to support

us, and the relief efforts have been tremendous. The support for our emergency service people, police, the fire,

EMSA, Red Cross, the FBI, has been

overwhelming. This has to be one of

the most unifying, coordinated efforts

we have ever seen.

I saw America firsthand from a

bird’s-eye view. I saw America respond

not as Republicans or Democrats, not

as rich or poor, not as black or white,

not as man or woman, but I saw this

country respond in a difficult time as

Americans.

I want to say thank you, America,

from the bottom of our collective

hearts. If the perpetrators of this crime

meant to send us a message, we have

one for them: We will seek you out, and

make sure you pay for the senseless

tragedy.

As a member of the Committee on

National Security, I will work to make

sure our security is strong within this

country as well as strong outside of

this country.

However, one note of caution. During

a senseless tragedy such as this, we

must avoid recklessly affixing blame

on people or groups who might be convenient targets for finger-pointing.

This crime is being investigated by the

appropriate law enforcement authorities and they will bring the perpetrators to justice.

b 1315

We cannot allow the insanity of a few

to become a justification for watering

down the Bill of Rights. In short, we

need to ensure that Washington-based

elitists don’t use this situation as a

pretext for declaring open season on

those with opposing views or God forbid—establishing a police state.

If we succumb to the fear, the bomber will have won. If we politicize the

situation, the bomber will have won. If

we abrogate our civil liberties and

trample the Constitution, the bomber

will have won. If we live with constant

second-guessing and paranoia, the

bomber will have won. If we allow people to label those with opposing views

as hatemongers, the bomber wins. If we

can’t declare with resounding unanimity that this is still the greatest place

in the world to live, the bomber will

have won. We cannot allow the bomber

to win.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve never been more

proud to be an Oklahoman and an

American and I ask God with a prayerful heart, to give this Congress and the

President the wisdom and understanding to act responsibly and decisively in

the coming weeks to do our best to try

and ensure that this will never happen

again. I urge support for this resolution.

Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2

minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr. COBURN].

Mr. COBURN. Mr. Speaker, I have sat

and listened to my colleagues say the

things that need to be said, and to recognize both the tragedy as well as the

compassion that came about through

this land as a result of the bombing in

Oklahoma City.

I would reinforce what has been said

in terms of our reaction, that it should

be measured and based on facts and not

on emotion.

But I think most of all what we

should recognize is what has happened

to us with this bombing. One of the

things we have done is we have devalued life in this country and we have

brought it to a point where we no

longer will value the lives of the very

people that worked to make this country great.

Those that brought about this tragedy will be found and punished. But we

should all reflect and have some introspection on what has happened to us as

a society as we have devalued life both

at the beginning and at the end.

Oklahoma will recover. Hearts will

be scared and lives will be lived out in

the memory of these individuals. But

let it not be for naught. Let this be a

turning point where we recognize that

these people are no longer with us because of the loss of respect for human

life.

Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3

minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. WELDON].

(Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania asked

and was given permission to revise and

extend his remarks.)

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr.

Speaker, first I want to thank our colleague from Oklahoma, Mr. LUCAS, for

offering this resolution. I rise in strong

support.

Mr. Speaker, for the last 9 years in

this Congress I have worked the issues

of fire and life safety and emergency

response and have been on every major

disaster the country has had, from the

Loma Prieta earthquake, the wildland

fires, Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew, the

World Trade Center bombing, but perhaps none has been more outrageous

than the recent disaster in Oklahoma

City. It is the worst from the standpoint of the outrage, Mr. Speaker, because of the way it was done, because

of the victims upon whom this disaster

was perpetrated.

But the thing in each of these incidents and every major incident that

the country faces every day is the

same, and that is the dedication and

tenacity of the emergency response officials in this country. One and onehalf million men and women across

America from Chief Morris from the

Oklahoma fire department and Assistant Chief John Hansen were there to

answer the question.

Last Wednesday evening, as we have

done for the last 7 years, we honored

the national fire emergency responders, with 2,000 leaders from across the

country at the Hilton here in Washington. We did a live video linkage with

the mayor and the chief emergency response officials from Oklahoma City as

we gave them our highest award, paying recognition for the work that they

have done. They are typical of the

emergency response community in this

country and we need to recognize

them.

But, Mr. Speaker, there are lessons

that we need to learn from these incidents. Following the World Trade Center bombing, Mr. Speaker, I wrote to

President Clinton and asked him to

convene a special task force on disasters in America, especially those that

are caused by terrorism.

The House responded. We convened a

bipartisan task force that met for 5

months last year and came up with

specific recommendations.

The day after the Oklahoma City disaster I again wrote to President Clinton. Mr. Speaker, I include that letter

in the RECORD at this point.

The letter referred to follows:

CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

Washington, DC, April 20, 1995.

President WILLIAM CLINTON,

The White House,

Washington, DC.

DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: In light of the tragic

bombing in Oklahoma City, I write to urge

that you convene a White House Conference

on Disaster Preparedness and Response and

appoint a Presidential Task Force to follow

up with recommendations for legislative and

administrative action.

As founder of the Congressional Fire and

Emergency Services Caucus, I have long advocated the improvement of federal disaster

mitigation and response. I believe we must

look at the situations which we have faced in

past disaster scenarios—from the World

Trade Center and Oklahoma City to the California earthquake and the Midwest floods—

and apply the ‘‘lessons learned’’ to future

planning and response efforts.

Following the bombing of the World Trade

Center, I called for the creation of Disaster

Task Force and laid out several recommendations of my own. You may recall
May 2, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE H 4461

that Governor Mario Cuomo endorsed those

proposals. I also urged federal action on disaster response after the California Earthquakes, Florida hurricanes and Midwest

floods. Congress responded by establishing a

bipartisan Disaster Task Force on which I

served. The Task Force produced numerous

recommendations for improving national

disaster mitigation and response.

As a result of these past efforts, FEMA is

today far better organized and prepared to

deal with crises than it has been in the past.

I appreciate the Administration’s support for

reform, and applaud you for the accomplishments to date. However, as recent events indicate, much remains to be done. We must

build on the progress we have made and undertake a broader, more comprehensive review to address a full range of disasters.

We now need to bring together top disaster

planning experts from across the nation with

policy makers from all levels of government

so that we can craft recommendations for increasing coordination of federal, state and

local efforts in mitigating and responding to

natural and manmade disasters, including

those provoked by terrorists. I look forward

to your leadership and support in this regard.

Sincerely,

CURT WELDON,

Member of Congress.

In that letter I asked the President

to convene a White House Conference

on Disasters, with a special focus on

terrorism, to be followed by a White

House executive committee that would

work to implement legislative and administrative changes to allow us to

better respond to disasters like this

around the country.

Mr. Speaker, FEMA has improved,

and the Federal Government has improved, in the way that we assist local

officials, but much more has to be

done, much more can be learned, and I

would hope that the best tribute that

we could pay to all of those who fell

victim to this terrorist act in Oklahoma City would be to put into place a

process through which we can improve

the ability for emergency responders to

deal with similar situations in the future.

Because, Mr. Speaker, we know there

is going to be another time, we know

there is going to be another disaster,

we know there is going to be another

bombing, and we have to be prepared to

mitigate, to deal with, respond to, and

pay for those disasters, and the best

way to do that is to conduct an ongoing review and make comprehensive

recommendations about that response

process.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues

for yielding me the time.

Mr. BREWSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield

4 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. HOYER].

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank

the gentleman from Oklahoma for

yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I join in the sadness and

sorrow of the gentleman from Oklahoma, and I rise to express my strong

support for this resolution that condemns the bombing attack on the men,

women, and the children of the Alfred

P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

This resolution sends a message that

the Congress joins with the administration, no resolution can send it as

strongly as every Member feels it or as

every American feels it, but support for

using all necessary means to find and

bring to justice all those responsible

for this unspeakable act.

As a member of the Committee on

Appropriations I want to express my

commitment to providing whatever resources are necessary to bring all those

responsible to justice. And let no one

be uncertain that punishment for anyone else who might try such as act in

the future will also be swift and as severe as the law allows.

My prayers and the prayers of everybody in this Chamber and throughout

this country are with the victims in

Oklahoma, with their families, and

with their friends and with their colleagues.

As a longtime supporter of our Nation’s civil service, I am especially saddened, Mr. Speaker, by the horrific impact that this tragedy has had on the

more than 500 Federal employees who

worked at that building, and almost 2

million more who work around this

country on behalf of their fellow citizens.

In my view, Mr. Speaker, Federal

workers are one of our Nation’s greatest assets. This ironically is Public

Service Recognition Week, that special

week each year when we recognize the

enormous contribution that public employees at all levels of government

make to the national well-being.

Like the Federal buildings scattered

throughout the Nation, the Murrah

Building was a microcosm of government. The jobs there reflect the broad

spectrum of services that Americans

expect from the Federal Government:

One hundred twenty-five workers at

a Housing and Urban Development office to help citizens realize the greatest

of Americans dreams—home ownership

and affordable housing.

Sixty-one Social Security Administration employees getting benefits out

and resolving questions and problems

for the citizens of Oklahoma. At least

11 of those employees are dead, along

with many of the estimated 35 members of the general public who were in

the Social Security Administration office at the time of the blast.

Twenty-five Federal Highway Administration employees keeping transportation projects so critical to our economy and to our citizens on track.

Twenty-two Department of Agriculture employees giving aid and information out to farmers so that all

Americans can have affordable,

healthy food.

Seventeen Marine Corps employees

who I am confident never thought that

their little Oklahoma recruiting office

would be blown up as if it were in a war

zone. I understand that a group of New

York firemen who had joined in the

rescue effort, who are also Marine reservists, saluted as they carried one of

their own from beneath the crushed

concrete.

And perhaps, Mr. Speaker, most disturbing, the law enforcement officials

who were stationed in the Murrah

Building from the Secret Service, the

Customs Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and, yes, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

ATF employees stationed in the building not only assisted in the rescue efforts but have worked with ATF’s two

national response teams that were deployed to Oklahoma City immediately

after the bombing.

These are not nameless, faceless bureaucrats as some would project to the

American public or folks that are just

the enemy who we want to get who are

what we want to undermine, get ride of

them. America relies on these heads of

families, these mothers of children,

these children of others.

Their desire, Mr. Speaker, is to serve

and is exemplified by an incredible

news clip shared with me by the Department of the Army. Written by

Tonya Riley-Rodriguez, it reads:

He stood beneath a tree which survived the

blast and took a long drink of bottled water.

I’m going to be here until they all—come

home, ‘‘said Staff Sgt. Don M. Majors, a U.S.

Army nurse recruiter.

I have worked in this building for 51⁄2

years, and I knew everybody.’’

He slipped a surgical mask back up to his

sweat-and-dirt-covered face, ineffectually

wiped at a streak of plaster on his forehead,

and turned to go under the collapsed building again. He wasn’t sure how long he had

been searching that day. ‘‘Maybe 13 or 14

hours,’’ he offered.

Mr. Speaker, this is the type of dedication we have seen from so many people in Oklahoma City since April 19. It

is the spirit that so many Federal

workers bring to their job day after

day.

As we pass this resolution condemning this horrible act in Oklahoma City,

I hope that all Members of this body

will join with me in recognizing the

tremendous commitment of Federal

employees in Oklahoma City and

across this Nation. And, yes, remember

the brave citizens of Oklahoma and

Oklahoma City. They are our brothers

and they are our sisters, and if they are

attacked, we are attacked. They are

fellow Americans.

Let them know in Oklahoma that we

are with them, let them know in Oklahoma, my friends who represent that

great State, that we will march with

you side by side to ensure their safety

and to ensure that whatever is within

our ability to make them whole, and

only God can do that, of course, we will

do.

I thank the gentleman for his time.

b 1330

Mr. BREWSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield

such time as he may consume to the

gentleman from Missouri [Mr. GEPHARDT], the distinguished minority

floor leader.
H 4462 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE May 2, 1995

(Mr. GEPHARDT asked and was

given permission to revise and extend

his remarks.)

Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I rise

today to urge my colleagues to support

this resolution, to express the profound

sadness and anger of this House at the

bombing which shook Oklahoma City

on April 19.

Mr. Speaker, none of us in this

Chamber can fully comprehend the

pain and sorrow of those who lost

friends, loved ones, and even precious

young babies at the hands of the terrorists. To them, our words mean little, if anything. But hopefully our

deeds will not, and we must pledge

every measure of support and justice of

which we are capable.

But the fact is for all that was taken

from us in Oklahoma City 13 days ago,

there were many things that can never

be taken away, the courage of those

who risked their lives to come to the

aid of the victims, the fierce determination of the Government workers

and rescuers who showed us by their

service that there is something more

meaningful in all of this than the poison of the violence and the destruction.

Mr. Speaker, the attack on Oklahoma City may have been un-American, but the outpouring of support and

help and prayer was uniquely American. It showed a strength of spirit that

cannot be dulled by any injustice or

any evil intent.

But make no mistake, what happened

in Oklahoma was an unforgivable act

of cold-blooded cowardice. There is no

posture or principle which justifies the

ruthless killing of innocent people and

innocent children. There is no cause or

commitment which excuses random

death and destruction.

This is why we have to do more than

just convict those responsible for this

act of violence and bringing them to

swift and certain severe punishment.

We must serve warning to all who

would use extremist means to advance

their extremist thoughts and ideas: We

will use the full force of our laws to

find them, to punish them and rid our

society of their hateful acts, and when

those laws are not enough, we will

write tough new laws to rein in their

wanton bloodshed and terrorism.

So I urge all of our Members to stand

together to voice our outrage at this

hateful action, and then with the U.S.

Congress truly united in spirit, with

our hands joined and our commitment

clear, we can get down to the real business at hand, providing the relief that

the victims of Oklahoma City deserve,

and then passing the laws that will

help make such atrocities a closed

chapter in our Nation’s history.

As the father of three children, I cannot imagine, I cannot imagine the sorrow of the parents and the relatives of

those children. This has to be the worst

act of violence in the history of our

country.

It must not stand. We must find the

good in this evil act, and I will work

tirelessly with all of our Members on

both sides of the aisle to make good of

this great evil.

Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2

minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr. LARGENT].

Mr. LARGENT. Mr. Speaker, I have

always been proud to call myself an

Oklahoman, and Okie born and bred,

but I do not think I have ever been

prouder than since the time of the

bombing, to see the outpouring of love

and compassion not only for the families who lost loved ones in the Murrah

Federal Building, but also for the compassion, love, and concern that has

been shown by Oklahomans for rescuers that have come in to risk their

lives in a rescue effort to find those

that still might be found under the

crumbling concrete and twisted steel,

willing to risk life and limb to go in

there, and the compassion that has

been shown not only by Oklahomans

but for Americans all across the country has reinstilled my faith in the

things that have made this country

great.

In fact, I think that it has proven

once again that it is oftentimes in

tragedy like this that the American

spirit is galvanized once again.

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to say

that my prayer for Oklahoma, in fact,

for this entire country is that in reaction to the bombing that took place on

April 19 that we would not recoil in

fear, a desperate reaction to a desperate act, that we would not recoil in

fear but, in fact, we would step out in

faith as a reaction to this tragic occurrence, that we would reaffirm our faith

in a free and open society, that we

would recognize that the price of our

freedom is also responsibility, that

there is no greater country, no freer

country, no more prosperous country

in the history of this world than the

United States.

In closing I would say that our prayers are with those families who lost

loved ones April 19, that they, too,

would be surrounded by the peace that

passes all understanding.

Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am a proud fifth generation Oklahoman. My family has

tilled and toiled in the soil of western

Oklahoma for over 90 years.

When you come to Oklahoma, you

will encounter big-hearted folks who

will meet you with a smile and a warm

greeting on a downtown sidewalk. We

Oklahomans are known for our perseverance, fortitude, and our compassion.

We have weathered great droughts,

the Great Depression, feast and famine,

business boom and bust. Our mettle

has been tested, our endurance challenged in good times as well as the bad.

Never have these attributes been more

evident on a local or international

stage than in the past 13 days.

On Wednesday morning, April 19, at 2

minutes after 9 o’clock, America’s

heartland lost its innocence. The

bombing in downtown Oklahoma City

was a cowardly act of tragic proportions with no justification.

Mr. Speaker, I come here today to

ask all of my colleagues to join me in

expressing outrage at and condemnation of the bombing of the Alfred P.

Murrah Federal Building in downtown

Oklahoma City.

I pray for the hundreds of injured and

their families, friends, and loved ones.

I pray for the rescue teams, the doctors, the nurses, firefighters, police officers, and other volunteers from all

across the Nation who came at their

own expense and who continue to work

tirelessly to this very hour. These are

truly God’s chosen people for Oklahoma at this time.

And, yes, I pray for our Nation that

we might be able to heal.

So now, Mr. Speaker, I ask that my

colleagues join me in sending a message of heartfelt condolences to the

families of the 140 that have been confirmed lost and the dozens still missing

among the rubble.

I, like you and the Nation as a whole,

will never forget that scene of devastation, the death, the suffering, and,

most of all, the innocent children. I

cannot begin to express the heartbreak

and sense of helplessness one feels

when faced with such a gruesome

scene.

Many mothers, fathers, grandparents, spouses, and some children are

still missing, making it difficult, if not

impossible, for our families and communities as a whole to bring this disaster to a close.

So many wonderful, productive lives

were destroyed. Although we know the

children who thought they were safe in

the haven of that day care center on

the site are in God’s arms now, I pray

for their families. These were vibrant

lives, some of considerable accomplishment, others with so much potential

yet to be realized, senselessly and needlessly snuffed out for no just or conceivable reason.

Let us express our hopes for a rapid

and complete healing of the wounded.

Let us join in commending the rapid

response taken by the President to provide assistance to the victims and aid

to our battered city. We commend his

resolve and prompt action in the investigation, to seek, find, and apprehend

the perpetrators of this act.

Let us join together and send a

strong and unambiguous message to

any individual or group who may contemplate another such massacre in

your city or town, such evil acts will

not be tolerated, and to those involved

in this horrendous act, your actions

will result in your swift and certain

punishment. We must allow no mercy

to those who allowed no mercy to others.

Mr. Speaker, I will close by citing a

spontaneous tribute to the victims of

this massacre which is formed along

the perimeter around the largest crime

scene in American history. A mound of

wreathes and flowers and teddy bears

and tear-stained poems have been laid
May 2, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE H 4463

with origins literally from around the

world paying tribute to the hundreds of

perished and wounded.

One particular offering which speaks,

I believe, so simply, yet so eloquently,

for all Oklahomans consists of a teddy

bear with a paper heart attached bearing in crayon an inscription that reads

as follows: ‘‘Oklahoma, broken-hearted, yes; broken spirit, never.’’

Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my most profound sympathy for the victims of the tragic bombing in Oklahoma City

during the congressional work period.

I can think of no more hateful, cowardly act

than to ruthlessly bomb a Federal building

while hundreds of hard-working Americans are

doing their jobs.

I cannot imagine the grief, or express in

words, how difficult a period this must be for

those who knew and loved the victims of this

terrible attack. Losing a loved one is hard no

matter what the circumstances. The evil which

led to the loss of life in Oklahoma would only

make the grieving process more difficult.

I am hopeful that the Federal Government

will continue its swift, aggressive action to locate the suspects in this horrifying case. I join

with the millions of Americans who are encouraged by the Justice Department’s urgent

efforts to see justice served. We can only

hope that the case is solved and those who

are responsible for this heinous crime are severely punished.

The most important issue facing America

today is the need to stop the violence which

is tearing society apart. Violence begets violence. The thought that an American citizen

would kill other American citizens defies reason and sanity. But the thought that the State,

in response, would kill the perpetrator of this

crime troubles me deeply as well.

My thoughts are with all of those whose

lives have been touched by this terrible tragedy.

Mr. QUINN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in

strong support of House Joint Resolution 135,

which condemns the bombing in Oklahoma

City.

This resolution condemns the terrorist-fashioned bombing of a downtown Federal office

building in Oklahoma City, denouncing it as an

‘‘abhorrent act of cowardice.’’ Also, the resolution expresses congressional support for the

President’s and Attorney General’s efforts to

pursue all possible means of apprehending

and punishing the responsible parties.

Today, I met with Congressman BILL

MCCOLLUM, chairman of the House Judiciary

Subcommittee on Crime, to discuss

antiterrorism legislation. Specifically, we conferred about my pending legislation, the Restricted Explosives Control Act, which I introduced in an effort to diminish the incidence of

domestic terrorism.

I join all of my fellow colleagues in the

House of Representatives and extend my

deepest sympathies to all of the families in

Oklahoma City. Our prayers and thoughts will

be with you all in the days and weeks to

come.

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, this resolution is an

expression of this body’s outrage at the manifestation of unmitigated evil that was visited

upon Oklahoma City, its people, and our Nation on April 19.

It also provides us with an opportunity to

recognize the real spirit of America and the

underlying greatness of this Nation. Exhibited

in the aftermath of that horrific event was the

friendship and fraternity of our citizens, which,

sad to say, is only typically publicized in situations of national crisis. We need to remind

ourselves that such acts of personal and national virtue and heroism occur daily in this

country as Americans fulfill their obligations of

citizenship, through voluntarism, sacrifice, and

charity. When catastrophe strikes, however,

we are refreshed by the benevolence of those

acts, undertaken with spontaneous enthusiasm and profound grace.

The Oklahoma City bombing has reached

the heart and soul of America, evinced by the

generous outpouring of love and prayers for

the people of Oklahoma City and the families

burdened by the scars of injury and death. Almost immediately hundreds of rescue workers

from across America voluntarily flocked to that

city to provide many unselfish hands in rescue

efforts. Hundreds of Americans gather quietly

near the Murrah building trying to do their part,

however they might: through prayers, deeds,

or both. Americans throughout this land are

expressing their sorrow and solidarity with the

people of Oklahoma City in ways that are at

once poetic and meaningful.

Many have sought to find an explanation for

the causes for that awful act of cowardice, but

there is really only one explanation for it: diabolical individuals intent on damaging society

by hurting hundreds of innocent lives. The depraved events of Oklahoma City are a humbling reminder of our own vulnerability. We

should abide by what Lincoln called the ‘‘better angels of our nature’’ and defeat the attempts to define ourselves by the ravings and

actions of evildoers and fanatics.

We bring this resolution to the floor to pay

our respect to the victims of this disaster and

their grieving families. The magnitude of their

personal losses, and the violence felt by so

many, dwarfs our effort to put emotions and

empathy into words.

Later this month, the Judiciary Committee

will consider comprehensive legislation directed at combating terrorism from whatever

source. Lest our people be concerned,

strengthening our law enforcement capabilities

in this regard does not require a restriction of

our civil liberties and constitutional protections.

Congress is quite capable of striking the delicate and necessary balance between our constitutional guarantees and the Government’s

need to secure the safety of its citizenry. The

legislation will not work a forfeiture of our citizens’ cherished liberties. It will honor the victims of Oklahoma City and will attempt to diminish the possibility of repeated terrorist attacks in the future.

Mr. TEJEDA. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues today in supporting House Resolution

135, a resolution expressing this House’s condemnation of the recent atrocity in Oklahoma

City. We cannot begin to measure the damage

from this senseless act of cowardice, but we

can see the pain on the faces of survivors and

the families of those who perished on the

morning of April 19, 1995.

We in the U.S. Congress express our outrage, our horror, that anyone could even conceive of this plan, let alone carry it out. This

was not an attack on a building, on a faceless

Government, but on its people, on all of us.

The bombers deliberately and cruelly decided

to detonate the bomb at a time calculated to

maximize the loss of life. And that loss has

been real and tragic.

Our hearts go out to the people of Oklahoma who have endured the brunt of this tragedy. But one of the all too many who lost their

lives that morning was a native of San Diego,

TX, a small, closely-knit town in south Texas.

Antonio C. Reyes, who was 55 years old, was

identified this past Saturday as a victim of the

bombing. Mr. Reyes served the U.S. Navy for

more than 20 years before joining the Small

Business Administration and then the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Mr. Reyes was at work on the eighth floor of

the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building at the

time of the explosion. He gave of himself, not

only to his country, but also to his community

by supporting tutoring programs, local children’s and music festivals, scholarships for

Hispanic students, and community development. He was a leader, expressing concern

for the Hispanic community through positive

action.

Shortly before learning that Mr. Reyes was

confirmed among the dead, his family gathered this past Saturday night at St. Francis De

Paula Catholic Church for a Rosario de

Ragacio ́n, praying for mercy and strength. His

sister, Elma Garcia, still lives in San Diego,

and his other siblings live in Corpus Christi

and Alice in Texas, Phoenix, AZ, and Pensacola, FL. He leaves behind his wife of 35

years, Dora Reyes, a son and daughter, and

two grandchildren. I am sure that I speak for

all men and women of good will in this country

in wishing the family our condolences at this

terrible time.

We cannot know the depth of pain or loss

experienced by the Reyes family and the

scores of other families who now mourn for

lost parents, siblings, and children. But we can

send a message today, to those who perpetrated this cruelty, and to those who might

contemplate future similar acts of violence: We

reject this terror, we will not let it stand, and

we will take appropriate action to find you and

convict you. This tragedy has exposed within

the fabric of our body politic a dangerous element, a cancer, that must be countered not

just with effective law enforcement, but also

the best of the American spirit—our shared vision of a democratic republic, a pluralistic society where rights are balanced with responsibilities. From this dark hour, let us join hands

and commit ourselves to renewing our communal spirit.

Mr. FOGLIETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to

speak in favor of this resolution.

We all mourn for the mothers, the fathers,

the sons, the daughters, the children, who

were lost, or who lost loved ones in this tragedy.

When we condemn the Oklahoma bombing,

we also must condemn the way speech has

become so mean and provocative in America.

I agree with President Clinton when he says

that words matter. When talk radio show hosts

tell their listeners where to aim when shooting

a Federal agent. When political consultants

advise their clients to call their opponents traitors. When Members rise on this floor and call

our President—and he is ‘‘our’’ President—a

turncoat who gives aid and comfort to the

enemy. These mean words have consequences.

Without violating the Constitution, we must

give law enforcement the weapons they need
H 4464 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE May 2, 1995

to stop domestic terrorism—but we must disarm and condemn another weapon—angry,

venomous, incendiary, rhetoric.

Mr. MFUME. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to

express my outrage, my sorrow, and my sincere condolences to the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing and their families. The

bombing 2 weeks ago was a heinous act of

cowardice which will hopefully never be repeated.

We are all shocked, as we should be, any

time innocent lives are taken. Yet the magnitude of the devastation in Oklahoma City, as

well as the massive number of innocent lives

that were lost, has left many of us shaken to

the core.

The fact that the target of the bombing appears to be Federal employees makes this act

even more reprehensive and repulsive to me.

As many of my colleagues know, I represent

roughly 35,000 Federal employees, many of

whom are not just my constituents, but also

my neighbors and my friends.

It is my experience that Federal employees

deserve our gratitude, they deserve our admiration, and they deserve our respect. They do

not deserve to be terrorized.

As most Americans know, Federal employees play an integral, albeit often invisible, role

in our daily lives. Federal employees make

sure that our senior citizens get their monthly

Social Security checks and that our veterans

get the care and treatment they need. Federal

employees are responsible for printing out

money and insuring it when we make deposits

at a bank. Federal employees protect our borders and make sure the food we eat is safe.

In short, Federal employees spend their days

and often their nights making sure that our

Government performs its duties.

Furthermore, the American civil servant is

perhaps the best Federal employee in the

world. All one needs to do is travel abroad to

see that American Federal employees are

second to none in terms of their devotion to

the job, their initiative, and their belief that

they are serving their communities as well as

their Nation.

I am glad that we are taking the time today

to discuss this tragedy and to let the American

people know that the abhorrent behavior of a

few irrational people in Oklahoma City is repulsive to us as well as our constituents. I am

also glad that the American public, if they are

following this debate, is aware that every

Member of Congress, regardless of their ideology or party affiliation, condemns this act of

terrorism.

The irony of the attack on Oklahoma City is

that according to the reports we have been receiving, the primary suspects refer to themselves as ‘‘American patriots.’’ This is offensive, not only to the American public, but especially to the people who, since the bombing,

have proven themselves to be the true American patriots.

I submit to you that the true American patriots are the men, women, and children who

gave their lives in Oklahoma City, as well as

their families whose loss we can only imagine;

they are those who ministered to the lucky few

who survived; and they are the people who

are still trying to dig through the rubble to find

any remaining victims. It is a true American

patriot who, in the last 2 weeks, has made it

clear that this act of terrorism is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield

back the balance of my time.

Mr. BREWSTER. Mr. Speaker, I have

no further requests for time, and I

yield back the balance of my time.

The SPEAKER pro tempore [Mr.

COMBEST]. Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the resolution.

There was no objection.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The

question is on the resolution offered by

the gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr.

LUCAS].

The question was taken; and the

Speaker pro tempore announced that

the ayes appeared to have it.

Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I object to

the vote on the ground that a quorum

is not present and make the point of

order that a quorum is not present.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Evidently a quorum is not present.

The Sergeant at Arms will notify absent Members.

The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were—yeas 409, nays 0,

answered ‘‘present’’ 3, not voting 22, as

follows:

[Roll No. 305]

YEAS—409

Abercrombie

Ackerman

Allard

Andrews

Archer

Armey

Bachus

Baker (CA)

Baker (LA)

Ballenger

Barcia

Barr

Barrett (NE)

Barrett (WI)

Bartlett

Barton

Bass

Bateman

Beilenson

Bentsen

Bereuter

Berman

Bevill

Bilbray

Bishop

Bliley

Blute

Boehlert

Boehner

Bonilla

Bonior

Bono

Borski

Boucher

Brewster

Browder

Brown (CA)

Brown (FL)

Brown (OH)

Brownback

Bryant (TN)

Bryant (TX)

Bunn

Bunning

Burr

Burton

Buyer

Callahan

Calvert

Camp

Canady

Cardin

Castle

Chabot

Chambliss

Chapman

Chenoweth

Christensen

Chrysler

Clayton

Clement

Clinger

Clyburn

Coble

Coburn

Coleman

Collins (GA)

Collins (IL)

Collins (MI)

Combest

Condit

Costello

Cox

Coyne

Cramer

Crane

Crapo

Cremeans

Cubin

Cunningham

Danner

Davis

de la Garza

Deal

DeFazio

DeLauro

DeLay

Dellums

Deutsch

Diaz-Balart

Dickey

Dicks

Dingell

Dixon

Doggett

Dooley

Doolittle

Dornan

Doyle

Dreier

Duncan

Dunn

Durbin

Edwards

Ehlers

Ehrlich

Emerson

Engel

English

Ensign

Eshoo

Evans

Everett

Ewing

Farr

Fattah

Fawell

Fazio

Fields (LA)

Fields (TX)

Filner

Flake

Flanagan

Foglietta

Foley

Forbes

Ford

Fowler

Fox

Frank (MA)

Franks (CT)

Franks (NJ)

Frelinghuysen

Frisa

Frost

Funderburk

Furse

Ganske

Gejdenson

Gekas

Gephardt

Geren

Gibbons

Gilchrest

Gillmor

Gilman

Gonzalez

Goodlatte

Goodling

Gordon

Goss

Graham

Green

Greenwood

Gunderson

Gutierrez

Gutknecht

Hall (OH)

Hall (TX)

Hamilton

Hancock

Hansen

Harman

Hastert

Hastings (FL)

Hastings (WA)

Hayes

Hayworth

Hefley

Hefner

Heineman

Herger

Hilleary

Hinchey

Hobson

Hoekstra

Hoke

Holden

Horn

Hostettler

Houghton

Hoyer

Hunter

Hutchinson

Hyde

Inglis

Istook

Jackson-Lee

Jacobs

Jefferson

Johnson (CT)

Johnson (SD)

Johnson, E. B.

Johnson, Sam

Johnston

Jones

Kanjorski

Kaptur

Kasich

Kelly

Kennedy (MA)

Kennedy (RI)

Kennelly

Kildee

Kim

King

Kingston

Kleczka

Klink

Klug

Knollenberg

Kolbe

LaFalce

LaHood

Lantos

Largent

Latham

LaTourette

Laughlin

Lazio

Leach

Levin

Lewis (CA)

Lewis (GA)

Lewis (KY)

Lightfoot

Lincoln

Linder

Lipinski

Livingston

LoBiondo

Lofgren

Longley

Lowey

Lucas

Luther

Maloney

Manton

Manzullo

Markey

Martinez

Martini

Mascara

Matsui

McCarthy

McCollum

McCrery

McDade

McDermott

McHale

McHugh

McInnis

McIntosh

McKeon

McKinney

McNulty

Meehan

Meek

Metcalf

Meyers

Mfume

Mica

Miller (CA)

Miller (FL)

Mineta

Minge

Mink

Molinari

Mollohan

Montgomery

Moorhead

Moran

Morella

Murtha

Myers

Myrick

Nadler

Neal

Nethercutt

Neumann

Ney

Norwood

Nussle

Oberstar

Obey

Olver

Ortiz

Orton

Owens

Oxley

Packard

Pallone

Pastor

Paxon

Payne (NJ)

Payne (VA)

Pelosi

Peterson (FL)

Petri

Pickett

Pombo

Pomeroy

Porter

Portman

Poshard

Pryce

Quillen

Radanovich

Rahall

Ramstad

Rangel

Reed

Regula

Reynolds

Richardson

Riggs

Rivers

Roberts

Roemer

Rohrabacher

Rose

Roth

Roukema

Roybal-Allard

Royce

Rush

Sabo

Salmon

Sanders

Sanford

Sawyer

Schaefer

Schiff

Schroeder

Schumer

Seastrand

Sensenbrenner

Serrano

Shadegg

Shaw

Shays

Shuster

Sisisky

Skaggs

Skeen

Skelton

Slaughter

Smith (MI)

Smith (NJ)

Smith (TX)

Smith (WA)

Solomon

Souder

Spence

Spratt

Stark

Stearns

Stenholm

Stockman

Stokes

Studds

Stump

Stupak

Talent

Tanner

Tate

Tauzin

Taylor (MS)

Taylor (NC)

Tejeda

Thomas

Thornberry

Thornton

Thurman

Tiahrt

Torkildsen

Torres

Torricelli

Towns

Traficant

Tucker

Upton

Velazquez

Vento

Visclosky

Volkmer

Vucanovich

Waldholtz

Walker

Walsh

Wamp

Ward

Watts (OK)

Weldon (FL)

Weldon (PA)

Weller

White

Whitfield

Wicker

Williams

Wolf

Woolsey

Wyden

Wynn

Yates

Young (AK)

Young (FL)

Zeliff

Zimmer

ANSWERED ‘‘PRESENT’’—3

Scott Waters Watt (NC)

NOT VOTING—22

Baesler

Baldacci

Becerra

Bilirakis

Clay

Conyers

Cooley

Gallegly

Hilliard

Menendez

Moakley

Parker

Peterson (MN)

Quinn

Rogers

Ros-Lehtinen

Saxton

Scarborough

Thompson

Waxman

Wilson

Wise

b 1400

Mr. OXLEY and Mrs. SEASTRAND

changed their vote from ‘‘nay’’ to

‘‘yea.’’
May 2, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE H 4465

Mr. WATT of North Carolina changed

his vote from ‘‘yea’’ to ‘‘present.’’

So the resolution was agreed to.

The result of the vote was announced

as above recorded.

A motion to reconsider was laid on

the table.

Mr. QUINN. Mr. Speaker, earlier

PERSONAL EXPLANATION

ftoday I was unavoidably detained in returning to the Capitol, and I missed

three votes. I missed rollcall No. 303,

H.R. 1158. I would have voted ‘‘yes.’’ On

rollcall No. 304, House Concurrent Resolution 53, I would have voted ‘‘yes.’’

On rollcall No. 305, House Resolution

135, I would have voted ‘‘yes.’’

Mr. COOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I was inPERSONAL EXPLANATION

fadvertently detained and missed rollcall vote 305 on the resolution concerning the Oklahoma City bombing.

Had I been present, I would have

voted ‘‘aye.’’ I would like the RECORD

to reflect my vote.

REMOVAL OF NAME OF MEMBER

AS COSPONSOR OF HOUSE RESOfLUTION 123

Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I

ask unanimous consent to remove the

name of the gentleman from Washington, [Mr. NETHERCUTT] as a cosponsor

of House Resolution 123. His name was

added by error.

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr.

COMBEST). Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from California?

HYDROGEN FUTURE ACT OF 1995

There was no objection.

Mr. QUILLEN. Mr. Speaker, by direcftion of the Committee on Rules, I call

up House Resolution 136 and ask for its

immediate consideration.

The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

H. RES. 136

Resolved, That at any time after the adoption of this resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 1(b) of rule XXIII, declare the

House resolved into the Committee of the

Whole House on the state of the Union for

consideration of the bill (H.R. 655) to authorize the hydrogen research, development, and

demonstration programs of the Department

of Energy, and for other purposes. The first

reading of the bill shall be dispensed with.

General debate shall be confined to the bill

and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chairman and

ranking minority member of the Committee

on Science. After general debate the bill

shall be considered for amendment under the

five-minute rule. It shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of

amendment under the five-minute rule the

amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Science now

printed in the bill. Each section of the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. At the

conclusion of consideration of the bill for

amendment the Committee shall rise and report the bill to the House with such amendments as may have been adopted. Any Member may demand a separate vote in the

House on any amendment adopted in the

Committee of the Whole to the bill or to the

committee amendment in the nature of a

substitute. The previous question shall be

considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. QUILLEN]

will be recognized for 1 hour.

Mr. QUILLEN. Mr. Speaker, for the

purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman

from California [Mr. BEILENSON], pending which I yield myself such time as I

may consume.

(Mr. QUILLEN asked and was given

permission to revise and extend his remarks and include extraneous material.)

Mr. QUILLEN. Mr. Speaker, House

Resolution 136 is an open rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 655,

the Hydrogen Future Act. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate divided

equally between the chairman and

ranking minority member of the Committee on Science.

The rule also makes in order as an

original bill for the purpose of amendment the amendment in the nature of a

substitute recommended by the Committee on Science now printed in the

bill. Each section of the amendment

shall be considered as read. Finally,

the rule provides for one motion to recommit, with or without instructions.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend Chairman BOB WALKER and ranking minority member GEORGE BROWN

for continuing their longstanding tradition of requesting an open rule for

bills reported out of their committee.

They set an example that I hope all

committees will strive to follow whenever possible. As always, they did a

great job.

Consumption of energy has grown at

almost twice the rate of the growth of

the population, and it is critical that

we pursue the potential of alternative

sources of energy such as hydrogen to

address our long-term energy needs.

The Hydrogen Future Act authorizes

appropriations for basic hydrogen research, development, and demonstration programs of the Department of

Energy for fiscal years 1996, 1997, and

1998. The bill promotes Federal efforts

to research hydrogen as an alternative

fuel and ensures that hydrogen research is given priority by the Department of Energy.

Mr. Speaker, similar legislation

passed the House by voice vote last

Congress, and this open rule will allow

Members the opportunity to address

any concerns they may have.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this

rule, and I reserve the balance of my

time.

THE AMENDMENT PROCESS UNDER SPECIAL RULES REPORTED BY THE RULES COMMITTEE,1 103D CONGRESS V. 104TH CONGRESS

[As of May 1, 1995]

Rule type

103d Congress 104th Congress

Number of rules Percent of total Number of rules Percent of total

Open/Modified-open 2 ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 46 44 22 73

Modified Closed 3 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 49 47 8 27

Closed 4 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 9 0 0

Totals: ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 104 100 30 100

1 This table applies only to rules which provide for the original consideration of bills, joint resolutions or budget resolutions and which provide for an amendment process. It does not apply to special rules which only waive points of

order against appropriations bills which are already privileged and are considered under an open amendment process under House rules. 2 An open rule is one under which any Member may offer a germane amendment under the five-minute rule. A modified open rule is one under which any Member may offer a germane amendment under the five-minute rule subject only

to an overall time limit on the amendment process and/or a requirement that the amendment be preprinted in the Congressional Record. 3 A modified closed rule is one under which the Rules Committee limits the amendments that may be offered only to those amendments designated in the special rule or the Rules Committee report to accompany it, or which preclude

amendments to a particular portion of a bill, even though the rest of the bill may be completely open to amendment. 4 A closed rule is one under which no amendments may be offered (other than amendments recommended by the committee in reporting the bill).

SPECIAL RULES REPORTED BY THE RULES COMMITTEE, 104TH CONGRESS

[As of May 1, 1995]

H. Res. No. (Date rept.) Rule type Bill No. Subject Disposition of rule

H. Res. 38 (1/18/95) ....................................... O ...................................... H.R. 5 ............................... Unfunded Mandate Reform ................................................................................................ A: 350–71 (1/19/95).

H. Res. 44 (1/24/95) ....................................... MC .................................... H. Con. Res. 17 ............... H.J. Res. 1 .......................Social Security .................................................................................................................... Balanced Budget Amdt ......................................................................................................A: 255–172 (1/25/95).

H. Res. 51 (1/31/95) ....................................... O ...................................... H.R. 101 ........................... Land Transfer, Taos Pueblo Indians .................................................................................. A: voice vote (2/1/95).

H. Res. 52 (1/31/95) ....................................... O ...................................... H.R. 400 ........................... Land Exchange, Arctic Nat’l. Park and Preserve ............................................................... A: voice vote (2/1/95).

H. Res. 53 (1/31/95) ....................................... O ...................................... H.R. 440 ........................... Land Conveyance, Butte County, Calif .............................................................................. A: voice vote (2/1/95).

H. Res. 55 (2/1/95) ......................................... O ...................................... H.R. 2 ............................... Line Item Veto .................................................................................................................... A: voice vote (2/2/95).

H. Res. 60 (2/6/95) ......................................... O ...................................... H.R. 665 ........................... Victim Restitution ............................................................................................................... A: voice vote (2/7/95).

H. Res. 61 (2/6/95) ......................................... O ...................................... H.R. 666 ........................... Exclusionary Rule Reform ................................................................................................... A: voice vote (2/7/95).

H. Res. 63 (2/8/95) ......................................... MO .................................... H.R. 667 ........................... Violent Criminal Incarceration ........................................................................................... A: voice vote (2/9/95).