May 9, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE H 4563

through the city in support of the Special Olympics. As we all know, this

program gives handicapped children

and adults the opportunity to participate in athletic events.

Because of laws prohibiting open

flames on Capitol Grounds, and because

of safety concerns about activities taking place thereon, this resolution is

necessary to permit the relay to occur.

The resolution authorizes the Capitol

Police Board to take necessary action

to insure the safety of the Capitol, and

the Architect of the Capitol may set

forth conditions on participation in

this event.

Activities will begin on Capitol Hill

where the U.S. Capitol Police will host

opening ceremonies and thereafter over

1,000 law enforcement officials will

relay the torch through the city to

Gallaudet University where the D.C.

Special Olympics Summer Games will

be held.

Mr. Speaker, this is a very worthwhile endeavor and I strongly encourage my colleagues to support the resolution which authorizes the event.

Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I join my

colleague in supporting use of the Capitol Grounds for the Special Olympics

Torch Relay Run. As has been the custom, law enforcement officials from

over 65 Federal and local agencies will

relay the special olympics torch

through the District to Gallaudet University to signal the beginning of the

Special Olympics.

The event is scheduled this year for

May 19. Since this date is a week from

this Friday, we need to act on this legislation expeditiously.

This is a very worthwhile event

which benefits not only the families

and participants but also the volunteers and sponsors who contribute

their time and efforts for handicapped

children and adults.

I ask my colleagues to join in supporting this resolution.

Mr. MINETA. Mr. Speaker, the Special

Olympics is a program which gives handicapped children and adults the opportunity to

compete in sporting events and thereby enhance their self-esteem and self-image.

The Torch Relay Run through the Capitol

Grounds is an annual event which this committee has traditionally supported and I am

very pleased once again to support the resolution authorizing use of the grounds for this

very worthwhile endeavor.

I commend both the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. GILCHREST], chairman of the Subcommittee on Public Buildings and Economic

Development, and the gentleman from West

Virginia [Mr. WISE], the subcommittee’s ranking Democrat for moving this resolution in a

timely fashion. The event is scheduled for May

19.

I join my colleagues in urging passage of

this resolution.

Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw

my reservation of objection.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there

objection to the request of the gentleman from Maryland?

There was no objection.

The Clerk read the concurrent resolution, as follows:

H. CON. RES. 64

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the

Senate concurring),

SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION OF RUNNING OF

SPECIAL OLYMPICS TORCH RELAY

THROUGH CAPITOL GROUNDS.

On May 19, 1995, or on such other date as

the Speaker of the House of Representatives

and the President pro tempore of the Senate

may jointly designate, the 1995 Special

Olympics Torch Relay may be run through

the Capitol Grounds, as part of the journey

of the Special Olympics torch to the District

of Columbia Special Olympics summer

games at Gallaudet University in the District of Columbia.

SEC. 2. RESPONSIBILITY OF CAPITOL POLICE

BOARD.

The Capitol Police Board shall take such

action as may be necessary to carry out section 1.

SEC. 3. CONDITIONS RELATING TO PHYSICAL

PREPARATIONS.

The Architect of the Capitol may prescribe

conditions for physical preparations for the

event authorized by section 1.

The concurrent resolution was agreed

to.

A motion to reconsider was laid on

the table.

Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I ask

GENERAL LEAVE

funanimous consent that all Members

may have 5 legislative days within

which to revise and extend their remarks, and include therein extraneous

material, on House Concurrent Resolution 64.

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr.

EWING). Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Maryland?

REMOVAL OF NAME OF MEMBER

There was no objection.

AS COSPONSOR OF H.R. 743

fMr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to

ask unanimous consent to remove my

name as cosponsor of H.R. 743, the

Teamwork for Employees and Management Act.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there

objection to the request of the gentleman from Pennsylvania?

There was no objection.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I was unPERSONAL EXPLANATION

favoidably absent from the vote when

rollcall No. 304 and rollcall No. 306 were

taken last week. I would have voted in

the affirmative in both matters if I had

been present.

Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanGENERAL LEAVE

fimous consent that all Members may

have 5 legislative days within which to

revise and extend their remarks, and

include extraneous matter on H.R. 1361.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there

objection to the request of the gentleman from North Carolina?

There was no objection.

COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATION

ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1996

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 139 and rule

XXIII, the Chair declares the House in

the Committee of the Whole House on

the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 1361.

b 1507

IN THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole

House on the State of the Union for the

consideration of the bill (H.R. 1361) to

authorize appropriations for fiscal year

1996 for the Coast Guard, and for other

purposes, with Mr. DICKEY in the chair.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the

rule, the bill is considered as having

been read the first time.

Under the rule, the gentleman from

North Carolina [Mr. COBLE] and the

gentleman from Ohio [Mr. TRAFICANT]

will each be recognized for 30 minutes.

The Chair recognizes the gentleman

from North Carolina [Mr. COBLE].

Mr. COBLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield

myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, many Americans, and

for that matter many Members of this

body, do not really know the Coast

Guard. I want to introduce the Coast

Guard that I know to those uninformed

about America’s oldest continuous seagoing service.

The Coast Guard is the butt of many

jokes, some submitted good-naturedly,

some submitted maliciously. Many

refer to the Coast Guard as the shallow

water Navy, hooligan Navy, as shallowwater sailors or hooligan sailors.

Even Hollywood gets into the act. A

recently released movie depicted a

military force about to depart on a

combat mission. The commander of the

force said to his group, ‘‘Be careful,

men.’’ One of his troops replied, ‘‘If I

wanted to be careful, I would have

joined the Coast Guard.’’

This comment, of course, drew wild

laughter from the moviegoers and was

yet another example of a joke at the

expense of the Coast Guard. Permit me

to identify those who do not consider

the Coast Guard a joke.

The wife whose husband was adrift in

a treacherous sea was rescued by the

Coast Guard. The husband whose wife

was stranded at sea in a disabled vessel

rescued by the Coast Guard. Property

owners whose property could have been

destroyed by oil spills, property protected and saved by the Coast Guard.

Seamen who rely upon accurately

marked aids to navigation maintained

by the Coast Guard. The mama and

daddy whose child is hauled from the

grasp of an angry sea by a Coast Guard

helicopter crew.

In the poem, Mr. Chairman, entitled

‘‘The Coast Guard Cutter,’’ the poet

vividly and emotionally portrays these

lifesavers as legitimate heroes: