H 4520 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE May 3, 1995

Liddy. I suppose at a future Republican

senatorial dinner, we will see both of

them doing a duet.

WE HAVE TO GET OUR FINANCIAL

HOUSE IN ORDER

f(Mr. SCARBOROUGH asked and was

given permission to address the House

for 1 minute.)

Mr. SCARBOROUGH. Mr. Speaker,

this Congress faces two challenges in

the next 100 days and in the rest of this

session. We have got to get our financial house in order. We have got to finally balance the budget, do it for the

first time since 1969. The second thing

we are going to have to do is finally get

Medicare costs under control. A report

by President Clinton’s own task force

shows that Medicare goes bankrupt by

the year 2002. We have got to do both of

these things at the same time, and it is

going to call for heavy lifting, and it is

going to call for bipartisan support.

I ask the Democrats today to come

forward with a plan that not only saves

Medicare but also balances the budget

by the year 2002. If they are not willing

to take part in the process, I ask that

they step back and let the Republican

Party do it, along with other conservative Democrats who are just as concerned about this very important issue.

We have no choice. We must take care

of Medicare and we must balance the

budget by the year 2002, or it is the senior citizens who will suffer in the end.

COMMENDING THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEES WHO SERVE THE PUBfLIC

(Mr. OLVER asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute.)

Mr. OLVER. Mr. Speaker, the deadly

bombing 2 weeks ago in Oklahoma City

has had a chilling effect on our Nation.

More than 100 Federal employees

died.

They died because a few used violence to express their hate for the

American Government.

We are angry. We want justice.

Our healing has barely begun.

As we mourn with the families of the

victims, let us remember that Federal

employees are not nameless, faceless

bureaucrats. They are people. They

help others every day.

In my district many Federal employees help us in our everyday lives.

I am reminded of Jeffrey Reck who

serves as district manager of the Social

Security Administration in Fitchburg,

MA.

Jeff helps people get the benefits

they deserve.

He gets answers. He gives people the

personal help that we all need from our

Government. He treats people like people.

Jeff’s work is a tribute to his fallen

colleagues and to Federal employees

everywhere. I commend him and so

many thousands who serve the public.

PROTECT MEDICARE

(Mr. LEWIS of Georgia asked and was

given permission to address the House

for 1 minute and to revise and extend

his remarks.)

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker,

I rise today to say to my Republican

colleagues, it is time to deliver on your

promises.

You said you would cut taxes, balance the budget, and leave Social Security and defense intact. Now tell us:

How will you do it?

To date the Republicans have raided

the Medicare trust fund to pay for

their tax cuts for the rich. Their tax

bill takes $27 billion away from the

Medicare trust fund and from our Nation’s senior citizens.

In 1993 and again in 1994, the President and the Democrats took action to

make the Medicare Program stronger.

And, we did it over the loud protests of

my colleagues on the other side of the

aisle.

I say to my Republican colleagues,

don’t take health care from our senior

citizens to pay for tax cuts for the rich.

That is not Medicare reform. And our

APPOINTMENT OF MEMBER TO

senior citizens will not be fooled.

ACT AS CHAIRMAN OF REVIEW

fPANEL ESTABLISHED BY RULE

51 OF THE RULES OF THE HOUSE

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr.

INGLIS of South Carolina) laid before

the House the following communication from the Honorable WILLIAM M.

THOMAS, Member of Congress:

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE OVERSIGHT,

Washington, DC, May 1, 1995.

Hon. NEWT GINGRICH,

Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

DEAR MR. SPEAKER: Pursuant to House

Rule 51, clause 7, I have appointed the Honorable Vernon J. Ehlers as chairman of the

review panel established by that Rule for the

104th Congress.

Best regards,

BILL THOMAS,

f Chairman.

NEW DEREGULATION FOR

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

(Mr. STEARNS asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I just

wanted to advise and introduce to the

Members that we had a telecommunications press conference today offered

through the Committee on Commerce a

new deregulatory bill which will allow

mass communications to change dramatically, and I had the honor to offer

as an amendment to this bill new

broadcast ownership changes to allow

many new forms of ownership for video

broadcasting. It is bipartisan bill.

Basically it reduces restrictions on

ownership of broadcasting stations and

other media mass communications. As

I mentioned, it repeals antiquated

rules and regulations and brings broadcasting up to date with technology.

The bill states that the FCC does not

provide or enforce any regulations concerning cross ownership. The details of

this will be in a statement that I will

put in the extension of my remarks

today.

SPECIAL ORDERS

fThe SPEAKER pro tempore. Under

the Speaker’s announced policy of January 4, 1995, and under a previous order

of the House, the following Members

will be recognized for 5 minutes each.

COMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1995

fThe SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a

previous order of the House, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. FIELDS] is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. FIELDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker,

this morning, I introduced on behalf of

myself, Chairman TOM BLILEY, our Republican Members, and Democrat cosponsors, the Communications Act of

1995. Hearings are planned for Wednesday, May 10, Thursday, May 11, and

Friday, May 12.

Truly, this is a watershed and historic moment for the telecommunication industry, our country, and the

consuming public.

This legislation meets several broad

objectives:

First, and foremost, the legislation

gives definition and certainty as we

move into this time of convergence and

technological innovation.

Second, this legislation is much more

deregulatory than the telecommunications legislation, introduced and

passed last year. This legislation recognizes that the 1934 act is outdated—a

dinosaur—and coupled with a hodgepodge of FCC administrative decisions

and Federal court decisions, the telecommunications industry could be stifled and the consumer denied better

products and services at lower costs

unless we pass this historic legislation.

Third, great attention was paid in

creating level playing fields—an atmosphere of legislative parity so that

the rules are fair to all competitors as

new lines of business are entered.

Fourth, it was our goal and objective

for our legislation to be dynamic so

that it evolves with and recognizes new

technology and its applications.

Fifth, our legislation is predicated on

competition and an opportunity model

not government, be it Federal or State

micromanagement.

I can’t stand up here and tell you

that the Communications Act of 1995 is

perfect or that it will not change; of

course, the legislative process itself is

dynamic.

But, I can tell you that there has

been much consultation with industry

leaders, consumer groups, States and

cities, with our members and between

our respective staffs, and it should be

recognized that this legislation builds

on the foundation of the 14 months of