James Oberstar

again reclaiming my time, that leaves our side somewhat puzzled. During the debate on the rule there was some statement made about the shortness of the session and the urgency to move this bill ahead. Now it seems that the urgency has…

I believe modifying the Wright amendment without a careful and serious debate about the safety issues involved is premature. At the outset, I want to make it clear that I am not against competition in the airline industry. In fact, I have…

Mr. Speaker, I, of course, support H.R. 2036, the War Risk Insurance Reauthorization Act of 1997. This is one of several times we have come to the floor to reauthorize this legislation, and this particular reauthorization extends the…

I was remiss in not thanking the chairman and recognizing the chairman for his efforts to increase the funding of PILT. I really do appreciate the initiative. This is not a comment in any way on the gentleman's custodianship of that…

We are simply making an appeal for fairness, those of us who represent areas with large land jurisdictions in Federal holdings, for justice, decency, and respect for the people who are holding, who are the custodians of these lands held in…

the gentleman has stated the case exceedingly well. And I just say that those who are advocating this amendment do not have in mind the roads and their utility or their significance. They really want to get at the timber harvesting…

last year during consideration of the NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996, the other body voted to designate Slovenia along with Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic as nations that have made progress toward meeting NATO's…

let us make it very clear. The Smith- Barcia-Oberstar-Hyde amendment does not reduce by one penny the amount spent on international family planning. It merely ensures that the money we do spend and commit to population control goes to…

Mr. Speaker, the budget is that one piece of legislation where we really set forth priorities for America. We decide what is important to us, what our values are, and in effect, we put a price tag on them. In the…

Mr. Speaker, to characterize this bill as a tax increase is a disservice to truth, to history, and to aviation. The truth simply is that this bill represents the reinstatement of a fee. It is called a tax, but it has been treated as a fee…

Proponents of this resolution have framed the issue as simply a vote on family planning, or a vote about closing family planning clinics overseas. That is not the case. It is a vote on using one-half billion dollars of U.S. taxpayer money…

As the gentleman well knows, under the Medicaid language for years that we have debated on this floor, we have had several dozen votes, maybe several hundred votes on this issue over the last 22 years that I have served here, we have…

This is put-up-or-shut-up time for those who are advocating funding for family planning without abortions. This resolution reinstates a policy that has been in effect for the past nearly a decade. Three hundred fifty organizations…

To further respond to my dear friend, the gentleman from California, we would not have dozens or hundreds of votes on this subject if, in initiating programs, those who advocate family planning would stick to their last, and stick to what…

the bill before us is nearly identical to the Invasive Species Act that the House passed by voice vote earlier this week, except for limited amendments requested by the other body. I continue to have some concerns about at least one of…

I will not object to passage of the National Invasive Species Act of 1996. The bill before us now is nearly identical to the Invasive Species bill that the House passed by voice vote earlier this week, except for limited amendments which…

in 1978, if we had not had an agreement that created essential air service, we likely would not have had deregulation. Continuing EADS is continuing the commitment we made to small towns and communities and rural areas across this country…

Carl Stokes is more than a fellow Ohioan. He is more than an American citizen. He was a pioneer in his time, one of the very first handful of African-Americans to be elected mayor, and mayor of a large city. At the time I think there were…

this is a landmark day. It has been 5 years since the House has had a Coast Guard authorization bill ready to be sent to the President. This bill does that. Mr. Speaker, this is a landmark day. It has been 5 years since the House has had a…

The reason for ending ICC regulation and oversight of express carriers was that the concept of express carrier had become obsolete. The ICC staff itself recommended the elimination of express carrier status. It was not an oversight, it was…

I rise in support for H.R. 4119, a bill to designate the Federal building and United States Courthouse in Macon, GA, as the William Augustus Bootle Federal Building and United States Courthouse. Judge Bootle has been serving the citizens…

She has been a role model on our committee staff for dedication to duty, unrelenting hard work, long hours, weekends during crunch time. She has demonstrated exceptional organizational skills, actually organizing the materials in the…

I support this bill to name the U.S. Courthouse in South Bend, IN for Judge Robert Rodibaugh. Judge Rodibaugh is a native of Goshen, IN and attended grade school and high school in South Bend, IN. He is an alumnus of Notre Dame University…

I want to join with him in recognizing Erla Youmans and paying tribute to her. She started with the committee a year before I did, in 1963, is when I came then to work for my predecessor, John Blatnik. But I started on the Rivers and…

I support H.R. 3535, a bill to designate the Federal building in the Suitland Federal Center, 4700 Silver Hill Rd., Suitland, MD as the W. Edwards Deming Federal Building. Mr. Deming, who died in 1993, was honored throughout the world as…