Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005

DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE, THE JUDICIARY, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005 -- (House of Representatives - July 07, 2004)

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. King of Iowa). Pursuant to House Resolution 701 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the further consideration of the bill, H.R.
4754.

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Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman for originating the idea for this very necessary amendment; and as my colleague mentioned, the purpose is to point out two very serious flaws with the President's manufacturing council and to work through the adoption of this amendment their correction.

The President in September of last year comprised his manufacturing council theoretically to work with the Commerce Department to advocate, coordinate, and implement policies that will help U.S. manufacturers compete worldwide.
As my colleague from Ohio mentioned, however, the domestic steel industry is not represented on the council. I would point out that since December 31, 1997, 40 companies, more than 40 steel companies, have entered into bankruptcy, many of which have never emerged.

Since December 2000, 35,700 individual workers who were employed in basic steel have lost their jobs. During that period of time since December 31 of the year 2000, we have also seen a decline in tonnage to be produced in the United States by 14.6 million.

We have an industry that over the last 6 years has been in crisis, despite their beginning to come out of that crisis during the last 6 to 9 months. It was a mistake, and it was wrong for the President and the Department of Commerce not to have this very vital industry of our national defense included. They should be.

Secondly, I would note that there is no representative of organized labor on the council. The fact is 2.2 million individual American workers belong to unions and work in manufacturing. We do have Karen Wright, the president of Ariel Corporation, which makes gas compressors in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, on the President's council, but we do not have a member of the Boilermakers. We have Jim Padilla, who is the chief operating officer of Ford Motor Company; but we do not have a member of the United Auto Workers. We have George Gonzalez, who is president of Aerospace Integration Corporation, which is engaged in aircraft modifications; but we do not have a member of the Machinists Union. We have Wayne Murdy, who is chairman of Newmont Mining Corporation of Denver, Colorado; but we do not have a member of the Mine Workers Union. We have Charles Pizzi, president of Tasty Baking Company, a baking corporation headquartered in Philadelphia; but we do not have one member of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers Or Grain Millers.

We have a lot of people making seven-figure salaries on the commission. We do not have people making five figures.
We have Daniel Stowe, president of R.L. Stowe Mills, Inc., who is engaged in dyed yarn; but we do not have any members of the Union of Needle Trades, Industrial Or Textile Employees. We have Scott Thiss, who is chairman of S&W Plastics that does acrylic displays; but we do not have anyone from the Graphics Communications Workers. We do not have anyone from the Electrical Workers. We do not have anyone from the PACE Union. We do not have Sheet Metal Workers, Steelworkers, Teamsters or anyone from the United Food and Commercial Workers.

I do think it is important, given the fact that it is the workers for these very companies who are most at risk who have lost their jobs in the tens of thousands be represented on this council; and I would ask that the colleagues of this body adopt this amendment.