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* Mr. SAWYER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service be discharged from further consideration of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 284) to designate the second week in April as `National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week ,' and ask for its immediate consideration.

* The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.

* The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Ohio?

* There was no objection.

* Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, every day, in all of our communities, dedicated public safety telecommunicators answer our calls for assistance. They dispatch our calls for help to local police and fire departments, facilitating the execution of emergency rescue and law-enforcement operations in all of our districts. These public safety personnel serve as the vital links within our cities and towns, although rarely appreciated because they are not physically at the scene.

* The Nation's public safety telecommunicators also work to improve emergency response capabilities through their leadership in training programs provided by the Associated Public-Safety Communications Officers. APCO is an association of nearly 9,000 people engaged in the operation, design, and installation of emergency response communications systems for Federal, State and local government agencies.

* It is time that we show our appreciation for these people who make our Nation's police and fire departments professional and responsive. In order to recognize the high-quality communications services provided by police and fire dispatchers, 911 operators, and emergency medical technicians, I have sponsored House Joint Resolution 284, to designate the week beginning April 12, 1992, as `National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week .'

* Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the gentlewoman from Maryland [Mrs. Morella] for her assistance in bringing this resolution to the floor today. She and her staff have worked diligently and with great distinction. I also want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania and chairman of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus [Mr. Weldon], for his leadership and support.

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* Mrs. Morella. Mr. Speaker, as the Republican sponsor of House Joint Resolution 284, and as a member of the Congressional Fire Services caucus, it is my pleasure to rise in support of this legislation to designate the second week of April, 1992, as `National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week .'

* Public safety telecommunicators are the driving force behind our Nation's emergency rescue services. They are the men and women who dispatch our police forces, our ambulances, our firefighters. Although they are not as visible as the men and women who arrive at the scene of emergencies, they are just as important.

* We depend upon public safety telecommunicators to notify emergency personnel promptly, clearly, and calmly. We depend upon them to keep our husbands, our wives, and our children calm and assured in an emergency. We depend upon them for guidance and support in our most frantic and panicked moments.

* Mr. Speaker, some of us have been lucky enough not to have had to dial 911 in the middle of a fire, a robbery, or a medical emergency. But for the millions of Americans who have faced such an emergency, public safety telecommunicators have been there--ready and willing to help. It is, indeed, fitting that we take time to recognize their invaluable contribution to our daily lives, and I am very pleased to support the designation of the second week of April, 1992, as `National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week .'

The Clerk read the joint resolution, as follows:

H.J. Res. 284

Whereas over one-half million dedicated men and women are engaged in the operation of emergency response systems for Federal, State, and local governmental entities throughout the United States;

Whereas these individuals are responsible for responding to the telephone calls of the general public for police, fire, and emergency medical assistance and for dispatching said assistance to help save the lives and property of our citizens;

Whereas such calls include not only policy, fire, and emergency medical service calls but those governmental communications related to forestry and conservation operations, highway safety and maintenance activities, and all of the other operations which the modern governmental agency must conduct; and

Whereas America's public safety telecommunicators daily serve the public in countless ways without due recognition by the beneficiaries of their services: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the second week in April is hereby designated as `National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week' . The President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe that week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE OFFERED BY MR. SAWYER

Mr. SAWYER. Mr. Speaker, I offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute.

The Clerk read as follows:

Amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by Mr. Sawyer: Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the following:

That the week beginning April 12, 1992, is designated as `National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week' , and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe the week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Sawyer].

The amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.

The joint resolution was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read the third time, and passed.

TITLE AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. SAWYER

Mr. SAWYER. Mr. Speaker, I offer an amendment to the title.

The Clerk read as follows:

Title amendment offered by Mr. Sawyer: Amend the title so as to read: `To designate the week beginning April 12, 1992, as `National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week' .'.

The title amendment was agreed to.

A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

[from the Congressional Record]