Jim Ramstad

Madam Speaker, it was an amazing turn of events that made the treatment parity legislation Patrick Kennedy and I introduced, H.R. 1424, the vehicle for one of the most far-reaching bills considered in our lifetime.

This legislation is a rescue bill for the U.S. economy and a rescue bill for the millions of Americans suffering from mental illness and addiction. It will also prevent a devastating tax increase on middle- income families and job creators at a time our families and economy cannot afford more blows.

This vote will mean the end of 12 long years of fighting for treatment parity for mental illness and addiction. This is not just another public policy issue: It's a matter of life or death for 54 million Americans suffering the ravages of mental illness and 26 million suffering from chemical addiction.

Last year alone, more than 30,000 Americans committed suicide from untreated depression and 150,000 Americans died as the direct result of chemical addiction. On top of the tragic loss of lives, untreated addiction and mental illness cost our economy over $550 billion a year.

I'm alive and sober today only because of the access I had to treatment following my last alcoholic blackout on July 31, 1981, when I woke up in a jail cell in Sioux Falls, SD. I'm living proof that treatment works and recovery is possible.

But far too many people in our country don't have the same access to treatment that I and other Members of Congress have had.

A major barrier for thousands of Americans is insurance discrimination against people in health plans who need treatment for mental illness or chemical addiction.

The legislation we are passing today will end this discrimination by prohibiting health insurers from placing discriminatory restrictions on treatment for people with mental illness or addiction.

No more inflated deductibles or copayments that don't apply to physical diseases.

No more limited treatment stays that don't apply to physical diseases.

No more discrimination against people with mental illness or chemical addiction.

The ``Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act'' simply provides equal treatment for diseases of the brain and the body.

Providing treatment equity is not only the right thing to do; it's also the cost-effective thing to do.

All the empirical data, including major actuarial studies, show that equity for mental health and addiction treatment will save literally billions of dollars nationally. At the same time, it will not raise premiums more than two- tenths of 1 percent, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

In other words, for less than the price of a cheap cup of coffee per month, millions of people could receive treatment for chemical addiction and mental illness.

Madam Speaker, Rep. Patrick Kennedy and I have traveled the country from one end to the other--holding 14 field hearings on the critical need for treatment parity.

We heard literally hundreds of stories of human suffering, broken families, tragic deaths, ruined careers and shattered dreams--all because of insurance companies not providing access to adequate treatment for mental illness and addiction. We will change that today.

Madam Speaker, it's time to end the discrimination against people who need treatment for mental illness and addiction. It's time to prohibit health insurers from placing discriminatory barriers to treatment.

It's time to join the coalition of insurance companies and business groups that support parity because they know it's cost-effective and saves health care dollars.

It's time to make this bipartisan legislation the law of the land. The people of America cannot afford to wait any longer for Congress to act.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the revised economic recovery bill.

The inclusion of the mental health parity bill, major tax relief and bank deposit, FDIC, insurance increases caused me to reconsider my position and I believe there's too much at stake to let the legislation fail.

The revised bill is a recovery bill for the economy and a recovery bill for millions of Americans suffering the ravages of mental illness and addiction.

This revised legislation will also protect 22 million middle-income taxpayers from the enormous tax increases of the Alternative Minimum Tax, AMT.

Madam Speaker, the revised bill also extends research and development tax credits to create jobs and renewable energy credits to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. The revised bill also includes higher education deductions and child credits to help families and students.

Also, the revised bill increases bank deposit insurance limits, FDIC, to $250,000 to protect depositors and help small businesses that need credit.

Madam Speaker, I will vote for the revised economic recovery plan to help Minnesota's working families, seniors and small businesses during this historic crisis in our economy. The credit crisis is real, and it's destroying jobs, retirement savings and the American dream.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to oppose the Bush administration's $700 billion bailout plan for Wall Street firms and banks.

The administration's bailout plan imposes great risk to taxpayers and no guarantee of success.

Because this bill was considered in such haste, without adequate hearings or debate, nobody knows what this complex financial scheme will produce so the final cost to taxpayers is uncertain.

Four hundred of the Nation's top economists signed a petition to Congress objecting to the bailout plan, as they are skeptical of the Federal Government buying up toxic mortgage-backed assets from banks and hoping the benefits trickle down from Wall Street to Main Street.

According to these economists, the long-term effects of this financial scheme--higher inflation, a weakened dollar and a greater National debt--will outweigh any short-term stabilization of the credit markets.

Rather than providing $700 billion of taxpayer money to buy frozen mortgage assets to solve the current problem, Congress should adopt the plan to insure mortgage-backed securities through payment of insurance premiums by the holders of these assets.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this bailout.

Madam Speaker, I rise today as a proud member of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus to congratulate Taiwan on its 97th National Day on October 10.

The people of Taiwan have many reasons to celebrate and be proud of their country. Having elected President Ma Ying-jeou, the Taiwanese have returned the KMT party back to power, thereby effectively passing Huntington's ``two-turnover test of democratic consolidation.'' By successfully transitioning from one party to another and back to the original party, the people of Taiwan have proven their democracy is flourishing.

Today, Taiwan is a vibrant democracy with a strong market economy thanks to its strong ties with the United States. Under the new Ma administration, Taiwan will only seek to fortify these ties and continue to prosper as a nation.

Madam Speaker, I would also be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to push for the 111th Congress to pass a Free Trade Agreement with Taiwan. Taiwan is the United States' ninth largest trading partner, with trade flows between the two totaling $64.6 billion last year. A Free Trade Agreement expand trade and improve economic growth, provide enhanced opportunities for U.S. businesses and support an important democratic ally in a strategic region. It is time we put our differences aside and pass this legislation which is long overdue.