Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

I thank you, but I thank you also for a very thoughtful bill in very tough times, truly one that does support safer communities and one that does help prepare our young people for a global environment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Offered By: Mrs. Johnson of Connecticut

Amendment No. 28: Page 10, line 18, after the first dollar

amount, insert the following: ``(increased by $3,300,000)''.

Page 39, line 25, after the dollar amount, insert the

following: ``(reduced by $3,300,000)''.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 5574, legislation to reauthorize the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education program. Back in 1998, before my colleague from Ohio, Congresswoman Pryce, and I authored this legislation, Children's Hospitals' residencies were getting .5 percent of what Medicare provided for other teaching hospitals. Thanks to that legislation that we authored and put in place a number of years ago, Federal GME support for Children's Hospitals approaches 80 percent of what Medicare provides to other teaching hospitals. Yes, only 80 percent.

Nonetheless, as a result, Children's Hospitals have been able to increase the number of residents they train, including both general pediatricians and pediatric specialists, increase the number of training programs they provide, and improve the quality of the training they provide and strengthen the programs they provide not only to residents but to the communities.

Between 2000 and 2005 in my own State of Connecticut, the Connecticut Children's Medical Center increased the total number of full-time equivalent residents by 31 percent. About 50 percent of their graduates pursue careers in primary care and 50 percent go on to subspecialty fellowship programs. In addition to so significantly strengthening our capacity to care for children with serious medical problems, they also have introduced new curricula to provide training in community pediatrics and professional development and, indeed, have had a systemic impact on the practice of pediatrics in many settings throughout the State.

I am proud of what they have accomplished. I am proud of what we have done here on this floor and in preceding Congresses to strengthen the training of pediatricians and pediatric specialists, and I urge support of this legislation.

And I thank my colleague, Mr. Deal, for the work of him and his subcommittee and the full committee in bringing this forward this week.

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. Terrorism, as a method of achieving political goals and settling political differences, is intolerable to the civilized world. Inevitably, terrorists will gain access to chemical, biological and even nuclear weapons. Never has a non-government organization been able to deliver weapons of mass destruction. That will be unprecedented, and it is truly intolerable. So terrorism, as an organized system of political action, must be defeated.

Within the Palestinian Authority, for the first time, the issue of terrorism as a means of political action is now the issue between Mr. Abbas and the Prime Minister. And in Iraq, the same issue is being joined. The new Prime Minister recognizes that there can be no government if political organizations are to each have their own armies.

Iraqis had the courage to vote for the adoption of an interim government, for a constitution, for a permanent government, and the Prime Minister, as well as communities throughout Iraq, get it, that governing themselves is what they want.

Our forces have distinguished themselves in Iraq, both as skilled military units and model citizens, and I salute them. They have won the war we had to win, and are now training thousands of Iraqis and transferring authorities to Iraqi units to win the war only they can win.

Our impatience to leave is matched by their impatience to take the reins of their destiny. The reins are being transferred. Patience, hope, perseverance. Our children will inherit a safer world.

My heartfelt gratitude for those who have given their lives to our Nation, and for their families.

America salutes you.

I have a picture on my desk and letters in my files from families of talented young men and women killed in Iraq. I am proud of their commitment to our country of their service of the values they held dear. But I am unendingly sad--for the sacrifice they and their families have had to make.

Let us be clear--terrorism as a method of achieving political goals and settling political differences is intolerable to the civilized world.

Terrorism maximizes the killing of the innocent. Terrorism glorifies the brutality of torture and murder. Terrorism knows no diplomats and rejects negotiations as a means of resolving differences.

In our world, weapons of mass destruction--chemical, biological, and nuclear--will be increasingly available to terrorist organizations espousing terrorism as a means of political action.

That is unprecedented. Never has a non-nation organization been able to deliver weapons of mass destruction. That is unprecedented, unacceptable and intolerable.

Yet terrorism as an organized system of political action has developed to new heights in the Middle East and it is there that it must be defeated.

Within the Palestinian Authority, for the first time, the issue of terrorism as a method of political action is now the issue between Mr. Abbas and the Prime Minister. Very specifically, they are debating not the legitimacy of a national army or diplomacy, but the legitimacy of political armies, factional armies and terrorist action--that is, violence ungoverned by national interest or law.

And in Iraq, the same issue is being joined. The new Prime Minister recognizes that there can be no government if political organizations (even if reflecting religious and ethnic differences) are to each have their own armies governed only by the unlimited rights of terrorists to kill others and terrorize those committed to public service.

Iraqis had the courage to vote to adopt an interim government, to adopt a constitution, and to elect their first democratic government. The prime minister, as well as communities throughout Iraq, get it, that governing themselves is what they want, and they are in varying degrees.

We as a people know the power of freedom under law. And our forces have distinguished themselves in Iraq, both as skilled military units and as model citizens respecting others and supporting and encouraging the local processes of governance.

I salute our men and women of the U.S. military. They have won the war we had to win and are now training thousands of Iraqis and transferring authority to Iraqi units, to win the war only they can win.

Ultimately, the Iraqi units will defeat terrorism as a method of political action and the people all over the world will triumph. Our impatience to leave is matched by their impatience to take the reins of their destiny.

The reins are being transferred. Patience. Hope. Perseverance. Our children will inherit a safer world as a consequence of our success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate the Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Foundation on its 25th anniversary of Reaching Out, Providing Help and Giving Hope to children and their families across the country.

The CdLS Foundation is an outstanding organization that has been serving people and families living with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome since 1981. Their national headquarters is located in the Fifth District of Connecticut, which I represent. The Foundation is a nonprofit, family-support organization that works to promote early and accurate diagnosis of CdLS, advance research into the causes of the condition, and assist those with CdLS throughout their lives. Their efforts impact the lives of people throughout the United States.

Mr. Speaker, CdLS is a congenital condition, which means it is present from birth. It impacts on virtually all of a person's being. Physical and mental manifestations of CdLS may include: missing limbs or fingers; severe reflux; feeding difficulties; cleft palate; eye problems; hearing loss; seizures; and behavioral issues. Overall, cognitive and physical development is slowed, and delays in speech and communication are even more pronounced.

The foundation celebrated a medical and scientific breakthrough in April 2004 when a research team led by scientists at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia identified a gene on chromosome 5 that, when mutated, causes CdLS. NIH recently made a substantial grant to support continued research designed to help families and scientists alike understand the cause of CdLS and improve care for people living with this diagnosis.

As a result of this discovery, we now know that CdLS affects approximately 1 in 10,000 live births, and it is thought to be present in as many as 20,000 children who have not been diagnosed. The foundation faces a significant challenge as it attempts to reach out to families who have a child with CdLS, especially those with more mild cases. Interventions and strategies for managing the syndrome and caring for these children can only be utilized once the presence of the syndrome has been confirmed.

In order to raise the visibility of the syndrome, the foundation distributes publications to families and medical professionals, and hosts meetings and conferences where researchers and families can meet to exchange information. The foundation also acts as a facilitator between families and the medical community, utilizing the expertise of its Clinical Advisory Board, a team of more than 40 clinical and education professionals who act as on-call advisors.

Once a family understands that their child has been touched by the syndrome, the foundation relies on its strong volunteer network to support children and families affected by CdLS, as well as educate local community members, government officials, and media about the syndrome. Most of these volunteers are family members of someone living with CdLS.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud that an organization with such integrity and willingness to help their fellow citizens has called Avon, CT its home. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking and recognizing the Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Foundation for its tremendous efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the City of Meriden, Connecticut, on the occasion of its 200th Anniversary on June 16, 2006.

This city was known as the North Farms area of nearby Wallingford until 1806, when it was officially recognized as the Town of Meriden. The 1800s saw the beginnings of what would become a torrent of manufacturing activity in the city. Belts, hoops, pewter, guns, cutlery, nails, buttons, lamps, ivory combs, tin ware, organs, coffee grinders, and silver--the product that would lend its luster to Meriden's reputation as the ``Silver City''--were all manufactured here. Stately mansions were constructed as manufacturers prospered. As the thriving city's population grew to over 24,000 in 1900, the Castle Craig was dedicated in Hubbard Park and the Curtis Memorial Library opened soon thereafter.

In the 1920s, the airport was built and the downtown traffic tower erected. Although the world wars and the depression brought hardships to the city as well as to the rest of the country, in March 1944, Meriden was proudly honored as ``The Nation's Ideal War Community'' for its industrial and patriotic contributions to the Nation.

During the mid-1900s, some of the city's older businesses, including International Silver, moved or closed. Urban redevelopment changed the look of some sections, but the ``pleasant valley''--possibly the ancient meaning of the name Meriden--endured. Newly arriving immigrants added their own energy to the growing town. Civic groups grew in numbers and in service; daffodils, long planted at Hubbard Park, became the city's official flower with the celebration of the inaugural Daffodil Festival in April 1978.

In recent years, Meriden's downtown has undergone a renaissance, as a new hospital was erected and many corporate headquarters relocated to the east side of town on Research Parkway. City manufacturing firms produce electronics, nuclear instruments, automotive devices, plastics, gaskets, communications equipment, filters, vaccines, jewelry, food, candy, pewter, tools, and machines. The city is proud of its past as it eagerly embraces its future.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent the city of Meriden in the United States House of Representatives, and I extend my best wishes to the city and its citizens for another 200 years of prosperity.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts.

I am as concerned about oil prices at the pump as anyone. My constituents and I feel the pinch every single day, but as we consider this bill, let us look at the facts.

Ninety-five percent of the north slope is available for drilling, and it is roughly flat. There are 4,000 offshore leases that oil companies hold but have not yet developed. The government is offering leases in the National Petroleum Reserve regularly and just last week leased up 2.8 million acres more.

Directly relevant to this legislation is the fact that BP tried to develop wells adjacent to ANWR and recently moth-balled those wells because they produced so much less than expected.

On the other hand, developments in the alpine fields, which is way west of ANWR, (there is ANWR; Prudhoe Bay and then the alpine fields) those wells produced twice as much as expected, 120,000 barrels per day versus the expected 60,000 barrels today.

Lastly, existing fields are good for 20 to 25 years. They are almost entirely on State reserve lands, and we are now expanding leasing on State reserve lands, as well as Federal Reserve lands with very good success.

President Harding set aside the National Petroleum Reserve when the Navy converted from coal to oil to assure a supply of oil for the Navy in the future. That supply is assured without ANWR. Oppose this bill. Drilling in ANWR is not necessary or called for. Preserve the unique, pristine ecosystem.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today to inform the House of the passing of Robert F. Carroll, a constituent of mine from Wolcott, Connecticut. I ask that you join me in paying tribute to this great man, who served both as the Chairman of the Board of the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation and the Assistant Executive Director for the Connecticut Association of Schools in Cheshire, CT.

In April 1991, at age 57, Bob was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a serious and non-contagious rare bone marrow failure disease. Bob was told he had MDS after having gone to his doctor for a routine check-up required by the school district for which he worked. He was given two to four years to live. He had always told his wife, Marie, that he would not want to know if he had a life-threatening disease. But courageously Bob transformed his fear of dying to a fear of dying without giving back. From at month in 1991 until today, Bob set about to make a difference for individuals and families suffering from bone marrow diseases.

In early 1992, Bob and his wife were searching the Internet and came across the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation. He contacted the executive director immediately and, as a result, was given everything he needed to educate himself about the disease, clinical trials, and support networks of other patients. He soon became active and a member of the board. Four years later, he became President of the Foundation, the first patient President in the history of the organization. He believed in the same goals as the Foundation, which is to keep patients attitudes positive. He refused to let his life change because of his MDS. He did not retire, and instead continued with his career in education and the many projects that kept him active and busy.

For 15 years, Bob advocated tirelessly for the tens of thousands of individuals diagnosed with bone marrow diseases (about 35,000 new cases are diagnosed annually). He also became involved in the recovery efforts in Sri Lanka after the devastating tsunami of 2004, traveling to that country and raising money in the U.S. for recovery efforts. And through his service with the Connecticut Association of Schools, Bob worked strenuously to improve the quality of education in our school systems.

Bob was able to live with MDS thanks to the hundreds of transfusions he received over a period of 15 years. Unfortunately, though, there is no cure for MDS. The extreme low blood counts that are caused by MDS ultimately took their toll on Bob's long-term health Bob passed away yesterday in Connecticut.

Bob would not want us to remember him as a victim of a rare disease, but rather as one who experienced a new challenge that gave greater purpose to his life. He often referred to MDS as his ``gift'' because it taught him that relationships with others are what are important in life. Let us honor this spirit today by paying the highest tribute to this great American and tireless advocate for those suffering from rare diseases.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 172 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Town of Canton, Connecticut, on the occasion of its 200th Anniversary on May 20, 2006.

While the Town of Canton officially celebrates its bicentennial on this date, the community that became Canton actually traces its roots as far back as 1737, when it was known

as the First Ecclesiastical District of West Simsbury. The community officially separated from the Town of Simsbury on May 20, 1806, taking the name Canton, which means ``division of territory.''

Many generations of hard-working people have lived and worked in Canton throughout its 200 years. When David and Samuel Collins and their cousin William Wells sought natural waterways for factory power, they settled in Canton in 1826. Through their industriousness, they developed the world's first factory devoted to making axes, which eventually became the world's largest manufacturer of edged tools. The Collins Company also gained recognition as one of the world's most innovative manufacturers, after Samuel Collins developed the utilization of anthracite coal for factory operation--a significant step in igniting our country's Industrial Revolution.

Of course, the Collins Company would not have realized this impressive and historical success were it not for the hard-working citizens who helped establish a very solid industrial base in the region. Many generations of Canton residents have stood out and have had important roles in shaping the town's history for the past 200 years. One of Canton's most famous citizens, William Edgar Symonds, earned the Medal of Honor for bravery while fighting with the Union Army in the Civil War. After the war, Mr. Symonds became a well-known patent attorney and political figure, rising to the position of Speaker of the House in the State Legislature. Later, as a U.S. Congressman, he helped pass legislation to protect patents on an international level, and was awarded the French Legion of Merit.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Canton, Connecticut, upon achieving its 200th Anniversary. I applaud the generations of Canton citizens who have helped this town grow since its founding in 1806, and I commend today's Canton residents for everything they do to make sure that this great town will enjoy a prosperous and productive future.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding time to the members of the Ways and Means Committee Health Subcommittee.

Well, there you have it, folks. There it is. Almost 90 percent of seniors have drug coverage today, more than ever before in America's history, and

thanks to Medicare part D and its 10,000 grass-roots partners who have reached into communities across our country to provide personal, face- to-face advice to millions of seniors on signing up.

In Connecticut, 75 percent of our Hispanic seniors are signed up; 69 percent of our African American seniors are signed up; 65 percent of our Asian American seniors have signed up because, for the very first time ever, Medicare has partnered with people right in their local communities to give them the help, support, advice, to make their own choice about Medicare, which Medicare part D plan helped them do.

And you know what? Poll after poll shows how seniors are happy with the benefits provided by these plans. AARP, the largest organization representing seniors, found that eight out of ten seniors enrolled in the program said that it met or exceeded their expectations. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that three out of four seniors enrolled in a Medicare D plan are satisfied with their plan and are not having trouble getting the drugs they need.

Seniors are signing up and they are liking it. Why? Because it saves them money. It saves them lots of money. It saves some couples $4-, $5,000 a year.

Why are they signing up? Because it protects them from dangerous, adverse drug interactions. They have never had that protection before.

Why are they signing up? Because it protects them from catastrophic drug costs. They have never had that protection before. They have never had that financial security before.

When Gail Glazewski from Cheshire, Connecticut, found out that her part D drug program was going to save her $2,000 a year, she just let out a whoop of glee and said, I am the happiest senior citizen in town. Gail is one of the millions of seniors that the New York Times reported last month as Medicare's satisfied customers. The newspaper said, They are not vocal, they are not organized, but they are saving hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of dollars for our seniors.

The only sad note has been the dedication of some to scaring our seniors. It is not uncommon to have a senior tell me how complicated the program is, how unfair it is, how wrong that I worked so hard to pass it, only to come back and tell me later, after they went to the choices counselor, as I proposed, how easy it turned out to be, and how much money they were saving.

You know, nothing has moved me more than some of the seniors who have come to me after these counseling sessions with the buses that CMS has provided, with the State counselors, with the local people, and as one said, she said, you know, I was sad when I came here. This is the difference between my staying in my home and having to give up my home.

So this is a big step forward for Medicare. It is a dramatic change. It is really exciting to see how people have come forward and signed up. We have a few more days, and the message is sign up, sign up, sign up. It not only saves you money, it gives you health protection and financial protection. You have never before had access to through Medicare.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer a resolution urging seniors to sign up for a Medicare drug benefit plan before the deadline. Why? Because it will save you money on prescription drugs, protect you from harmful drug interactions, and cover 95 percent of your costs if your personal expenditures exceed $3,600. Medicare Part D will fundamentally, improve our seniors' health and financial security.

The Medicare momentum we're witnessing is undeniable. Of the 42 million seniors in Medicare, 9 million have drug coverage, either through TRICARE, FEHBP, or as active employees, and do not need to enroll. The 33 million remaining, includes 28 million seniors that are now benefiting from the program. Of the 5 million remaining another 1 million are expected to sign up before the deadline and another 2 million seniors, that qualify for extra help, can continue to sign-up throughout the year. So at this point it looks like 40 million of the 42 million seniors in Medicare will enjoy prescription drug coverage or can sign up for it at any point during the year.

A truly remarkable fact and it is due to the spectacular commitment of over 10,000 grassroots organizations that in partnership with CMS, have been conducting face-to-face enrollment of seniors. CMS and its 10,000 grassroots partners are conducting more than 1,800 enrollment events across the country each week, right up until the May 15th enrollment deadline. Additionally, CMS has increased resources to keep the wait times down and beneficiary support up at 1-800-MEDICARE and the Medicare.gov website.

And these seniors and the disabled are filling more than 93 million prescriptions a month--an average of 3 million a day. As important, once enrolled in the program seniors are happy with the benefits provided. AARP, the largest organization representing seniors found that 8 out of 10 seniors enrolled in the program said that it met or exceeded their expectations. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll finds that 3 out of 4 seniors enrolled in a Medicare drug plan are satisfied with their plan and are not having trouble getting the drugs they need. Seniors are giving this new benefit their stamp of approval!

But this is a major change in the Medicare program and it is not surprising that there have been implementation pitfalls along the way as we heard from GAO and other witnesses at our subcommittee hearing. Because CMS has aggressively taken ownership of these implementation problems, most of the problems were addressed within the first two months of the year. For some, the solutions have been agreed to and implementation is now proceeding as states submit their bills. Once the program is free to focus on the delivery of benefits to our seniors, we will, I'm sure, identify refinements that need to be made with either CMS' contracting standards or the law.

But at this point, the enrollment numbers and survey after survey attest to the tremendous value of the Medicare drug benefit. The real story is that seniors across the country are saving money!

For example, seniors like Gail Glazewski from Cheshire, CT are saving $2,000 a year who described herself with glee as ``the happiest senior citizen in town when I realized how much I was going to save!'' That is the real story of the Medicare prescription drug benefit and it is being repeated all around the country. Gail is one of the millions of seniors that the New York Times reported about last month as ``Medicare's Satisfied Customers.'' The newspaper said ``they are not vocal, they are not organized,'' but they are saving hundreds and in some cases thousands.

The only sad note has been the dedication of some to scaring our seniors. It's not uncommon to have a senior tell me how complicated the program is, how unfair, how wrong I was to work so hard to pass it-- only to admit that they haven't tried to sign-up--and only to say after we help them--that it wasn't hard and look at the money I'm saving.

When I travel around my district, I meet senior after senior who has signed up and is saving money and each day help seniors sign up and save. As we approach the end of the enrollment period, I urge every senior to sign up, save money, and protect yourself against catastrophic costs and harmful drug interactions.

There are still seniors that have questions about the program and haven't enrolled. It's natural to have questions with a change this big. But every senior--especially those without drug coverage--should assess the drugs they take and talk to a counselor at 1-800-MEDICARE, at one of the many hotlines states are operating, or at their local senior center or agency on aging. They should not let questions about this program dissuade them from saving money like so many of their friends, family and neighbors are.

This brings me to my final point. Some are urging delay of the deadline for signing up. Unfortunately, too often these are the same Members who use scare tactics to discourage beneficiaries from signing up early. All programs have deadlines. Shame on them! We must enforce the deadline so the plans can deliver! We need to let the system work so any needed refinements needed be addressed promptly.

For years Members of Congress have talked about adding prescription drug benefits to Medicare. But today--right now--a Medicare prescription drug benefit is a reality. Thirty million seniors are benefiting from it, including 8 million who had no drug coverage before. That is a great, historic achievement for both the health and financial well-being of our seniors.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Parliamentary Inquiry

I would be happy to respond. Actuaries estimate things differently. The CMS actuaries estimate that 1.1 million won't sign up if we move the deadline. In other words, they will lose the pressure they have today to sign up by May 15 and the total will be lower, not higher.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize myself for 1\1/ 2\ minutes.

I do find it really quite remarkable that my colleagues from the other side of the aisle, who spent literally months scaring seniors away from signing up for this benefit, claiming it was too complex, claiming it was this and that. I can't tell you how many seniors I had call my office saying oh, I cannot do this, it is too hard.

Then when we show them they say, oh, it is not so hard. Fifty-four percent of the people who signed up signed up themselves. The tools provided made it not so hard.

Yet colleague after colleague, and I read it in the paper and I saw it, spent their entire time and effort scaring seniors, shameful behavior for elected officials.

Of course, now we come to the end and they want to extend the deadline. They should have been out there the last few weeks saying sign up, sign up. Let me tell you, I can't tell you how many we helped. I would just like to remind you that your own bill had an earlier deadline than the bill we are dealing with. So let us pull together, get everybody to sign up. Then let us let the plans deliver the goods.

You who said this was complicated ought to be the first one who wants these plans to have some time to deliver the services to the seniors who signed up, the 90 percent, the seniors who signed up, so we can make sure that the plans will run according to Hoyle, according to their promises, that they will deliver, and that we can know whether there is any fine-tuning that needs to be done before the next round of sign-ups.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).

I have 30 seconds remaining. I will be the last speaker before you.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, let me just correct a few facts on this record, because for those watching this debate I want them to understand two things. First of all, all low income seniors can continue to enroll without penalty. That is just a fact. No low income senior has an enrollment deadline.

Secondly, this GAO report that was referred to earlier, it actually says that CMS's help line accurately and completely answered callers' questions two-thirds of the time. They go on to say that CMS provided accurate and complete responses to calls about beneficiaries' eligibility for help 90 percent of the time.

So we have worked hard. We have done well. Seniors are signing up and saving money.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for recognizing me on this bill to designate the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area. This area encompasses 29 towns in the hilly terrain of western Massachusetts and northwestern Connecticut which is a singular and important geographic and cultural area. And my colleague, Mr. Olver, while he may be here before we finish debate, has worked closely with me on this as it links our two districts together.

Its residents, over hundreds of years, have made significant national contributions to American literature, art, music and architecture, founded the iron industry in America, and host unique minerals and environmental treasures. This area has been awaiting designation for several years, and I am thrilled to have it on the floor today.

I would like to thank Chairman Pombo and the Resources Committee for recognizing that through this locally led initiative, the States of Connecticut and Massachusetts will be able to make real progress in protecting the river and the river valley, its heritage and also collaborating regionally to develop the economy in harmony with its history, environmental resources, and unique cultural heritage.

The Heritage designation enjoys overwhelming support throughout the region from individuals. Historic and civic organizations, local businesses, and local and State elected officials all have expressed strong support for the establishment of the National Heritage Area, and are enthusiastic about the potential that designation creates for the small towns of the area to work together to celebrate and preserve our heritage.

It has inspired the development of a local organization that has already begun hosting hiking events, historic visits and numerous educational programs, laying a new foundation for regional action for both preservation and economic development.

Congress established criteria in 2000 clarifying that designation requires a cultural, natural and historical heritage of national significance and must have broad public support and a qualified organization to manage the area. The National Park Service agreed that the Upper Housatonic Valley meets the Department's 10 criteria for designation and even cite it as a national model of how to become a National Heritage Area.

The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area will extend from Lanesboro, Massachusetts, 60 miles south to Kent, Connecticut. This region of New England is home to the Nation's first industrial iron sites from 1730 to the 1920s. The first blast furnace was built here in 1762 by Ethan Allen and supplied the iron for the cannons that helped George Washington's Army defeat the British in Boston and to make other weapons for the soldiers of the Revolutionary War.

While many of the furnaces, mine sites and charcoal pits have been lost to development and time, those that remain are in need of refurbishment. The Beckley Furnace in Canaan, Connecticut, was designated as an official project by the Millennium Committee to Save America's Treasures and now has been well restored.

The valley's history as a cultural retreat from Boston and New York provides both past and current riches for the country. Since the 1930s, visitors from all over have come to hear music at Tanglewood, Massachusetts and Music Mountain in Falls Village, Connecticut; to see paintings at the Norman Rockwell Museum and at the Eric Sloane Museum and to watch serious theater at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and Norfolk, Connecticut. Today's local authors have drawn on a long tradition going back to the 19th century when Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edith Wharton lived and wrote in these hills.

The Housatonic Valley is also rich with environmental and recreational treasures. On the Housatonic River just below Falls Village, Connecticut, is one of the prize fly fishing centers in the northeast and is enjoyed by fishermen not only from Connecticut and Massachusetts, but the entire eastern seaboard.

Olympic rowers have trained on this river as our children have learned to swim, boat, fish and value its ecosystem. The Appalachian Trail winds through this area, as do the trails on Canaan Mountain and in the Great Mountain Forest.

The Upper Housatonic Valley with its remoteness from, but ties to, large cities occupies a special niche in our national culture, and I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. I thank the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, in an era when Americans' dependence on federal entitlements is increasing, when the number of Americans filing for personal bankruptcy rose an astounding 30 percent in the past year, and when our national savings rate is at its lowest point since the Great Depression, it is imperative that our Nation's youth understand the importance of long-term financial planning, particularly personal savings and investment.

We need young Americans to develop basic financial skills and knowledge to help them prepare for their future. They need to learn and understand basic principles such as compound interest, market capitalization, and how to avoid credit card debt. Learning simple concepts such as these during childhood cultivates lifelong habits of responsible financial management.

In particular, we must emphasize the value of investing early. We must stress the significance of tax-advantaged savings opportunities such as Roth IRA's, Health Savings Accounts, and 401(k) contribution plans offered by employers--especially when a match is offered--as well as numerous other vehicles for building substantial nest eggs for retirement.

Improving the financial literacy of our youth will equip the American workforce of tomorrow with the tools to grow our national economy and to achieve personal financial success and security in retirement. I urge my colleagues to join me in offering House Resolution 737 their full support.

Mr. Chairman, on rollcall No. 79 I was inadvertently detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute No. 7 Offered by Mr. George

Miller of California

Mr. Speaker, before I make the comments I rose to make, I do want to comment for those watching this debate, that when you hear the words ``tax cut,'' the great majority of that money, outside of the new tax provisions to encourage rebuilding in New Orleans and the Mississippi coast and those areas so hard hit by Katrina and other storms, pretty much the rest of all of those, quote, ``tax cuts'' are simply tax extensions. In other words, we avoid increasing taxes.

If we did nothing, we would increase taxes. We do not want to increase taxes, because the current tax policy has created a remarkable rate of growth in our economy. And when your economy is growing, not only do your revenues come in well if you are the government, but jobs are created if you are the people, and current jobs are maintained.

So what are now loosely referred to as tax cuts, they appear in our vocabulary and our work as cuts, are not cuts; they are just maintaining current tax policy and avoiding tax increases that would harm our economy, cost jobs, cost taxpayers money they desperately need, as we go into a season of high heating oil costs and so on.

But I want to mention something else about this motion, which I appreciate is presented as part of the process here. It doesn't have the force of law. It gives people something they might like to vote about to tell the negotiators how to negotiate, but you know, there are always big rocks when the sea looks calm. So I just want to tell you about a couple of rocks underneath the sea of the verbiage of this motion to instruct. It is certainly not a motion I would want to vote for.

It wants us to recede to the Senate's position on physician payments. At first blush, that might look like a good idea, because they solve the first year problem by giving a very small increase to physicians. But in the second, not only do they let the 4.4 percent go into effect, but they add a 2 percent additional cut for physicians, for a 6.4 percent cut for physicians. That creates some pool that we are supposed to then pay physicians for performance. But we do not know what measurements are going to be used to determine whether a physician meets the performance standards or not. We do not know whether those measures will be such that a physician who provides health care in an area of the city or of the country where people simply do not come to the doctor until the last minute is going to be eligible for those payments like other physicians who might select patients who were healthier to take care of.

We do not know whether those benefits, those pay-for-performance benefits, will go equally to physicians who run small practices and cannot afford electronic health records as opposed to those who go to big practices.

So I certainly do not want to be instructing our conferees to yield to the Senate's position. Same on stabilization fund. The stabilization fund is explicitly, and we may not need it, but we do not know yet; it is explicitly to overcome one of the two big problems of being a rural physician in America, and that is intellectual isolation and being forced to abandon a patient who needs specialty care.

In the time I have allotted, I cannot enlarge on that, but believe you me, if you care about quality care in rural areas, you do not want to instruct our conferees prematurely to eliminate the stabilization fund.

Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, I absolutely do. I think we are facing the possibility of physicians fleeing the Medicare program and creating a real access problem for seniors to physicians of their choice. But acceding to the Senate position is not going to fix it; it is going to exacerbate it.

We need a better fix than the Senate offers. We need one without the threat of a 6 percent cut in the year after that which is absolutely unconscionable.

So the negotiations are about finding better solutions. And that is one area in which we need a better solution, but if you cannot negotiate, if you do not have the latitude, you cannot get to the right answer. And this resolution tells you what the right answer is, when it is not the right answer and abandons the opportunity to negotiate in a number of areas.

Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, but we need to do something better than the Senate position, and we certainly need to avoid the additional 2 percent cut that starts every year thereafter.

Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

This is a negotiation. And what you are doing is prejudging the negotiation. That is what a motion to instruct does. This motion to instruct is across so many categories that it will do damage to our ability to get the right answer in all of the policy areas that we have responsibility for.