Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, the Speaker is absolutely right, but this is about their values, not America's values. We hear it's about the children. The Democrat Party's budget, the one that they have proposed, is going to bankrupt our children. They are not going to live at a standard of life as we live today because of their budget, if this is put into place.

The Republican budget is about the children, because it will save their future. Our budget is about the children's well-being. The Democratic Party's budget is about their values, bigger government, greater control of people's lives. They want to do that. They want to take money away from hardworking American citizens and build a bigger government, and they want to tax them to death, tax them into bankruptcy.

But our budget doesn't do that. It actually helps to balance the budget. It helps to have a future for our children. That's the difference. Our budget is about the children. It's about families. It's about businesses. It's about having a strong financial future for small business. That's what our budget does. Their budget guarantees a bigger future for government bureaucrats.

I encourage anyone in this House who is interested in, truly, our children and furthering the best interests of America and the middle class to vote for the Republican budget.

Mr. Speaker, regarding the H.R. 1424, the Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act, I have previously shared with my colleagues in this body my serious concerns with several provisions in this Act. I have stated my sincere conviction that this bill, if signed into law, will result in increased overall health care costs, increased mental health costs, and decreased mental health coverage for many Americans. Let me share just a few more problems with this well meaning but misguided legislation.

I am concerned with the use of a 33 percent increase in the Medicaid prescription drug rebate as one of the offsets to pay for this legislation. This represents a significant increase. In fact, it hits the innovator pharmaceutical companies almost double what we might think. While we might have the cost of mental health parity offset by about $1.7 billion over 5 years, that is $1.7 billion to the Federal Government. The cost to the research pharmaceutical companies is nearly double that amount because their rebate is split between the Federal Government and the States. This is a double hit to an industry that Americans rely on to find life-saving treatments for cancer, Parkinson's disease, HIV/AIDS and mental illness.

Furthermore, as a physician I have seen first-hand the stifling impact price controls have on innovation and who loses in that equation--patients do. We only have to look to Europe as recently as the 1990s for evidence of the failure of drug price controls. Once the world's leader in research and development for new cures, Europe has been surpassed by the United States who had committed 24 percent more to pharmaceutical R&D by 2002. Therefore, I urge the sponsors of this bill to find a more equitable offset and not one that could have such a negative impact on a single industry.

Mr. Speaker, I make a point of order against the consideration of the resolution because it is in violation of section 426(a) of the Congressional Budget Act.

The resolution provides that ``all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 and 10 of rule XXI.'' This waiver of all points of order includes a waiver of section 425 of the Congressional Budget Act which causes the resolution to be in violation of section 426(a).

Mr. Speaker, I have both professional and personal interest in this bill. I'm a medical doctor, and for years I've treated depression, anxiety, a lot of panic disorders. I'm also an addictionologist. I've treated drug and alcohol addiction and eating disorders. And so I've had many patients over the years that have had these kinds of problems.

My mom has been involved in dealing with her own depression all the way up until she died of metastatic breast cancer, and she worked with the mental health society in our home community.

I also have personal interest in this bill because my wife has suffered from depression. She has an eating disorder and has dealt with this in her history. She has suffered from depression to the point that several years ago she even tried to take her own life, and except for the grace of God she should have died. And so I do have a very personal interest in this bill. Mr. Speaker, this is why I have a vested interest in how Congress addresses health care, and especially mental health coverage.

CBO estimates that the cost of the mandates to the private sector in this bill would be at least $1.3 billion in 2008; and this would rise to $3 billion in 2012. The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, or UMRA, establishes an annual threshold that cannot be exceeded, at least without Congress waiving this rule. For 2007, that threshold amount is $131 million, a great deal of money. This bill exceeds the $131 million threshold by over $1 billion, and it will place a crushing burden on private health insurers and millions of Americans seeking affordable health insurance. These mandates will directly harm businesses and Americans' ability to obtain affordable health insurance.

This legislation is very well intended. It is also rash and very poorly drafted and I assure you that if this mental health parity bill is signed into law in its current form, it will result in at least three things:

H.R. 1424 will increase health insurance and mental health costs;

H.R. 1424 will result in Americans losing their mental health coverage due to the mandates and the increased costs of those mandates;

H.R. 1424 will result in a myriad of lawsuits.

I testified before the Rules Committee last night and offered two amendments that would have drastically improved this legislation. Well, the Democratic majority, instead of choosing to allow an honest dialogue and an open debate on an extremely important issue of mental health, they chose to deny all amendments to this legislation. Not only that, the majority changed the underlying bill's language late last night and inserted the text of the Genetic Information Non- Discrimination Act. This legislation will further erode mental health parity and jeopardize affordable group health insurance in America.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings).

Mr. Speaker, I want to say that I resent my sincerity on this being questioned by the gentlelady from Florida. I am very sincere about this.

No, ma'am.

I am very sincere about this. I talked to the Rules Committee last night. I have talked on this floor here tonight. And for you to make these charges that I'm not sincere about this bill is absolutely incorrect. Maybe the gentlelady didn't hear me, but I have very personal interests in mental health. It is an extremely important issue to me, to my wife, to my family. And for you to say I'm not sincere about this, I am just very shocked about that. But I am sincere.

This bill, the way it's written, is going to actually deny people mental health coverage. We tried to fix it last night, make it better. And those attempts were denied over and over and over again.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to the concerns that I raised earlier regarding the provisions of the mental health parity bill, that it will actually decrease mental health coverage and increase health insurance costs, let me share several additional concerns I have with the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act that was inserted late last night.

Title I of the GINA legislation imposes Federal mandates on health plans regarding insurance coverage, while title II imposes mandates on employers regarding employment and related hiring decisions. However, there is no explicit language in this legislation clarifying that group health insurance plan sponsors may not be subjected to the more expansive remedies provided by title II.

Why is that a problem? Because title II provides for rulemaking by the EEOC, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and remedies before the EEOC and, ultimately, Federal courts.

During floor debate on H.R. 493, Congressman Rob Andrews suggested that ``employers, including to the extent employers control or direct benefit plans, are subject to the requirements of title II of this bill,'' including the much broader definition of genetic testing and tougher penalties associated with that title.

I believe that this lack of clarity could and will lead to additional lawsuits through the use of broader remedies available in title II that are intended to be reserved for employers who violate their employees' civil rights, not for employees seeking to litigate group health plan disputes.

Further, section 502 of ERISA says that all lawsuits must go through Federal court, which is not addressed in the mental health parity legislation. Nothing in this bill states that section 502 is preserved, so lawsuits can and will be brought in State court.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to go through just a list of some things that this bill will do.

It's going to increase health care costs. CBO estimates that H.R. 1424 would impose mandates on private insurance companies, a total of $3 billion annually by 2012. These costs will ultimately be borne by employers offering health insurance and employees seeking to obtain coverage.

Number two, it will increase the cost of business due to private sector mandates. The bill contains multiple new Federal mandates on the private sector, affecting the design and structure of health insurance plans.

The bill also increases the threshold level at which employees suffering increased claim costs as a result of implementing the new Federal mandates can claim an exemption from the provisions of H.R. 1424.

Number three, I think this will decrease the mental health coverage. While the bill imposes several new Federal mandates on those employers who choose to offer mental health coverage, there is nothing in H.R. 1424 that would require plans to cover these conditions. Thus H.R. 1424 could have the perverse effect of actually decreasing mental health coverage by encouraging an employee who is frustrated with the bill's onerous burdens to drop mental health insurance altogether.

Four, I think it will increase the number of uninsured. It will erode the Federal preemption for employers. This codification of treatment mandate for health plans, they are going to use DSM-IV to codify that. And this book, DSM-IV, was generated for physicians to use just to be able to classify mental health. It has a whole lot of things in here that most employers would not want to cover.

It will increase an intergovernmental mandate. It is a violation of UMRA. It has a lack of conscience clause, and it has a lack of medical management tools.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

As a physician, I have been involved in treating mental illnesses and my family has suffered from mental illnesses, and I have a tremendous interest in this area. But this bill is going to actually drive people away from being able to have health insurance coverage.

There are many things about this bill that are wrong and bad. I know it is well-intended, but I highly encourage people to vote against this bill because, though the bill is well-intended, I think it is going to cause disastrous effects and I think employers are going to opt out from giving their employees mental health coverage on their insurance. So I highly encourage my colleagues to vote against this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I spoke earlier today about my grave concerns about this bill. I noted that I did my very best to offer amendments to this bill that would mitigate some of the damages that this bill will cause, which will include increased health care cost, and an actual decrease of mental health coverage for many Americans.

What my very sincere but misguided colleagues on the other side of the aisle repeatedly forget is that actions have consequences. When Congress chooses to impose billions of Federal Government mandates on the private sector, they somehow seem to believe that the money that it will take to pay for those mandates will just somehow drop out of the sky or grow on trees. I'm here to remind them that it doesn't. Someone must pay for it.

There's a great thing that we call the free market in America. I'm an ardent capitalist, and I believe that the marketplace, unencumbered by government regulation, is the best way to control quality, quantity and cost of all goods and services, including health care.

The reality is when government steps in and tries to improve the marketplace, they impede and harm the efficient delivery of goods and services, and this definitely includes mental health care.

Please understand me. I'm in complete agreement that mental health is an extremely important issue, but we have over 200 years of capitalistic experience in America that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that heavy-handed government regulations just simply do not work, no matter how well-meaning they are.

We in Congress will harm Americans if this bill passes. We are trampling on the private sector, punishing employers that already offer a mental health coverage to their employees. We're harming Americans that desperately need mental health coverage, and we're trampling on the Constitution which does not give us the right to impose these restrictions and mandates on the American people and American businesses.

It is an undeniable fact that this bill includes private sector mandates in billions of dollars. It's also a fact that one thing this bill does not mandate is that employers provide mental health coverage, but for any employer that does provide that coverage, and many do and they're commended for doing so, Congress is now going to greatly increase their costs and put regulations on them in their doing so.

And in turn, what will they do? Just grin and bear it? Well, some likely will, possibly cutting costs in other areas, but there will be undoubtedly many businesses that cannot afford these burdens and will simply drop mental health coverage. That will be a shame, and it will be Congress' fault.

The real solution to health care costs, and that's all our health care costs, and the coverage is to stop these mandates and get the regulatory burden off of the health care system, including providing mental health care.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor and pay tribute to a faithful and innovative public school educator in my 10th Congressional District of Georgia. Michelle Paschal is the principal of Stevens Creek Elementary School in Columbia County, Georgia. Her school boasts the county's only foreign language department for elementary schools, and that program is extraordinary.

On January 10, I had the opportunity to observe a first grade class under the tutelage of Senora Olga Biancheri. The entire 30-minute session was conducted in Spanish, with the teacher doing her teaching through song and storytelling. I was utterly amazed to see the children comprehending and responding to what the teacher said.

According to Biancheri, upon completing the fifth grade, these students are more conversational than most high school students who have studied Spanish for 2 years in any school system. Many of these children are fluent.

Unfortunately, this remarkable foreign language program has fallen victim to State budget cuts. The 2007-2008 school year is the first year the school received no help from the State. Ms. Paschal kept the program alive by petitioning the Columbia County Board of Education and parent-teacher organizations for funding. She also used half the salary for an enrichment position, about $40,000, to pay for the Spanish teacher. Ms. Paschal and the Stevens Creek Elementary facility are to be commended for their innovative commitment to the students of Columbia County and their academic success.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise, also, to honor and pay tribute to an exceptional public school system in my 10th Congressional District in Georgia.

Like so many school systems in Georgia, over the past two decades the Habersham County schools have been home to a growing number of immigrant students. The State mandates that schools serve these students through a program known as ESOL, or English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Since the introduction of the first Laotian family to Habersham County schools in 1985, Superintendent Dr. Judy Forbes has been there from the very start, although at that time she served as instructional supervisor over the program.

Today, more than 22 percent of the school system's 6,800 students are enrolled in ESOL. With just 10 teachers serving 15 schools, the Habersham County school system is doing an outstanding job. Many of the kindergarten and first grade students are speaking fluent English by Thanksgiving and by Christmas.

For the sixth through 12th graders, Habersham County has a language intensive Newcomers Academy. Through innovative teaching techniques, including collaborating with North Georgia Technical Institute and the Cornelia-Habersham County Library, ESOL instructors report that students are learning with enthusiasm, and graduation rates are climbing. The message that teachers send to their students is that in the United States children have opportunities, and education will give them the biggest payoff.

These educators' dedication to all of their students, especially those for who English is their second language, is why at the beginning of this calendar year Habersham County schools became one of four Title 1 Distinguished Districts in Georgia.

I applaud their achievement and commend Habersham County and its educators on a job well done.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to present a resolution promoting awareness of Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia, a little known, yet debilitating disorder that affects numerous Americans every day.

Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia is a genetic blood disorder that is inherited, putting children and young adults at risk. Leading physicians report that Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia presents many symptoms that are often mistaken for other bleeding disorders. This, along with the lack of information on the disorder itself, has caused Glanzmann's to be frequently misdiagnosed. People with Glanzmann's are missing a protein on the surface of the platelet that is vital to the clotting process. People suffering from this disorder have serious problems with uncontrollable bleeding and severe, painful bruising. Their activities can be strictly limited and their lives can be at stake without any warning. Currently there is no cure for this disorder, but research is very promising. The leading researchers in this field firmly believe a cure for Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia can be found through current ongoing research. With proper funding, Glanzmann's could be controllable in the foreseeable future, and some suggest as soon as 10 years from now.

A young constituent of mine who lives in Augusta, Georgia, suffers from Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia. Julia Smith is only 9 years old and every day lives and deals with the realities of her disorder. When Julia was born, she was covered in bruises, but blood tests came back normal. Doctors assured her parents that the bruising was just the result of a difficult delivery. When Julia was 6 weeks old, she got a tiny scratch on her cheek; this small scratch bled enough to cover her entire face in blood and saturate her sheets. After this incident, Julia's mother, Helen, took her to the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta and asked that tests be run to find out what was wrong with her daughter. After countless tests and consultations, the Medical College of Georgia's Children's Medical Center physicians diagnosed Julia with Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia.

Frantic for information that could save her daughter, Mrs. Smith attempted to research the disorder, and was frustrated and disheartened by the lack of available information. She began to put her name and information on internet registries for individuals suffering from other disorders, hoping that someone who had similar symptoms would make contact with her. She found numerous cases of people equally distraught, seeking information for themselves or their loved one who was dealing with the same misdiagnosed disorder. This realization, along with a small contribution from the grandmother of a Glanzmann's sufferer who wanted to donate money to help others, compelled Mrs. Smith to begin the Glanzmann's Research Foundation in 2001. This non- profit foundation is the focal point for information to others in need and the sole source for funding the ongoing research efforts that will lead to a cure. Mrs. Smith is truly a mother on a mission.

Augusta, Georgia, holds a special place in my heart. I graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta in 1971, and I am proud to have begun my medical career there. I am delighted to represent a city that contains, not only the Glanzmann's Research Foundation, which is quite significant in its own right, but also the preeminent public medical college in the southeast, the Medical College of Georgia.

To promote awareness for Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia, March 1 has been recommended as the day to establish a National Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Awareness Day. This date was chosen to coincide with the Glanzmann's Research Foundation's annual fundraiser.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor and pay tribute to a non-profit community organization in my 10th Congressional District of Georgia.

The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce is celebrating more than 100 years of dedicated service to Augusta, Georgia's economic development. Founded in 1905, the chamber has grown to include more than 1,100 members. The chamber and its members provide citizens with a strong business environment that increases employment, retail trade and commerce, and industrial growth in Augusta.

The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce has worked to promote a prosperous future for all Augustans through legislative efforts and through networking programs, such as Women in Business, Leadership Augusta, and the Chamber Business Academy. The chamber promotes healthy and productive workforces through its nationally-recognized Drugs Don't Work program.

The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce is also committed to being a good neighbor, with committees designated to serve as liaisons between businesses and local educators and military communities. Furthermore, the chamber promotes business while working carefully to protect Augusta's natural environment. The chamber works with State and Federal agencies to minimize the impact economic development has on the environment.

Such a diligent organization is to be commended for its efforts. The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce is an investment in the present and future well-being of the Augusta community. As it celebrates a centennial milestone, may this chamber of commerce continue steadfast in its work to ensure Augusta's continued competitiveness in our domestic and global economies.

Madam Speaker, like millions of Americans, when reminded of the facts and photographs of the millions of souls in Africa that are malnourished and lack even the basic necessities of life, I wring my hands at the enormity of the problem.

I recently read an article by Wes Vernon regarding the sad plight of those in Kenya, but what lifted my spirits was what the author said was being accomplished to help these people. Rather than do nothing because of the enormity of the problem, or simply demand that the U.S. Government provide ever increasing amounts of foreign aid, American citizens with a vision and a burden to help those less fortunate have decided to take action.

People from as far as East Africa all the way to Marietta, Georgia have joined hands to create the United Orphanage and Academy. They are doing great work, and I commend them for their efforts, their initiative, and their selfless compassion.

I commend this article to your reading and submit it to the Record for posterity. Thank you.

[From RenewAmerica, Jan. 12, 2008]

Hopeless in Africa? Doing something about it

(By Wes Vernon)

Herewith, the classic example of a humanitarian and

selfless effort linked in a very meaningful way to our

strategic interests in a far-off part of the world, and

incidentally the effectiveness of volunteer effort as opposed

to taxpayer-funded giveaways.

Kenya's future and America's security

In the War on Islamofascism, the United States has a very

firm ally in Kenya--one of our best friends on the African

continent. That assumes Kenya remains stable. President Mwai

Kibaki was recently re-elected. His opponents don't like the

outcome and their protests have at times become violent and

bloody. Under Kibaki's government, Kenya has--since 9/11--

provided us with military bases, and shared intelligence to

head off at Qaeda's inroads in Africa. That has been backed

up by communications networks.

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael DeLong recently told the

Washington Times that Kenya is ``strategically located,'' and

that a failed state in Kenya would erase ``one of the top

friendly militaries to the United States in Africa.''

From the heart, rather than the taxman's shakedown

During the holidays, Americans were served up a steady

stream of TV ads urging them to prod the presidential

candidates to promise to feed the world's starving.

There is a premise there that deserves a fair amount of

dissection.

In the first place, the assumption the problem of the

world's needy can most effectively be remedied by an

entanglement in the morass of presidential politics. I have

yet to hear a candidate for any office declare on the stump,

``And furthermore, if elected, I promise that I will dish out

more of your tax money for foreign aid.''

Not that the American electorate is cold-hearted or

indifferent to the hunger problem in third-world countries.

Every study that this column has seen on the subject confirms

that Americans are the most generous people in the world. But

over the years, they have heard some horror stories about how

aid we have sent to the far corners of the earth has failed

to reach the poor people for whom it was intended after

corrupt politicians there got their hands on it. For U.N.

aid--also funded by you and me--the results of aid projects

have been even worse. That is why even the most compassionate

among us are cynical about government-run ``foreign aid.''

I once approached a congressman just off the House floor to

interview him on a foreign aid bill that only seconds before

he had eloquently urged his colleagues to pass. I thought the

man would have a stroke. ``Foreign aid? That's not a popular

issue! You know that!'' he reproached me while emphatically

declining the interview.

Now specifically with regard to Kenya

In a land overwhelmed by poverty, pestilence, corruption,

and perpetual war, there is an instinct to throw up your

hands and give up. For those not willing to walk away from

digging out of that appearance (at first blush) of a

relentless quicksand in Sub-Sahara Africa, there is--as a

shining example of hope--the United Orphanage and Academy.

Starting somewhere

In that part of the world, there are heart-rending examples

of despair wherever you look. No one capable of human

feelings can ignore a hungry and/or sick child. Shelters have

been known to run out of food in trying to alleviate

starvation.

Also in that part of the world--a place not normally on

everyone's radar--the difficulty in dealing with the

``impossible'' is all the more acute. Many life-threatening

birth defects can be treated in the Western world. Not

necessarily so in Africa.

Much the same applies to blindness. If there is an

effective preventive measure, we will find it here in

America. The odds are longer in much of Africa.

And then there are the kids who have been orphaned--often

through the ravages of war. Twelve million kids in the region

have been orphaned by parents who died of the HIV-Aids

pandemic. Add famine and unsafe drinking water to the mix,

and you can see that many of God's children are in desperate

straits.

The history

The United Orphanage and Academy is the brainchild of the

Rev. Stephen N. Chege, Pastor of Westminster Presbyterian

Church of East Africa (the orphanage's director) and

Washington attorney Henri (pronounced Henry) Rush of the

Westminster Presbyterian Church of Alexandria, VA. They

founded the orphanage in 2001. The facility opened its doors

in 2004 as a home for six orphaned children. It now houses

the 48 kids (31 girls and 17 boys, ages 4 to 15 years old).

Since its founding, the orphanage has been supported by

Westminster; Old Presbyterian Meeting House (Alexandria);

Lewinsville Presbyterian Church (McLean, Virginia);

Mary Queen of Peace (a Catholic church outside of New

Orleans), and the First Presbyterian church of Marietta, GA.

Members from Westminster, the meeting House, and St. Leo's

Catholic Church in northern Virginia shared in the

celebration of the second anniversary of its opening.

The location and facilities

The orphanage is in a rural area in northwest Kenya near

the border with Uganda. The area is known as Moi's Bridge.

Boys' and girls' dormitories are included, as are a dining

room and kitchen, along with office space and a classroom.

Fresh water is provided by a rain water cistern and deep

water well. There is a generator for electric power, and in

2007 the facility was connected to the national electric

power network.

The current needs include $50,000 to purchase a bus as the

academy grows serving more children, drawn from Moi's

Bridge--population 5000.

Still a work in progress, but steadily growing

The academy part of the orphanage operation opened in 2006,

and now hosts classes from pre-kindergarten through fifth

grade, staffed with a teacher for each of the six classes.

That is a significant advancement.

Most children in the area attend five different public

schools which are distant and overcrowded. (Can you imagine

90 to 110 students per teacher? The norm for even the worst

inner-city schools in the Western nations usually manages to

avoid that impossible-to-teach ratio). The academy will

maintain a ratio of no more than 35 students per teacher.

In addition to the younger children of the orphanage who

are enrolled in the academy, students from the surrounding

community are also included.

The academy is in the process of building a $70,000

permanent stone three-story building to house twelve classes.

The plan is to add one additional class each year up through

twelfth grade.

the children

The children at the United Orphanage and Academy come from

five distinct ethnic backgrounds among the different tribes

that inhabit the areas in the neighborhood. In fact, co-

mingling and reconciliation of kids from various ethnic

backgrounds stood out as a founding principle. The word

``United'' in the facility's name was picked as an expression

of efforts toward the kind of understanding from which not

only Africa, but the entire world, would benefit.

The point was made in our interviews (by phone and e-mail)

with Henri Rush. Set children on that path, and the prospects

for the future become more positive. And he added, ``This has

become important in the face of the recently electorally-

spawned ethnic violence.''

That unrest does not threaten the academy itself, however,

as Rush adds, ``Although there have been killings and house

burnings as close as one kilometer from UO&A, the regional

authorities have assured Director Chege that the children and

the staff and the facility will be protected by them.''

Classes were scheduled to re-open for 2008 on January 14,

offering curriculum up to the fifth grade, a significant

advance. Furthermore, the infrastructure of the school is

being upgraded--from multiple wood frame classroom blocks to

single permanent stone buildings.

Ultimately, Rush says the academy intends also to provide

vocational education for children not suited to pursuing post

high school education.

``This will insure that all of our children will be able to

lead useful productive lives and contribute to the well-being

of the community,'' he adds, ``For those that show academic

promise, we plan to raise sufficient funds to enable them to

attend college in Kenya with a view to their becoming leaders

of the community, region, or even, God willing, the Nation.''

Make no mistake: These kids will be around to serve as

payback to their community, the nation, and--we dare say--the

world.

the big picture

We are at a point in history when the world appears poised

for a clash of cultures with the possibility of the ``mother

of all showdowns.'' Governments and international

organizations--by and large--have made a mess of things. We

are going to have to pitch in and do the rebuilding. That

starts with the basics, offering help to those in need.

There are many ways of doing that, and the United Orphanage

and Academy bears a striking resemblance to one of what the

first President Bush referred to as ``a thousand points of

light,'' a means by which we roll up our sleeves and do it

ourselves.

Overhead? Not here

Every charity has to have at least a little bit of

overhead, I said to Henri Rush in an interview.

``Absolutely not,'' he replied, ``I am the overhead,'' with

donations of time (and though he didn't specify it, no doubt

a fair amount of money). He added a church bookkeeper is

``overhead, but she also donates her time.''

where you come in

You can play a part in the success of this shining ``point

of light.''

Tax deductible checks can be sent to Westminster

Presbyterian Church, 2701 Cameron Mills Road, Alexandria, VA

22301, or Old Presbyterian Meeting House, Alexandria, VA

22314. Note United Orphanage on the memo line.

Again--no overhead, no U.N. or government bureaucracy. Your

money goes straight to the kids. You can't beat that for the

``up and up.''

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I must begin by saying that I believe in the Constitution as James Madison and company meant it. In fact, I carry a copy in my pocket at all times. It's getting a little shopworn and dog- eared. I describe myself as a Madisonian Republican. And it's interesting, most people in our country today don't realize that James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Quincy Adams all considered themselves to be Republicans because they believed in very limited government, and that's what I believe in also.

But I rise today to join in with my colleagues on this discussion of the importance of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, specifically about the second amendment.

I began to be politically active by coming to Washington as vice president for Safari Club International. And in my capacity of being a vice president, I would work on hunters' rights and gun owners' rights. And I must say that, as you look at this, as my colleague just mentioned, the militia in the days of the Constitution writing meant every single male 18 years of age and older.

In his address to the second session of the First Congress of the United States, the President, George Washington stated, ``Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence.''

He went on, ``From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to this present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to ensure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable. The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere restrains evil interference. They deserve a place of honor with all that's good.''

When I ran for Congress, I made a commitment to the constituents in my district, the 10th Congressional District in Georgia, that if elected, I would fight to protect their constitutional rights and their pocketbooks for every American. I promised to apply a four-way test to every piece of legislation that comes before the House for a vote and everything that we do in our office. Before every vote, every vote that we take, I ask whether the legislation is moral and right, and does it fit within the constraints of what God gives us in His inherent word.

The second question, is it constitutional. And I'm not talking about this perverted idea of the Constitution that this Congress and the administration and particularly the judiciary are operating on today, but is it constitutional according to James Madison and the people who wrote it. They wrote voluminously about what they meant in the Constitution of the United States, and we in all three branches of government need to apply their writings to how we operate government.

The third question is do we really need it. And the fourth is can we afford it. I believe so firmly in those that I printed those up and it's on the desk of every single staffer in my office. Upholding and defending law-abiding citizens' rights to bear arms passes all four of those tests.

The second amendment of the Constitution declares that ``A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.''

Our Founding Fathers believed very firmly that an armed populace was the only way to prevent tyranny by their own government and I, likewise, adhere to that same philosophy.

I am an avid hunter and outdoorsman, and I strongly support the Constitution's second amendment right to bear arms, and will defend the right of law-abiding citizens to purchase, use and keep firearms, as well as to bear those arms and to transport those arms. I vigorously oppose all attempts to restrict the second amendment. I believe that any law, local, State, or Federal, that infringes upon a law-abiding citizen's God-given right to bear an arm, a God-given right that's supposed to be protected by the Constitution of the United States, any law, Federal, State or local that infringes upon those rights are unconstitutional, and I'll fight to try to restore those rights that have been already put in place on all levels.

Since 1975, the residents of Washington, DC have had their second amendment right to bear arms stolen from them by the District's government. Last year, in Heller v. DC, the DC Court of Appeals ruled that the gun ban in the District of Columbia violated an individual's right to keep and bear arms that is protected by the Constitution and the second amendment; thus, nullifying the gun ban that the District of Columbia put upon its citizens.

Upon appeal by the District of Columbia, the Supreme Court has decided to consider this very important second amendment constitutional case. The U.S. Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of DC's ban on handgun ownership and self-defense by law-abiding residents in their own homes.

The Court will first address the question of whether the second amendment to the Constitution, as embodied in the Bill of Rights, protects an individual's right to own a firearm and to protect themselves, or whether it is a right of the government.

We already see that the government cannot protect citizens. In fact, the courts even ruled that the police do not have an obligation to protect a citizen anywhere. We only have that right ourselves. If the Court agrees that it is an individual right, then they will determine if the District's self-defense and handgun bans are constitutional or not.

The Supreme Court has a historic opportunity to return to the original intent and the meaning of the second amendment. The second amendment protects us. It's a fundamental and an individual right of law-abiding citizens to own firearms for any lawful purpose. Further, any law infringing upon this freedom, including the ban on self-defense and on handgun ownership, is unconstitutional.

Further, every study that's been done has shown that gun control provides absolutely no benefit in curbing crime. Rather, these types of restrictions only leave law-abiding citizens more susceptible to criminal attack. Other than law enforcement, only criminals have guns in the District of Columbia.

In fact, it was interesting, the community of Morton Grove, Illinois passed a ban on handguns. And then in response to that, a city in Georgia, Kennesaw, Georgia, passed an ordinance stating that every household should own a firearm. It was a very interesting social experiment.

And what happened? The crime rate in Morton Grove, Illinois skyrocketed. The crime rate in Kennesaw, Georgia plummeted. These bans do not protect anybody but a criminal.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit correctly ruled that DC statutes are unconstitutional. I strongly believe that the ruling should and will be upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Madam Speaker, today I wish to honor and pay tribute to a faithful public servant in my 10th Congressional District of Georgia.

Dennis Trudeau has served Grovetown as mayor for over 20 years, but his service for the greater good has been a lifelong pursuit. Mayor Trudeau is a patriot who served his community, his country, and his world with distinction.

Before taking that first oath of office in 1988, he served his resident country of Canada with distinction in uniform. Trudeau grew up in Canada and enlisted in the Canadian Army as soon as he came of age. He was one of the thousand of brave men who stormed the beaches of Normandy and was even taken as a prisoner of war. Mayor Trudeau later joined the United States Army in July of 1946 and after retiring from active duty in July of 1967 worked with the U.S. Army Signal School until 1984. He is a man of courage, dedication, and strength.

It is obvious the people of Grovetown believed in Mayor Trudeau or they would not have re-elected him time and time again. In a newspaper editorial one resident wrote, ``He has lent dignity and restored a sense of pride to the residents of Grovetown.'' As the U.S. Congressman of Georgia's Tenth District, I consider it an honor to represent this fine leader and his dear town in Washington, DC.

Mr. Trudeau, we salute you and your service and wish you the best as you embark on the next phase of your life.

Madam Speaker, as a young man, I came to believe that it was simply my duty as a citizen to serve in our Nation's Armed Forces. So, it was just a natural thing for me to volunteer for service back in the early 60s. I joined the Marines, later also served as a medical officer in the Navy, and finally took a billet in the Georgia Air National Guard.

My military experiences, I believe, helped make me a better man. It certainly gave me an understanding of military life, and first-hand knowledge of the needs facing military personnel, military families, and our veterans. Those insights guide me as the Congressman for Georgia's 10th Congressional District.

The Federal Government must fulfill its promises to our veterans. We must give them the very best quality health care that is available anywhere in this country. It's important not only to the current veterans but also to the troops that are on active duty today, as well as the volunteers that we need to recruit to serve their country in the military.

As a medical student in Augusta, GA, and during my residency training, I worked in a number of VA hospitals. This experience gives me a unique perspective toward the veterans' needs, which most Members of Congress are not privileged to have. Consequently I have a tremendous desire to get the Federal Government to fulfill the promises it has broken to our

national heroes, the veterans. This bill is a step in that direction.

It is critical that the VA facilities in our Nation are modern, best equipped, and able to give the kind of care that our veterans deserve.

This bill will help to do that by giving veterans in Georgia and the Southeast a modem, up-to-date facility.

I am very sure that keeping the United States the freest Nation in the history of the world means that we must maintain the most powerful military on Earth.

As a member of Congress my priorities regarding military issues are these:

1. Provide our troops with the best training and the best technology.

2. Provide adequate compensation and benefits.

3. Do everything I can to help promote high morale and espirit de corps.

4. Support the spouses and children of military personnel.

5. Improve medical care for our wounded warriors and our veterans.

6. Keep the commitments made to our veterans regarding benefits.

I want to take just a moment of your time to provide you with an update on what I have done since I won the Special Election and was sworn into office last July:

1. Co-sponsored H.R. 3793 Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act of 2007 requiring the secretary of Defense to continue to pay to a member of the armed forces who is retired or separated from the armed forces due to a combat-related injury certain bonuses that the member was entitled to before the retirement or separation and would continue to be entitled to if the member was not retired or separated.

2. Co-sponsored H.R. 1110 amending the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow federal civilian and military retirees to pay health insurance premiums on a pretax basis and to allow a deduction for TRICARE supplemental premiums.

3. Co-sponsored H. Res. 111 establishing a Select POW and MIA Affairs Committee.

4. Co-sponsored H.J. Res. 67 supporting a base defense budget that at the very minimum matches four percent of gross domestic product.

5. Co-sponsored H. Res. 784 recognizing and honoring, in community post offices, the service of men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces deployed overseas.

6. Co-sponsored H.R. 1808 designating the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta, GA, as the `Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.'

7. Supported and spoke in favor of this bill S. 1396 to authorize a major medical facility project to modernize inpatient wards at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia

I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill as well as any future bills that will give veterans the kind of health care they deserve.

Veterans service organizations across the Nation often provide funeral honors at national cemeteries, including the folding and presentation of the flag, the recitation of the flag- folding steps, and playing of Taps.

As you may know, for a very brief period recently, the Veterans Affairs prohibited the flag-folding step, known as the 13-fold flag recitation, at funerals. In response to national outrage, the VA issued a letter to all cemetery directors in the National Cemetery Administration that states that 13-fold flag recitation will be allowed at veterans' funerals.

While I commend this decision, the policy will allow employees and volunteers to recite the ceremony only if requested by the veterans' grieving family members. Families should not have to remember to request the 13-fold flag recitation. The recitation of flag-folding steps should be proactively offered.

The choice to have the flag-folding ceremony read aloud should belong to the family of the deceased. That is why today I am introducing a resolution that requires the VA to offer families the choice of whether or not to have the ceremony and let the decision rest with the families and not with the bureaucrats here in Washington.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support today of H.R. 3793, the Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act of 2007.

As a former military officer and an enlisted marine, I take this matter very seriously, and I am a very strong supporter of our troops and their families. As Members of Congress, we have an obligation both to stand up for our troops that have been disabled and have to leave the military, as well as surviving families of soldiers who have

made the final sacrifice to protect our Nation and our freedom.

There is no greater insult to our wounded warriors and their families who have sacrificed so much than to deny or revoke their bonus because of a combat-related injury or death. This bill, the Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act of 2007, would guarantee that no servicemember who dies, other than as a result of a member's misconduct, or is retired or separated for disability will be required to repay any portion of a bonus or similar benefit that they have received.

Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government has broken too many promises to our veterans, and I consider that verging on criminality. We have an opportunity today to support our veterans and to support our troops and to fulfill a promise that was made to these veterans.

I urge all of my colleagues of the House to support this measure and pass H.R. 3793, the Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act of 2007.

Mr. Speaker, Luke records in his Gospel that ``men ought always to pray and not to faint.'' That's in Luke 18:1.

I believe in the power of prayer, and I should note that the power of prayer is beheld in the One to which we pray, God Almighty.

Yesterday, my Governor, Sonny Perdue of Georgia, hosted a special prayer service at the Georgia Capitol to pray that the Lord would provide rain for our drought-ravaged State. Governor Perdue wisely recognized that a request such as this must be made to a higher power, and I commend him for his humility and wisdom in calling on God to provide what man cannot provide.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Jeremiah 33:3, which states ``Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.''

The book of Hebrews, in 14:16 states, ``Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.''

We are a needy people, in desperate need of God's mercy and grace. Throughout Scripture, we are commanded to pray and seek God's face, not as a last resort but as the first order of business.

My home State of Georgia is facing one of the most severe droughts in its history. Our rivers and reservoirs are at record lows, and many of our communities face water shortages that could challenge their ability to meet water supply needs in the near and distant future.

The situation has gotten so bleak that the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, EPD, has declared a Level 4 drought response across the northern third of Georgia, which prohibits most types of outdoor residential water use. In fact, many nurseries and outdoor plant suppliers are going out of business because of this.

Worse yet, many forecasters are calling for a dry, mild winter that could result in serious water supply problems by spring.

I've had the privilege and honor of working with my fellow delegation members in a truly bipartisan effort to come up with practical responses, such as conservation and water management, to Georgia's water crisis. Despite our best efforts in Washington and in Georgia, there's no legislative solution to this problem. The issue at the heart of our drought problem is a severe lack of rain, and there is nothing that government can do to change that.

The Apostle Paul tells us to make our requests known to God with thanksgiving, so I gratefully acknowledge what the Lord has done for us already and boldly call upon Him to show favor on us yet again by sending rain to my beloved State of Georgia. God has not failed us before, and I'm confident He will not fail us now in our time of need.

At a time when religion has been continually forced from the public square, I want to offer my sincere thanks to Governor Perdue for his bold and faithful trust in the Almighty. His efforts helped unite hundreds of Georgians from all walks of life, leaders and citizens from varying faiths and denominations, races and ages for this prayer service.

So I join the Governor and fellow Georgians in calling out to God to provide rain from heaven, and I pray that the Lord will give wisdom and discernment to the Governor and each of us in leadership positions to address the drought and its devastating effects on our State and our citizens.

So I pray, Lord, You are sovereign and completely in control of all things, and I acknowledge Your awesome power and authority.

All things are in Your control, and nothing is too small or too great to bring before You. When you walked on the Earth in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, You spoke and stilled the waves and calmed the winds. You spoke into the existence, the heavens and the Earth. You created man in your image, and I know you can alleviate the severe drought conditions we face in Georgia.

So Lord, I ask in the name of Jesus that you bring down rain from heaven and refresh our land, fill our reservoirs and dry lakes and streams. I pray that You will quench our parched land, and I implore You, Lord, to show mercy upon us and to see us through this difficulty and show Your awesome hand in moving nature to suit Your will and bless Your people that call upon Your name.

Thank You, Lord for all that You have done and will continue to do for us. And I pray this in the precious powerful name of our Lord and Savior, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray this. Amen.