Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of H.R. 1584, the bill just passed.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend a valuable member of my staff, a treasure who has served the Committee on Ways and Means for over 20 years. Meredith Broadbent, who serves as senior professional staff member to our Subcommittee on Trade, is a noted expert in all areas of trade policy but especially agriculture and textiles, two of the most complex areas. She has committed her career to developing good trade policy, and she has been involved in every major trade initiative over the last 20 years.

Most recently, she was a key player in granting the President Trade Promotion Authority, according preferential trade benefits to the Caribbean, African and Andean countries, and extending permanent normal trade relations to China. Trade initiatives such as these are good for spurring U.S. economic growth but also to help foster a world that trades in freedom and lives in liberty and prosperity.

Ms. Broadbent's wise counsel, sound judgment, and thorough expertise will be truly missed. I am glad that she will continue to serve her country in the international trade arena as Assistant United States Trade Representative for Industry, Market Access and Telecommunications. She will be a tremendous asset to the Bush administration, and I wish her well.

Moreover, I know as chairman of the Subcommittee on Trade that I will still have the privilege of working with Meredith as our Assistant United States Trade Representative. God bless her.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1047) to amend the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to modify temporarily certain rates of duty, to make other technical amendments to the trade laws, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise to support H.R. 1047, the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act, which is a compendium of trade provisions drawn largely from legislation introduced by individual Members. This bill has more than 350 such provisions and enjoys broad bipartisan support. The bill contains provisions involving the temporary suspension of duties on narrowly defined products, miscellaneous trade-related items, and technical corrections to the Trade and Development Act of 2000. The House passed substantially the same bill, but unfortunately no other action was taken. In essence, we have taken last year's bill, made technical changes, and added or dropped a few of the duty suspension provisions, all of which are known by the sponsoring Members and their staffs.

The most significant change has been removing the provision related to ``Turkey Qualified Industrial Zones.'' I recall this provision received favorable comments from both sides of the aisle when the bill came to the floor last year. There is still strong support from Members for the provision. We are dropping the provision for the time being, but can consider it or a variant of the provision at some future time if appropriate.

There are several miscellaneous trade provisions in this bill that are noteworthy. The bill would make technical and clarifying corrections to provide benefits for Caribbean and sub-Saharan African countries. The preferential trade benefits for these countries would support U.S. trade policy to improve trade networks and opportunities for American firms while helping key American allies in the fight against terrorism and illegal drug traffic.

Finally, the bill would provide national trade-relation status to Serbia

and Montenegro, which was revoked in 1992. The provisions included in this bill are noncontroversial, but that does not mean they are unimportant. Most of the products in the duty suspension provisions are those that American firms use as supplies or components of the products they manufacture. The purpose of this bill is to eliminate the burden that American firms have when buying these products so they can in turn lower their cost of production and thereby the cost to the consumer. In many instances these provisions will give our companies and their employees a fighting chance to compete.

This bill traditionally follows the same rules every Congress. The provisions have been thoroughly vetted and have no opposition. Both the Department of Commerce and International Trade Commission investigated the bills and contacted domestic industries. With the exception of a few of the miscellaneous provisions that have wide applicability, each provision has a de minimis cost under $500,000. Lastly, the administration confirms that all of the bills can be administered.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill and to provide this assistance to American companies.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman for making the request, and I can assure him that we will study and consider the faction policy related to the gentlewoman's request and that in conference we have an opportunity potentially to go down that path.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to wrap up with a couple of comments about the comfort of advancing a trade piece of legislation like this in the Congress of the United States, where we enjoy good bipartisan support.

I want to commend my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who were the ones that were touting to Republicans the importance of free trade. It took almost a century for our party to yield to the very persuasive arguments advanced by free traders on the Democratic side, and after World War II we basically became free traders, too.

I know we have divisions in our ranks on both sides of the aisle; but I know, too, that trade is one of the most important issues facing not only this country but the entire world. I have made the comment in the past, and it bears repeating, that trade has done more to advance civilized values worldwide than anything else in the span of recorded history; so I commend my colleagues on a bipartisan basis.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for an ``aye'' vote on this very important piece of legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the subject of H.R. 1047, the bill just considered.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to lend my full support to H.R. 4 the reauthorization of the Personal Responsibility, Work, and Family Promotion Act of 2003.

Before 1996 there were many cases of honest, hard-working individuals on the welfare rolls, who, faced with hard times, were forced to rely on our government in order to help provide for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, there were also many cases of individuals who in the past abused this system set up to help those in need. I believe that individuals who choose to live off of government welfare, with no intention of leaving the rolls, not only cheat the American taxpayer, they also cheat their children and grandchildren who often live their lives trapped in a cycle of receiving government handouts.

Mr. Chairman, the bill we are considering on the floor today gradually raises work requirements over the next five years and continues to award States that are successful at moving people from welfare to work. This bill protects children with a $2 billion increase in childcare funding. The bill allows States greater flexibility in providing care for children of low-income working families. This keeps with the idea that those closer to a problem know best how to fix it. The plan also includes $300 million annually to encourage healthy marriages and two-parent married families, through programs such as pre-marital education and counseling.

Let me briefly say that despite my support for the measure, I remain concerned about some of the provisions in the legislation. While the measure does improve upon work requirements from the 1996 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) bill, in some cases it does not go far enough. For instance, H.R. 4 increases the number of hours a welfare beneficiary must work and spend in job training programs, but it allows the states to define ``work'' in practically any way they see fit for these additional hours. Mr. Speaker, I am in favor of allowing States flexibility in administering welfare programs--flexibility is, after all, the linchpin of the reforms we enacted in 1996--but in my view we should set some

sort of minimal standard and let the States implement them as they see fit.

Mr. Chairman, TANF has shown how, through simple common sense means, the lives of millions of Americans can change from a cycle of poverty and dependence to lives that are happier and more productive. They have shown how expecting more from our fellow citizens can lift the Nation as a whole. I am happy to support this measure and encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today with my friend and colleague, Mr. Pomeroy, to reintroduce the Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act. This bill will allow Medicare beneficiaries direct access to qualified physical therapists without a physician referral.

Currently, Medicare beneficiaries must see a physician before being allowed to see a physical therapist. This burdensome requirement in Medicare is a regulation whose time has passed. The referral mandate is unnecessary and limits access to timely and medically necessary physical therapists' services. I believe that providing Medicare beneficiaries with direct access to physical therapists is critical as Congress looks to modernize the Medicare program.

All health care consumers should have the ability to choose the health care services they want when they need it. Allowing Medicare beneficiaries to have direct access to physical therapists will help achieve that goal. Currently, 47 states and the District of Columbia allow direct access to physical therapist evaluation and 35 states, including the state of Illinois allow their citizens to access physical therapists' services without the added cost of a physician referral. The Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act would allow Medicare beneficiaries in these states to access care that is already available to other residents of the state.

Direct access to physical therapists allows for improved access to quality health care services. A study of BlueCross BlueShield insurance claims in Maryland indicates that when a patient has direct access to physical therapists, services are neither over-utilized nor do they result in higher costs for physical therapy. To the contrary, the study found that

the costs incurred for episodes of physical therapy care were 123 percent lower when patients went to a physical therapist directly. State boards that regulate physical therapy confirm that patient safety is not compromised by the elimination of the referral requirement. With this in mind, the policy of improved access to physical therapists is healthy to the Medicare program and its beneficiaries. It is clear that improved access to physical therapists will maintain this critical balance of patient safety, cost to Medicare program, and improved beneficiary service. Medicare beneficiaries should have the same access to physical therapists as the rest of patients in Illinois and 35 other states.

Providing better access to qualified physical therapists will help ensure patients receive quality health care for all Americans. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues for their consideration and support of the Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution to honor all of our prisoners of war from the Vietnam conflict. In particular, I want to join the House in paying a special tribute to my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson). Sam's service to his country has spanned the Korean War and the Vietnam War, where he was a prisoner of war for 7 years.

In his office on Capitol Hill, Sam has a photo of his favorite plane. On it is inscribed part of a special Bible verse from Isaiah, ``They shall mount up with wings as eagles,'' an inscription that embodies the continuing spirit of this great patriot in our midst and one which should inspire all Americans with the courage to face the critical, difficult challenges facing this Nation in the days ahead.

It is my distinct honor and privilege to serve with Sam in this great body and on the Committee on Ways and Means. Sam, you are a true champion for all Americans and a true hero to me. America is better off for your service, and I am very proud to call you my friend.

Mr. Speaker, last Saturday we lost seven of mankind's finest. The crew of the space shuttle Columbia made the ultimate sacrifice, not in a feat of arms, but in the noble quest to expand human knowledge. My deepest thoughts and prayers go to the families of those brave men and women lost in this accident. Their loved ones will be remembered with deep gratitude and admiration for their dedication towards advancing our understanding of new frontiers and discovering ways science can improve our lives.

While space shuttles fly regularly, space travel itself is anything but routine. Its dangers are many, but the Columbia's crew was willing to brave them. We in Congress have a duty to them and our astronauts to find the cause of this horrific accident. We can never fully eliminate the danger, but we can manage the risk.

When asked by his brother about what would happen if something went wrong, Captain David Brown, a member of Columbia's final crew, replied ``This program will go on.'' He was right, but it will not just be this one program that goes on. No matter what setbacks confront us, humanity will explore the unknown, brave its dangers, and continue our drive to create a better world.

Mr. Speaker, on February 1, 2003, we lost seven of mankind's finest. The crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia made the ultimate sacrifice, not in a feat of arms, but in the noble quest to expand human knowledge. My deepest thoughts and prayers go to the families of those brave men and women lost in this accident. Their loved ones will be remembered with deep gratitude and admiration for their dedication towards advancing our understanding of new frontiers and discovering ways science can improve our lives.

While space shuttles fly regularly, space travel itself is anything but routine. Its dangers are many but the Columbia's crew was willing to brave them. We in Congress have a duty to them and our astronauts to find the cause of this horrific accident. We can never fully eliminate the danger, but we can manage the risk. I realize that the NASA family is greiving--and they too have my sympathy--but even as we grieve Congress must be willing to ask serious questions about the shuttle program and our nation's goals for the space program.

Can NASA implement the space program's goals with only 3 shuttles, and if not what next? Should a seventh orbiter be built from scratch, or should the Enterprise be rebuilt? If the space program can get by with just three shuttles should a new vehicle program be implemented? Five years lapsed between Challenger's loss and Endeavour's first mission. Could a successor program vehicle enter service in the same amount of time that it will take to bring the shuttle fleet back up to four?

Columbia was destroyed on its 28th mission. Discovery's next mission will be its 31st. How many more missions does it have left in it?

Then there's the International Space Station. If a shuttle is damaged prior to re-entry how much assistance could it give? Could emergency facilities be added? Will having a smaller fleet further delay it in becoming fully operational?

Finally where does our space program go from here? Will we continue the trend in manned flight by going no further than low Earth orbit or will humanity again push out beyond our planet and return to the Moon or even go to Mars?

I am confident that NASA and Congress will address these questions. As America's space program continues into the future, we have a responsibility to provide it direction. I believe that the space program will continue to benefit humanity, and we in Congress must do all we can to ensure the safety of our astronauts when they embark on future missions.

Seventeen years ago President Reagan consoled our nation after another group of seven heroes were lost to us in similar, tragic fashion. He ended his remarks by briefly quoting from the poem by an American pilot, John Gillespie Magee Jr., who died in flight. Magee's stirring words are a fitting tribute to those who strive to explore and live in the heavens.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings,

Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds--and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of--wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue

I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew.

And, while silent lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

When asked by his brother about what would happen if something went wrong Captain David Brown, a member of Columbia's final crew, replied ``this program will go on.'' He was right but it will not just be this one program that goes on. No matter what setbacks confront us humanity will explore the unknown, brave its dangers and continue our drive to create a better world.

Mr. Speaker, it was 50 years ago, on January 26, 1953, that the World Customs Organization, formally known as the Customs Co- operation Council, held its first meeting in Brussels, Belgium. In recognition of this occasion, the Council observed January 26 as International Customs Day. This occasion also serves to recognize the role that customs services around the world play in facilitating trade while protecting national borders from importations posing security threats.

I am particularly proud of the U.S. Customs Service for its great contributions to the Nation over the past 214 years of its existence. U.S. Customs was once the sole revenue producer for the young United States. Although that role has diminished over the years Customs collected a record $23.8 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2001. Today, Customs is still a major source of revenue for the Federal Government, returning about $8 to the taxpayer for every dollar appropriated by Congress.

For nearly 125 years, Customs funded virtually the entire government and paid for the Nation's early growth and infrastructure. The territories of Louisiana, Oregon, Florida and Alaska were purchased; the National Road from Cumberland, Maryland, to Wheeling, West Virginia, was constructed; and the Transcontinental Railroad stretched from sea-to-sea. Customs collections built the Nation's lighthouses, the U.S. military and naval academies, and the City of Washington, and the list goes on. In 1835, Customs revenues alone had reduced the national debt to zero.

Customs was the parent or forerunner to many other agencies. In the early days, Customs officers administered military pensions (Department of Veterans Affairs), collected import and export statistics (Bureau of Census), and supervised revenue cutters (U.S. Coast Guard). Customs also collected hospital dues to help sick and disabled seaman (Public Health Service) and established standard weights and measures (National Bureau of Standards).

During the first stages of the response to the terrorist attack on September 11th in New York and Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs quickly assumed a leading role. With terrorism causing concern worldwide, the international Customs community has a vital role to play. Every administration is playing an active part in efforts to protect the international supply chain from terrorist acts, while at the same time offering improved trade facilitation.

Today, the United States Customs Service will have new challenges to face as it moves from the traditional home that it has known within the Department of the Treasury to the newly created Department of Homeland Security. It will be important for Customs to continue to offer the world class level of trade service and facilitation that U.S. business has come to rely on while insuring that security needs are addressed. It will also be important to maintain the revenue collection linkage with the Treasury Department that has historically been so significant.

The U.S. Customs Service represents the United States at the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC). The number of Members increased over the years, and the Council subsequently adopted the working name ``World Customs Organization'' in order to better reflect the fact that the Organization was an intergovernmental body that genuinely made the transition to worldwide status. The WCO now speaks for 161 Customs administrations drawn from every continent and representing every stage of economic development. The United States has been a member since November 5, 1970.

At present, WCO Members are responsible for ensuring that more than 98 percent of international trade is conducted in compliance with national legislation and international agreements. The WCO renders technical assistance in areas such as customs tariffs, valuation, nomenclature, and law enforcement. Its objective is to obtain, in the interest of international trade, the best possible degree of uniformity among the customs systems of member nations. America benefits when both exporters and importers operate in an atmosphere of simple unambiguous customs operations around the world.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the U.S. Customs Service for its fine work both nationally and internationally, and I look forward to the completion of work within the World Customs Organization to further harmonizing and simplifying the customs rules that affect international commerce.