Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I would like to enter into a colloquy with the gentleman from Alabama.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to clarify the intention of this legislation. Section 4, subsection 2(E)(ix), exempts transactions with a business licensed or authorized by a State from the definition of ``bets or wagers'' under the bill.

Some parties have raised concerns that this could be read broadly to allow the transmission of casino or lottery games in interstate commerce, for example, over the Internet, simply because one State authorizes its businesses to do so. I want to make clear that this exemption will not expand the reach of gambling in any way. It is intended to recognize current law that allows States jurisdiction over wholly intrastate activity, where bets or wagers, or information assisting bets or wagers, do not cross State lines or enter into interstate commerce.

The exemption would leave intact the current interstate gambling prohibition such as the Wire Act, Federal prohibitions on lotteries, and the Gambling Ship Act, so that casino and lottery games could not be placed on the Internet. Is that correct?

I yield to the gentleman from Alabama.

Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman for that clarification.

I strongly support this legislation and urge my colleagues to join us in standing against illegal Internet gambling. These Web sites are extremely destructive, and it is time we put them out of business.

We all know that illegal money transfer has funded terrorism in this Nation. We need to dry up terrorism's money. Anyone who cares about their personal safety and the safety of the people in this Nation needs to vote for this bill.

This legislation will bar Internet gambling access to the U.S. financial services network by preventing the use of credit cards, wire transfers, or any other bank instrument to fund gaming associations.

Representatives of the offshore casino industry have tried to make the case that Internet gambling is a harmless activity that can easily be brought under control by Federal regulation; but, unfortunately, that is not true on many fronts. It is technologically impossible to create safeguards that will regulate Internet gambling. That means anyone with access to a credit card, including children, can access these sites. Anyone who is a terrorist with a credit card can transfer money this way.

As the FBI closes down on other money-laundering schemes, more illicit funds are expected to move through Internet gambling sites. To stop terrorism, we must dry up their access to funding.

This legislation will help that. The bottom line is, Internet gambling is illegal, and according to the Department of Justice and the FBI there is no effective way to regulate it. The only way to stop it is to cut off the financial flow to the illegal Internet casino industry, which is precisely what this legislation before us does.

Finally, there has been a lot of misinformation spread about this legislation in the past few weeks. Let me be very clear, this legislation does not change current law by defining what is legal or illegal; it simply ensures that we have a mechanism to enforce illegal activity under the Federal law.

Reasonable people can disagree on offering a separate amendment to the committee which makes it absolutely crystal clear that we are not changing anybody's law regarding Internet gambling. I believe that the base text speaks for itself. But if it needs to be clarified, my amendment makes it absolutely clear: The legislation does not change any law currently in place, Federal, State, or tribal, governing gambling in the United States.

I urge my colleagues to support the legislation that will give law enforcement an important new tool to fight crime and protect our families in the United States.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

I strongly support the Unlawful Internet Gambling Funding Prohibition Act, which seeks to cut off the lifeblood of illegal Internet gambling. As we consider this important legislation, I am offering an amendment to clarify the intent of the legislation and to specifically address concerns raised by those who oppose the bill.

Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of inaccurate and misleading information spread about H.R. 2143. Let us be clear about that, though. This legislation does not change current law by defining what is legal or illegal. It simply ensures that we have a mechanism to enforce illegal activity under the Federal law; but because reasonable minds can disagree, I offer this amendment in an abundance of caution to put concerns to rest that this legislation changes existing law. It does not.

My amendment adds a straightforward section to the bill entitled ``Common Sense Rule of Construction'' to ensure that there are no carve-outs, no loopholes, no new powers created by any section of H.R. 2143. The amendment clearly states in one sentence that this legislation does not change any law, Federal law, State law or tribal law, governing gambling in the United States.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and the underlying legislation that will give law enforcement an important new tool to fight crime, stop terrorism, and to protect families across America.

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

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

In closing, this is one of the simplest amendments I have ever offered on the floor of this Chamber. In one sentence this amendment says the legislation does not change any law governing gambling in the United States of America. It makes clear that the legislation simply seeks to cut off the financial flow to the unlawful Internet casino industry. It guarantees there are no carve-outs in the bill, no loopholes, no new powers created by any section.

I cannot understand why anyone would oppose this amendment unless they want to change current law to open up loopholes for themselves.

Mr. Chairman, it is time we put the crooks out of business. We have got to stop the drain of the money-laundering system that terrorists can access. I ask for an emphatic ``yes'' vote on this amendment and an emphatic ``yes'' vote on the final passage of this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, as chair of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, I would like to spend a moment discussing the Economic Growth Package and the work that was done by Chairman Thomas, other members of the Ways and Means Committee, the Republican Leadership and, of course, the White House. The subcommittee I chair was very interested in several aspects of the legislation and we conducted a hearing earlier this year to determine the extent of the impact of the dividend exclusion. The final product that has passed the House of Representatives will go a long way towards giving sectors of our economy the shot in the arm so necessary.

Numerous business groups have been part of the process and I want to acknowledge the testimony of the National Association of Home Builders before my subcommittee on the president's package and their contribution in supporting the overall effort. I am also aware and want to acknowledge the effort of the home builders in working with the administration in the same manner, particularly the Department of Treasury. I very much appreciate their expertise, economic research and analysis to ensure that no part of the legislation had any unintended consequences for low income housing. As a result, we are now able to pursue an economic stimulus plan that is good for all segments of the housing industry and all segments of the economy of these United States.

For the past two years, home building has been a leader in moving America's economy forward. Where many sectors of the economy have faltered, housing has remained a source of strength. Enactment of the economic stimulus package that is about to emerge from this Congress will ensure that housing continues to create the jobs and stimulate the economic growth that are needed to restore full prosperity for our nation's families and businesses.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment. It took me 5 years at one point in my life to try to help us in New York get some Federal funding to help us build some safe bikeways. We got that funding, and we have safe bikeways now in portions of New York, and people ride on them all of the time.

I see them in the rain. They even ride in the snow. But one of the joys I see is that I see people there, families, teaching their little ones how to ride a tricycle. Do the Members remember when they got on a bike and realized that they could actually ride a two-wheel bike? What a proud moment that is for children.

America likes to ride bikes and from the time we are young we get on these bikes and we ride. It is a terrific way of transportation. It is fun and it leads to a healthy life-style. Many gyms in America have set up spin classes, which is essentially bike riding, to help people stay fit.

We spend $1.2 billion annually on bike-related facilities like bike paths and other things, but there are really no useful studies on the effect of bike use in the United States. Biking is used as a primary way or an alternate way to get to work by many people around the world; unlike automobiles, a bike is emissions free and a healthy way to enjoy our beautiful country.

I urge my colleagues, Mr. Chairman, to support this amendment. I am glad it will be accepted by the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Alabama for both yielding me this time and for his work to move this legislation forward. In addition, I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley) for his

support, as well as the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey) for the contribution that he has made to this legislation with his bill H.R. 859, which was merged into this bill during committee consideration.

My bill addresses an issue which has been pending before Congress for some time now. This body actually passed a similar measure by voice vote not once but twice during the 107th Congress, but the job is still not done. So we come to the floor once again with a strong hope that the enactment of this bill will finally be realized this Congress. The legislation will go a long way in helping our Main Street banks and small businesses which are so essential to our communities.

The Business Checking Freedom Act contains a number of important provisions. First, it repeals the 70-year-old law prohibiting banks from paying interest on business checking accounts after a transition period. While I believe it should be repealed, I believe a proper transition period is critical. The 2-year transition period contained in the bill is certainly better than the 1-year transition period which was in the original bill, although my preference is for an even longer period to allow the banks and businesses to disengage from each other.

Nevertheless, I believe it is time to move forward with this legislation. The legislation also allows banks to increase money market deposits and savings account sweeps from the current 6 to 24 times a month. This gives the banks an increase in their sweep activities, enabling them to sweep every night, increasing the interest which businesses can make on their accounts.

The bill also gives the Federal Reserve the opportunity to pay interest on reserves that the banks keep with the Federal Reserve System, and gives the Federal Reserve the additional flexibility to lower reserve requirements. This will give the Federal Reserve greater control at maintaining reserves at a specific and consistent level. That will help foster healthy reserve balances, thereby reducing the potential for volatility within the Federal funds rate and protecting the Federal Reserve's ability to conduct monetary policy.

Quite simply, this legislation is about creating new and broader market options. We allow banks to pay interest on business checking accounts, we allow banks to increase sweep activities, and we allow the Fed to pay interest on the sterile reserves that all banks are required to keep with them. We also allow the Fed to lower reserve requirements. We do not require or mandate anything. This way we can allow the market to create change and not the government.

I again thank the gentleman from Ohio for his strong leadership on this issue and for the swift consideration of this legislation, and I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in strong support for this commonsense bipartisan legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to report to the House the strong sense of patriotism sweeping through a small town in the heart of New York's 19th Congressional District. The Cornwall Town Board has passed a resolution in support of all of our troops that are deployed overseas to protect our freedom and liberties.

The Resolution states that the Board supports of those brave men and women of Cornwall currently ``serving in the armed forces and of our great country and their families and support the armed services for the great sacrifices they must make in the service of our country in the name of freedom.''

I commend the Cornwall Town Board for their patriotic actions and ask that the entire text of the Resolution be placed in the Congressional Record.

Resolution by the Town Board of the Town of Cornwall in Support of our

Town Residents who are Serving our Country in the Armed Forces, in

Support of our Armed Forces in General and for World Peace

Whereas, heretofore the Town Board of the Town of Cornwall

recognizes the great freedoms and liberties that this great

nation of our's provides, and

Whereas, the Town Board recognizes that to insure that

these great freedoms and liberties exist it is necessary to

provide for a national defense, and

Whereas, the Town Board recognizes that the United States

Armed Forces protect and defend our country from all enemies

foreign and domestic and thereby serve with great dedication,

personal risk and sacrifice in the risking of their lives and

sacrificing the comfort of being with their loved ones when

serving on distant shores, and

Whereas, the Town Board supports our own brave men and

women and all members of the armed forces currently serving

and preparing to defend our liberties and freedoms and

protect us from our enemies and also supports their families

in these times of heightened security alert, and

Whereas, the Town Board recognizes that world peace and

security is paramount and we support and pray that all

diplomatic efforts to secure world peace and security will

succeed, now, therefore, be it

Resolved as follows:

1. That the Town Board of the Town of Cornwall supports our

residents who are serving in the armed forces of our great

country and their families and support the armed services for

the great sacrifices they must make in the service of our

country in the name of freedom and democracy.

2. That the Town Board of the Town of Cornwall call upon

our leaders and other world leaders to bring about world

peace as quickly and with firm resolve as possible by

whatever means necessary.

3. That the Town Clerk forward a copy of this resolution

signed by all members voting herein to our congressional

representative Sue W. Kelly and ask that it be read into the

Congressional Record at her earliest convenience.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act, legislation which will strengthen our health care system and improve patient care. Today we are considering a bill that creates a structured process for reporting errors made during the course of medical treatment. Voluntary and confidential disclosure can help reduce injuries and death due to medical errors. What we have here is the creation of patient safety organizations that are created to conduct comprehensive analyses of what went wrong following a medical mistake. The people who provide health care are given feedback that way so that they can make changes and prevent future occurrences. Compiling this information in a central database will allow providers nationwide to benefit from lessons learned.

The simple message is that we need to learn from our mistakes. For this legislation to be effective, it is essential that practitioners feel comfortable in coming forward with information. I met with a group of doctors and providers in my district and they suggested strongly that we encourage some kind of indemnification so that they could report accurate figures. I am glad to report that this bill contains strong legal protections and provisions to ensure that information reported is treated as confidential, such as whistleblower-type protections. I think that is a very good piece in this bill. Creating a culture of safety surrounding the reporting of medical errors will encourage health care practitioners to report these mistakes.

The Institute of Medicine reported in 1999 that medical errors are the eighth leading cause of death among Americans. I believe this bill will go a long way toward preventing many of these tragic deaths and injuries. Mr. Speaker, the bill makes great sense for patients and for health care providers. I applaud the committee for putting this bill forward, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 13.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 13, the sole Federal agency devoted exclusively to museums and libraries which partners with schools to educate America's young.

Museums and libraries have traditionally served us as lifelong centers of learning creating centralized locations for the dissemination of information that provides equal access for Americans of all ages.

As the availability of information increases through the use of computer technologies, it is only logical that museums and libraries expand their services in order to fully maximize their mission as reference centers, as well as to fill the public's need to acquire the necessary skills to utilize such technology and reap the benefits of this expansion of cultural and historical knowledge.

The money in this bill will be used to bring projects and resources that would not otherwise be available in our communities to our local libraries and to this Nation's fine museums.

In my district, libraries provide paid mentors that help kids and families with homework in the library, especially they try to include parents whose first language is not English. In addition to the establishment of the centers, the grant has provided for the addition of several important learning resources to participating libraries' collections.

The authorization of the MLSA is an important step to helping students and other museums and library patrons find the resources and materials that they need to successfully come together and share information about history and culture.

Passing this legislation will ensure that libraries and museums across the country continue to provide accessible, safe, dynamic places of learning for all Americans.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, in September of 1999, most of the east coast was hit hard by Hurricane Floyd. There were 66 known deaths, 48 in North Carolina, three in New Jersey, two in New York, six in Pennsylvania, four in Virginia, two in Delaware and one in Vermont. Ten States were declared Federal disaster areas as a result of Hurricane Floyd. These 10 States needed support. In the aftermath of the storm, 4,582 individuals registered for Federal assistance in my home State of New York alone.

The insurance for this kind of storm risk is priced far too high for the average homeowner. The Federal Government passed the Federal Flood Insurance Program in 1968 to provide homeowners in communities which meet certain requirements. In return for coverage, a community adopts and enforces a set of floodplain management ordinances to reduce future flood risk for new construction in floodplain areas.

This program is critical to communities across the country which are threatened by potential floods. This is not a perfect program; but it is something that we need to do, and we need to do it now. It was essential to the recovery of the community in my area of New York in 1999, and it has helped thousands of families nationwide to rebuild their lives after floods. When you see a natural disaster, the pictures of a natural disaster on television or in the papers, flooded homes, flooded schools, flooded churches, this is the money that helps those folks reclaim their communities and reclaim their washed-out lives. Many members believe that this Federal Flood Insurance Program should be reformed, and I support that. I am confident that the Committee on Financial Services will consider Federal flood insurance reform legislation in this Congress.

However, today we are not here to debate reform of the program. Today we are here to ensure that the program can continue for 1 additional year to provide retroactive coverage for those days which have already passed since the authorization expired. December 31st the flood insurance expired because of an oversight in the last continuing resolution. Without this legislation, homeowners are going to be unable to purchase homes in areas threatened by an occasional potential for flooding. This can harm people and it can harm communities and could cause further harm to the economy. So today we need to pass this legislation and I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join in this support of the bipartisan support of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to applaud the chairman's Ohio State Buckeyes. Way to go, Buckeyes.