Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, too often, basic health insurance coverage offered to federal

employees does not adequately cover the cost of dental and vision care, yet regular visits to the eye doctor and the dentist are just as important for maintaining overall health as annual visits to the M.D. That is why Chairman Davis, Rep. JoAnn Davis, Senator Susan Collins, myself and others have made the addition of supplemental dental and vision benefits to the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program a priority.

According to testimony we heard last year in the Government Reform Committee, while 56 percent of Americans have dental coverage, of 150 FEHBP plans studied, only one provided dental coverage for children and only 14 provided orthodontic coverage. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of options for federal employees when it comes to vision insurance either. The FEHBP is often cited as a leader and a model for health care plans across the Nation. It is unacceptable that federal employees and their families are denied quality coverage for dental and vision services.

The Federal Employees Dental and Vision Benefits Enhancement Act of 2004 seeks to address this situation by leveraging the purchasing power of the federal government to obtain supplemental dental and vision benefits for federal employees. This much-needed legislation is patterned after the successful long-term care benefits program we already offer federal employees and will provide tangible relief to millions of federal employees and their families.

The new benefits would be offered separately from existing health care plans and would be available strictly on a voluntary basis. Since federal employees opting to take advantage of these benefits would pay 100 percent of the premiums, we can offer these policies at very little cost to the federal government. This legislation is a win-win for all parties involved.

Recently, I chaired a subcommittee hearing on steps the federal government can take to lead the way in reducing health care costs by taking advantage of our missive purchasing power, investing in new health care technologies and promoting good health through preventative care. This legislation is a step in that direction. The federal government must lead by example when it comes to health care and I ask my colleagues to support that effort by voting in favor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, for many years, discussion of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) has focused on what has and what has not worked well.

Let me draw upon my first hand experience as a psychologist who has participated in many of these discussions regarding learning disabled children, who were patients of mine. Many of these Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings were bogged down by procedures, paperwork and policy rather than working to help a child's reading, writing and arithmetic.

As a result of my experiences with IDEA, I am convinced that the law needed to be updated in order to properly refocus our efforts on to the task of educating our nation's children. And, I believe that the ``Improving Education Results for Children With Disabilities Act of 2003,'' (H.R. 1350) provides many of the needed changes.

As the Chairman of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, I am particularly pleased with the bill's provisions to improve the definition of `specific learning disabilities.' This conference report allows alternate assessment methods, such as the Response to Intervention Model (RTI), for measuring yearly progress to protect against the overidentification and misidentification of disabled children. RTI will ensure that children receive scientifically based instruction as soon as possible instead of relying on the outdated IQ- achievement discrepancy model as the sole measure of a student's IDEA eligibility.

And while many children need and benefit from pharmaceutical assistance to overcome their disabilities, far too often, people turn to medication in lieu of creating a solid working team of parents and educators to ensure the education of our children.

The reauthorization of IDEA establishes policies that prohibit school personnel from requiring a child to be prescribed medication in order to attend school or to receive IDEA services. Medications for disabled students should only be prescribed by physicians with expertise in treating disabled children and only when necessary.

In the area of discipline, past practices prevented school personnel from holding children with learning disabilities responsible for their behavior and students with learning disabilities were held to different standards than mainstream students. For the same severe offense, a mainstream student would be expelled while a learning disabled student would be returned to the classroom.

To help children learn accountability, teachers must be able to hold them responsible for their actions. To teach children that good and bad behavior has consequences, the school must be able to enforce these consequences.

We must also recognize that special education services are expensive and that with these federal mandates must come increased funding. I applaud the work of my Republican colleagues for increasing funding for special education grants to the States by over 383 percent for a total of $11.1 billion in the past 10 years. However, we must increase that funding to levels that better meet the needs of our children.

While we all are concerned with the funding of our nation's special education programs, I join the National Education Association, the IDEA, Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association and the National Schools Boards Association in supporting the ``Improving Education Results for Children With Disabilities Act of 2003,'' (H.R. 1350). I am also aware of many of the concerns raised by parents, teachers and students regarding the implementation of IDEA, and I will work with my colleagues to revisit these issues to ensure that teachers and parents have the tools necessary to provide America's children with the education they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the Senate concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 8) expressing the sense of Congress that there should be established a National Visiting Nurse Association Week, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. Con. Res. 8, a resolution to establish an annual National Visiting Nurse Associations Week in honor of these health care heroes who are dedicated to service in the ultimate caring profession.

The Visiting Nurse Associations, VNAs, of today are founded on the principle that people who are sick, disabled and elderly benefit most from health care when it is offered in their own homes.

Home care is an increasingly important part of our health care system today.

The kinds of highly skilled--and often technically complex--services that the VNAs provide have enabled millions of our most frail and vulnerable patients to avoid hospitals and nursing homes and stay just where they want to be--in the comfort and security of their own homes.

They made a critical difference when they started in the late 19th century, and are making a critical difference now as we embark upon the 21st.

There currently are approximately 500 VNAs nationwide.

Through these exceptional organizations, 90,000 clinicians dedicate their lives to bringing health care into the homes of an estimated 3 million Americans every year.

VNAs are truly the heart of home care in this country today, and it is time for Congress to recognize the vital services that visiting nurses provide to their patients and their families.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution establishing an annual National Visiting Nurse Associations' Week.

The Senate concurrent resolution was concurred in.

A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Government Reform be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 5370) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4985 Moorhead Avenue in Boulder, Colorado, as the ``Donald G. Brotzman Post Office Building,'' and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

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 S. Con. Res. 8 and H.R. 5370.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and welcome Congressman-elect Michael Fitzpatrick, who was just elected to serve in the 109th Congress from the eighth district of Pennsylvania. The eighth district, mainly to the north of Philadelphia, consists of Bucks County, parts of Montgomery County, and a small portion of Philadelphia. Mr. Fitzpatrick resides in Levittown with his wife, Kathy, and six children. He received an honors degree from St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida, and a law degree from Dickinson Law School of Pennsylvania State University.

Prior to his election in Congress, Mr. Fitzpatrick has served as a member of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners since 1995, on which he served as chairman for 5 years, and as the Commissioner, he oversaw a county budget of $385 million and a workforce of 2,600 employees. He also sought improvements in the local 9/11 system and the construction of a state-of-the-art emergency operations center.

Mr. Fitzpatrick has also received numerous honors relating to personal achievements, including the American Red Cross Citizen of the Year in the year 2000 and the Habitat for Humanity Leadership Award for 2003. I am certain all my colleagues will join in welcoming our newly elected Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick.

I would also like to recognize a friend who I met while I served in the Pennsylvania senate, and that is Congressman-elect Charlie Dent, who was also elected to the 109th Congress from the fifteenth district in Pennsylvania. The fifteenth district is located in the heart of Lehigh Valley and includes the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. Mr. Dent's wonderful family has lived in the region for six generations, and he currently resides in Allentown with his wife, Pamela, and three children: Kathryn, William, and Jack.

Charlie received a BA from Penn State University in foreign service and international politics and a master's in public administration from Lehigh University. He began his political career early on as an interim for former

Representative Don Ritter, who also served the fifteenth district.

He was first elected to the Pennsylvania house in 1991, representing Allentown and South Whitehall. And in 1999 Mr. Dent was elected to the Pennsylvania senate, where we served together until my election to Congress in 2002. As a State senator, Charlie served as chairman of the Urban Affairs and Housing Committee and vice chairman of the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee. I had the pleasure, while serving with Charlie, of oftentimes in the evenings going jogging together along the Susquehanna River, and throughout that time Charlie constantly talked of policy. So I am assuming he will do the same along the banks of the Potomac as he gets here. And as my colleagues will recognize, he loves to talk about policy.

So I ask all Members of the Congress to join me in welcoming Charlie Dent and Michael Fitzpatrick to the 109th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Government Reform be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 5295) to amend part III of title 5, United States Code, to provide for the establishment of programs under which supplemental dental and vision benefits are made available to Federal employees, retirees, and their dependents, to expand the contracting authority of the Office of Personnel Management, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Due to official business relating to the devastating damage caused by Hurricane Ivan in my Congressional District, I was not present in the chamber on Wednesday, September 22, 2004, and was regrettably unable to cast my vote on rollcall No. 461, No. 462, No. 463, No. 464, and No. 465.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall No. 461; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 462; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 463; ``no'' on rollcall No. 464; and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 465.

Mr. Speaker, as an alumni it is an honor for me to rise today to recognize and commemorate Wheeling Jesuit University as this institution of higher learning celebrates its 50th anniversary.

In 1954 the Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston and the Society of Jesus of the Maryland Province forged a partnership to establish the only Catholic university in West Virginia. Since its first class of 90 students and 12 Jesuits, Wheeling Jesuit has grown to include over 1,000 students and five graduate programs.

As one of our nation's youngest Jesuit institutions, Wheeling Jesuit practices and teaches the Ignation tradition of faith, worship, and service. Students at WJU learn to incorporate these principles into their daily lives. Today we may witness the continuation of this tradition among the younger classes which exemplify a lifestyle of hard work and achievement. Wheeling Jesuit University alumni are constantly challenging themselves and others to move at full speed towards perfection in service to their community and the Lord.

In its efforts to provide a valuable learning experience to its student body, Wheeling Jesuit created the Appalachian Institute. The Institute serves as a vehicle to expose students to the issues most important to the surrounding Appalachian region. It is through service opportunities developed by the Institute that students are able to apply their understanding from the classroom to situations real in the world.

Additionally, students attending Wheeling Jesuit are afforded an array of opportunities to participate in public service projects. These activities include a semester-long hunger and homelessness awareness program to educate students of the problems plaguing the local and global community; and the Appalachian Experience Club, which sponsors work experiences in rural West Virginia throughout the academic year.

This small college, by steadfastly adhering to its principles, continues to impact local, national, and global communities. Through an emphasis on academic excellence the college has graduated thousands of students to pursue careers in health care, law, business, education, and the arts. Residing in our nation's 50 states and 147 nations abroad, Wheeling Jesuit Alumni typify the lifestyle of selflessness, achievement, and service that this institution instilled in them years ago.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my colleagues join me in honoring and congratulating Wheeling Jesuit University for celebrating their 50th anniversary. Over the years Wheeling Jesuit has provided unsurpassed support and guidance to its students and the Appalachian community, and will continue to impact the lives of its students and the community through its charitable contributions and commitment to public service.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Government Reform be discharged from further consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 695) expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives to the family and friends of Mattie Stepanek on his passing, and honoring the life of Mattie Stepanek for his braveness, generosity of spirit, and efforts to raise awareness of muscular dystrophy, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Government Reform, I want to offer strong support for H. Res. 695. This resolution expresses the condolences of the House of Representatives to the family and friends of Mattie Stepanek on his passing on June 22. Thirteen- year-old Mattie Stepanek was a writer and a national figure who suffered from a rare form of muscular dystrophy, called dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy.

Mattie, who lived in nearby Rockville, Maryland, was an incredibly articulate and optimistic spokesman for muscular dystrophy. He was perhaps best known for writing five volumes of poetry. Incredibly, three of his books reached the New York Times best seller list. I will briefly read one here. It is called, ``On Being a Champion.''

Mattie wrote: ``A champion is a winner, a hero, someone who never gives up even when the going gets rough. A champion is a member of a winning team, someone who overcomes challenges even when it requires creative solutions. A champion is an optimist, a hopeful spirit, someone who plays the game even when the game is called life, especially when the game is called life. There can be a champion in each of us, if we live as a winner, if we live as a member of the team, if we live with a hopeful spirit, for life.''

Mattie Stepanek passed away just a few weeks before his 14th birthday, which was last Saturday, July 17. His life was a singular credit to the strength of the human spirit. He contributed so much during a life that was so short. He has given faith to those in need and hope to those who have lost direction. He has touched so many lives that he has never met, and I know he has touched mine. Mattie will continue to reach down from heaven and touch so many more.

Tonight, I stand in strong support of this resolution that honors Mattie Stepanek, and I highly commend the gentleman from Maryland for moving ahead with H. Res. 695. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me and offer blessings to Mattie.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania, for her work on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the reauthorization of this very worthy program. As we all know, the last few years have been difficult for America's steel industry and continuing the Metals Initiative will go a long way towards easing those burdens.

This Nation's steel industry is second to none, and it is this Congress' responsibility to do everything in its power to enable American-produced steel to compete in a global economy.

The Metals Initiative lends private industry the resources it needs to develop energy-saving technologies that increase productivity and cut pollution. These innovations are a vital component to a strong American steel industry.

I can think of few other programs that offer so much with a prudent investment. Not only does this program create jobs by making the steel industry more competitive and reduce environmental impacts caused by steel production, but any costs incurred are recouped. A portion of all royalties realized by these new technologies are repaid until the full Federal investment has been recovered.

At a recent hearing held by the Subcommittee on Energy of the Committee on Science, U.S. Steel cited just one example of how the company has utilized these moneys. Several projects have been funded through the Metals Initiative to research and develop Advanced High Strength Steels.

This steel allows for the creation of lightweight cars that maintain the same standards of safety currently available to today's drivers. By using Metals Initiative funds, Advanced High Strength Steels production requires 171 million fewer gallons of gasoline, 4 million fewer barrels of oil, and emits 2.1 million fewer tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Such innovation reduces our dependency on both foreign steel and foreign oil, while further contributing to a safer road system and a healthier environment for us all.

This Nation would not be what it is today were it not for the contributions of the American Steel Industry and American steelworkers. Congress should recognize the significant strides the industry has taken to remain competitive despite many obstacles.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3890.

Mr. Chairman, the rhetoric of this debate is not without its dangers. While this evening's discussion is ostensibly about the intelligence reauthorization, and I welcome

the more temperate approach tonight has, on other days the vituperative words here and also on the campaign trails, I believe, may have harmful consequences that demand our attention.

We may be responsible for giving weapons of intelligence to the terrorists themselves. In World War II, the Germans launched V2 rockets towards England and waited to learn where they fell. Newspaper and radio accounts of the damage could help the Nazis adjust their fire accordingly.

Now, you do not have to be a psychologist to understand the behavior of terrorists towards us is based upon the feedback they get from us. Are they getting their ideas and marching orders from the evening news?

Politicians look to incite anger and blame over gas prices. Does this lead to bombing of refineries?

Politicians raise doubt about Iraqi security strength. Is that why they attack police barracks?

Politicians questioned if Iraqi leaders were ready to take over. Did that contribute to assassinations of Iraqi leaders?

Politicians screamed about enemy prisoner abuse. Did that contribute to the capture, torture, and decapitation of American citizens?

And politicians questioned if Americans could tolerate casualties of our soldiers. Could that be encouraging attacks on our troops?

Terrorists watch the evening news for our reactions to their crimes, listen to our speeches, listen for calls to run away, watch the polls, and are emboldened by any sign we are weakening, and are thwarted by signs we remain steadfast. We tell them where, how, and how severe to strike next. Our intelligence is important here.

After U.S. politicians began to apply the words ``Vietnam'' and ``quagmire'' in Iraq, al Qaeda added the same words to their daily lexicon.

Terrorists are looking for ways to sway public opinion. Look at Madrid. And now the ultimate question before them is: How will a direct attack on the U.S.A. affect our fall elections?

I believe these concerns are real. But even if only a remote chance of a link, should we not stop, think, and ask where we must draw the line.

And while we deliberate the intelligence bill tonight, let us stop aiding the enemies of freedom through politicized debate here or on the campaign trails. Unless we do, we risk having the blood of Americans on our hands. I say support the amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask that we develop a clear plan to lower our fuel prices and reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil, which decreases our security and weakens our economy.

This summer, Americans are facing record high prices for gasoline. There are some who think we can lower prices by diverting oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve. This is shortsighted and wrong. Not only would releasing the oil have a short-term, negligible impact on prices, but also it would wipe out our reserves, leaving us vulnerable to terrorist attacks targeting pipelines and oil transportation.

This could raise oil prices beyond anything we want to imagine.

Further, in 1973, America was 30 percent dependent on foreign oil. Today, that number has doubled to an all-time high of nearly 60 percent. If we continue down this path without new supplies and conservation, we will only increase our vulnerability to foreign manipulation of oil prices. Our only response must be to reduce, not increase, our foreign dependency.

We must develop a three-point plan to reduce this dependence on lower fuel prices--a plan that includes conservation, diversification of energy sources and further exploration of domestic energy.

We can start with conservation--fuel efficient vehicles, decreasing energy use in federal buildings by 20 percent, and improved incentives for conservation products will help to reduce energy demands.

We must diversify our energy sources. Our own coal resources can provide hundreds of years of energy. Clean coal power plants can alleviate environmental concerns with older plants.

And we can make better use of nuclear energy, which currently provides only 20 percent of the Nation's electricity. We must explore more domestic energy sources.

The resources are here, along with environmentally sound ways to tap into them. There are 16 million acres in ANWR and proposals to drill there would include only an area equivalent to the size of a hand on a football field.

High fuel prices and a dangerous dependence on foreign oil are a problem for all Americans.

It adds costs to fuel and goods. We cannot afford to let this become a partisan issue, nor should we engage in shortsighted solutions that in the end are not solutions at all.

Mr. Speaker, as we recognize the founding of Flag Day, I would also like to pay tribute to William Kerr. William Kerr, of Pittsburgh, PA, worked continuously for over 50 years to establish a national Flag Day. Kerr believed that the American flag had symbolized love for country since its adoption on June 14, 1777. He felt it of great importance that this date be celebrated along with Independence Day on July 4.

Kerr was born in 1868 and began his quest to establish a national holiday at the young age of 14. He was a deeply patriotic young man with a talent for speaking in public. After delivering a speech in Chicago in 1882, he started to think about the important symbolism the flag had for the American people. This love of country and flag was especially fitting when one considers that he was born and lived in a state where the American flag was first adopted.

Kerr's belief in the importance of the flag led him to organize the American Flag Association of Western Pennsylvania in 1888. He went on to speak all over the state on behalf of the organization, building momentum by urging other Pennsylvanians to join the charge. Kerr also began his efforts to lobby the United States Government to officially name June 14th a federal holiday.

In 1898, during the Spanish American War, he expanded this scope of his organization to a national level as head of the new American Flag Association. He began to visit the President of the United States on an annual basis, using his powers of persuasion at the highest possible level. At the same time, his association waged an intensive letter writing campaign to elected officials and other persons of influence.

Kerr's efforts and intensity proved successful. In 1916, Woodrow Wilson urged Americans to celebrate Flag Day, effectively making June 14th a holiday, if still an unofficial one. In 1937, Pennsylvania, his home and the birthplace of his efforts, became the first to make June 14th an official state holiday. And finally, in 1949, William Kerr was asked by President Harry Truman to witness the signing of the Bill that marked June 14th as an official federal holiday. He was 81 years old, and had worked almost his entire life for the day in which he stood by and watched as the Flag Day Act was signed into law.

William Kerr worked tirelessly to ensure that ``Old Glory'' has a special day to commemorate its importance to the American people. His efforts were rewarded then, and they are to be admired and noted today.

Mr. Speaker, this summer Americans are facing record-high prices for gasoline. There are some who think we can lower prices by diverting oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve. This is shortsighted and wrong. Not only would releasing oil have a short-term, negligible impact on prices, it would wipe out our reserves, leaving us vulnerable to terrorist attacks targeting pipelines and oil transportation.

In 1973, America was 30 percent dependent on foreign oil. Today that number has doubled to an all-time high of nearly 60 percent.

We must develop a three-point plan to stop this dependence and lower fuel prices. We can start with conservation. Fuel-efficient vehicles, decreasing energy use in Federal buildings by 20 percent, and improved incentives for conservation products will help reduce energy demands.

We must diversify our energy sources. Our own coal reserves can provide hundreds of years of energy and clean-coal power plants can alleviate environmental concerns with older plants, and we can make better use of nuclear energy, which currently provides only 20 percent of the Nation's electricity.

We must explore more domestic sources. The resources are here, along with environmentally sound ways to tap into them. There are 16 million acres in ANWR and proposals to drill there would include only an area equivalent to the size of a hand on a football field.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that we move forward on these issues to help with our energy needs in the future.

High fuel prices and a dangerous dependence on foreign oil are a problem for all Americans. It adds costs to fuel and goods. We cannot afford to let this become a partisan issue, nor should we engage in shortsighted solutions that in the end are not solutions at all.

We need to solve the energy problems for the American people. That future must be our priority.