Marion Berry

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the topic of my special order.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, this evening, I rise to address this House because our senior citizens can no longer afford the prescription drugs that they need to have a decent life. That is the simple truth. PhRMA, the Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers of America, has formed a bogus consumer group called Citizens for Better Medicare and hired a Republican ad agency to front a $20 million to $30 million campaign to distort the truth about prescription drugs and senior citizens. The American Association of Retired Persons spokesperson was right when he told the New York Times ``This phony coalition created and financed by the pharmaceutical industry is what we have come to expect from the drug companies over the last decade.'' Fundamentally, they are in favor of the status quo, which leaves millions of older Americans without drug coverage. Helping our senior citizens is a moral issue, and the American public is not going to roll over for $30 million. Last week, the Citizens for Better Medicare released a study claiming the administration's proposal to provide seniors with prescription drug coverage could lead to employers dropping prescription drug benefits for retirees. However, pharmaceutical manufacturers have been leading the way in increasing prices and forcing employers to stop offering retiree prescription drug benefits. From 1981 to 1999, the cost of prescription drugs increased by 306 percent, while the Consumer Price Index rose only 99 percent. The cost of prescription drugs continues to skyrocket. The Health Care Financing Administration reports that spending for prescription drugs rose 14.1 percent in 1997, compared to a 4.8 percent increase for health care services overall. The members of PhRMA are by far the most profitable companies anywhere. Their profits exceed the research and development costs for most large pharmaceutical companies. The drug companies' report claims that employers who currently provide prescription drug benefits for retirees could choose to quit offering the benefit and save money by paying the former employees' Medicare premiums for prescription drugs. However, the proposal that they are criticizing would subsidize employers for continuing to offer their employees a private sector benefit. There is also nothing forcing employers to offer retiree health benefits, including prescription drugs, to retirees now. And if those benefits have more value than a Medicare benefit, they will have the same incentives to continue offering the benefit. What the pharmaceutical companies are not telling senior citizens is that their doomsday scenario is already becoming a reality because of their own actions. The fictional character the drug companies have invented for their ads, called Flo, says she has a private sector drug benefit as part of her retirement plan. In real life, only 24 percent of the population on Medicare has meaningful private sector coverage for prescription drugs. Between 1994 and 1998, 25 percent of the firms that offered health benefits to their retirees quit providing coverage. It just cost too much. Among the largest employers, companies that employ more than 5,000 people, over a third have dropped coverage. One of the most significant reasons employers are dropping coverage is that they can no longer afford to pay the increasingly high cost manufacturers charge for prescription drugs. Short of that, it is critical that they have access to prescription drugs at a reasonable price. The senior citizens in the District that I am fortunate to represent, and in every district, know that they are simply being robbed. Senior citizens across the country expect every Member of Congress to address this situation. Drug companies say uninsured Americans should pay twice as much as their preferred customers and considerably, two to three times as much, more than people in other countries so the international drug companies located in America will continue to invest in research and development. We know we have to have research and development. The high prices they charge Americans make them the most profitable industry in the world. The industry's profits as a percent of sales are nearly five times, five times, that of the average Fortune 500 company. I have a chart here this evening that shows what percent of various countries' health care expenditures go to developing new prescription medications. The United States is not at the top of the list, as my colleagues can see. The United Kingdom, Japan, France, Italy, and Germany all invest more than the United States in developing new prescriptions. Addressing the issues of cost and affordability for prescription drugs, as well as finding a reasonable approach to offering drug coverage to Medicare recipients, are important priorities. Pharmaceutical companies need to stop throwing money away creating fictional characters and invest more in creating legitimate new medicines. The American public and this Congress are simply not for sale. We are going to do everything we can to ensure that our senior citizens are treated fairly. It is absolutely amazing, Mr. Speaker, that this has continued; that we have placed our senior citizens, so many of them, in a position where they have to make a decision whether or not to buy food or buy their medicine on a daily basis. If it just cost that much, then so be it. But the fact is our senior citizens in this country are charged two to three times as much as anyone else in the world for this medicine. We are simply allowing the pharmaceutical manufacturers to take advantage of our senior citizens and, Mr. Speaker, it is time to stop.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man who during his 19 years, has made many outstanding contributions to his community, Reverend Robert Nelson, Jr. Reverend Nelson, Jr. has served as pastor of Bethel A.M.E. Church West Memphis, Arkansas for 19 years. Through his ministry at Bethel, he has been able to establish the Bethel Christian Outreach Center which aides the people of the community with substance abuse problems. He also administers the Bethel Learning Academy, a childcare facility setup to target high school drop outs, low to moderate income families and children with special needs. Along with his work for the church and the community, Reverend Nelson, Jr. also served his country. He is a three year army veteran who courageously fought in the Vietnam War. When he returned home from his service in Vietnam, he helped establish the Crosstown Fellowship in Crittenden County which holds services in the community every second Sunday. This ministry has helped several hundred families with housing and utilities expenses. Reverend Robert Nelson, Jr. is the recipient of several awards such as the Arkansas Certificate of Merit for his outstanding service to the people of Arkansas while serving on the Governor's Arkansas Highway Safety Advisory Council. He has received several awards of appreciation from President Bill Clinton, Mayor Al Boals of West Memphis, the General Assembly, former Governor Guy Tucker, the NAACP and others. Reverend Nelson is also a family man, who cherishes his family including his wife Mrs. Rita Wilson; four children, Marty Green, Ryan Nelson, Rashunda Nelson and Rachel Nelson; and two granddaughters, Renea Nelson and Raylyn Nelson. When I think of someone we all should strive to be like, I think of Reverend Nelson. Through all his hard work for his country and his community and all the awards he has received, Reverend Nelson continues to be a wonderful, down to earth man who takes pride in his love of people and his love of God.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. That is absolutely right, Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will continue to yield. We not only have emergency spending we are going to have to do for agriculture this year to keep it in business. As my colleague, the gentleman from Texas, also just mentioned, these terrible shortfalls that we have in rural hospitals and all rural health care providers, home health care, all these things are creating a desperate situation in rural America. We also had this shortfall in the way we pay the men and women that fight for this country and serve in our Armed Forces. It is absolutely unconscionable that we would put them in a situation where they are putting their lives on the line every day, and, at the same time, they have to worry about whether or not their families back home are being taken care of. They know that their families are living below the poverty level, and we should not, a great Nation that we are, ask our men and women in uniform to make a sacrifice like that at the same time we are asking them to protect us. All of these things just do not make any sense, and we know that we are going to eventually have to deal with them, and we should make allowances for that in how we spend our money and allocate our monies in this country.

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Texas, for his great leadership on this matter. I do not know of any Member of this House that has worked harder or been more dedicated to the cause of seeing that this Nation is fiscally responsible than the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm). I also want to thank my other distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner), for his efforts here this evening, and also all the time he has been in the House. We are a great Nation. We have been unbelievably successful. The reason that we have been successful is because we have made good decisions over the years. We cannot be this successful without making good decisions. It is absolutely amazing to me that we are even having this discussion. We all know, and as my colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner) just talked about, as we were in the district over the August recess, we would go from one spot to the next and meet with people, and they are not up here dealing with this every day like we are, but they do not have to be. They know that this is a bad idea. They know that this tax cut, they know this surplus, is a fantasy. They know that the surplus does not exist. They know that if we do this tax cut, we are going to put ourselves in worse shape than we are already in. They also understand very well what it takes for us to be successful. Certainly, the best thing that we could possibly do for our children and grandchildren, and those that come after us, would be to pay this debt off. Certainly we should not spend any surplus until it is there, and then we should pay the debt off and take care of social security and Medicare. Mr. Speaker, my colleague, the gentleman from Texas, mentioned health care a few minutes ago. We have got a commitment to our senior citizens in this country that we made a long time ago, and it is the right thing to do, that we are going to provide them with health care in their senior years. That is a commitment that we cannot and should not walk away from. We should use the monies, while we have the opportunity, to take care of social security, to take care of Medicare, and be sure they are there for all of us for years to come. It is just unbelievable to me that we would talk about doing anything else. Then we should pay this debt off, use any major portion of an accumulated surplus in these times of prosperity to increase the national savings by improving the financial integrity of the Federal Government. Reducing the national debt is the best long-term strategy for the U.S. economy. Reducing our national debt will provide a tax cut for millions of Americans because it will restrain interest rates, saving them money on mortgages, new mortgages, auto loans, credit card payments. Each percentage point increase in interest rates would mean an extra $200 to $250 billion in mortgage costs to Americans. Reducing the national debt will protect future generations from increasing tax burdens. Currently more than 25 percent of individual income taxes go to pay the interest on our national debt. Every dollar of lower debt saves more than $1 for future generations, a savings that can be used for tax cuts or for covering the baby boomers' retirement without tax increases. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan has repeatedly advised the Congress that the most important action we could take to maintain a strong and growing economy is to pay down the national debt. Earlier this year, Chairman Greenspan testified before the Committee on Ways and Means that debt reduction is a much better use of surplus than tax cuts. He said, The advantages that I perceive that would accrue to this economy from a significant decline in the outstanding debt to the public in its virtuous cycle on the total budget process is a value which I think far exceeds anything we could do with the money. Virtually all mainstream economists agree that using the surplus to reduce the debt will benefit the economy and stimulate economic growth by increasing national savings and boosting domestic investment. Increasing national savings is vital to achieving the productivity growth that will be necessary to compensate for the reductions in the labor force in the next century. All of this is very simple. It is not complicated. We are making it complicated to achieve political goals that will not last, and will cause us tremendous problems in the future. Again, I want to thank my colleagues from Texas for their leadership in this matter. Certainly the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), as I said, has been a granite rock in this fight to see that we are fiscally disciplined. Again, I want to thank him for his leadership in this area, and challenge all of us to make good decisions to see that this country continues to be successful for the many, many years to come, and certainly for our children and grandchildren and those who come after us.

Mr. BERRY. It certainly has, Mr. Speaker. I think that the point that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) made about our grandchildren, grandparents love to talk about their grandchildren, but I think that the point that the gentleman makes, that I do not want to have to face my grandchildren 20 years from now and look them in the eye and let them ask me, ``Why did you not do something when you had the chance?'' I think we all know what we need to do, and it is a matter of having the political will and the courage to do the right thing and see that we do not leave our children and grandchildren with this huge debt to pay off. I think that is the responsibility that we have. We also have an obligation to the five areas that the gentleman just mentioned to see that they get taken care of, too. But, again, it has been a pleasure for me to join my colleagues this evening. I thank both of my colleagues for their leadership in this area.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Chairman, due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to be present for rollcall votes 390 through 400. If I had been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall No. 390, ``yes'' on rollcall no. 391, ``No'' on rollcall No. 392, ``yes'' on rollcall No. 393, ``yes'' on rollcall No. 394, ``yes'' on rollcall No. 395, ``no'' on rollcall No. 396, ``yes'' on rollcall No. 397, ``yes'' on rollcall No. 398, ``yes'' on rollcall No. 399, and ``no'' on rollcall No. 400. Amendment Offered by Mr. Green of Wisconsin

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, we all want tax cuts. Let us not spend money that does not exist. When we have some surplus, let us reduce the debt, save Social Security and Medicare, get our priorities straight. Let us not create another $5 trillion debt to burden our children and grandchildren. I urge my colleagues to vote against this conference report.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the motion to instruct on the Republican tax cut bill. This motion will urge conferees to take responsibility and commit to reducing the debt. I am for a tax cut. I think we all are. But not with funny money. We should be sure that we really have a surplus before we commit to these tax cuts, put the budget on a long-term path, take the so-called surplus and pay down the debt, deal with Social Security and Medicare first, and then talk about tax cuts. Do not spend projected surpluses that may not ever exist and certainly do not exist today. Let us take this terrible burden of a $5.6 trillion national debt off our children. Vote for the motion to instruct.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, trade with China is absolutely essential. We face the challenges that trade with China press, or we can turn our back and face the consequences: lost markets for America's farmers and the possibility of food shortages in China. China does not have enough food to feed its population. They have 25 percent of the world's population and 7 percent of the world's arable land. We have an agriculture trade surplus with China that is absolutely essential to our agriculture community. In 1997, U.S. agriculture sales to China totaled $4 billion. We have a huge trade surplus in agriculture with China, 250 percent in our favor. They are one of our largest wheat customers. China is a growth market. They are increasing food imports. NTR is critical to our market access. As the Chinese economy improves, more value-added goods will be bought. China will have to play fair to enter the World Trade Organization. China must show improved access to U.S. agriculture products and revoking NTR will derail this progress. Engagement will result in improvements. We want a peaceful and prosperous China. One billion hungry people does not lead to a stable democracy. The U.S. is well-positioned to help feed their people while maintaining positive relations. Turning our back on China today would be a huge mistake. I urge Members to vote to maintain trade with China. Vote no on House Joint Resolution 57.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Madam Chairman, I rise this morning to support this amendment. I commend the gentleman from Vermont for introducing this amendment. It is critical that our State Department allow countries the tools they need to fight health epidemics such as AIDS as long as they play by the international rules. WTO agreements and fairness should be the driving force behind U.S. policy relating to this issue, not a few very profitable international pharmaceutical companies. We do not have to do things that inappropriately protect their markets like we do in this country and allow them to take advantage of other people.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask Congress to maintain fiscal discipline and to work to reduce the national debt. In the coming weeks, we are going to be talking about tax cut packages and what to do with the projected budget surplus. I underline projected. It does not exist, it is just imagined. The Congressional Budget Office earlier this month revised its budget outlook upward saying the budget surplus would reach a total of $996 billion over the next 10 years assuming existing revenue and spending policies remain in place and the economy continues growing at rates at least equal to its performance today. The Office of Management and Budget, relying on the same kinds of assumptions, projected the budget surplus would grow to $1.08 trillion over the next 10 years. These projections are very dangerous. Only three years ago they were projecting deficits for as far as we could see. Now it is surpluses. We simply should not spend money we do not have, and when we get some extra, we should pay off the debt. A new study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows the projected budget surpluses may not come true. This study shows that the majority of this so-called surplus is based on Congress maintaining the budget caps set in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. But, Mr. Speaker, Congress this year alone has already broken those caps by almost $30 billion in unanticipated spending. If we set aside the Social Security trust fund, as we should, protect Medicare and deal with emergencies, there will be a small surplus, and it should go to pay off the debt. While some folks are getting caught up in a surplus feeding frenzy, we should be conservative and be careful before spending projected surpluses that may not materialize. We should not rely on ten and fifteen year budget projections to justify large tax cuts or new spending programs. Budget projections for the next ten years have improved by nearly $2 trillion in the last twelve months--they could go the other way just as quickly. Today's budgetary projections are headed in the right direction but they are simply best guesses. If a surplus actually appears, we should use it to get our budget on a solid long-term path by paying down our debt and dealing with Social Security and Medicare first. Paying down the national debt is the most important thing Congress can do to maintain a strong and growing economy with low inflation. Madam Speaker, we talk about these projected surpluses like they were real money, but there is an old joke in the part of the country where I come from where they talk about the board of directors that was going to hire a new CEO. They brought in an accountant and they interviewed him, and they said, what is two and two? And he said, well, it depends on whether it is a deficit two or whatever column you put it in. So they rejected him. They brought in an engineer and they said, what is two and two? He said, well, it depends on whether it is a plus two or a minus two. It depends on how you put it together. You can get different answers. Then they brought in a Republican budget forecaster and asked him. They said, what is two and two? He looked under the table, in the closet, behind the curtains, under the chairs, and then he looked at the board of directors and he said, what do you want it to be? That is what we are looking at here. We have numbers here that do not mean anything. It is someone's imagination. We should not take the chance when we do not have the money and ignore the fact that we have to save Social Security, we have to save Medicare, we have to take care of our veterans and our farmers and educating our children. Most of all, we owe it to our children to pay off this debt. We simply cannot let this debt go on and on and on. With this money, when the surplus does exist, we should recognize our responsibilities and not pass this debt on to our children and grandchildren.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a great Arkansan. This man served his country with intelligence, courage, and dedication, Mr. George E. ``Shorty'' McGraw. Mr. McGraw was born in 1918 in Gillett, Arkansas. He worked as an auto mechanic until 1941, when he enlisted into the military. Mr. McGraw went on to graduate from Air Mechanic School and Flight Engineer School. He later served overseas with the Twentieth Air Force, 6th Bomb Group. On July 20, 1945, while flying his 33rd mission, Mr. McGraw was shot down and wounded. He was captured, beaten, and taken as a prisoner of war until his release on his 27th birthday. Mr. McGraw later attended Navigator Training School. He eventually retired as a Captain in 1961 with a total of 10,000 flying hours over his twenty years of service. George E. ``Shorty'' McGraw is not only a wonderful citizen, neighbor and friend, he is a brother, husband, father, grandfather and great- grandfather. He is the heart and soul of his community. Captain McGraw was recently bestowed with a Purple Heart for his selfless service of his country. His devotion and love for his country never diminished. Captain McGraw serves as an inspiration to all.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Chairman, once again I have to vote against this bill despite the fact that I support its premise. Just last year Congress made almost the same mistakes on this important legislation that we are making this year. The result of the mistakes the House of Representatives made resulted in stalemate and the loss of an opportunity to benefit the people of Africa. I always prefer giving someone a hand up, rater than a hand-out. This is the point of this legislation. However, as this bill is written, I cannot vote for it. I will gladly vote for a motion to send it back to the committee of jurisdiction to amend it, because I know that there are simple ways for it to be improved. It is important that we do what we can to help these desperately poor nations develop economically. By helping them create industry and develop into mature trading partners, we would like reduce the overall need for direct foreign aid. The authors of this bill have chosen to ignore the very real problem of trans-shipment of goods produced outside Africa. There is ample evidence that certain countries and companies around the world will exploit the ability to ship goods through the Africa continent to avoid duties and quotas that they would otherwise face. This is not fair, and I want to ensure that we address the issue in a way that protects our industries and workers. Not only is it unfair to our workers, it is unfair to the very countries this bill hopes to assist. Their domestic industries would not develop if other nations are using the provisions of this bill to circumvent internationally recognized rules of fair trade. I hope that the Senate will generate a similar bill--but take the needed steps to safeguard the intent of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a woman whose leadership and caring nature have influenced so many, Ms. Willie Mae Rivers. Willie Mae Rivers was born in Charleston, SC. She aligned herself with Calvary Church of God in Christ in 1946, where she has served over the past 50 years. Ms. Rivers has also served as district missionary and assistant state supervisor for the state of South Carolina. Ms. Rivers has also held various positions on Screening and Program committees, District Missionaries, and instructor of the State Supervisor's class. Ms. Rivers is the mother of 12 children. She currently maintains a satellite office in addition to the Church of God in Christ headquarters in Memphis, TN. Ms. Willie Mae Rivers is a leader and giving individual who deserves the respect and admiration of everyone.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on a bittersweet note. One of the most valuable people on my staff will leave soon to pursue further professional goals and ideals. During my time as a Member of Congress, I have had the great pleasure of working with an extremely dedicated Chief of Staff, Bruce Harris. Bruce has been extremely loyal to me personally, and I am most grateful for that. More importantly, he has been loyal and devoted to the people of the First Congressional District of Arkansas. Bruce will soon leave the office of the 1st Congressional District to go back to his home state of Arkansas and will be leaving huge shoes to fill. But he also leaves behind an outstanding record of achievement for the people of the 1st Congressional District of Arkansas, who have come to know, respect, and love him for his administrative talents, legislative skill, and his warm and caring personality. Bruce is a native Arkansan. He has served the people of Arkansas first, as an aide to then-Representative Blanche Lincoln and then as chief of staff since 1997 when I came to office. He is remembered fairly and fondly by the many people with whom he has worked. Bruce Harris is the kind of person who commands not only the respect and admiration of the staff, but also earns their fondness and loyalty as well. In short, he is a leader. His personal style and professionalism will be missed, yet I know he will serve well in his new endeavor. It has been my extreme pleasure to have watched him develop and grow in running my operation, and although we will miss him, it is with great pride and admiration that I watch him take on this new and deserved challenge. Mr. Speaker, my wife Carolyn and I, along with the entire 1st District staff, wish Bruce the very best in the future, and though we are said to lose such talent, we know we have in him the very best kind of friend, for life.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great Arkansan, a man who served his community as a minister of youth and music, and who was a devoted father and husband, Mr. Gary Glover. Mr. Glover spent much of his life as a dedicated church member, sharing his faith and conviction in God with others. He received his ministry license in 1988 after attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and served Levy Baptist Church in North Little Rock at this time. Before settling in Arkansas, Mr. Glover served as director of housing and Christian training at Happy Hill Farm Academy and Home in Granbury, Texas. Here he supervised Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary students. After Mr. Glover came to Arkansas he served as youth minister at Sylvan Hills First Baptist Church in North Little Rock. Clearly, Mr. Glover was a caring and giving man. Even after his passing, Mr. Glover continues to give through the donation of his organs. His family, including his wife, Becky, and his three sons, Drew, Daniel, and D.J., decided Mr. Glover would have wanted to continue helping others and felt this donation is something he would have wanted. Gary Glover was a man of great influence and inspiration for many. He was a strong voice for the Christian community in Arkansas and elsewhere. May we attempt to live our lives as generously as he.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a fine young man who resided in the 1st Congressional District of Arkansas and was taken from this world last week, James Harrison from Paragould. A bass- baritone, James was a singer at Ouachita Baptist University, and was returning on Flight 1420 from a choir tour in Germany and Austria. Although James was only 21, he certainly lived a wonderful life. He was a responsible, trustworthy person. His love and concern for others very likely could have cost him his life. Along with his contributions to the Ouachita Singers, James was the music minister at First Baptist Church of Royal. His friends say he could look at any piece music and sing it. He played the guitar and saxophone and was in charge of setting up before concerts at Ouachita. ``Arv'' as he was called, for his middle name Arvin, was a patient, level-headed young man who devoted his life to Christ. I ask that all Americans join us as we pray for the families and friends of the passengers and crew members who perished in the crash, that they might gain some measure of solace and understanding about their profound and very public loss.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague from New Jersey for yielding. Mr. Speaker, once again we are here asking the Republican leadership to bring patients rights legislation to the floor for a vote, once again. We need this reform so we can make managed care work. We need managed care. We are only asking the leadership to do the job the American people want them to do, to bring up a bill to guarantee all Americans with private health insurance, and particularly those in HMOs or other managed care plans, certain fundamental rights regarding their healthcare coverage. Today approximately 161 million Americans receive medical coverage through some type of managed care organization. Unfortunately, many in managed care plans experience increasing restrictions on their choice of doctors, growing limitations on their access to necessary treatment, difficulty in obtaining the drugs they need and should have and must have to stay alive, and an overriding emphasis on cost cutting at the expense of quality. Patients rights legislation would guarantee basic patient protections to all consumers of private insurance. It would ensure that patients receive the treatment they have been promised and paid for. It would prevent HMOs and other health plans from arbitrarily interfering with doctors' decisions regarding the treatment of their patients and the necessary healthcare that they require. Patients rights legislation would restore the patient's ability to trust that their healthcare practitioner's advice is driven solely by health concerns and not cost concerns. HMOs and other healthcare plans would be prohibited from restricting which treatment options doctors may discuss with their patients. One of the most critical patient protections that would be provided is guaranteed access to emergency care. We would ensure that patients could go to any emergency room during a medical emergency without calling their health plan for permission first. Emergency room doctors could stabilize the patient and focus on providing them the care that they need without worrying about payment until after the emergency had subsided. HMO reform legislation would also ensure that health plans provide their customers with access to specialists when they are needed because of the complexity and seriousness of the patient's sickness. Let us bring patient protection legislation to the floor. Let us give the Americans the patient protection they are asking us for.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Chairman, I am ashamed that we have taken this long to create a piece of legislation that is this much of a disservice to American farmers. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time an agriculture bill has been stalled. Last fall, while farmers were twisting in the wind, the Leadership failed to pass the emergency supplemental legislation. Now, we have had an agriculture appropriations bill since February but sadly enough, the Leadership has not seen the need to pass it. When the bill finally comes to the floor, it is held up for two months. Then, in the remaining hours of the debate, an amendment which I did not support, was attached that cut $103 million. This is just one more example of the Congress' failed leadership. This legislation is an embarrassment to the American farmer. I could not vote for this legislation because it cut billions of dollars in agriculture programs. The legislation spends about $1.6 billion less than this year and $6 billion less than the Administration requested. It just doesn't seem right that when America's farmers are hurting the most, we kick them when they're down by passing legislation that spends less money on farm programs than last year. I voted for a motion to recommit this bill to the agriculture appropriators so that they could make adjustments to it without making haphazard cuts. These last minute cuts were done without the input of the Democrats on the authorizing committee, on which I serve. It is imperative that the Majority not take the fate of farmers so lightly as to just cut funding with so little regard. At the end of the night, despite my firm commitment to American agriculture, I decided to oppose final passage of this legislation. It is my strong desire that our colleagues in the Senate have the wisdom to make improvements on this legislation and that we return from a conference committee with a bill that adequately supports farmers. In response to the lack of action on the appropriations legislation, I introduced a resolution last month expressing the sense of the Congress that it is committed to addressing this crisis and that it recognizes that further assistance will be needed. I hope that all Members of Congress join me in reassuring America and our farmers that agriculture is vital to our future and our prosperity.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man who was a dear friend of mine, Jerry Dyer. Jerry was a devoted and loving husband, father, son, brother and friend. His love was unconditional, just because you were there. He had his priorities in order. He was a good businessman but he knew that was not at the top of the list. He always greeted life and business with great good humor. He enriched every life he touched, especially children. Jerry was a good citizen, and it is appropriate that he was honored as ``Citizen of the Year'' by his community. It is the highest honor to be recognized by your friends and neighbors. I will always remember two stories Jerry loved to tell on himself. One about a man in Gillett that he loaned some money to buy some cows. The man bought the cows and they got out of the pasture one night, onto the highway and were destroyed by a truck. The man come in the bank the next morning and walked into Jerry's office and said ``banker they done run over our collateral.'' Jerry just laughed his special chuckle and said ``well let's see what we can do.'' Jerry always worked hard to make his community a better place to live, work, and raise a family. We had been working together to improve main street in Gillett and one of the towns ``characters'' named ``Doc'' purchased a vacant lot right in the middle of the business section of the street and put a rather dilapidated trailer there. Then he took the bath tub out of the trailer and set it in the front yard. Every one that drove by saw this. Doc was in the bank one day and Jerry, in his diplomatic way said to Doc (part of Doc's charm was lack of personal hygiene) ;``Doc what are you going to do with your bath tub?'' Doc says, ``I need that space to store my spare tires in, but if I was going to take a bath, I would want a bigger tub than that.'' Again Jerry just laughed and started trying to improve things in another way. My friend Jim Ed Wampler said it best and it is the way we describe our very best in the wonderful place we call home, ``he was a good man.'' I think that says it all.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great Arkansan, a man who served our country in the Korean War, and is a Medal of Honor recipient, Mr. Gilbert Collier. Mr. Collier served as a Sergeant in U.S. Army's Company F, 223d Infantry Regiment, 40th Infantry Division near Tutayon, Korea in 1953. Sergeant Collier was pointman and assistant leader of a combat patrol. While serving his country in Korea, he was injured after he and his commanding officer slipped and fell from a steep, 60-foot cliff and were injured. Although he suffered a badly sprained ankle and painful back injury, Sergeant Collier stayed with his leader and ordered the patrol to return to the safety of friendly lines. Before daylight, Sergeant Collier and his commanding officer managed to crawl back up and over the mountainous terrain to the opposite valley where they concealed themselves in the brush until nightfall, then edged toward their company positions. Shortly after they were ambushed, Sergeant Collier received painful wounds after killing two hostile soldiers. He was also separated from his leader. Sergeant Collier ran out of ammunition and was forced to attack four hostile infantrymen with his bayonet. He was mortally wounded but made a valiant attempt to reach and assist his leader in a desperate effort to save his comrade's life without regard for his own personal safety. This Memorial Day, all Americans will honor the men and women who fought for our country. I would like to pay a special tribute today to Sergeant Collier, who's life has been committed to the principles of duty, honor, and country. He is a courageous and outstanding Arkansan, who exemplifies the meaning of bravery and is truly a great American hero.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) for yielding this time to me, and I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member of this committee for the hard work that they have done. Mr. Chairman, America is the greatest Nation that has ever been today because of our ability to domestically produce safe, affordable and abundant agriculture commodities. The American farmer is the most productive ever anywhere in the world. The American farmer only asks for a chance. If we will just give him a chance, he will do the rest. A combination of factors have contributed to historically low commodity prices that are being received by our American farmers today. We have got a crisis in rural America, and we need to face that crisis. This bill is a good effort to begin that. It a shame that we do not have more money in this bill for America's farmers, but I know that it is the best that the appropriators could do with what they had to work with. Congress has an obligation to protect the food and fiber security of America. Current budget restrictions and resulting appropriations for agriculture do not allow for adequate devotion of financial resources to properly address the crisis that American agriculture faces today. We need to commit to America's farmers to protect the food and fiber security that our country has historically provided. I firmly believe, Mr. Chairman, that the further we get from our rural agrarian roots that Thomas Jefferson envisioned, the more social problems we have, and it is something that is of great concern to me. But this is just another reason why we should do the best we can to fund the Department of Agriculture and support America's farmers.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, I missed rollcall votes number 147 and 148 on Monday, May 24, 1999, because I was attending a funeral of a dear friend. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on both of these votes.

Mr. BERRY

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Allen), for yielding, and I want to thank him for this outstanding bill and for this idea that has helped create this bill. He has provided the leadership that has gotten us where we are with this effort, and I appreciate very much what he has done. I also want to thank our colleagues, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner), and all of the others that have joined us here this evening and that are cosponsors of this bill. I think this is something that for most of us it is just a simple matter of fairness. It is unbelievable that we would allow a situation to develop in this country because of our laws and our regulations that we have put in place, that would create a system where our senior citizens could be so grossly abused as they are right now by the prescription drug manufacturers in this country. It is a very distressing thing. We are the greatest Nation that has ever been in the history of the world. No other country has ever had our economic or our military or political power, and yet we allow a situation like this to become dominant and to take advantage of our senior citizens. When I first began the campaign in 1996, one of the first experiences I had was encountering a senior citizen that came to me and he said, ``Medicare does not pay for my medicine. I have a $500-a-month Social Security check. My medicine is $600 a month. What do I do?'' I didn't have an answer for him. I thought I knew a lot about this business at that time, but that man has plagued me ever since. I think about him every day. It seems so unfair that we would let the manufacturers, the pharmaceutical manufacturers in this country, create a situation where that man who had worked hard, played by the rules, tried to do everything that he thought he was supposed to do to be prepared for his old age, get taken advantage of in that way. If we had someone out here going door to door, taking the food out of our senior citizens' mouths, we would have them arrested, and yet that is exactly what is happening here with our senior citizens in this country. We all pay too much for prescription medication. The gentleman has done an outstanding job this evening of explaining that these are the most profitable companies anyplace. They are the most profitable legal businesses that exist. And yet, we allow them to take advantage of our senior citizens like this. We all encourage making a profit. We want these companies to be profitable, but when they make a profit at the expense of taking advantage and abusing senior citizens who cannot protect themselves, it becomes a moral issue, and that is the reason we have to do something about it. As the United States Congress, we should pass H.R. 664 and do everything that we can to at least give our seniors an even break. It is almost unbelievable to me that we have not done this a long time ago. This does not cost the government anything. All it does is make our seniors part of a very large purchasing pool and give them a good deal. For once in their lives, they get an even break. As we see the way the system is structured, it is unbelievable to me that the Federal Government has allowed it to go on and on and on. Every time that we have held the prescription drug manufacturers responsible, when we created generic drugs basically in this country, the prescription drug manufacturers came to us and they said, oh, this will be a terrible thing. We will not get any new products. The fact is, the investment they made in creating new products has more than quadrupled. It just simply does not hold water that they are not going to continue to invest in creating new products. We all know what an essential thing that this is. As I have said, it is a matter of basic fairness. I appreciate again the gentleman's efforts this evening to bring this to the public's attention, to bring it to our attention. I thank all of my colleagues for being here to support this effort and I look forward to the day when we can stand here and say, this is law. We have done the right thing, we have done the fair thing, and America is going to be a better place for it. I thank the gentleman.