Sherrod Brown

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, this year we have a great opportunity, a once-in-a-generation chance to really save Social Security. We can take our budget surplus and begin to pay back the IOUs into our Social Security system. Unfortunately, though, Republicans are putting politics first and Social Security second. They want to raid the surplus to fund their political agenda. They put fiscal irresponsibility first and Social Security second. No piggy bank money should be used, Mr. Speaker, for election year giveaways. Instead let us bank all of the surplus to shore up Social Security today.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow Speaker Gingrich has promised that he would bring the fast track legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives. Some years ago, this Congress passed the North American Free Trade Agreement, a disastrous trade agreement that has led to more problems on the Mexican border, more unemployment in this country, more problems with food safety, more problems with truck safety, more problems with drug trafficking, and, ultimately, a bill that swelled, that took a trade surplus with Mexico of $2 billion and turned it into a trade deficit of $20 billion. The so-called fast track legislation which Speaker Gingrich is presenting to the House tomorrow is basically a procedural issue that will allow the extension of the North American Free Trade Agreement to the other countries of Latin America. For those of us who voted against the passage of NAFTA in 1993, we are particularly disturbed at the idea of expanding this failed trade agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement, to another couple of dozen Latin, Central and South American countries. About 12 months ago at my own expense I traveled to the Mexican border. I flew to McAllen, Texas, rented a car with a couple of friends and drove across to Reynosa, Mexico. I went to the home of two auto workers, two people that worked at a large American auto plant in Mexico. Each of these workers, husband and wife, made 95 cents an hour. They brought home about $40 a week, each of these two workers. They lived in a home with no electricity, no running water and lived in a home with dirt floors. Right behind their shack was a ditch which had some kind of effluent running in it, certainly not clear, clean water, some kind of waste from some industrial plant or some sewage treatment or whatever, and there were children playing nearby in this ditch and nearby this ditch. On the other side of this ditch was another shack where a young woman worked who was expecting her first child. She was in her early twenties. She and her husband lived in this tiny shack. She was working at another large American company. She was making about 90 cents an hour. She had no electricity, no running water. She had a plywood floor, a little bit better conditions. She had over in the corner of her little shack a stove that you might buy at an American department store for $250 to $300 that was run by a generator. This lady was paying for this stove through her company, through her employer. They were taking $10 a week from her $40 a week paycheck, and she was paying for this stove for 52 weeks which you could have bought in this country for $250 to $300. Her brother-in-law, who lived in the other half of her shack separated by a cardboard, couple of pieces of cardboard stuck together, worked in another American factory; and he was suffering, his doctor said, at the age of about 25 or 26, from some kind of neurological damage, some kind of brain damage because he every day worked in a solution where he dipped his hands into a lead-based solution, and over time that lead solution caused him damage to his central nervous system. That same company in the United States makes the same product but does not use lead in its process. Why? Because the U.S. Government will not let that company have workers work in that lead-based solution like that. When you look at NAFTA, you look at fast track, that is the picture of the future, that is the picture of free trade according to Speaker Gingrich and according to the leaders of the other body. That kind of picture of the future: very low wages, weak environmental laws, nonenforced worker safety laws, problems with truck safety, problems with food safety, problems with more drugs coming across the Mexican border into the United States. Later that day, we traveled to Laredo, Texas, and stood at the border between Nuevo Laredo and Laredo. That is the port of entry where the most trucks enter the United States, about 2,500 a day. Governor Bush, the Governor of Texas, has done virtually nothing to guarantee truck safety at that checkpoint. There was one scale there, a set of scales provided by the State of Texas, which had been broken for three months. There was one Federal truck inspector there who was in charge of inspecting these 2,500 trucks a day. I asked him how many trucks he inspected per day, and he said 10 to 12. I asked him how many of those trucks he took out of service because they were unsafe; he said 9 to 11. Clearly the problems of truck safety, the problems of food safety at the border, the problems of drug smuggling coming into the United States, with more and more congestion and as more and more traffic is coming into the United States, clearly all those problems have been exacerbated by the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Drug smugglers in Mexico, drug kingpins, have bought up legitimate trucking and shipping and freight operations and warehouse operations along the border, and are using those legitimate operations to bring more and more drugs into the country. Mr. Speaker, NAFTA has failed miserably; Fast Track will bring more problems. We should tomorrow defeat Fast Track.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4382, the Mammography Quality Standards Reauthorization Act of 1998. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American women. According to the Department of Health and Human Services the incidence of breast cancer has increased by approximately 1 percent per year since the early 1970's. HHS estimates that 44,000 women died from breast cancer last year, more than 180,000 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed. According to the same HHS report nearly half a million women will die from breast cancer in the 1990's, more than a million and a half new cases will be diagnosed during this same period of time. They are our mothers, our spouses, our sisters, our daughters and our friends. In 1994 I founded in response to breast cancer rates and incidence being much higher in northeast Ohio than in many other parts of the Nation, I founded the Northeast Ohio Breast Cancer Task Force to increase awareness of the value of early detection of breast cancer. Over and over the task force members have stressed the value of mammographies in this process. Mammography is considered to be the most effective method for early detection of breast cancer. In women over 50 the detection rate can exceed 90 percent resulting in a decrease in breast cancer deaths among women as much as 30 percent. The Mammography Quality Standards Act was first enacted 6 years ago to ensure that the mammographies performed at approximately 10,000 facilities throughout the United States are safe and reliable. The GAO stated that the MQSA increased the quality of mammography services while not decreasing access to them. The key to MQSA is its system of annual inspections of mammography facilities by FDA-approved accreditation bodies. These comprehensive examinations and mammography facility equipment and personnel assure the mammographies are of the highest quality. These inspections are funded by using a user fee, so our action is both timely and necessary to the smooth continuation of this important and successful program. The bill before us today makes some changes and, I believe, improvements in the existing statute. First, H.R. 4382 contains a provision requiring direct patient notification of the results of mammography test results. Under the current program patients who are self-referred, meaning they were not referred to the mammography facility by a physician, are already notified of the test results directly by the facility. Our hearing earlier this year in the subcommittee of the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) showed that some facilities voluntarily directly notify their patients in addition to notifying the referring physician to ensure the patient receives the test results in a timely manner. This bill is a common sense extension of direct patient notification to all mammography facility patients, self-referred and physician- referred. Good practice guidelines published by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research spell out in detail the manner for providing direct patient notification. This is a good addition to the MQSA and one which is supported by all breast cancer patient advocacy organizations. Second, H.R. 4382 authorizes a limit on demonstration project to determine whether inspections may be required less than annually for those facilities with excellent records. Currently violations of standards are ranked into three levels according to their severity with Level One being the most serious, Level Three being the least serious. It is intended that only facilities with minor violations or clean records may qualify for the demonstration program. Also the authorization is timed such that facilities must compile an excellent record under HHS final rules, not the less rigorous interim rules currently in place. This is an authorization, not a requirement. It is intended that HHS not approve any demonstration program unless it is satisfied that patient safety will not be compromised. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleagues who have worked hard to make this day happen. I particularly want to thank the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health and the Environment, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), the full committee chair and ranking member, the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. DeGette) who is sitting here today for her good work in this, and I also want to thank the majority counsel, Mark Wheat, and the democratic staff, John Ford in particular, and Kevin Brennan from my office for their tireless work. I urge my colleagues' support of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to echo the words of the gentleman from Florida, and I ask for support of the bill.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I would inquire of the gentleman from Florida if he has any more speakers.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. DeGette).

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, last spring, the Canadian Province of Ontario approved a permit that would have allowed the Nova Group, an Ontario-based company, to divert 3 billion liters of water from Lake Superior over the next 5 years and sell that water to unspecified Asian countries. In April, several of my colleagues, led by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak), and I introduced House Resolution 418 urging the President and the Senate to take the necessary action to prohibit the sale or diversion of Great Lakes water to foreign countries, businesses, corporations or individuals. Two weeks later, the Ministry of Environment of Canada announced the permit issued to the Nova Group would be canceled, but the door remained open to companies who wanted to buy and sell water out of the Great Lakes. We need to slam that door shut. Last week, on September 2, the Nova Group asked the Ontario Environmental Appeals Board to overturn the decision, withdrawing the permit, and allow that company to proceed with its bid to export billions of liters of fresh water to several Asian countries. The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) and I and others have asked Speaker Gingrich and Minority Leader Gephardt to have the House consider House Resolution 418 under suspension in the next couple of weeks. This proposed sale is particularly troubling, due to the existence of several treaties and agreements between the United States and Canada, which would restrict or prohibit this kind of water diversion. The Water Resources Development Act prohibits the diversion of water from the Great Lakes to other parts of the United States without the consent of each of the Governors of the Great Lakes States. I believe these States should continue to have authority regarding any plans to divert or sell this water internationally. This proposal would set a dangerous precedent that could lead to more extensive exports of Great Lakes water around the globe. The diversion of Great Lakes water could have a serious impact on the region's trade, the environment, the ecology, international treaties, drinking water, recreation, commercial activities, and shipping. The Great Lakes are clearly one of this Nation's most valuable resources, and should not be used as a tool for profit by foreign or American companies. Northeast Ohio depends on Lake Erie for sustaining numerous parts of our economy, including transportation, agriculture, fisheries, energy and trade, not to mention drinking water. All of the Great Lakes States, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, all of us depend on the five Great Lakes for much of our commerce, for much of our economic development, for drinking water, for recreation, for fishing, for all kinds of activities. I urge the Governments of Canada and the United States to develop a new policy bilaterally that prohibits any sale or diversion of water from the Great Lakes and that we make this prohibition for generations to come. We cannot afford, Mr. Speaker, to put the Great Lakes up for sale.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, today the Committee on Commerce will consider legislation reauthorizing the Mammography Quality Standards Act, a program which has saved countless lives by improving the quality and accuracy of life-saving breast cancer screenings. While we improve early detection and screening of this deadly disease, women who suffer from breast cancer continue to be denied the best medical treatments available because medical decisions are too often made by insurance company HMO bureaucrats. The bipartisan Patients Bill of Rights would ensure that women could stay in the hospital overnight following radical breast surgery. The Republican bill does not. The bipartisan Patients Bill of Rights would ensure that women can receive reconstructive surgery following mastectomy. The Republican bill does not. This House has passed the Republican Insurance Company Bill of Rights. I urge my colleagues to do the right thing. Insist on a real Patients Bill of Rights, legislation which provides real protections for women.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I rise today to call on the Customs Department to release its findings regarding the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement on our Nation's war against drugs. Americans have been concerned since the beginning of NAFTA, since early 1994, about NAFTA's impact on truck safety, NAFTA's impact on jobs, NAFTA's impact on food safety, and especially NAFTA's impact on illegal drugs coming across the border. Entitled ``Drug Trafficking, Commercial Trade and NAFTA on the Southwest Border,'' the 63-page Customs Department report confirms that NAFTA has made it easier than ever for Mexican traffickers to smuggle drugs into the United States. Further, it found that Mexican and American authorities are not doing enough to counter this fast-growing threat to our Nation's children. NAFTA has opened the floodgates as more and more illegal substances are pouring from Mexico into the United States. Mexican traffickers are believed to smuggle about 330 tons of cocaine, 14 tons of heroin, and hundreds of tons of marijuana into the United States every year. Sophisticated drug gangs are investing in trucking and shipping companies, rail lines and warehouses to shield their trafficking activities. They use these legitimate business operations to shield those trafficking activities. Mexican smugglers have even been busy hiring consultants to learn how to take advantage of the North American Free Trade Agreement, some former drug agents have said. A former high-level DEA official has proclaimed that for Mexico's drug gangs, ``NAFTA is a deal made in narco-heaven.'' Another former high-level DEA official remarked that if you believe NAFTA has not adversely affected the fight against drug traffickers, ``then you must believe in the tooth fairy.'' In light of these allegations, I submitted a letter to the Commissioner of Customs regarding a copy of this report in May. In a June letter of reply, I was notified that the report contains ``sensitive information'' and is not ``releasable.'' Former DEA agents have alleged they were under strict orders not to say anything negative about our current drug policies with Mexico. Hard-working Americans who want to protect their children from the scourge of drugs have taken a back seat to free trade. Madam Speaker, it is troubling that Customs refuses to release this taxpayer-funded report to the American public. By ignoring the flood of illegal drugs from Mexico, we are sacrificing the future of countless American kids on the altar of free trade. Madam Speaker, I call on Customs again today to release this report immediately so we can move to fix NAFTA or to pull America out of this failed trade agreement.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and congratulate the people of Geauga County on the 175th anniversary of the Great Geauga County Fair. This special gathering has always been a time for people and families throughout Ohio to come together. It's also a wonderful way to celebrate community and the values we hold dear. The Great Geauga County Fair brings to mind homemade pies, baking contests, 4-H club activities, the annual petting zoo, music, and pony rides for children. The Fair is also about celebrating the locally produced maple syrup, used in nearly every home throughout the region. Finally, the Fair provides a special moment for the community to honor area veterans and their service to Ohio and the nation. The history of the Great Geauga County Fair is as rich as the Fair itself. In 1823, a group of pioneers, some of whom were among the first settlers in Ohio's Western Reserve, formed one of our state's first trade societies--called the Geauga County Agricultural and Manufacturing Society. The society was formed to promote the region's growing farming and manufacturing industries. To display and share the bounty from their farms, society members organized an annual county- wide fair. While the early Fairs alternated between the towns of Burton and Chardon, the Fair has been held in Burton at the County Fairgrounds since the mid-1800s. This year's Fair also celebrates another birthday. Known as the oldest and only all-volunteer band in the Buckeye State, the Great Geauga County Fair Band turns 60 this year. To most people who go to the Fair today, the Band is a major presence. In a fitting tribute to this milestone, the band this year will play with three of the original ``charter'' band members. Labor Day is always a bittersweet time. For kids, the holiday means back to school; for parents, it means a welcome day off to enjoy the good weather. Labor Day also means Fair-time--the ``grand finale'' to summertime in Geauga County. Without doubt, the Fair is one of our region's most important annual community events--for families and all residents of northeast Ohio. In fact, the ``Great'' in the Fair's name was officially added early this century to signify the Fair's senior standing as the ``Great Granddaddy'' of Ohio's county fairs. The Great Geauga County Fair's motto says it all, ``Something for Everyone Since 1823.'' On the 175th anniversary of the Great Geauga County Fair, I'm proud to represent the people of Geauga County, and proud to be a part of this community.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) for yielding me this time and for his outstanding leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, a mother of a 6-month-old child who was having trouble breathing called her HMO at 3:30 a.m. An HMO bureaucrat told the mother to go to the plan's network hospital 42 miles from her home. On the way to the hospital, the baby suffered cardiac arrest and later had both arms and legs amputated. For the past 2 years, Democrats in Congress have been fighting to pass the Patients' Bill of Rights that could have protected this mother and child. Last week, I met with a number of area residents in a restaurant in North Ridgeville who told story after story about coverage denied for emergency care and bureaucratic refusals of doctor-ordered tests to detect breast cancer. But rather than protecting patients, the Republican leadership in Washington has introduced a proposal that protects millionaire insurance company executives. A friend has diabetes or breast cancer. The Patients' Bill of Rights would guarantee access to a specialist. The insurance company Republican bill does not. A grandfather experiences chest pains that may be a warning sign of a heart attack. The Patients' Bill of Rights would ensure he gets immediate attention at the nearest emergency room by requiring his HMO to cover this care. The insurance company Republican bill does not. A child has been denied access to a pediatric specialist for asthma. The Patients' Bill of Rights would allow a parent to have access to an independent patient's appeal process. The insurance company Republican bill does not. Under present law, the only people in America who enjoy complete immunity from lawsuits are HMOs and foreign diplomats. The Patients' Bill of Rights holds HMOs accountable in State court if they make a medical decision that harms the patient. The insurance company Republican bill does not. Our bill provides real patient protections at a mere $2 per patient per month, according to the Republican-appointed Congressional Budget Office. Our bill is supported by the Cancer Society and the National Breast Cancer Coalition. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to defeat the Republican insurance company bill. Pass the Patients' Bill of Rights.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) for yielding. Every day we see more and more Chinese products on American shelves, products made by child labor, products made in terrible working conditions, products made by prison labor, products made by grossly underpaid workers. Chinese workers and slave labor conditions make dolls like this for America's children; 14-year-old children in China make softballs like this for 14-year-old children in America to play with on playgrounds. Every year we buy $75 billion of goods from China, a nation of slave labor and child labor and a nation which sells nuclear weapons to our enemies and shoots missiles at Taiwan, a regime that terrorizes political dissidents and brutalizes Tibet. Is that what we stand for as a nation? Are these values our values? Are these the values that we want to teach our children? Is this the legacy we want to leave our children? I ask Members of the House to vote no on MFN, to vote yes on H.R. 121.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

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

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support the bill.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner).

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 8, the Border Smog Reduction Act. I would like to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray) for working with me, with the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) and with the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) during the Committee on Commerce's consideration of H.R. 8 to make several important improvements in the legislation. During consideration of this legislation by the Committee on Commerce, my colleagues agreed to an amendment which I offered to study the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement on air quality in communities along the United States-Mexico border. The provision requires the General Accounting Office to conduct a study comparing the potential effect of this legislation on air quality in ozone nonattainment areas with air quality in these same areas caused by vehicles registered in or operating from Mexico as a result of implementation of NAFTA. In November of last year, the Subcommittee on Health and the Environment held a field hearing in San Diego to hear from witnesses on the effect of transborder air pollution caused by commuter vehicles on the air quality of our border region. While in San Diego I had the opportunity to see firsthand the thousands of trucks, many owned by American corporations, crossing our border, most of the time without inspection. Four years after the passage of NAFTA, environmental conditions on the Mexican border have further decayed, air and water quality in particular. It is difficult to imagine that increased commercial truck traffic, much of it brought on by NAFTA, is not adding significantly to the nonattainment problems in southern California. Many of us argued during the NAFTA debate that this agreement would bring more air and water pollution to an already troubled area. Nothing at that time was done inside the parameters of the NAFTA agreement. I am hopeful that our proposed GAO study will shed some light on the effect this increased traffic under NAFTA is having on air quality in our border areas. Should this study conclude that the North American Free Trade Agreement has, in fact, added to the ozone nonattainment problem in areas like San Diego, I am hopeful my colleagues will work with me to address this situation. As passed by the House Committee on Commerce, H.R. 8 will allow States with serious ozone nonattainment areas located on our southern border to require foreign registered vehicles entering these areas to meet State or local vehicle emissions standards. The legislation would prohibit entry into the United States of vehicles which do not meet these standards more than twice in a one-year period. H.R. 8 would allow other States located along the border the option of designing an alternative approach to requiring foreign registered vehicles to comply with States' vehicle emission requirements. Again, I would like to thank my colleagues on the Committee on Commerce for working with me to address the concerns that many of us had with this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Indiana for yielding to me. I rise also in support of H. Con. Res. 301. I would hope that the passage of this resolution today would lead to stronger American support, support from this Congress, support from the administration, and inclusion in the World Health Organization of the country of Taiwan. I am disturbed that a nation of 21 million people does not have the opportunity to exchange information in the world health community with physicians and scientists from other developed and underdeveloped countries, but especially developed countries, exchange information about disease and viruses and all the kinds of things that can happen. As we see around the world more people traveling across borders, more food sold and bought from country to country, and, as a result, more disease transmitted between and among peoples and between and among nations, admission of Taiwan in the World Health Organization will not just help the 21 million people of Taiwan, it will also help the rest of the world gain from the information they can get from physicians and from medical and health researchers and from public health agencies in Taiwan. So it is certainly something we should do for Taiwan, but it is something Taiwan wants to do for the rest of the world. I realize I said I support H. Con. Res. 301. I hope that it does lead down the road to a stronger support from our government for including Taiwan in the World Health Organization.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from American Samoa for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1635, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998. As an original cosponsor, I am pleased the House is considering this important legislation today. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to talk about the important role that Oberlin, Ohio in my district played in this struggle for freedom. Oberlin is probably best known as the site of an historic uprising in which 300 residents of Oberlin and neighboring Wellington rescued John Price, an escaped slave from Kentucky, from arrest by a determined group of slave catchers led by a U.S. marshal in September 1858. This incident drew international attention to the plight of American slaves, contributing to an increasing awareness of the abolitionist movement. The participants in the rescue included students, freed slaves and townspeople of all classes. The open defiance of the residents of Oberlin led to the nickname ``The town that started the Civil War.'' In April, I was pleased to join Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt in Oberlin to designate the Wilson Bruce Evans House as a National Historic Landmark which was home to Wilson and Henry Evans, two of the leaders in this historic uprising. Additionally, the City of Oberlin is home to several other sites which played prominent roles in the Underground Railroad movement. First Church in Oberlin served as a meeting site for the Oberlin Anti-Slavery Society. Erected in Martin Luther King Park are several monuments, including a memorial to the three African-American men, Shields Green, John Copeland and Lewis Sheridan Leary, who died with John Brown during his march on Harper's Ferry, Virginia, which served as a prelude to the Civil War. Additionally, several other homes of prominent abolitionists, including James Monroe and John Mercer Langston, still stand in Oberlin. Mr. Speaker, we must ensure that future generations learn about the role that brave and righteous women and men in communities like Oberlin played in establishing and running the Underground Railroad and how their actions led to the end of slavery in the United States and the beginning of the civil rights movement. Mr. Speaker, I add my support to H.R. 1635, thanking especially the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) for their leadership.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from American Samoa for yielding this time to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution which calls upon the United States to support the people of Taiwan in their democratically-elected government in the face of uncertainties in this increasingly volatile region of the world. I do so, however, with reservations, since this resolution has been amended by the Committee on International Relations since its introduction to reaffirm our adherence to the One China policy. Mr. Speaker, I would like to address a related injustice facing the people of Taiwan. Since 1972, the Taiwanese people have been denied membership in the World Health Organization. Young children and older citizens who are particularly vulnerable to a host of emerging infectious diseases are without the knowledge and the expertise shared among the member nations of the World Health Organization. With increased travel and trade among the members of our global village, these diseases surely do not stop at national borders and boundaries. So why should we erect boundaries to shared information which would help improve the lives and the health of the 20 million inhabitants of Taiwan? Due to Chinese opposition Taiwan continues to be denied WHO membership. This hurts the people of Taiwan, and importantly it denies the WHO and all of us in the world community the benefit of Taiwan's knowledge and expertise. Interestingly the world gains more from Taiwanese membership in the WHO probably than Taiwan gains from membership in the WHO. The people of Taiwan and their democratically-elected government face many serious threats to their sovereignty. Chinese aggression and their continuing threat of force to settle their claim to Taiwan is a serious problem. Equally threatening are their efforts to continue to thwart Taiwan's efforts to help improve the health of its citizens. I have introduced legislation urging the President to press Taiwan's case for membership in the WHO and to urge my colleagues to join in this effort. As a free people, we should support the will of the people of Taiwan to choose their own destiny.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the legislation we are considering today to reauthorize the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry Program. This program has given thousands of patients suffering from diseases like leukemia a second chance at life. I would like to recognize the work of my chairman, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mike Bilirakis) and the sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bill Young), in moving this important bill to the floor. I extend a special thanks to the gentlewoman from Southern California (Ms. Juanita Millender-McDonald), who has worked tirelessly to include provisions in the bill to help meet the needs of minority and mixed- race patients. For patients who suffer from terminal diseases, such as cancer and blood and immune system disorders, the transplantation of bone marrow offers their only hope for a cure. In 1987, with a small grant to the Department of the Navy, the National Marrow Donor Program was established to help facilitate bone marrow matches between patients and donors and maintain a registry of individuals willing to donate marrow. I am pleased that since its inception 12 years ago NMDP has facilitated over 6,500 marrow transplants between unrelated patients and donors around the world. Further, the annual number of transplants has increased by 53 percent between 1994 and 1997, since NMDP was transferred to Health Resources Services Administration. I am pleased the legislation we are considering today builds upon this success by fully funding current and new innovative educational campaigns to increase the number of willing donors which will obviously, in turn, increase the number of successful transplantations. Working with patients and physicians, NMDP and its partners can improve outreach and increase awareness of the importance of marrow donation. This work is especially important if we are going to continue to increase the number of minorities, such as African Americans and Latinos, who are successfully matched with willing donors. Mr. Speaker, we can all take pride in the accomplishments of this lifesaving program. I am hopeful we can work together to ensure that more sick patients have access to these lifesaving therapies by passing this legislation today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to my friend, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald), who has shown great leadership in coming to our committee and on the floor on this issue.