Dan Burton

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Millie Cox on her retirement from the Indiana Credit Union League, and to congratulate her for her many years of dedicated and tireless service. Over the years, Millie has displayed an indomitable spirit in her work and efforts on behalf of Indiana's credit unions. She has taken time to educate and encourage credit union leaders about the legislative process and the importance of political participation. Clearly, Millie's passion for her work on behalf of Indiana's credit unions bespeaks her monumental efforts here in Washington D.C. Millie Cox's impressive career began in February 1977, when she joined the staff of the Indiana Credit Union League. She was promoted several times, ultimately rising to Vice President of Governmental Affairs in 1986. Millie and her staff have been responsible for analyzing regulations and legislation, as well as serving as liaison between credit unions, regulatory agencies, and other government entities. On a personal note, Millie is a long-time Hoosier, having grown up in the New Castle area with her two brothers and three sisters. She has one son, Curt, and was married for more than twenty years to her late husband Jim. Millie and I share a great interest in history and reading in addition to our Hoosier roots. Millie Cox's dedication to her career is evident in her own words as she states that ``I believe in credit unions, I love what I do and I can't imagine working in any other industry.'' Millie, I congratulate you and wish you all the best. Capitol Hill won't be the same without you.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following: Ellis Island, NY, May 17.--Standing on the hallowed grounds of Ellis Island--the portal through which 17 million immigrants entered the United States--a cast of ethnic Americans who have made significant contributions to the life of this nation were presented with the coveted Ellis Island Medal of Honor at an emotionally uplifting ceremony. This year's event was dedicated to our armed forces. This year's ceremony date coincides with National Armed Forces Day. As such, we would like to pay special tribute to the men and women serving in the U.S. armed forces both here and abroad. Several of our Medalists also serve in the armed forces; many more are honored veterans. NECO's annual medal ceremony and reception on Ellis Island in New York Harbor is the Nation's largest celebration of ethnic pride. Representing a rainbow of ethnic origins, this year's recipients received their awards in the shadow of the historic Great Hall, where the first footsteps were taken by the millions of immigrants who entered the U.S. in the latter part of the nineteenth century. ``Today we honor great ethnic Americans who, through their achievements and contributions, and in the spirit of their ethnic origins, have enriched this country and have become role models for future generations,'' said NECO Chairman William Denis Fugazy. ``In addition, we honor the immigrant experience--those who passed through this Great Hall decades ago, and the new immigrants who arrive on American soil seeking opportunity.'' Established in 1986 by NECO, the Ellis Island Medals of Honor pay tribute to the ancestry groups that comprise America's unique culture mosaic. To date, approximately 2000 American citizens have received medals. NECO is the largest organization of its kind in the U.S. serving as an umbrella group for over 250 ethnic organizations and whose mandate is to preserve ethnic diversity, promote ethnic and religious equality, tolerance and harmony, and to combat injustice, hatred and bigotry. NECO has a new goal in its humanitarian mission: saving the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions. NECO has founded The Forum's Children Foundation, which brings children from developing nations in need of life- saving surgery to the United States for treatment. Ellis Island Medals of Honor recipients are selected each year through a national nomination process. Screening committees from NECO's member organizations select the final nominees, who are then considered by the Board of Directors. Past Ellis Island Medals of Honor recipients have included several U.S. Presidents, entertainers, athletes, entrepreneurs, religious leaders and business executives, such as William Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, George Bush, Richard Nixon, George Pataki, Mario Cuomo, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Michael Douglas, Gloria Estefan, Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Elie Wiesel, Muhammad Ali, Mickey Mantle, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Barbara Walters, Terry Anderson, Dr. Michael DeBakey, Senator John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General Janet Reno. Congratulations to the 2003 Ellis Island Medals of Honor Recipients Ruth J. Abram, President, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, Romanian/Irish/Russian; Danny Aiello, Actor, Italian; Hon. Hagop S. Akiskal, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, University of California at San Diego, Armenian; Hon. William Vollie Alexander, Managing Partner, Alexander & Associates, Scottish/English/Irish; Menelaos Anastasios Aliapoulios, M.D., Medical Director, General Electric Company, Hellenic; Hon. Hushang Ansary, Parman Group, Iranian; Angela Susan Anton, CEO & Publisher, Long Island Community Newspapers, Czechoslovakian/Italian; William Austin, Chairman & CEO, Starkey Laboratories Inc., English; Robert P. Badavas, Chief Operating Officer, Atlas Venture, Hellenic; Peter Balakian, Professor, Colgate University, Armenian; Roger Ballou, President & CEO, CDI Corporation, English/Scottish/French; Salvatore A. Balsamo, Chairman, Tac World Wide Companies, Italian; Peggy L.S. Barmore, Assistant to the President, NYSUT, African/Irish; Peter J. Barris, Managing General Partner, New Enterprise Associates, Hellenic; Anthony J. Bifaro, Assistant to the President, NYSUT, Italian; Michael Bolton, Bolton Music Company, Russian/English; Capt. Craig E. Bone, Commanding Officer & Commander of the Port NY & NJ, Coast Guard Activities, English/Irish/German; George Boyadjieff, Chairman, Varco International, Inc., Bulgarian/ Russian; Albert A. Boyajian, President & CEO, Global Bakeries, Inc., Armenian; Roscoe C. Brown, Jr., President Emeritus, Bronx Community College--CUNY, African; Bishop William Brown, Pastor, Founder & Chairman, Salvation & Deliverance Church, South African; John A. Canning, Jr., President, Madison Dearborn Partners, Irish/Italian; Terrel L. Cass, President & General Manager, WLIW 21--NY Public Television, Irish/English; Myron Z. Chlavin, CEO, Desser Tire & Rubber Co., Austrian/Latvian; Msgr. Eugene V. Clark, Rector, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Irish/Dutch; Maj. Gen. Richard S. Colt, Commander, 77th Regional Support Command US Army Reserve, Scottish; Francis X. Comerford, President & General Manager, WNBC, Irish/Italian; Leo P. Condakes, President, Peter Condakes Co., Hellenic; Alexander A. Conti, Financial Representative, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, Italian; Thomas J. Corcoran, Jr., President & CEO, FelCor Lodging Trust Inc., English; Thomas M. Coughlin, President & CEO, Wal-Mart Stores & Sam's Clubs USA, Irish; Hon. Anthony J. Cutrona, Supreme Court Justice--NYS Supreme Court, 2nd Judicial Department, Italian. Salvatore A. Davino, President, Fidelity Land Development Corp., Italian; Commander Carlos Del Toro, US Naval Forces, Cuban; Vincent DeMentri, Anchor/Correspondent, WPIX-TV, Italian; John E. Durante, President, Rockledge Equities, Italian; Umberto P. Fedeli, Jr., President & CEO, The Fedeli Group, Italian; Charles A. Feghali, President, Interstate Resources, Inc., Lebanese; John J. Flynn, President, Int'l Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftsworkers, Irish; Colonel Warren J. Foersch, Commander, First Marine Corps District--US Marines, French/German/Irish; Hon. James S. Gallas, US Magistrate Judge, US District Court--Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, Hellenic; Luther R. Gatling, President, Budget & Credit Counseling Services, Inc., African; Richard A. Goldstein, Chairman & CEO, International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., Russian; Hon. Joseph G. Golia, Associate Justice, Appellate Term, 2nd & 11th Judicial District, Supreme Court of the State of NY, Italian; John George Gonis, D.D.S., Chairman & President, Dental Associates, LTD, Hellenic; Andy Granatelli, Former CEO & President (Retired), STP Corporation, Italian; James T. Hackett, Chairman, President & CEO, Ocean Energy, Inc., Irish/German; Val J. Halamandaris, Esq., President, National Association for Homecare & Hospice, Hellenic; Thomas E. Hales, Chairman, President & CEO, Union State Bank, Italian/ Irish; Taek Sun Han, Founder & CEO, Han Yang Supermarket/Han Yang Cultural Center/Morning Glory Stationery World, South Korean; Michael J. Handy, Director, Mayor's Office of Veterans Affairs, African/English/Native American; Russell Hotzler, Interim President, York College, CUNY, Italian/ German; Sayed Jemal Houssein-Afghani, Inc., Humanitarian, Afghan/English; Ronald C. Jones, Secretary, United Federation of Teachers, Italian. Georgia Kaloidis, CEO, Diskal, Inc., Hellenic; Frank S. Kamberos, Former VP Operations, Treasure Island Foods, Inc., Hellenic; I. Pano Karatassos, Founder/President, Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, Hellenic; Bruce E. Karatz, Chairman & CEO, KB Home, Russian; Elaine Kaufman, President, Elaine's Restaurant, Russian; Stella Kim, Executive Vice President, By Design, L.L.C., South Korean; Michael B. Kitchen, President & CEO, CUNA Mutual Group, Canadian; Thomas M. Lamberti, Esq., Partner, Putney, Twonbly, Hall & Hirson, LLP, Italian; Lou Lamoriello, President, CEO & General Manager, New Jersey Devils, CEO, NJ Nets, Italian; Henri Landwirth, Founder & Chairman, Give Kids the World & Dignity-U-Wear Foundation Inc., Belgian/Polish; Stewart F. Lane, President, Theatre Venture, Inc., Russian/Polish; A. Alexander Lari, Founder & Chairman, Claremont Group, LLC, Iranian; Denis Leary, President, The Leary Firefighters Foundation, Irish; Chung Wha Lee, President, Lee Chung Wha Diamond Corporation, Korean; Howard H. Lee, President & CEO, World Journal, Chinese; Simon S. Lee, CEO & President, STG, Inc., South Korean; James P. Lemonias, Chairman & CEO, Whitman Company, Inc., Hellenic; Lt. Gen. William J. Lennox, Jr., Superintendent US Military Academy, Scottish/Irish; Hon. Phil Leventis, State Senator, State of South Carolina, Hellenic; Michael Yi-Sheng Liao, VP/Chief Information Officer, GM Asset Management, Chinese; Tony Lo Bianco, Actor, Director and Producer, Italian; Richard A. Loughlin, Vice Chairman, Willis, Irish; Constantine S. Macricostas, Chairman, Founder, Photronics, Hellenic; Sheldon Harris Malinou, DDS, Assistant to the Director, Cabrini Medical Center, Russian/Ukrainian; Anastasios E. Manessis, President, Manessis Marketing Corp., Hellenic; Puzant A. Markarian, Principal (Retired), Arlington Textiles, Inc., Armenian; John L. Marks, Chairman & CEO, Mark IV Realty, Inc., Hellenic. Patrick F. Martin, Chairman, President & CEO, StorageTek, Irish; Stanley Matthews, Founder, Matthews Diner & Pancake House, Hellenic; Hon. Roslynn R. Mauskopf, US Attorney, Eastern District, New York, Czechoslovakian; Hon. James E. McGreevey, Governor--State of New Jersey, Irish; Raymond Melville, Assistant Business Manager, Local Union #3, I.B.E.W., Irish; Robert G. Miller, Chairman & CEO, Rite Aid Corporation, Russian/English; Veronica Montgomery-Costa, President, Local 372 NYC Board of Education Employees Union, African; Patrick J. Moore, President & CEO, Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation, Irish/Scottish/Swedish; Donal J. Murphy, President, D.J. Murphy Assoc, Irish; Albin D. Obal, President, Condor Contracting Company, Inc., Owner, Midland Enterprises, Polish; James E. O'Connor, Chairman & CEO, Republic Services, Inc., Irish; James F. Orr, Chairman, President & CEO, Convergys Corporation, Scottish/Irish/ English/German; Nacy Panzica, Chairman, Panzica Construction Company, Italian; Steven Peter Papadatos, President, Papadatos Associatesn PC Architects, Hellenic; Frank Pellegrino, Sr., CEO, Rao's Specialty Foods, Italian; Stan Pelofsky, M.D., President, Neuroscience Speciahsts, Polish. James Tung Chiang Pi, President, Pi Trading Company, Inc., Chinese; John Politis, President & CEO, Apartment Realty Group, Inc., Hellenic; Gerry Puccio, Sr., Founder, Rockleigh Country Club/CEO Carrin on Real Estate & Investment Group, Italian; Lewis S. Ranieri, Founder & Chairman, Hyperion Partners, LLP, Italian; Subash Razdan, Advisor, Procurement Advisory Council, Coca Cola Company, Indian; Paul V. Reilly, President, Chairman & CEO, Mail-Well, Inc., Irish; Mary Lou Retton, U.S. Olympic Gold Medallist, Italian; Richard Romanoff, President, Nebraskaland, Inc., Russian; E. John Rumpakis, Owner, N.E.W.S., Hellenic; Michael Schenkler, Pubhsher, Queens Tribune, Russian/Polish; Martin Scorsese, President, Cappa Productions, Italian; Myron P. Shevell, Chairman & CEO, New England Motor Freight Inc./The Shevell Group, Russian/German; David J. Shitn, Chairman CEO, Riverside Park, Inc./Kiku Restaurant Inc., Korean; Richard Silverman, Vice-Chairman, Fleet National Bank N.A., Romanian/ English; Hon. Nirmal K. Sinha, Commissioner Ohio Civil Rights, Assistant Director Department of Pubhc Utilities, Columbus, Ohio, Indian; Curtis Shwa, Founder and President, The Alliance of Guardian Angels, Itahan/Polish; Thomas A. Smith, President & CEO, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, Norwegian/Scottish/German; Ralph Snyderman, M.D., Chancellor for Health Affairs, President and CEO, Duke University Health System, Russian; Rajesh K. Soin, Chairman & CEO, Soin International, Indian. Hon. Maria Sotiropoulos, Protocol Officer, The White House/ US Department, of State, Cypriot; Sy Sternberg, Chairman & CEO, New York Life Insurance Company, Romanian/Polish/ Lithuanian; Nicolas Tabbal, M.D., F.A.C.S., Plastic Surgeon, Manhattan Eye Ear & Throat Hosp-NYU, Lebanese; Hon. Patrick N. Theros, Ambassador, President & Executive Director, US Qatar Business Council, Hellenic; Demetrios E. Tsintolas, President, Tsintolas Realty Company, Hellenic; Ben Vereen, Vereen Productions, Afiican; Nicholas S. Vidalakis, CoFounder, Chairman & CEO, VFP LLC, Hellenic; Vuksan Vuksanaj, President, New York Travel Agency, Inc., Albanian; Mike Wallace, Senior Correspondent, CBS News/60 Minutes, Russian; Donald Washkewicz, President & CEO, Parker-Hannifin Corporation, Polish/Czechoslovakian; Hon. Jim Wright, Speaker of the House 1987-1989, Texas Christian University, Australian/Irish/Scottish; Jeffrey Yarmuth, President & COO, Sonny's Franchise Co., Russian/Polish; Pan A. Yotopoulos, Distinguished Professor, University of Florence, Hellenic; Xenophon Zapis, Radio Broadcaster, Zapis Communications Corporation, Hellenic; Detective Sergeant Wallace R. Zeins, Commanding Officer, Manhattan Night Watch, NYPD, Russian.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, since 1974, Cyprus has been divided de facto into the government-controlled two-thirds of the island, the Republic of Cyprus, and the Turkish Cypriot one-third, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The anniversary of the events of July 1974 in Cyprus gives rise to misrepresentation of historical events. As the cliche goes, there are two-sides to every story. That is why I would like to share with my colleagues, the Turkish Cypriot point of view regarding the current situation on Cyprus. The island of Cyprus gained its independence from Great Britain in 1960 and has been divided since 1974. At independence, the Republic's constitution defined elaborate power-sharing arrangements. It required a Greek Cypriot president and a Turkish Cypriot vice president; each elected by their own community. The Treaty of Alliance among the Republic, Greece, and Turkey provided for 950 Greek and 650 Turkish soldiers to help defend the island. Cyprus' success as a new Republic lasted from 1960-63. After President Makarios proposed constitutional modifications in favor of the majority community in 1963, relations between Turkish and Greek Cypriots deteriorated. In 1964, Turkish Cypriots withdrew from most national institutions and began to administer their own affairs. Violence between Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities occurred in 1963-64 and again in 1967. Since the 1964 crisis, U.N. peacekeeping troops have been a buffer between the two communities. In 1974, a military junta in Athens supported a coup against President Makarios, replacing him with a hardline supporter of enosis. Turkey, citing the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, sent troops in two separate actions and, by August 25, was in control of more than 36 percent of the island. The Athens junta fell and civilian government was restored. The legitimacy of the Turkish intervention was confirmed, among others, by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, by resolution 573, dated July 29, 1974, in which it is stated, ``Turkey exercised its right of intervention in accordance with Article IV of the Guarantee Treaty of 1960.'' Greece withdrew from NATO's military command to protest NATO's failure to prevent Turkey's action. According to Turkish Cypriot leaders, the Turkish intervention of July 1974 did not come about as an unprovoked invasion but in response to a coup d'etat; was in accordance with the Treaty of Guarantee of 1960; and therefore, was legal and legitimate. Furthermore, the Turkish Cypriot community saw the 1974 coup attempt as the culmination of a campaign to annex Cyprus to Greece. Turkish Cypriots celebrate July 20 as their day of liberation. Since Turkey's arrival in Cyprus, peace has prevailed on the island, and the biggest beneficiaries of this atmosphere of peace and tranquility have been all Cypriots, Greek and Turkish. However, the Greek Cypriots enjoy a high level of economic prosperity, while the Turkish Cypriot economy continues to suffer from the embargoes imposed on the Turkish Cypriot North by the Greek Cypriot South. Turkey's presence in Cyprus is within the confines of a security role and far from preventing a political settlement. Turkey has always supported a just and lasting settlement on the island, within the mission of the good offices of the United Nations Secretary-General. Recently, Turkish Cypriots, with the full support of Turkey, demonstrated their good will by undertaking a series of confidence- building measures, including the opening of the borders to people and traffic from both sides. This has allowed, by Turkish Cypriot estimates, thousands of Turkish and Greek Cypriots to cross over to each other's territory. This measure was followed-up by an offer to the Greek Cypriot side for the resettlement of the vacant town of Varosha in return for the re-opening of the now-defunct Nicosia International Airport. President Denktas also proposed to meet with Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos directly in order to discuss these and other related issues. However, it appears that the Greek Cypriot side has shown little interest in a negotiated settlement. In a speech made on July 17, Greek Cypriot leader Papadopoulos again made clear that his side does not accept the ``Annan Plan'' for a settlement as it is, claiming that doing so would mean ``legitimizing the gains accomplished by the occupation'' and that if they did so, the (the Greek Cypriots) ``would become accomplices in the destruction of the Republic of Cyprus.'' It is my hope that efforts to reach a settlement will continue between Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders. I know there are two sides to the Turkish and Greek Cypriot conflict, and that is why it is important for Congress to adopt a balanced, even-handed approach to the issue of facilitating a just and lasting settlement between Turkish and Greek Cypriots.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following: Ellis Island, NY, May 17.--Standing on the hallowed grounds of Ellis Island--the portal through which 17 million immigrants entered the United States--a cast of ethnic Americans who have made significant contributions to the life of this nation were presented with the coveted Ellis Island Medal of Honor at an emotionally uplifting ceremony. This year's event was dedicated to our armed forces. This year's ceremony date coincides with that of National Armed Forces Day. As such, we would like to pay special tribute to the men and women serving in the U.S. armed forces both here and abroad. Several of our Medalists also serve in the armed forces; many more are honored veterans. NECO's annual medal ceremony and reception on Ellis Island in New York Harbor is the Nation's largest celebration of ethnic pride. Representing a rainbow of ethnic origins, this year's recipients received their awards in the shadow of the historic Great Hall, where the first footsteps were taken by the millions of immigrants who entered the U.S. in the latter part of the nineteenth century. ``Today we honor great ethnic Americans who, through their achievements and contributions, and in the spirit of their ethnic origins, have enriched this country and have become role models for future generations,'' said NECO Chairman William Denis Fugazy. ``In addition, we honor the immigrant experience--those who passed through this Great Hall decades ago, and the new immigrants who arrive on American soil seeking opportunity.'' Established in 1986 by NECO, the Ellis Island Medals of Honor pay tribute to the ancestry groups that comprise America's unique cultural mosaic. To date, approximately 2000 American citizens have received medals. NECO is the largest organization of its kind in the U.S. serving as an umbrella group for over 250 ethnic organizations and whose mandate is to preserve ethnic diversity, promote ethnic and religious equality, tolerance and harmony, and to combat injustice, hatred and bigotry. NECO has a new goal in its humanitarian mission: saving the lives of children with lifethreatening medical conditions. NECO has founded The Forum's Children Foundation, which brings children from developing nations needing life-saving surgery to the United States for treatment. Ellis Island Medals of Honor recipients are selected each year through a national nomination process. Screening committees from NECO's member organizations select the final nominees, who are then considered by the Board Directors. Past Ellis Island Medals of Honor recipients have included several U.S. Presidents, entertainers, athletes, entrepreneurs, religious leaders and business executives, such as William Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, George Bush, Richard Nixon, George Pataki, Mario Cuomo, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Michael Douglas, Gloria Estefan, Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Elie Wiesel, Muhammad Ali, Mickey Mantle, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Barbara Walters, Terry Anderson, Dr. Michael DeBakey, Senator John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General Janet Reno. Congratulations to the 2003 Ellis Island Medals of Honor Recipients: Ruth J. Abram, President, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, Romanian/Irish/Prussian; Danny Aiello, Actor, Italian; Hon. Hagop S. Akiskal, Professor of Psychiatry, University of California at San Diego, Armenian; Hon. William Vollie Alexander, Managing Partner, Alexander & Associates, Scottish/English/ Irish; Menelaos Anastasios Aliapoulios, M.D., Medical Director, General Electric Company, Hellenic; Hon. Hushang Ansary, Parman Group, Iranian; Angela Susan Anton, CEO & Publisher, Long Island Community Newspapers, Czechoslovakian/Italian; William Austin, Chairman & CEO, Starkey Laboratories Inc., English; Robert P. Badavas, Chief Operating Officer, Atlas Venture, Hellenic; Peter Balakian, Professor, Colgate University, Armenian; Roger Ballou, President & CEO, CDI Corporation, English/Scottish/French; Salvatore A. Balsamo, Chairman, Tac World Wide Companies, Italian; Peggy L.S. Barmore, Assistant to the President, NYSUT, African/Irish; Peter J. Barris, Managing General Partner, New Enterprise Associates, Hellenic; Anthony J. Bifaro, Assistant to the President, NYSUT, Italian; Michael Bolton, Bolton Music Company, Russian/English; Capt. Craig E. Bone, Commanding Officer & Commander of the Port NY & NJ, Coast Guard Activities, English/ Irish/German; George Boyadjieff, Chairman, Varco International, Inc., Bulgarian/Russian; Albert A. Boyajian, President & CEO, Global Bakeries, Inc., Armenian; Albert A. Boyajian, President & CEO, Global Bakeries, Inc., Armenian; Roscoe C. Brown, Jr., President Emeritus, Bronx Community College--CUNY, African; Bishop William Brown, Pastor, Founder & Chairman, Salvation & Deliverance Church, South African; John A. Canning Jr., President, Madison Dearborn Partners, Irish/Italian; Terrel L. Cass, President & General Manager, WLIW 21--NY Public Television, Irish/ English; Myron Z. Chlavin, CEO, Desser Tire & Rubber Co., Austrian/Latvian; Msgr. Eugene V. Clark, Rector, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Irish/Dutch; Maj. Gen. Richard S. Colt, Commander, 77th Regional Support Command US Army Reserve, Scottish; Francis X. Comerford, President & General Manager, WNBC, Irish/Italian; Leo P. Condakes, President, Peter Condakes Co., Hellenic; Alexander A. Conti, Financial Representative, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, Italian; Thomas J. Corcoran, Jr., President & CEO, FelCor Lodging Trust Inc., English; Thomas M. Coughlin, President & CEO, Wal-Mart Stores & Sam's Clubs USA, Irish; Hon. Anthony J. Cutrona, Supreme Court Justice--NYS Supreme Court, 2nd Judicial Department, Italian; Salvatore A. Davino, President, Fidelity Land Development Corp., Italian; Commander Carlos Del Toro, US Naval Forces, Cuban; Vincent DeMentri, Anchor/Correspondent, WPIX-TV, Italian; John E. Durante, President, Rockledge Equities, Italian; Umberto P. Fedeli, Jr., President & CEO, The Fedeli Group, Italian; Charles A. Feghali, President, Interstate Resources, Inc., Lebanese; John J. Flynn, President, IU Bricklayers & Allied Craftsworkers, Irish; Colonel Warren J. Foersch, Commander, First Marine Corps District--US Marines, French/German/Irish; Hon. James S. Gallas, US Magistrate Judge, US District Court--Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, Hellenic; Luther R. Gatling, President, Budget & Credit Counseling Services, Inc., African; Richard Goldstein, Chairman & CEO, International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., Russian; Hon. Joseph G. Golia, Associate Justice, Appellate Term, 2nd & 11th Judicial District, Supreme Court of the State of NY, Italian; John George Gonis, D.D.S., Chairman & President, Dental Associates, LTD, Hellenic; Andy Granatelli, Former CEO & President (Retired), STP Corporation, Italian; James T. Hackett, Chairman, President & CEO, Ocean Energy, Inc., Irish/German; Val J. Halamandaris, Esq., President, National Association for Homecare & Hospice, Hellenic; Thomas E. Hales, Chairman, President & CEO, Union State Bank, Italian/Irish; Taek Sun Han, Founder & CEO, Han Yang Supermarket/Han Yang Cultural Center/ Morning Glory Stationery World, South Korean; Michael J. Handy, Director, Mayor's Office of Veterans Affairs, African/English/Native American; Russell Hotzler, Interim President, York College, CUNY, Italian/German; Sayed Jemal Houssein-Afghani, Inc., Humanitarian, Afghan/English; Ronald C. Jones, Secretary, United Federation of Teachers, Italian; Georgia Kaloidis, CEO, Diskal, Inc., Hellenic; Frank S. Kamberos, Former VP Operations, Treasure Island Foods, Inc., Hellenic; I. Pano Karatassos, Founder/President, Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, Hellenic; Bruce E. Karatz, Chairman & CEO, KB Home, Russian; Elaine Kaufman, President, Elaine's Restaurant, Russian; Stella Kim, Executive Vice President, By Design L.L.C., South Korean; Michael B. Kitchen, President & CEO, CUNA Mutual Group, Canadian; Thomas M. Lamberti, Esq., Partner, Putney, Twonbly, Hall & Hirson, LLP, Italian; Lou Lamoriello, President, CEO & General Manager, New Jersey Devils, CEO, NJ Nets, Italian; Henri Landwirth, Founder & Chairman, Give Kids the World & Dignity-U- Wear Foundation Inc., Belgian/Polish; Stewart F. Lane, President, Theatre Venture, Inc., Russian/Polish; A. Alexander Lari, Founder & Chairman, Claremont Group, LLC, Iranian; Denis Leary, President, The Leary Firefighters Foundation, Irish; Chung Wha Lee, President, Lee Chung Wha Diamond Corporation, Korean; Howard H. Lee, President & CEO, World Journal, Chinese; Simon S. Lee, CEO & President, STG, Inc., South Korean; James P. Lemonias, Chairman & CEO, Whitman Company, Inc., Hellenic; Lt. Gen. William J. Lennox, Jr., Superintendent US Military Academy, Scottish/Irish; Hon. Phil Leventis, State Senator, State of South Carolina, Hellenic; Michael Yi-Sheng Liao, VP/Chief Information Officer, GM Asset Management, Chinese; Tony Lo Bianco, Actor, Director and Producer, Italian; Richard A. Loughlin, Vice Chairman, Willis, Irish; Constantine S. Macricostas, Chairman, Founder, Photronics, Hellenic; Sheldon Harris Malinou, DDS, Assistant to the Director, Cabrini Medical Center, Russian/Ukrainian; Anastasios E. Manessis, President, Manessis Marketing Corp., Hellenic; Puzant A. Markarian, Principal (Retired), Arlington Textiles, Inc., Armenian; John L. Marks, Chairman & CEO, Mark IV Realty, Inc., Hellenic; Patrick F. Martin, Chairman, President & CEO, StorageTek, Irish; Stanley Matthews, Founder, Matthews Diner & Pancake House, Hellenic; Hon. Roslynn R. Mauskopf, US Attorney, Eastern District, New York, Czechoslovakian; Hon. James E. McGreevey, Governor--State of New Jersey, Irish; Raymond Melville, Assistant Business Manager, Local Union #3, I.B.E.W., Irish; Robert G. Miller, Chairman & CEO, Rite Aid Corporation, Russian/English; Veronica Montgomery- Costa, President, Local 372 NYC Board of Education Employees Union, African; Patrick J. Moore, President & CEO, Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation, Irish/ Scottish/Swedish; Donal J. Murphy, President, D.J. Murphy Assoc, Irish; Albin D. Obal, President, Condor Contracting Company, Inc., Owner, Midland Enterprises, Polish; James E. O'Connor, Chairman & CEO, Republic Services, Inc., Irish; James F. Orr, Chairman, President & CEO, Convergys Corporation, Scottish/Irish/English/German; Nacy Panzica, Chairman, Panzica Construction Company, Italian; Steven Peter Papadatos, President, Papadatos Associates PC Architects, Hellenic; Frank Pellegrino, Sr., CEO, Rao's Specialty Foods, Italian; Stan Pelofsky, M.D., President, Neuroscience Specialists, Polish; James Tung Chiang Pi, President, Pi Trading Company, Inc., Chinese; John Politis, President & CEO, Apartment Realty Group, Inc., Hellenic; Gerry Puccio, Sr., Founder, Rockleigh Country Club/CEO Carrington Real Estate & Investment Group, Italian; Lewis S. Ranieri, Chairman, Hyperion Partners, LLP, Italian; Subash Razdan, Advisor, Procurement Advisory Council, Coca Cola Company, Indian; Paul V. Reilly, President, Chairman & CEO, Mail-Well, Inc., Irish; Mary Lou Retton, U.S. Olympic Gold Medallist, Italian; Richard Romanoff, President, Nebraskaland, Inc., Russian; E. John Rumpakis, Owner, N.E.W.S., Hellenic; Michael Schenkler, Publisher, Queens Tribune, Russian/ Polish; Martin Scorsese, President, Cappa Productions, Italian; Myron P. Shevell, Chairman & CEO, New England Motor Freight Inc./The Shevell Group, Russian/German; David J. Shim, Chairman & CEO, Riverside Park, Inc./ Kiku Restaurant Inc., Korean; Richard Silverman, Vice- Chairman, Fleet Bank N.A., Romanian/English; Hon. Nirmal K. Sinha, Commissioner Ohio Civil Rights, Assistant Director Department of Public Utilities, Columbus, Indian; Curtis Sliwa, Founder and President, The Alliance of Guardian Angels, Italian/Polish; Thomas A. Smith, President & CEO, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, Norwegian/Scottish/German; Ralph Snyderman, M.D., Chancellor for Health Affairs, President and CEO, Duke University Health System, Russian; Rajesh K. Soin, Chairman & CEO, Soin International, Indian; Hon. Maria Sotiropoulos, Protocol Officer, The White House/US Department, of State, Cypriot; Sy Sternberg, Chairman & CEO, New York Life Insurance Company, Romanian/Polish/Lithuanian; Nicolas Tabbal, M.D., F.A.C.S., Plastic Surgeon, Manhattan Eye Ear & Throat Hosp-NYU, Lebanese; Hon. Patrick N. Theros, Ambassador, President & Executive Director, US Qatar Business Council, Hellenic; Demetrios E. Tsintolas, President, Tsintolas Realty Company, Hellenic; Ben Vereen, Vereen Productions, African; Nicholas S. Vidalakis, Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO, VFP LLC, Hellenic; Vuksan Vuksanaj, President, New York Travel Agency, Inc., Albanian; Mike Wallace, Senior Correspondent, CBS News/60 Minutes, Russian; Donald Washkewicz, President & CEO, Parker-Hannifin Corporation, Polish/Czechoslovakian; Hon. Jim Wright, Speaker of the House 1987-1989, Texas Christian University, Australian/Irish/Scottish; Jeffrey Yarmuth, President & COO, Sonny's Franchise Co., Russian/Polish; Pan A. Yotopoulos, Distinguished Professor, University of Florence, Hellenic; Xenophon Zapis, Radio Broadcaster, Zapis Communications Corporation, Hellenic; Detective Sergeant Wallace R. Zeins, Commanding Officer, Manhattan Night Watch, NYPD, Russian.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I have been here for 21 years in this body. I know I look a lot younger, but I have been here 21 years. And I have never seen the kind of pressure exerted on Members of this body like I have seen on this bill. They say it is about safety. It is not about safety; it is about money. They say it is about health, the health of the seniors who might be taken in by counterfeit drugs. It is not about that. It is about money, the money that the pharmaceutical companies are making on the backs of the American people. Talk to a lady who has got a child who is suffering from some very serious disease and she finds out, to buy her pharmaceutical products here, it costs four or five times here than what it costs in Canada or Germany or France. What do we say to her? It is about money. What do we say to a woman who has breast cancer, who is going to die, who needs Tamoxifen to survive? Her life depends on it. How do we tell her it is going to cost six or seven times what it costs in Canada or Germany for the very same thing? Is her life worth that much less? Tell me, is her life worth that much less? And if the profits are so great here and they are not as great elsewhere, then why not spread it around? Why should all these profits be loaded on the backs of the American people? When the Members vote, I want them to think about this. Think about this. And I approach this from a personal standpoint. There is a woman who is dying of breast cancer. This is one example. How do we tell her when she goes to buy Tamoxifen and she cannot afford it that she could go right across the border to Canada and get it for one-sixth or one- seventh what it costs here? How do we tell her that? We cannot. We need to pass this bill to send a message to the pharmaceutical companies that the American people deserve the same rights and privileges as anybody else in this world, especially those who really need it because of their health.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for that clarification.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose) for working on this. He has been a real leader in showing concern for these mothers who have had their children kidnapped to Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, never to be seen again or heard from again; and I want to thank the chairman of the committee, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf). He has been a fighter for human rights for a long, long time; and this is another manifestation of his dedication to making sure that human rights are realized. Let me just tell my colleagues one story, and then I will yield back my time. We had a young lady from Terre Haute, Indiana. She had three children. She was married to a Saudi who had gone to college over here. They were divorced, and he went back to Saudi Arabia. The mother was very concerned when he wanted to visit the children for the summer, have them visit him, that he would take them to Saudi Arabia and she would not see them anymore. So she went to the judge and she told the judge of her concern, and the judge said, well, we cannot very well keep the father from seeing his children. However, we will tell the Saudi embassy of the divorce decree and that you have custody of the children and that they are not to be taken out of the country, and we will tell the father that he is not to take the children out of the country. They told the father when he got the children he was not to take the children out of the country. He could have them for a couple of weeks in the summer and return them to the mother. He said he would. His passport and the passports of the children were surrendered. He got the children. He went to the Saudi embassy in Washington, D.C. They issued passports for the children, even though there was a court order against it, and the mother had custody. He took the children to Saudi Arabia, three children; and the mother has not seen the children or talked to them since. Maybe she talked to them one time on the telephone. This is just one example of the tragedy that has been taking place regarding these children who are being kidnapped to Saudi Arabia and other countries throughout the world, and the gentleman from California's (Mr. Ose) amendment will be a giant step in the right direction to put pressure on the Saudi Government to assist in returning these children to their rightful parent, the parent who has custody of them. There are other issues regarding this sort of thing, women who have been kidnapped to Saudi Arabia, who cannot get back because of the Saudi laws and because men, in effect, own the women over there and the children. So we are continuing to try to put pressure on them, and the gentleman from California's (Mr. Ose) amendment is a giant step in the right direction in dealing with this, and I want to thank him and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) and all of the cosponsors of the bill.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, last month marked the nineteenth anniversary of the Indian government's attack on the Golden Temple in Amristar, the most sacred of Sikh shrines. The Indian government simultaneously attacked 38 other Sikh temples, known as Gurdwaras, around India. It is reported that more than 20,000 Sikhs were killed in these attacks, which went by the name of Operation Bluestar. The Sikh Nation has never forgotten this atrocity against them. These attacks laid the foundation of a sovereign, independent Sikh homeland, Khalistan, which was declared independent on October 7, 1987. Last month, they once again observed Khalistan Martyrs Day on June 7, marking the anniversary of the brutal attacks on the Golden Temple and the other Sikh temples. Sikhs gathered in Washington, D.C. and protested outside the Indian Embassy. They chanted slogans and made speeches in support of freedom for the Sikh Nation. Sikhs were equal partners in the transfer of power from the British and were supposed to have an independent state. Sikh leaders were promised that they would have ``the glow of freedom'' in India and no law would be passed affecting Sikhs without their consent. However, that is not the case. I would like to have the Council of Khalistan's press release on the Khalistan Martyrs Day events placed into the Congressional Record following my statement. International Sikh Organization, Washington, DC, June 7, 2003. Sikhs Observe Khalistan Martyrs Day Washington, D.C., June 7, 2003.--It is a Sikh tradition and Sikh history that Sikhs never forgive or forget the attack on the Golden Temple, the Sikh Nation's holiest shrine. In that spirit, Sikhs from all over the East Coast gathered in Washington, D.C. today to observe Khalistan Martyrs Day. This is the anniversary of the Indian government's brutal military attack on the Golden Temple and 38 other Sikh temples throughout Punjab, from June 3-6, 1984. More than 20,000 Sikhs were killed in those attacks, known as Operation Bluestar. These martyrs laid down their lives to lay the foundation for Khalistan. On October 7, 1987, the Sikh Nation declared its homeland, Khalistan, independent. ``We thank all the demonstrators who came to this important protest,'' said Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan. ``These martyrs gave their lives so that the Sikh Nation could live in freedom,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``We salute them on Khalistan Martyrs' Day,'' he said. ``As Sant Bhindranwale said, the Golden Temple attack laid the foundation of Khalistan.'' Sikhs ruled Punjab until 1849 when the British conquered the subcontinent. Sikhs were equal partners during the transfer of power from the British. The Muslim leader Jinnah got Pakistan for his people, the Hindu leaders got India, but the Sikh leadership was fooled by the Hindu leadership promising that Sikhs would have ``the glow of freedom'' in Northwest India and the Sikhs took their share with India on that promise. No Sikh representative has ever signed the Indian constitution. Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-Me.) said, ``The essence of democracy is the right to self- determination.'' The minority nations of South Asia need freedom. ``Without political power nations perish. We must always remember these martyrs for their sacrifice,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``The best tribute to these martyrs would be the liberation of the Sikh homeland, Punjab, Khalistan, from the occupying Indian forces,'' he said. ``That must be the only objective,'' he said. ``We should use the opportunity presented by the situation in South Asia to liberate our homeland.'' The Golden Temple attack launched a campaign of genocide against the Sikhs that belies India's claims that it is a democracy. The Golden Temple attack made it clear that there is no place for Sikhs in India. Since 1984, India has engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing in which tens of thousands of Sikhs were murdered by the Indian police and security forces and secretly cremated after declaring them ``unidentified.'' The Indian Supreme Court described this campaign as ``worse than a genocide.'' General Narinder Singh has said, ``Punjab is a police state.'' U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-Cal.) has said that for Sikhs, Kashmiri Muslims, and other minorities ``India might as well be Nazi Germany.'' According to a report by the Movement Against State Repression, India admitted that 52,268 Sikh political prisoners are rotting in Indian jails without charge or trial. Many have been in illegal custody since 1984. In February 2002, 42 Members of the U.S. Congress wrote to President Bush to get these Sikh political prisoners released. MASR report quotes the Punjab Civil Magistracy as writing ``if we add up the figures of the last few years the number of innocent persons killed would run into lakhs [hundreds of thousands.]'' Indian security forces have murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, according to figures compiled by the Punjab State Magistracy and human-rights organizations. These figures were published in The Politics of Genocide by Inderjit Singh Jaijee. India has also killed over 200,000 Christians in Nagaland since 1947, over 80,000 Kashmiris since 1988, and tens of thousands of Tamils, Bodos, Dalits (the aboriginal people of the subcontinent labeled ``Untouchables'') as well as indigenous tribal peoples in Manipur, Assam and elsewhere. In March 2000, while former President Clinton was visiting India, the Indian government murdered 35 Sikhs in the village of Chithisinghpora, Kashmir and tried to blame the massacre on alleged militants. The Indian media reported that the police in Gujarat were ordered by the government to stand by and not to interfere with the massacre of Muslims there. ``Guru gave sovereignty to the Sikh Nation,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``The Golden Temple massacre reminded us that if Sikhs are going to live with honor and dignity, we must have a free, sovereign, and independent Khalistan,'' he said.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I have been in Congress now for 21 years and I have seen some pretty cruddy things, but I have never seen anything as cruddy as this. This was put out by the Traditional Values Coalition. They asked me to be on their board of directors last year because they said I was such a nice guy. They are now sending out this circular to my district and many other congressional districts saying that I may be against protecting the sanctity of human life, inferring that I might be a pro-abortionist, when that has not been the way I feel for 40 years. Members who are very pro-life, like the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), are also on the reimportation bill to allow seniors to get pharmaceuticals at the lowest price possible in the world. The reason this is being done is because the pharmaceutical industry is afraid that they will have to lower their prices here in the United States as opposed to what they are charging people in other parts of the world. In Germany, if you want to buy Tamoxifen, which helps women fight breast cancer, it costs $60 for a 30-day supply. Here it is $360 for a 30-day supply. The pharmaceutical industry is underwriting these lies to try to scare American congressmen from supporting legislation that would put Americans in a competitive position. Americans should not pay any more for their pharmaceuticals than their counterparts in other parts of the word, and to use babies like this is a crime. I really criticize the Traditional Values Coalition and other religious groups for using this kind of trash to scare American Congressmen.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for agreeing to include in this bill an en bloc amendment that deals with a very important subject that I have been concerned with for some time. As chairman of the Committee on Government Reform for the past 6 years, we held a number of hearings on the issue of child abductions by spouses of American women and men who have taken the children who are in the custody of their mother or father here in the United States to other countries never to be seen again or heard from again by their parents. The most egregious offender of this is Saudi Arabia. They have been complicitous in allowing fathers of children born here in the United States of American mothers to come over here, kidnap the children, take them to Saudi Arabia, and the mother never sees her children again, never talks to her children again, and it is a tragic, tragic situation. In some cases, Mr. Chairman, there have been cases where a mother went over to Saudi Arabia to get her kidnapped children, took them to the American embassy and was turned away. She was turned away. She was actually put out on the street, she was arrested, her children went back to the father who had kidnapped them, and one of them was 12 years old and she was married off at 12 years old. These are tragic things that have occurred to American children who have been kidnapped to Saudi Arabia, and the mothers have had to live with that for years and years and years, maybe for the rest of their lives. So I have talked to Secretary of State Colin Powell about this. He has agreed to take steps to remedy the situation, and now Chairman Hyde and Ranking Member Lantos have agreed to an en bloc amendment which will give the State Department the tools necessary to help fight this terrible, terrible tragedy that has been occurring mainly in Saudi Arabia in the Middle East but also in other countries throughout the world. What the amendment does is it extends to the State Department powers to deny visas to the extended family of abductors, and that includes the spouse, the child, the parent, the grandparent, the aunt, the uncle, the brother, the sister, half-brother, half-sister, cousin, stepbrother, stepsister, nephew, and niece of the person who did the kidnapping. In other words, the extended family of the kidnapper would not be allowed to get visas if the State Department so chose to deny them visas. I think that is a giant step in the right direction. It puts a lot of pressure on the kidnapper to bring those children back to American to their mother or to the rightful parent. It also requires the State Department to submit an annual report to Congress regarding the measures that they have taken on international child abduction on a country-by-country basis so Congress will be made aware of what is being done to bring these children home to their rightful parent. It also requires the State Department to send notices regarding child abduction cases to countries where they are believed to be abducted to. And, finally, this requires the Secretary of State to set forth guidelines on how our Department of State personnel treat abducted persons who seek sanctuary. As I said, there have been cases in the past where our State Department employees at our foreign embassies have not treated these people properly. I believe that is not going to happen in the future. So I thank Colin Powell, our Secretary of State, for agreeing to work on this; and I especially thank Chairman Hyde and Ranking Member Lantos. They are doing the Lord's work.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, for 21 years I have been in the Congress, and for 21 years I have supported the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the people who were fighting for the lives of the unborn, the pro-life organizations. And for 21 years I received accolades from religious organizations all over this country. In fact, the Traditional Values Coalition last year asked me to be a member of their board of directors. Well, I do not know if my colleagues can see this on television or not, but this was mailed out into my district this past week. It is a picture of a little baby sucking on a pacifier or something, and underneath it is a mother with a package of pills that are supposed to be the RU-486, the abortion pill that would cause an abortion 24 hours after conception, or after conception sometime. It says on the front of it next to this little baby, ``Will Congressman Dan Burton miss an opportunity to protect the sanctity of human life?'' I do not understand that, how a religious organization can be manipulated by the pharmaceutical industry to do this sort of thing. They are supposed to be moral people; and yet I am confident, in fact I am dead sure, that the Traditional Values Coalition did not have the money to mail this kind of trash out to congressional districts all across this country and also do television ads and radio ads going after Congressmen because they believe that seniors ought to be able to get reimported drugs from Canada or Germany or some place else that cost one-sixth or one-tenth of what they cost in the United States. And the reason the pharmaceutical industry is dead on the reimportation is because they are loading all of their profits on the backs of the American people while they are giving these pharmaceuticals for a much lower price in other parts of the country. Why should Americans pay six times as much money for Tamoxifen as they do in Germany? That is a cancer-fighting drug that women use to save their lives. In Canada and in Germany it costs $60 for a 30- or 60-day supply. In the United States it costs $360. Why should Americans pay that much more than other countries? It is because the pharmaceutical companies are making so much money; and because they are afraid we are going to pass a reimportation bill, they are going after the people in the Congress who believe that people ought to pay the same prices here as they do other places. How are they going after us? They are going after us with a meat cleaver, and they are trying to do it under a facade, under a tent so that they do not look like they are the bad guys. I am telling you, the Traditional Values Coalition and the other religious organizations that are putting out this kind of garbage, when they know it is not true, are being funded by the pharmaceutical industries. Now, they might say, oh, no, we are not. Well, I tell you, tonight on the floor of the U.S. House, I am challenging every one of the religious organizations in this country who have endorsed me year after year after year for reelection, I am challenging them tonight to let us see their financial records because I want to see what the pharmaceutical companies are giving them in order for them to put this kind of stuff out. The gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who is the leading advocate for pro-life in this Congress, is a co-sponsor with me and others for the reimportation of pharmaceuticals to make sure Americans pay a fair price for pharmaceuticals. But the pharmaceutical companies are scared to death of that, and so what they are doing is loading up all of these organizations to come after us and to make us look like we are people that we are not. So I say once again, Traditional Values Coalition who wanted me to be on your board last year because I am such a great guy, I want to see your financial records. Please show me your financial records and let me know that the pharmaceutical companies are not paying for this trash because I believe they are. And I say the same thing to all the other organizations. Jerry Falwell put an editorial in the paper not long ago about this very same issue, and I think it is a bogus issue, Mr. Falwell; and I would like to see your financial records and Mr. Robertson's and all other religious organizations' financial records who are criticizing us for wanting to reimport pharmaceuticals so Americans pay a fair price. So please, all of you religious organizations who are concerned about this, as you say you are, let us see your financial records and let us know that you are not taking large amounts of money from the pharmaceutical companies to put out this kind of tripe. Announcement By The Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 1472.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, for some time now, a number of us have been coming to the floor of the House to talk about the high cost of prescription drugs here in the United States. We pay more for prescription drugs than any country on the face of the Earth, and many of our senior citizens and others have been going right across the border into Canada and buying pharmaceutical products for half or one- tenth the cost that they are here in the United States. Now, the Food and Drug Administration and the pharmaceutical companies are doing everything they can to stop Americans from buying pharmaceutical products from Canada by saying that there is a safety issue. The fact of the matter is, we checked, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht) and myself and others; and we have found no cases, none, where Canadian pharmaceutical products that were made here in the United States and reimported back into this country have caused anybody any harm. Absolutely zero. Now, in my congressional district, the PhRMA companies have been mailing literature to senior citizens saying that there is a safety issue if you buy pharmaceutical products from Canada because they may be contaminated or counterfeit or something else. We have found no cases like that. But they are mailing them into my district trying to scare people trying to influence them to influence me to change my position. Americans should pay no more for pharmaceutical products than they do in other parts of the world; and yet we pay more, by far, than any country: France, Germany, Spain, Canada, anyplace. Now, today I was watching television and there is a man I respect a great deal, Neal Cavuto; he has a great television show, and he is a very fair newsman. He had a gentleman on his program that said that there was a real problem with safety of these pharmaceutical products coming in from Canada, and the gentleman who was on was so vociferous and so adamant about this that I feel that he must have been paid by the pharmaceutical companies; and if he is not, he should be. Because he is trying to scare Americans into believing they should not buy these pharmaceutical products from Canada. We have over a million people a year that buy their products from there because they cost so much less, and the attempt is being made to stop that by the Food and Drug Administration saying they are not safe when there is no evidence of that, and by the pharmaceutical companies who are saying they are following the edicts of the Food and Drug Administration. Now, we are coming up with a prescription drug benefit before too long, and unless we get a handle on these prices and make sure that the American people are paying prices similar to the rest of the world, the taxpayer is going to be picking up the difference between what they pay in Canada and what they pay here in the United States. The senior citizens want the prescription drug benefit, and we want to give it to them; but we do not want the taxpayers of this country saddled with extremely high prices for the products they can buy right across the border for less money. So it is extremely important, in my opinion, that we get this message out to the American people. And the pharmaceutical companies have $150 million they are dumping into an ad campaign to try to convince people that these products are not safe when that is just not the case. So I would just like to say if Mr. Cavuto happens to be watching tonight or any other television commentator, please be fair. Be sure to have the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht) or myself or somebody else who has been studying this issue for some time on the program as well to rebut those who are paid for by the pharmaceutical companies to make sure the American people are getting the story straight; not biased, but straight.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, normally when I come down here, I bring a litany of pictures, a poster, to show the children who have been damaged, their parents believe, by the mercury that has been used in children's vaccines. Most Americans do not know this, but since the 1930s, many if not most of our vaccinations for children have contained a product called thimerosal, which is partially mercury, and Members know mercury is toxic to the human brain. As children started getting more and more vaccinations required by school boards across the country, the children got more and more mercury injected into their bodies. My grandson received nine shots in one day as an infant, and seven of those contained mercury. Within a matter of a couple of days he became autistic. People do not know what autism is unless they have experienced it. He ran around flapping his arms. He was a normal child, would walk, talk, smile and laugh like other children, but he flapped his arms, ran around banging his head against the wall, lost his ability to communicate, and he would not look you in the eye anymore. He has had constant diarrhea or constipation, alternating between the two. Parents across the country have experienced this. I have received thousands of letters from parents who have autistic children who are convinced that the mercury in these vaccines, which has a cumulative effect on the brain, was a contributing factor to their autism. About 10 years ago, 1 in 10,000 children were adjudged to be autistic. Now it is 1 in 200. We have a 50-fold increase. It is the biggest epidemic that we can remember as far as children are concerned, and yet the American public is not aware of it. We really have to do something about it. Back in the 1980s, in order to protect the pharmaceutical companies, we passed the Vaccine Injury Compensation Fund Program, and it protected the pharmaceutical companies against lawsuits, but in exchange there was money being put into a fund from each vaccination to take care of those children or adults damaged by vaccinations. It now has $1.8 billion in it. It was supposed to be a nonadversarial program, but it has become very adversarial. The parents of these children who have had to mortgage their homes and sell their property to help their children, are going bankrupt to take care of their children, have not been able to get a dime out of the fund. And many of those parents did not get in within the 3-year time limit the law required because they were not aware that we had vaccination injury compensation program, and many were not aware that their children were adjudged autistic. Mr. Speaker, we have to open that program up so that every parent has access to the fund. If we can prove that mercury was the culprit in their children's autism, they ought to be able to get funds from that fund to take care of their family and all of the expenses that they are incurring. We need to get more money for the IDEA program to help with remedial education for these children that can be helped. If we do not deal with it right now, in 10-15 years when these children become adults, we are going to have a terrible problem because they will not be productive citizens. Many will have to be institutionalized, becoming a burden on the taxpayers. The parents of these children do not want to face that. Mr. Speaker, we really need to address this issue in both the House and the other body to make sure that every parent has access to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Fund and has a fair hearing, their fair day in court. {time} 1930

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Let me just comment on that. If he earned $200 million, maybe he deserved it for ripping off the American people to the tune of $9 billion for their very small investment.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I mentioned Glaxo that made the $9 billion, and I think they made money on other drugs that we will be discussing later, but the company in question was SmithKline Beecham that made $9 billion and returned only $35 million back in royalties to this government for the patents they had.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, let me say I want to look at the gentlewoman's approach to making the way we deal with veterans' pharmaceuticals maybe the way that we deal with things under this health bill.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, a number of us met today to review the Republican prescription drug benefit plan that is going to be presented before this House in the not-too-distant future. I have not seen the Democrat plan, but I am sure it has some of the same benefits and some of the same problems. One of the problems that bothered me the most was that the pharmaceutical industry is going to continue to be able to charge exorbitant prices for many of the prescription drugs that are going to be covered under the prescription drug benefit bill, and that really bothers me. For the last several weeks, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht), myself, and many others on both sides of the aisle have been looking into and complaining about the exorbitant prices that are being charged to Americans as compared to the people in Canada and France and Germany and Spain and other parts of the world. We pay the highest prices for prescription drugs of any country on the face of the Earth; and when we start trying to, as Americans, to buy prescription drugs, the very same drugs that are sold here in America, from Canada, from pharmacies in Canada, where they charge maybe one-fifth or one- half or one-tenth the price of what they are here, the Food and Drug Administration starts saying, oh, my gosh, there is a question of safety; and they threaten to penalize, even prosecute, people who bring pharmaceuticals into this country. My question has been why is it that the American people are paying two, three, four, five, 10 times as much for pharmaceutical products as they are paying in Canada right next door or in Spain or France or other parts of the world? Now we are going to pass a prescription drug bill that does not address this problem? The taxpayers are going to spend billions, probably trillions, of dollars for pharmaceutical products without any real control over these expenditures? I am not for price controls. I believe in the free market system; but at the same time, I do not believe the American people should pay exorbitant prices for the same product that is being sold 50 miles away along the Canadian border to the Canadian people, and when Americans go up there to try to save money, because it costs so much for their pharmaceutical products, they are going to be penalized for it and the FDA says that they cannot be reimported into this country, the very same products, and they complain about safety. We found that there has been absolutely no safety problem whatsoever; and so at this point, unless we make some changes in our prescription drug bill, I am not going to vote for it. I am not going to vote for a bill that is going to charge the American people, the American taxpayer, huge amounts of money for pharmaceutical products for seniors when they can get those same products next door for less money, and that is just something that cannot be tolerated. In addition to that, what about the rest of us that will not be covered under the prescription drug bill? What about the rest of Americans that are paying these exorbitant prices? Will the additional profits that are going to be made be passed on to them so that they can lower the prices a little bit to benefit the seniors who are covered under the prescription drug benefits of this bill? It is something that we cannot tolerate. We need to address the entire problem of exorbitant prescription drug prices, pharmaceutical prices here in the United States. The gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht) has been working on this for a long time. I join in his army to try to do something about it. We are not for price controls but the pharmaceutical industry needs to realize we are not going to pay exorbitant prices when they are not charging the same prices in other parts of the world. They are saying it is because we spend so much on research and development. If that is the case, spread it around, do not load it on the back of the American people. In addition to that, many, many of these products have been subsidized by the American taxpayer through our health agencies, Health and Human Services. Last night the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht) talked about one where $500 million had been spent on research and development, yet Glaxo had a $9 billion profit on this product and they only gave $35 million back in royalties to the United States Government through HHS. Those are things that we cannot tolerate. Something has to be done about it. We are going to continue to pound on this issue until there are some positive changes. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. In fact, we found zero on the importation from Canada, we found zero problems with the reimportation, and yet they say it is the safety they are concerned about. It does not make any sense. I thank the gentleman for all of his hard work.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I want to join the gentleman and some of our other colleagues, a growing number of our colleagues, in demanding that the GAO do an entire study of this to find out why the American people are being ripped off by the pharmaceutical companies when, in large part, the taxpayer is paying for that research. It makes no sense to me. And why is the FDA, why is the FDA protecting the pharmaceutical industry? It is something that should not be tolerated. Any other comments from my colleague?

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Yes. And the question that comes up is why they are not doing that. They are supposed to protect the American consumer and they are supposed to make sure the American consumer gets a fair deal, and it is simply not happening. I would like to just read from what the gentleman read, real quickly. Squid made $9 billion from Taxol, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and it has been used to treat 1 million cancer patients, but the National Institutes of Health got only $35 million back in royalties. Squibb made $9 million and they only gave $35 million back for the research money that was paid for by the taxpayer. And then down at the bottom it says the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, said NIH spent another $484 million in research on Taxol through 2002. So the taxpayers paid for all of this research, but Squibb is making all the money and the taxpayer is getting nothing for it, except a shot in the jaw when they try to buy this product from another country where they can get it cheaper. It makes no sense to me.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I would like the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht) to join me in this small 5-minute Special Order. He just read part of an article in The Washington Post about pharmaceutical products that are manufactured in part with taxpayers money, where the pharmaceutical industry is making billions and billions of dollars while the taxpayer is getting virtually nothing back in return. The American people are paying exorbitant prices for these pharmaceutical products as compared to the rest of the world. When these products are imported by Americans when they go up to Canada and buy these products, either through the Internet or go to Canada, when they bring them home to use them because they cost one- tenth, one-fifth, or one-half of what they would cost in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration, our regulatory body, says there is a question of safety; and they actually try to block or stop the reimportation of these pharmaceutical products, where the research is paid for in large part by the taxpayers of this country. So I would like to ask the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht), maybe he can enlighten me on this subject. Why is it that the Food and Drug Administration is not investigating why the pharmaceutical industry is manufacturing these products with taxpayers' money, or conducting the research with taxpayers' money, making these exorbitant profits, and the money that is given back to the taxpayer in royalties in this country is very nominal, almost nothing, compared to the $9 billion the gentleman cited? Why is it the FDA is not investigating this, instead of stopping the American people from getting these pharmaceutical products at a reasonable price?

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, due to an unavoidable conflict in my schedule, I was unable to be present during rollcall votes 236-247. Had I voted, I would have voted ``yea'' in rollcall votes 236-239, ``no'' on rollcall votes 240-241, and ``yea'' on rollcall votes 242- 247.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, let me just say, I am sure that the historical accomplishments of Birch Bayh have been covered well by my colleagues. All I want to say is, though he is in the other party, he is a heck of a nice guy. You can tell a lot about people by their children. Evan Bayh, who is the United States Senator from Indiana and the son of Birch and Marvella Bayh, is in the other party, and we have our differences like all people do on a political basis, but Evan is a real credit to the institution of the United States Senate, and I think a lot of that is due to his mother and his father. Birch Bayh and Marvella Bayh did an outstanding job in raising Evan, and I think he is doing a good job in the United States Senate. Let me just say that Birch Bayh, who was elected to the United States Senate, I think, when he was 34 years old, did a good job for the State of Indiana, and his wife Marvella was a real leader in Indiana as well. One of the things that I most appreciate about Birch Bayh was a personal attachment that I received from him when my wife was suffering from breast cancer. His wife, Marvella, died of cancer, as my wife did, and he showed a great deal of concern for me and my family while we were going through that tragedy. And anybody like that, I think, deserves accolades from people regardless of their party affiliation. Senator Bayh is a fine human being, and he was a fine United States Senator. His wife Marvella was a credit to the State of Indiana, and their son Evan is doing a fine job in the United States Senate and is a credit to both his mother and father. And I want to add my two cents to the applause for Birch Bayh, and I think it is a fine and fitting thing that we are doing here today by naming the Federal building after him. Born in Terre Haute in 1928, it seemed that Birch Bayh was destined for success. He received an undergraduate degree in Agriculture with distinction from Purdue University, and divided his time after graduating between farming and politics. In 1955, Birch Bayh became a member of the Indiana General Assembly, and in 1957, he enrolled in law school. While still a law student, he was elected Speaker of the Indian House. Senator Bayh was a skilled politician and excellent student. He received the prestigious Edwards Scholarship, which is awarded for merit and he graduated with distinction in 1960. However, as we all know, the story doesn't end there! In 1962, at the age of 34, he was elected to the U.S. Senate and Senator Bayh went on to serve three terms. As ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Bayh was considered one of the Senate's foremost experts in constitutional law. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, he wrote and sponsored two amendments to the Constitution: the twenty-fifth amendment (for Presidential succession in case of death or disability) and the twenty-sixth amendment (lowering the voting age to 18). From 1977 to 1980, Senator Bayh was Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. During his tenure as Chairman, he helped strengthen intelligence gathering while protecting American citizens from abuses of their rights. Senator Bayh also served on the Senate Public Works Subcommittee on the Environment for 10 years. In 1976, Senator Bayh entered the race for President of the United States. I have an Internet copy of a Birch Bayh for President 1976 Campaign Brochure. ``Senator Birch Bayh--The Democratic candidate for President with a plan for economic recovery . . .'' All one has to do is change the date and name and it could be used for the 2004 elections. Senator Bayh's distinguished career goes beyond the Beltway. He was the founding partner in the Washington DC law firm of Bayh, Connaughton & Malone. He also served as the chairman of the Institute Against Prejudice and Violence from 1984 to 1994. Senator Bayh is currently working for the Washington, DC law firm of Venable, Baetjer, Howard & Civilette as a member of the Government Division's Legislative. Also, Senator Bayh was appointed to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board by former President Clinton on July 20, 1995 and was reappointed in 1997 and 2000 for a term expiring September 22, 2003. Senator Bayh's accomplishments are a source of pride for my home state of Indiana. I wish him congratulations on this designation. [From a Birch Bayh for President 1976 Campaign Brochure] Senator Birch Bayh--The Democratic Candidate for President With a Plan for Economic Recovery . . . ``We need a President who is less concerned that too many jobs will cause inflation, and more concerned that too few jobs will cause human suffering.'' Two Republican Administrations following a deliberate policy of planned unemployment, have led us through two recessions and record inflation. Only a genius for ineptitude could have produced recession and inflation together. Only a totally insensitive Republican Administration could have tolerated both. Despite some evidence that the current recession has hit bottom, the American economy is still a long way from recovery. Economic recovery will not come naturally. Economic recovery cannot be sustained by doing nothing. Only positive government action now can produce and sustain an economic recovery broad enough to put America back to work. That is the number one priority for a President today . . . and tomorrow . . . With unemployment at 8.6 percent and American industry operating at two thirds of capacity, the President's concern that too strong a recovery will reignite an inflationary spiral is misplaced. We need a President who is less concerned that too many jobs will cause inflation, and more concerned that too few jobs will cause human suffering. Nearly 8 million Americans are still unemployed, while millions more are either underemployed or have given up looking for employment. We are losing $200 billion a year in our gross national product--that's more than $3,000 for each American family and yet inflation continues because Republican economics is blind to the cost of oil monopolies and grain deals. Unemployment cannot cure our current inflation--not only is it morally wrong, it is bad economics. Inflation is a serious problem, but the record of the last 5 years is clear-- increasing unemployment does not reduce the monopolistic price of energy; increasing unemployment does not drive down the price of food. It only adds to the welfare rolls and increases unemployment insurance costs. jobs . . . I believe that putting Americans back to work is the single most important task facing the President. A President committed to putting Americans back to work can do just that by: Proposing a major tax cut for low and middle income families. We need to restore consumer confidence and stimulate consumer spending. That is the surest way to expand production and provide jobs. We need a tax cut plain and simple, without any political gimmicks about budget-cutting. The President's proposal to balance a tax cut with a budget cut is unacceptable economic policy. It will not produce and sustain economic recovery. Pressuring the Federal Reserve to expand the money supply substantially and hold interest rates down. We can't afford to have the Federal Reserve working against an expansionary fiscal policy. A restrictive monetary policy and higher interest rates will short-circuit economic recovery before it is even underway. In order to avoid repeating the mistakes of monetary policy, we need to curb the independence of the Federal Reserve. That requires a Federal Reserve Board responsive to the public interest--shorter terms for members and publicly arrived at targets for monetary expansion are necessary ingredients in reforming the Fed. Proposing a public service jobs program. We can find useful employment for the innocent victims of Republican engineered recessions. For example, I was successful in obtaining funds for a railroad track rehabilitation program that will put thousands of unemployed railroad workers back on the job--a job that needs to be done. Preventing a New York City default by developing a national guarantee program that will enable state governments to assist their hard pressed cities. We will never have economic recovery if New York City defaults and the municipal bond market collapses. Our recovery is much too fragile to absorb the shock of default--to say nothing of the disastrous consequences of the increased cost of borrowing for every state and local jurisdiction in the nation. Proposing an anti-recessionary revenue sharing program that is triggered on and off by the unemployment rate. We need to temporarily compensate state and local governments for the increased costs of welfare and for the fall off in revenues that both result from a failure of national economic policy. inflation . . . Despite a major recession, inflation is still a serious problem? Why? Because of: A failure in energy policy; A failure in food policy; and The monopoly market power of a few firms. Energy--Oil and gas prices must be regulated. As long as OPEC maintains its solidarity and the major domestic oil companies are permitted to follow their non-competitive practices, there will be no free market in energy. Decontrol of oil and deregulation of natural gas prices will force all prices upward, increasing the Consumer Price Index by four percent. That is clearly inflationary. Food--Food prices are subject to wide fluctuations in world demand, and weather conditions that affect production. We can't control world demand nor the weather, but we can insulate food prices from these forces by establishing a strategic grain reserve to achieve a better balance between supply and demand. A strategic reserve would have to include safeguards against dumping for political ends--but properly administered it could mean adequate supplies with price stability and that is in the long-term interests of family farmers and consumers alike. Monopoly Pricing--When 20 oil companies control more than 75 percent of all oil production, refining and marketing in the U.S., and more than 90 percent of the oil pipeline capacity, it is clear they have the ability to set prices without regard to competition or market forces. And that is exactly what the oil companies are doing. Instead of letting the oil and other monopolistic forces repeal the law of supply and demand, we must take decisive action. That is why I have introduced and held hearings on legislation to break up the major domestic oil companies. We have a serious problem. We need a firm response. Our economy is at a crucial turning point. The problems of skyrocketing energy and food costs and the inability of the free market to function effectively have led me to conclude that recent policy failures are the result of an outdated view of the American economy. Therefore, I am proposing the establishment of a Temporary National Economic Committee-- similar to the Committee established by President Roosevelt in 1938--to publicly investigate the concentration of economic power in America today. If economic power is too heavily concentrated in the hands of a few, then we need stronger anti-trust action. I want the free enterprise system to work. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore