Donna Christensen

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, after claiming that they believe in fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets, the Republicans in their years of control in Washington have created the deepest budget deficits in American history and spiraling national debt. Now, after abandoning fiscal responsibility and borrowing to pay for tax cuts and to reconstruct Baghdad, Republicans say they must cut programs that primarily serve disadvantaged Americans in order to pay for reconstructing the Katrina-leveled gulf region. No other emergency funding required offsets. They claim that they are going to get tough on Federal spending through the budget reconciliation process where they propose a cut over $50 billion. They are getting tough all right, tough on the weak and needy, because this is where the cutting will be done: $10 billion in Medicaid cuts to health services for poor children and long-term care patients, and increasing the costs of prescription drugs for those beneficiaries; $844 million in food stamp cuts, eliminating nutrition and school lunch and breakfast benefits for hundreds of thousands of families and children; $14 billion in cuts to student aid programs, raising the costs of college for students and their families through the increased interest rates and loan fees. And it cuts all discretionary spending programs, such as veterans' health care, by a 2 percent across-the-board cut. I listened to some of my Republican friends yesterday who likened the increased spending to increasing a child's allowance, but the analogy does not work. These cuts are not the same as taking away an allowance which a parent gives a child for candy, ice cream, movies, books and incidentals. It is more like taking away the child's meals, not taking them to the doctor, denying them college tuition, and then the parents borrowing for a vacation and having the child have to pay for it out of their allowance. Many reports and the Washington Post even in an editorial last month pointed out that the Republican post-Katrina budget plan would add to the deficit, not reduce it, because the required spending cuts do not come close to paying for the at least $70 billion in new tax cuts provided for in the budget, cuts that mostly benefit the wealthiest Americans and that apparently remain sacrosanct no matter what other expenses pile up. I think the American public needs to know what the Congressional Budget Office said about some of those cuts. That office said last Thursday that the House Medicaid cuts would save more than $30 billion over 10 years. However, that office, the Congressional Budget Office, also pointed out that these savings will not come from the premiums and copays the Republicans say will create the savings, but they will come because those cuts would keep our must vulnerable communities and residents out of the health care system. Many of those people dropped would be the hard-working poor. The majority of those dropped, like those in Tennessee like I visited with last week, would be African American and other minorities. But there will be large numbers of people with disabilities, children, people living in our rural areas and the poor of every race, ethnicity and nationality. So instead of closing the health care disparity gap, which causes close to 100,000 premature, preventable deaths in this country every year, this body, should it pass the Republican budget package, would by that act be increasing those deaths and continuing the health care inequality which the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called the most shocking and inhumane of all. The poor folks, the folks in our rural areas, people with disabilities, seniors, people of color, immigrants, and our children should not be made to carry the burden of the war and pay for the luxuries of the rich. At the same time the Republicans are proposing such spending cuts, they are preparing to move forward with $106 billion in additional tax cuts this year that will largely benefit the wealthy. Will it save money? No. The net result of the GOP budget plan is $100 billion of debt over the next 5 years. As I said to my American Legion this past weekend, America is being transformed by the actions of this administration and this Congress into a country I do not recognize, one that has gone far astray from the values and principles on which it was founded and on which this United States became the leader of the free world. What this budget reconciliation will do and what it says about this country is not what they fought for and laid their lives on the line for. It dishonors their service and that of the men and women who are fighting for this Nation even today. So it is my hope and prayer that my friends on the other side of the aisle will abandon the irresponsible and heartless budget plan. Now is not the time to cut programs that are vital to the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and to our most vulnerable citizens who, like those victims, also face smaller but just as devastating socioeconomic hurricanes every day, while they have cut taxes for the most fortunate and add to the deficit. These are not the actions of a people who value life as Americans do. These are not the right priorities for our country.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a distinguished Virgin Islander and American, Ambassador Terrence R. Todman, on the occasion of his being honored by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today. Ambassador Todman, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands best-known international figures was chosen for two years by the Organization of American States to represent the OAS their efforts to promote dialogue among political and social elements in Haiti as a prelude to the holding of elections there later this year. Ambassador Todman was born on St. Thomas on March 13, 1926. He was raised, along with his thirteen brothers and sisters, by his mother Rachel Callwood. He retired from the U.S. Senior Foreign Service in 1993 with the title of Career Ambassador. In 41 years of diplomatic service, his postings included service as Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs and as U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, Denmark, Spain, Costa Rica, Guinea and the Republic of Chad. He serves on the board of directors of several organizations including the National Endowment for Democracy, a private not-for- profit entity created in 1983 to strengthen democratic institutions around the world through non-governmental efforts. He is a former trustee of the University of the Virgin Islands. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Presidential Distinguished Service and Meritorious Service Awards, the National Public Service Award and the State Department's Superior Service Honor Award. He has also been decorated by the governments of Denmark, Spain, Chad, and the Virgin Islands. Ambassador Todman is a graduate of Inter-American University in Puerto Rico and of Syracuse University. He was been awarded several honorary doctoral degrees. Before joining the Department of State, he served in the U.S. Army as a commissioned officer in post-war Japan. He has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of the U.S. Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. On behalf of the people of the Virgin Islands who I am privileged to present, I extend heartfelt congratulations to Ambassador and Mrs. Todman.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay homage to Private First Class Jose M. Rosario from Estate Campo Rico on my home island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands who was killed in Iraq last week. Private First Class Rosario joined the Army shortly after completing high school with the desire to serve his country and with the dream, whispered only to his older sister Ruth, of one day becoming an attorney. He told his family how much he loved his job, the adventure of it, and most of all the fact that he was making a contribution to our Nation. They have all attested that he was happy fulfilling his mission as a member of the Fifth Squadron, Seventh Cavalry Regiment, First Brigade Combat Team of the 42nd Infantry Division. Like so many of the now 2,000 men and women who have given their lives for their country in the Iraq war, Private First Class Rosario was young, just 20 years old, and with a dream of a brighter future. He died, along with Army Specialist Russell Nahvi of Arlington, Texas, and Sergeant Arthur Mora, Jr. of Pico, California, when their up-armored humvee was hit with indirect fire while on patrol in Balad, Iraq. And while his lifetime was short, Jose served his country with courage and with distinction and he has made his family and the entire Virgin Islands community very proud as he helped to make the entire Nation a better place by his sacrifice. Our prayers are with his mother Gregoria and all of the family. Mr. Speaker, we in the U.S. Virgin Islands along with our sister territories send more men and women per capita to serve in our Armed Forces, and Virgin Islanders have served in every war and conflict from the Revolutionary War forward. Our Virgin Islands National Guard has been proud to serve and do so with distinction around the world. They currently have several units in Afghanistan and Iraq. Dr. Bob Thompson, a good friend of mine and chief of medicine at the Governor Juan Luis Hospital, just returned from a tour in Iraq. Sixteen members of the 620th are scheduled to return home later this week. The 652nd Engineering Company is currently serving in Afghanistan and will be there for another 6 months. While home in August, I attended a deployment ceremony where the 610th and the 640th companies of the Virgin Islands National Guard, many of them young women, were preparing to leave for Iraq. They are currently at Fort Bragg being processed and the 107 men and women of the 610th are to depart in early November. The 640th will follow them shortly thereafter. In addition, Dr. Hinman, the State Surgeon of the Virgin Islands National Guard, is at Fort Bliss processing for his 90-day rotation, and we have an MP security team at Fort Leonard Wood, all preparing to also go to Iraq. I pray that they will all return safely and whole. I also play that the President will begin now to bring all of our troops home. With our population of just over 110,000, the U.S. Virgin Islands has already lost five young men before Private First Class Rosario. Daniel Wyatt, whose family splits their time between Wisconsin and St. Croix, and who spent what he called the best 2 weeks of his life in St. Croix before heading overseas. Shane Goldman, whose memorial I attended and who had a tree and a small monument placed at Club St. Croix, a place frequented by his father and which he loved to visit. Private First Class Jason Lynch from a large St. Croix family and the nephew of a close friend of mine Betty Lynch, a child I knew as he was growing up. Staff Sergeant Kendall Thomas, slightly older than the others, from St. Thomas and I believe serving his second tour. We are proud of the men and women who have given their lives in service to their country. We are particularly proud of Private First Class Jose M. Rosario and all of the men and women from the U.S. Virgin Islands who have served or now serve. They do so proudly and with great dedication and loyalty. I would be remiss if I did not here note that neither they nor their fellow Virgin Islanders have the right to vote for the Commander in Chief, something which we are seeking to correct with House Joint Resolution 1, which I introduced on the opening day of this 109th Congress. It is my hope that their sacrifice and that of all the other Virgin Islanders and American citizens in the offshore territories will be honored with its passage and ratification. May their example and that of all of our fallen resonate in all of our hearts and our country in their memory turn to peace and away from war.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for yielding me time. I also rise in strong support of H.R. 1409, to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide assistance for orphans and other vulnerable children in developing countries. I want to commend the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) as well for her commitment to this issue and for sponsoring this bill and for her hard work in getting it to the floor today, and to thank Chairman Hyde and Ranking Member Lantos for their support. Mr. Speaker, as the Navhind Times wrote earlier this month, ``There are more than 100 million children worldwide who are living hand-to- mouth, bereft from family and homes and are particularly vulnerable to abuse.'' We have all seen the tragedy of children soldiers, the street children of South America, and children refugees. As of July 2004, there were more than 143 million children living in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean who were identified as orphans, having lost one or both parents. Of this number, approximately 16.2 million children were identified as double orphans, having lost both parents, the vast majority of whom died of AIDS. Numerous United States and indigenous private voluntary organizations, including faith-based organizations, in these countries provide assistance to orphans and other vulnerable children. One such program is the Rx for Child Survival Campaign, a multimedia campaign aimed at raising the awareness of child hunger, disease and the impact of AIDS on their lives. Many of these organizations have applied for grants to the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development to provide increased levels of assistance for orphans and other vulnerable children in these developing countries. Mr. Speaker, the plight of the world's children represents both a humanitarian and a security crisis, and it is getting worse with each succeeding year. It is essential that the United States Government adopt a comprehensive approach for the provision of assistance to orphans and other vulnerable children around the world. By acting now, Congress can ensure that important services, such as basic care, psychosocial support, school food programs, increased educational opportunities and employment training, the protection and promotion of their inheritance rights, the treatment of orphans and other vulnerable children of HIV and AIDS and other illnesses have more accessible treatment and support efforts that ensure orphans continue to live with their extended families whenever possible, rather than being placed in orphanages. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 1409.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Conference report on H.R. 2360, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2006 because I am concerned about some of the areas where it falls short, but moreso because I believe it is the wrong vehicle to make the structural changes to the Department of Homeland Security that Secretary Chertoff laid out in his Second Stage Review without the appropriate congressional scrutiny. As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am very disappointed that the Conference Report, even though it provides more funding that the President's original request, makes a number of significant cuts in very important First Responder and Disaster Preparation programs at a time when we can ill afford to. I also see no sign that the deficient public health system on which every and any response will depend received the funding it needs to be brought up to a basic standard in every community in this country. This Conference Report fails to make Homeland Security the priority it ought to be. The rob from Peter to pay Paul that we are seeing in the Congress' Katrina/Ophelia/Rita response, continues, and badly needed increases for border security come at the expense of money for such items as first responders, disaster relief and port security. The result is that America will be far less safe than it needs to be. Mr. Speaker, as someone who represents an area which as seen more than its share of devastating hurricanes, and is home to some sites of critical national infrastructure, I am particular concerned about some of the proposals set forth in Secretary Chertoff's reorganization which would split FEMA's preparedness and response functions and leave FEMA solely as a disaster response agency reporting to the Secretary. It is because of this concern and others why I joined Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson and other members of the Committee in introducing the Department of Homeland security Reform Act of 2005 to offer solutions where the administration's reorganization plan creates more problems. I also have grave concerns that what this reorganization does is continue to concentrate power in the White House. We see that in every Department, even at the NIH, and it is a dangerous trend that we as a co-equal branch of government should not let happen. Our bill would strengthen FEMA creating a strong Directorate of Preparedness and Response that includes an intact, strengthened FEMA with a Director and Deputy Director who must have an extensive background in emergency or disaster-related management. It will also include a new Assistant Secretary for Preparedness who will head a consolidated version of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness, which is presently an isolated entity located in the Secretary's office. We also establish a military liaison within the Directorate who will assist with the coordination of DOD and DHS preparedness and response efforts. Mr. Speaker we have seen what can happen to a community which has been impacted by a disaster, as we did with Alabama. Mississippi and Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, when there is weakened and ineffective FEMA, and where the Department does not provide leadership or clear lines of authority. This Conference Report does nothing to fix the deficiencies of FEMA that came to light as a result of the Gulf Coast disasters which is the last thing we should be doing. We could accept this report because it is late in the year, and there are some good parts to it, but the security of each and everyone in this country is at stake, and this is not good enough. I urge my colleagues to oppose this conference report and send it back.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, why is Hurricane Katrina funding being treated differently than all other emergency funding? And why is this body proposing that the poor, elderly and children be made to pay for it while the corporations rake in the money and the wealthy in this country continue to get tax cuts? And why is it that the temporary expansion of Medicaid, unemployment and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families--the very kinds of programs that need to be provided in this emergency--are being blocked? There is something very wrong with this picture and we need to change it. There are no offsets for rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq. There should be none for our fellow Americans. My colleagues, Congress needs to pass the Grassley-Bacchus bill to provide the lifeline to those who Katrina left devastated and homeless. We must stop the madness of proposed cuts to entitlement programs. We cannot continue to talk about Medicaid cuts in the next 2 years. And it is time that the rich share some of this country's burden for a change. The tax cuts cannot be made permanent. My colleagues, the world is watching. More importantly, God is watching. Let us do the right thing for the people of the gulf region, for all Americans, and for our country.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, in 2 days, the Ryan White CARE Act will expire, and though it will continue under its current authorization, as this landmark and life-saving Act expires, it is almost as though a light expires as well, a light of life and hope for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have depended upon it. We all know how disproportionately the HIV/AIDS epidemic has, and continues to, affect the African American community. In fact, since the beginning of this epidemic, African Americans have been hardest hit. This is not only due to adverse lifestyles but also largely due to the poor level of services, lack of insurance and the intractable poverty where too many people of color are trapped. As shocking as the statistics are one year, they get worse the following year. Nearly half of all people living with HIV and AIDS in the United States are African American, and the AIDS case rate for African Americans is 9.5 times that of whites. About six in 10 children to HIV-infected mothers are African American. Sixty-five percent of the AIDS cases among young people, 13 to 19 years of age, are in African Americans. AIDS is the leading cause of death for African American women, 24 to 34 years of age. This epidemic creates generation gaps in black families, leaving children to be reared by grandparents or other guardians, and the startling number of AIDS cases among teenagers indicates that this epidemic will undermine the very future of the African American community and thus undermine our Nation. In the African American community, this is a state of emergency and requires an emergency response, not this lack of attention and lackadaisical approach that we are receiving from the leadership. We should not be presiding over the expiration of this Act, which has been a lifeline to countless individuals and their families. We should be going beyond reauthorization, expanding it and ensuring that all of the funding is there to meet the programmatic needs. The Ryan White CARE Act was created to improve the quality and expand access to comprehensive care for people living with HIV and AIDS and their families. Because of the CARE Act, metropolitan regions, which are heavily African American, those that are most severely affected by HIV and AIDS receive funding to launch HIV prevention and support HIV/ AIDS care efforts. The CARE Act also provides funding for AIDS Drug Assistance Programs; early intervention services; capacity building and planning grants; crucial services for women, infants, children, youth and their affected family members; funding for AIDS Education and Training Centers; dental reimbursement programs; and funding for special projects on innovative models of HIV care and service delivery, among other services. As a physician who has treated people living with HIV and AIDS, I know well how critical these services, especially access to medications that slow the progression of HIV to AIDS, are to improve the quality of life of those with AIDS, are to the health and well-being of and the care of people living with it. The CARE Act, though, is particularly important to the community that is hit the hardest, year after year, the African American community. About half of all Ryan White CARE Act clients are African American. More than eight in 10 clients at the Title IV clinics who receive important medical care, case management, child care and other services, are people of color, the majority of whom are African American women, children, youth and families. We must recognize that when the Ryan White CARE Act was created and passed, the face of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the unmet needs of those living with HIV disease, and the medical management of HIV and AIDS were much different than they are today. Furthermore, great strides in medical technology have slowed the progression from HIV to AIDS, allowing people with HIV disease to live longer, healthier lives. The CARE Act should be authorized in a manner that allows it to fully respond to the health and health care needs of those most at risk for, or those who currently are, living with HIV and AIDS. Because of this, any funding less than $3.1 billion is simply not acceptable. That is equivalent to what we spend every month in the war in Iraq. What it costs to make the Republican tax cuts permanent for 1 year is more than 10 times the amount needed to help ensure that a child born to an HIV-positive mother has a chance at life. One might be moved to ask why this crisis, which has taken so many lives, ruining so many families and having such a detrimental social and economic impact on our communities is being responded to in such an inadequate manner, if one can say it is being responded to at all? It is not the absence of urgent need. The numbers are there. Neither could it be due to lack of resources. We have seen this administration in times bankroll solutions to others and more expensive crises without hesitation. The reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act and adequate funding of this and all of the other health care programs that would improve the health of the poor, the rural or people of color, are not all that happening for one reason, the absence of political will. Mr. Speaker, I do not want us to lose sight of the fact that this Act gets its name from a brave little boy who was not only a pioneer but an inspiration. I did not know Ryan, but I do know his mother, Jeanne, and so on her behalf and on behalf of the patients I have served, and all of those infected with HIV or who have AIDS, their families, as well as all of the dedicated care providers, I ask that we not let this lapse in our moral responsibility be prolonged. Let us do the work we are entrusted to do and reauthorize and modernize an even stronger, better Ryan White CARE Act.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking and applauding our colleague, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who will lead the next hour for the concurrent resolution she has introduced and which I co-sponsor which everyone ought to support which affirms the obligation and leadership of the United States to improve the lives of the 37 million Americans living in poverty, 13 million of which are children. The entire country and indeed the world got but a glimpse of the big picture as we watched in horror as the floods washed away the facade and exposed the poverty that exists in this the richest and most powerful Nation in the world. The added tragedy was the insensitivity and lack of urgency with which Katrina's victims were treated. The moral question we are faced with today and which every person in this country must answer is, what are we going to do about it? As leaders of this Nation, we have the obligation to begin that answer now. My colleagues and I tonight will be joining Congresswoman Lee to lead us in that response. What everyone else saw perhaps for the first time was not a surprise to us. We have come to this body, to task forces and committee meetings, here to the well of the House and to countless press conferences to tell the world that this level of poverty exists, that it disproportionately includes African Americans and other people of color. And we have called on the Congress and the White House through our budget proposals and legislative agenda to repair the breach in our human condition, largely to no avail. While the events of the last 2 weeks have spoken volumes in ways our words could not, we must not let what happened in Alabama, Mississippi, and even more so in Louisiana ever happen again. So as we appropriate dollars to fix the levees and other infrastructure that has been damaged or destroyed, we must also fix the social and economic infrastructure which failed so many and exacerbated the tragedy, and we must repair broken lives for the short and long term. That includes repairing a very deficient and dysfunctional health care delivery system in rural areas, the territories, and communities of color. Almost as a last warning before the storm hit and the flood waters surged came the new numbers from the Census Bureau on income, poverty, and health insurance status in this country. Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are three of our poorest states. In these states, about six in every ten African Americans are living at or below the Federal poverty line. In the wake of the storm and even before the waters began to recede came a second report as a reminder of how deep we have to reach into America's psyche to repair the damage. That report, Closing the Gap: Solutions to Race Based Health Disparities, assessed and analyzed the impact that social determinants, such as economic, social, environmental, and cultural inequities, have on health and health care. These inequities provide a medium in which poverty not only continues to exist but thrives. Poverty is perhaps the most closely aligned determinate of ill health. It then should follow that the elimination of poverty would go a long way to eliminating the long-standing health care inequities that result in health care disparities for African Americans and other people of color that are the shame of this wealthy Nation. It is my hope that this country, my country, will never forget Katrina and recognize that what was laid bare is only a fraction of what exists, particularly in the South but throughout this country. As leaders, I hope my colleagues will join us to ensure that the infrastructure is put in place so that nowhere across the United States will such a preventable travesty ever happen again. Part of that would be to pass our legislation to create health empowerment zones in communities such as those in which poverty and the concurrent ill health trapped their victims. This legislation would assist and empower them to address health care challenges and improve the public health infrastructure as well as mitigate the social, environmental, and economic determinants of health. It is part of a larger legislative initiative for which we also ask your support, the Heal America Act of 2005, a comprehensive bill, a sort of Marshall Plan for health that would reverse the dynamics that lead to the disproportionate death, disease, and disability which people of color suffer. Lastly, not allowing this to ever happen again includes not cutting Medicaid. Not only is it needed in this crisis, which has been described as in biblical proportions, but it is needed in the everyday crises that result in over 100,000 preventable premature deaths in people of color every year. My colleagues, this, too, is the annual unacknowledged catastrophe that we can and must prevent. Mr. Speaker, let us honor the memory of the victims of Katrina and the suffering of the survivors by eradicating poverty, by creating a fair, equitable and just health care system and by building a better America where there is the guarantee of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, as the gentleman from Puerto Rico (Mr. Fortuno) of the majority has explained, S. 276 will further the purposes of Wind Cave National Park by enabling significant lands to be added to the national park. This bill, S. 276, is the Senate companion measure to the bill H.R. 456 introduced by the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Ms. Herseth), my colleague on the Committee on Resources. The gentlewoman from South Dakota (Ms. Herseth) is to be commended for her leadership on this important legislative initiative which will add lands to the park that will protect archaeological sites, enhance the viewshed, and preserve prairie and forest lands that are natural extensions of the existing park. Since coming to Congress, the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Ms. Herseth) has been a strong advocate for these additions to the park, and we are pleased to see her work coming to fruition today. Madam Speaker, S. 276 will help advance the preservation and interpretation of Wind Cave National Park, and we support adoption of the legislation by the House today.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, before I speak to S. 252, I would just like to voice my support also for S. Con. Res. 26, honoring and memorializing the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 that was just before this body. The legislation which we are discussing now, S. 252, is technical in nature and once approved will allow the University and Community College System in Nevada to expand ongoing research activities at the Dandini facility. This is a noncontroversial measure which passed the Senate by unanimous consent in July. The distinguished Senate minority leader is to be commended for his tireless efforts on behalf of this legislation and for his commitment to supporting important research in our Nation's academic institutions. On the House side, the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley), a co- sponsor of the House companion legislation, has also taken a leadership role in making certain this legislation is approved. And we also commend the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) for his work and leadership on this bill.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. We support the passage of S. 264. The gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie), our colleague on the Committee on Resources, has introduced a companion bill in the House, H.R. 843. We commend the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie) for his hard work to secure authorizations for these important projects. The projects identified in this bill will be eligible for limited financial assistance under the Bureau of Reclamation's title 16 water recycling program. Water recycling and desalination projects are proven technologies that can help stretch limited water supplies in areas such as Hawaii, and the Virgin Islands I might add. I want to express our full support for this legislation, and I offer congratulations to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie) for his leadership and persistence as this legislation proceeds to the White House.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, as the majority has explained, H.R. 539 would designate approximately 10,000 acres of land in the Caribbean National Forest in Puerto Rico as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System to be named the El Toro Wilderness. The Caribbean National Forest is the only tropical rainforest in the National Forest System. It is home to one of the most endangered birds in the world, the Puerto Rican parrot. The El Toro Wilderness would become the first tropical forest in the National Forest Wilderness System, as well as the first wilderness area in Puerto Rico. It is, in a host of respects, a natural treasure and a national treasure that merits a designation befitting its unique status in America. Madam Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Puerto Rico (Mr. Fortuno), my colleague and neighbor, for his work in securing the passage of this bill. We support adoption of H.R. 539, and I would add that the gentleman from West Virginia (Ranking Member Rahall) has personally also advocated the consideration of this measure. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in extending my sympathy and that of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama who have suffered great losses and continue to suffer from the impact of Hurricane Katrina on their lives. They are very fortunate to be represented by the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jefferson), and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis). I am proud to say that we, who know the fury of these storms, have many who are working in the affected and host communities, that our hotel association and countless individuals and businesses have contributed close to $200,000 and that number continues to climb, that our National Guard sent many of our able troops to this vital effort, and our university has opened its doors to displaced students. After 9/11, it was clear that we needed to become not just a stronger America but a better America, one where everyone was treated with dignity, fairness, justice, and compassion. Our leaders, though, urged us to go back to normal, and that was clearly not good enough. Despite the generosity of many good people, we have witnessed what has become normal for far too many in this country: for the poor, the rural, and people of color. What happened in Alabama, Mississippi, and especially in Louisiana, the extent to which we have not yet seen, brings the issue of health and socioeconomic disparities into stark focus. Based on what is estimated, Katrina's toll will add more than 12,000 preventable, premature deaths to the close to 100,000 we African Americans experience every year. I am greatly concerned about all that has to be done now and for recovery and reconstruction; but as a physician, the health care challenges that are immediately upon us trouble me most. I am concerned because as a member of the Committee on Homeland Security, along with the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), we have been issuing repeated calls for repairing and strengthening our public health system especially in our poor, minority, and rural communities. Calls that went unheeded. I am concerned because we knew from a New York Academy of Medicine study that people would need more help and information to respond as instructed. I am concerned because another report on national health disparities will be released this week which will again tell us that disparities are widespread and due to persistent and institutional racial and ethnic discrimination and the socioeconomic problems they spawn in communities of color. And so in the affected areas we have worsening chronic disease, diabetics without insulin for far too long, HIV/AIDS patients without medication, and babies without the proper feeding. Crowding and poor sanitation will increase infectious diseases, and we will have mental health problems now and for a long time to come. In this area the lack of the culturally competent providers we have long pressed for will be acutely felt. No planning in Iraq, no planning here; yet another crisis has been allowed to develop. The President has not only to own up to the inadequacy of the preparedness and response, but he must also not cover it up. He has to work with us to correct it. Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity that the CBC will lead to make this right, to still become a better America. We can do it if we invest in our people and our country instead of giving tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. We can do it if we improve Medicaid, not cut it; if we restore proposed cuts to food stamps, WIC, public housing, small business programs, education, and all of the health care programs that improve the health services and health status for all of us who live here. We can do it if we do everything that is needed to bring the destroyed places back and the displaced back home; if we strengthen the infrastructure in New Orleans and all around this country and in doing so create jobs and economic opportunity for all. We can do it, and in this time of great tragedy and distress, the time that usually brings people together, my prayer is that we will; and I call on all of our colleagues to support this effort.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I have been through some of the worst hurricanes in the last quarter of a century. They were experiences I never want to go through again, but none comes close to the devastation especially in the lives of the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. I would have thought that there would have been some institutional history and expertise at FEMA that would have dictated a more appropriate preparation and immediate lifesaving response. Obviously, I was wrong and lives were lost. What I have not been wrong about is what my CBC colleagues and I have been telling this body over and over again for a long time, that African Americans are left out and left behind in just about every facet of American life. Now the entire country and the whole world has seen it in its most stark and tragic reality. If nothing else comes out of the devastation we have witnessed over the past week, it should be that we forge the will and determination and the leadership of this Nation to close the gaps; to eliminate the disparities; and, finally, after all of these centuries, ensure fairness, equality, and justice for all and that all Americans be finally embraced into the fullness of the promise that is America.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss a critically important bill that is being introduced today: the Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act of 2005. Before I go into detail, I must profusely thank three people who were incredibly instrumental in helping us get this bill developed and introduced: Sharon Coleman of the Congressional Research Service, and Peter Goodloe and Warren Burke, of the House Legislative Counsel. Ms. Coleman, Mr. Goodloe and Mr. Burke, on behalf of the TriCaucus, I thank and applaud you for your efforts. Over the last two decades, hundreds of studies--most which have been conducted by credible sources, like the Institutes of Medicine, academic institutions, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Morehouse College and University of California, in addition to non-partisan foundations and think tanks--have confirmed that racial and ethnic health disparities are a challenge to health care in this country. Here in America, the color of your skin, your ethnic background, and your geography can not only influence your health care access and quality; they can determine them. We have all heard the numbers and statistics. We see grave racial and ethnic differences in health status and outcomes that are unacceptable in a country as wealthy as this one. For example: African American and American Indian/Alaska Native infant mortality rates are more than two times higher than that for whites. African American women are nearly four times more likely than white women to die during childbirth or from pregnancy complications. The death rate from asthma is more than three times higher among African Americans than among whites. The diabetes death rates among African Americans and Hispanics are about 2 times higher than that among whites. The AIDS case rate among African Americans is more than ten times higher than that among whites. The AIDS case rate for Hispanics is more than four times higher than that among whites. Until the conditions that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities are addressed and an emphasis is put on prevention, as well as treatment and care, then racial and ethnic disparities in health will continue to plague minority Americans. Mr. Speaker, far too many people assume that racial and ethnic minorities have poorer health status and die prematurely because of bad health decisions. And, making healthy decisions is one part of the equation. However, it is difficult to make healthy decisions and to preserve good health when you are uninsured. And, uninsurance disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minorities. In fact, racial and ethnic minorities comprise about one third of the total U.S. population, yet are represented in more than half of this country's uninsured population. Uninsurance, Mr. Speaker, is a major factor that exacerbates racial and ethnic health disparities, and reducing the numbers of the uninsured must be an integral part of any strategy to reduce--and ultimately eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. And then, Mr. Speaker, there is something else that happens too often when racial and ethnic minorities go to the doctor. Even when they have an insurance card from the best companies, the quality of their health care is less than that of whites and often does not meet medical standards. These disparities, Mr. Chairman, are the most egregious and disturbing because they serve as a reminder that more than four decades after the Civil Rights Movement, racial and ethnic minorities still are not treated equally and fairly. When I first heard about these types of disparities, I was shocked. As a physician who practiced for more than two decades, I cannot fathom discriminating against a patient because of their skin color, their ethnic background or sexual orientation. But, the studies documenting these disparities are extensive and robust, and have found that: Despite having heart disease and stroke rates that are disproportionately higher than whites, African American women with health insurance are 40% less likely than whites with health insurance to be recommended for cardiac catheterization. African-American diabetics are more nearly 3.5 times more likely than white diabetics to have a lower limb amputation procedure performed. African Americans are 3 times more likely than whites to be hospitalized for asthma and about 2\1/2\ times more likely to visit an emergency room with an asthma attack. This is significant because hospitalization for asthma is an avoidable admission if the condition is adequately managed. Mr. Speaker, last Congress, my colleagues and I in the TriCaucus introduced a bill that would reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health and in health care. This Congress, we decided to re-introduce that bill in a concerted effort to continue our commitment and work to ensure that racial and ethnic health disparities are eliminated from our health care system. This bill, entitled the Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act of 2005, proposes solutions to the factors that exacerbate racial and ethnic health disparities by working to accomplish the following: Remove barriers to health care access by expanding existing forms of health insurance coverage. Improve cultural and linguistic competence in health care by removing language and cultural barriers to quality health care. Improve the diversity of the health care workforce to reflect, understand and respect the backgrounds, experiences and perspectives of the people it serves. Support and expand programs to reduce health disparities in diseases and conditions, especially diabetes, obesity, heart disease, asthma and HIV/AIDS. Improve racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and language data collection to adequately identify, measure and find reasonable and innovative solutions for health disparities. Ensure accountability of the Bush administration to ensure adequate funding of the Office of Minority Health, and the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities and the important work that they do. Bolster the capacity of institutions that provide care in minority communities. Mr. Speaker, these health disparities are not just minority issues. Because these health disparities often result in death, they are moral issues. Because these health disparities leave minorities with greater disease and disability burden, they are civil rights issues. Because these disparities burden the health care system, they are economic issues. And, because these disparities jeopardize the health and well being of the people in this country, they are an American issue. I therefore urge my colleagues--on both sides of the fence--to support the Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act of 2005.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, the United States Virgin Islands has lost one of its outstanding success stories as prominent lawyer and Judge Alphonso Christian passed away Saturday, July 23, 2005. With the passing of this Native son we have lost a premiere trail blazer. This outstanding Virgin Islander, born in Frederiksted, St. Croix, made substantial contributions to the Territory and in particular to the island of St. Thomas, the place he sailed to as a young man to begin his career. St. Thomas became his home, and it is where he began a flourishing and illustrious career, raising his children to be another generation of a progressive Family that is especially renowned in St. Croix for its industriousness, hard work and diligence. Christian, 88, died of heart failure at Roy L. Schneider Hospital on St. Thomas. A jurist, attorney, government administrator, teacher and community activist, Christian had arisen from humble beginnings on St. Croix. Christian was born on August 2, 1916 to Peter and Wilhelmina Christian in Frederiksted. His well disciplined upbringing and strong will to succeed during his child hood set the tone for his achievements to come. He graduated as the Valedictorian of the Commercial Class at St. Patrick's and started as Clerk Typist at the Agricultural Station at Anna's Hope. He later came to St. Thomas where his speed and accuracy in this position paved the way for his becoming the Stenographer to Mr. Herbert Lockhart of the A.H. Lockhart & Co., a company that was the hub of all commercial activity on St. Thomas. He worked his way from stenographer to reporter, and served as secretary of the Virgin Islands Municipal Council, and all the while studied law by correspondence from the well know LaSalle School. Impressed by his legal intellect, although he had never practiced law, Christian was allowed to take the bar exam without having attended law school. He passed at his first attempt with high marks and was admitted to the V.I. Bar in 1949. Christian became involved with civic and political organizations while studying law by correspondence with the well-known LaSalle School. His activity in politics began with his involvement in the first political party, the V.I. Progressive Guide. That position was the springboard to other positions such as Executive Secretary to the Municipal Council and the Legislative Assembly. He was named legal aide to the Municipal Council of St. Thomas and St. John and the Legislative Assembly in 1949 and Judge of the Police Court in 1951. For the three years he served as Judge of the police Court, he also served as Coroner Recorder of Deeds, Chairman of the Board of Elections, United States Commissioner and Chairman of the Fourth of July Celebrations. In 1972, he was appointed Commissioner of Public Safety of the Virgin Islands and served in the position until 1975, when he practiced law full-time. In April 1978, he was named the first Senior Sitting Judge of the Territorial Court of the Virgin Islands, now known as the Superior Court, and served until April 1993. Judge Alphonso Christian has served the Territory as a businessman, teacher, Attorney, Commissioner, Jurist, community activist and philanthropist. Judge Christian started his own business by opening and teaching at his own Commercial School, which he began in his living room and later transferred to his law office. He was also the Commissioner of Public Safety at the time when that Department also included the Fire Service and the Prison System. His extensive community involvement also included being a Charter Member of the Lions Club, Chairman of the Virgin Islands Carnival Committee for several years, serving on various community Boards, and using his legal experience and business acumen to help the Catholic Church in many areas. While serving in these many capacities, Christian also taught legal assistants at the University of the Virgin Islands. A man of many talents and blessed with wisdom, knowledge and persistence, Alphonso Christian will be long remembered and praised for his work in all areas in which he served his beloved home, but I am certain that he counts among his greatest contributions, as do we, those which have been made and will continue to be made through his children and grandchildren. Judge Alphonso and my father Judge Almeric Christian who preceded him in death by several years were respected colleagues and good friends. On behalf of my family, staff, and the Members of the 109th Congress of the United States of America, I extend my heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Ruth Christian, their children, Rubina. Delano, Alicia, including my dear friends Attorney Alphonso, Jr., and Dr. Cora Christian, grandchildren, sister Ann Abramson, family and friends. May God comfort and bless you during this time of loss and may you find peace and acceptance in knowing that Judge Christian left an admirable record of achievement and a stellar example for those of us to emulate when we want to reach for the stars and the world tells us we have nothing to stand on. His faith, persistence and hard work overcame great obstacles, and now he rests in God's eternal peace.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I thank the gentleman for agreeing to take this up in conference.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I yield to the gentleman from Georgia.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) for yielding me time and for entering into a colloquy. Mr. Speaker, residents of the U.S. territories face many obstacles to obtaining affordable health insurance. The cost of providing health care in the territories is relatively high, and corresponding insurance rates are high due to a number of factors, including the high level of chronic disease in small populations over which to spread risk. The State's high-risk pool model is an innovative manner of addressing the need for health insurance for high-risk populations. H.R. 3204 authorizes Federal seed funding and additional grants in the 50 States and the District of Columbia for the purpose of initiating and operating high-risk pools, but unfortunately fails to include the U.S. territories. H.R. 3204 is a good approach to decreasing the number of uninsured. In fact, it makes coverage accessible to people who, often through no fault of their own, suffer from these chronic diseases. It can be very helpful to my constituents and the constituents of my fellow delegates, especially given the limitations the cap on Medicaid imposes on health care delivery in the territories. I am sure that the exclusion of the territories was an oversight, and I respectfully request your assistance and the assistance from the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) in working to add the territories as eligible recipients of this funding as this bill moves through the rest of the legislative process and in any conference with the Senate on this reauthorization.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, today the House will vote on legislation Republicans claim will help doctors and help reduce the cost of health care. As a family doctor, I know their rhetoric could not be further from the truth. Republicans say that capping what an injured patient can receive in compensation is a cure-all to our health care woes, but they ignore one essential fact, that it is the insurance industry, not payments to patients, that is chasing doctors out of their offices. A report released in May shows that the 15 leading malpractice insurers increased their premiums on doctors by 120 percent. No surprise there. What is surprising is that the insurance companies' own documents show that payouts over this same period stayed flat, increasing by less than 6 percent, and some companies' payouts went down. This just confirms what every reliable study has shown: There is no explosion of malpractice claims or payouts. They are not the cause of rising premiums. It appears insurance rates are the major problem. The Republicans refuse to talk about insurance reform. There is not one word in H.R. 5 about the insurance industry. Rather than really addressing the problem, Republicans would rather limit the rights of injured patients. Vote ``no'' on H.R. 5.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, as most members of this body know, I am a physician, and a member of physician organizations who practiced family medicine for 21 years. So, I know this issue first hand, and I am deeply troubled about patients who will be denied just compensation under the approach this bill takes--caps on damages. I am also outraged that physicians are being used as pawns in the game of political one-upmanship this bill plays with its narrow, misguided and ineffective focus and attack on trial lawyers. And we all know, because we read the same reports that H.R. 5 bill will not fix the problem. The causes of high premiums are not the result of medical malpractice lawsuits or increasing payouts. In fact, a recent report commissioned by the Center for Justice and Democracy clearly demonstrates that over the last 5 years, there has been little to no increase in malpractice payouts. Despite this, there have been humongous increases in malpractice insurance premiums. In fact, the report found that many of the leading malpractice insurers have substantially increased their premiums while decreasing their actual claims payments and reducing the amount they project to payout in the future, but significantly increasing their surplus or profits. Let me just give you a few examples from the report so everyone understands: 1. In fact, in 2004 alone, the leading medical malpractice insurers took in about three times as much in premiums as they paid out in claims. 2. And, in 2004, the 15 leading malpractice carriers, taken in sum, increased their premiums by 9.3%, yet their losses fell by 21.1%. 3. Between 2000 and 2004, the premiums of the 15 leading medical malpractice insurers have more than doubled, yet the amount they paid out in claims during this same period remained constant. In fact, during this time frame, gross premiums increased 134.5% while gross payouts increased by 9.6%. 4. Another way to put it: between 2000 and 2004, the increase in premiums collected by the 15 leading medical malpractice insurers on a net basis was twenty-one times as great as the increase in payments on a net basis. So not allowing for Democratic alternatives which sought to address the full scope of the malpractice problem, and provide a real remedy has precluded us from having a bill on the floor that merits our vote. My colleagues please don't disrespect patients and their families and their pain and suffering; and do not play the hard working doctors. Vote no on H.R. 5 and then let's pass a bill that truly addresses the crisis that many factors--like lack of insurance, language barriers, limited providers of color, inadequate funding for prevention and malpractice insurance coverage is creating.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the Small Business Fairness Act, which is not fair any place, but in its name, and in strong support for the Kind-Andrews substitute. As a 5-term member of the Small Business Committee, I know and am very concerned that 60 percent of the uninsured are employees of small businesses. We all want to make sure they are covered, but H.R. 525 will not do that, it is an empty promise. Worse, it would more likely increase the number of uninsured instead of reduce them. Even for those who might be covered. This bill is designed to provide great coverage if you don't need it, but please don't get sick--what it provides then is a false sense of security. The stories of individuals with similar low cost plans in States with little regulations are tragic, and must not be replicated as H.R. 525 would do. AHPs specifically remove State consumer protection laws and appeal rights. It is fool hardy to think that the market will provide any protection, and our experience with the Department of Labor and hearings with the Secretary have added no reassurance. People of color, who make up a sizeable portion of small business employees and who tend to be sicker because this government will not build fairness and equality into our healthcare system, will get the shortest end of the stick again. Because of the higher costs of taking care of them, minorities will be left out, and left behind. There is nothing fair about this bill, I urge my colleagues vote ``no'' on 525 and vote for a bill that provides insurance relief to small businesses, keeps the cost low, and protects the consumer. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Kind/Andrews substitute. The only fair bill before us at this time.