Donna Christensen

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, as we approach our annual celebration of Veteran's Day, this year we do so in the knowledge that our brave fighting men and women and those who support their efforts, are in the field in Iraq, in Afghanistan and in Guatanamo Bay, right now in defense of our country and our freedoms. Mr. Speaker, all of our veterans have served with distinction and deserve the benefits that they have earned. That's why it is important that we invest in their health care and we ensure there is more than enough funding for the VA clinics and hospitals across the country so that our veterans of wars past and wars present can be well cared for. Mr. Speaker, that is why our veterans deserve to have their tax burdens lifted, including the disabled veterans tax. They deserve to enjoy tax relief such as the child tax credit and they deserve to have their pay increased especially at this time, when they are being asked to sacrifice so much. Mr. Speaker, the veterans of the U.S. territories, who have served in many wars with distinction, despite not being able to vote for president and not having voting representation in Congress, are also in need of increased health benefits, tax relief and access to business and other opportunities. Over 200 soldiers from my district are currently serving in the Middle East, with many more in the National Guard and Reserve who have been called up to serve their country at different places across the world at this time. Mr. Speaker, I would like to salute the veterans from my district who are being honored this weekend and who have served in the major conflicts of our time from World War II to Vietnam to the first Persian Gulf . . . they include Gloria Bell, Peter Thurland, Juan Cruz, Earl Morris, Olaf Jackson, Evelyn Crittenden, Agnes Day Henry, Edgar Iles, Nevlin Williams and Otto Tranberg. Mr. Speaker, this year, it is important that our soldiers in the field, our veterans and their families all know that we appreciate their sacrifice and that this body pledges to support them in the best way that we possibly can.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

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

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. Madam Speaker, S. 470 is the Senate companion measure to a House bill, H.R. 1209, that was passed by this body on September 23, 2003. It is a simple piece of legislation that extends for 3 years the authority for construction of a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., here in the District of Columbia. In 1996, Public Law 104-333 authorized the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., through the Martin Luther King Memorial Project Foundation, to establish a memorial here in our Nation's capital to America's foremost civil rights leader. Since that time, the sponsors have worked diligently to secure memorial site and design approvals. In addition, there has been a fund-raising campaign under way to secure the necessary funds to build and maintain the memorial. However, not all of the necessary funds have been secured and ground cannot be broken until the funds are in place. That is the reason for the need for the extension. Madam Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to applaud the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity for the work they have done so far and their commitment to this project. S. 470 is a completely noncontroversial measure. I strongly support its passage by the House today so that the measure can be sent to the President for his signature and the work to establish this national memorial to this great American, a real world leader, can continue. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

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. Madam Speaker, H.R. 3249 extends the term of the Forest Counties Payments Committee until September 30, 2007. This date coincides with the expiration date of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. The committee, whose term expired on October 11, 2003, is to provide recommendations concerning Federal payments to States and counties in which public lands are situated. The bill is noncontroversial, and we do not object to it. I want to take this opportunity to thank the two gentlemen from Oregon, the sponsor of the bill, (Mr. Walden), and our Democratic colleague (Mr. DeFazio) for bringing this legislation to the floor.

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

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I join my colleague in support of H. Con. Res. 268. Madam Speaker, the United States has long been a leader in promoting the sustainable harvest of our ocean resources. Unfortunately, not all other countries have been as diligent. We must continue to press for effective conservation and management of our world's fisheries, not only at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, or ICCAT, but at all international fisheries organizations. This concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 268, gives much-needed support to our U.S. commissioners as they enter into yet another round of difficult international negotiations. Ending illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, not only of white marlin but all the species managed by ICCAT, is necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of these fisheries and the United States commercial and recreational industries that depend on them. I commend my colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton), for this timely resolution, and I urge the House to adopt it. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).

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

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the ranking member of the subcommittee, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone).

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 1616, introduced by my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis), authorizes the exchange of land between the National Park Service and the City of Atlanta at the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site. The national historic site was established in 1980 to preserve and interpret the birthplace, church, and grave of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Part of the site also includes a vacant lot that is not historically significant to the site, but which the City of Atlanta would like to acquire as part of its redevelopment of the area surrounding the National Historic Site. The National Park Service has established a visitor center and museum at the historic site that could be enhanced by acquisition of an adjacent parcel owned by the city. While there have been discussions of an exchange of the two properties under the site's Enabling Act, city- owned property can only be acquired by donation. Madam Speaker, both the National Park Service and the City of Atlanta support this exchange. It is an action that would benefit both the national historic site and the city. This looks to be a win-win situation and, as such, we support the legislation. Madam Speaker, it is an honor to serve with the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) who, of course, was a trusted and invaluable worker and leader along with Dr. Martin Luther King and who continues to be a drum major for justice today. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he might consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).

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

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to my friend Dr. Mohammed Ali Odeen Ishmael, Ambassador of Guyana to the United States of America and Permanent Representative of Guyana to the Organization of American States. Ambassador Odeen Ishmael, who was born in 1948, was appointed to his current post, more than 10 years ago, in June 1993 and is presently the Dean of the Caribbean Ambassador. Before becoming an Ambassador, Dr. Ishmael previously worked as a teacher in Guyana, and served during the 1970s in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guyana. He returned to teaching after his stint in Foreign Affairs. From 1985 to early 1993 he worked in The Bahamas in the areas of both secondary and adult education. He has represented Guyana at the OAS General Assemblies, and other specialized meetings of the hemispheric body in various countries of the hemisphere and has participated as a member of Guyana's delegation at the U.N. General Assembly since 1993. In addition, he has headed Guyana's delegation to meetings of the Regional Negotiating Machinery (of CARICOM) from 1997. From 1997, he has headed Guyana's delegations to meetings Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC); and he also participated in the Summits of Heads of States of the OIC in Tehran (1997) and Qatar (2000). Ambassador Ishmael was also Guyana's chief negotiator at the Summits of the Americas of 1994 (Miami), 1998 (Santiago de Chile) and 2001 (Quebec City), and also at the Summit of Sustainable Development in Bolivia (1996). At the OAS, he served as Chairman of the Permanent Council in late 1994, and oversaw the restoration of democratic government in Haiti. He is the only Guyanese to serve in this prestigious position in the hemispheric organization. He had previously served as Vice-Chairman of the Permanent Council during July-September 1993, and as Vice-Chairman of the Environmental Committee of the Permanent Council from August 1993 to July 1994. In 1994 he was also elected Chairman of the General Committee to prepare the OAS draft convention on the situation of persons with disabilities. In 1996, he was elected Vice-Chairman of the OAS Working Group on Sustainable Development. In May 1997, Ambassador Ishmael was awarded one of Guyana's highest honors, the Cacique Crown on Honor (CCH). Many years earlier, in 1974, he was awarded the Gandhi Centenary Medal at the University of Guyana. In political life, Ambassador Ishmael served in the Central Committees of the Progressive Youth Organization (PYO)--serving as Second Secretary--and the People's Progressive Party (PPP) of Guyana, and in the course of his political work, he participated in numerous international conferences and activities in many different countries. He also assisted in lobbying Guyana's case for electoral reforms in different countries in North and South America, Europe and the Caribbean. He has written numerous articles on Education, Guyanese history and international political issues, which have been published in newspapers and journals in Guyana, the Caribbean and North America. His published books include Problems of the Transition of education in the Third World, Towards Education Reform in Guyana, and Amerindian Legends of Guyana. An Internet edition of a fourth book, The Trail of Diplomacy, was released in late 1998. He is currently in the process of compiling and editing a lengthy collection of original documents on the Guyana- Venezuela border issue under the title, Guyana's Western Border. He is married and has two children. I met Ambassador Ishmael when I was first elected to the House of Representatives and served as the Honorary Co-Chair of the Institute for Caribbean Studies Annual Awards Dinner. In the flowing years, I had the pleasure of working with him and his other Caribbean Ambassador colleagues on the several issues, from Trade to Immigration, and economic development, which continue to impact our democratic neighbors to the south. I want to thank Ambassador Ishmael and his family for his commitment and dedication, during his tenure here in Washington, not only to issues affecting his home country Guyana but also to the issues and concerns of all of the countries of the Caribbean. I want to wish him much success in his new assignment and to say that Washington, DC Caribbean community will greatly surely miss his insightful, quiet leadership as well as his earnest friendship.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose President Bush's request of $87 billion for the rebuilding of Iraq. Mr. Chairman, these are the most troubling days this country has gone through in my lifetime, not just because we are at war, or even because of the terrorist attacks on 9/11, as horrific as that event and its aftermath has been, but because we are living in a time when we cannot rely on government to protect our civil liberties, and we cannot rely on the word and the stated intent of the administration in power. Moreover, it is a time when those sworn to uphold the Constitution undermine it at every opportunity. For the President to ask then for $87 billion after having sent this country into the largest deficit in year with tax cuts for the wealthy and an ill conceived economic policy, without being accountable for the prior $65 billion, or even trying to justify this new request, is unbecoming of the high office he holds and a slap in the face of Members of Congress and the people we represent. Mr. Chairman, I want our men and women protected, well equipped and with their needs addressed. I want us to restore basic stability and services to Iraq. I want troop support in Iraq from our allies, and I want the bulk of our soldiers home and out of harm's way. More than anything, I want us to become a better nation and to regain the respect and the moral leadership that the current administration has squandered away. Reliable reports such as one done recently by the Congressional Research Service has shown that this funding is not needed immediately. Other reports open questions on the efficiency and efficacy of what has already been spent. Just about every American has questions about why Bechtel and Halliburton have sole and uncontested claim to so much of the millions spent and proposed. Mr. Chairman, there are too many questions which we have not only a right but a constitutional obligation to ask and have answered. We do not help our soldiers, Iraq or our country by giving the President this blank check. I urge my colleagues to vote no, and to insist that the President respect the Constitution, this body and the American people, and respond to our request for the important and accurate information needed to vote responsibly on this request.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, what an awesome privilege for me to have found myself in the presence of Dr. Dorothy Height--a brilliant woman, a woman of profound courage and insight--some of my living history as a woman, as person of African descent and as an American. Mr. Speaker, by bestowing Dr. Height with a Congressional Gold Medal, we honor this body, and I am pleased to be part of this effort. Although Dr. Height is known most recently for her leadership role with the National Council of Negro Women, her life accomplishments exemplify her commitment for a better society for all individuals, especially for African-Americans. Under the direction of Dr. Height, the National Council for Negro Women developed model programs on topics ranging from teenage parenting to eradicating hunger, and established the Bethune Museum and Archives for Black Women. The Bethune Museum is the first institution devoted to the history of black women. Dr. Height founded the Center for Racial Justice, served as President of the National Council of Negro Women and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and held several leadership positions with the Young Women's Christian Association of America. Beginning as a civil rights advocate in the 1930's, Dr. Height soon gained prominence through her tireless efforts to promote interracial schooling, to register and educate voters, and to increase the visibility and status of women in our society. Dr. Height's devotion and commitment to fight for social justice in this nation and throughout the world has been unaffected by time. She has been at the forefront of AIDS education, both nationally and internationally; under her direction, the National Council of Negro Women established offices in West Africa and South Africa and worked to improve the conditions of women in developing countries. Dr. Dorothy Height's work represents the true meaning of public service. By awarding her with a Congressional God Medal, we honor a lasting legacy of public service that has been an invaluable to the progress of this Nation.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking you Chairman Cummings and the rest of my CBC colleagues for providing leadership on this important issue to the American people. Let me say at the outset that my fellow CBC members and I stand behind the courageous men and women in the military and are deeply grateful for their patriotism, courage and the sacrifices they are making. Whether it is the courageous Sergeant Shoshanna Johnson or the several of my constituents that are laying their lives on the line for the country they love, they are all owed our gratitude and support. I agree with you and my colleagues Mr. Chairman--as well as a significant number of my constituents who have sent me more e-mails opposing the President's request to spend an additional $87 billion on Iraq than on any other issue--that the administration should provide an accounting of all funds expended to date that were previously appropriated by the Congress, including details about all contracts for work in or related to Iraq. We can't give the president a blank check particularly since there has been no real accountability for the already provided $63 billion for Iraq. And especially with frequent reports of equipment failure, and our men and women not getting the level of protection they should. It is true that we have a responsibility to rebuild the infrastructure in Iraq, with emphasis on ``re,'' but we must also remember that we have many unmet needs here at home. We need to make investments in health care and my colleagues on the other minority caucuses and I are working on a comprehensive bill to address the causes of health disparities in our communities which will require at least the same $900 million proposed for health in Iraq, to make the kind of investment in prevention, and control and treatment of the chronic diseases and to close the gaps that are driving up the cost of health care. And we need to include a comprehensive prescription program and mental health party. In my own area, my constituents are severely challenged when it comes to access to health care because we have a large low income population and a Medicaid program which places a cap on payments to us and requires us to adhere to a local match which treats as though we were one of the wealthiest areas of the country. In announcing our statement of principles, we in the Congressional Black Caucus, are also very concerned about reports which suggest that the reconstruction of Iraq is being done in a cost efficient manner through the utilization of local Iraqis in the rebuilding process, for example, which is apparently being rejected in favor of very expensive projects that only certain companies can do. It is important that the American people have the assurance that we are not, through this process, just making friends of the Administration wealthy or more wealthy, which appears to be the current goal. If the President truly needs this money, then there should be no problem or barrier to his giving the Congress and the American people an accounting of how previously appropriated funds for Iraq were spent, a plan for future spending and an exit strategy. And the administration should be willing to pay for it out of the high end of the tax cut. It is irresponsible for the President and his supporters to continue to call for and threaten to increase tax cuts after getting us into this war and rebuilding effort on flimsy evidence and with so many needs here at home going unaddressed. This Body gave a blank check before without adequate information. We cannot and must not do it again.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) for yielding me this time. It is a special honor and privilege today to rise in support of H.R. 1900, legislation sponsored by the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the late, great Jackie Robinson in recognition of his many contributions to the Nation, and to express a sense of Congress that there should be a national day of recognition in his name. I applaud my colleague for sponsoring the bill which should be supported by everyone in this body. Mr. Speaker, in the spring of 1947, Jackie Roosevelt Robinson played his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking down baseball's decades-old color line and changing the face of baseball forever. Over the past few years, I too have had the pleasure of working with Jackie Robinson's older daughter, Sharon Robinson, on a number of activities and programs of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which continue his legacy for our children and which has brought to my and many of my colleagues' districts. On a broader note, my constituents and I owe a debt of gratitude to Jackie Robinson for opening the door and paving the way for all of us, but especially for several Virgin Islands major leaguers like Valmy Thomas, Elrod Hendricks, Al McBean, Elmo Plaskett, Horace Clarke, Jerry Browne, Joe Christopher, Henry Cruz, Midre Cummings, Jose Morales, and Calvin Pickering, as well as Bernie Williams whom we share with Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, the bill before us is a long overdue tribute, and I rise on their behalf and on behalf of all Virgin Islanders. I only wish it had been bestowed on Jackie Robinson while he was still alive. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1900.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support this motion to go to conferees and to accept the important Senate provisions which would prevent the administration from once again taking their failed economic policies out on working families. We must block the provision which would deny the overtime that may be the only thing keeping many families going. But also of great importance to me, and to millions of Americans from our racial and ethnic minority populations are the requests we made as this bill went through the subcommittee. First, we would ask reconsideration be given to several measures that deal specifically with minority health. Mr. Speaker, we would ask that in light of the increasing toll of HIV/AIDS on people of color, which cry out for the need for more funding that the Conference reconsider funding the Minority HIV and AIDS Initiative at the full $610 million requested, and that the language submitted also be included. I am deeply concerned by recent CDC reports regarding the instability in its recompetiton process and the strategy to only work with HIV positive populations. I believe that the HIV/AIDS epidemic demands a comprehensive prevention effort that includes primary and secondary approaches. I would also submit that the escalating disparities in health and death rates for people of color that they requested for $66 million for the Office of Minority Health (OMH). OMH is the Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) lead office for improving the health status of racial and ethnic minorities; $225 million for the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities to further address minority health and health disparities and to help improve the infrastructure associated with this research; as well as a $120 million for the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grants initiative aimed at helping to eliminate disparities in health status experienced by ethnic minority populations in cardiovascular disease, immunizations, breast and cervical cancer screening and management, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and infant mortality also be considered. Of equal concern and need is the request for full funding $45 million for the Health Careers Opportunity Program, (2) $45 million Minority Centers for Excellence, (3) $55 million for Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students, (4) $4 million for Faculty Loan Repayment and Faculty Fellowships and (5) $160 million for the Public Health Improvement of Centers for Disease Control. Diversity in the health professions, including increasing the proportion of under represented U.S. racial and ethnic minorities among health professionals is a requirement to ensure competent service in our diverse Nation, elimination of health disparities and health for all. Again, to help close the health disparities in our society, we ask you to urge the conferees to support the request of the Congressional Black Causus. I have attached a copy of my statement made before the Appropriation subcommittee to review the necessary justification. And I urge my colleagues to support this motion to go to conference. Statement of Hon. Donna M. Christensen Before House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Health Services and Education, May 6, 2003 Thank you Mr. Chairman, Ranking member and other members of the committee, I appreciate the opportunity to testify on this important panel again this year. You already have my written testimony which contains the details of the specific funding and language requests. Although I will be speaking specifically to issues in the African American communities, my remarks are generally applicable to all communities of color and many rural communities as well. Let me say at the outset Mr. Chairman, that my colleagues and I remain grateful to you and your colleagues for the support you have given us both on the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative, as well as on our efforts to end the disparities in health care. When I appeared before you last year, I began my remarks by informing the subcommittee of the fact that this great country of ours ranks at the bottom of all of the industrialized countries of the world with regard to the quality of our health care system, we are not where we should be given our resources in infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, immunization, substance abuse and many of the major diseases. In most cases the reason is because more than one third of our population remains outside of the healthcare mainstream. Today almost 43 million Americans are uninsured, of which 50 percent are minorities: 18 percent of the total elderly population has no coverage at all; 1 out of 6 Americans do not have health insurance; more than 100,000 people lose their health insurance every day; and an astounding 23 percent of African Americans have no insurance at all. Our health care system in this country is currently in peril. It is falling short on promise and contributing to the disabling illness and premature death of the people it is supposed to serve. The picture is the worst for African Americans who for almost every illness are impacted most severely and disproportionately--in some cases more than all other minorities combined. Every day in this country there are at least 200 African Americans deaths, which could have been prevented. Today we know that much of it happens because even when we have access to care, the medical evaluations and treatments that are made available to everyone else are denied to us--not only in the private sector but in the public system as well. What I am here to try to do today is to leave you with one indelible message: that there are gross inequities in healthcare which cause hundreds of preventable deaths in the African American community everyday and which tear at families, drain the lifeblood of our communities, and breed an escalating and reverberating cycle of despair which this subcommittee has the power to end today if it has the will to do so. The choice if it can be considered that, is either to write off human beings--our brothers and sisters--who make up this segment of our population, or to make the requisite investment in fixing an inadequate, discriminating, dysfunctional health care system. The current strongly held-to ``cost-containment'' paradigm while it sounds good on the surface, has obviously not worked. We now have double digit increases in premiums in an industry that was to rein in its costs. What it did instead was create a multi-tiered system of care, both within managed care and without. Those at the lowest rungs of the system got sicker, the sicker, ie. more costly, were and still are being dropped, and those who were the sickest were and remain locked out entirely. So not only are health care costs continuing to escalate, the overall health picture in this country is worse than ever. What we now have is a system, which continues the failed paradigm in which African Americans and other people of color who because they have long been denied access to quality health care, now experience the very worse health status. Not doing what is needed to change this is to threaten the health of not just African Americans and other people of color but every other person in this country, especially at a time when we live under the cloud of possible bioterrorism. Controlling the cost of health care, which can only be done in the long term, will never be achieved without a major investment in prevention, and leveling the health care playing field for all Americans through fully funding a health care system that provides equal access to quality, comprehensive health care to everyone legally in this country, regardless of color, ethnicity or language. The funding requests I am outlining today are the bare minimum to ensure that our children have the opportunity for good health, that there are health care professionals who can bridge the race, ethnicity and language gaps to bring wellness within reach of our now sick and dying communities, that states and communities will receive the help to fill the gaps and repair the deficiencies of access and services, and which will enable the affected communities themselves to take ownership of the problems as well as the solutions to their increasing healthcare crisis--a crisis that threatens the health and security of all Americans. If we have learned nothing in the last 10 years, we should have learned that cost containment strategies in our unequal system of care can never bring down healthcare costs. We can only insure that quality health care will be within the reach of future generations if we make a major investment in prevention and increasing access to care now. On March 20, 2002, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a landmark report entitled: Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care which was requested by Congressman Jackson. Among other key findings, the report documented that minorities in the United States receive fewer life-prolonging cardiac medications and surgeries, are less likely to receive dialysis and kidney transplants, and are less likely to receive adequate treatment for pain. Its first and most telling finding states that ``racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare exist and, because they are associated with worse outcomes in many cases, are unacceptable.'' And so I urge the committee to give serious and favorable consideration to our funding requests. Because of time limitations let me focus on just a few areas contained in the request. $66 million for the office of minority health, os, dhhs As the Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) lead office for improving the health status of racial and ethnic minorities, the Office of Minority Health (OMH) conducts and supports health promotion and disease prevention programs and activities designed to help reduce the high rates of death and disease in communities of color. OMH also serves as one of the focal points for the Department's initiative to eliminate health disparities. By increasing funding to $20.9 million, this office will be able to expand OMH's elimination of health programs in prevention, research, education and outreach, capacity building, and the development of community infrastructure. The increased funding is also needed to fund the State Partnership Initiative Grant Program; Cultural and Linguistic Best Practices Studies; State Health Data Management; Community Programs to Improve Minority Health Grants; Center for Linguistic and Cultural Competence in Health Care; Eliminating Obstacles to Participating in Government Programs; Technical Assistance to Community Health Program; and Community-Based Organization Partnership Prevention Centers. $225 million for the national center for minority health and health disparities (ncmhd), nih Funding is needed to develop and implement programs necessary to further address minority health and health disparities and to help improve the infrastructure associated with this research and outreach. In addition, the loan repayment payment must be expanded to include master degree graduates from schools of public health and public health programs to ensure that efforts to build and disseminate research-based health information are intensified. As required, the Center is currently developing a strategic plan to guide the Center's efforts. To be effective, the plan must include and reflect the direct input of the NIH institutes and centers; consumer advocacy groups; the public; researchers; professional and scientific organizations; behavioral and public health organizations; health care providers; academic institutions; and industry. The resulting plan is needed to serve as a fundamental blueprint for the Center's activities, as well as a vehicle for helping to ensure a coordinated and effective response to minority health and health disparities. $120 million for the racial and ethnic approaches to community health (reach), national center for chronic disease prevention and health promotion, cdc The REACH program is a cornerstone CDC initiative aimed at helping to eliminate disparities in health status experienced by ethnic minority populations in cardiovascular disease, immunizations, breast and cervical cancer screening and management, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and infant mortality. The increase is needed to fund additional Phase I planning grants, Phase II implementation and evaluation grants, expand and enhance technical assistance and training, and apply lessons learned. REACH received 211 applications in its first year, but only had enough funding to make 31 awards, leaving a very large number of meritorious projects unfunded. REACH must have the resources necessary to capitalize on the strengths that national/multi-geographical minority organizations can provide the initiative. $300 million for the agency for healthcare research and quality (ahrq) At a hearing before the Criminal Justice Subcommittee of the Government Reform Committee on May 21, 2002, AHRQ Acting Director Dr. Carolyn Clancy described the initiatives undertaken by her agency to attack health disparities. One of the most important of these is the EXCEED program, which funds Centers of Excellence to eliminate health disparities in nine cities around the country. These include efforts to address diabetes care for Native Americans, health disparities in cancer among rural African American adults, and premature birth in ethnically diverse communities in Harlem, New York. According to Dr. Clancy, ``EXCEED encouraged the formation of new research relationships as well as building on existing partnerships between researchers, professional organizations, and community-based organizations instrumental in helping to influence change in local communities.'' The EXCEED program exemplifies the type of initiative recommended by the IOM report, which urged ``further research to identify sources of racial and ethnic disparities and assess promising intervention strategies'' (Recommendation 8- 1). Yet the Administration's 2003 budget would curtail these efforts. In the budget, total AHRQ funding falls from $300 million in 2002 to $251 million in 2003. About $192 million of the AHRQ budget is protected from the cutbacks, meaning that $49 million must be trimmed from the remaining $108 million of spending, a 46 percent cut. The EXCEED program and other research grants to study and reduce health disparities fall into this vulnerable $108 million. Increase of $14 million dollars for the U.S. DHHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and a reworking of authorization language to tie it to disparity work U.S. DHHS Office of Civil Rights to enforce civil rights laws Enforcement of regulation and statute is a basic component of a comprehensive strategy to address racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, but it has been relegated to low- priority status. The U.S. DHHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is charged with enforcing several relevant Federal statutes and regulations that prohibit discrimination in healthcare (principally Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act), but the agency suffers from insufficient resources to investigate complaints of possible violations, and has long abandoned proactive, investigative strategies. Despite an increasing number of complaints in recent years, funding for OCR remained constant in actual dollars from fiscal year 1981 to fiscal year 2003, resulting in a 60 percent decline in funding after adjusting for inflation. The decrease has severely and negatively affected OCR's ability to conduct civil rights enforcement strategies, such as on- site complaint investigations, compliance reviews, and local community outreach and education. Providing a substantial increase in funding for the Office of Civil Rights is necessary for OCR to resume the practice of periodic, proactive investigation, both to collect data on the extent of civil rights violations and provide a deterrent to would- be lawbreakers. Increased funding for Initiatives for Health Professions Training (1) $40 million for the Health Careers Opportunity Program ($5.2 million increase); (2) $40 million Minority Centers of Excellence ($7.4 million increase); (3) $52 million for Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students ($5.8 million increase); and (4) $3 million for Faculty Loan Repayment and Faculty Fellowships ($1.67 million increase) Diversity in the health professions offers numerous benefits, including ``increasing the proportion of under represented U.S. racial and ethnic minorities among health professionals''. (IOM Report). Such efforts were supported by HHS in the past, but now are threatened with extinction. The spring 1999 issue of the HHS Office of Minority Health's newsletter Closing the Gaps focused on the theme of ``Putting the Right People in the Right Places.'' The newsletter highlighted the startling under representation of ethnic and minority groups within the health professions and stressed the important role of three programs: (1) the Health Careers Opportunity Program, which trains more than 6,000 high school and undergraduate students each year and is associated with acceptance rates to health professional schools that are 20 percent higher than the national average; (2) the Minority Faculty Fellowships Program, which addresses the problem that ``just four percent of faculty at U.S. health profession schools are minorities''; and (3) the Centers of Excellence Program, which works with Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Health Professions Schools to ``recruit and retain minority faculty and students, carry out research specific to racial and ethnic minorities, provide culturally appropriate clinical education, and develop curricula and information resources that respond to the needs of minorities.'' Unfortunately, the very same programs highlighted by HHS in 1999 as successful have disappeared from the President's 2004 budget. In fact, all of these programs received zero funding or are scheduled for elimination. To insure that no one is denied necessary health care because of race ethnicity or language, they must have the tools to do their job. Bringing equity into our healthcare system demands a funding increase for this office. $50 million territorial hospitals and health departments Mr. Chairman, years of Medicaid caps have and continue to create a crisis in the healthcare systems in the offshore territories. To address and resolve this, last year I requested that the sum of $50 million be made available to the secretary for territorial hospitals and health departments to close some of their critical health care gaps and repair infrastructure deficiencies. I repeat this request again for this year's appropriation. Because of the Medicaid cap, and a match that is not indexed for average income level, both which are Congressionally set, we are unable to cover individuals at 100 percent of poverty--for the Virgin Islands it is closer to 30 percent below that income level. Under the cap, spending per recipient is at best one-fifth of the national average. Our hospitals are struggling, because the cap prevents them from collecting full payments for the services they provide, and they are also unable to collect Disproportionate Share payments, despite the fact that about 60 percent of their inpatients are below the poverty level. About one third of these qualify for Medicaid, which as I indicated before, never fully reimburses them. The rest of their patients have no coverage whatsoever. Long-term care is limited, and thus unavailable to persons and their families who need it, not because the rooms are not there, but because we do not have enough Medicaid dollars to pay for them, even though the federal funds are matched 2 to 1 by local dollars--far above our requirement. While many states are covering women and their minor children well above 100 percent of poverty, we cannot even come close. Along with my fellow representatives from Guam American Samoa and Puerto Rico, I have introduced bills to both remove the Medicaid Cap as well as, for the first time, provide for the creation of a Disproportionate Share payment to our hospitals. Our final request Mr. Chairman once again deals with the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative. We are here today once again to request funding for the full amount of our request for the MAHI in the amount of $610 million. While our review of the current programs demonstrates the need for increased funding, in light of our other requests which all have the potential to impact this epidemic to some degree, and the budgetary constraints of our government we are requesting a need-based increase over our 2002 request of $70 million. We strongly believe that the $610 million request is absolutely necessary if we are to have any success whatsoever in stemming the tide of this epidemic which continues to ravage our communities. Once again, the purpose of the special and targeted funding is to provide technical assistance and to increase the capacity of our own communities to administer programs aimed at prevention and treatment, and to bolster or build the infrastructure needed to make all life saving measures accessible. The Minority HIV/AIDS request is not meant to be the total funding for communities of color but should be utilized in such a way to better enable our communities, that are hard to reach and out of the mainstream, to access the $8 billion plus that is available for HIV and AIDs. It is also important to point out that as serious an issue as it is, HIV and AIDS is just one symptom of all that is wrong in our communities, many of which come under the purview of this subcommittee. This funding will not only be successful in the fight against long term HIV & AIDS but also in all other areas, if in the long term the underpinnings of our communities are also strengthened. There is a critical part of the Minority HIV/AIDS initiative request, which does not involve money. It is one of language. Mr. Chairman, the intent of the MAHI is to ensure that its funds, which are only a small part of overall HIV/AIDS funding, are used to build capacity within African American and other communities of color which are the ones now being disproportionately impacted. The current of the language initiative has not maintained that focus. We are therefore requesting that the original FY 1999 language be restored or be mirrored, in your 2004 bill, with the following change which I believe meets the concerns of the Department with regard to discrimination, while empowering our communities which is the only way we can effectively control this and the other diseases which create the disparties. In summary, I join my colleagues here this morning to call on this esteemed and distinguished subcommittee to make a commitment to eliminate the disparities that have existed for centuries and are increasing today for African Americans, and to finally ensure equality in health care for us and every one in this otherwise great country. The cost in dollars today will be significant, but the cost in lives and to our economy in the future are risks that we must not take. There is no question that health disparities are deeply rooted in our medical system and in our culture. Eliminating them is going to take a lot more than one leadership summit or one media campaign. It will take a long-term commitment. It will take a long-term investment. This subcommittee and the larger committee have the power to eliminate disparities in health care. This is an important part of the stewardship on which we will all be judged. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, ``Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.'' We have a moral obligation to end injustice in health care and health disparities among Americans. I urge my colleagues to support this request. On behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, and personally, I thank you once again for the opportunity to testify.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 1 offered by my colleague from New York, Mr. Bishop, and I commend him for offering it. Medicare, which Republicans fought against at its inception and continue to attempt to undermine today, is an entitlement. It is available equally to everyone over the age of 65 who has paid into the system, and provides the security and peace of mind individuals need and deserve when they are disabled, or have reached retirement. This motion to instruct the Conference committee would strike the new savings accounts portion of the House bill, and use the $174 million instead to close the gaping hole that 48 percent of Medicare beneficiaries would fall through. In addition to making good common sense, it also makes good on our promise to seniors to give them a prescription drug benefit. We did not say a half a benefit or three quarters of a benefit, or a ring of a benefit, but a comprehensive benefit. Additionally, I would further instruct the conferees to ensure that no group, regardless of income, should be left out or be made to pay for inclusion in this program. To do otherwise would further undermine Medicare. Low-income patients, who depend on Medicare's assurance of access to healthcare, must not be kicked off the program and on to Medicaid, especially since this benefit is not fully extended to the American citizens living to the terrorities. To do this would renege on the basic promise of Medicare to all of its eligible seniors and disabled. In reaching an agreement, I would call the attention of the conferees to the fee-for-service chronic care management provisions especially as included in the House provisions. This is a good provision that would do much to cut the skyrocketing cost of health care to those most at risk for either acute or chronic institutionalization. Finally I would point out to the conferees and all of my colleagues, that this benefit is not scheduled to take effect until January of 2006. Rather than kill or damage an important safety net program in this time of great uncertainty, let's wait and take the time to do it right. Although, I fundamentally disagree with the premise and direction of both the House and Senate prescription drug bills, it should be noted that the Republican prescription drug plan does nothing to expand prescription drugs to the million of seniors that are in dire need of such help. Both bills have a gap in coverage for Medicare beneficiaries, but the Senate bill, unlike the House bill, has no gap in coverage for low- income seniors. Under the House bill, low-income individuals receive no assistance in meeting their drug costs over $2,000 until they have spent $3,500 out of their own pockets on prescription drugs; 41 percent of total income for someone at the federal poverty level. The House bill provides virtually no low-income assistance for those with incomes over 135 percent of poverty ($12,123 for an individual). The Senate provides substantially assistance for individuals with incomes up to 160 percent of poverty. The House bill includes an assets that will prevent many low-income people from receiving assistance. The Senate bill allows low-income people who do not meet the assets test to qualify for the same assistance available to those with incomes between 135 and 160 percent of poverty. No prescription drug program that does not provide comprehensive, low-cost prescription drug coverage to low income senior citizens can meet the needs of our constituents. The special benefits provided the low income under the Senate bill effectively addresses our concerns. However, the principle of universality and nondiscrimination that is central to the Medicare program demands that basic drug coverage be provided through Medicare, as specified in the House bill. The Senate low-income assistance provisions are far superior to the House provisions, and these assistance provisions are of particular importance to the Nation's African American communities. There are 2,853,000 African American Medicare beneficiaries over age 65. Of these, almost 22 percent or 626,000 individuals are below 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($8,980 for an individual, $12,120 for a couple). Another twenty percent live on incomes between 100 percent and 150 percent of poverty. This compares to a total of 9 percent of Caucasian senior beneficiaries below 100 percent of poverty and another 14 percent of Whites living on incomes between 100 percent and 150 percent of poverty. As you can see, nearly twice as many African-American Medicare beneficiaries are living in poverty compared to the total Medicare propulation--and that means the pharmaceutical drug needs of this population are not being met. For example, low-income Medicare beneficiaries without prescription drug insurance are able to fill only about 20 prescriptions per year, compared to 32 prescriptions per year for those with insurance. By providing better assistance to the low-income, the Senate bill will help fill this `prescription gap.' The differences in the low-income provisions of the House and Senate are clear: House provides deductible and co-pay help only up to 135 percent of poverty ($12,123 per year for an individual); Senate provides meaningful help up to 160 percent ($14,368 for an individual); House imposes an asset test as a condition of getting low-income assistance. The asset test means that a low-income person is ineligible for assistance if they own any disposable assets (like U.S. savings bonds) of more than $6,000 for an individual or $9,000 for a couple. This test disqualifies several million low-income beneficiaries from getting any special assistance; The Senate permits even those who do not meet the asset test to get special assistance in meeting the costs of co-pays and deductibles; The House does not provide any assistance whatsoever to the low- income when they have $2,000 to $4,900 worth of prescription drug expenses (when they are in the so-called donut hole); The Senate provides substantial help in meeting 80 percent to 95 percent (depending on exactly how low-income an individual is) of the costs of the ``donut.'' When you combine all these provisions, the impact is dramatic. For example, if a Medicare beneficiary is living on $12,123 a year (135 percent of poverty), and his or her doctor has prescribed $3000 worth of medicines, in the House bill, the beneficiary will owe $1,114 out of pocket (assuming they meet the asset test and have almost no liquid assets). Under the Senate bill, the person will only owe $150. Under this example, an individual who obviously had medical problems and has other out-of-pocket expenses for doctors, tests, etc., would have to spend more than one month's income on prescription drug cost sharing. Furthermore, I believe that in addressing the low-income provisions, conferees must add language that will allow for full participation of the U.S. territories within the Medicaid program. As you know, the U.S. territories' Medicaid programs are capped and any coverage provision extending aspects of these programs do not translate to the U.S. territories. Again, to help close the disparities in our society, we ask you to urge the House-Senate conferees to support the Senate low-income assistance provisions. Adopting the Senate's subsidy provisions will make a major improvement in the lives of our nation's most vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries. Mr. Speaker, we need to pass a meaningful prescription drug plan that uses Medicare to make drugs affordable and provides a universal, voluntary benefit for all seniors. I urge my colleagues to support this motion to instruct.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time we have remaining.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, as stated by my colleague, the previous speaker, this noncontroversial resolution would recognize the importance and contribution of sportsmen to the American economy and our traditional values. Mr. Speaker, there is little doubt that hunting and fishing remain popular recreational pastimes for millions of Americans. These activities remain as much a fabric of American culture as the village green in New England or the county fair in Nebraska. According to the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife- Associated Recreation, expenditures by sportsmen in 2001 totaled $70 billion. By any measure, this is a significant figure. It demonstrates the substantial economic importance of these traditional forms of outdoor recreation to our national economy, but most especially to our rural economy. I support this resolution and urge other Members to do likewise. However, I also consider it important to note that other types of nonconsumptive wildlife-based recreation, activities such as bird watching and wildlife photography, also provide significant economic benefits that we would be remiss to overlook. According to National Survey data, these activities contributed an additional $38.4 billion to the economy in the same year. In fact, over 66 million people enjoyed these activities, almost double the number of sportsmen who only hunt or fish. In passing this resolution, I hope that the economic and social contributions of these other people who enjoy our Nation's abundant wildlife diversity will also not be forgotten. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.