Phil Crane

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3129, the Customs Border Security Act of 2001, would authorize the budget for the U.S. Customs Service, International Trade Commission, and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. It also includes a number of critical new tools for fighting terrorism, drugs, and child pornography. The legislation will help Customs close a gap in our border that lets illegal money be taken out of the country. This legislation will also significantly help Customs' ability to stop the flow of illegal drugs from crossing our borders and getting into our children's hands. The administration participated in drafting and working through several measures in this bill. We have a provision to require advanced electronic manifesting on passengers and cargo so that the Customs Service can have advanced notice of who is on planes and what is on ships about to land on American soil. We also have a provision to give our Customs inspectors some protection against frivolous lawsuits since now, more than ever, they will be scrutinizing and watching people who come into the country, knowing full well that the next terrorist may be stepping off the plane at any time. Inspectors acting in good faith should not have to think twice about being subject to personal civil lawsuits. So we are proposing that they have immunity, but only for those who act in good faith, not for inspectors who may wrongly use race, ethnicity or gender to profile passengers. The administration also requested that Customs be able to search outgoing mail because of the fact that the U.S. mail is used to transmit laundered money out of the country. I want to assure Members that we looked carefully at the privacy issues involved here and believe we adequately address them in this legislation. People fear that Customs may be reading our mail, but our bill preserves our cherished fourth amendment right against unwarranted search by requiring that no letter may be read by Customs officers unless a valid warrant is obtained. Remember, money from illegal activities is what leads us to terrorists and drug smugglers. We must preserve our privacy while giving Customs authority to root out these illegal activities. We have increased funding to reestablish the New York Customs offices and an additional increase in funding to upgrade our textile transshipment monitoring and enforcement operations. Also, H.R. 3129 adds $10 million for the Customs Cyber-smuggling Center. With the explosion of the Internet, our children have become vulnerable to online predators. We need to protect them, and this legislation will help Customs combat this vile behavior. This legislation also contains authorization for funding for Customs' new automation, the automated commercial environment. In 1998, Customs processed 19.7 million entries. This volume is expected to double by 2005. The current automation system is on the brink of continual brownout and possibly shutdowns. If this happens, it will cost American taxpayers millions of dollars. I urge all of my colleagues who are serious about stopping terrorism, drugs, and online child pornography, while keeping our trade flowing, to support this bill.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I rise in strong support of H.R. 3005. This bill is about arming the President and his team with the authority to achieve trade agreements written in the best interest of U.S. farmers, companies, and workers. It ensures that the President will negotiate according to clearly defined goals and objectives written by Congress. Trade is fundamental to our relations with other nations. As the President strives to neutralize international threats to our security, TPA is an essential tool for him to have to use in the campaign to build coalitions around the world that work with us to guard freedom. H.R. 3005 strikes a two-way partnership between the President and Congress on our common objectives for international trade negotiations in which the United States participates. Its passage will ensure that the world knows that Americans speak with one voice on issues vital to our economic security. My colleagues know I am not one who is enthusiastic about putting labor and environmental matters on the trade agenda, and my original TPA bill, H.R. 2149, which had 100 cosponsors, was completely clean in this respect. But to protect our country's interests internationally, I acknowledged the necessity of forging a meeting of minds on these sensitive issues with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. The final result of difficult compromises over 5 months is the bill before us today. TPA simply offers the opportunity for us to negotiate from a position of strength, and does not in any way constitute final approval of any trade agreement. Under this bill, Congress and the American people retain full authority to approve or disapprove any trade agreement at the time the President presents it to Congress. While we have delayed these last 7 years to pass TPA, other countries have accelerated their claims to new markets. The U.S. is the world's greatest exporter, sending almost $1 trillion worth of goods and services to foreign consumers. Expanding trade remains the linchpin of any successful strategy to increase long-term noninflationary economic growth. In my home State of Illinois, over 400,000 jobs are tied directly to exports. These jobs are more secure and pay over 15 percent more than nontrade-related jobs. According to a study by the National Association of Manufacturers, companies that manufacture for export are almost 10 percent less likely to go out of business than others. These firms pay better benefits. In Illinois, these good, high paying, trade-related jobs are often in the machinery, agriculture, information technology, and chemical sectors. These are the types of jobs that will not be created if we reject the opportunities of the international marketplace by voting no on H.R. 3005. In these times of economic dislocation, we cannot afford to deny President Bush a primary tool of economic growth. Americans have never been reluctant to compete head to head with our trading partners. We should not dash the best chance we have of creating a better future of dynamic economic growth and success for our workers, businesses, and farmers in international markets. I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 3005.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I just heard the gentlewoman from Minnesota commenting about Trade Promotion Authority, and there were a couple of comments that she made that I think need clarification. One of these is the President has trade negotiating authority and has always had trade negotiating authority. What TPA does is let us participate in the process during the negotiating process, with consultation before, during and after the agreement is reached with another country. The important thing to keep in mind is we had President Clinton go forward with his executive authority to negotiate that agreement with Jordan. He did bring it back, and we ultimately have the authority to vote it up or vote it down; that authority is retained. I hope the gentlewoman will look at this, because TPA gives us greater opportunity for involvement in the process than anything that we have done in the past. Please, we need support on both sides of the aisle. It is a bipartisan issue.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 280. Like the recent attacks on our country, the terrorist bombings in Israel are horrific. Once again innocent civilians have been brutally murdered by terrorists. Israel is a democracy under siege. As the world's leading democracy the United States cannot, in good conscience, stand idly by while a democratic ally is being brutally attached by evildoers. For too long the Palestinian Authority has preached peace while terrorists use its territory as a safe haven. Even after President Bush endorsed the idea of a Palestinian state the attacks continued. If the Palestinian Authority wants to be a government it must act like one by stopping these suicide bombings from being planned and launched from its territory. The Palestinian Authority's leader, Yasser Arafat, has condemned the attacks. But he has done so before and the attacks against Israel continue. Chairman Arafat must do more than offer sympathetic remarks. I applaud and support President Bush's response and hope that Chairman Arafat's actions will back up his words and stop these attacks.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Medicare Regulatory and Contracting Reform Act of 2001. This bipartisan legislation is the product of months of negotiations with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare providers, beneficiaries, and the House Committees on Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce. This legislation is a first step in ensuring that the Medicare program delivers quality care to Medicare beneficiaries. Today, the Medicare program has more that 110,000 pages of regulations governing it. This bill begins to finally address how to hold CMS accountable for its regulations and the costs they impose. The Medicare Regulatory and Contracting Reform Act creates a more collaborative, less confrontational relationship between providers and CMS. It takes steps to decrease the amount of complex and technical paperwork that is currently required so that providers will be able to spend more time delivering care to patients rather than filling out and filing federal forms. Finally, H.R. 3391 streamlines the regulatory process, enhances education and technical assistance for Medicare providers. I was also pleased to see inclusion of a provision to prohibit group health plans from requiring a Medicare claims determination for dental benefits that are specifically excluded from Medicare coverage as a condition of making a determination for coverage under the group health plan. This requirement to me does not serve any purpose other than the filing of needless paperwork and further delay payment to the dental provider. This provision ensures that dentists do not have to submit claims to the Medicare program (and thus enroll in the Medicare program) when the services they are providing are clearly those that are categorically excluded from coverage. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this legislation.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today with my friend and colleague, Mr. Pomeroy, to introduce the Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act. This bill allows Medicare beneficiaries direct access to qualified physical therapists without a physician referral. Currently, Medicare beneficiaries must visit a physician before being allowed to then visit a physical therapist. This burdensome requirement in Medicare is a regulation whose time has passed. The referral mandate is unnecessary and limits access to timely and medically necessary physical therapists' services. Providing Medicare beneficiaries with direct access to physical therapists is critical as Congress looks to modernize the Medicare program. All health care consumers should have the ability to choose the health care services they want when they need it. Allowing Medicare beneficiaries to have direct access to physical therapists will help achieve that goal. Currently, thirty-four states, including my home state of Illinois, allow for direct access to physical therapists without the added cost of a physician referral. Congress must consistently balance three factors with regard to Medicare: patient safety, accessibility of services from qualified providers, and cost or financial stability to the Medicare program. Direct access to physical therapists allows for improved access to quality health care services. A study of BlueCross BlueShield insurance claims in Maryland indicates that when a patient has direct access to physical therapists, services are not over-utilized nor do they result in higher costs for physical therapy. State boards that regulate physical therapy confirm that patient safety is not compromised by the elimination of the referral requirement. With this in mind, the policy of improved access to physical therapists is healthy for the Medicare program and its beneficiaries. It is clear that improved access to physical therapists will maintain this critical balance of patient safety, cost to Medicare program, and improved beneficiary service. Medicare beneficiaries should have the same access to physical therapists as the rest of patients in Illinois and thirty-four other states. Providing better access to qualified physical therapists will help ensure patients receive quality health care for all Americans. Mr. Speaker, I ask for my colleagues for their consideration and support of the Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Houghton) for yielding me time. This year we had a hearing to take testimony from witnesses about the state of affairs in Africa, and we all acknowledged the tragic facts of the illicit diamond trade and how it continues to fund rebel wars and poverty in Africa. As I described at the hearing, we are looking at meaningful legislation that will help the administration tackle this problem, while not hindering the ongoing international negotiations that are supposed to conclude this year. In this delicate time of international diplomacy we must be especially careful not to disrupt the administration's efforts, however well intentioned we may be. The suspension bill H.R. 2722 is an effective and balanced way to get at these conflict diamonds. The gentleman from New York (Mr. Houghton) and the administration have crafted a bill authorizing the President to ban all diamonds from any country that does not have effective measures against the trade in conflict diamonds. I want to commend both for their leadership and flexibility in this matter. In the last 2 weeks, many provisions sought by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall) were added, including a non-circumvention clause for polished diamonds and diamond jewelry, more reporting from the government, and an enhanced description of what constitutes effective measures for diamond trading countries. Some people say this does not go far enough, but I want to point out that the bar we set is already extremely high. A country like Botswana that relies upon the legitimate diamond trade for its economy must implement the United Nations' resolutions or the eventual international agreement or could be subject to a complete ban on all of its diamond exports. However, some people want to go further and say that all imports must be cut off from a country like Botswana in that situation. I think that would be extreme and tantamount to shutting down the entire world diamond trade. To effectively end trade in conflict diamonds, the countries exporting and importing rough stones in particular must work together to make sure that these diamonds do not have a market so that conflict diamond peddlers cannot stay in business. A bill that mandates the shutdown of the diamond trade until every country can be certified by the United States is a unilateral solution that will not work. Legitimate diamond trading countries will have no incentive to complete their negotiations at Kimberley. The let the negotiations process finish. Next year we can evaluate how that process worked and whether further tools can be enacted to complement what we enact today. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3009, the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act. While this is an important piece of trade legislation that supports U.S. efforts to achieve the free trade area of the Americas, FTAA, by 2005, the President also believes this bill is central to U.S. national security and our efforts to combat drug trafficking both here in the United States and in the Andean region. H.R. 3009 will renew and expand duty free tariff treatment to our regional trading partners Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The current Andean Trade Preference Program will expire on December 4 unless Congress acts. We need this critical legislation to expand U.S. trade and to help Andean entrepreneurs find practical and profitable alternatives to cultivating crops for the production of illicit drugs. If we fail to renew APTA, we not only turn our backs on the people of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru who are struggling daily to resist the lure of the drug economy, but we also will be turning our backs on our fellow Americans who are fighting drug scourge here at home and in Latin America. Thanks in large part to the APTA's duty free tariff treatment, Peru and Bolivia in particular have succeeded in stamping out much of their illicit drug production while expanding job opportunities in trade and legitimate agriculture and rural industry. Although Colombia and Ecuador's success have been less dramatic, new strategies, including Plan Colombia, are even now being implemented to combat the drug cartels. Instead of waging a war against the drug cartels solely through military aid, APTA endeavors to target the region's poverty and the lack of job opportunities as motivation for otherwise good, productive citizens becoming involved in illicit crop cultivation and the drug trade. Trade statistics demonstrate that over the life of the existing APTA program, two-way trade between the United States and the region is nearly doubled. When we consider the secondary effects, legitimate jobs created in the Andean region and the economic and civil stability that these jobs bring, we realize that the APTA has been a useful tool in our war against drugs. The bill before us builds on the successful APTA program by enhancing benefits available to Andean countries interested in pursuing our objectives relating to expanded market access for U.S. exports, fair treatment for U.S. investors, and strong protections for our valuable intellectual property rights. I would say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that the bill also includes conditionality drafted by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin) relating to the extent to which these countries provide internationally recognized worker rights. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3009 will be a valuable tool for President Bush and his team to use to undermine the powerful drug cartels and to spur our country's broader trade agenda. I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 3009.

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I have spent my career working to expand international trade. I firmly believe that free trade, economic stability and political freedom go hand-in-hand. The bill before us today will continue to encourage growth and stability in the Andean region. That said, I would like to add that I also have concerns with Colombia's treatment of American companies and their failure, in some instances, to uphold their contractual obligations. As the author of this bill, I am pleased by the strides made both politically and economically by all of the countries in the legislation. However, given the fact that Kal Kan Foods, a major exporter of pet food to Colombia, has a large plant in my home state, I am very concerned about the effect prohibitive tariffs imposed by Colombia on pet food has on the hard working Americans in my state and across the country. I believe it is essential for ATPA beneficiary countries to follow established WTO rules and adopt, implement and apply transparent-- nondiscriminatory regulatory procedures and enforce their arbitration and court awards. These things are a condition of Colombia's benefits under current Andean trade law. To that end, I have included report language in this bill that directs the USTR to insist that the Colombian government remove all pet food from the price band system and apply 20% common external tariff on imports of pet food. My concern on this issue is further exacerbated by reports about Colombia's failure to honor other agreements--specifically binding arbitration decisions as required under the current ATPA guidelines. The apparent disregard for the arbitration process found in the Nortel case does not appear to be an isolated incident. Other U.S. corporations like Sithe Energies, who is partnered with Exelon Corporation, find themselves in the same predicament. Resulting from arbitration, Sithe through their Colombian affiliate TermRio, was awarded approximately $61 million. Unfortunately, the Colombian government has failed to pay this award, contending that the claim is on appeal. To that end, the report accompanying the legislation includes the following statement: ``The Committee urges the Government of Colombia to comply with such decisions and compensate Nortel, Sithe Energies and other U.S. corporations appropriately in order to maintain its beneficiary status under the ATPA.'' The apparent failure of the Colombian Government to honor the terms of their agreements is very disconcerting. It puts at risk future foreign investment in Colombia at a particularly important moment in their history and further erodes confidence in the overall investment climate as well as the broader international business community. I strongly urge the Colombian government to move swiftly in addressing these problems, and I urge the Administration to monitor their progress.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Retirement Security Advice Act of 2001. As a cosponsor of this legislation, I would like to commend Mr. Johnson of Texas, Chairman Thomas, and Chairman Boehner for crafting common sense legislation that will help millions of hard-working Americans plan more wisely for their retirement. Mr. Speaker, while ERISA law is quite complicated, this legislation is quite simple. It allows employers to provide their workers with access to professional investment advice as long as the investment advisers fully disclose their fees and any potential conflicts. At the same time, it establishes significant safeguards to ensure that these workers receive advice that is solely in their best interests. Under current law, employers are discouraged from providing this service because employers may be held liable for specific advice that is provided to their employees. H.R. 2269 removes the barrier to employers contracting with advice providers and their workers by clarifying that employers are not responsible for the individual advice given by professional advisers to individual participants. Under this legislation, investment advice may only be offered by ``fiduciary advisors''--qualified entities that are already fully regulated under other federal and state laws, such as registered investment advisers, registered broker dealers, insurance companies, and banks. Existing federal and state laws that regulate individual industries will continue to apply. Moreover, employers will remain responsible under ERISA fiduciary rules for the prudent selection and periodic review of any investment advisor. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2269 as amended by the rule.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, the necessity of passing H.R. 3005, a bill to renew trade promotion authority, is epitomized by the experience of Caterpillar, headquartered in my home State of Illinois. Caterpillar's motor graders made for export to Chile face nearly $15,000 in tariffs. Caterpillar motor graders manufactured in Brazil for export to Chile face a tariff of only $3,700. And when Caterpillar's competitors produced the same product in Canada, it can be exported to Chile free of tariffs because of the Canada-Chile free trade agreement. Caterpillar employees in Illinois are forced to watch as workers in other countries provide products to our neighbors. Mr. Speaker, while other countries are making preferential trade deals, we are sitting on the sidelines lacking the authority to negotiate. Make no mistake, our foreign competitors have this authority, and they use it to their advantage. Of the more than 130 free trade agreements in force today, the U.S. is party to only three. Trade works for America. Let us pass H.R. 3005 and keep America's economy growing.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, today it is my honor to welcome Dr. James Scudder as our guest chaplain. Dr. Scudder is a senior pastor of my church, the Quentin Road Bible Baptist Church, in Lake Zurich, Illinois. In 1972, Dr. Scudder founded the Chicago Bible Church in a storefront. He migrated up to Chicago area from Kentucky. Well, actually, I do not know whether he went by way of Indiana en route, as Lincoln did, but he finally got to Illinois and he founded the church there. Then he expanded that church by moving out to Lake Zurich, Illinois. He has gone from a storefront church to a church that is 70,000 square feet. It is one of the biggest, or the biggest, in our area there. In addition to that, it has one of the largest congregations, in the thousands. Dr. Scudder is the president also of Dayspring Bible College. He founded a school, grammar school, high school, and a college there. He is the host of the weekly TV broadcast, the Quentin Road Bible Hour, which is seen here on WGN-TV. He is the host of a radio program called Victory and Grace. In addition, Dr. Scudder is the author of several books. He simultaneously is married to one of the most remarkable talents, Linda Scudder. She is an expert pianist, but she also leads the choir, and they have one of the largest choirs in the entire State of Illinois, and do remarkable performances every Sunday. To show his additional talents, he has a son, one son named Jim, Jim, Jr., who is now also a pastor in his father's footsteps. He does as stirring a job in the pulpit, almost, as his father does. He is challenging him already. So whenever Pastor Scudder is traveling on missionary work, and he does that around the world, his son, Pastor Jim, Jr., fills in for him. There is someone else, Pastor Bob Vanden Bosch, that I would like to recognize, who also works in the Quentin Road Bible Baptist Church, but spends a lot of time down in our State Capitol of Springfield, Illinois, trying to convert the heathen in Springfield. I would like to ask all of the Members to join me in welcoming my good friend and our pastor, Dr. Scudder, as our guest chaplain.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Victims' Tax Relief Act and am pleased to be an original cosponsor of this important legislation. We have witnessed the most horrendous attack on American soil by a foreign invader in our Nation's history. The death toll will reach well beyond the 2,400 brave Americans who were killed at Pearl Harbor. The victims include not only civilians trapped in the World Trade Center buildings, but brave firefighters and police officers who gave their lives so that others might be saved. Likewise, hundreds of soldiers and civilian employees were killed in our own backyard when the terrorists crashed a plane into the Pentagon. Finally, we must not forget those on the four planes that were crashed. Given the level of tragedy that has occurred during the last 4 days, we must do all we can to help those affected by these attacks. While we are unable to relieve the burden shouldered by those who have suffered, while we cannot resurrect those who are lost, we can and should do everything in our power as Members of Congress to make sure that their government is reaching out a hand to help. I commend my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), for his foresight and ability to put this package together in an expeditious manner; and I look forward to its speedy passage through this esteemed body.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solidarity with my fellow Americans to pledge my full support for this resolution. Yesterday, our Nation was stunned by the cowardly acts of terrorists. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and those whose lives were tragically ended by these barbaric acts; but today I have never said with more dignity, with more respect, and with more determination that I am proud to be an American. One of our Nation's greatest strengths is our commitment to freedom and opportunity. We are blessed with the greatest resources in the world, chief among them the heart, ingenuity, and resolve of our citizens. I know we will marshal these resources to the fullest extent as we find and punish the evil forces responsible for these dastardly deeds. May God bless America.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I stand in firm support of House Joint Resolution 51, which approves the U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement, grants NTR status to Vietnam, completes the normalization of our diplomatic relations begun in 1995. A failure to support this key legislation risks undercutting longstanding U.S. foreign policy objectives in Southeast Asia, damaging the credibility of the reform faction within the Hanoi government, and causing Vietnam's 80 million people to slide backwards toward isolationism. In 1986, Hanoi initiated a policy of doi moi, or ``economic renovation.'' For the first time the government encouraged private business start-ups and permitted inward foreign investment. As a result, Vietnam sustained on average nearly 8 percent annual GDP growth and welcomed $8.3 billion in foreign investment during the 1990s. I visited Vietnam this past April and was struck by its 92 percent literacy rate, its thriving entrepreneurship, and the thousands of zooming motorbikes. Industrial parks now line the suburbs of the major cities, and government is planning to open a stock exchange in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. As GDP has doubled and per capita income has risen 60 percent since 1990, a small but growing, consumer-oriented middle class is taking root. Signed in July 2000, the U.S.-Vietnam BTA will buttress these enormous economic and social reforms. The BTA represents the most far-reaching and comprehensive trade agreement ever negotiated with a non-market economy country. It grants the United States vastly improved access to Vietnam's potentially enormous consumer class, and improves market access for industrial and agricultural goods, services, intellectual property rights, and investment, while requiring greater transparency. The U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement will help Vietnam's reformers lock in the economic transformation that slower growth after the Asian financial crisis threatens to unravel. Continued engagement with the Vietnamese government also advances key U.S. foreign policy objectives, including the fullest possible accounting of Prisoners of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA), freedom of emigration, increased U.S. business opportunities in Vietnam, and promoting Asian regional stability. Former Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States, Le Van Bang recently noted the positive influence that continued engagement has had on the Vietnamese people. He said that since we first reestablished diplomatic ties, the Vietnamese people have changed their attitudes toward Americans from ``the bitterness of war to a love of America.'' In such a fresh and positive atmosphere, our values in other key areas surely stand a much better hearing and more open consideration if we continue down this road. Approval of the U.S.-Vietnam BTA demonstrates we too are healing from one of the most divisive wars in our nation's history and that we seek to begin a new and truly productive era in U.S.-Vietnamese relations. Congressional approval of the U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement and the expansion of business contacts between our two nations provides the strongest foundation for encouraging even further progress and reform in Vietnam. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to vote yes for H.J. Res. 51.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Thomas-Lipinski-Fletcher amendment that will be offered later in the debate. I believe that any patient protection legislation must also address the needs of the uninsured. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that for every 1 percent increase in health insurance premiums, 200,000 to 300,000 individuals will lose their health insurance. The underlying Ganske-Dingell bill is estimated to increase health insurance premiums by 4 percent. That is 800,000 to 1.2 million more Americans that will be added to the estimated 42.6 million Americans that are without health insurance. We must include provisions that will make health insurance more accessible and affordable to individuals. I have long been a proponent of medical savings accounts. Individuals should be able to have access to quality health care and make their own provider choices. MSAs allow individuals to save, tax free, for their health care needs and shop around for the best quality care at the best prices. The amendment makes structural changes to MSAs that will improve their effectiveness and make them more widely available. MSAs are making health insurance affordable for the first time to many Americans since MSA insurance policies usually cost about half of what the average HMO policy costs. According to the Internal Revenue Service, 31.5 percent of all of those who established an MSA were previously uninsured. MSAs help bring these uninsured Americans into the insurance pool as opposed to being exposed to the risks of uninsured health care costs which are the source of nearly half of all bankruptcies in the entire United States. In contrast, the underlying Ganske-Dingell bill makes only cosmetic changes to MSAs. The underlying bill only provides for a 2-year extension, raises the cap on MSAs from 750,000 to 1 million, and expands the definition of small businesses from 50 employees to 100 employees. I urge my colleagues to support the Thomas-Lipinski-Fletcher amendment.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I rise, today, to discuss a specific issue regarding H.R. 1140, the Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act of 2001, specifically, the representation of commuter rail on the Board of Trustees for the Railroad Retirement Investment Trust that is created by the bill. My district is served by Metra, the nation's second largest commuter rail system in the country. Last year, Metra provided nearly 82 million passenger trips--setting a 32-year ridership record. Over the years, Metra has received numerous awards and accolades for its outstanding service, and none of those would have been possible were it not for the hard work and dedication of its more than 2,500 employees. These 2,500 employees of Metra join their counterparts in other commuter and passenger rail systems around the country, and together they account for approximately one-quarter of all employees in the rail industry. This percentage of commuter and passenger rail employees is only expected to increase in the near future as customer demand for more commuter rail service grows. I have long-supported Metra and commuter rail, and I believe their unique interests deserve a voice on the Board of Trustees created in this legislation. Consequently, it is my hope that the Board of Trustees will include a representative from the ranks of commuter rail along with representatives from the other categories of rail service--passenger and freight. Such representation would ensure that commuter rail's interests are heard along with the interests of the other rail industry categories. This representation would be a substantial acknowledgement of the growing importance of commuter rail.

Mr. CRANE

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Ganske).

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Seattle, Washington (Ms. Dunn), who graciously permitted the transfer of Boeing's headquarters to my home town of Chicago.

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest).

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham).

Mr. CRANE. No, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I rise in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 55 and in support of extending Vietnam's Jackson-Vanik waiver. Failure to extend the waiver here at the threshold of congressional consideration of the U.S.-Vietnam bilateral trade agreement would send terribly mixed diplomatic signals and would undermine the great economic reforms now gaining momentum in Vietnam. On emigration, the central issue for the Jackson-Vanik waiver, more than 500,000 Vietnamese citizens have entered the United States under the orderly departure program in the past 10 to 15 years. As a result of steps taken by Vietnam to streamline its emigration process, all but 73 of the nearly 21,000 individuals who have applied for consideration under the Resettlement Opportunity for Vietnamese Returnees program have been cleared for interview. Another critical issue in our bilateral relationship with Vietnam continues to be the fullest possible accounting of U.S. MIAs. As of last week, the fate has been determined for all but 41 of the so-called ``last known-alive'' cases. Future progress in terms of the ability of U.S. personnel to conduct excavations, interview eyewitnesses and examine archival items is dependent upon continued cooperation by the Vietnamese. The effect of the Jackson-Vanik waiver at this time is quite limited, enabling U.S. exporters doing business in Vietnam to have access to U.S. trade financing programs provided that Vietnam meets the relevant program criteria. Nevertheless, the significance of Vietnam's Jackson- Vanik waiver is that it permits us to stay engaged with Vietnam and to pursue further reforms on the full range of issues on the bilateral agenda. Extending Vietnam's waiver will give reformers within the government much-needed support to continue economic reforms. Therefore, I urge a ``no'' vote on H.J. Res. 55.

Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.