Nathan Deal

Mr. DEAL of Georgia

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam 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.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I appreciate the gentleman yielding. Madam Speaker, very few bills come to the floor of this House with so much rhetoric disassociated from facts as we have heard in this bill. Now, let's talk about a few of the real facts. First of all, the program was designed, at its outset, to insure children that were above the Medicaid level of poverty but below 200 percent of poverty. All of the stories that we have heard today--from both sides of the aisle, quite frankly--as to examples of children who are uninsured, in almost every one of those instances are children that should have been insured under the current law under either SCHIP or Medicaid but are unenrolled. One of the amendments that I offered that was not allowed was an amendment that said before you can go up the poverty scale, you should have a 90-percent saturation of those children that are below 200 percent of poverty. Many States that are well above the 300 percent of poverty still have not covered a quarter of their children that are below the 200 percent of poverty level. So ``poor children first'' is not in this bill. Secondly, with regard to the issue of illegal immigration. Now, you can say that illegal immigrants will not be allowed, but you are removing the requirements of certification of eligibility. And by the way, pregnant women, regardless of their immigration status, are considered ``children'' under the SCHIP bill in everybody's version of the law. Now, if you're not acknowledging that illegals are going to be enrolled in this program by virtue of the change you're making in this bill, then you ought to talk to CBO because CBO says in the next 10 years that the Federal Government will spend $5.1 billion and States will spend $3.85 billion on people who are illegally in this country.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, the Republican motion to recommit replaces what I consider to be a deeply flawed bill that has been offered and also has improvements to the SCHIP proposal that we are considering. Unlike H.R. 2, the Republican motion to recommit fully funds SCHIP program for the next 7 years, not 4\1/2\ years as the underlying bill would do, and thereby ensures that needy families and those with low incomes will be covered and eligible under SCHIP through fiscal year 2015. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the motion to recommit will not cause a single SCHIP enrolled child to lose his or her health care coverage. Unlike the bill that is under consideration, H.R. 2, the motion to recommit puts poor children first by holding States accountable for not finding and enrolling their low-income, uninsured children. Each year, States would be required to report to the Secretary of HHS how they intend to ensure that at least 90 percent of their children with family incomes under $40,000 per year have quality health care coverage in either a public or private health care plan. States would also be required to demonstrate that they have met this 90 percent coverage target before they are able to shift their enrollment activities to higher income families. Unlike H.R. 2, the motion to recommit maintains the requirement in current law that States verify the identity and citizenship status of Medicaid and SCHIP applicants and prevents illegal aliens and other unqualified individuals from fraudulently gaining access to these taxpayer-funded programs. Unlike H.R. 2, the Republican motion to recommit preserves limited SCHIP dollars for low-income, uninsured children by preventing States from abusing the income-disregard loophole that is in the current law and would be continued under the underlying bill. Unlike H.R. 2, the Republican motion to recommit Federal funds will be reserved for families with incomes under 300 percent of the Federal poverty level, which is currently $63,600 for a family of four. This motion to recommit is compliant with the majority's PAYGO rules by asking corporations with assets in excess of $1 billion to shift some estimated tax payments due in fiscal year 2009 to fiscal year 2018. The majority has repeatedly used this short-term shifting of funding to meet the 5-year PAYGO requirements, and we're using it today to comply with the majority's PAYGO requirements without raising taxes. Fully paid for without increasing taxes on the American people is what this motion to recommit would provide. And unlike the underlying bill, H.R. 2, the Republican recommit motion will actually allow President-elect Obama to keep his promise to the American people of not increasing their taxes. We believe that these fundamental changes from the underlying bill not only improve it, but extend the life of it for a full 7-year period and is altogether appropriate, and does not include increasing taxes on the American people. We believe in the SCHIP program. We think that it should be properly applied in States and applied primarily to those who are low-income, poor families first rather than going up the economic scale of eligibility. For these reasons, I would urge this body to adopt the motion to recommit and to pass a bill for a 7-year period that fully funds and assures States and families that their children will be covered. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I have no further speakers on the floor, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I have a speaker who will appear shortly. He was here just a second ago. In the meantime, I would use the time to simply thank Mr. Green as the lead sponsor of this legislation. He's done an excellent job. He did work across party lines, and I thought we had a good product that came out of our Health Subcommittee and our entire committee and came from the floor of this House. I think it's important that we do that on bills of this nature. I would like to also thank, in addition to Mr. Murphy who's spoken on the Volunteer Doctors provision, Ms. DeGette who was interested in that as well. Unfortunately, that provision, along with a provision that Congressman Burgess and Congressman Stupak had for some alternative ways of providing additional care under the community health center model, which we had included in our bill on the House side, was not agreed to by our colleagues across the way. However, the legislation before us today does require three GAO studies to look at all of the issues which we had originally addressed in the legislation that came from the House. Hopefully those GAO studies will confirm the wisdom of the House of including those provisions in the initial bill, and I look forward to seeing the results of those studies and perhaps our ability to revisit this issue of community health centers because I, too, believe that one of the ways we can accomplish greater access is to provide volunteer doctors with Federal tort claims protections so that they can use their services and their talents in community health centers which have a very difficult time attracting doctors in many of the rural areas, in particular. I rise today in support of H.R. 1343, the ``Health Centers Renewal Act,'' a critical piece of legislation which will reauthorize Community Health Centers and the National Health Service Corps. Community Health Centers provide a fundamental element of our healthcare delivery system in our nation, providing much needed care for uninsured or under-insured individuals seeking very low cost healthcare services. These centers have, and continue to, impact communities across our country and provide a critical safety net for care for thousands of Americans every year. With nearly 47 million Americans living without health insurance, traditional pay-for services have become prohibitively expensive for many. With no remaining option for even the most basic healthcare services, our emergency rooms are being overwhelmed. Community Health Centers step in to fill that gap, relieving the strain on hospital emergency rooms which cost exorbitantly more to operate and are pressed beyond capacity. H.R. 1343 reauthorizes Community Health Centers for five years while seeking to improve the access to, and quality of, services available under this program throughout the nation. This legislation requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct three studies, all of which will evaluate mechanisms through which the health center program can do more for our communities. First, GAO will evaluate the incorporation of integrated health systems as a model for improving the access to care for medically underserved populations. Second, GAO will also study the effects of implementing policies which would establish school-based health centers. Finally, this legislation will evaluate the potential benefits which could be achieved by extending federal liability protections to healthcare practitioners to encourage participation in Community Health Centers, both in their community as well as additional areas ravaged by hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, or other disaster situations. In light of the devastation in the Gulf Coast region just a few years ago, our healthcare delivery system was put to the ultimate test. Thousands upon thousands of victims were affected. While physicians and other healthcare professionals were ready and willing to answer the call to serve, concerns regarding medical liability turned them away from their call to service. This is an apparent problem an Congress must address this issue to avoid a repeat of this unfortunate situation in the future. I believe this legislation represents a reasonable compromise, reflecting the priorities of the House, Senate, and healthcare industry, and provides much-needed reauthorization to this critical component of our nation's healthcare infrastructure. I would also like to express my appreciation to the National Association of Community Health Centers for working so well with House and Senate staff in order to craft this legislation before us today. Again, I am pleased to see this legislation on the floor today, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this critical reauthorization of Community Health Centers. At this time, I would like to yield to the gentleman from Mississippi, who is a member of this committee, who also has worked on this legislation, for such time as he may consume, Mr. Pickering.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I, too, rise in support of this legislation and would like to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Tim Murphy) who was one of the active members of the Subcommittee on Health and Commerce from which this bill originally came.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I too rise in support of this legislation. Presently, there is no treatment for Tay-Sachs disease. But I would like to thank the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for their efforts to reduce the burden of neurological disease. They are part of the National Institutes of Health, and they conduct research on this particular disease in laboratories at NIH, and also support additional research through grants to major medical institutions across the country. It is important for us to understand and to become more aware of this particular problem, and that's what this legislation seeks to do. I would urge its support. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join us in taking this very first important step of dealing with the care and the quality of care for individuals who suffer from Down Syndrome and for their families. I urge the adoption of this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield to one of the leaders on this subject matter here in the House, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner).

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, at this time I would like to yield such time she may consume to Representative McMorris Rodgers.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I had the honor of chairing that hearing that Mrs. Capps just referred to back in 2005 in the Energy and Commerce Committee, Health Subcommittee, in which we had the first hearing on pulmonary hypertension. The Honorable Tom Lantos' granddaughter, Charity, did testify. She was a compelling witness, and I think it is altogether fitting that this legislation be named in honor of her grandfather. I want to thank Mrs. Capps and Mr. Brady and all the others who have worked so hard on this legislation. As Mr. Brady pointed out, this is an excellent example of citizen advocates who have taken this issue to heart and who have literally pushed this all the way. Without their support, we probably would not have been able to get this legislation to the floor. I commend all those who have had a hand in it. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance my time.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I too rise in support of this legislation and want to commend the work of Mrs. Capps and also Mr. Kevin Brady. I would, at this time, yield to Mr. Brady as much time as he might consume in support of this legislation, of which he was one of the original sponsors.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I think one of the better things that is contained in this legislation is that it does create an interagency coordinating committee to coordinate the activities on breast cancer research that are being conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Defense Department and other agencies that are actively engaged in cancer research. By removing the barriers which restrict cross-institutional information sharing, we will be able to bring America's best scientists together to collaborate and work together in pursuit of a cure. The bill also increases the overall authorization of the NIH by $40 million to further aid their mission in this research. I think it is a good step in the right direction, and I am glad to see the House taking the legislation up today. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I too rise in support of this legislation and would like to yield such time as she may consume to one of the original sponsors of this legislation, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick).

Mr. DEAL of Georgia

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Duncan for yielding the time to me. And I thank Mr. Towns for the very kind words that he has spoken on behalf of this outstanding young man. And I do rise today to honor the memory of First Lieutenant Noah Harris by dedicating the United States Post Office located in Ellijay, Georgia, and naming it the ``First Lieutenant Noah Harris Ellijay Post Office.'' As Mr. Towns has indicated, Lieutenant Harris was killed at the age of 23, serving in Buritz, Iraq, and was returning from a successful mission when his Humvee was hit by two rocket-propelled grenades. Many times we talk about individuals that we don't know. Tonight, I talk about a young man I did know. Noah Harris served as an intern in my office in the summer of 2002. He was a star athlete at Gilmer County High School, captain of his football team, captain of the wrestling team, State wrestling champion, and a star scholar. When he graduated from high school, he went to the University of Georgia and he joined the football cheerleading squad. Now, at first you would think, as did his captain in Iraq, that if you're a cheerleader, you're not physically fit. Of course, if you watched college cheerleaders, you know when they lift somebody over their head and hold them, they are physically fit, as was Noah. And he became the captain of that cheerleading squad. He was a student at the University of Georgia on September 11 of 2001. And when our country was attacked on that day, he made the decision that he wanted to join the ROTC unit and become an Army officer. The story goes that he went over to the ROTC Department and he said, I'd like to join the ROTC. And he was asked, well, what class level are you in? And he said, I'm a senior. And the response was, Well, you've just waited too late. You can't join the ROTC in your senior year. And he said, Is there no way that that can happen? And they said, Well, you would have to be an outstanding scholar and you would have to be an outstanding athlete in order to be able to put all the things together here in your senior year. It's told that Noah Harris sort of smiled and said, Well, I am a Presidential scholar, attending the University of Georgia on a Presidential scholar scholarship. And I am the captain of the football cheerleading squad. And needless to say, he met all of those requirements, he was commissioned, and he served our country in Iraq. While he was serving in Iraq, he e-mailed me and he said this, ``Each day I patrol the street and stop and talk to the people. They are thankful that we're here and for what we are doing. Though the process is slow, each day, the Iraqi police and the Iraqi army are becoming better able to protect and defend the citizens of Iraq. Through the efforts and perseverance of both the United States and Iraq, peace will prevail. Please pass on my thanks to your staff and the rest of the individuals in Washington that support the cause of freedom for our Nation and the world.'' I attended Noah Harris' funeral, one of the saddest and yet at the same time one of the greatest celebrations that I have ever attended. His life is a reminder that it really doesn't matter how long you live, it's how you live. Noah Harris is a role model for young people who follow behind him. He is an inspiration for all of us who knew him and for those who will learn about him as the story of his life has now been compiled in a book put together by his parents, Lucy and Rick Harris, and contains the remembrances of people who knew Noah Harris. He will also have a continuing legacy of hope, dedication and courage. A scholarship has been founded at the University of Georgia in his memory, and it will continue his tradition. Madam Speaker, First Lieutenant Noah Harris was indeed a true American hero. I am proud today to rise and pay attribute to him and to have the honor of joining with the constituents from the community in which he grew up in naming the local post office the First Lieutenant Noah Harris Ellijay Post Office. Madam Speaker, I include for the Record a copy of a letter from Mr. Jerry Farist, the chairman of the Gilmer County Board of Commissioners, supporting that this post office be named in honor of First Lieutenant Noah Harris. I appreciate the time, and I think indeed these are the kind of moments that symbolize what makes our country great. Gilmer County Board of Commissioners, September 12, 2008. Re Request to name the Ellijay Post Office after 1st LT. Noah Harris. Ms. Gail Musselwhite, Office of Congressman Nathan Deal, P.O. Box 1015, Gainsville, GA. To Whom It May Concern: As Chairman of the Gilmer County Board of Commissioners I speak for my fellow commissioners and the citizens of Gilmer County by saying that we take great pride in our hometown boy, LT. Noah Harris. He paid the ultimate price for his patriotism and we sincerely thank him for his service. Per the request to rename the Ellijay Post Office, ``1st LT. Noah Harris United States Post Office'', the Gilmer County Board of Commissioners would like to go on record as having no objection to this action. If further information is necessary please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Jerry Farist, Chairman, Gilmer County Commissioners.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I, likewise, urge the adoption of this legislation, and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I'm pleased to yield such time as he may consume to one of the original sponsors of this bill, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle).

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2851, which is commonly known as Michelle's Law. I would like to thank Mr. Hodes from New Hampshire and Mr. Castle from Delaware for introducing this important legislation and also to thank Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Dingell, subcommittee Chairman Pallone and Ranking Member Barton for their cooperative efforts in working in a bipartisan manner to move this bill through the Energy and Commerce Committee. The American people know we must focus our health care efforts on providing increased access to quality, personal health insurance plans that give more Americans control and ownership over their own health care. As my colleagues are well aware, by increasing the number of Federal mandates on health insurance plans, we are inevitably making health insurance plans more expensive for more Americans and decreasing the number of Americans who can afford the quality personal health insurance plan that they want for their families. Without question, it is vital for Congress to avoid one-size-fits-all Federal mandates on health insurance if we're going to be able to increase the number of Americans with access to quality health insurance plans. However, I think the bill before us today is a very narrowly tailored solution to an extremely rare problem that results from a very small number of bad actors. This legislation takes the needed step of ensuring that more college-aged Americans will be able to stay on their parents' health insurance coverage in the rare event that they become too sick to remain enrolled in school. We know that by passing this legislation today, we can help assure American college students that their personal health insurance plan will be there for them giving them one less thing to worry about as they focus on their own illness and on earning their degrees. Again, I thank my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee for their bipartisan support of this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I would yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would also compliment Mr. Buyer for his sincere efforts on the issue of counterfeiting and look forward to working with him to address that issue both for humans and for animals in future legislation. But because of the importance of this particular legislation and the need to reauthorize it in the time frame that is before us, I would urge the adoption of this legislation.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would yield at this time such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer).

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today the House is set to pass legislation reauthorizing the Animal Drug User Fee Act, also known as ADUFA. This legislation represents a compromise between the parties, the administration, and the industry. Development of animal drugs can take years and cost millions of dollars. A predictable review process is important to make sure that these products are approved in a timely way. Since the passage of ADUFA in 2003, the review times for new animal drugs went from 295 days in Fiscal Year 2004 to 180 days in Fiscal Year 2008. We need to reauthorize this program before we leave for the August recess. If we fail to do so, the FDA may have to begin issuing reduction in force notices to its employees. The bill before us today will provide financial stability for the program and improve the health information infrastructure for drug review. It will also provide more user revenue for the program. Along with ADUFA, for the first time, Congress is set to pass legislation which would create the Animal Generic Drug User Fee Act, or AGDUFA. AGDUFA will allow the FDA to collect user fees, thereby improving the times necessary for generic drug approval. This will not only bring generics to the market more quickly, but will also lower costs for consumers. If AGDUFA is authorized, approval times could be reduced from 700 days in Fiscal Year 2009, to around 270 days in Fiscal Year 2013. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the passage of both of these pieces of legislation in the bill that is before us today. I would reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary American and a native of my congressional district, John Burl Hulsey, Sr., who was instrumental as a Navy pilot during World War II in the development of our Nation's first cruise missile. While all of his friends are certainly aware of his service in the Navy, very few know that Lieutenant Commander Hulsey was one of the 48 Navy pilots hand-selected for this top secret mission. In fact, this project was so top secret that Lieutenant Commander Hulsey was prohibited from even discussing it with his wife, Mary Louise, until it was officially declassified in 1989. During World War II, the United States Navy established two special squadrons which developed the Standoff Guided Missile Forces, an experimental program designed to direct unmanned drone aircraft loaded with explosives into enemy targets. Remote-controlled drones, pilotless planes with a video camera mounted on their noses, were loaded with 2,000 pound bombs and directed to their targets by a trailing aircraft located several miles from the site of impact. Using radar guidance and wireless video transmission, this technology was state-of-the-art, futuristic technology in the early 1940s. For the first time in history, naval aviators were able to accurately strike high-profile, heavily defended installations while remaining out of danger. Also termed the American Kamikaze, this mission set forth a powerful blow to the enemy, using tactics never before seen in modern warfare, undoubtedly changing the scope and the outcome of World War II as well as various conflicts which have followed. In 1938, Lieutenant Commander Hulsey enrolled at North Georgia College, then a 2-year institution, prior to transferring to the University of Georgia in Athens for completion of his studies. While at the University of Georgia, Lieutenant Commander Hulsey participated in the university's civilian pilot training program, where he began preparing for a career in aviation. Immediately prior to entering his senior year at the University of Georgia, Lieutenant Commander Hulsey decided to enlist in the Navy, and was ordered to report for service shortly thereafter. In addition to being stationed for training at naval air stations in Chamblee, Georgia, Pensacola, Florida, and New Orleans, he and other members of what were called STAG I spent several years in Clinton, Oklahoma and Traverse City, Michigan, where they conducted extensive testing and development of the drone project prior to deployment to the Pacific theater. Finally, in May 1944, Lieutenant Commander Hulsey and many of his fellow STAG I pilots departed for the Russell Islands in the Solomon Island Chain, about 25 miles from Guadalcanal, where the Navy prepared to carry out a critical series of attacks on enemy strongholds across the region. Anti-aircraft fire was heavy at times around his plane and the drones which he followed, but he was, fortunately, never struck. On September 27, 1944, the very first TDR-1 assault drone attack in combat was successfully carried out, marking an historic moment in the development and implementation of cruise missiles in warfare. Of the 47 total attacks carried out by STAG I during their brief mission in the Pacific, an unprecedented 22 targets resulted in direct hits, including island caves loaded with enemy ammunition and anti- aircraft installations in the Shortland Islands, Bougainville, and Rabaul. These attacks sustained a record 47 percent hit on intended targets, an incredible accomplishment in 1940's technology. The short mission ended as the war came to a close and U.S. forces began to extinguish their supplies of drones. In a July of 1990 letter sent to members of STAG I and the Special Air Task Force, then Secretary of the Navy H. Lawrence Garrett commended the brave men and women for their service to our Nation, honoring, and I quote, ``the vision, determination, and dedication with which they performed their secret duties during World War II, which laid the groundwork for today's modern cruise missile.'' There is no question, Mr. Speaker, that the accomplishments of the men of STAG I laid the groundwork for the development of modern-day smart bombs, which has revolutionized American military strategy as well as that of our allies across the globe. Countless lives have been saved through this technology, and our ability to target enemy installations with precision has proven itself critical in defending our country from ever present threats. Mr. Speaker, I am truly pleased to rise today in honor of Lieutenant Commander John Burl Hulsey, Sr. I would also like to thank him, his wife, Mary Louise, and members of his family who have joined me in the House gallery this evening to receive this special recognition. His service, while having occurred over 6 decades ago, continues to save the lives of those in the front lines of the war on terror. I thank Lieutenant Commander Hulsey, and will always share a deep respect for this hero's courage, valor, and dedication and service in the United States Navy. And I conclude by congratulating him on his 90th birthday.

Mr. DEAL of Georgia

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I believe the majority is ready to close, and I will close at this point if he has no other speakers. I believe that the importance of community health centers has certainly been underscored in a bipartisan fashion by the discussion we've had here on this floor. I would remind us all that this is an initiative that President Bush inaugurated several years ago when his goal was to expand the number of community health centers across this country, ultimately so that every county in this country would be served from one of these facilities. Certainly all of us recognize it is one of the better ways that we have available to us to be able to provide needed health care to communities that are underserved at the current time. Once again, in closing, I would commend Mr. Green for his willingness to work in a bipartisan fashion on this reauthorization legislation. I believe that the amendments that were added to it before its reaching the floor today have considerably improved this bill. In particular, it now will allow physicians who are either retired or who want to volunteer a portion of their time to assist in one of these community health centers the ability to do so with some degree of limited liability protection. I think that will increase the number of physicians who are available in these facilities, and by doing that, it will increase the quality of care to those who are receiving services in community health centers. With that, I would encourage passage of this resolution. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.