Rosa DeLauro

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much.

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I want to stand here and have the opportunity to have a discussion with some of my colleagues this evening, to talk about an issue that is near and dear to the hearts of the American people, and that is for those who are today in something called managed care for their health care, people who are looking at how they are going to afford health care, how in fact they can meet the rules and regulations that some of the HMOs have put upon them, how they can have the option of selecting their physician or specialist if they need one, how in fact they can get all of the information that they need in order to make good choices and good decisions about their medical treatment, and how, if they run into a difficulty with their provider, their HMO, their insurance company, that they have an appeal process that they can go to to see if this can be sorted out. This is a topic that is going to be hotly debated in this Chamber in the next several months. The President talked about a patient's Bill of Rights, if you will. That sounds like a very elevated term. Essentially it is what I have talked about, having for individuals the opportunity to know what their best options are in order to get their health care. This patient's Bill of Rights is going to be debated. The President talked about it in his State of the Union Address. He wants to see something like this passed. There are a number of us on both sides of the aisle, and as a matter of fact it was one of those issues the night of the State of the Union where Democrats and Republicans were on their feet because it makes good sense. It makes good sense for people to have the adequate kind of health care, the adequate treatment that they need in order that they may survive, themselves and their families. What is at stake here is not just the bottom line, the profit motive in health care today, but in fact the health and safety of the American public. An issue that I have specifically focused on is the issue of mastectomies. I have found through a Dr. Sarfos in Connecticut, a surgeon, he came to me and told me that women were being treated as outpatients for mastectomies, and that they were getting a few hours' treatment, or less treatment than both their doctor and they thought they needed in order for them to be healthy, to be on that road to recovery both emotionally and physically. Together a number of us have written legislation that says in fact that the length of stay in a hospital needs to be determined by a doctor and by a patient, and not be the decision of the insurance company. In the case of this specific piece of legislation, it says 48 hours for a mastectomy, 24 hours for a lymph node dissection, and that the individual, the woman can in fact have the luxury, if you will, of not having to stay for 48 hours if the doctor and patient make that determination that in fact it can be a shorter stay. These are commonsense kinds of decisions that we are talking about. What we want to do is to make sure, as I say, at the base of all of this, is that people's health is the first order of business, and not the profit motive of the insurance provider or of the HMOs. I am delighted to have with me tonight a colleague from Illinois, and I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, today is the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the father of the Republican Party. I think that President Lincoln is turning over in his grave today, because this proposal flies in the face of the legacy of President Lincoln, the legacy he left his party and the legacy that he left his country. He would be appalled. This proposal clearly is aimed at denying minority voters their legal right to vote. This bill not only threatens the rights of minority voters, it violates the values of privacy that are at the very foundation of a free society. This is a value that everyone in this Chamber holds very dear, or should hold dear. This proposal would amend the Social Security Act, overturn the Privacy Act protections, by allowing States to require Social Security numbers for voter registration. But the proposal does nothing to protect or ensure the privacy of those Social Security numbers submitted on voter registration applications. This is one more attempt at intimidation. All Americans should be aware. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to remember the legacy of Abraham Lincoln today. Vote ``no'' on this proposal.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Ohio for organizing tonight's special order to commemorate Black History Month. I have been privileged to serve with the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) on the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education of the Committee on Appropriations, and I would like to say what an honor it has been to work with him and that he will be truly missed in this body. This country is a better place for his having served in this body. Black History Month is a time for us to join together to salute the accomplishments of African-American men and women who have contributed so much to make our Nation strong. I would like to take this opportunity to remember some of the key events that took place in my home State of Connecticut. I guess I must deviate just a bit from the specific topic of businesspeople, but I think that New Haven, Connecticut, has a specific historical fact that it is important, I think, for people to understand about the city. And I think there are so many young people in the City of New Haven who do not realize the history of African Americans in this city. These young people do not realize that their city was an important station on the underground railroad. In fact, the Varick AME Episcopal Church and Dixwell Avenue Unitarian Church of Christ were both way- stations for escaped slaves traveling through New Haven toward freedom in the North. New Haven found itself in the center of the dispute between the forces supporting slavery and those working for freedom when the Amistad ship arrived in Long Island Sound in the summer of 1839. The Amistad has become a household word, thanks to a blockbuster movie this year, and we are grateful to Steven Spielberg for making such a movie. But before the movie, very few people knew about this event, even people living in the City of New Haven, where much of the action occurred. After the Amistad was captured in Long Island Sound, the Africans on the ship, led by Sengbe Pieh, were put in a New Haven jail while a court battle was waged to determine whether they would be slaves or free men and women. The dispute forced the country to confront the moral, social, political and religious questions that were surrounding slavery. Many members of the New Haven community pulled together to work for the freedom of the Africans, including the congregation of the Center Church on Temple Street and students and faculty from the Yale University Divinity School. Finally, in February of 1841, the Africans, who were defended by former President John Quincy Adams, were declared free by the United States Supreme Court. Today there are several memorials in New Haven commemorating the Amistad and the story of the brave Africans who fought for their liberty on its decks. A statue of Sengbe Pieh, who was also known as Joseph Cinque, sits in front of the city hall in New Haven, and I was there for the dedication, along with our sister city from Sierra Leone. Plans are under way for a life-size working replica of the ship to be docked on Long Wharf with exhibitions and programs on African-American history and the long fight for true freedom. This is a month that gives us the opportunity to remember these events and the people behind them. Unfortunately, in our lives, we compartmentalize and we have a month where we talk with these things. It ought to be the topic of conversation and discussion and just woven into our everyday lives. But we are grateful that we have a time to single out the opportunity for the conversations, where we remember people with the courage to stand up and fight against tyranny and oppression, and we also have the opportunity to talk about those who have been such a tremendous success in business and academics and the arts and all the parts of our society. Mr. Speaker, America is strong because we have been successful at molding our different backgrounds into a strong Nation. We are a diverse, tolerant and constantly changing country that has been enriched by our differences. We celebrate our rich history, not just in Black History Month, but throughout the year. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for organizing this event tonight.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of the mothers and fathers who have the financial means or who make the financial sacrifice necessary to stay at home with their children. I regret that this resolution has chosen to focus on one group of parents, while excluding the families who, in order to provide for their children, must have both parents in the work force. This resolution sets up a false conflict between working parents and stay-at-home parents. More than 3 million children whose parents stay at home choose to send their young children to preschool. They want their children to benefit from the social and intellectual growth that preschool can provide. Talk to most any parents, whether working or at home. Their concern is about finding and affording safe, high-quality educational care for their children. We need to support all parents in their child care choices. Helping parents who need to find good child care so they can work and helping parents who stay at home should be complementary and not competing efforts. Last October, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and I introduced a resolution honoring the child care givers who provide safe, educational care for children of working and stay-at-home parents. Its companion was introduced in the Senate by, among others, Republican Senators Roberts and Jeffords. That bipartisan resolution, which has twice as many House cosponsors as the resolution we are discussing today, is designed to recognize and promote high-quality care used by stay-at-home and working moms and dads. Why has the Republican majority refused to move that resolution forward? Why has it chosen to pit one group of parents against another? Whether parents stay at home or go to work, quality child care is a crucial issue. Parents know their children need safe educational care. CEOs know that high educational care must be important for their work force and a strong economy. Police officers know that high-quality child care provided early in life and before and after school reduces juvenile delinquency and chronic crime. Across our Nation, churches and synagogues donate classrooms to make quality child care more affordable and more accessible to millions of families. Parents, business leaders, law enforcement officers and religious communities across this country recognize the importance of safe, educational child care. We in this Congress must do that as well. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members on both sides of the aisle to stop the divisive practice of setting up parents against each other. Let us work together. Let us pass legislation this year that helps provide parents with the best possible educational care for all of the children in this country who need it.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong opposition to this legislation and I urge my colleagues to vote against it. In the balanced budget President Clinton presented to the Congress last week he laid out an action plan for improving America's schools, a plan to reduce class size, thereby creating a better learning environment for our children, better opportunity to have discipline in our schools. The plan also called for repairing of crumbling schools, putting computers into every classroom, training teachers so that our children will be prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century. And instead of considering legislation to improve our schools, Republicans today are bringing this unnecessary legislation to the floor to block national tests that would, in fact, help to ensure that every child in our country meets higher standards in math and in reading. Voluntary national tests would give us the opportunity to gauge our children's progress in these basic skills. These are essential skills to ensuring a future success in life. Tests will let parents know that local schools, that teachers are doing their job and holding them accountable for the results that they achieve. Mr. Chairman, this issue was resolved last year during the appropriations process. The bipartisan agreement calls for test development to go forward and for the National Academy of Sciences to study what type of test might work best for our kids. Quite honestly, Republicans in this Congress, as their nominee for President last year articulated, do not believe that our country and the Federal Government should have a role in education. That is why they are backing out of that agreement. The American people want this Nation to have high education standards. I want high education standards. We in this body should be for high education standards. That is why I oppose this legislation. Let us stop wasting our time on this unnecessary legislation. We ought to be working together to pass measures that improve our schools and make education today work for our young people.

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, Democrats are ready to address the problems facing our public schools: To reduce class size, repair crumbling buildings and put computers in the classroom. We are prepared to go to work to raise standards and prepare our children for the challenges ahead. Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues are not addressing the real issues facing our schools. Instead, they bring unnecessary legislation that blocks voluntary national tests, an important tool which can be used to ensure that every child can read, write and do basic math. Parents across the country share my belief that these are very minimum standards to which our students, our schools, our teachers must be held accountable. Parents want higher standards. They want their children to succeed. Parents deserve an objective, reliable measure of how their children are doing in school and how well their schools are preparing their children. Parents and indeed all of us taxpayers deserve to know that our local schools are meeting our national expectations. Madam Speaker, this issue was resolved last year during the appropriations process. The bipartisan agreement calls for test development to go forward and for the National Academy of Science to study what type of test might work best for all of our kids. Republicans in this Congress, as their nominee for President last fall articulated, do not believe that our country and the Federal Government should have a role in education. That is why they are backing out of the agreement. The American people do want to have higher standards that they want their children to be able to meet in fact so that they can succeed in life and to have the opportunities as early as possible. We should vote against this legislation that works against our young people. We need to make education work for all children in this country.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, in last week's State of the Union, President Clinton challenged this body to pass legislation to improve America's public schools. Democrats are eager to get to work, reducing class size, repairing crumbling schools, putting computers in every classroom. But my Republican colleagues on the other side of the aisle are saying no. They bring unnecessary legislation today that would block national tests to ensure that every American child meets higher standards in math and in reading, that would make schools and teachers more accountable. It is our public schools that have made this Nation strong and have put the American dream within the reach of all of our children. We should be working to ensure accountability, quality, and discipline in our schools, not passing legislation that would prevent teachers from using the tools that they need to teach our kids. Republicans do not believe that our country and our Federal Government should have a role in education. They are wrong. I call on my colleagues to work with us to preserve and to strengthen America's public schools.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, today the National Association of Manufacturers is in Washington to oppose legislation that would reform managed care. It appears that the Republican leadership will stand with their special interest friends at the expense of average, middle-class Americans. Now, let us talk about what this legislation is, the Patient Access to Responsible Care Act. Take away that title. This is what this bill is about: ensuring that patients have access to specialists; making it easier for consumers to sue health plans for medical malpractice; and ensuring that medical decisions are made by doctors and not by insurance company bureaucrats and by allowing doctors to tell their patients what their options for medical treatment are and not be gagged by health care providers. Instead, the National Association of Manufacturers and the Republican leadership want to keep power in the hands of the insurance companies that are more concerned with healthy profits than with healthy patients. Mr. Speaker, I call on the Republican leadership to join Democrats in supporting these commonsense reforms.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Representative Skelton and Representative Spratt for giving us the opportunity to honor and bid farewell to our friend and colleague, Representative Ron Dellums. Ron Dellums has set a tremendous example for all of us. Throughout his 27 years in Congress, he has always been a gentleman, something that requires true strength today. In the midst of all the battles here, he has always treated every person with the same high level of respect. For this he will always be honored. In the more than a quarter of a century that Ron Dellums has represented the 9th District of California, he has also remained true to himself and to his principles. This is sometimes even more difficult than always remaining a gentleman. Trained as a social worker, he has dedicated his life to serving others. He understands that our national security must rest on a solid domestic foundation. When our citizens are well fed, well housed, well educated, and there is justice for all, our Nation is secure. His passion for ensuring security and justice for all Americans has formed the foundation of his leadership on so many fronts. As chair of the House Armed Services Committee and the ranking member of the House National Security Committee, which I had the honor to sit on with him, he worked to keep Congress focused on halting the nuclear arms race, and combating racial discrimination and sexual harassment in our military. He has led the fight to protect the civil rights of all Americans, and to achieve comprehensive healthcare throughout the country. The House is losing a great leader. He leaves behind a high standard of respect and commitment that all of us should strive to reach. Only then might we begin to fill his shoes.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Right.

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from New Jersey; and it is good to be back talking about issues that are facing the American public and critical issues. And I would say to the gentleman from Pennsylvania, I had the opportunity to read through the newspaper clippings of the forum that the gentleman held on managed care, and it is heartrending what is going on in people's lives. The gentleman really is eloquent and a champion of people who are looking, desperately looking for some way in which they can figure out the system or not have the system be detrimental to their health. That is not what it is about. That is not the goal in health care. Mr. Speaker, I thank both of my colleagues; and I know that we are going to be joined by my colleague from New York. This is a critical debate in the country today. I think, as both of my colleagues have said, I think the President laid out a challenge to all of us last night when he said that we must address the issue of managed care reform. And I think in this body, on both sides of the aisle, there was a cheering and people who are ready to take on this challenge. I think this ought to be one of the first issues that we address, since there is good, solid bipartisan support and it is a problem, as we have all concluded, that is affecting so many Americans. I think why there is such tremendous bipartisan support on this issue is because every single Member of this body is listening very carefully to those who put their faith and their trust in us to represent them on the serious issues that they are facing. Everyone is hearing about the horrors of managed care. My hope is that we respond and that we respond quickly. Today it seems that HMOs are valuing the healthy profits over healthy patients. We understand that there has to be costs that are cut. Everybody wants to try to make health care and health insurance more affordable, but you have to take a look at what price and if you are sacrificing the health and safety of the American people, then that is not the goal, that is not the goal. I was over at a large senior housing complex in my district last week, a place called Bella Vista, which means good vistas, good life. And there were about 100 people in the room. I was just talking to them about the changes in Medicare, what they might be looking forward to and also about the extension of Medicare to people who are 55 to 64, et cetera. One woman raised her hand. She was carrying around an oxygen cart. She told me her story of her husband, middle of the night, rushed to the hospital, cancer patient, had a stomach blockage, goes to the emergency room. They examined him, said, your are fine, you do not have to stay. I said, you should have made a fuss there. She said, I did. I did. She said, they told me that my husband did not have to stay, that he is fine, that he is all right, that they would not admit him. I tried. And within several days her husband was dead. She said to me, what should I have done? You are left standing there. This is real life. She said he was a cancer patient. So you are hard- pressed. I can get back to her and say, and I said to her, we are working on that. Well, that is great. She lost her husband. You do not feel like you are really doing your job when you are standing there trying to cope or trying to be empathetic and sympathetic to what is going on in people's lives. My colleagues here know we have all worked together on the issue of breast cancer patients, women being treated as outpatients for mastectomies. We have a good piece of legislation here with 214 of our colleagues who have signed on. Unfortunately we have not been able to get the leadership in this House to give us the opportunity for a hearing. But over and over again I hear from Members that say, we cannot legislate body part by body part. I understand that. I really do. But we have to address an issue when it comes before us, and we have to take action. In the same way that we are talking about the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act to prevent that kind of outpatient treatment for women who are undergoing mastectomies, we need to have an overarching set of principles, which we do have in a consumer Bill of Rights for people, something that the President has proposed. There is a piece of bipartisan legislation in this House which we can move on. It is only right. It is only just. It is only what people have every right to expect, that they in fact can get good quality health care, that doctors are not given a gag rule that says that they cannot talk about all the medical options that are available to people with a specific illness that they have, that they cannot get emergency care because someone is deciding what is emergency care for people when you are sick and you use the emergency room. When you go in and you truly are sick, doctors can determine whether or not someone is seriously ill versus someone that has gone in for something that is minor. But to curtail the medical profession in this regard I believe is wrong, and we have it within our power within this year to pass comprehensive managed care reform so that in fact people are the beneficiaries of the very best in health care that this country has to offer. I know we want all of our colleagues to participate. I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey for taking this time and look forward to participating in the conversation.

Ms. DeLAURO. Just two points. I think on the expansion of the Medicare coverage, while it is specific to the age groups of 55 to 64, there is not anyone who is 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 who is not thinking about, my gosh, if I get ill or if something happens to my family am I going to be wiped out by illness. These are people who are near that period of time. So there are a lot of people who are immediately facing the circumstance, but there are those who are fairly soon going to face the circumstance and they are scared. They are scared. And this seems like an equitable way, with the purpose of not draining Medicare funds, which no one wants to do, we want to make sure those funds are safe, and, at the same time, allowing people the opportunity to pay in. It is not getting something for nothing. We will pay in. In this way we are in some way protected. I think we have some very, very important health care issues that are critical in the lives of our families today, which is exciting to me and I think to my colleagues. We have a real challenge, we do, on the Medicare expansion issue and with the discussion, and we need to build that support. And I think that the support is out there for doing this, particularly in the country, but we have to build the support here. But there is, on the managed care side, a great deal of bipartisan support here. I think we have a perfect opportunity very quickly in this session of Congress to take advantage of that support and the external pressure to get something done in this area. And what it says ultimately, it says to middle class families in this country, we are there to help you. We are there for people in the country to say you need to have health care coverage, we want to make sure that you have it. We also want to keep the cost contained, but we can do that without somehow putting your health in jeopardy. And at the same time, a very, very important message to the insurance companies and to the providers; that, in fact, we are willing, we are willing and we are going to stand up to set limits on what they can do and what they cannot do when it regards the health and the safety of Americans in this country. That needs to be what our obligation is. And the faster we get to it in this session of the Congress, the faster we are going to make Americans believe that what we do here in Washington is not focus on the problems we have here, but we are focusing on the problems that they have in their lives. That is what our obligation is. That is why we were elected to serve.

Ms. DeLAURO. We are looking at medical science today. I am a cancer survivor, 12 years ago, and I thank God every day for giving me my life back. But we now have the capability with science to look at genes and to look at someone's genetic predisposition to cancer or to diabetes, to any of the diseases that have plagued us. And yet at the same time there is a fear that if you have a genetic predisposition to one of these illnesses, you do not want to say anything, you do not want to tell anybody, because you are fearful that you are going to lose your insurance or you will not be able to get insurance. Now, this is madness. We are about and the President also talked last night about putting so much more money, millions of dollars more, into research, health research. We will have the capacity to look at these areas. And yet people may not be able to get the kind of health care coverage that they will need if they have this predisposition to illnesses. We cannot go down this road. We just cannot.

Ms. DeLAURO. I think it is important, so that there is no misconception about what the health care Bill of Rights is, what it contains, so that in fact it is pretty basic. Because the gentleman mentioned that next week there are going to be groups up here who are rallied and organized and very well financed to try to come in with a steamroller, if you will, and just try to knock out this issue of managed care reform. Also, my colleague from New York made a very good point. Illness is not partisan. It is not gender related. It is not age related. Everyone gets ill. And people do not want to get sick. People would like to be healthy. But there are going to be a group of very, very powerful special interests arrayed with lots and lots of money against this notion of managed care reform. So in stepping back, very simply, what is the President's challenge? What is it that will have both Republicans and Democrats in this body galvanized around? And, as I say, I think we could move, and move quickly, on this issue. The health care Bill of Rights would simply ensure that patients have access to health care specialists; access to emergency services when and where the need arises; an assurance that medical records will be kept confidential; an access to a meaningful appeals process to resolve differences with health plans and providers; to remove that gag rule that prevents physicians from talking to patients about treatments that might not be covered by their plan, even the treatments that could give them a shot at beating a deadly disease. These are some of the pieces of the health care Bill of Rights. And it seems to me that this only says people should get the health care that they deserve.

Ms. DeLAURO. I would be happy to yield to my colleague.

Ms. DeLAURO. And that is what the public needs to know, is that there will be an array of very, very powerful special interests that are organizing, taking their resources, vast resources, to try to put an end to managed care reform. And what the public needs to know is if they do not want that to happen, that they need to get engaged in this process; that they need to be in touch with those of us who serve on their behalf; that they do not want this to happen; that they do in fact want managed care reform and that opportunity for choice, for confidentiality, and for knowing what their options are when they are ill, no matter whether their insurance plan covers that particular option.

Ms. DeLAURO. Everybody.

Ms. DeLAURO. Right.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, December 14, Rabbi Michael Whitman will be honored for ten years of dedicated service to his community and the Young Israel House. Rabbi Whitman is a unique man marked by his integrity and commitment to his heritage. Rabbi Whitman's work on behalf of the Jewish community has earned him the respect and admiration of all who know him. A deeply caring and compassionate man, he has devoted himself to making a difference for others--and he has truly left his mark on his community. From his work at the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen to serving as a board member for the New Haven Homeless Resource Center, Rabbi Whitman has always found the time to devote to worthy causes and organizations. His steadfast determination and perseverance are remarkable, as is his vision for a more unified world and his commitment in working toward that vision. An educator who has taught with distinction, Rabbi Whitman has extensive knowledge about law and the Jewish culture. He has published several articles and promotes learning as a way of life. Rabbi Whitman engages and motivates his students, encouraging open dialogue about thought-provoking issues. His classrooms give young people the opportunity not just to discuss textbook readings, but to truly think about how these timeless lessons relate to our community today. Under his dynamic leadership and enthusiasm, the Young Israel House has become a place of renewed energy. His hard work and diligence have brought about many positive programs that benefit so many. His unselfish dedication to others has made him a leader, not only in the Jewish community, but in the larger community. It gives me great pleasure to congratulate Rabbi Michael Whitman on his 10th anniversary and this well deserved recognition.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, the Democrats are back and ready to work. Last night the President laid out a bold agenda for the coming year. I might remind my colleagues this is the first President since 1969 to appear before a joint session of this House and come here with a balanced budget, and within that balanced budget talked about issues, things that we need to work on that in fact can help working middle class families in this country. Expand Medicare, allow health care coverage for those who are near retirement who might need it and might not be able to get it. They pay into it. Ensure high quality health care with a consumer Bill of Rights. Reform managed care, making quality child care more accessible and affordable, raise the minimum wage, and yes, preserve Social Security. What does the Republican leadership have on their legislative agenda? Nothing. What important votes are they going to take to help the lives of middle class families? None. They are sending us home for the next two or three weeks. What is the Republican leadership going to give the American public? Nothing, zero, zip. Mr. Speaker, let us get engaged in the President's bold agenda.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, for the first time since 1969, the President of the United States will come into this chamber tonight and present the American people with a balanced budget. Having accomplished that historic goal, Democrats are not content to rest on our laurels. We are moving ahead, united behind the President's bold agenda for 1998, proposals that will help middle-class families face the challenges they face in their daily lives. In the coming months, Democrats will fight for health care coverage, for people who may lose their jobs toward retirement age; work to ensure high-quality health care through reforming managed care; fight for affordable, accessible quality child care for America's working families; help more Americans achieve a secure and comfortable retirement; help to raise the minimum wage. Democrats are united in these goals and in this bold agenda for the coming year.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, Democrats have spent the past 11 months fighting for legislation that would help America's working families. Democrats have worked to improve America's public schools while Republicans tried to pass a voucher program, a proposal that would siphon off taxpayer dollars, hard-earned taxpayer dollars, to fund an experiment to take kids out of public education and fund private education in this country. Democrats have fought to reform America's political system, while Republicans have refused to even debate campaign finance reform. They do not want to reform the system, they want to talk about it. Democrats have demanded an end to the Dornan-Sanchez investigation, while Republicans have prolonged this taxpayer-funded political witch hunt. Now the Republicans want to pack their bags, head home, but important work is left to be done in this Congress: education reform; IRS reform, which is stuck in the other body because the Republicans do not want to move it; campaign finance reform. We should not leave until our work is complete.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, for years, the tobacco industry has blatantly targeted children in their ads. Cartoon characters and glamorous models have made cigarettes appear to be the key to popularity and happiness. Of course, these ads didn't tell kids the truth, which is that cigarettes kill more Americans than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides, illegal drugs, and fires combined. But these ads were effective and every day 3,000 kids under the age of 18 become regular smokers. One out of every three of these children will eventually die of a tobacco-related illness like cancer or heart disease. Yet studies show that if you don't start smoking as a teenager, you probably never will--and you will lead a longer, healthier and more productive life. That's why we need to take action now to stop America's young people from smoking. Yesterday, I was proud to stand with 19 of my colleagues to introduce a bill that will help accomplish that goal--the Smoke-Free and Healthy Children Act. Experts agree that the best way to reduce teen smoking is to raise the price of cigarettes. Teens with little pocket money. This bill will do so by raising the tobacco tax by $1.50 per pack over 3 years. This tax will raise $20 billion per year for the Federal Government. But more importantly, it will direct approximately $10 billion to the National Institutes of Health--almost doubling the NIH budget and allowing researchers to expand studies into cancer and addiction prevention and treatment centers. The bill will also direct approximately $10 billion per year to increase research and investment in early childhood development, including initiatives for children aged 0-3 and expanded Head Start and child care. We have learned so much recently about the importance of the first three years in a child's development; now more than ever we know that giving a child a good start in life can help ensure they grow up to be healthy and productive members of society. We need to take action now to protect our children. We must work together to counteract the tremendous ad campaigns of the tobacco industry and teach our kids that smoking doesn't make you cool, and it won't make you happy. It will only make you sick. I urge all of my colleagues to stand up for America's children and cosponsor the Smoke-Free and Healthy Children Act.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to recognize the 20th anniversary of Latino Youth Development [LYD], Inc., on Friday, November 21, 1997. That evening, LYD is celebrating this milestone with a special dinner in New Haven, CN. LYD began in 1977 as a small youth program called Puerto Rican Youth Services. Now, 20 years later, LYD is widely considered the premier organization serving Latino youth in the city of New Haven. Latino Youth Development, Inc. plays a unique role in the New Haven community by reaching out to and serving as a support system for Latino youth and their families. LYD provides educational, social, cultural, and recreational programs to the Latino community in New Haven. I come from a family of immigrants. I am a first generation Italian on my father's side and a second generation Italian on my mother's side. So, I have some personal experience with the challenges immigrants face in this country. The barriers of language and the prejudices of some members of the community can be discouraging to someone just trying to find a way to raise a family and make ends meet. I wholeheartedly support efforts to assist and support working families, and I find the efforts of LYD to provide educational and employment opportunities to the Latino community particularly commendable. I would also like to personally commend the four individuals being honored at the LYD dinner: Andrea Jackson-Brooks, a longtime member and personal friend; Dennis Hart, director of the organization for 7 years; Judith Baldwin, who has been instrumental in assisting the agency in adult programming; and Alderman Jorge Perez, who represents the Hill area of New Haven where LYD is located. I share LYD's goal of seeing Latino members of our community prosper and become productive citizens of our community, able to assist others in positive development. I congratulate LYD on its 20th anniversary and I wish its members the best of luck in all their future endeavors.