Rosa DeLauro

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, Father Robert W. Cronin's service in the priesthood has spanned 44 years, and during this time he has faithfully served people throughout the State of Connecticut. On July 28, 1996 Father Cronin will retire from active parish ministry and his post at the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Coleman in Middlefield, where he has served since 1991. I would like to join his parishioners in congratulating this extraordinary priest on his retirement. Father Cronin was ordained into the priesthood on May 22, 1952, at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, CT by the Most Reverend Henry J. O'Brien, who was then the bishop of Hartford. Following his ordination, Father Cronin served as assistant pastor at three churches in the New London area, a time he recalls as being marked by personal growth. While living in New London, he directed the Office of Catholic Charities, which provides social work services as parishes in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Father Cronin played a significant role in building a strong advisory board at the Catholic charities. Father Cronin's first pastorate was St. Maurice Church in Bolton, where he began serving in 1965. After the Second Vatican Council he was called upon to implement the liturgical changes in this parish. Father Cronin recalls that it was ``wonderful to inaugurate those changes.'' He was particularly excited about the opportunity to get the members of the congregation more involved in the mass. Before moving to St. Agnes Church in Niantic in 1980, Father Cronin presided over the construction of Bolton's parish center. He has said that these parishes shared a great spirit and sense of community and liturgy. He was appointed to his current post at St. Coleman Church in Middlefield in 1991. Father Cronin's time at St. Coleman Church has been marked by his tremendous involvement in the lives of his parishioners. Parishioners have noted Father Cronin's generosity, kindness, and genuine interest in people. In particular, he has always enjoyed working with the parish's children. He oversaw the religious education program and is known for frequently stopping by classes to talk with the children. Father Cronin has a unique talent for drawing a congregation together. During his tenure in Middlefield, the members of St. Coleman worked together to build a storage barn on the church property. Father Cronin has said of his years of work in the priesthood, ``It was wonderful to be able to be of help to people, to make a difference positively in people's lives. Every parish has good people, and they are one's blessings.'' I am delighted to join Father Cronin's parish in congratulating him on his retirement. I know your retirement will be a productive time and will give you the chance to pursue your interests with renewed energy and enthusiasm. I commend you for a lifetime of service to both the Catholic Church and the many parishioners whose lives you have touched in very special ways.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of raising the minimum wage and I call on the Republican leadership to quit the stalling tactics on this much-needed legislation. Mr. Speaker, 80 percent of the American public wants to see an increase in the minimum wage. Americans need a raise and the Gingrich Congress has gone to unbelievable lengths to stiff working people, including this morning voting to cut overtime pay for working people. The Republican leadership has employed every parliamentary trick in the book to deny the minimum wage to, deny workers a 90-cent increase. We are talking, friends, about 90 cents. Under Federal law, Speaker Gingrich takes home $171,500 a year in taxpayers' money for his salary. In contrast, the minimum wage worker who puts in 40 hours a week for 52 weeks a year makes a grand total of $8,840. On April 17, Speaker Gingrich promised to, ``look at raising the minimum wage.'' It has been exactly 100 days since Speaker Gingrich made that promise and the American taxpayers have paid him $46,989 in that time. And in Connecticut, minimum wage workers lost a total of $4.8 million in this time in terms of their wages. Speaker Gingrich and the Republican revolutionaries passed their Contract With America in the first 100 days of this Congress, but when it comes to working people, the Republican leadership cannot get its act together enough to enact a paltry 90-cent raise. America needs a raise now. Let us do it.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, my colleague can be outraged but the fact of the matter is that with this piece of legislation, this is a repeal of the 40-hour workweek. Make no mistake about it. It is a reward to the rich special interests. That is what this piece of legislation is about. Wages for working Americans in this country have been stagnant for too long, and what this bill will do is to cut workers' incomes by billions of dollars. That is right, billions of dollars. This bill makes radical changes in our Nation's laws. Under the bill, the employer can deny an employee overtime pay and can coerce the worker into taking time off. The burden of proof is on the worker to find that memo, which will be nonexistent, that says they intended to cut their wages. They are never going to find that memo. It will be a silent action. It can deprive working families of the change to earn overtime. Today that is one of the very few tools that working Americans have in their struggle to keep their families together in our current economy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that average hourly pay has fallen by 11 percent over the past 17 years, and despite working longer and longer hours and throwing every member of their family into the work force, Americans, working families, are falling further and further behind. What was the response of this Republican-led Congress? Stall the minimum wage. Eighty percent of the American public wants to see an increase in the minimum wage. They say that 90 cents is too much, because they make over $133,000 a year, but we cannot have the minimum wage increase. Now what they want to do is to cut people's overtime and to cut their pay at the same time as holding up a minimum wage increase. Let me say in that delaying tactic on the minimum wage, in my State of Connecticut $4.8 million has been lost to workers in wages. Understand what this legislation is about: an assault on working families. Mr. Speaker, today Republicans will continue their assault on working families. I am a Member of this body who voted against the NAFTA agreement. Middle-income families, understand that, will be hit the hardest because overtime pay is a much larger percentage of their income. In 1994, two-thirds of the workers who earned overtime pay had a total family income of $40,000. This is a repeal of the 40-hour wage week. I urge my colleagues, vote against this bill.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, for months the Republican leadership has been talking about reform week and promising to end the current money chase in Washington. Well, today the House held reform hour, and it was a disgrace. Instead of presenting legislation that could have passed the House with a bipartisan majority, the Republican leadership put up a bill that benefited special interests only. Ralph Nader's group Public Citizen called the Thomas bill a big step in the wrong direction on campaign finance and urged its defeat. Common Cause said: The repackaged Thomas bill is phony reform that locks in the corrupt status quo, leaves open the floodgates for special-interest PAC money and increases the amount wealthy individuals can contribute to influence special elections. Now reform week has come and gone, and the Republican leadership has squandered any chance we had to keep our promise to reform the political money game in Washington. Reform week has truly become weak reform.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the phony campaign finance reform that is represented by the Thomas bill. The campaign finance reform bill offered by the Republican majority continues a pattern that goes back to their earliest days of running this House. Promises made and promises broken. They promised real reform in Washington, but instead they offer legislation to make a bad system worse. The GOP legislation does nothing to limit campaign spending in congressional raises. Elections will continue to be contests of bank accounts and not of ideas. Public Citizen, Common Cause, other public interest groups have called the Thomas bill a fraud. Business Week magazine, not exactly a liberal publication, commented on freshman Republicans earlier this year. They said, and I quote, although they stormed Capitol Hill promising to shake up the political establishment, the Republican class of 1994 has embraced one time- honored Washington tradition all too well, shaking the special money interest tree. The American people truly want an end to business as usual in Washington. They deserve real reform of our campaign system. We have an opportunity to pass an honest campaign finance reform bill today, a bill that will enhance the ability of average Americans to participate in the electoral process and diminish the influence of special interests. The Democratic alternative gives us the chance to pass real reform to limit the influence of big money. It limits spending for each congressional campaign to $600,000. It limits PAC contributions. It limits total contributions from large donors. It limits each candidate's use of personal money. It eliminates soft money. These limits are reasonable, and they are, in fact, long overdue. Mr. Chairman, I call on my colleagues to defeat the Gingrich-Thomas big-money bill and vote for the Farr Democratic substitute.

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this rule. The American people deserve a full and open debate on the issue of campaign finance reform. They truly do want to see the system cleaned up. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the underlying bill makes a mockery of the reform that is needed to restore integrity to our political process. The American people look at this Republican Congress, and they see an institution that is being sold out to the highest bidder. When my Republican colleagues took over this Congress 18 months ago, they promised to change the way business is done in Washington. Instead they have proved themselves to be masters at the special interest game. Common Cause, the good government reform lobby, says that the bill that is on the floor today, and I quote: The Thomas bill is a fraud. End quote. It does not improve our system of campaign finance, it makes the system worse. Wealthy individuals who have reaped the lion's share of Republican tax cuts will be able to contribute even more money to Republicans in the future and have even more influence. The wealthy will still be allowed to funnel unlimited amounts of cash to the Republican Party, and this bill does absolutely nothing to limit campaign spending in congressional races. But let me just say this is in keeping with what the Speaker, the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Gingrich] has talked about in this issue. Speaker Gingrich has said that we need more money, not less money in our political system and, sadly, this bill lives up to Newt Gingrich's vision of reform. This bill sadly misses an opportunity we so desperately need for reform, and it continues the same old Washington game. Again quoting Common Cause: Any Member of Congress who votes for the Thomas bill is voting to protect a corrupt way of life in Washington, DC. I urge my colleagues to vote against this phony reform bill.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, the American people have a right to know where their elected officials stand on issues. And America's seniors have a right to know what their elected officials want to do to Medicare. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has been quoted as saying that he wants Medicare to ``wither on the vine.'' Now the Republicans are saying he did not mean that. They are trying to get an ad that uses Speaker Gingrich's quote off the air. Well, Mr. Speaker, the Republicans are trying to rewrite history, claiming that Speaker Gingrich meant that the Health Care Financing Administration would wither on the vine not Medicare. But as the New York Times pointed out on Saturday ``Not only is it hard to imagine how individuals--except perhaps its employees--could leave the agency, this is only one of the explanations Mr. Gingrich gave at the time.'' The Republican budget proposes $168 billion in Medicare cuts over the next 6 years. All to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy. Truth in advertising--it is what the American people demand and what they need to hear.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the motion to instruct. Welfare conferees should do all in their power to ensure that the welfare conference agreement reinforces our basic values of responsibility and work and protects our Nation's children. The welfare bill that passed the House last week woefully fell short on these goals. Instead, the bill is tough on children and soft on requiring work. The Republican bill fails to meet the goal of moving people from welfare to work by underfunding the work program by $10 billion. My Republican colleague from Connecticut talked about local government being the source of jobs. I quite frankly do not understand how New Haven and Hartford and Bridgeport and Stanford, how they provide jobs without raising the property tax in Connecticut. And those in Connecticut know that they are being choked by taxes. Let me just say that I urge the conferees to protect our children. Without these protections attempts to reform welfare will increase the number of children living in poverty and fail to move people off the welfare rolls and into the work force. Protect innocent children, vote for the motion to instruct.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the work done on this bill, but regrettably the bill sharply reduces critical law enforcement resources by underfunding the COPS community policing initiative and legal services and cuts research and technology investments. Community Policing Services has its roots in New Haven, CT. The New Haven Police Department began a groundbreaking experiment in community policing in the early 1990's in response to an extremely high crime rate. Community policing worked in New Haven to make streets safer. Because of its success in my district and others, the previous Congress passed a national community policing initiative as part of the 1994 Crime Control Act. Since its enactment, COPS grants have put over 55 new police officers on the beat in my district, helping to reduce crime on the streets and providing increased security to the citizens in my community. This bill level funds COPS and impedes the ability of police departments in cities like New Haven to do their difficult job. I am equally distressed about the bill's attack on the Legal Services Corporation, which provides essential legal representation to indigent families in my district, especially courageous women escaping an abusive partner. Dismantling the Legal Services Corporation will keep women and children in violent settings and perpetuate domestic violence. Finally, I strongly oppose this bill's provision to kill the ATP public-private partnership that helps small businesses grow and generate good-paying, high-technology jobs. Health Information Systems in Wallingford, CT, CuraGen Corp. in Branford, and Alexion Pharmaceuticals in New Haven are but three examples in my district of how ATP works to generate good jobs. I strongly oppose killing ATP. Mr. Chairman, these priorities need to be restored. I urge my colleagues to restore these important priorities as we consider this bill.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from New Jersey for taking the special order tonight because in fact the whole issue of Medicare is critically important to this Nation. I think, and I know my colleague from New Jersey feels this way and our other colleagues who are here tonight, the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Klink] and the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Durbin], also feel the same way, that Medicare represents not a program but in fact what our values are in this country, in that it says to people who have worked hard all of their lives, who have played by the rules, who have raised their families, who have contributed to the successful economy of this Nation, that when you retire and when you are a senior citizen that you will have a safe and a dignified and a decent retirement and that you will be able to have health care. I thank my colleague from New Jersey for his efforts in talking about Medicare and also about health care for seniors in this country. He has led the fight on that issue and I thank him for laying out the fact that it used to be in 1946, or before Medicare that we did not have the opportunity for seniors to have health care. That meant that families had to take in their mothers or fathers or their loved ones and somehow work out health care and was not clear how that was going to get paid for. With the advent of Medicare and today in 1996, we are looking at 99 percent of seniors who are covered. Let me just go back for a second because it was not 1946, but before Medicare only 46 percent of seniors had health care coverage. So Medicare has meant a difference in the lives of seniors today, and it is something they come to count on, and not as a handout but something that they have paid for and that is there for them now. But I think it is very interesting that in this Congress, as has been pointed out, that there is a war that is being waged on Medicare. The Republican leadership, with the House Speaker Newt Gingrich at the helm, is truly bent on dismantling Medicare, and I think it is worth repeating the quote that the Speaker made some months ago that, and this is what he said: ``Now we don't want to get rid of it in round one because we don't think that that is the right way to go through a transition, but we believe it is going to wither on the vine because we think people are voluntarily going to leave it.'' Now, after the wither on the vine quote appeared in various media accounts, Mr. Gingrich's spokesman, Tony Blankley, was questioned on the accuracy of the quote, which they are now trying to run away from. They cannot move away from the quote fast enough. But Newt Gingrich's spokesman, Tony Blankley, was questioned on the accuracy of the quote. On October 26, 1995, Gingrich spokesman Tony Blankley confirmed Gingrich's statement to the Los Angeles Times. Blankley said that Gingrich's comments were ``consistent with the Republican belief that most seniors would voluntarily choose to leave the traditional Medicare fee-for-service system in favor of health maintenance organizations and other managed care networks. It will mean the end of the system as most seniors know it.'' These are words that are not made up. This is a direct quote from Tony Blankley. And yet the Republican leadership, the Republican National Committee, are currently objecting to a hard-hitting ad campaign, and I concur it is a hard-hitting campaign, as it should be, which is running across the country that highlights their position on cutting Medicare, and they are running as fast as they can away from these quotes. I just point out what my colleague said about the then representative Dole. He prides himself on being 1 of 12 to have voted against Medicare and has said within recent months how proud he is of that vote. Well, I will tell you, people can run but they cannot hide. You cannot hide from the record and quite frankly, the record stinks. It really does. I will make one point on what has been said about now in his revisionist history on this quote about withering on the vine that in fact he did not mean Medicare, but something called the Health Care Financing Administration. But it is hard to understand how individuals, except perhaps the employees, could leave an agency. This is ridiculous, people do not do that. If the employees of the agency leave, what has been implied all along, that it was the Medicare system that people were going to leave, that is what this is about. These are individuals who have a record, truly a record of being opposed to Medicare, and now they ask for the country to put their faith and their trust in people who had been willing to dismantle this operation. I just make a final point, I know my other colleagues want to get into the discussion, the 1997 Republican budget reflects the fact that they do in fact want to see Medicare dismantled and turned into something else with a proposal of $168 billion in Medicare cuts over the next 6 years. We have been through this time and time again, and when we look at what they want to do with the $168 billion, this year it is $168 billion, last year it was $270 billion, they talk about having moderated. But if you take a look at this, the $270 billion cut would have been a 19 percent cut from Medicare; this time it is a 17 percent cut. So it is really the same numbers, if you will, and it is no coincidence that what they want to try to do with this money is to pay for tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. Last year it was $245 billion in tax cuts, this year it is $176 or $180 billion in tax breaks for the wealthy. As I said, they can run but they cannot hide from the comments that they have made in the past past and in the most recent past about how they want to see this system go away and take away from seniors in this country something that they have come to recognize as helpful to them in being able to truly survive in their older years and something that they deserve, a sacred trust if you will, that we committed to when this system was put in place. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for allowing me to participate in this effort this evening.

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I want to just add onto something that my colleague from Illinois spoke about. That is, whom do you trust? Do you trust Bob Dole and his commentary about being proud to have voted against Medicare, and Newt Gringrich wanting it to wither on the vine? Most recently in the publication ``Roll Call'' Morton Kondracke, a journalist, wrote in his column: ``Asked whether Republicans will come back with a different agenda in 1997, the House majority whip, Tom DeLay, who was a Republican from Texas, told Morton Kondracke, this is a gentleman who is third in charge of the House of Representatives,'' said, again, ``We wouldn't change a thing, including the plan to reduce Medicare growth by $270 billion over 6 years.'' So the entire leadership, the entire leadership is bound and determined to see Medicare turned into something other than what it is now and the kinds of protections that it provides to seniors, This is not a passing moment, a past moment. This is a current moment, when we have the Gingrich-Dole leadership of this Congress in lockstep opposed to the Medicare system. Then they ask the American public to trust them with this program. How can it be? I thank my colleague from Illinois for laying that out.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Chairman, today is a sad day for those of us who support real welfare reform. The Republican bill fails to meet the goal of moving people from the welfare dole to the working rolls. It fails to protect children from the ravages of stark poverty. This bill is tough on kids and weak on work. The American people want welfare reform that replaces dependency with the dignity that is earned from working for a living. At the same time the American people want us to protect innocent children who have no means to take care of themselves, and this bill moves in the opposite direction on both counts. The Republicans' Congressional Budget Office says that the Gingrich welfare plan underfunds the work program by $10 billion, by $10 billion, making it impossible to take people from welfare to work. It builds in the failure of getting people to work. Under this bill's food stamp block grant plan more than 1 million children in this country could be forced into poverty. One million. It is outrageous. This bill is an unforgivable assault on our Nation's values and what we are about. Fortunately, today, we have a viable and a fair substitute, a bipartisan plan, Tanner-Castle, I repeat bipartisan, that puts people to work without throwing more kids into poverty. It has strong work requirements and the needed funds to make them work. It reforms AFDC and ends the cycle of dependency for welfare recipients and their families. It emphasizes the dignity of work over the punishment of children. We have precedent here. Last year the Republican leadership tried to drop 2 million children from the school lunch program. Now they are targeting kids again. It is wrong, and I call on my colleagues to reject it. We must not miss the opportunity today, it is an historic moment, to deliver real welfare reform that this country needs. Let us stand together for a bipartisan commonsense approach. Reject this failed agenda and support Tanner-Castle.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I offer my heartfelt congratulations to Tower One/Tower East on the 25th anniversary of this outstanding multicultural senior housing facility. For a quarter of a century, the New Haven Jewish Federation Housing Corp. has given New Haven area seniors a place to call home in Tower One. As part of its 25th birthday celebration, Tower One will honor its past presidents at a champagne breakfast. They are: Irving Enson, Jay I. Vlock, Linda Kantor, Alan Schiff, Stanley H. Arffa, Andrew Eder, Joel A. Wasserman, Samuel I. Trotz, Diane Alderman, Tracy Selmon, Henry Stein, Ted Schaffer, and Joseph R. Blumberg. I commend each of them for the work the presidents have done to make Tower One a success. When we celebrate Tower One's 25th anniversary, we celebrate the values that make families and communities strong--the values that enable Tower One to create a true home for Connecticut's seniors. Not only are residents provided with on-site health services, Kosher meals in the dining room and a wide variety of activities keep those at Tower One community engaged with another and the community. Residents gather for everything from informal sing-alongs and games to live entertainment and organized parties and celebrations. Tower One also provides day trips and outings. I treasure the yearly opportunity I have to host the holiday party at Tower One because it gives me the chance to share in the holiday celebrations so dear to Tower One's residents. Most important, the seniors at Tower One are able to honor the religious and cultural traditions that keep them close to family and friends. It is truly a place where residents feel at home. I have been involved with Tower One for many, many years and have watched as the building has been improved and updated to provide residents with the very best services and facilities. I sincerely congratulate all those at Tower One on this proud occasion. I know that Bob Bachman's leadership will enable Tower One to continue its development and growth. I congratulate Tower One on 25 great years and wish it the same success in the future.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, This July, the Monk family of New Haven hosts a reunion and weekend of events worthy of this exceptional family. They are celebrating their rich family history and the musical, athletic, and civic contributions of family members to the city of New Haven and the rest of the Nation. On Sunday, July 21, 1996 they will be commemorating their family's numerous achievements with a family parade. The will also be celebrating the 33rd Anniversary of the Monk Singers. I am delighted to rise today to salute and celebrate the Monk family. The Monk family history is truly extraordinary. Family members have carefully documented the many branches of this extended family tree and have been able to identify a history that spans the continents of Africa, Europe, and North America. Pamela Monk Kelley, carrying on the work so important to her father, the late Conley F. Monk Sr., has painstakingly recorded a detailed history. She has included documentation of the links between the Monk and Cole families and outlined the Black, White, and Native American ancestry. This labor of love is a testament to the Monk family's dedication to preserving their history for future generations. The Monk family has produced some remarkable individuals. Thelonius Monk, Jr. was born in 1917 and became a famous musician in the early 1940's. He pioneered the genre of music known as bebop, a revolutionary form of jazz. Indeed, his innovations have shaped the direction of jazz music for years. Outstanding talent in the Monk family is not limited to music but extends to athletics as well. Art Monk played for the Washington Redskins for 14 years before moving to the New York Jets. He played in four Super Bowls and broke the National Football League record for receiving passes. Just as important as the Monk family's contributions to music and sports is their deep commitment to the communities in which they live. Conley F. Monk Sr., and his wife Olivia raised their own 9 children and also cared for over 45 foster children. Their children continue to carry on this tradition of caring for the community. Conley F. Monk, Jr. initiated, developed, and saw to the final completion of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Monument on Long Wharf in New Haven, CT. The Monk family teaches us a lesson about the connections between people, about endless family ties that bring us closer together. They embody the idea that the true meaning of family is knowing we are part of something greater, something larger than ourselves. I am proud to join the people of the city of New Haven in honoring this great family.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, its is day 9 of the holding of the minimum wage increase hostage by Senate Republicans. They are keeping to their threat to stall the minimum wage until medical savings accounts [MSA] are added to health care reform. MSA's in exchange for the minimum wage--it's not right and it's not how we should govern in this Congress. MSA's are a bad idea. Consumers Union--the people who publish Consumer Reports--has called MSA's a time bomb that will make health insurance less accessible and less affordable for many Americans. MSA's will make us take a step backward in our quest for health care coverage for the majority of Americans. The Republican leadership refuses to let MSA's die--a death they truly deserve--because they are a pay-off to an insurance company that also happens to be a big-time Republican donor. This is an outrage and its despicable. Over 80 percent of the American people support a minimum wage increase. A minimum wage increase passed both the House and Senate by substantial margin. In fact, a Senate Republican aide told the New York Times that ``Republicans don't believe in raising the minimum wage. We voted for it because it was killing us.'' So they voted for it but they won't let it be enacted. Not until they get their pay-off for special interests. Mr. Speaker, over 12 million Americans need a minimum wage increase. Over 12 million Americans are waiting for a minimum wage increase. Over 12 million Americans are counting on that minimum wage increase to put food on their tables, clothe their kids and maintain their standard of living. It is a shame that they have been waiting as long as they have. But why should that surprise us? It seems like money talks in this Congress. If you contribute, you get your legislation. Just look at MSA's. Since minimum wage families can't afford to donate money to political campaigns they have to wait for the legislation that will help them. A 90 cent increase is all we are asking for--90 cents. That's it. But the Republicans are firm in their opposition. They don't understand that 90 cents can go a long way. This extra pay may seem small but it translates into 7 months of groceries, 1 year of health care costs, 9 months of utility bills, or 4 months of housing. In the State of Connecticut 87,158 hard working people earn between $4.25 and $5.14 an hour. Each one of those people would benefit by passing a minimum wage increase. But these hardworking Americans in Connecticut and their 12 million fellow Americans continue to wait for a boost in their wages because the Republican party continues to find new ways to block the increase. A minimum wage worker makes about $8,500 a year. That's it. Two- thirds of these workers are adults and almost 60 percent are women. Over 40 percent are the sole breadwinners in their family. The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that the minimum wage increase could lift 300,000 families out of poverty including 100,000 children. Day 9 of the Republicans hostile holding of the minimum wage hostage. Free the minimum wage and honor the work of over 12 million Americans and their families.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, I rise to urge all my colleagues to support the Hoyer Lowey Morella amendment to strike this bill's provision that bans abortion services under Federal Employee Health Plans. Federal workers--like private sector employees--share the cost of health insurance coverage with their employer. It is an earned benefit--compensation for service delivered through hard work. By denying the full range of reproductive health care services, Federal workers and their dependents, are subjected to second-rate health care--inferior health care that could place the health of women in jeopardy. The bill before us represents the continuation of the majority's outrageous attack on women in this country. I say to opponents of this amendment, ``women are not the enemy''. I urge my colleagues to protect the health of the 1.2 million women who are covered under Federal health plans. Vote for the Hoyer-Lowey- Morella amendment.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, for months the Republican leadership has been heralding their upcoming reform week. Well--reform week is here but it's looking a lot more like weak reform. What was once a big buildup has become a quiet shutdown. Not much talk about reform this week. Mostly because the Republican campaign finance reform legislation doesn't actually reform the system but makes it worse. But don't take my word for it--take the words of 10 of my Republican colleagues whose ``Dear Colleague'' letter reads--and I quote--``Instead of leveling the playing field in elections, this bill will result in greater incumbent protection. The bill actually increases the amounts that wealthy individuals can contribute in Federal elections.'' That's right. Under current law an individual can give $25,000. Under the Republican campaign finance reform bill an individual will be able to give up to $3.1 million. As my Republican colleagues also said, ``The average American will be left even further behind in the Washington money chase as they are frozen out of the political process.'' I urge my Republican colleagues to listen to their own caucus members and vote against this weak reform legislation.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, Reform Week, it has been on a life support system for the past few weeks, but now the plug has been pulled and Reform Week has been officially terminated. The Republican leadership announced less than 2 hours ago that Reform Week, the much-heralded and touted week that was going to turn the House of Representatives back over to the American people, has been postponed once again. This is the same Reform Week that had become the Reform Hour and now has simply ceased to exist. What happened? Well, rather than actually engaging in real reform, the Republican leadership in this House had decided to bring to the floor of the House legislation that would not actually reform the system but, quite to the contrary, would make it worse. Ten of my Republican colleagues circulated a ``Dear Colleague'' letter this week that said, and I quote, ``Instead of leveling the playing field in elections, this bill will result in greater incumbent protection. The bill actually increases the amounts that wealthy individuals can contribute to Federal elections.'' This is the letter. I am not making it up. That is right, they are right. Under current law, an individual can give $25,000. Under the Republican campaign finance reform bill, an individual will be able to give up to $3.1 million. I have to repeat that because the magnitude is startling, it truly is. But it is not startling when you consider that the Speaker of the House said not too long ago that rather than less money in the system in terms of campaigns, we need more money into the system. That is why we had this piece of legislation. Again, an individual will be able to give up to $3.1 million. Current law again, individuals can contribute $25,000. It is mind-boggling to think of how they have turned this concept of reform into something that is totally unimaginable to anyone here, let alone the American public who truly believes that we need to reform our campaign finance system, and we do. This is not reform. As my Republican colleagues also said in their ``Dear Colleague,'' and I quote again, The average American will be left even further behind in the Washington money chase as they are frozen out of political process. Given the fact that only about 1 percent of Americans gave contributions over $200 or more during the last election, it is indisputable that raising the individual contributions limit will only increase the influence of the wealthy on our political process. Mr. Speaker, no wonder the House of Representatives is at one of its all-time lowest approval ratings in history. The American people have lost confidence in this institution's ability to lead and in this institution's ability to do the right thing. We have no business considering legislation that will make it even harder for ordinary individuals to participate in the political process and make it easier for the rich to participate in this process. This bill is a sham, just in the same way that Reform Week is a sham. Reforming the process has deteriorated into providing political cover to politicians who came to Washington and they promised to make a difference. Well, it is not going to work. Even once again the Republican ``Dear Colleague'' says, ``The fact is that H.R. 3760; that is, the Republican campaign finance reform bill, will not give you political cover as we head into Reform Week.'' We do need to pass real campaign finance reform so that hard-working Americans can participate in the political process and that the special interests are limited in the political process. And doing that would go a very, very long way toward restoring the American people's faith in our ability to govern our own House, and it would restore their faith and put in the faith and the confidence and the trust that they would like to put in to those people who are elected every 2 years to do the people's business.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is day 6, and Republicans in the Senate continue to hold the minimum wage hostage. Their unreasonable ransom demands include adding medical savings accounts to health care reform. While the Republicans in the Senate hold the minimum wage increase hostage, they also hold the wages of 12 million Americans hostage, all for the sake of special interests and big donor insurance companies. The Consumers Union, the same group that publishes Consumers Report and tells us what to buy and what is a real lemon, has called MSA's a ``time bomb * * * that will make health insurance less accessible and less affordable for many Americans.'' Over 80 percent of the American people support a minimum wage increase. It is time to free the minimum wage. Let us give the 12 million hardworking Americans who depend on the minimum wage what they deserve; that is a raise. Stop holding them and their hard-earned paychecks hostage.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, it is day 3 and the Republican Senate continues to hold the minimum wage hostage. Does this make any sense? The Senate passed an increase in the minimum wage by a vote of 74 to 24, and yet this legislation is not on its way to the President for signature. Why? Because Senate Republicans are holding the minimum wage hostage to special interests. In exchange for releasing their hold on the minimum wage, Republican Senators want medical savings accounts added to health care reform as a ransom for its release. MSAs, the Republican payoff to special interests and big donor insurance companies. The same MSAs that Consumers Union, Consumers Union is the group that puts out Consumer Report that tells you what kind of a car it makes sense to buy, what kind of an appliance so that you do not buy a lemon. The same MSAs Consumers Union called a time bomb that will make health insurance less accessible and less affordable for many Americans; the same MSAs that will make us take a step backward in our quest for health care coverage for the majority of Americans. This is an outrage. Over 80 percent of the American people support a minimum wage increase. Let me repeat that. Over 80 percent of the American people support a minimum wage increase. The Republican leadership understands that figure. In fact, the Senate Republican aide told the New York Times that ``Republicans do not believe in raising the minimum wage. We voted for it because it was killing us.'' Talk about political expediency. And because they truly believe that they do not believe in raising that minimum wage and they do not believe in helping American families by increasing their economic earning power, and because they were forced to vote for it, they are now holding the minimum wage increase hostage.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, on July 16, 1996, Fred Wilson, Jr., a former civil rights advocate and alderman for the city of New Haven, will be honored with a testimonial dinner. It is my great pleasure to rise today to salute Fred Wilson, Jr. Fred moved to New Haven from Greenville, NC, in 1950. Upon his arrival, he became involved in the local civil rights movement, leading marches, and fighting to improve the quality of life of New Haven African-Americans. This concern for the African-American community in New Haven led to his involvement in local politics. His political career began in 1969 when he was elected to the New Haven Board of Aldermen representing Newhallville's 20th ward. He served for three 2-year terms, in many legislative leadership committee positions and was the board of aldermen's first president pro tempore. He was later elected to serve as a representative of the State democratic party to the State Central Committee where he served for 8 years. Finally, he served on the New Haven Democratic Town Committee as cochairman of the 19th ward for 6 years. He was elected vice chairman of the Democratic Committee and served under Town Chairman Arthur T. Barbieri. In conjunction with his political service, Fred has been deeply committed to the people of New Haven. He helped create the Newhallville Neighborhood Corporation which organized afterschool programs for area children. This is only one example of the way Fred has engaged himself in the process of improving the quality of life for New Haven and Newhallville residents. He has always focused on how redevelopment and city improvement projects would work for the residents. I am very pleased to join Fred's friends, former colleagues, and family as they honor his lifetime of service to the city and people of New Haven.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Lowey- Morella amendment to provide $2 million in funding for the women's Educational Equity Act. The funding was eliminated under this bill and must be restored. The Women's Economic Equity Act was established in 1974 to help achieve educational equity for women and girls. Since that time the act has funded research, development, and the dissemination of curricular materials, training programs, guidance and testing materials--all to combat inequitable educational practices. Here are some facts: Boys often demand and receive more teacher attention than girls; they are praised more and challenged more by their teachers. According to the Department of Education, boys outscore girls in math, science, and history by their senior year. This is unfair and this money must be restored. I urge all my colleagues to support and pass the Lowey-Morella amendment.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, a 90-cent increase is all that we are asking for, 90-cent increase. But the Republicans are firm in their opposition. The Republican whip, the gentleman from Texas, Tom DeLay, who was well compensated as a Member of Congress, as we all are, to the tune of $133,600 a year, he has said that ``Families trying to get by on $4.25 an hour do not really exist.'' He should get out of Washington more and meet the 12 million Americans, most of them, by the way, who are women, who would benefit from the wage increase. This extra pay may seem small but would mean 7 months of groceries, a year of health care costs, 9 months of utility bills or 4 months of housing. In the State of Connecticut, 87,158 hardworking people earn between $4.25 and $5.14 an hour. Each one of those people would benefit by passing a minimum wage increase. In the Republican Whip Tom DeLay's State of Texas, 1.1 million people would benefit. That is 14.7 percent of the Texas work force, not an insignificant number. But these hardworking Americans in Connecticut and Texas and their 12 million fellow Americans continue to wait for a boost in their wages because the Republican Party continues to find new ways to block the increase. This is legislation that has passed both the House and the Senate and is now being held hostage by extremists, people who would rather protect special interests than to help ordinary working Americans. All the while, America's workers struggle and they scramble to pay their bills, to put food on their tables, to clothe their kids, to get them to school and to maintain their standard of living. A minimum wage worker makes about $8,500 a year. That is it. Two- thirds of these workers are adults and almost 60 percent are women. Over 40 percent are the sole breadwinners in their family. The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that the minimum wage increase could lift 300,000 families out of poverty, including 100,000 children. A great American once said, and I quote: No man can be a good citizen unless he has a living wage more than sufficient to cover the bare cost of living * * * so that after his day's work is done he will have time and energy to bear his share in the management of the community, to help in carrying the general load. Which great American said that? Theodore Roosevelt. A Republican President of the United States. Unlike the Republicans in the Senate, President Roosevelt understood that Americans deserve to be treated fairly and to be honored for their work. Day 3 of the Republicans holding hostage the minimum wage. Day 3, and the American people continue to wait for something they support overwhelmingly. Day 3, and the special interests continue to control the Republican agenda. It is time to free the minimum wage.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is day 2 and the Republican Senate continues to hold the minimum wage hostage. The Republicans are demanding that Medical Savings Accounts be added to health care reform as ransom for its release. MSA's--the Republican payoff to special interests and big donor insurance companies. The same MSA's that Consumers Union has called a time bomb * * * that will make health insurance less accessible and less affordable for many Americans. Over 80 percent of the American people support a minimum wage increase. Today's LA Times editorial page says: An increase in the minimum wage is long overdue. What is clearly resolved in the minds of most Americans . . . is that they want to see work encouraged and appropriately compensated. But the Republicans would rather hold this legislation hostage to special interests. I say enough is enough. For the sake of hard-working American families across this country--the Republicans in the Senate must give up their unreasonable demands and free the minimum wage.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Lowey- Castle amendment to restore $2.6 million in funding for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The Center is the only Government entity that addresses the issue of injury in a comprehensive manner. But don't take my word for it. Let me read a passage from a letter I received from Dr. Linda Degutis, assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine and the codirector of the New Haven Regional Injury Prevention program: I have seen the increasing level of gun violence in New Haven and the surrounding areas. I have seen children die and adolescents face permanent disability due to spinal cord injuries and head injuries. Not all of these victims are victims of interpersonal violence. Many have attempted suicide. In the case of children, several have been unintentionally shot by other children, or caught in the crossfire between adults with guns. It is disturbing to see this on a daily basis, but viewing the effects of violence has served to strengthen my resolve to do something about it on a personal and professional level. Continued support for the injury prevention program would allow scientists in the field of injury control, like Dr. Degutis, to continue their work. Vote for the Lowey-Castle amendment. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Lowey-Castle amendment to restore $2 million in funding for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The Center is the only Government entity that addresses the issue of injury in a comprehensive manner and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to decreasing the burden that injuries place on society-- 140,000 people in the United States die of injuries each year, and many thousands more suffer permanently disabling injuries. These deaths and disabilities lead to loss of productive years of life, as injuries are primarily a disease of the young and the leading killer of persons under age 44. Many injuries can be prevented, at a much lower cost than treating them. In addition, the severity and long-term effect of injuries that do occur can be minimized through effective treatment and early rehabilitation. But don't take my word for it. Let me read a passage from a letter I received from Dr. Linda Degutis, assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine and the codirector of the New Haven Regional Injury Prevention Program. Dr. Degutis states: I have seen the increasing level of gun violence in New Haven and the surrounding areas. I have seen children die and adolescents face permanent disability due to spinal cord injuries and head injuries. Not all of these victims are victims of interpersonal violence. Many have attempted suicide. In the case of children, several have been unintentionally shot by other children, or caught in the cross fire between adults with guns. It is disturbing to see this on a daily basis, but viewing the effects of violence has served to strengthen my resolve to do something about it on a personal and professional level. Continued support for the Injury Prevention Program would allow scientists in the field of injury control, like Dr. Degutis in New Haven, continue their work in preventing a disease that has its greatest impact on young people. Projects funded through the Injury Prevention Program have already had an impact in decreasing injury morbidity and mortality from recreational activities, fires, bicycle crashes, falls, domestic violence and other injury events. Restoring the funds for the center in New Haven will provide the opportunity for areas of research that have been ignored and developing interventions to decrease the toll that injury takes on our citizens.