Patrick Kennedy

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I want to commend her for the good work that she is doing to save lives in this country. That is what we should be about in this debate, saving lives. And the idea that we are going to talk about a moral argument here, that we should somehow not support needle exchanges because it helps promote risky behavior, is just absurd. I cannot even believe I am hearing this said, because the people who are making this argument must not know that AIDS is not a disease that talks about people who have risky behavior. When we look at the fact that 40 percent of cases of those with AIDS are babies, do my colleagues mean to tell me those infants are having risky behavior? I would like everyone to keep in mind here, we are talking about children, children in this country who have HIV. Let me remind everyone that dying of AIDS is a slow and painful death, and if we pass this legislation, we will be sentencing children in this country to a slow and painful death that could otherwise have been prevented. How could it have been prevented? Because we would have cut back on the incidences of AIDS because we would have allowed those people who do insist to use drugs the opportunity to use clean needles so that they are not spreading this deadly disease. Let me repeat for my colleagues, the needle exchange program reduces HIV. After reviewing all of the available evidence and science, the Directors of the National Institutes of Health are saying conclusively that the needle exchange programs reduce HIV. I think it is a moral obligation for our colleagues to vote against this legislation, because if we save any lives, that will be our job here in this Congress. We cannot, I repeat, we cannot ignore the scientific evidence for political expediency purposes. I know it is easy for my colleagues to go back to their districts and say, hey, I do not want to support these needles. That is an easy cop-out. That is a cop-out when we have the science that says we are preventing AIDS from being spread; we ought to follow our evidence. I thought that is the reason we came to the Congress is because we know the evidence, we have been up here, we have been studying the facts. The Congress has been advised by the National Institutes of Health, which advised the Congress what to do in the public's health interest to say needle exchange programs reduce the incidences of AIDS. I do not think there is any debate about this whatsoever. Let us do what the scientists tell us to do. Let us reduce AIDS, let us support needle exchange programs, let us oppose this bill.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speaker, during the First World War, the Armenian people suffered greatly under the hands of Turkey, leading to what we now have come to call the Armenian Genocide. It was one of the first state ordered genocides of this century, and would later become one of the many genocides that have marred the recent history of our World. During the First World War, the willingness of the Armenians to serve in the Allied forces, was seen as a threat to the Turkish government. The Turks ordered a mass deportation of almost the entire Armenian population from their homeland to two provinces of the Turkish Empire. More than one million Armenians died during this long forced march, many from disease and malnutrition. Once a year, we pay tribute to those who survived and we honor the memory of those who perished in the genocide. Nearly 1.5 million persons were killed and another half million were deported from their home country. Unfortunately, the atrocities of the past have been replayed in the Holocaust of World War II, Combodia, Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia, and many other places world wide where leaders have turned their backs on human rights and human suffering. The crime of genocide must never again be allowed a part of our lives, and today we stand with our Armenian friends, to remember and share in their grief, and to make a commitment to prevent such acts in the future. We must work to remember and never forget the genocide, and to fight for peace in this region and worldwide. I will be going to Armenia in May, and look forward to meeting with Armenians on the ongoing issues that they have with Turkey and an overview of the history that they have endured. I am proud to join Armenians around the world as we remember the terrible massacres suffered in 1915-23.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I appreciate the fact that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) talked about standards, because implicitly in this bill the gentleman is begging the question. The gentleman is changing the standards in this bill. That is what everyone is talking about. The gentleman is moving from that ``standard'' that he says is an objective standard, but readily admits is a faulty standard. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) readily admits it is a faulty standard. That is why we have got this bill, because this bill is going to move from an overall refusal rate to an overstay rate. It is a much more realistic measure of what we should be determining, which countries make it into the visa waiver program versus which countries do not. So, Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) himself is admitting that, well, it needs to comply with the standard, but then he is also saying that standard is no good anymore. That is exactly our point. The idea behind this, if I might say so, is Portugal and Greece are two of our closest allies, and the fact of the matter is if we want to look at indices, and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) has cited a few indices over there but I would be happy to cite some on our side, the fact of the matter is that between 1992 and 1996, illegal immigration, so to speak, from Portugal was on the decrease. I do not know where the gentleman got his statistics, but I beg to differ. Let us call a truce, because the INS is giving the gentleman a set of statistics and they are giving us another set. But let us look at the objective facts. So far as Portugal is concerned, Portugal's economy is growing by leaps and bounds. Their unemployment rate is 4 percent lower than that of the old European Union. So what may have given cause for the State Department to be worried initially that the Portuguese were going to come over here to live, to get a job, has been refuted by the fact that the economy is so strong. In terms of Greece, the fact of the matter is that there are more Greek Americans going over to live in Greece than there are Greeks coming over to live here in the United States. So we have two irrefutable facts, they are commonsense facts, and we lay them on top of the fact that we enjoy a good relationship with these two countries, and it is a terrible thing for our diplomacy to have two of our closest allies be rejected from a program which every one of our other allies in Europe is a part of. Mr. Chairman, if we want to talk about refusal rates and Portugal and Greece not coming up to par, the fact of the matter is they are just on the cusp. And I might add, let us not argue about whether they make the standard or not, because the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) just admitted the standard is faulty. The standard is based upon a way of measuring this that is based upon the refusal rate and not the overstay rate. The gentleman in his bill admits that we need to tell the Attorney General and the State Department to move towards this new standard, because the gentleman inherently acknowledges that the current standard is faulty. Mr. Chairman, I look forward to offering an amendment with my colleagues, the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pappas) to add Portugal and Greece. I look forward to a fuller debate when we get that amendment before the full House.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Chairman, let me just say here very quickly, if there is a problem, as the gentleman said, then that is a problem that needs to have law enforcement. If there is a problem with the fact that these people need to have the visa overstay enforced, that should be enforced. But the fact of the matter is, that does not negate the primary reason for this amendment. And the primary reason for this amendment is to let two allies, Greece and Portugal, who have large numbers of family members here in the United States of America, be able to come over on a visitor's visa or a business visa for a temporary period of time, for 90 days or less, and not have to go through a bureaucratic process. It means that we have got to let our families rejoin for family occasions and business people to come over for tourist reasons. And let us not confuse the gentleman's being hung up on bureaucratic procedure as a reason to preempt us from passing this important piece of legislation.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield? Let us get clear here.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Chairman, let us just make it clear here, the idea is, the Attorney General still has discretion to reject these countries based upon any concerns that she may have with respect to these issues that, I might say, are ancillary. You are talking process now with the machine. What we are talking is substance. We are talking about letting families come over here when their family members have a family event. If it is a happy event, they come over for that.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Chairman, I think it is so important that he says that because the fact of the matter is no one should confuse this debate for illegal immigration. Yet the way this amendment is being portrayed, he would have one believe that we are trying to invite illegal immigration. The fact of the matter is these people who are coming to the United States to visit their families are coming here to this country and participating in our economy and growing our economy. Our economy is growing as a result of the strong relationship that we have between Greece and Portugal. I might add, in addition to that, we need to make sure that we go forward with this amendment because it is an amendment about fairness and making sure that we have fairness extended to two allies that make up a very important part of our geopolitical relationship around the world, Portugal and Greece. We should make sure that they are not unfairly treated and allowed to join this program because of the nature of this program, which even the gentleman from Texas who is supporting the bill and opposing this amendment says is a program that is in need of improvement. Mr. Chairman, in conclusion, let me say that we need to change this program. I applaud the efforts in this bill to change the underlying premise of this program, which means instead of doing it from a refusal rate measure, we are going to go to an overstay rate measure. It is a much more accurate measure for what we are trying to do with this program. In doing so, I think we will have a much more accurate representation of what the true facts are. Then in addition to that, I think if we pass this amendment by the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pappas) and myself, we will be going a long way in improving relations with two very close allies to the United States of America. I think that that is something all of our colleagues in this House can certainly stand up and support. Like the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) said, this is about legal immigration.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. That is true.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. I would like to add, Mr. Chairman, that by the whole tone of this debate, by declaring Portugal and Greece not eligible for the visa waiver program, it sends a very chilling effect between the United States and our two closest allies that somehow they are not up to par, that we do not value them, that they do not meet the standard, as the gentleman has said himself in his opening remarks. I think that is a very destructive message to be sending to our very close allies.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. No.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) in his effort to bring some fairness back into the visa waiver program with respect to Portugal. I also rise in support of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pappas) in his efforts to make sure that the visa waiver program is extended to Greece. These amendments will make changes that are long overdue in bringing two excluded members of the European Union, Portugal and Greece, into the visa waiver program. The amendment is simple. First, the amendment is about fairness to our allies, two countries that have been there for our country throughout our history. It is important that we take a step forward in promoting this relationship. By doing that, we would bring a closer relationship to Portugal and Greece between our countries. These are countries that have made extraordinary steps forward in their efforts to be considered with the rest of the European Union in qualifying for this program. Secondly, this amendment, as the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr) said, is about tourism. One would think by the way the opponents of this amendment would talk that illegal immigration from Portugal and Greece is somehow a drain on our economy. Come to Rhode Island. Come to any of the parts of this country where we are seeing lively groups of Greek American and Portuguese Americans reside in this country who come here for tourism, and you would find a very great economic impetus.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. If the gentleman would yield further, according to the INS, their overstay rates are getting lower. So that proves the point.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Chairman, I want to say with respect to Greece, my colleague said Greece's refusal rate is higher than Portugal; yet their overstay rate, according to his statistics, is lower. And the point is that it is arbitrary.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will again yield, let us concede then that Greece and Portugal are two very close allies and let us take it from there.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt), my good friend and colleague, said he is not going to bite on that argument. The fact of the matter is that because I am for Greece and Portugal does not mean that I am against Africa, South America and Southeast Asia.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt) for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, I want to comment on what the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) just said about what our motives were for putting the two European countries, as if we were implicitly also condemning countries in Africa or Asia or South America by singularly referring to the European Union as like if every other country is part of it, then why should these two not be a part of it. That would be the same way as me saying that the gentleman's metaphor about the classroom meant that he does not think Greece and Portugal are up to grade. I would never question the gentleman's motivations to say that Greece and Portugal are not up to grade.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Florida for yet again taking the leadership to organize this special order which provides us the opportunity to celebrate one of greatest days in the history of Greece, our close ally. I also want to commend the Gentleman from Florida and the Gentleman from New York for organizing the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues. I am pleased to be part of an organized and concerted effort to speak out on those issues which are important to Greece, Cyprus, and our constituents of Hellenic descent. Our war for independence was an example for Greece to begin its own struggle for freedom on March 25, 1821. And so it is appropriate for us to take time to celebrate the beginning of Greece's struggle for independence from the cruel oppression of the Ottoman Empire. Just as American colonists were an inspiration for revolution, the Athenian democracy was an inspiration to our revolutionaries. The bonds between these two countries are long and strong. As the years run into decades, and the decades run into centuries we realize and appreciate the great debt that America owes to Greece for founding the principles of democracy. We pay tribute to this every day when we meet and debate and freely share ideas. Further, there is much to be attributed to the hard work of the sons and daughters of Greece who have come to the United States have made a tremendous impact on their communities. In my own state of Rhode Island, there are remarkably strong and productive Greek communities. Since the turn of the century, Greek immigrants have moved into Providence, Pawtucket, and Newport, Rhode Island. There they built business, neighborhoods, churches, schools, and raised families. Today, the grandchildren of those immigrants are leaders in our state, and Rhode Island is richer because of all they have given. Today, we celebrate what Ancient Greece gave to founding our nation and what Greek-Americans have given in the development of the United States. Again, I thank my colleagues for all of their hard work in making this Special Order possible and look forward to further work with the Hellenic Caucus.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the second annual Rhode Island Manufacturing Week taking place from April 27 to May 1 of this year. The conference is a celebration of the significant role manufacturing has played and will continue to play in the lives of the people of Rhode Island. But it is much more than that. The week-long seminar is an opportunity to educate the over 2,500 manufacturing companies in Rhode Island about the latest in technological business advances. It is an opportunity to stress the necessity of adapting to the constant cultural and societal changes that impact our economy. In short, it is an opportunity to ensure that Rhode Island manufacturers remain competitive in today's rapidly changing market. This year, the Rhode Island Manufacturing Week organizing committee is honored to have Mr. Daniel S. Goldin, Administrator at NASA, as its keynote speaker. Mr. Goldin will discuss the most modern NASA technology, and how that technology can be commercially applied to improve the changing face of business. As we all know, an essential element in the growth of our nation is the sustained success of our manufacturing infrastructure. This industry is a part of our historical job base, and is a key to our economic future. Today in Rhode Island, there are over 80,000 high skill/high wage manufacturing jobs. Successful public/private partnerships there are proving that the government and private corporations can work together to not just succeed, but rather flourish. Simply put, Rhode Island is taking the lead in what should be a nationwide fight to reinvigorate American manufacturing. The Manufacturing Week Conference is a giant step in this direction. As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, Rhode Island long ago recognized the significance of manufacturing. In 1790, innovations by Rhode Islander Samuel Slater helped spur along industrial changes that dramatically impacted both our nation and the world. Since that time, technological improvements have continued to alter the landscape of the business industry. In order to stay competitive in this environment, leadership is necessary to educate and sustain our businesses. The Rhode Island Manufacturing Week Conference is attempting to provide that leadership, to provide that education, to provide that sustenance, so that our economy, and in turn our nation, can continue to grow as it should.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this English only amendment. The gentleman from New York says that we need this amendment to empower the citizens of Puerto Rico to be full and equal partners in this Union. What will empower the people of Puerto Rico to be full participants in this Union is if we get about voting this bill through and allowing them the right to finally have self-determination on the island, so that they can have all the rights and privileges of their American citizenship status which they are currently denied because they are under Commonwealth status, which, if I need to remind Members, means they are under the territorial clause of the United States. Ironically, we could pass English only requirements for the people of Puerto Rico under the current territorial status, because that is our power. If they become a State, which I hope they will, they will retain the 10th Amendment power to decide what their own language will be. So it is interesting. If they become a State, they will be able to decide for themselves; if they remain a Commonwealth, it is up to us to decide what their language is going to be. Vote against the Solomon amendment, and vote for the passage of the bill.