Jim Leach

Mr. LEACH

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, on rare occasions Congress awards the Congressional Gold Medal to persons who have contributed significantly to making the world more humane. This bill authorizes that such a medal be struck for the Pope. John Paul II's dedication of his Pontificate to the freedom and dignity of every individual human being, his use of moral authority to hasten the fall of totalitarian regimes, his efforts to reconcile Christendom and reach out with respect to people of all faiths, and most of all his commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ provide a model of grace to all peoples of the world. In his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul wrote, ``I have become all things to all, to save at least some. All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may share in it.'' Last Thursday, John Paul II celebrated his 80th birthday, and Saint Paul's observation is an appropriate summary of Karol Wojtyla's extraordinary trajectory on this earth, from the small town of his birth in Southern Poland, Wadowice, through the war years in Cracow, leadership of Cracow's Archdiocese during the difficult Communist times, finally to the Ministry of Peter in Rome. In this journey, he has left an indelible mark on his Church and the history of our times. With the world watching, John Paul II has begun to show burdens of age, but he has lost none of the extraordinary vigor that has characterized the 21\1/2\ years of his Pontificate, one of the longest in church history. On New Year's eve, for instance, he celebrated a long, formal Te Deum in Saint Peter's basilica, had dinner in his quarters with Vatican aides and friends, after which they all sang carols. At midnight, he appeared in his window and delivered his traditional New Year's greeting to an adoring crowd in Saint Peter's Square below. Then he celebrated yet another mass, his first of the new millennium, in his private chapel. His staff was exhausted, but by 9 the next morning he was in another basilica in Rome leading another mass. From the moment he became a priest in Cracow, Karol Wojtyla has conceived his role as a pastor, a representative of Christ on Earth who has to be seen by the faithful. Since he became Pope in October of 1978, he has made 92 pastoral trips abroad to 123 countries and territories, meeting more leaders and bringing the message of God to more people than any other Pontiff before him. This year alone, he has been to Mount Sinai in Egypt, followed in Christ's footsteps in the Holy Land, and prayed at the Shrine of the Virgin Mary in Fatima, who he believes interceded to save his life when he was shot in Saint Peter's Square in 1981. As a leader of a billion members of his faith, John Paul II is generally considered the preeminent religious leader in the world. But his moral authority goes beyond his church. It extends to all who seek a message of love and compassion, of dignity that defies materialism, of freedom of thought unconstrained by political oppression. Above all, he has urged people all over the world never to give up hope. He likes to recall that his first words in Saint Peter's Square were an echo of Christ's exhortation, ``Be not afraid.'' Wherever he has traveled, John Paul II has championed human rights and individual dignity, both of which, in his view, include freedom of worship. With this definition of liberty, he turned the Church in his native Poland into a protector, not only of Catholics but of all citizens oppressed by communism, no matter their religion, if any. In so doing, he helped discredit the Communist system in Poland and bring about its downfall elsewhere in the world. It used to be said in Poland that while he was the Archbishop of Cracow, the country's Communist leaders considered him their greatest threat. Likewise, in Moscow, once he became Pope. It is no accident that China's leaders have so far refused to allow him to conduct a pilgrimage in their country. In traveling the world, John Paul II has reached out to the other great religions. Last month, he sought to bridge the historic divide between Christians and Jews. In a gesture of breathtaking eloquence in its simplicity, he placed a sheet of paper in a crack in Jerusalem's Western Wall: ``God of our fathers,'' he wrote, ``we are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who, in the course of history, have caused these children of yours to suffer; and asking your forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the covenant.'' To exemplify his personal compassion, an elderly Israeli woman came forth during this historic pilgrimage. She recalled how she was one of the lucky ones who survived Hitler's concentration camps. Upon her release in 1945, she was placed on a train to return to her home in Cracow. When she arrived, barely able to stand, with hardly any flesh on her bones, she stumbled onto the station platform, and there a strong young man in priestly garb picked her up in his arms and carried her two miles to a place where she could be nurtured back to health. The priest was Karol Wojtyla. In times singularly bereft of leaders of high moral stature, John Paul II stands out, a Pontiff whose presence fills the great basilica of Saint Peter and radiates out beyond. In voting for this Congressional Gold Medal, we are honoring a historic figure, an individual whose conviction and morality have infused mankind with renewed self-confidence. In closing, I would like to quote these words by John Paul II that I think express his soaring nobility: ``At the end of the second millennium, we need perhaps more than ever the words of the risen Christ: `Be not afraid!' Man who, after Communism, has stopped being afraid and who truly has many reasons for feeling this way, needs to hear these words. Nations need to hear them, especially those nations that have been reborn after the fall of the Communist empire, as well as those who witnessed the event from outside. Peoples and nations of the entire world need to hear these words. Their conscience needs to grow on the certainty that Someone exists who holds in his Hands the key to death and the netherworld, Someone who is the Alpha and the Omega of human history, be it the individual or collective history. And this Someone is Love, Love that became man, Love crucified and risen, Love unceasingly present among men. It is Eucharistic Love. It is the infinite source of communion. He alone can give the ultimate assurance when He says `Be not afraid!' '' Mr. Speaker, John Paul II has sundered depotism and ennobled faith by displaying to fellow mortals the courage of conviction. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, let me thank my good friend, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Vento), for his thoughtful observations. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my distinguished friend, the gentleman from New York (Chairman Gilman). (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3544) to authorize a gold medal to be awarded on behalf of the Congress to Pope John Paul II in recognition of his many and enduring contributions to peace and religious understanding, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. LEACH

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3544.

Mr. LEACH

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3519, the bill just passed.

Mr. LEACH

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn) who has quite constructively added some language on best practices techniques from his medical background for this bill. I am very appreciative.

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of one of the most important healthcare initiatives in modern times, the creation of a World Bank AIDS Trust Fund. There are few issues more difficult to discuss in public life than the AIDS issue, but any sense of historical perspective requires that Congress recognize that it is quite likely that no issue in the world is more consequential. In parts of Africa where the epicenter currently resides, as well as South Asia and the Caribbean where the disease is fast moving, AIDS and the precipitating HIV virus have jumped well beyond the population groups considered most at-risk in America. Millions of women now have the HIV virus and it is being transferred in the womb to the unborn. Out of a sense of self-preservation for mankind itself, if not simply humanitarian concern for those affected, this disease must be eradicated whatever the cost. The purposes of H.R. 3519 are straightforward: To prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and promote its eradication, prevent human suffering and mitigate its effects on economic development and security through a World Bank-administered trust fund that would work with governmental and nongovernmental organizations and leverage United States contributions to mobilize additional resources from other donors, including the private sector. The bill before us, which has captured the attention of medical and development professionals working to combat the HIV/AIDS crisis around the world, was passed by the Committee on Banking and Financial Services on March 15 by a strong bipartisan 27-to-4 vote. The committee has been in regular contact with the administration regarding the development of this legislation, as well as our floor amendment, and I am pleased to inform Members that we received today a statement announcing that the administration strongly supports the passage of H.R. 3519. At the dawn of the 21st century, the world confronts one of the most serious and urgent public health challenges in the history of mankind. According to the United States Surgeon General, AIDS will soon become the worst epidemic of infectious disease in recorded history, eclipsing both the bubonic plague of the 1300s and the influenza epidemic of 1918 to 1919, which killed more than 20 million people worldwide. Already 16.3 million have died from AIDS and more than 33 million are living with this deadly disease. Indeed, the global AIDS epidemic might fairly be described as a disease of biblical proportions. The statistics in the global AIDS crisis, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, are stunning. Although it only has 10 percent of the world's population, sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 80 percent of global AIDS deaths and nearly 70 percent of the world's current HIV/AIDS cases. The African continent is also confronted with an unprecedented number of orphaned children from AIDS. At the committee's March hearing, Mary Fisher, the founder of the Family AIDS Network, who eloquently addressed the Republican Convention in 1992, testified about her recent trip to Africa. She told the committee that what dominates the African landscape is orphans, acres of orphans; orphans raising orphans because there is no one else left to do it. Tough children take to the streets. Weak children die of starvation. Many just sit, docile and sick, a vast human ocean of orphans, mostly infected and doomed. While Africa is the current epicenter of the disease, it is moving towards Asia and nothing would be a greater mistake than to think that oceans are boundaries capable of containing the spread of diseases of this nature. At this time, for instance, there is an alarming increase in the HIV/AIDS infection rate in the Caribbean and in parts of South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union. As bleak as the global picture is, it nevertheless must be understood that there are prevention and education strategies that are effective against the spread of HIV/AIDS. Statistics from Uganda and Senegal in Africa and from Thailand and Asia demonstrate the positive impact of strong prevention programs. Encouragingly, those strategies can be applied in other countries as well. The innovative approach outlined in the World Bank AIDS Marshall Plan Trust Fund Act holds out the promise of catalyzing a much stronger global response to the AIDS epidemic. Implicit in approaches involving Bretton Woods institutions is the possibility of attracting additional contributions from other donors, including, as uniquely authorized in this bill, the private sector. For a modest $100 million per year contribution in the table from the United States, we have the prospect of leveraging multibillion dollar contributions from other public and private donors over the next 5 years. It is my hope that some of the resources made available in this initiative could be applied to ultimately achieving a desperately- needed medical breakthrough in developing an AIDS vaccine, but until the day that such a vaccine is available, the only vaccine we have is what Dr. Peter Piot of UNAIDS calls a social vaccine, that is education and prevention efforts. H.R. 3519 is directly targeted at maximizing this social vaccine through education and prevention initiatives. In conclusion, let me stress that America has a particular obligation to do everything within its power to prevent and ultimately eradicate HIV/AIDS, particularly among those most vulnerable, our children both here and abroad. Mortality may be a part of the human condition, but all of us have an obligation to put an end to those conditions that precipitate premature death, particularly at very young ages. For the country that leads the world in wealth and research capacity to abdicate its responsibility to confront forth rightly this biblically proportioned humanitarian crisis would be morally derelict. I am honored to join my colleagues, the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaFalce) the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) and so many others in pressing for congressional action in this crisis, and urge my colleagues to give it their support. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. LEACH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this is principally a humanitarian issue. Secondarily, but accurately, as the President has suggested, it is a national security threat. Tertiarily, it is an economic challenge. According to the Global AIDS Policy Coalition at Harvard, AIDS has already cost the world GDP in excess of $500 billion. I raise this cost issue because frequently, in legislative bodies, we have to consider cost-benefit analysis. It is clear that the cost to eradicate and cure this disease is less than the cost of the disease itself in GDP terms. More importantly, it is far more costly in terms of lost minds and lost souls. Mr. Speaker, this is the first significant new step emanating from Congress to deal with this disease. The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) has valid concerns about how much we are dedicating to it. Hopefully, this step can be built upon in the future. In conclusion, I would like to thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) and her dedication to this cause. I would also like to thank her predecessor, Ron Dellums, who, as a private citizen, is devoting his life to this challenge. I would be remiss if I also did not thank our staff, Cindy Fogleman, Jamie McCormick, Gary Parker, Jeanne Roslanowick, and Dick Peterson. Finally, I would suggest that the Congressional leadership is to be congratulated. The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), the minority leader, has made this a seminal part of his concerns in this Congress. My own leadership, the Speaker, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), and the majority leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey), have allowed this bill to come to the floor despite what many consider to have very controversial implications. I believe, though, despite the controversy, this body is obligated to act, and act in a humanitarian way, and so I urge as strong a vote as possible on this initiative.

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3519) to provide for negotiations for the creation of a trust fund to be administered by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development or the International Development Association to combat the AIDS epidemic, as amended.

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), chairman of the Committee on International Relations. (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I would like to reserve 3 minutes for myself, but I would be happy to recognize someone on the other side.

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi).

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), a great friend.

Mr. LEACH

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me first express my enormous gratitude to the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaFalce) for his tremendous cooperation on this issue, as well as the minority party in general. But then I would like to note that this is a bill that has been the bedrock concern of one Member of the United States Congress and that is the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Metcalf), who is retiring at the end of the year. If there is a bill and sponsor which have been identified together more, I do not know what it is in the Congress. Mr. Speaker, I express to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Metcalf) particular appreciation and gratitude for his thoughtfulness on this piece of legislation, but also for his enormous thoughtfulness on the committee on which he serves. I am very grateful for his leadership and friendship. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Metcalf).

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4067) to repeal the prohibition on the payment of interest on demand deposits, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. LEACH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me just say that historically what occurred is that Congress disadvantaged America's business community to protect its banks. Then as time went on, it became clear that the effect was that Congress disadvantaged its banking community in favor of banking competitors. What this legislation amounts to is a free market return to basic American competitive values. It is a congressional ``mea culpa'' to America's business and banking community. It is good for the country, good for the financial system and good for the precept of a free and unfettered market that this country stands for, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, under current law, there is a prohibition on the payment of interest on demand deposits, particularly as they affect business institutions. This prohibition has been in law since 1933. What this bill does is offer and allow banks the right to make daily sweep adjustments and interest to be paid in these daily sweeps to business accounts, and then eventually, that is, at the end of 3 years, for the prohibition on the payment of demand interest to be fully removed. In essence, this bill symbolically is the most pro-customer banking legislation in modern times. It is pro-small business, for it will allow for the first time small businesses, in small rural settings in particular, to be paid interest on their hard-earned extra funds or savings. It is pro-small bank because small banks are not in a position to use some of the sophisticated techniques of their larger bank competitors in this particular arena. It is pro-competition because it simply says the market should act freely without legislative intervention. The market today is stilted. One reason banks in the savings business have been declining in size is because of legislative protectionism of this kind of nature. It is no accident that over the last 3\1/2\ decades or so, the banks' share of the saved dollars have been reduced from about two-thirds to one-quarter because Americans want to go to places they can get the greatest return on their investments, and they have found when there are legislative restraints, that they have incentives to move assets elsewhere, to money market mutual funds, to CMAs of securities firms. The American business community deserves a better deal. As far as banks are concerned, we are finding finally the recognition that protectionism is counterproductive. Let me say as strongly as I can that banking, just like any other business in America, if it is going to be sustaining, has to be concerned for the customer. Pro-customer institutions in America survive. Those that have restraints on dealing with the customer are placed in a more difficult position. Mr. Speaker, what this bill in the final measure does is say that the free market will prevail, that the customers' concerns will be dominant, and that it is no accident, again, that customers throughout the country, as symbolized by their associations in business and banking, have come to support this legislation. It has been a long time in coming, but I am convinced it is the right thing to do. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEACH

Mr. LEACH. I appreciate that. I would just like to make one modest point. That is, there is probably no single professional element of America that has been more unpersonally rewarded than volunteer firemen. What this bill does is create the first substantive reward for people that have served their communities so bravely for so long. I think this is a very appropriate endeavor. I want to thank the gentleman for insisting that this provision be designed in this fashion.

Mr. LEACH. I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. LEACH. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. I would like to enter in a brief colloquy with my distinguished friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lazio). As the gentleman knows, this bill has a very important element that allows uniformed municipal employees, police, fire, to have access to certain FHA privileges, including 1 percent downpayment on mortgages. Am I not right in believing that also this provision applies to the volunteer fire departments that exist in so many parts of America?