Jerry Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. As the gentleman knows, we appropriated $25 million the previous Congress. There is authorization for that. They can do planning, use that for planning. I do not think they will be late at all. I would be very surprised if they would be delayed at all. On the other hand, I will be happy to work with the gentleman to make sure the VA is responsive.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Solomon].

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, as I responded earlier to the gentleman from California [Mr. Riggs] who has been so diligent in working on this matter, the VA holds this as a very high priority. I frankly expect to see them expedite the process. They will probably be asking to use all the money available, maybe as much as $50 million. We intend to be responsive.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Let me say to the gentlewoman I very much appreciate her raising the question. It is an important question, and we are happy to work with the gentlewoman from New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Frelinghuysen], a member of the subcommittee.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California [Mr. Riggs] for purposes of a colloquy.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House of earlier today, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 3666), making appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and for sundry independent agencies, boards, commissions, corporations, and offices for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1997, and for other purposes.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the conference report on H.R. 3666 and that I may include tables, charts and other extraneous materials.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, at the very beginning of this discussion on this very important bill, I want my colleagues to know just how strongly I feel about the need to change the tons of the debate that often takes place on this floor. Often it is shrill. Often it is dominated by extremes. All too often it is partisan for the sake of being partisan. It is my view that we should work hard to change that fact. Public policy is best developed in an atmosphere of bipartisanship. Working together, we do a much better job for the public and the people that we were elected to represent. Mr. Speaker, the bill that we are about to consider is a reflection of perhaps the best of that kind of effort to change our working environment. With that, Mr. Speaker, my ranking member, the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Stokes], and I are pleased to present the 1997 VA-HUD and Independent Agencies Conference Report. This report treats all accounts fairly within the allocation provided to the subcommittee. This is a bipartisan bill which I have every expectation will be signed by the President. The fiscal year 1997 VA-HUD bill reaffirms our continued commitment to serving veterans, to protecting the environment, providing housing for the poorest of the poor and ensuring America's future leadership in space. In spite of the difficult challenges in putting this conference report together, this final product represents a balance of tough choices and common interests. Most importantly, it keeps the appropriations process on track for meeting the vital objective clearly stated by the Congress and the administration of balancing the budget by the year 2002. A majority of programs have been funded at either the President's request or the enacted levels for fiscal year 1996. We have succeeded in holding the line on spending by reducing the rate of growth in several spending programs. This bill is a demonstration that deficit reduction can be achieved while keeping an ever watchful eye on every taxpayer dollar the Government spends. In fact, this legislation is $3.2 billion below the President's request. When this conference report becomes law, the Subcommittee on VA, HUD and Independent Agencies will have cut nearly $20 billion in discretionary spending over the last 2 years. At the same time we have dramatically reduced the rate of growth of Government. Our work clearly demonstrates that Congress can move toward a balanced budget while at the same time delivering funding for people programs that have performed well. This bill has drawn a good deal of attention due to the fact that three health care riders were added to the bill in the Senate. While this is, in my judgment, not the proper vehicle to reform our health care and insurance delivery systems, the House voted overwhelmingly to instruct the conferees to retain the Senate provisions. House and Senate leadership agreed that these legislative riders should be included in the final version of the VA conference report and thereby we have responded. These provisions relate to mental health parity, to 48-hour hospital stays for mothers and newborns, and veterans benefits to children suffering from spina bifida as a result of their parents military service. Because these issues are really outside the jurisdiction of the committee and certainly beyond the expertise of either the committee or our staff, the mental health parity provision is not effective until January 1, 1998. The spina bifida provision is not effective until October 1, 1997. This bill will allow our authorizing committees time to more clearly evaluate these proposals before they became effective. Furthermore, the mental parity provisions contain small business exemptions as well as the Gramm amendment from the Senate side which voids the measure if group insurance policies increase by over more than 1 percent. Let me take just a minute to list some of the bill's funding highlights. Within the Department of Veterans Affairs, we have provided a total agency budget of $39.158 billion. We have increased the medical care account by $5 million over the President's request to a total of $17 billion plus, 449 million over the 1996 level. We have increased the medical and prosthetic research account by $5 million over the President's request to a total of $262 million. We have funded a replacement hospital at Travis Air Force base at $32.1 million. Within the Corporation for National Communities and Community Service, or what is known as AmeriCorps, we have frozen the spending level at the FY 1996 level of $400,500,000. This appropriation is obviously a must to get our bill signed by the President. Although I carried an amendment last year to zero out this agency, our leadership has acknowledged that it must be funded to avoid a Presidential veto. Within the Department of Housing and Urban Development, we provided a total agency budget of $19,450,000,000. Our bill increases housing for the elderly, section 202 funding, by some $50 million over the President's request to a total of $645 million. The bill increases housing for people with disabilities by $20 million over the President's request to a total of $194 million. It fully funds community development block grants at $4.6 billion. We have increased HOPWA funding by $25 million. Within the Environmental Protection Agency, we have provided a total agency budget of $6.712 billion. This represents an increase of $70 million over last year. The bill contains no environmental riders; that is, no riders, period. We have funded the Superfund program at the budget request of $1.394 billion. Clean water grants are fully funded at $625 million. The Safe Drinking Water State Resolving Fund, SRF, is fully funded at $1.275 billion. Within the National Aeronautics and Space Agency, we have provided a total agency budget of $13.704 billion. We have fully funded the International Space Station at a long agreed upon figure of $2.1 billion. The Human Space Flight Account has been funded at $5.362 billion. The Science Aeronautics and Technology Account has been funded at $5.763 billion. We have also provided the National Science Foundation with a total agency budget of $3.270 billion. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been funded at $1,788,000,000. The Disaster Relief Account has been funded at $1.320 billion. In closing, Mr. Speaker, let me first speak one more time to the atmosphere in which we developed this bill. I want to personally and publicly thank my ranking member and my very good friend, the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Lou Stokes, for the working atmosphere and spirit that we have shared together, both the environment in which we have worked but also beyond the partnership itself. Our personal friendship is a very, very big part of the joy that I share with my family and staff in working with this committee and in this body. Louis Stokes, to say the least, is a legislator, in my judgment, to behold. While working very closely together in the entire Committee on Appropriations, I believe the work of this subcommittee is a reflection of what we ought to be about in the entire committee in every one of our conference reports, and hopefully one day that will be the environment in which the entire House operates. I would also like to take a moment and commend our very capable staff. Del Davis, who has worked very closely with Mr. Stokes, was greatly assisted earlier in the year by Leslie Atkinson, who has decided to leave us at least for now, but who contributed a great deal to our efforts, along with our very, very professional staff headed by Frank Cushing, Paul Thomson, Tim Peterson, Valerie Baldwin, Doug Disrud, Alex Heslop, Dave LesStrang and Jeff Shockey, for their hard work and long hours in putting together this diverse and very complex package. Working together, this has been indeed a bipartisan team spirit at the staff level as well. Finally, I would like to bid farewell to two of our colleagues who will be leaving the House after this Congress and, therefore, will be leaving also the Subcommittee on VA, HUD and Independent Agencies. The gentlewoman from Nevada, Mrs. Barbara Vucanovich, is a personal friend and dear colleague, a great member of our subcommittee. We will miss here greatly. The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Jim Chapman, who will not be coming back, has been a great member of our committee and has made a great contribution to this effort. I wish to thank them both for their extreme efforts to work closely with our subcommittee and participate in its many hours of markup. They have been a great addition to our work, and we will miss them in the years ahead. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, there are some technical items that I need to get out of the way before we proceed with other witnesses so I will do this at this point in time. Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of all Members and those that may read and rely upon our Joint Explanatory Statement of the Managers, we have found a few small errors in that statement which should be noted as part of the legislative history of this legislation. In amendment number 9 under Construction, Major Projects, within title I of the Veterans Affairs, the statement of the managers noted the reductions of $15,100,000 for renovation activities at Perry Point Maryland Virginia Medical Center, and $15,500,000 for renovation activities at Mountain Home Tennessee VA Medical Center. These 2 items were printing errors and should be additions to the budget request, not reductions. In amendment No. 57 under science and technology within title III, Environmental Protection Agency, the amount over the budget request for the Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxic Research Center was incorrectly listed at $2,150,000. The correct amount is $1,150,000. Finally in amendment No. 70 under State and tribal assistance grants within title III of the Environmental Protection Agency, $1,150,000 was provided for wastewater improvement needs in 3 Pennsylvania counties. One of three counties, Huntingdon, was spelled incorrectly in the statement of managers. I would also note with respect to this specific matter that it was the intent of the conferees that $400,000 in the wastewater needs of Metal Township Municipality Authority in Franklin County, $400,000 is for wastewater needs of Mount Union in Huntingdon County, $186,000 for wastewater needs of Huston Township, Clearfield County, and $164,000 is for wastewater needs of Osceola Mills, also Clearfield County. With those corrections, Mr. Speaker, I would add further I have been asked to make a brief clarifying statement with regard to the newborns language contained in title 5 of the conference report. This clarification came at the request of the Office of Management and Budget, and it is my understanding it has been cleared by all sides of this question. The House conferees intend that the Newborns and Mothers Health Protection Act of 1996, title 6 of the bill making appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development and independent agencies for fiscal year 1997 include the minimum 48 hour and 96 hour stay protections for mothers who are eligible beneficiaries under Medicaid in connection with Medicaid prepaid contracts. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Responding to my colleague, and I very much appreciate the gentlewoman yielding, we intended with this language that EPA develop a sound scientific basis for all actions that it takes in this area. However, nothing in the managers' statement can or should be construed as changing EPA's obligation to develop a screening test program in a timely manner.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes and 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Laughlin] for purposes of a colloquy.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Hobson], a member of the committee. (Mr. HOBSON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, let me first congratulate the gentleman from California [Mr. Riggs]. I cannot think of a Member of the House who has been more diligent than he regarding this very important matter to his district for replacement of that VA hospital that was destroyed by an earthquake many years ago. The gentleman is correct, we did appropriate $25 million in last year's bill that at least initially was designed for a clinic approach. This bill does provide $32.1 million in replacement monies for the hospital that was destroyed. Indeed, we have asked that the appropriate committees review all of that to help us figure out how we best deliver services to people of the gentleman's vast region. The hospital replacement is the highest priority. Presuming it is logical, those funds could be merged, and certainly construction can go forward as soon as they respond.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Let me say that the Veterans' Administration has given high priority to the replacement of the hospital, largely at the gentleman's urging. There is little question they will respond expeditiously and will go forward on it.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Stearns].

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to work with my friend, the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I can assure the gentleman from Texas that I will work with him to encourage the agency's cooperation in finding the resources to fund the important initiative next year.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is correct. We worked very closely with the gentleman and the Senate in developing the language. The language at the beginning of the statement of the managers makes it very clear that any program or language or allocation contained in one or the other report and which is not overturned in the conference is deemed to be approved by the conference committee. The conference committee supports the gentleman's project. The conferees also fully expect the Environmental Protection Agency to comply with the language and give it high priority for funding.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the conference report. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. LEWIS of California. The Veterans Administration has a lot of money in the pipeline regarding this whole process.