Betty McCollum

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy) in offering this motion to recommit. To protect the health benefits that women and children currently have today, we must not allow association health plans to deny necessary care for women and their children. This motion to recommit stops association health plans from refusing to cover state-mandated health benefits for well-child care visits and maternity coverage or other types of care that is vital to our families. Children deserve a healthy start in life. In Minnesota and 30 other States, children are guaranteed regular visits to their pediatricians to get the necessary care they deserve. Well-child care ensures that children get the vaccinations and immunizations that they need to protect themselves from preventable diseases like measles and mumps. Regular doctor visits for newborns are absolutely critical. Thirty- three children are born every day with severe hearing loss. If caught early through preventative doctor visits, we can make a positive difference in the lives of our children, and we can save future dollars spent on special education. Having early access to adequate health care can prevent illness, identify disabilities and reduce future health costs. The motion we are offering ensures that families who have health coverage that protects the health of women and children today will not lose it tomorrow. Today, we should be considering legislation to ensure quality comprehensive health care for our Nation's working families, not cutting basic benefits. I urge my colleagues to support the motion to recommit and to protect important State laws that protect the health of women and children.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, due to an event in my Congressional District I was unable to vote on the following two bills: Rollcall vote No. 151--H. Con. Res. 326, expressing the sense of Congress regarding the arbitrary detention of Dr. Wang Bingzhang by the Government of the People's Republic of China and urging his immediate release; and Rollcall vote No. 152--H. Con. Res. 398, expressing the concern of Congress over Iran's development of the means to produce nuclear weapons. I support each of these resolutions and would have voted ``Yea'' for both had I been present. I ask unanimous consent that my statement be inserted into the Record at the appropriate place.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for his kind words. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution, urging improved human rights, democratic reform and religious freedom in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the U.S. Ambassador in Laos, Douglas Hartwick, and his hardworking, dedicated staff at our embassy in Vientiane for their commitment toward human rights and reform in Laos. Mr. Speaker, most Americans do not know very much about the country of Laos, but many people in my congressional district know this country very well. Minnesota is home to over 53,000 Hmong and Lao Americans. I represent one of the largest Hmong constituencies in the United States. My constituents and I strongly support improving human rights and the quality of life for the people of Laos. The Lao Government has been working cooperatively with the United States on international terrorism and helping to provide a full accounting of Americans missing in action from the Vietnam War. The Lao Government has taken steps to protect religious freedom and the hundreds of Hmong and Laotians from my district who have traveled to Laos have seen some improvement; but I want to state clearly, despite these steps, greater progress is still needed on human rights, religious tolerance, democratic rule of law, and transparency. One way the Lao Government can demonstrate their commitment to reform is by allowing international humanitarian workers the ability to monitor the Hmong amnesty and resettlement program in order to ensure that the Hmong are receiving the humanitarian assistance they need and they deserve. My constituents and I are committed to advancing these efforts in Laos. If Laos is going to truly reform into a more open and democratic society, the United States needs to play a greater role in working with the Lao people and the Lao Government. The United States policy of economic isolation has made it very difficult for the Hmong and Laotian Americans in my district to engage in economic activity that will improve the quality of life for their relatives in Laos. This failed U.S. policy of economic isolation has lasted close to 30 years, and it has had real human consequences, as extreme poverty is a fact of life for much of the people who live in Laos. The United Nations development program ranks Laos 143rd out of 173 countries in terms of human development. Only half the population can read, 30 percent of the people will die before they are 40 years old, and 26 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. One out of every 10 children will die before they reach the age of 5. I consider this fact a human rights tragedy. The people of Laos also endure the deadly remnants of U.S. bombing from the Vietnam War. The United States flew more than 580,000 bombing runs over Laos. More than 2 million tons of ordnance were dropped on the country of Laos, double the amount dropped on Europe during World War II. Thousands of Laotian children and adults continue to die or become maimed as a result of this unexploded American ordnance. This, too, is a human rights tragedy and was documented by The Washington Post in an article this weekend. I insert this article for the Record. [From the Washington Post Foreign Service, May 1, 2004] In Laos, Sifting the Earth for American Dead (By Ellen Nakashima) Saravan, Laos.-- On the first day of the dig, Franklin Damann spied what appeared to be a bone fragment resting on the soil surface. But he could not be sure. He put it in a Ziploc bag labeled ``Possible Osseous Remains.'' He hoped that the fragment, and several more found over the next few days, would yield DNA to help identify U.S. Air Force Col. Norman Dale Eaton or his navigator, Lt. Col. Paul E. Getchell. Their B-57 exploded and crashed on a remote hill in southern Laos in 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War. Damann, a forensic anthropologist, and about a dozen U.S. service members shoveled and sifted hundreds of buckets of dirt from that metal-pocked hill in February. In several equally isolated and treacherous sites in Cambodia and Vietnam, other teams were also scanning for every shard of steel, canvas, plastic, bone or, best of all, tooth that might help identify men who died in the Vietnam War, more than 1,800 of whom are still missing. Since 1992, 10 times a year, the military has sent teams to the old battlegrounds of Southeast Asia to search for Vietnam combatants' remains. Two to six teams go on each trip. So far, they have accounted for 724 Americans, according to the Pentagon. But time is running out. Witnesses are dying. Investigators are now talking to people who can remember their fathers telling them about a crash site. The most accessible areas already have been excavated, and bone disintegrates more readily in the acidic soil of Southeast Asia. It is an arduous yet optimistic endeavor, costing $100 million a year spread over five agencies. Though the military has long proclaimed that no man or woman shall be left behind on the battlefield--and made recovery efforts for several years after World War II and the Korean War--it took the emotional upheaval of the Vietnam War to spur the government to undertake a continuous search effort. Scientists and recovery teams have been finding and identifying remains of those killed in World War II, the Korean War and the Cold War in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. They have identified remains of about 500 service members from World War II, Korea and the Cold War. The U.S. military estimates that 88,000 service members are still missing from all wars. The effort to find them is destined to continue, officials say, as long as the United States sends its men and women into battle zones. ``I can't think of a more noble mission,'' said Marine Capt. William P. ``Bay'' Dobbins, 29, leader of a team searching for the remains of a Navy pilot downed in southern Laos. Dobbins, who served in Iraq last year, said he had been waiting for this job with the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command. ``I love the idea of bringing these guys home,'' he said. So it was that on a chilly morning in February, a dozen soldiers, airmen, sailors, Marines and Damann, who works at the Army's Central Identification Laboratory in Honolulu, piled into an aging Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter at the team's base camp in southern Laos. Twenty minutes later, they landed on a hill in Saravan province that was traversed by the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a network of paths used by the North Vietnamese to ferry supplies along the border with Laos into South Vietnam. The team hiked down a long, steep slope and, putting spade to soil, dug in a space roughly as long and wide as an Olympic swimming pool. About 90 Laotian villagers, who live a day's trek away and were hired for a small daily wage, were already there. They formed a bucket brigade down the slope, men and women with high cheekbones and broad faces, wearing old jeans, Nike caps and wool head scarves. Pairs of villagers rocked trays slung from bamboo poles, massaging red dirt through quarter-inch wire mesh. As a boombox blared a Motown mix, the American team members scanned for pieces of zipper, boot, oxygen hose--what the investigators call life support material. The hill was not an easy one. At a 35-degree angle, it had a view at 3,700 feet of a valley below filling with deceptively fast-moving clouds. Army Sgt. Robert Bryson, in charge of team safety, warned the crew: ``This site is dangerous. When the pilots say go, there's no lollygagging or we'll be here overnight.'' During a mission three years ago, seven military personnel and nine Vietnamese died when their Mi-17 helicopter slammed into a fog-shrouded hill. The site was surveyed last summer by Joan Baker, an anthropologist, who also works at the Honolulu forensics lab. She found no crash crater, leading her to conclude that the plane had exploded before it plunged. Her investigative team found hundreds of pieces of fan blades, wires and bolts strewn over more than 350 square yards. Then she saw a small metal object nestled in the roots of a tree. It was a dog tag, bearing Eaton's name. ``It was pretty exciting,'' Baker recalled. ``I couldn't believe it for a minute. I was like, `No!' '' Team members planted a yellow stake wherever they found even a jot of debris, turning the hill into a dandelion field of stakes. Damann held up a slice of rusted metal to the gray light filtering through the trees. The words ``cylinder hydraulic actuating'' were still visible. The metal plate was engraved with the manufacturer's name, Glenn L. Martin Ltd., Baltimore, Md., which in the 1960s retooled the British-made B-57s from straight-and-level planes to dive bombers. ``We'll be pulling stuff all day.'' said Damann, a lanky Louisianan who analyzes skeletal remains to figure out a person's size, sex, race and other characteristics. As it turned out, the team would not be pulling stuff all day. After lunch, the clouds rolled in, obscuring the valley below. Bryson gave the word to load up the buckets and gather the tools. ``It's time to get off the hill,'' he said. The son of a Vietnam Navy veteran, Bryson is a mortuary affairs specialist, or 92-Mike in Army lingo. He was on his 31st recovery mission to Southeast Asia, has worked directly with MIA families and relishes the satisfaction of delivering a memento to a wife or parent. ``There are cases where a family member said, `He always carried a 1945 buffalo nickel,' and then you go to the site and dig and pull it out of the dirt,'' he said. ``There are wedding rings, the crucifixes, wallets with pictures.'' Working one World War II case, he said, he found letters ready to be mailed home. ``You bring them home to a wife or mother, and the gratitude is immense. That's pretty amazing you can do stuff like that.'' Unexploded Ordnance Elderly locals are another source of information. Khampoy Khun, a grandfatherly man with an impish grin, was trying to clear a rice field about a decade ago when he came upon metal aircraft parts poking up from the soil. He eventually told his story to American investigators and led them to a site where a Navy pilot had plowed into a hill in April 1970. ``I would be very glad if the Americans find what they are looking for and can return the remains to the families,'' said Khampoy, 70, cheering on the Americans and Laotians digging, hauling and screening soil. ``I think the families back home are hoping the remains will be found.'' He had one request, though: that the United States do more to remove unexploded ordnance left from the war. ``I am very poor,'' Khampoy said. ``And I cannot work my rice fields with the unexploded bombs. It's all over the place.'' In February, the team looking for the Navy pilot's remains unearthed a 500-pound unexploded bomb. Between 1964 and 1973, the U.S. air campaign dropped more than 2 million tons of explosive ordnance on the hills and valleys of Laos, the world's most heavily bombed nation per capita, according to United Nations Development Program statistics. Some of the craters were as large as houses. Up to 30 percent of the ordnance, it is estimated, failed to detonate and continues to kill about 200 people, many of whom are children, each year, according to the program. In fiscal 2003 the United States spent $1.2 million on clearing the ordnance in Laos, about one-fourth of the total international donor aid to the effort, U.S. officials said. After 30 days, Damann, Bryson and their team flew back to Honolulu. Another team took their place in March to continue the dig. All the evidence found is bagged and sent to the lab. There, a different set of anthropologists examines the remains and the life support material. The lab, which is part of the U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, identifies on average two Americans a week. The best way to make an identification is to match a tooth, especially one that has had a filling or a drilling, to dental records, Thomas Holland, the lab's scientific director, explained in a telephone interview from Honolulu. ``No two fillings are alike,'' he said. ``That's really how most identifications are made.'' Even as the difficulty of the missions has increased, the technology has improved, Holland said. These days, up to 70 percent of cases are identified by matching mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down through the maternal line, from remains to a relative from the same maternal line, he said. About five grams of dense bone, the type found in the arm or leg, is needed to gather enough DNA for an identification. In the mid-1990s, the military began taking a DNA sample from all service members in case it is needed for identification. `Off Target' On the night of Jan. 13, 1969, Eaton and Getchell took off from Phan Rang Air Base in South Vietnam. They flew west toward Laos, to drop bombs and napalm on a target along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in an effort to disrupt the enemy's supply line. Eaton's last recorded words before the plane crashed were ``Off target,'' according to a wartime Air Force report. A C- 130 pilot who was flying nearby, directing Eaton's strike, said that his cockpit was lit up by the flash from the bomb Eaton dropped, and lit up again five seconds later by the B- 57's crash, according to the report. No parachutes were seen. A two-second emergency beeper signal was heard by another aircraft in the area, but it was unclear if that was from Eaton or Getchell. Eaton, then 43, had always said that when he went, he wanted to ``go down in a ball of fire,'' his wife, Jeanne Eaton, now 75, recalled in a telephone interview from Alexandria. He loved to fly, loved ``that wonderful, celestial feeling,'' she said, though he had his concerns about the war. Eaton's oldest son, Paul Eaton, 53, is now a major general in the Army, stationed in Baghdad, the commander in charge of training the nascent postwar Iraqi army. Gethell was 32, slender, dark-haired and a carpenter with a philosophy degree. ``He was always learning and reading,'' and looked forward to teaching, recalled his widow, Teresa Getchell, 67. As the years passed, the two women, who have never remarried, gradually came to terms with their husbands' deaths. For Getchell, it has been so long since her husband died, she said, that finding any remains now will not mean much. ``It will just verify what I feel is already the case, that he's gone,'' she said from her winter home in Bradenton, Fla. For Eaton, the search holds out hope for some peace of heart. ``The very fact that they found my husband's dog tags, at least there's a substance there, there's a reality,'' she said. ``Hopefully, they will find some tangible evidence of him.'' In March, the team that took over from Damann found more possible remains at the site. The evidence will be sent to the lab. A new team returns in June to continue the hunt. The United States must work with the Lao Government to remove this unexploded ordnance. To address this issue, I have submitted a request to the Committee on Appropriations to expand the cleanup of unexploded ordnance in Laos. I ask my colleagues today who care so deeply about human rights in Laos to join me in this effort. Today I support this resolution because my constituents who have family members in Laos want reform now.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, today we are asked to commemorate a preemptive war. President Bush told the world there was no doubt Iraq was concealing weapons of mass destruction, but this Republican resolution instead reinterprets history. It would have the American people believe that President Bush took our Nation to war because in 1988 Saddam gassed the Kurds while President Reagan appeased the Iraqi regime or because Saddam punished the Marsh Arabs by draining the marshlands while the first Bush administration watched. This resolution memorializes the horrors of a dictator to justify the flawed premise for preemptive war, but it fails to acknowledge the 565 American patriots who sacrificed their lives. This resolution exploits the sacrifices of our troops, the suffering of the Iraqi people, all for partisan gamesmanship. Our Nation is at war. Our troops, their families, and the American people deserve honesty from this House and from the White House. We all support our troops. We all want a safer world. And the American people deserve the truth.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to wish a very happy 150th birthday to the city I live in and represent, St. Paul, Minnesota. St. Paul is Minnesota's capital city, and it is 2 years more ``mature'' than Minneapolis, our twin sister city. Originally called Pig's Eye by Mississippi River travelers who would stop for a belt of whiskey, St. Paul was incorporated on March 4, 1854. For 150 years St. Paul's special character has been shaped by the people and cultures of the world. For our first 100 years, Native Americans, Europeans, African Americans settled and built St. Paul. More recently, new immigrants from Asia, Latin America, and Africa continue to transform and strengthen St. Paul. It is no secret to St. Paul residents. We live in a great city. Happy birthday to St. Paul. It is 150 years old, and we are just getting started.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and before addressing the substance of the resolution I would like to thank its author, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith). He has been a leader on human rights issues, particularly as they relate to China. This resolution calls upon the administration to offer a resolution on China's human rights record at the upcoming meeting of the Human Rights Convention in Geneva. Given the human rights situation in China, it is imperative that the United States take a leadership role in galvanizing the world community to hold China accountable for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights. Last year the administration did not offer a China resolution at the Human Rights Commission, which has been only the third time since 1989 that the United States had given China a pass on human rights. In announcing its decision, the administration asserted that China had made progress on human rights and religious freedoms. Madam Speaker, this was a profound mistake. China took America's unwillingness to lead the charge in Geneva as a sign of weakness, as a statement that China human rights issues had faded from the consciousness of the American public policymakers. Not surprisingly, human rights situations in China grew worse over the past year, not improved. Dissidents jailed remained behind bars; and incredibly, even some protesters from the 1989 Tiananmen demonstrations continue to be imprisoned. Chinese authorities have arrested average citizens who download or post politically sensitive materials on the Internet and have moved to place greater restrictions on Internet access. The Chinese government also continues its brutal crackdown on the Falun Gong spiritual movement and unregistered Christian churches. According to the State Department's 2003 Human Rights Report, China continues to deny internationally recognized labor rights, the rights of workers to organize. In addition, forced labor prisons remain a serious concern and a problem. Labor leaders in northeastern China fighting for the rights of unemployed workers from state-owned enterprises were tried and sentenced to long jail terms for their advocacy. Furthermore, China has not adopted a comprehensive policy to combat child labor. In urban areas children often work as street laborers. The State Department notes that children work in coal mines which often operate far from urban centers out of the view of law enforcement officials. This unacceptable policy puts the health and safety of children at risk. It is time for China to address this issue for once and all. Finally, this resolution will send a strong message to China that the imprisonment of Tibetan political prisoners is unacceptable. The release of one of Tibet's most prominent political prisoners and the longest serving female political prisoner was a positive step, but it is not sufficient. Hundreds of Tibetans remain imprisoned for their political or religious beliefs, detainees are regularly tortured and exiled Tibetans have only limited access to their country. We must continue to put pressure on China to promote the human rights of the Tibetan people. In short, Madam Speaker, the decision last year to treat China with kid gloves produced a backsliding on human rights, not progress. I hope the administration does not make this mistake again. True political change and representative government will eventually come to China. But, unfortunately, we cannot know whether it will take 5 years or 25 years. But regardless of how long it takes, leaders of a new democratic China must believe that the United States stood with them in their time of darkness. An American-sponsored resolution in Geneva exposing China's poor human rights record accomplishes this vital task. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox).

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

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. I commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) for this important resolution. The suffering of the Iranian people from the Bam earthquake in December is incalculable. As many as 50,000 dead, countless injured. Tragic as well is the destruction of 90 percent of an historic 2,000- year-old city. This is truly a loss to all the world. The resolution appropriately expresses the heartfelt sympathy of the House for the victims of the earthquake and for their loved ones. It also expresses gratitude for the courageous work of U.S. and international aid personnel and relief workers. It was right for the administration to temporarily lift the sanctions that otherwise would have prevented such humanitarian activities in Iran. Relief workers in Iran came from the United States and around the world. They were ordinary people like Jim Ricci of St. Paul, Minnesota serving in the Air National Guard. Mr. Ricci, who was on his third tour of duty in the Persian Gulf, was on the last of the military's 11 humanitarian flights to Iran. Relief also came from groups like the American Refugee Committee International, headquartered in Minnesota. The American Refugee Committee helped coordinate several significant relief efforts, while donating medical supplies and nonfood items. This coordinated assistance was critical in providing the most effective aid programs possible. Everyone in Congress is concerned by the conduct of the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly by the hardliners who dominate the regime, support for terrorism, threats against Israel's existence, deceitful pursuit of nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction, and notorious human rights abuse. This recent stacked-deck election are cases in point. We all share the concerns about the Iranian regime, but we also know it is wrong to blame the Iranian people. I believe the vast majority of Iranian people would yearn for the freedom and the friendship with the U.S. and the world at large. This resolution recognizes the common humanity of Americans and Iranians. Our common bond of humanity was also acknowledged by the Iranians, who held a spontaneous candlelight vigil on behalf of the victims of September 11, 2001. The Iranian people should know they have our deepest sympathies for their terrible tragedy. I strongly support this resolution, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, once again I would like to express my sincere support for this resolution. I would like to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) for bringing this forward, and our distinguished chairman on the Committee on International Relations, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), for making sure for the people of Iran that we stand with them during this terrible loss of life.

Mr. McCOLLUM

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

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Secretary of Education branded the 2.7 million teacher-strong National Education Association a ``terrorist organization.'' Mr. Paige's words were a hateful comment, beneath the dignity of any Cabinet Secretary. Rather than trying to achieve the highest standards of civility, setting the best example for American children, Mr. Paige's ``teachable moment'' was to stand in the White House and vilify the NEA and America's teachers by labeling them terrorists, in effect, enemies of America. This vile language was no joke. It was not insensitive. In fact, it was a deliberate attack, an example of neo-McCarthyism at its worst. The Secretary's words harmed public education, and they were clear in their intent to threaten the millions of American citizens that the NEA honorably represents. It is time for Mr. Paige to resign. Resign now, sir.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. (Ms. McCOLLUM asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.) Mr. Chairman, I stand today to support the Woolsey amendment because, you see, the underlying bill provides more than $635 million to communities throughout this country to combat poverty, improve the lives of people who are homeless, hungry, jobless, and all too often hopeless. These funds distributed through Community Service Block Grants put valuable resources into all of our communities to combat poverty, and I support the general goals of the underlying bill and the program it funds. But it is not the funding alone that meets the needs of the homebound, the drug addicted, the destitute, and the hopeless. It is the tens of thousands of determined men and women who work as health outreach workers in shelters, as social service workers, in treatment centers, as counselors, and throughout our community to meet the needs of others. I admire the service and the selflessness of these men and women who live compassion every day they go to work, and not as a soundbite on a campaign trail. Today, I rise on behalf of the STD and HIV clinic, the foster care social worker, the midnight-to-6-a.m. attendant at a group home, to oppose this bill because it uses their tax dollars and mine to fund religious organizations that can hire them and then fire them based on their religion or how they pray. This bill promotes State-sponsored religious intolerance in employment and it should be defeated, and that is why I support the Woolsey amendment. Our country was founded on the principle of freedom of religion, and our tax dollars never should be used to enable religious discrimination in hiring. The Bush administration is continuing this disturbing trend of taking social service funding from successful, experienced organizations and redistributing to faith-based organizations that are permitted to use religion in hiring. How can Congress enable and fund religious organizations to use a person's faith or religious orthodoxy to determine if a candidate is qualified to deliver social services or to mop a floor or to cook soup in a soup kitchen or to teach in a Head Start center? This is wrong. Separation of church and State is not an opt-in or opt-out provision of our Constitution. Using tax dollars to promote discrimination on the basis of religion is just plain, in my opinion, un-American. I was disturbed by an article in Monday's New York Times describing the Salvation Army's new hiring practices for employees who deliver social services with taxpayers' money that take advantage of the Bush administration's faith-based agenda. The New York division's second-in- command of the Salvation Army is quoted as saying, ``Do we require our employees to believe in Jesus Christ and administer the doctrines and tenets of the Salvation Army? Not unless we hire them for a specific ministry.'' And then he clarified. ``Everything we do is related to our ministry and, in fact, is our ministry. The mission of the Salvation Army,'' which is listed on job postings and calls on new hires to ``preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name.'' Mr. Chairman, I respect any American's freedom to pray, and I pray myself. I worship and I believe in God, and I believe every American should be able to worship in the way that they choose. But this congressionally funded and sanctioned discrimination based on religion is an abomination and debases our Constitution. I call on all Members of Congress who respect religious freedom and believe in the constitutional separation of church and State to vote against this dangerous extremist bill and to support the Woolsey amendment. Mr. Chairman, I include for the Record the full text of the New York Times article I referred to earlier from February 2. [From the New York Times, Feb. 2, 2004] Charity Reopens Bible, and Questions Follow (By Daniel J. Wakin) The Salvation Army of Greater New York, long known for its network of thrift shops and shelters, has begun an effort to reassert its evangelical roots, stressing to lay employees that the Army's core mission is not just social services, but also spreading the gospel. The New York division's new leaders have ordered that job descriptions now state the mission clearly. they have reminded employees who deal with children that they must fill out a form promising to follow the Army's religious mission in working with them. The form also asks those employees to describe their church affiliations. ``Periodically, we have to kind of reclaim the ecclesiastical turf, if you will,'' said Col. Paul M. Kelly, a former New York division commander who was brought in as a consultant last year to assess its operations. The effort has stirred a mini-rebellion among some longtime employees who resent what they see as an intrusion on their privacy and the potential for religious discrimination. Such demands for religious loyalty, they say, breach the wall between church and state because the division accepts $70 million in state and city funds for its programs. ``We've been told that things are changing, that they've come to whip us into shape, and they want us to become more like the Army,'' said one social worker in a Salvation Army foster care program who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. ``Everyone's really freaked out.'' Robert Gutheil, a former official with an Army social service program, said the New York division was considered an anomaly within the national Army for the lack of emphasis of religion in its programs. One high-ranking administrator, in a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, said a Salvation Army official said during a meeting that any staff member who refused to sign revised job descriptions proclaiming the church's mission would be fired. And a former human resources executive said a Salvation Army official asked about religious affiliations of people who worked for her and whether several of them were gay. Catholic Charities, the UJA-Federation of New York and the Evangelical Lutheran Church's local synod all said they do not require social service employees to reveal religious affiliations or commit themselves to a religious mission. The Salvation Army's New York division leaders would not comment on the specific charges, but denied that their policies are new or even out of the ordinary for a religious institution. Officials acknowledged, however, that they had begun efforts to reinforce the organization's religious identity among employees as part of a general effort to tell the world about the group's mission. The Army's charitable role was in full focus last week when the national headquarters announced it had received a bequest of $1.5 billion to build and endow 25 or 30 community centers around the country, each of which will contain a place of worship. The bequest came from Joan B. Kroc, the wife of the McDonald's chain founder, who died in October. Local Army officials said it was far too early to say how the money would affect operations, but national officials have said the centers will be used for educational and spiritual purposes, not for social services. Best known for the thrift shops and red kettles that help support its network for services for the poor and homeless, the Salvation Army is first and foremost a worldwide evangelical church, according to the New York division's second in command, Maj. Guy D. Klemanski. ``Everything that we do is related to our ministry, and is in fact our ministry,'' he said in an interview. ``Do we require our employees to believe in Jesus Christ and administer the doctrines and tenets of the Salvation Army? Not unless we hire them for a specific ministry.'' The tension between the social and spiritual sides of the Army on display in New York have occurred in Salvation Army divisions elsewhere in the nation, officials said. Major Klemanski said the questionnaire asking about church affiliation has been in effect nationwide since 1993, although it was not always adhered to in the New York division and was re-emphasized last fall. The church questions were to help with background checks, he said, adding that many people in the New York division did not seem to be aware of the mission. Major Klemanski said it was only natural that the Salvation Army expects general support from its employees for its mission. ``Why would you go to McDonald's and tell everybody to go to Burger King?'' he asked. ``Why would any one want to go to work for the Salvation Army if they are not supportive of us?'' The major said he and the New York commander, Lt. Col. Nestor Nuesch, arrived in their posts in July with a desire to remind employees and the public of the Army's religious functions. They would have done the same anywhere, he said. ``It's fresh leadership.'' Their arrival came on the heels of a reorganization plan by Col. Kelly that was circulated last spring. In it, Col. Kelly urged that more Salvation Army members be recruited for jobs. ``The Army's `Christian perspective' is rarely emphasized,'' he said. The church and its program are happily growing, he said, ``but what appears to be happening is a widening gap between the ecclesiastical Salvation Army and the social service component.'' He praised a human resources executive for ordering a Muslim employee to remove ``various Muslim artifacts'' from one center. His report also questioned whether it was a good idea to have hired a human resources director for the Army's adult services agency ``who represents and Eastern religion,'' apparently Buddhism or Hinduism. The clash between the group's religious and social service missions goes to the heart of President Bush's effort to make it easier for churches to obtain Federal money for so-called faith-based social programs, a debate in which the Salvation Army has been central. The group has lobbied the White House to allow exemptions from gay discrimination laws, and in New York, has argued that its hiring policies fall well within the terms of contracts with the city, the city's human rights law and a 1980 executive order. Opponents sharply disagree. ``It's governmental monies to spread the mission of Christ,'' said Martin Garbus, a First Amendment lawyer who is representing at least a dozen Army employees who are upset by the religious policy and fear retaliation. ``The government shouldn't support Pat Robertson, it shouldn't support the Catholic church, it shouldn't support Jewish synagogues.'' The New York Civil Liberties Union asked the city and state comptrollers two weeks ago to audit the New York branch, Lawyers for the group say the New York division may be violating city and state contracts prohibiting religious discrimination. The city comptroller, William G. Thompson, has passed the complaint on to the New York City Human Rights Commission, and the office of the state comptroller, Alan G. Hevesi, said it was studying the case. Lawyers for the employees said a lawsuit could be filed this week. ``This is an agency acting on behalf of a government providing government services,'' said Donna Lieberman, the civil liberties union director. ``It cannot be in the business of promoting religion and discriminating against its employees based on religion.'' Religious institutions are exempt from religious anti- discrimination laws, but not for employees working in government-funded programs, the civil liberties union argues. The Bush administration favors allowing religious institutions to consider religion in hiring people who work for their government-funded programs. The Army, which operates in 109 countries, was founded in London in the 19th century by a Methodist minister, who patterned its structure and terminology after the military. Adherents undergo training before being ``commissioned,'' or ordained, as ``officers,'' the equivalent of ministers. Army doctrine holds that the Bible is truthful revelation and salvation depends on obedience to Christ. Nationwide, the Army has 46,000 employees, a budget of $2.5 billion and a reputation for being efficiently administered. Some 1,700 employees work in the Greater New York Division's social service agencies, which have a budget of $120 million a year, about 60 percent from government sources, the division said. The agencies operate more than 60 group homes, foster care, treatment programs, H.I.V. services, shelters and the like. The New York division, which covers New York City, Long Island and seven counties north of the city, said it touches the lives of 5 million people a year. A few supervisors refused to hand out the forms that included questions on church affiliations. Some workers feared losing their jobs if they did not sign. They included Jews, Muslims and Hindus, gays and lesbians, atheists and even a lapsed Salvation Army member, employees said. The civil liberties union has also condemned job descriptions calling for applicants to support ``the mission'' of the Salvation Army, which is listed on job postings and calls on new hires to ``preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His Name without discrimination.'' The associate executive director of the children's agency, Anne Lown, who is Jewish, filed the E.E.O.C. complaint, according to the New York Nonprofit Press, which reported the dispute last month. Ms. Lown, now associate director, would not respond to questions about the complaint. Mr. Gutheil, the executive director of the children's division, said in a Sept. 26 memo to his superiors that the church-affiliation form would have an ``enormously chilling effect'' on hiring good applicants. He said it was bound to be challenged in court, bringing bad publicity and hurting donations. ``Finally, whatever the legality and whatever the practical implications, this is just plain offensive to many of us who share the Gospel faith of the Salvation Army,'' wrote Mr. Gutheil, an Episcopalian. ``This is a city that thrives on its diversity. Our workplace should reflect that.'' Within weeks, Mr. Gutheil had left the Army after more than 20 years. On Tuesday, he said a confidentiality agreement that was part of a severance agreement prevented him from discussing his departure. But he said the dispute contributed to it. ``It was an important stand to take,'' he said. ``I'm sorry I'm not at liberty to say more about it.''

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to Shirley Bell, a dear friend of Minnesota veterans and a great mentor, leader and activist in my community. Shirley Bell was an active member of the United Veterans Legislative Council since its inception and volunteered as its Secretary for many years. She was also a member of the Gold Star Wives, an association of survivors of brave men and women who gave their lives in battle or as a result of their service. Everyone who knew her loved and admired her. Along with Shirley Bell's service to our veterans, she was also deeply involved in the well-being and education of others as the co- program director of The School of Anesthesia at Northwestern Hospital of Minneapolis. She went on to develop the Baccalaureate Completion program for CRNA's as an Associate Professor of Nursing Anesthesia in the School of Medicine at the University of Minnesota--a position created especially for Shirley to enable her to use her creativity and exceptional mentoring skill to promote and encourage students. As recognition for her accomplishments in Anesthesia Education, Shirley received the Helen Lamb Outstanding Education Award from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists in 1994. Shirley Bell's work and selfless dedication to helping others in our community was tremendous. Her leadership, commitment and tireless efforts will be greatly missed.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, as co-chair of the mentoring caucus, I rise in support of H. Res. 491. This bill expresses the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the benefits of mentoring. Mentoring programs that link children and young adults with the greatest needs to responsible adults are a proven method to help our struggling children. One valuable mentoring program is Big Brothers Big Sisters. In the St. Paul/Minneapolis region alone, more than 3000 children benefit from this mentoring program. According to Kari Davis, the executive director of the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota: Mentoring is about guiding and supporting young people so they can realize their highest dreams and potential. Minnesota maintains hundreds of quality youth mentoring programs that are community, school or workplace-based. With increased and sustained federal funding, mentoring programs can build their capacity to reach the 75,000 Minnesota young people who could benefit from a mentor. I was so proud last night to have 2 outstanding people from Minnesota in the audience at the State of the Union last night. Little Brother David Moreno and Big Brother Jim Diesing were guests at last night's address. Paired together since 1998, their initial friendship has turned into more of a family bond. David is excelling in school, even taking an advanced math class. Jim has learned what is really important in life. They are a shining example of the good that comes from mentoring. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation and to look for opportunities to mentor themselves. I would like to thank the sponsor of this bill, Mr. Osborne from Nebraska, whose cousin the Honorable Kathleen Vellenga was a mentor of mine when I served in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, it is with great dismay that I rise to oppose H.R. 2417, the Fiscal Year 2004 Intelligence Authorization Report. The Republican Leadership inserted a controversial provision in the FY04 Intelligence Authorization Report that will expand the already far-reaching USA Patriot Act, threatening to further erode our cherished civil liberties. This provision gives the FBI power to demand financial and other records, without a judge's approval, from post offices, real estate agents, car dealers, travel agents, pawnbrokers and many other businesses. This provision was included with little or no public debate, including no consideration by the House Judiciary Committee, which is the committee of jurisdiction. It came as a surprise to most Members of this body. It is of great concern that the Republican Leadership, along with the Administration and Attorney General Ashcroft, would seek to include such a non-germane, controversial provision into what should otherwise be a nonpartisan bill. Furthermore, the Republican Leadership, in the Senate defeated an attempt to ``sunset'' this provision when they considered it. It is clear the Republican Leadership and the Administration would rather expand on the USA Patriot Act through deception and secrecy than debate such provisions in an open forum. The freedoms and civil liberties of the American people are too important to allow such an irresponsible, abusive power play by the Majority. The importance of our intelligence community has grown significantly in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks and the subsequent, continuing campaign against terrorism. The FY04 Intelligence Authorization Report includes a number of positive, beneficial provisions designed to improve our counterintelligence capabilities, strengthen our ability to share information between the federal government, local and state officials, and provide for our intelligence officers and their families. It is unfortunate that such a controversial provision had to be included.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, tonight, Republican leaders in Congress are poised to pass an overhaul of Medicare that provides a weak prescription drug benefit, fails to lower drug costs, and starts the process for the privatizing of Medicare--a program that seniors have depended upon and trusted for almost 40 years. Seniors have been fighting for years for a Medicare prescription drug benefit that is affordable; available to all seniors and disabled Medicare beneficiaries by providing meaningful benefits within the Medicare program. However, the legislation Republicans have produced does not make prescription drugs affordable, does not offer a guaranteed benefit under Medicare and does not sufficiently protect current retiree plans. Instead, this bill caters to the pharmaceutical industry, bribes the HMOs with $12 billion in subsidies, and allows the AARP to reap $1.56 billion in profits. This bill threatens the future of Medicare and the health of America's seniors. Under this Republican Medicare bill: $88 billion in tax credits will be given to employers to retain coverage for their retirees, and; Despite this windfall, 2 to 3 million seniors will still lose benefits from their employer-based coverage; and millions of seniors will pay more in Medicare premiums if they refuse to join an HMO. The prescription drug plan that Republicans have proposed is a sham. Seniors will pay more than 50 percent of their drug costs for coverage up to $2,250. Most troubling, the bill leaves a huge ``coverage gap.'' Seniors will have zero prescription drug coverage for medication costs that run between $2,250 and $5,100--and those beneficiaries will still have to pay the monthly premium! Over half of all Medicare beneficiaries would fall into this ``coverage gap.'' And this bill will scale back coverage for the poorest seniors. Up to 6.4 million low- income Medicare beneficiaries will get less drug coverage than they have now as a result of new low-income thresholds and stringent asset testing. Also, seniors will only be eligible for drug coverage through private insurance companies that will have wide latitude in setting premiums and deductibles. Private insurance companies will also be able to make decisions about which drugs are covered, as well as which pharmacies seniors can use. Today, there are approximately 648,000 Medicare enrollees in Minnesota. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, about 46 percent have no prescription drug coverage. In Minnesota alone, this bill that may cause at least 39,480 Medicare beneficiaries to lose their coverage from their former employers and 89,800 Minnesotans will pay more for prescription drugs. And the most outrageous part is that the Republican plan benefits the pharmaceutical industry by explicitly prohibiting the Secretary of Health and Human Services from negotiating lower drug prices on behalf of America's 40 million Medicare beneficiaries. It also blocks the re- importation of drugs from Canada at lower prices. Additionally, the plan will create health savings accounts, which are tax-free savings accounts for medical expenditures. This creates an unprecedented tax loophole that would undermine existing employer coverage and provide $6.7 billion in tax relief for the wealthy. Earlier this year, I supported a bill that provides for a voluntary prescription drug benefit under Medicare. Medicare would pay 80 percent of drug costs after a $100 deductible and no senior will have to pay more than $2,000 in costs per year. This plan would cover all Medicare beneficiaries, regardless of previous health conditions, and guarantee people's choice of medication, pharmacy, doctor and hospital. The plan that I supported would also give the Secretary of Health and Human Services the authority to use the collective bargaining power of 40 million beneficiaries to secure lower costs for the most popularly prescribed medications to end price gouging by the big drug companies. Minnesota seniors and persons with disabilities deserve better than the Republican bill that is before us tonight. I will only vote for a prescription drug benefit that is affordable and available to all seniors and disabled Medicare beneficiaries regardless of geographic location or health condition.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Conference Agreement on the Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1588), and in support of our armed forces and the service men and women who defend our great country, and their families. Unlike the Iraq War Supplemental, which I opposed, the FY04 Defense Authorization bill is not a ``blank check'' for the Administration. Rather, this bill was carefully drafted to address many of our military's most pressing needs. This legislation provides a substantial pay raise for service members, boosts military special pay and extends enlisted and reenlistment bonuses. Additionally, this legislation extends the military's TRICARE health coverage to National Guard and Reservists and their families if such service members have been called to active duty. We need to assure our military that as we continue to support their readiness capabilities, we remember the personal well being of the men and women in uniform as well as their families. The FY04 Defense Authorization bill also addresses the disabled veterans tax, or ``concurrent receipt'', by ensuring a significant number of disabled veterans will no longer be subjected to this unjust tax. As a cosponsor of H.R. 303, the Retired Pay and Restoration Act, I would have preferred the Defense Authorization bill include full concurrent receipt for all disabled veterans. However, this compromise is an important step forward and will allow the House to continue working toward the full elimination of the disabled veterans tax. While I am supporting passage of this authorization, there are several provisions of this legislation that I oppose. The first regards civil service protections for civilian employees at the Department of Defense (DOD). H.R. 1588 gives the DOD broad authority to strip almost 700,000 civilian employees of fundamental rights relating to due process, appeal and collective bargaining rights. This means the DOD will be able to fire employees with no notice and no opportunity to respond, prevent discrimination actions from being heard by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, strip employees of their right to join a union and repeal the laws preventing nepotism. Civil service employees at DOD have defended our nation bravely and made enormous sacrifices to support the military effort in Iraq. DOD should not be given unlimited authority to trample on their basic rights. H.R. 1588 also unnecessarily weakens long-standing environmental protections at our military facilities by lowering the accountability standard DOD must follow when recovering imperiled species under the Endangered Species Act. The new standard fails to ensure the DOD's conservation plans are actually effective in assisting the recovery of imperiled species. H.R. 1588 also creates a far less protective definition of `harassment' of marine life by military activities under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. This new definition allows DOD to avoid ensuring its activities are conducted in a manner to minimize harm to marine life such as whales, dolphins, and sea lions. Although I fully appreciate the importance of military training and readiness, the DOD has not made the case that exemptions to important and long-standing environmental laws are necessary or that training is greatly impaired because of those laws. Furthermore, the President already has the authority to waive environmental laws if he deems it a matter of national security, and not once has a waiver requested by the President been turned down. Until our national security is at stake, no government agency--including the DOD--should be above laws that preserve our air and water and sustain America's wildlife. This measure also authorizes $9.1 billion for the unproven and untested National Missile Defense system. This costly program fails to address the rising threat of a chemical or biological weapons attack by terrorists and will divert precious resources away from the very real human investments needed to keep our military, intelligence agencies and domestic security agencies strong. I have voted time again to remove funding for the National Missile Defense system, but the Republican Majority defeated each attempt. It is a mistake to fund this unproven program while our citizens at home are without the appropriate resources they need to respond to a terrorist attack on American soil. I have met with National Guard members, Reservists and regular military personnel who have chosen to put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms. They have sacrificed a tremendous amount, even when their service means putting their family's financial solvency at risk. We owe them our support and our gratitude. As I stated above, this is not a ``blank check'' for the President. Rather, this legislation will go a long way toward helping our troops in their time of need.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month our Nation took the time to honor and recognize the tremendous sacrifice our veterans have given to protecting our freedom and safeguarding democracy for us all. During this special time, it is important we remember all our veterans and thank them for their service. Today, however, I would like to specifically recognize our Korean War Veterans and their service to the United States. The Korean War resonates deeply with many Minnesota families. Through the duration of the conflict, close to 95,000 Minnesotans served their country with honor and courage, with 749 paying the ultimate sacrifice. Countless others lost their lives training for service in Korea. One hundred seventy remain missing. They were our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters. Their service was integral in ensuring that the long arm of communism would stretch no farther than the 39th parallel and their sacrifices enabled countless numbers of Americans and Koreans to raise their families and live their lives in freedom. As we reflect on their service, it is important to remember that the armistice ending military action in Korea signaled an end to the fighting, but not the war. Today, 37,000 U.S. military personnel remain in South Korea to supplement the 650,000-strong South Korean armed forces. These men and women serve to protect America's economic and political interests in the region, while ensuring our national security by providing a counter-balance to North Korea. The dangers our U.S. soldiers in South Korea face are very real and the merits of their courage is tested everyday. In Minnesota, the Korean War veterans remain very active. They visit hospitals, are active in their local VFW and American Legion and participate in parades. Many take time to visit schools in their area, talking to students about the Korean War and answering questions about military service. Recently, a large group ascended on Washington, D.C. to participate in Veterans Day events and to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. In D.C., they participated in the wreath- laying ceremony at Arlington Cemetery and took a tour of the U.S. Capitol, among other things. I am inspired by their continued patriotism and commitment to their families, the United States, and each other. As a former Minnesota State Legislator, I had the distinct privilege to help enable the creation of a memorial to Minnesota's Korean War veterans, that stands today at the Minnesota State Capitol. Near this grand memorial is a time capsule, to be opened 100 years after its burial. In it lie a U.S. flag, pictures and other memorabilia commemorating our war veterans and the important news of our day. The capsule also holds a letter to future generations of Americans. The letter asks those who read it to never forget the events of the past, and expresses hope that when the capsule is opened, our nation and the world will be at peace. I, like all Americans, share the optimism that when this letter is next read, the hope of its authors has become reality. I ask all Americans to never forget those of the ``forgotten'' war in Korea. At a minimum, Congress should grant the Korean War Veterans Association a Federal Charter, allowing the Association to expand its mission and further its charitable and benevolent causes. Specifically, it will afford the Korean War Veterans Association the same status as other major veterans organizations and would allow it to participate as part of select committees with other Congressional chartered veterans and military groups. While they seek no recognition for what they have done, it is important their story is told and the debt of their service is remembered. Thank you to all our Korean War Veterans. Your commitment to our country is greatly appreciated.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, due to a scheduling conflict, I was unable to vote on rollcall votes 620 to 623. Had I been present, I would have voted the following: On rollcall vote 620, S.J. Res. 22--Recognizing the Agricultural Research Service of the Department of Agriculture for 50 years of outstanding service, I would have voted ``aye''. On rollcall vote 621, S.J. Res. 18--Commending the Inspectors General for their efforts to prevent and detect waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement, and to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the Federal Government during the past 25 years, I would have voted ``aye''. On rollcall vote 622, H. Con. Res. 299--Honoring Mr. Sargent Shriver for his dedication and service to the United States of America, I would have voted ``aye''. On rollcall vote 623, on hour of meeting, I would have voted ``aye''.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the valuable work that is being done to aid victims of torture and in strong support of the Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2003. I commend my colleagues, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) for this important piece of legislation, and I commend the leadership of the House for bringing this bill to the floor today. Mr. Speaker, Minnesota is the home for the Center for the Victims of Torture, a world renowned treatment center for the healing of torture victims. When the center opened in 1985, it became the first of its kind in the United States and the third treatment center in the entire world. And right now the center is putting the final touches on a second clinic in St. Paul, Minnesota. In fact, this new clinic is only a few blocks from my home, and my neighbors and I welcome the center and their tireless commitment to serve torture victims. Mr. Speaker, the use of torture is a tool of intimidation, and the oppression continues to take place in more than 120 countries worldwide. It is estimated that one-third of the world's 12 million refugees are victims of torture. Many victims of torture are community leaders, those individuals who stand up and speak out for social change, political and religious change. The victims are often teachers, students, journalists, trade union organizers, human rights activists, or elected leaders, and they represent people of all ages, social classes, and religious beliefs. Groups that sanction and sponsor and commit torture focus on these leaders because they want to inflict terror, intimidation and fear on entire communities because torture is about control. Frequently, the aim of this brutality is not to kill the victim, but to break their will. In many instances, doctors and medical personnel participate during the torture sessions to ensure that the victim will not die. The victims are humiliated, crippled, traumatized and then returned to their communities as a brutal message of intimidation to others. Once a person has been tortured, their life has been fundamentally changed. But there is hope. Through this bill, thousands of torture victims living in the United States will receive the care that they need to heal and reenter society and lead positive, productive lives. The U.S. can be proud of the leadership we have shown in working to heal the victims of torture. Our country is a leader in the rehabilitation programs and continues to work to prevent torture around the globe. The world community should continue to look to the United States for leadership because in the struggle of torture, the American people have answered the call. Torture relief is providing hope and opportunity for victims and families. The treatment is working, but there is more that can be done. This legislation will double the current support for our Nation's treatment centers, ensuring hope and opportunity for victims to receive the care that they need. This legislation also creates a partnership by increasing funding for foreign treatment centers and strengthening our commitment to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. This bill sends a strong message to the international community that treating victims of torture is a priority and that we welcome the support of our like- minded friends around the globe. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to say that torture is a crime against humanity, unacceptable at any time by any nation, and any nation that tortures or tolerates torture is not truly free. Any government that silently witnesses the horrors of torture or hears the screams of the victims but does not act contributes to this oppressive, inhumane crime that extinguishes the essence of our human dignity. Today, this Congress has an opportunity to speak with one voice for those who have suffered the unimaginable and continue to suffer. The message is clear and simple: Support this bill. And I encourage my colleagues to not only support the legislation, but to help fund this legislation.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of James Charles Reiter. The city of St. Paul, Minnesota lost a dear friend on October 7, 2003. Jim Reiter was elected in 1998 to represent Ward 5 on St. Paul's City Council, but he always saw himself as just an ``Average Joe.'' In my eyes, he was much more than average. Council Member Reiter's service to St. Paul's North End went well beyond his career as an elected official. He worked hard to help provide for his family. Throughout his life, he was committed to his city and to improving the quality of life for his neighbors, friends and family. He brought dignity, hard work and humor to everything he did. Jim Reiter went to great lengths to protect and serve his community to the best of his ability. Perhaps the best example was his insistence on patrolling North End neighborhoods in a surplus St. Paul Police car. While some joked about his actions, Reiter truly believed in strong community partnerships with the police. Above all else, Jim Reiter was a committed husband and father. He worked tirelessly, sometimes two jobs at a time, to send his children to school. His family will miss a wonderful, loving family man. Council Member Reiter's friends and neighbors in St. Paul will miss his leadership and charisma. Mr. Speaker, please join me in remembering James Charles Reiter, a devoted public servant. My thoughts and prayers are with Darlene, his loving wife of 46 years; their five children: Deborah, Linda, Jean, James Jr., and Kristine; as well as four grandchildren: Michelle, Danielle, Michael and Kristine.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, due to an unexpected illness, I was unable to vote on rollcall votes 590 to 599. Had I been present, I would have voted the following: On rollcall vote 590, agreeing to the journal, I would have voted ``aye.'' On rollcall vote 591, the motion to recommit the conference report on H.R. 2115, the FAA Reauthorization Act, I would have voted ``aye.'' On rollcall vote 592, agreeing to the conference report on H.R. 2115, the FAA Reauthorization Act, I would have voted ``no.'' On rollcall vote 593, H. Res. 409, repudiating anti-Semitic remarks expressed by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, I would have voted ``aye.'' On rollcall vote 594, the motion to recommit the conference report on H.R. 2691, the Interior Appropriations Act, I would have voted ``aye.'' On rollcall vote 595, agreeing to the conference report on H.R. 2691, the Interior Appropriations Act, I would have voted ``no.'' On rollcall vote 596, H. Con. Res. 302, expressing the sense of Congress in welcoming President Chen Shui-bian of Taiwan to the United States, I would have voted ``aye.'' On rollcall vote 597, H. Res. 421, the martial law rule for same day consideration of the conference report of H.R. 3289, the Supplemental Appropriations Act of FY2004, I would have voted ``no.'' On rollcall vote 598, the Johnson motion to instruct conferees on the conference report of H.R. 6, the Energy and Water Appropriations Act, I would have voted ``aye.'' On rollcall vote 599, the Davis motion to instruct conferees on the conference report of H.R. 1, the Medicare Prescription Drug Act, I would have voted ``aye.'' I ask for unanimous consent that this be inserted into the Record.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3289, the Iraq War Supplemental. In my opinion, this massive $87 billion spending bill is flawed and should be sent back to the White House to be redrafted. There are three areas that if properly addressed would have made this a bill that would have served the interests of the American people, as well as the people of Iraq. First, this appropriation is 100 percent financed by deficit spending. The Bush administration has handed out trillions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans and created record setting deficits for middle-class Americans and their children to pay off. In fiscal year 2004 alone, it is projected that almost $600 billion in deficit spending will occur in 2004 alone. This unprecedented extreme of fiscal irresponsibility must be stopped. The ``emergency'' spending bill for Iraq should not be paid for by the next generation of Americans, but paid for today by rolling back the tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans making over $350,000 per year. Shared sacrifice does not mean that only our troops, their families, and the next generation of tax payers should shoulder the burden of the President's Iraq policy. Second, the Pentagon's practice of sole-source contracting in Iraq worth billions of dollars for Halliburton and Bechtel with no accountability to Congress or the American people cannot be allowed to continue. I find this noncompetitive contracting to be absolutely unacceptable. Given Vice President Cheney's on-going financial relationship with Halliburton, this situation is all the more troublesome. The emergency supplemental only perpetuates Halliburton's outrageous war pprofiteering at taxpayer expense. Finally, as U.S. troops attempt to rebuild Iraq they are targets of constant guerrilla attacks--now averaging more than 30 attacks a day, euphemistically called ``events'' by the Pentagon. With $63 billion appropriated only last April to the Pentagon, our service men and women still have not been provided with adequate necessities to keep themselves safe. Reports indicate our troops are short more than 44,000 Kevlar vests, they lack the jamming technology that prevents remote radio detonated bombings and they do not have adequate access to purified water or sufficient food rations. As tax dollars are appropriated for our military in Iraq, the needs of our troops must come first, not the neo-conservative political agenda of Secretary Rumsfeld or Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz. The Pentagon was provided more than $490,000 for each of the 130,000 soldiers in Iraq since April. Yet, today, U.S. troops are still without enough Kevlar vests or clean water--this is outrageous and more money is not the solution. Before billions more are simply handed over to bureaucrats in the Pentagon, Congress needs to ensure the needs of our troops on the frontlines are met and the Pentagon is held accountable. Over the course of the past 18 months, the Bush administration's policy toward Iraq has been aggressive, obsessive and pre-emptive. The distortions, manipulations, and politicization of national security intelligence related to Iraq allowed this White House to sell the American people a war in which an imminent threat did not exist, but was apparently manufactured. Now our troops are risking their lives in a guerilla war and occupation with no end in sight, while America's most pressing priorities at home are being neglected. Last year, I opposed the congressional resolution that gave President Bush a blank check to use our military and I have been very critical of the administration's policy actions since then. Nonetheless, as reality presents itself today, all of us--our troops, the American people, the Iraqi people and the international community--have a major stake in a stable, secure, and successful transition of control for United States occupation, to the international community and eventually complete Iraqi sovereignty. We cannot withdraw our troops and walk away from Iraq, but we must demand a better performance than the failure of this White House to appropriately plan for the reality of the situation in Iraq or in its dealings with the international community. President Bush must do a better job. This week, I will be traveling in the Middle East and inside Iraq. I hope to see the reality of the situation--the successes and the problems--faced by United States troops, civilians and the people of Iraq. But even before going to Iraq, I know it is time for this administration to tone down its harsh, unproductive rhetoric, work in a bipartisan fashion with Congress and work more positively with the international community for an accountable and sustainable plan for Iraq. Finally, even though the time has long past, it is never too late for President Bush to be honest with the American people about the extended commitment and sacrifice, both militarily and financial, all Americans will have to make to be successful in Iraq. This is an enormous challenge and the credibility and prestige of the United States is at stake.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, due to my participation in an International Relations Committee delegation to Iraq, I was unable to vote on rollcall 569 to 573. Had I been present, I would have voted the following: On rollcall vote 569, the rule to recommit the Conference Report on H.R. 2115--the FAA Reauthorization Act, I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall vote 571, the Marked motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 6--the Energy conference report, I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall vote 572, the Woolsey motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 1308--the Tax Relief, Simplification and Equity Act, I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall vote 573, the Brown motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 1, the Medicare Prescription Drug bill, I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall vote 570, H.R. 2359--the Basic Pilot Extension Act of 2003, I would have voted ``no.'' The Basic Pilot Program currently enables participating employers in various industries to verify if employees are legally authorized to work in the United States. H.R. 2359 goes much further than a simple extension of the program. In fact, this bill would enable states and local governments to use the databases to obtain citizenship and immigration status information on anyone--citizen or immigrant--for any purpose within their purview. This would expand the pilot program far beyond the context of employment and close to a national ID program with no privacy protections or safeguards against abuse by individuals within state and local governments. This bill would also expand the availability of the program from just 6 states to all 50, without first addressing the many privacy and inaccuracy concerns in the current program. For example, the immigration databases used to verify work authorization are inaccurate and outdated. In some cases, workers with authorization have been fired because of incorrect data in the system. Moreover, some employers have inappropriately used the database to pre-screen employees, without providing an opportunity for the prospective employee to challenge the accuracy of the data. Additionally, the House Judiciary Committee did not hold any hearings or mark-ups on the changes contained in H.R. 2359 despite the fact that this bill makes significant changes to existing law. For these reasons, I would have voted ``no'' on H.R. 2359, the Basic Pilot Extension Act of 2003. I ask for unanimous consent that this be inserted into the Record.