Tim Murphy

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, each week I come before Congress to remind my colleagues of areas of health care where we can save lives and money. This week I want to mention that timely prenatal care, or medical care for women before pregnancy, can also save lives and money. One million American women deliver babies annually without receiving prenatal care, and in the United States more than 250,000 low birth weight infants are born each year who may subsequently have higher risk for various handicaps, heart defects, respiratory illnesses, et cetera. Women who are diabetic or are depressed have higher risk for this. The average costs in investing to help save these risks can save us between $1 and $4 when providing prenatal care and reducing neonatal intensive care costs later. It is a good investment for America to continue, and public-private partnerships are a way of continuing to do this. I recommend Congress continue to look favorably on funding those programs that help provide prenatal care to continue to save lives and money. For further information, I suggest my colleagues go to my Web site, murphy.house.gov, to learn about this and other ways that we can save lives and dollars in health care costs.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to introduce the Environmental Restoration Act of 2005. I am joined in the introduction by Representatives Murtha, English, Hart and Peterson of Pennsylvania. It is fitting that this bill be introduced on the same day that the House will pass comprehensive energy policy legislation. This bill has the dual benefit of cleaning up a terrible environmental and health situation at the same time that it increases our energy independence. The Environmental Restoration Act of 2005 creates incentives for the cleanup of dangerous and unsightly waste coal, or gob, piles by utilizing the waste coal as a domestic energy source. The bill provides transferable tax credits for the clean and safe burning of waste coal as fuel for power generation. The bill will result in the creation of jobs, enhanced energy security, recycled energy recovery from waste coal, and restoration of blighted areas back to productive use. I want to highlight the environmental benefits of the legislation. This bill will produce electricity with a recycled waste energy resource. It will help clean up abandoned gob piles. There is over one billion tons of waste coal available on the ground today. Land will be restored to green space or productive use. Stream quality will be improved by eliminating sedimentation and acid mine drainage. Electricity will be produced with emissions lower than regulatory requirements. Finally, the need and number of refuse disposal facilities will be reduced. The bill applies to existing as well as planned and future waste coal processing facilities. Today such facilities exist not only in my State of Pennsylvania, but in Utah, West Virginia and Montana. I hope to see more of these efficient plants developed. I want to give an example of one of the Pennsylvania facilities that would qualify for credits under my bill--the Beech Hollow Power Project in Washington, Pennsylvania. Beech Hollow is a waste coal-fired power generation facility located in Robinson Township. The project is constructed on a 38-acre site immediately adjacent to a gob pile. The power generated will be transmitted via an interconnection with a transmission line owned by West Penn Power. The project has strong state and local support. There is a 17-year supply of waste fuel for this plant. Beech Hollow has received all of its state and federal clean air act permits, with the strong support of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. By using clean coal technology the plant and will exceed federal emission standards. Beech Hollow will produce 252,000 kilowatts of net electrical power, derived from clean energy. This will be enough power to supply about 240,000 homes. In addition to the significant environmental benefits associated with the removal of this large source of groundwater contamination, the Beech Hollow Project will also have significant and diverse positive economic impacts throughout the local community. For instance, between construction and operation, it is estimated that the project will generate a total of 7,906 full-time equivalent job years of employment in Pennsylvania. In the spirit of comprehensive energy policy and energy independence, I urge my colleagues to take a close look at this legislation. It is a prime example of how environmental protection and domestic energy use can go hand in hand.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and thank Chairman Joe Barton and my colleagues for their hard work on this much needed legislation. The war on terror has renewed our interest as a nation in reducing our dependence on energy imports and in diversifying our domestic energy sector. Through the Energy Policy Act of 2005, we can do just that through increased utilization of our coal supply; of nuclear energy; of renewable fuels such as hydrogen and of increased energy efficiency and conservation. In southwest Pennsylvania, no matter what we do or where we go, we depend on coal. Our computers, the companies we work for, our homes and schools, are powered by coal. The stigma on the burning of coal has always been its air emissions, but now major developments in clean coal technology will expand the benefits of coal in environmentally friendly ways. Establishing a comprehensive national energy policy which includes clean coal technology is the first step in accomplishing this task. There is more than 250 years worth of coal energy in the ground of southwestern Pennsylvania. It generates more than 55 percent of Pennsylvania's electricity and more than half of the nation's. Coal is America's most abundant energy resource, but to take full advantage of it we need to reduce emissions. Many plants have turned towards the use of natural gas, which in turn has led to less supply, tripling the price in the past decade. The increases in natural gas prices has cost 90,000 jobs in the chemical industry alone and contributed to three million manufacturing job losses. The Energy Policy Act allows for more than $250 million per year for the Department of Energy's fossil program for existing and new coal- based research and development. It calls for a national center for clean power and energy research as well as coal mining research efforts to reduce contaminants in mined coal. Research is to be focused on innovations at existing plants, new advanced gasification and combined cycle plants, advanced combustion systems and turbines as well as fuel- related research. There is $1.8 billion included for the development of new clean coal technologies to increase the demand for coal and create 62,000 jobs across the country, from building new plants to mining coal. This includes 10,000 high-paying research jobs in the fields of math, engineering, physics, and science. Each job in the coal industry created in Pennsylvania will generate seven supporting jobs such as barge operators and train engineers. An additional $2 billion included in the Energy Policy Act encourages the use of new equipment to better clean the air and higher-efficiency power generation machinery, making the use of coal more environmentally friendly. This will lead to increased jobs for virtually every industry in the region. Pennsylvania is already at the center of the country's coal production thanks to the hardest-working, most dedicated workers in the world. Clean coal technology will allow the region to prosper and meet America's energy needs for years to come. The bill also boosts production of clean natural gas to help alleviate soaring prices for the environmentally friendly fuel. Specifically, the bill breaks the bureaucratic logjam that has stymied work on approximately 40 liquefied natural gas facilities nationwide. Nuclear power is a vital part of the energy mix in this country and in our State. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 will encourage this clean- burning energy source by promoting the construction of new nuclear reactors. Building a nuclear reactor creates between 2,000 and 3,000 jobs. Running a nuclear reactor creates an estimated 1,500 jobs. These are highly trained trade or professional positions that pay well. The bill provides $2.7 billion for nuclear energy research and infrastructure support, including development of safe uses for spent nuclear fuel and advanced reactor designs, support for university nuclear science and engineering programs and establishment of a program dedicated to increasing the safety and security of nuclear power plants. Westinghouse here in Pittsburgh is a major developer of nuclear technology, and our universities are active in this area. To meet rising energy demands in the future, we need continued advances in energy efficiency and conservation--helping to reduce our demand on foreign supply and stimulating economic growth. Included in the Energy Policy Act are provisions that will save Pennsylvania consumers and businesses money spent on energy, so they can invest, spend and grow the economy and improve our standard of living. These include a package of energy efficiency, renewable energy and state energy measure that are key steps forward toward enhancing our natural economic drive to use existing energy supplies more efficiently. The bill authorizes more than $2 billion for a hydrogen fuel-cell program with a goal of launching hydrogen fuel-cell cars into the marketplace by 2020. Hydrogen fuel cells for stationary source use are being developed right here in Pittsburgh. Financial incentives in the bill will spur renewable energy companies to produce electricity from renewable and alternative fuels such as wind, solar, biomass and waste coal. Funding is provided for energy efficiency programs for public buildings, including schools and hospitals, and increased fuel efficiency requirements for federal vehicles. The Energy Policy Act expands the Energy Star program, a government- industry partnership for promoting energy-efficient products; establishes new energy efficiency standards for many new commercial and consumer products that use large amount of energy--providing sufficient savings on monthly energy costs; and dramatically increases funding for the Low Income Housing Assistance Program, low-income weatherization programs, and state energy programs to improve energy efficiency. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 recognizes that renewable fuels can be made from a variety of materials, including the animal fats and other biomass materials collected by renderers. Renderers collect and process materials generated from the livestock industry, as well as used cooking oils from restaurants. Rendering is environmentally beneficial because the reuse of these materials prevents pollution of surface and ground waters that might result from their improper disposal or management. Rendered materials are now used to make detergents, fabric softeners, perfumes, cosmetics, candles, lubricants, paints, plastics and biodiesel. Moreover, these materials can create renewable-based fuels and feedstocks that in turn reduce the amount of fossil fuel material needed to produce a gallon of motor vehicle fuel. For example, animal fats and other biomass materials can be introduced as renewable fuel feedstocks into the refinery processes, solely or in combination with other conventional fossil fuel derived components, in order to produce renewable fuels. This process will yield renewable fuel or renewable fuel blending components commensurate with the percentage of renewable material introduced to the process. In establishing the renewable fuel provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Congress has intended that these provisions allow the broadest use of renewable materials to produce fuels and renewable fuel blending components in order that we might reduce our use of virgin oil, increase our fuel diversity and decrease our dependence on foreign crude oil. Accordingly, implementing regulations should consider these types of uses and establish compliance mechanisms to account for the applicable volumes within the renewable fuel programs. Again, I want to thank Chairman Barton and all the Conferees for their hard work on this vital legislation and urge its quick passage.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, due to illness, I was not present in the chamber on Wednesday, July 27, 2005, and was regrettably unable to cast my vote on rollcall No. 432, rollcall No. 433, rollcall No. 434, rollcall No. 435, rollcall No. 436, rollcall No. 437, rollcall No. 438, rollcall No. 439, rollcall No. 440, rollcall No. 441, and rollcall No. 442. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 432, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 433, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 434, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 435, ``no'' on rollcall No. 436, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 437, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 438, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 439, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 440, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 441, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 442.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this time to pay tribute to Lance Corporal Ryan J. Kovacicek of Washington, Pennsylvania, part of the 18th Congressional District. Lance Corporal Kovacicek was killed July 10th from a mortar attack in the town of Hit, located in western Iraq. He died alongside Sergeant Joseph P. Goodrich, another member of his unit from Pittsburgh. Just 22 years old, Lance Corporal Kovacicek was a member of Kilo Company, a Marine Forces Reserve unit based in Moundsville, West Virginia. Like so many other young men and women in our reserves, Kovacicek was a student. A junior at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, he was studying criminology and played on the hockey team. He also lettered in hockey all four years he attended Bishop Canevin Catholic High School. Following in a long tradition of military service in his family, Lance Corporal Kovacicek enlisted in the reserves to help defend his country. His father, Joseph, served in Vietnam as a Marine, and his grandfather, Paul Karpan, fought with the Army in Europe during World War II. Understanding the true meaning of patriotism, Lance Corporal Kovacicek paid the ultimate sacrifice. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. God bless them, and all the members of the armed forces fighting the war on terror, and their families.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Madam Speaker, this is one of many bills we need to pass that deal with China and its continued policy of government support, pegging of its currency, not complying with trade laws. They have significantly lower wages, sometimes slave wages, in their plants. Over 90 percent of their steel production comes from government-owned steel mills. Their steel enjoys millions of dollars in government subsidies. China limits foreign participation in the wireless market by imposing severe regulatory requirements on telecommunications imports. The lack of intellectual property rights enforcement has resulted in epidemic levels of counterfeiting and piracy, causing serious harm to U.S. businesses. The implementation of questionable health standards affects what they will import from our agriculture. Their policies mandate the purchase of Chinese-owned software. They have a value-added tax on all non-Chinese semiconductors, which also hampers American manufacturers' ability to export to them. These unfair Chinese policies are hurting all American businesses, not just a few, and impact workers here. Only a strong American commitment to hold China accountable will bring about the changes necessary. Consideration of this bill is an important part of what we need to be doing in an extensive selection of things to hit back on China.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Chairman, although we may be living in the age of technology and more than a few of us cannot live without our e-mail, the United States Postal Service continues to serve a key role for both personal and business communications. With 9 million jobs and $900 billion in annual commerce dependent on services provided by USPS, consideration of this reform package could not come soon enough. In recent years, the U.S. Postal Service has struggled to perform its core mission of providing affordable mail service 6 days a week to every American. Today, the Postal Service operates under the same set of rules established in 1970; yet the service now delivers nearly 2\1/ 2\ times more mail to almost twice as many homes. Rising costs and financial losses, coupled with rate increases meant to remedy a declining fiscal situation, have left the Postal Service in a position that threatens the long-term viability of mail as an affordable, effective business communications channel. I am pleased H.R. 22 protects universal service while taking steps to alleviate the seemingly constant threat of rate increases by modernizing rate regulation and by freeing up $73 billion in civil service retirement savings that have been held in escrow. Accountability and transparency are of particular interest to me as there continues to be unresolved questions surrounding the unfair and inconsistent application of a postal regulation more than 5 years ago. This particular issue is one I have championed for some time, and while I am disappointed that we were unable to reach a resolution before the bill reached the House floor, I look forward to working with the committee and the Pennsylvania Senators on the issue of postal reform legislation moves into conference. Comprehensive legislation is 10 years in the making; and without the passage of this bill, we are putting in jeopardy millions of American jobs and the future availability of affordable mail service, the repercussions of which will be felt well beyond the mailing industry. In the last session of Congress when I was a member of the Subcommittee on Postal Reform and the Committee on Government Reform, we worked on this bill. I am pleased it has come before us, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 22.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, last week new data was released in Pennsylvania which found more than 11,000 patients acquired infections that resulted in 1,500 deaths and $2 billion in additional charges. These are new numbers for only one State and are almost half of the previous estimate for infection costs nationwide where tens of thousands of deaths and tens of billions of dollars are spent on infections and errors. When staff are encouraged to immediately report safety concerns, it saves lives and money. For example, at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, when staff were encouraged to bring attention to medical staff errors, it resulted in a 90 percent decrease in infections and half a million dollars in savings annually just in intensive care units. Congress owes it to the American people to improve the quality of health care in this country. The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act, of which I am a cosponsor, will increase legal protections for providers who disclose errors and a step in the right direction towards achieving this goal. I would urge my colleagues to visit my Web site at Murphy.house.gov to learn more about improving errors and improving patient safety.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of one of my constituents. On August 10, 2005, Wilma Bane Woodruff will celebrate her 100th birthday. Born August 10, 1905, in Cameron, West Virginia, Wilma is the youngest of three daughters born to William and Clara Fletcher Bane. On December 10, 1923, at the age of 18 she and Dorsey Woodruff were married. The couple raised four children: Willadeen Johnston, Frank, Ada Stimmel, and Eilleen Dobbin and spent 59 years farming in Southwestern Pennsylvania. After Wilma and Dorsey farmed as tenants for 13 years, they bought a 325 acre property on the main highway from Pittsburgh to Washington, PA The attractive white brick farmhouse and other buildings, lying across a deep valley, caught the eye of many travelers. It was here that Wilma and Dorsey raised beef cattle and sold hay and straw to manufacturers and other farmers. Dorsey was recognized as a Master Farmer in 1951. The couple bought two other properties in South Strabane and Hickory, PA, and in later years also raised horses. Dorsey passed away in 1982 and the farm is now the Woodruff Memorial Park. Wilma has been a member of the Chartiers Hill Presbyterian Church and North Strabane Grange for more than 70 years. She was also active in the A.A.R.P. and Senior Citizens of Canonsburg. At the age of 21 Wilma registered to vote, and she is very proud of the fact that she has never missed a year of voting until she was 96 years old. In her life Wilma has accomplished many great things, but perhaps the most important was raising her wonderful family of 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, I ask you in joining me to celebrate the life of Wilma Bane Woodruff. Her life has been a great influence to many people in Pennsylvania and across the country.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Chairman, I support the amendment under consideration. I also want to say that I am pleased to work on language that was included to authorize the Army Corps to study ways to provide additional flood relief in southwestern Pennsylvania, particularly the Chartiers Creek watershed. Over the years, many flood control projects have been built to minimize flood damage. However, as Hurricane Frances and Ivan made so clear, existing projects are inadequate. Last year's floods caused more than $260 million in damage in Pennsylvania, with Allegheny County the unwilling victim of most of it. Towns in my district incurred an estimated $60 million in damage; floodwaters killed one person and damaged more than 30,000 homes and businesses. To this day, many of my constituents in an already depressed area struggle to rebuild. Seventeen existing flood control projects have yet to be repaired or restored, and just this week, many of my local communities met to discuss leftover debris. Our towns cannot wait any longer for the projects authorized in this bill, and I encourage my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, obesity and obesity-associated annual hospital costs for children and adolescents have more than tripled over 2 decades, rising from $35 million in 1979 to $127 million in 2000. This alarming rise in childhood obesity has resulted in a generation of children with many of the medical complications historically associated with adults, such as hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, and heart disease. Adult obesity increases risks for over 20 medical conditions costing about $75 billion in medical expenses. Obesity prevention starts at home. Parents need to begin to teach personal responsibility early on, to eat healthy meals, and establish an exercise routine for their families. There is no Federal program that can improve the habits of our Nation's children better than a team of responsible parents. For our part, Congress should work with local communities to promote access to nutritious foods and physical activity programs that make healthy life-styles a priority, both in schools and the workplace. I ask that Members learn more about the costs and medical problems associated with obesity and other health care issues and urge them to visit my Web site at murphy.house.gov.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Chairman, due to official business speaking to the Circle of Friends for American Veterans, I was unavoidably detained and not present in the Chamber on Wednesday, June 29, 2005, and was regrettably unable to cast my vote on rollcall No. 336. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 336. Amendment Offered by Mr. Kennedy of Minnesota

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Chairman, speaking as a psychologist and one who has spent a career working with children, let me say that this amendment is misguided, misinformed, wrong for America, and wrong for medicine. First of all, this bill does not fund universal screening. HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt and SAMHSA Director Charlie Curie have both testified that mandatory screening of all children for mental illness has never been, nor will it ever be, a part of the Federal plan to respond to the Nation's mental health crisis. The President's New Freedom Commission on mental health clearly stated that schools should work collaboratively with families on mental health services and support to children. This amendment is another witch hunt against mental illness and its passage will only serve to further stigmatize mental illness. If our concern is about overmedicating children, let us deal with that. You do not deal with it by attacking screening. Just as pediatricians routinely screen newborns for heart and liver diseases and sickle cell anemia, appropriate mental health screening done by qualified professionals is vital to identifying mental health and the potential substance abuse problems of our youth. Screening does not cause diabetes, screening does not cause metabolic disorders, screening does not cause cancer, and screening does not cause hyperactivity. With over 75 percent of all prescriptions for antidepressants prescribed by non-psychiatrists, including pediatricians, OB-GYNs, and primary care practitioners, with little or no training in psychiatry, the answer is to do screening the right way with parental consent and by qualified mental health professionals, not to take away the ability to do it at all. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the Paul amendment to do what is right for medicine, what is right for mental health, and what is compassionate for those with mental illnesses.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Chairman, I understand one of the objections to the Obey amendment will be that it takes money from worker training programs and community health services. But I want to state that as a child psychologist, I cannot overstate the need to make the ability of quality, wholesome media a priority for our children, and I am certainly concerned about reducing these funds that would affect children's programming, as I am sure every Member is. In southwestern Pennsylvania, it has been the home of WQED, the first community-owned TV station, production center for many PBS programs, and also the home for Fred Rogers' programs with Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. It is extremely important, and I am hoping in conference, as I expect this amendment may fail, in conference the chairman may work to help restore some programming funds for public broadcasting. I believe it is important to have nonviolent, noncommercial programs, because so many other programs still have so much in there that appears to be just infomercials for children's programming. So I ask that as this proceeds, that the chairman work in conference and in other areas to help restore some of the programming funds that would help us with such important children's programming.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, due to official business relating to the visit of BRAC Commissioner General Lloyd Newton to the 911th Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve in my Congressional District, I was not present in the Chamber on Tuesday, June 21, 2005, and was regrettably unable to cast my vote on rollcall No. 288, rollcall No. 289, rollcall No. 290, rollcall No. 291, and rollcall No. 292. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 288; ``no'' on rollcall No. 289; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 290; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 291; and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 292.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, so often people come to this Chamber and say the way we deal with health care costs is to change who pays. What we need to talk about is what we are paying for. The Department of Defense Extended Shelf Life Program evaluated over 312 drug products and found that even though they were given a date of shelf life, many of them maintain their stability, safety and potency up to as much as an additional 107 months past their expiration dates. For the $3.9 million the military spent on stability testing on expired drugs, it saved $263 million. These are savings worth exploring, and I would urge my colleagues to support careful scientific review of expiration dates for prescription drugs and ask if the savings gained by the military can be applied to general health care spending. My colleagues can learn more about these ideas for savings and health care by visiting my Web site at Murphy.house.gov and continue to change the way we look at health care to what we are paying for.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, although I disagree with much of what the WTO does, I do not think it is in the best interest of our Nation to withdraw from that organization at this time. Doing so would give the United States little bargaining power as we work to promote a global economy that is both free and fair. Withdrawal would put in jeopardy negotiations that are necessary to meet that goal. However, my support for the long-term goal of more equitable international trade does not translate into blanket support, but it is difficult to ignore the fact that the U.S. is increasingly the target of WTO action. We are sued more than any other country, and our laws seem to be condemned by the WTO every month. We have been the defendant in 19 of the last 36 cases decided by the appellate body. These negative decisions have threatened American products and American businesses with sanctions. For example, in recent years the WTO has disapproved everything from our tax policies and trade laws to our sovereign right to regulate activity such as Internet gambling and set tariffs against unfair pricing by foreign countries. It is becoming all too clear that these decisions are not the result of any shortcomings by this country or any true violation of international rules; rather, one must wonder if we are facing a forum that sees our country's prosperity and economic success as an opportunity to further bolster their own industries and markets. It seems as though nations are using the WTO to gain through litigation that they could not secure through negotiation. But to help our economy, we cannot turn toward a simplistic, bellicose jingoism approach that blames the WTO and seeks protectionism as the answer to all. What we need to do on our own is to pass our energy policy that is otherwise costing us millions of jobs and to pass our own health care reforms to cut costs and not cut care. Free trade is in everyone's best interest, and the WTO negotiations are vital to securing new markets for American products and creating new jobs for American workers. The negotiations must ultimately bring us to a system that is fair for all member countries while respecting the fundamental rights of a nation to determine its own law. This administration needs to pay very close attention to the issue as we cannot sit idly by while the world unfairly threatens U.S. laws and remedies designed to protect our Nation against unfair practices. The WTO clearly is not operating always in the best interests of the United States of America. However, it is the forum that exists; and as such, we need to remain partners with those that are vigilant and vigorous defenders of both free and fair trade in that forum for the benefit of our Nation.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, Leon Koss said that good things men do can be made complete only by the things they refuse to do. Now I have no doubts about the compassion and convictions of both sides on this issue, but I take issue with the direction of their convictions, because in the end a life without a name is still a life. Words cannot take away that this is a life. By calling them ``discarded'' or ``unwanted'' embryos does not take away that they are still lives. While some may see this as scientific efforts of ingenuity and future Nobel Prize work, it does not take away the lethality of this research. Further, let me state that President Clinton's Bioethics Council stated: ``Embryos deserve respect as a form of human life.'' In 1999 the council said: ``Funding of embryonic stem cell research should be done only if there are no alternatives.'' The research that we have reviewed today and has been reviewed by this Congress in the past when these amendments have been looked upon over the last decade, is that there is still no alternative in the sense that the research is showing that cord blood stem cell research and adult stem cell research is where the results are found. I have as much compassion as anybody. I have worked with developmentally disabled kids all my professional life and would love to see cures for them, but I want to see the funding go in the direction where we can see success, where that direction has been achieved and we will continue to see that. But above all, let us remember that there are other things in medical research and medical ethics which come together here because you cannot divorce the two. If we say it is all right to use lethal methods in our research to remove the life of an embryo, what next? What next?

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding his time. You know, you cannot divorce medical research from medical ethics. And as such, it is critically important we are dealing here with medical facts. First of all, although many Members and the public and the media seem to get this wrong, the truth is, I believe we will have probably close to unanimous support for using Federal dollars for stem cell research, but it is important to understand the different types: Adult stem cell, which has much promise to harvest and grow these, although it has some risk for infections and other problems. Some 30,000 people have been treated. Umbilical cord, which is pluripotent. It can be used in multiple ways. Over 6,000 cases have been treated. Frozen embryo research, zero. And cloning has its own problems with that as well. In the area of umbilical cord blood, one of the cases, because in my practice, I oftentimes dealt with children with developmental disabilities. One case of the New England Journal of Medicine reports 90 percent success rate with Hurley's syndrome, a developmental disorder, autosomal dominant one, which ends up in severe developmental delays and death. Those are incredible results, incredible results that come from looking at the facts of what cord blood stem cell research is about. Let us not distort this discussion and confuse cord blood and embryonic, because when you are using cord blood, umbilical blood, you are not killing anyone. You are not limiting or destroying a life. You are taking something that has been discarded in the normal process of pregnancy and birth. Let us help support the continuation of this vital research which does not just show promise, but shows demonstrable results. And it does not involve the ending of any life in the process. This is where we should continue our research. This is where we must continue our work. This is where we must take our stand today, to continue to support medical research that is important. Look also at medical ethics.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, two quick health care issues. Each year vaccinations save $52 billion in health care costs and 33,000 lives. However, the government's policy of selecting the lowest bidder, combined with a fear of lawsuits, has driven manufacturers out of the United States. This contributed to last year's flu vaccine shortage, where 30 million doses were lost due when a foreign manufacturer's supply was contaminated. The U.S. Congress needs to follow through with incentives to secure more U.S.-based vaccine manufacturers. Secondly, today's news in the paper about Type II diabetes was disturbing. One point two million more cases appear per year, costing $132 billion. Type II diabetes is caused by poor diet and lack of exercise, and as Members of Congress we need to urge all Americans to make sure they take better care of themselves for this disease that causes stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and blindness. The risks are huge. The costs are huge. The benefits are great if we take better care of ourselves.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Madam Speaker, today I had the pleasure of meeting with a group of bright students from Jeannette High School in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. In today's world, so many high school and college students make information technology a common part of their everyday lives. They have learned so much about technology that it is commonplace in America to use a card to access your bank machine. In fact, anywhere in the world one can do that. We even take it for granted that you can take your car to have an oil change, and the person who is doing that oil change will be able to tell you all about your car, when your last oil change was done, where, how much, et cetera. But in America today if you try and access the same sort of information about your own health, your needs in a hospital, hospitals are often at a loss to gather that information. Even the best hospitals in America have that trouble. So today in America thousands of patients are having unnecessary tests, undergoing surgeries they do not need and taking harmful drugs due to our paper-based health care system, and the consequences are deadly and costly. Because of this, sadly, hundreds of patients will die today and thousands more will be put at risk. And all of this can be prevented. Simply put, paper kills. To solve this problem, I have introduced, along with my colleague the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy) the 21st Century Health Care Information Act, to make it easier for doctors to take advantage of new technologies, including electronic medical records and electronic prescribing into their everyday practices. Electronic medical records and electronic prescribing centralizes patient information in a secure and confidential manner to improve patient safety and increase the quality, availability and accessibility of health care. Congress can no longer ignore the over $100 billion in savings and the countless number of lives that can be saved by these new technologies. If you believe in saving lives and saving money, I would urge my colleagues to support this legislation to prevent further medical errors from taking the lives of those whom we hold dear. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues if they wish to learn more about the benefits of health information technology and this act to visit my website at murphy.house.gov.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution just agreed to.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday next.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, we are all concerned about the high cost of health care. Americans can take action to reduce costs by taking better care of themselves, and the Federal Government should play a lead role in helping out. For example, obesity-related diseases have annual costs of $100 billion. Yet 7 out of 10 adults are overweight and obesity rates among children have doubled in the last decade. Diseases associated with a lack of physical activity amounted to a yearly cost of $76 billion. The direct and indirect medical costs of smoking are $138 billion per year, and the costs of alcohol abuse are about $184 billion in one year. Businesses that educate people about healthy lifestyles can reduce health care costs. Companies like Motorola, Caterpillar and Johnson & Johnson have saved $1 to $4 in benefits for every dollar spent on these programs. The Federal Government should lead by example and leverage Federal resources to promote preventive health care solutions to educate the public on health risks and personal responsibility to prevent these avoidable conditions and health care costs. Want to learn more? I encourage my colleagues to visit my Web site at murphy.house.gov to learn more about these issues.

Mr. MURPHY

Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at noon on Monday next, and further, that when the House adjourns on that day, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10, 2005, for morning hour debates.