Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 234, a resolution to condemn bigotry and violence against many vital ethnic communities in the United States; and I want to say, unfortunately, many individuals including South Asian Americans, Arab Americans, Sikh Americans, and Muslim Americans have been targets of hate crimes for decades, being subject to assault, verbal slurs and property damage; but since the 9/11 attacks, there has been a significant backlash against men and women from all of these communities. In my own district in New Jersey, I represent a number of Indian Americans, both Hindu, Muslim and Sikh, who have been targets of violence and discrimination. To my knowledge, eating establishments and places of worship have been damaged and vandalized as a result of systematic bigotry and racism. Moreover, South Asian Americans are specifically being targeted with violence because in the minds of some they had been inaccurately associated with those responsible for the 9/ 11 attacks. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to mention specifically the Sikh American community because at several forums that I held after 9/11 two years ago, they in particular came to the forums. I remember one specifically at Rutgers University in my district where many of them had talked personally about the problems that they had. The Sikhs, as many of my colleagues know, wear the turbans usually, and they also carry a symbolic, although it is not a real knife, a symbolic sort of something that looks like a knife; and they in particular I know have been the subject of many of these attacks. We need to be very clear about the fact that the Sikh American community in no way was responsible for anything related to 9/11. In addition to that, I know that the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) and I at the time of 9/11 two years ago, just a few days later, there was one of our constituents from Milltown, I represented Milltown at the time. My colleague represents Milltown now, but we had one of the most reprehensible of these attacks that was perpetrated on Waqar Hasan, a resident of Milltown who had recently moved to Texas. This was only 4 days after 9/11 on September 15. He was shot to death in his Texas grocery store in the most extreme form of misplaced revenge since the 9/11 tragedy. Mr. Hasan, his wife and four daughters are Muslims who emigrated to the United States in 1990, full of the hope and excitement that many new immigrants feel as they begin their lives afresh in America as Americans. But that happiness was cut short not by terrorists a million miles away but by a fellow American who felt justified in taking the life of an innocent man and destroying the lives of a wife and four children out of bigotry and hatred. This spate of attacks on innocent Americans like Mr. Hasan around the country is a reprehensible reaction to a tragedy that befell all of America on 9/11, and they must not be tolerated. Let me just say, Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution. It condemns such acts of hatred against innocent individuals. I also believe that Congress must support the enforcement of hate crime laws, provide support and protection to targeted ethnic communities, and reject policies that are inherently biased against South Asian Americans and Arab Americans.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to express my support for the Bishop motion for several reasons. First of all, as the previous speaker mentioned, the biggest problem with the Republican so-called drug benefit, because I do not think it is that at all, is that it is not generous enough. This is a voluntary program. If seniors feel they have to pay more out-of-pocket than they actually are going to gain by paying a premium for this drug benefit, they are not going to opt for it, and it is going to be meaningless. I think that is the problem with the House Republican bill. Even the bill that the other body passed, although better, has the same problem. The benefit is not generous enough, not meaningful enough for the average senior citizen to want it. If we look at the gap in coverage, the so-called doughnut hole, the House Republican bill leaves beneficiaries 100 percent financially liable for all prescription drug costs between $2,000 and $4,900 in drug spending. So they are going to get some help, I think rather meaningless help, up to $2,000, and then there is the catastrophic above the $4,900; but in between, they are paying 100 percent of the costs. This leaves beneficiaries with a gap of $2,900 where they still must pay premiums, but get absolutely no coverage for their plan. So they are going to be paying so much a month under the House Republican plan, but after $2,000, they have to pay 100 percent even though they are paying a premium. If they figure out what it is going to cost them out-of-pocket, as opposed to what they are getting, they will not even opt for the drug benefit because it will not be worth its value. The Bishop motion says rather than leave this gaping doughnut hole, why not eliminate the health savings accounts, which is a totally meaningless proposal which just helps some rich people and use the money that the House Republicans allocate from that, $174 billion over 10 years, to try to fill in at least part of the gap for the doughnut hole so that seniors get something for their value and the drug benefit has some meaning. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the health savings accounts that are included, this bogus proposal included in the House Republican bill, costs $174 billion over 10 years. The health savings accounts provision will undercut employer-provided health care coverage. The benefits are available only if individuals are covered by high-deductible plans, in other words, plans providing no coverage for at least the first thousand dollars of medical expenses. A deductible of that size is approximately double the deductible of most employer plans. So what does it mean? The provision will encourage employers to reduce coverage for workers and their families by increasing deductibles and shifting even more costs onto employees. The resulting cost savings will be enjoyed by the employer because there is no requirement that those savings be passed onto the employee. For many American families, the tax benefits are completely worthless. The only thing they would receive from the health savings account provision is reduced health care coverage. Most American families will not be able to take advantage of the tax shelter in these provisions because they do not have $4,000 per year in additional savings. The health savings account provisions are designed to benefit employers and upper-income management, not rank-and-file employees. Mr. Speaker, I just want to be clear, the serious limitations of this prescription drug benefit really need to be resolved so there is some benefit. I am just trying to make it perfectly clear. We have a lousy benefit with this huge, gaping doughnut hole. It needs to be filled up in some way so the benefit has some meaning, and the best way to do it is to get rid of this huge boondoggle, $174 billion over 10 years from the health savings accounts, that is not going to help anybody. It is probably going to reduce employer coverage. For the life of me, I cannot understand, of all of the motions that we have had on this issue, of all of the motions to instruct, this is the easiest for those on the other side to buy because they know when they go home and they talk to their constituents at home, a lot of them are concerned that the coverage in the House bill is meaningless, and they talk about the doughnut hole. If you have a forum, this is what the seniors talk about. Why not take away this lousy provision, the health savings account, which basically is not helping anybody, and use it to make a more generous benefit that maybe in conference, we could convince people on both sides, both in the Senate and the House, to adopt this as part of a conference report and have a meaningful drug benefit. I would urge my colleagues to support the Bishop motion. I think it makes a lot of sense, and it should be passed on a bipartisan basis.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the accomplishments of Mr. Joseph M. Ferraina, a man of true character and compassion. Mr. Ferraina is being honored as ``Man of the Year'' by the Long Branch Elks in New Jersey for the many contributions he has made to his community. I can think of no one more deserving to receive this award. Mr. Ferraina's accomplishments are extensive. Through his ``can do'' attitude and determination he has overcome many obstacles in life. At age thirteen, Mr. Ferraina emigrated from Argentina to America. At the time, he did not know any English and found himself in third grade classes when he was the age of a ninth grader. Despite a lack of faith and encouragement from school counselors, Mr. Ferraina persevered, ultimately earning his Bachelors of Arts Degree from Jersey City State College and a Masters Degree from Monmouth University. He has also continued to do graduate work at both Seton Hall University and Rider College. Mr. Ferraina has had a long and brilliant career in education where it began as a Spanish teacher in the Long Branch Junior High School in 1973. By 1978, he became Assistant Principle only to be become Principle of the Middle School four years later. In 1992 Mr. Ferraina was chosen as Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent of Schools in 1994. In 2000, he was given the honor of New Jersey Superintendent of the Year for his numerous innovative programs and practices. Mr. Ferraina is an active member in the Long Branch Rotary Club where he has served as president. He is on the Monmouth Medical Center Board of Trustees and the Ronald McDonald House Board of Directors. In addition, Mr. Ferraina is member of The Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council, the first aid squad, the Board of Directors of the Greater Long Branch Chamber of Commerce, and the Long Branch Free Public Library Board of Trustees. This is just a sampling of Mr. Ferraina's community based affiliations, and indicative of his commitment to serving the community. Mr. Ferraina has been recognized on many occasions for his noble endeavors. In 1998 and 1999, he received a proclamation from New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman for offering BEST PRACTICES, which are outstanding and innovative school programs. Active in a variety of civic and educational organizations, he was named Principal of the Year by the Monmouth County Elementary and Middle School Administrators Association in 1991. Among many other awards and honors, Mr. Ferraina has received a Resolution of Appreciation from the City of Long Branch, the Community Involvement Award from the Knights of Pythias, the Community Service Commendation from the Superior Court of New Jersey, and the Humanitarian Award from the NAACP of Long Branch. Mr. Speaker, it is apparent that Mr. Ferraina has and continues to be an asset to his community for his tireless devotion to educating our youth. Accordingly, I ask that my colleagues rise up and join me in honoring this most respectable man, Mr. Joseph M. Ferraina.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence) for being honest about what he is trying to accomplish with this motion, but I have to say that his comments were very upsetting to me. Because if we listen carefully to what he said, it was a radical proposal. He said it was not radical, but it was extremely radical for the following reason: he said he does not want Medicare to be an entitlement. He said he wants means testing to extend to the entire Medicare program. And that is what the Republican ideology is all about. They do not want the Medicare program the way it was set forth 40 or 50 years ago when it was first set forth in this House of Representatives as a program that applies to every American senior. Right now, every American senior gets the same benefits wherever they live, regardless of their income, regardless of their race, or regardless of anything, as long as they are a senior citizen. But if we listen to what the gentleman from Indiana said, what they would like to do through means testing is say that the program will be limited only based on one's income. Now, in this motion to instruct, they say that seniors who earn more than $60,000 a year, $120,000 for couples, will not have the catastrophic coverage which is above $5,100 in the House bill. But if we listen to what the gentleman said, there would be nothing to stop us; in fact, he probably advocated today to perhaps lower that threshold below $60,000. Maybe next year or next month we will make it 30 or 40, or perhaps we will extend it to other parts of the program. So it would not just be for the catastrophic coverage, but maybe for the drug coverage in general, or maybe for the whole Medicare program. I, listening to his remarks, would have to conclude that he would not have a problem means testing hospital care or doctors' care, so that if one is making $60,000 or more per year, maybe one would get hospital coverage under Medicare. Well, that is what this Republican leadership is all about. Let us not forget that the Republicans did not vote for Medicare back in the 1960s when it first began. Let us not forget that many of the leadership, including Speaker Gingrich a few years ago, said that Medicare should wither on the vine, whatever that means; and that is what this motion is all about. They wanted to kill Medicare ultimately. They want to make it so limited that it only applies to a few people. Now, I heard the argument. One of them was philosophical: well, it is just not right to cover everybody. But then I also heard the fiscal argument, which was, well, we cannot afford it anymore. Why can we not afford it? Well, we can afford it. But the reason they have made it more difficult to afford is because they have implemented all of these tax cuts for the last 2 years on the Republican side with a Republican President, and they are borrowing money from the Medicare trust fund to pay for the debt that has resulted from those tax cuts that have mainly benefited wealthy corporations and wealthy individuals. So they are forcing Medicare to go broke because they are borrowing from it and making the trust fund not have the money that it should have that people have paid into. Mr. Speaker, I am extremely upset because on the one hand, I appreciate the gentleman from Indiana's honesty and the philosophy and the idealogy that he has laid up here, but on the other hand it is upsetting to me to think that people really feel that way and they want to do this to the Medicare program. Think about it. In my home State of New Jersey, they say $60,000 is a lot for a person, or whatever the figure is for a couple. Well, $60,000 is still middle class in New Jersey, and I am very fearful of the domino effect. Well, if we have another tax cut in another 6 months or a year and we borrow more from Medicare and we say we do not have the money, then they will reduce it to $50,000 or maybe $40,000. Well, what happens to the Medicare program? As my colleague from Ohio, the ranking member on our subcommittee, said, at some point, at some point, the Medicare program does not have the political support anymore because fewer and fewer people will be able to take advantage of it. That is what this is all about: killing Medicare. That is what my Republican colleagues are up to.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, over the next couple of weeks, we will vote on a huge $87 billion supplemental appropriations bill to further fund the war in Iraq. Madam Speaker, this is a very serious piece of legislation. It is the largest supplemental appropriations bill in our Nation's history. While it is critically important that we get our military troops all the resources they need, I do not support rubber-stamping this legislation so this administration gets a free ride from Congress and does not have to account for its strategy in Iraq. Tough questions need to be asked. Madam Speaker, how could the Bush administration underestimate so badly the cost of the war? Bush administration officials either dramatically underestimated the costs or were misrepresenting their estimates to Congress before the war. Before being forced out of the Bush administration, Secretary of Treasury Larry Lindsey estimated the cost of the war would be between 100 and $200 billion, but other officials in the administration scoffed at that estimate, saying it would be a lot less. In fact, OMB Director Mitch Daniels estimated the cost at as little as $50 billion. If we combine the military costs in the first supplemental and the $65 billion included in this latest supplemental, we get $132 billion, $132 billion, much higher than the estimates, obviously, from the Bush administration. Just one week after the war began, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz told the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Defense, ``We're dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon.'' Yet the Bush administration comes to Congress requesting $20 billion for reconstruction costs in Iraq. Was the administration bending the truth 6 months ago? Madam Speaker, the American people are skeptical about these reconstruction funds. We really cannot blame them. In five of the largest areas of reconstruction, we will be spending considerably more money per capita in Iraq than we spend on our own people here at home. The Bush administration proposal calls for $3.7 billion to fund repairs and improvements to water and sewage services in Iraq, a great funding proposal from an administration that is certainly no friend of environmental policies here at home. In fact, the administration called for a 25 percent cut in the number of EPA clean-water sewage treatment grants over the past year here in the United States. Madam Speaker, the Iraq supplemental calls for $900 million to construct, repair, and equip hospitals in Iraq, 10 times as much per person as we are spending on repairing and constructing our own hospitals, clinics, veterans medical facilities, and U.S. military medical facilities. Months after the largest power blackout in our Nation's history, the Iraq supplemental calls for $6 billion to rehabilitate the electric power infrastructure of Iraq at a per capita cost of $250.32. Here in the United States we do not even spend a single dollar to upgrade our electrical grid. Madam Speaker, we all understand that Iraq must be rebuilt, but does this Nation have to bear the brunt of the costs? Tough questions must be answered by this administration over the next couple of weeks, and I only hope that they are more forthcoming than they have been in the past.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I actually did not come tonight to discuss Iraq or to respond to what my colleagues said on the Republican side, but I could not help but when one of my colleagues got up and showed that book bag and I think suggested that there were over a million Iraqi children that were going to receive that very nice book bag, I just could not help but think, well, what about all of the American children that went to school; I do not remember any of them getting a free book bag. So part of the problem is that when the Republicans talk about all of these wonderful things that are going to be given to the Iraqis, they seem to forget that many of these things, whether it is education or health care needs, are not provided to our own citizens here in the United States. But in any case, Mr. Speaker, this evening I want to mark the 43rd anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Cyprus. Since the end of 80 years of British rule in 1960, this remarkable island of Cyprus and its people have endured great hardships and great triumphs. Despite being divided for the past 29 years, Cypriots have not given up hope to one day see the end of the Turkish occupation and the reunification of the island. I recently traveled to Cyprus in August; and I firmly believe that all people, Greek, Turkish, Armenian and all of the inhabitants of the island, want to see the end of the intransigence of the Turkish leaders and greet each other as fellow citizens once again. As we all know, Mr. Speaker, on July 20 of 1974, Turkey unilaterally invaded the sovereign nation of Cyprus, resulting in the ethnic cleansing of the northern third of the island of Greek Cypriots. This action was, and continues to be, widely condemned by the international community. And dozens of U.N. resolutions have been passed about this illegal occupation. And the European Union has made it clear that Turkey's entrance into the European Union eventually will be based in part by its ability and willingness to settle the situation in Cyprus. Now, I have to say many of us know that this past year there seems to have been an opportunity to reunify the island and even the Turkish occupation of the northern part of Cyprus because Cyprus, it was finally agreed, would enter the European Union on its own. In fact, the accession to the European Union is scheduled to take place next May in 2004. In April of this year the decision was finally made by the European Union to accept Cyprus as a member. The United Nations under Secretary General Annan put together a plan for the reunification of Cyprus. And back in the early part of this year, there were negotiations between the Turkish occupied government in the northern part of Cyprus and the government in Nicosia, the Greek government which represent the entire island as well as the Turkish government. And we were hopeful that there would be some agreement on a reunification plan before the decision was made in April that Cyprus would join the European Union. It certainly made sense to have Cyprus join the European Union as a unified island. But unfortunately because of the intransigence by the Turkish-Cypriot leader, Ralph Denktash, those talks led to nowhere. And everyone agreed, not only the Secretary General of the U.N. but also our government agreed and specifically stated that the reason why the talks broke down and no unification plan under the auspices of the U.N. was adopted was because the leader of the Turkish Cypriots, Mr. Denktash, refused to budge and refused to effectuate any real negotiation according to the U.N. plan. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to share my outrage over a statement made by Mr. Denktash yesterday. Frustrated by the unity of the international community identifying him as the obstacle to reunification, he compared Secretary General Kofi Annan's plan for the reunification of Cyprus with the genocide committed by President Milosevic of Yugoslavia. Now, that is an outrage in itself. Here is the U.N. under the Secretary General trying to bring peace to a divided island, trying to reunify the island for all its people, and that is compared to the genocide by the President of Yugoslavia? For Mr. Denktash, a man that has repeatedly flouted the will of the U.N. and his own citizenry, this ridiculous claim is, I think, the most egregious action that he has taken so far. It is not enough for him, it seems, to operate outside international norms; he must now accuse the U.N. of committing the worst of crimes against humanity. Mr. Speaker, I sent a letter to Mr. Denktash today which I would insert into the Record. October 1, 2003. Mr. Rauf Denktash, Washington, DC. Mr. Denktash: I was shocked to learn of your comments yesterday in an interview with the Anadolu Agency that compared United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan with indicted war criminal Slobadan Milosevic. This could not be further from the truth. Milosevic is accused of the worst of crimes against the ethnic Albanians, and Kofi Annan works tirelessly for the advancement of global truth and justice. In order to set the record straight, I ask that you issue an apology to the Secretary General and recommit yourself to the reunification process with Greek Cyprus. Your statement clearly is not helpful to the reunification process of Cyprus. In sharp contrast, Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos has proven to bend over backwards in order to move the talks forward. After the failure of the talks in March at The Hague, he did not waiver from his determination to arrive at a solution, stating that despite his ``understandable sense of disappointment, we will not abandon our efforts for a Cyprus solution, which would be functional and viable.'' It is also evident that you are not truly representing the will of your own citizenry. As you well know, tens of thousands of Turkish Cypriots protested in support of the U.N. plan for reunification with Greek Cyprus earlier this year. They demanded that they be given the same rights that are enjoyed by the Greek Cypriots, and reunite the country once again after 29 years of division. Your decision to open up the border to Cypriots on both sides for daily trips was a positive first step towards the cessation of tensions, but a first step is all it will remain if you do not return to the negotiating table. A solution can still be reached in the Cyprus problem. You still have the chance to heed the advice of the international community and the demands of your own people. An apology regarding your recent comments about Kofi Annan, accompanied by a sincere commitment to the reunification talks, will go a long way for the people of Cyrpus to have their country back. Sincerely, Frank Pallone, Jr., Member of Congress. Mr. Speaker, in that letter I demanded that he apologize for his statement and recommit himself to the U.N. peace process. His behavior further demonstrates what Mr. Annan stated about how it was solely Mr. Denktash who was the reason why these reunification talks broke down. I would ask him to start up the reunification talks again. This is what should be done, not making these outrageous statements about the U.N.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Alabama for yielding me this time. I want to point out I have been on this floor so many times making the same point which is that my Republican colleagues, including the gentleman from Minnesota, keep talking about the House bill, the House- passed Republican bill, and how that is so much more generous and is going to provide much more tax relief than the bill that passed the other body. But the bottom line is we know that this House bill will never become law. And the whole purpose of this exercise was to make sure that these kids and their families making between the 10- and 20- something thousand dollars a year annual income would be able to get the same kind of child tax credit or relief as the other families of higher incomes. And so the other body passed a bill that would simply do that and nothing more. It cost, I think, about $3.5 billion, and it was paid for by some kind of increased customs duty, fully paid for. It does not increase the debt. What the Republicans in the House do, they come in and say that is not good enough. We have got to pass a much larger bill. I think it is $80 billion, but there is no money to pay for that. So when our Republican colleagues in this House keep saying they want this larger bill that is going to do all these wonderful things and provide all this additional tax relief, that is just another way of saying we do not want anything because they have not had the conference even meet. The two bodies have not gotten together. The chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means has made it quite clear that he is really not interested in having any kind of compromise or effort to reach out to the other body on this issue. So we have a stalemate because the House Republicans refuse to have a conference, refuse to meet, and refuse to simply go along with the bill passed by the other body. So I mean this is becoming increasingly a joke. The bottom line is the House Republicans have no intention of ever passing anything that is going to pass both houses and go to the President's desk. And unless that happens, it is just a cruel hoax on these families that they are ever going to get any kind of relief. I am not interested in hearing what is going to happen in 2 years or what is going to happen with the people that are not directly impacted by this. We have already had several tax cut bills that have provided money back to taxpayers, mostly at the high end. We just simply want to address this problem for these people in this income bracket who are working, who are paying taxes, and who need some relief. And it is a question of fairness; they should get the same $400 that everybody else gets. I have mentioned many times, July came around, I got a $1,200 check. A Member of Congress, I guess we make about $150,000 a year. I have three children, so I got $1,200. But the other person on my block who is at the lower-income scale, still working as hard I am, they did not get the money, and it is not fair. As far as the military is concerned, they can just take up the bill that is at the desk here and provide the relief to the military families. But do not talk to us about this House bill that is more generous, is going to provide more money, provide more tax relief. That is ``pie in the sky.'' We have a $500 billion deficit. That is never going to happen.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to laud the accomplishments of Mr. John C. Rakkou as a businessman and a dedicated member of his community. Mr. Rakkou is the President and CEO of the Interbank of New York and the recipient of this year's Humanitarian and Philanthropic award presented by the Cyprus Federation of America. Mr. Rakkou was born on April 17, 1938 in the small town of Korisos in the prefecture of Kastoria, Greece. He received his first college degree in forestry in 1959 and later honored his country by serving in the Royal Army of Greece until he was honorably discharged in 1961. After marrying his wife in September of 1961, the couple immigrated to the United States in 1962. In pursuit of higher education, Mr. Rakkou enrolled at The City University of New York where he received his Bachelor's Degree in Economics. He later completed his Masters Degree in Economics from CUNY. After graduation, and with the addition of two children to his family, Mr. Rakkou joined the Atlantic Bank of New York, initiating thereby a long and successful career in banking. While there he stood out amongst his colleagues for his dedication, extreme work ethic, and overall performance, which subsequently contributed to his professional advancement to Executive Vice President in charge of the Commercial Lending Activities Division of the bank. Mr. Rakkou's past performance, degree of expertise, and dedication to his profession were more effectively demonstrated in 1993, when he joined, as President and C.E.O., the Interbank of New York. It was at this small community bank, where Mr. Rakkou found pleasure in serving his community by creating and providing jobs for community members and contributing to the economic improvement of the area. Mr. Rakkou furthered his genuine love for his neighbors, by joining the Community Board of St. Spyridon Church in Washington Heights, where he was elected president for 2 consecutive years. He served for several years as a member of the School Board of the Th. Tsolainos and C. Goulandris Parochial School in New York. Mr. Rakkou was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the St. Michael's Home for the Aged in Yonkers, NY, and served as treasurer for 3 years. In addition to these and many other accomplishments, in 2002 Mr. Rakkou was honored with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, an award that pays tribute to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to America. Once again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Mr. Rakkou for his tireless dedication to his community both professionally and civically, and I ask that my colleagues rise and join me in honoring the distinguished Mr. John C. Rakkou.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, this afternoon I would like to discuss the issue of health disparities. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, we have a system of delivering health care in the United States that has resulted in severe disparities along racial and ethnic lines in health care access, quality of care, and also health outcomes. All Americans deserve equal treatment in health care, and in an effort to appropriately address this issue, Democrats will soon offer legislation to eliminate these racial and ethnic health disparities. Mr. Speaker, there are several principles that I would like to highlight that will be reflected in the Democrat's bill. I emphasize that Democrats are committed to ensuring that minority communities aren't burdened by higher prevalence or incidence of disease and illness than the general population. Some of these principles involve expanding the health care safety net. There is a lack of health insurance for many minorities and also access to adequate health services. This results in significant declines in health status within racial and ethnic minority communities. Also, we need, and this is the second principle, to diversify the health care workforce. Efforts must be made to recruit and train health care professionals from underrepresented groups. Third, we have to ensure that health care access is made in compliance with civil rights laws. There are many people with limited English proficiency in the country that have a difficult time accessing federally conducted and supported programs. Persons with limited English proficiency should not be inhibited from accessing vital health care services, paid for often by their families and their own personal Federal income taxes. Fourthly, we have to promote the collection and dissemination of data that is helpful to give indication of disparities amongst minorities. In order to fully understand the scope of health care disparities, it is necessary to have data on an individuals' health care access and utilization that includes race, ethnicity, primary language, immigration status and socioeconomic status. Fifth, Mr. Speaker, we have to combat diseases that disproportionally affect racial and ethnic minorities. Existing research has illustrated that diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, asthma and HIV/ AIDS disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minorities. Federal initiatives should focus on preventing and treating these diseases, educating all communities about their impact, and identifying the behavioral, emotional and environmental factors that contribute to these diseases. Next we have to enhance medical research that benefits these communities. It is important that Federal medical research be conducted by and on behalf of racial and ethnic minorities. Lastly, I want to emphasize, Mr. Speaker, prevention and behavioral health. Estimates suggest that as much as 50 percent of health care costs are caused by behavior-related illnesses, including heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and substance abuse. Cultural and social factors can contribute to the behavioral patterns underlying these illnesses, and intervention is necessary to prevent such illnesses and save billions of dollars in health care costs. Now, Mr. Speaker, I wanted to talk about in the context of the overall issue of disparities and the principles that the Democrats seek to initiate in this legislation that we are soon to introduce, I wanted to pay particular attention to the problems of Native Americans because I am the vice chair of the Native American Caucus. And Democrats feel that, in particular, when we address health care disparities, we cannot leave out Native Americans. Native Americans have been subject to extreme discrimination in health care access and, as a result, they are a population with overall low health status. Some of these issues will be addressed in not only the legislation I mention, but also in a hearing tomorrow in the House Committee on Resources where we will be holding a hearing on the Indian Health Care Improvement Act which is vital, I think, to the health care and well- being of American Indians as well as Alaskan natives. The focus of the hearing tomorrow will be on Title I of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act which deals with Indian health, human resource, and development in an effort to address the need for an adequate supply of health care professionals in the Indian health system and creating more opportunities for Native Americans to pursue health careers. I want to emphasize, Mr. Speaker, that Congress has never funded Indian health care at a level that would result in health services that are comparable to services received by other Americans. So the big problem in the disparity issue, with regard to Native Americans, is making sure there is adequate funding for the Federal Indian Health Service Program. The Native American population is approximately 40 percent rural and predominantly lives in geographically dispersed areas with low population density. And this demographic aspect makes access to health care more difficult. There are Indian Health Service facilities available throughout the country, however, there are still some States that completely lack any Indian Health Service facilities. Overall, Mr. Speaker, I believe access to primary health care and prevention services is good amongst Native Americans. However, beyond primary care, the situation quickly gets worse. For example, speciality services are sparse. What services are available are typically overcrowded and patients are often prioritized. So we must address these issues, and I hope they can be addressed both in the Democratic health disparities legislation and in the hearing we have tomorrow on the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to laud the accomplishments of Mr. Benon V. Sevan, and his 38 years of service to the United Nations Secretariat. Mr. Sevan, a national of Cyprus, is the recipient of the Life Time Achievement Award presented by the Cypress Federation of America. This award is given to an individual that has shown how valuable and effective they have been during their time with the United Nations. It is clear to me that Mr. Sevan is truly deserving of this award because of his dedication and diligence with every project that he has taken on. Over the years, Mr. Sevan has worked in several departments at the U.N. and has held several positions within the U.N. Secretariat. Mr. Sevan first began at the United Nations in 1965 where he worked in the department of Public Information until 1996. In 1973 he joined the Secretarial of the Economic and Social Council and served as secretary of the council from 1982 until 1988. In May of 1989 Mr. Sevan was appointed to the position of the Secretary-General's Personal Representative in Afghanistan and Pakistan. A year later he was asked to serve, concurrently, as the Secretary-General's Representative on the implementation of the Geneva Accords on Afghanistan. In 1991, Mr. Sevan took on yet another duty when he assumed responsibility for the overall direction and administration of the Office for the Coordination of the United Nations Humanitarian and Economic Assistance Programs in Afghanistan. From August of 1992 until March of 1994 he served as Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Head of the Department of Political Affairs. In 1997 Mr. Sevan was appointed as the Executive Director of the Iraq Program. Prior to this position he served as Assistant Secretary-General for Conference and Support Services and United Nations Security Coordinator, which he carried out until 2002. Since 1992 Mr. Sevan served as the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for issues related to missing persons in the Middle East, where he engaged in preventive diplomacy and mediation in the world's trouble spots. Once again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Mr. Sevan on his Lifetime Achievement award. I would like to thank Mr. Sevan for nearly 40 years of service to the international community and I ask my colleagues to rise with me in honoring the distinguished Benon V. Sevan.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to laud the accomplishments of Mr. and Mrs. Vahak Hovnanian, who are this year's recipients of the Artistic Eminence Award presented by Pacific Encore Performances, for their outstanding commitment to the arts and music. These two remarkable individuals have served their community through numerous contributions to the economy, culture, and education. Together, this couple's service to local, national, and the world community has been nothing short of extraordinary. In 1976, they began the Hovnanian School that started with only thirteen students in a church basement. Today the school consists of 200 students with a curriculum that focuses on multicultural studies as well as art, music, and theater. In 1998, the Hovnanians together with the Armenian Minister of Culture sponsored competitions in all cultural arts. Later, Mr. and Mrs. Hovnanian started the Sayat Hoa Festival where Armenian artists could showcase their talent. Mr. and Mrs. Hovnanian are remarkable individuals in their own right, and should be celebrated for their personal accomplishments as well as those they accomplish together. In 1952, Mr. Hovnanian emigrated from Baghdad to America in pursuit of higher education. After receiving his degree in physics, he and his three brothers formed the Hovnanian Brothers Corporation, building homes in Monmouth and Ocean Counties, New Jersey. In 1969, the brothers chose to separate and form businesses of their own. It was at this time that Mr. Hovnanian became the founding chairman and president of the widely recognized residential and commercial real estate and development corporation, Hovbilt Inc. and Adelphia Water and Sewer Company. In addition, he and his son Shant created the V.S. Hovnanian Group, elevating them to a prominent status amongst New Jersey real estate developers, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists. Yet, Mr. Hovnanian's ambitions did not stop with his business endeavors. He went on to become the president of the Howell Township Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the local Rotary Club, a Monmouth University trustee, and Chairman of the Monmouth Conservation Foundation. In 1988, Mr. Hovnanian sponsored the first New Jersey Waterfront Marathon and underwrote the banquet honoring Olympic Marathon Trials. Mrs. Paris Hovnanian has also accomplished much to be proud of. Born in Jerusalem, she too immigrated to America to further her education. She completed her Bachelors Degree in sociology and education and later attended Columbia University on scholarship for graduate studies. Mrs. Hovnanian is a co-founder of the New York Academy of Art and an active participant in a host of charitable organizations where she exhibits her strong and effective leadership skills. Mr. Speaker, Vahak and Paris Hovnanian have given back so generously to their community. Their tireless and selfless efforts have benefited those in America and around the world. Accordingly, I ask that my colleagues rise and join me in honoring these remarkable individuals, Mr. and Mrs. Vahak and Paris Hovnanian.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to one of our distinguished colleagues, Representative Donald M. Payne from New Jersey's 10th District. Congressman Payne is this year's recipient of the Justice for Cypress Award presented by the Cypress Federation of America. This award is presented to an individual who has exhibited exemplary leadership and has advocated for the liberation of Cypress from the Turkish occupation forces and the restoration of the human rights of the Cypriot people. I can think of no one more deserved of this award then my friend, Congressman Donald Payne. Congressman Payne has represented his district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1988, when he was elected as New Jersey's first African American Congressman. In 2002, he was re-elected to serve an eighth term to represent the people of New Jersey's 10th Congressional District in the 108th Congress. Congressman Payne is a member of the International Relations Committee and its Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and Subcommittee on Africa, where he holds the position of ranking member. Through these committee assignments, Congressman Payne has become a key player in the arena of International Relations. He has been one of the leading advocates of the restoration of democracy and human rights in many nations throughout the world. Congressman Payne lead an effort among pharmaceutical companies to donate over $2 million worth of medicine to war-torn Somalia. Similarly, Mr. Payne also introduced the Sudan Peace Act, which facilitated famine relief efforts and a comprehensive solution to the war in Sudan. In addition, Congressman Payne has proven himself to be an influential member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Congressman Payne is a leading advocate of education and has played an instrumental role in the passage of key legislation aimed at improving elementary and secondary schools. Congressman Payne has also worked diligently on important issues like healthcare and the environment. Congressman Payne was a major influence in directing attention towards the AIDS epidemic and the rising incidence of tuberculosis in many nations. He has also devoted much time and energy to the elimination of poverty and was a key sponsor of the minimum wage increase and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Furthermore, Congressman Payne's record on environmental conservation issues has been rated one of the best in Congress. Before being elected to serve in the House of Representatives, Mr. Payne had a distinguished career that included service on the Newark Municipal Council and the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Mr. Payne was also an executive of the Prudential Insurance Company, Vice President of Urban Data Systems, and an educator in the Newark public school system. Congressman Payne, a native of New Jersey, graduated from Seton Hall University and pursued graduate studies at Springfield College in Massachusetts. He holds honorary degrees from Chicago State University, Drew University, Essex County College and William Paterson University. Congressman Payne is a widower, father of three and grandfather of four. Mr. Speaker, Congressman Payne's contributions to his community, our nation and the world have been numerous and successful. He is a man of great character and a true asset to the United States Congress. I ask that my colleagues rise and join me in honoring my dear friend and colleague, the Honorable Donald M. Payne.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, according to new numbers released by the Census Bureau today, the number of uninsured Americans in 2002 rose to 43.6 million. This is a 5.7 percent increase in the number of Americans without health insurance, the single largest increase in a decade. Moreover, these numbers exemplify President Bush and the Republican party's hard record on health care. The total number of uninsured Americans has increased by 3.8 million since President Bush took office and now totals 15.2 percent of our population. In other words, 15 out of every 100 Americans lack health insurance. Madam Speaker, there is no doubt that the increase in the number of uninsured is a direct result of our weak economy, but there are other contributing factors such as the rise in health care costs by double- digit percentage points, States dropping Medicaid beneficiaries due to financial constraints, and, most importantly, employers eliminating employer-sponsored health coverage due to ever-rising costs. Employer-based coverage, which is, in fact, the largest source of coverage in the United States, has declined dramatically in the past few years. The census figures show that last year alone, loss of employer-sponsored coverage led to 1.3 million Americans joining the ranks of the uninsured. Madam Speaker, this is particularly significant in the context of the Medicare bill that is currently being worked out in conference. As it currently stands, the Republican Medicare bill, which passed the House, encourages employers who are currently providing retiree health benefits to drop coverage. Unfortunately, the Republican bill states that any dollar an employer pays for an employee's prescription drug costs would not count towards the employee's out-of-pocket catastrophic cap. And this disadvantages 12 million out of 40 million seniors with employer-sponsored coverage because it would be almost impossible for them to reach the bill's catastrophic cap over which Medicaid would pay 100 percent of their drug costs. Without a doubt, many employers will stop offering retiree coverage if this Republican bill were to become law. Now, the Republicans are also suggesting tax credits to the uninsured to purchase health insurance in the private market, but such offers simply do not work. And we need to immediately evaluate a number of proposals to alleviate the situation. For example, if everyone likes tax credits so much, then we should consider tax credits that can be credited by the individual towards employer-based health insurance that guarantees a basic package of benefits, or tax credits for hard-pressed small businesses to offer health insurance to its employees. Any of these type of initiatives that ensure a strong and stable system of employer-based health coverage really should be encouraged. Madam Speaker, as Americans in private health insurance plans lost coverage, 3.2 million more Americans joined the Medicaid rolls. This is very problematic because, as we know, States continue to experience severe financial restraints and are not capable of maintaining their Medicaid or SCHIP programs for kids without a new infusion of Federal dollars. In fact, with the weak economy and States cutting back their Medicaid programs, the number of uninsured is going to continue to rise. Now, I think it is time for Congress to take responsibility and provide meaningful expansion of programs to once and for all reduce the number of uninsured Americans. And I know the Republicans have not bothered to deal with this effectively. The Democrats have had a number of proposals. We have rolled them out, but, of course, we have not been able to get support with the Republicans in the majority. But I think this information that came out today from the census, showing that the number of uninsured continues to rise so dramatically under President Bush's watch, is an indication that the Republican leadership here has to do something about it. We, as Democrats, are more than willing to join; but we cannot continue to have this situation where the number of uninsured continues to rise under President Bush and the Republican party's watch.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Again, I respect my colleague who just spoke, but I just I cannot believe his suggestion that somehow the Democrats are committing class warfare. I mean, it seems to me that what the Republicans have done with regard to this child tax credit is the classic example of class warfare or class discrimination on the side of the wealthy. I started out this debate by pointing out that I, as a Member of Congress, who makes, I guess, about $150,000 a year, received a check back in June or July for $1,200 from my three children, and I am making $150,000 a year; and at the same time, the person who is making between $10,000 and $29,000 or whatever the figure is, does not get the child tax credit because of the Republicans' unwillingness to provide it to them in this massive tax cut bill that they passed. If it is class warfare, it is class warfare on the Republican side because they want to give the money to wealthy people or certainly higher-income people and not give it to the working person who is making between $10 and $20-some-plus thousand dollars a year. I have no idea how my colleagues can justify that and say somehow that is class warfare unless it is class warfare to help the wealthy on the Republican part. I have heard again and again, maybe not so much tonight but on other occasions, this idea on the part of the Republicans that we should not give these people that are making between $10,000 and $20,000 a year this additional tax credit because they do not pay enough taxes. And again, on the Democratic side, we have made the point that the parents of these children do indeed pay taxes, with 7.65 percent of their earnings going to pay for Social Security and Medicare. An analysis released earlier this year by The New York Times found that families with pretax incomes of $20,319 pay more than $2,800 in total taxes. That is 14 percent of their income. We are talking about working people. We are talking about the very same people that my colleague on the Republican side seems to suggest that he represents or is trying to help. These are not people that are not working or sitting around, these are working people. Why should I, as a Congressman, or any of my colleagues get the extra $1,200 and not give it to these people? It is simply unfair. I think the Democrats are simply saying, let us be fair. Let us not discriminate against working people who happen to be at the lower end of the income spectrum. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to call attention again to the fact that the Republican majority simply does not want to deal with this issue and that is why we have had no conference, and the easiest way to point that out is to make reference to an article in Roll Call, the Hill newspaper, dated September 10. At that time, in that article, the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, essentially said that he was not going to work out the differences between the separate House and Senate bills and did not want to be bothered dealing with the issue. The gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) was sent a letter from his counterpart in the Senate, Senator Grassley, who is the chairman of the finance committee; and in that letter, Mr. Grassley basically said that he wanted to work out the differences between the two Houses on the bill. In the Roll Call article, Chairman Grassley is quoted as saying, ``I suppose I could call a conference meeting but I am not going to do that unless it is going to be productive, and right now it does not look like it would be.'' Mr. Grassley is saying that because the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) has simply been uncooperative and does not want the conference to meet because he does not want a bill. My motion tonight instructs both the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) and his colleagues in the House Republican leadership to stop their delaying tactics and to finally sit down with Chairman Grassley. If we look at the motion, it actually calls for certain actions to take place with regard to the conference. Mr. Speaker, my Democratic colleagues and I are clearly not the only ones frustrated. Chairman Grassley expressed his frustration again in that Roll Call article when he stated, ``The Democrats will not let it be dead and I do not blame them. If I was them and the majority party was not doing something about it, I would certainly make an issue of it, too.'' So again, Mr. Speaker, I do not know how many times we are supposed to come down here on the floor and keep making the point that this is not only an important matter, but this is a matter that deserves the attention of the Republican leadership, and so far there has been certainly no indication that the Republican leadership seeks to address this. The only time we hear anything from the Republican side is when we make a motion and my colleagues on the other side come down here to oppose it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and again, while I respect the arguments that my colleague from Washington is making on the Republican side, I really think it is the wrong argument to suggest that their bill includes ours and goes further. The bottom line, and we have made this point over and over again, the Democrats are being realistic about what can be passed. This initiative began because there was a realization, after the Republican tax package passed, that these 12 million children at a lower income level were left out. The other body made a valiant effort to say, okay, let us pass a bill that addresses this, that makes sure they get the credit, that their parents get the credit, that spends the $3.5 billion that is necessary but does not add anything to the deficit by having it fully paid. Now, for the Republicans to come back and say, oh, well, that is all fine, but we will go further and come up with an $80 billion package that will do a lot more is just a ruse, because they know the other body will never pass this. It is just another budget buster that is not paid for that will never go anywhere. And the proof of that is that they have absolutely refused to even convene a conference. The chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means has made it clear he has no intention of ever convening the conference, which is really an outrage. It is an outrage we are here on the House floor, again this evening, talking about the exclusion of these 12 million children. It is an outrage we are forced to bring up another motion to instruct conferees on an issue that should have been resolved 3 month ago. It is an outrage that the House and Senate Republicans, who took less than a week to reconcile differences between these two giant $500 billion tax bills, cannot seem to come to an agreement on a much smaller bill to simply expand the tax credit to the parents of children earning between $10,000 and $26,000. It is an outrage that my Republican colleagues seem content to leave Washington, yes, it is another day, we are leaving for another week without resolving this injustice. And, Mr. Speaker, it is an outrage that President Bush, who last month advised House Republicans to pass this child tax credit legislation and send it to him so he can sign it, now sits silently as congressional Republicans do nothing. I have not heard anything from the President. His silence is an indication of his true intention. A very good indication, I think, that he is not truly looking to pass this legislation either. And, finally, Mr. Speaker, I think it is outrageous not one Republican on the other side comes down here and talks about this other than when the Democrats bring it up, and they come down to oppose our motion to instruct. I do not know how many times I am going to have to join my Democratic colleagues here on the floor to point out the unfair treatment these hard-working American families received with the passage of the Republican tax bill. All we are asking for, Mr. Speaker, is fairness. How can Republicans say it is fair to give a millionaire a tax break of more than $90,000, or a Congressman like myself a tax break, while giving nothing to millions of working families? I do not think we should leave this city until this injustice is corrected, and we will certainly be back again to make the point. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to point out, again, I listened to what the gentlewoman said in response to the gentleman from her home State, and it just seems like it is the same pattern, it seems like it is the same pattern every time we bring up this motion where my colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle, and again I am not saying they are not well-intentioned, but they keep talking about the House bill as a sort of panacea because of the fact that it has all these other tax cuts, which I think add up to something like $80 billion in additional debt that is not paid for. And my colleague from Utah made a very good point when he said we should be talking not about pie in the sky, but what is possible. And I think that my Republican colleagues know full well that there is absolutely no way that an $80 billion-deficit-creating bill is going to pass the other body and go to the President. That is not going to happen. This can be fixed. This problem can be fixed with the addition of simply $3.5 billion which is in the Senate bill, which is what my motion asks that be enacted, is fully offset I think primarily with some provisions with Customs duties. That is what is possible. It is not possible to talk about an $80 billion package, and what is happening essentially is that the Republicans in the House are using this as a ruse. They have no intention of ever passing this $80 billion bill. If they did, they would have the conference meet, which it has not. It has not met, and I keep saying that over and over again. They are in the majority. The Democrats are in the minority. They control whether or not the conference is going to meet and what kind of a bill is going to pass. Oftentimes they do not even consult with us; but in this case, the conference has not even met. So what I keep hearing from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle about the House version, as if it is somehow out there and is going to become law or is something they are working on, there is no truth to that whatever. I just wanted to point out, this is what the Republican leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), said back in June. He said, ``To me it is a little difficult to give tax relief to people who do not pay income tax.'' There are so many speakers, so many Members on the Republican side that have made it quite clear over and over again that they have no intention of moving the legislation. Here are some quotes that were made by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) June 10: ``Ain't going to happen,'' regarding the Senate-passed child tax credit bill. The gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) says in The Wall Street Journal June 13: ``There are worse things than the child tax credit bill not happening.'' Let us see what else we have here. The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), the conference leader on the Republican side, June 1: ``We will let the conference take as long as it takes.'' The conference has not even met. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute. Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague on the other side, and I have heard this so many times now. With respect, the notion that the Republicans have already passed a bill that is much broader belies the fact that they are not willing to move in the conference to do anything. This conference has not even met on this bill. I know this gentlewoman is well-intentioned but she suggests that somehow the House Republicans have passed a better bill, well, what good is a House- passed bill versus a Senate-passed bill in any case, unless there is actually a conference, and there is an effort to try to come together and pass a bill that will go to the President? There has been absolutely no effort on the part of the House Republicans to meet in conference or to try to come to any kind of an agreement with the other body, so that we would have a bill that is finally passed. And the suggestion that somehow we are going to include all of these other tax measures in additional tax cuts, that is not possible under the circumstances. We know that that will simply increase the deficit. It will cost a lot more. And the reality is if we are going to do anything, the only thing we could possibly do at this point would be to pass the Senate version, and they are not willing to do that. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I offer this motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 1308, the child tax credit bill. My motion makes five specific instructions of the House conferees. Mr. Speaker, there would be no reason for us to address this issue tonight had the Republicans not deliberately ignored the well-being of 12 million children in its latest tax law. The omission of a provision that would have extended a $400 child tax credit to working families making $10,000 to $26,000 a year was neither an accident nor an oversight. The provision, which had not been included in President Bush's initial $726 billion proposal or the House Republicans' $550 billion version, was added in the other body by Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln. Now, why did this considerably small provision, $3.5 billion out of a giant $350 billion tax bill, make the Republicans chopping block? Well, anyone who has followed things around the House over the last couple of years unfortunately knows the answer to that question: this House, the people's House, under the Republican majority, has been turned over to the powerful and the privileged. Week in and week out, the Republican leadership neglects middle- and lower-income Americans. Mr. Speaker, Republicans have a chance tonight to begin to rectify that image. First, my motion instructs the House conferees to include in the conference report a provision in the Senate bill that provides immediate payments to the 6.5 million working and military families who were initially left out of the Republicans' 2003 tax bill. Mr. Speaker, House Democrats are fighting to immediately enact the bipartisan Senate-passed bill so we can help the 12 million children that Republicans left behind. Now, I think it is outrageous that it has been more than 3 months since the Senate overwhelmingly passed a measure, 94 to 2, to immediately give an increased child tax credit to the millions of children previously left out. If the House Republicans truly wanted to fix this injustice, they would have immediately approved the Senate measure. My motion simply instructs them to do just that, so that we can be fair to these working families and provide them the same benefits that many other Americans received this summer. Mr. Speaker, the second part of my motion instructs the conferees to include in the conference report a provision included in the Senate bill that provides families of military personnel serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other combat zones a child credit based on the earnings of the individual serving in the combat zone. The House Republican bill contains bad news for the children of the 200,000 men and women serving in Iraq or other combat zones. The Republican bill leaves in place current law under which families will face tax increases because combat pay is not counted for purposes of the child tax credit. Now, let me give an example of what I mean here. Let us take an E-5 Sergeant with 6 years of service and two children who is paid $29,000 a year. Generally, both of his children would be entitled to the full $1,000 tax credit; but if he is over in Iraq for 6 months, his credit would drop to $450 under the House bill. Now, how can we take a critical benefit away from the family of a soldier who is now over in Iraq risking his life? Third, Mr. Speaker, the motion instructs the House to include in the conference report all of the other provisions of the Senate bill and not report back a conference report that includes additional tax benefits not offset by other provisions. If my colleagues have noticed, in the Senate bill, the $3.5 million for the child tax credit addition is fully offset. House Republicans, I believe, are exploiting the child tax credit provision passed, and even more tax cuts that will saddle our children with mountains of debt. The House Republican bill costs more than $80 billion, while only $3.5 billion is needed to make sure that these children and their families are treated fairly; and that is fully offset, as I said, in the Senate bill. I think it is based on a Customs duty or a Customs tax. In other words, it does not add any money at all to the Federal deficit. Now, the House action is particularly reckless and irresponsible considering the Republicans' tax policies have already produced a record $400 billion deficit that continues to climb. I think it is almost $500 billion at this point. Fourth, Mr. Speaker, to the maximum extent possible within this bill in the conference, the House conferees are instructed to include in the conference report other tax benefits for military personnel, as well as the families of the astronauts who died in the Columbia disaster. And the fifth section of the motion instructs conferees to, as soon as practicable, after the adoption of this motion, meet in open session with the Senate conferees; and the House conferees should then file a conference report consistent with this motion no later than 2 legislative days from today. Mr. Speaker, this is the 21st motion to instruct that my Democratic colleagues and I have brought to this House attempting to bring right this wrong. I have personally been here many times to argue this same or a similar motion. How many nights will we Democrats have to come to this floor to fight for the 12 million children of low-income parents who were neglected by the Republicans in their latest tax bill? I have to say, Mr. Speaker, I am the father of three children, and I received a $1,200 check, $400 for each of the three children. It pains me to think, based on my income as a Congressman, that many of my constituents who have one, three, or more children were not able to get that $400 per child, because they certainly need it a lot more than me. This neglect on the part of the Republicans has to come to an end this evening. It is simply a question of fairness. How can Republicans say it is fair to give a millionaire a tax break, or a Congressman a tax break, while giving nothing to millions of working families. It is time for the Republican majority to join us in passing this motion to instruct conferees so we can finally resolve this injustice, an injustice that should have been rectified many months ago. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to instruct.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor this afternoon to address what I consider one of the largest potential factors for destabilization in the entire Caucus' region: The systematic corruption of the Aliyev Dynasty currently ruling Azerbaijan. I have highlighted the problems with President Heydar Aliyev for years now, but his health has deteriorated recently, and that has put the future of Azerbaijan and the entire Caucus region in doubt. In July of this year, President Aliyev suffered what has been described by the Cleveland Medical Center, where he currently resides, as congestive heart failure. Last month, his son Ilham was appointed as Prime Minister. This would seem only appropriate at first, unless you consider that a recent referendum forced through the electorate changed the line of succession from Speaker of the Parliament to Prime Minister. This was widely criticized at the time by domestic Azerbaijani opposition groups and the international community as a clear way for President Aliyev to set up a dynastic regime. Unfortunately, as President Aliyev has become incapacitated during his treatment, the predictions have come true. His son Ilham is now in direct line to take over the Presidency from his father. The partnership, Mr. Speaker, of the father and the son is not only limited to the fact that Azerbaijan will be the first monarchy established in the former Soviet Union. A Financial Times article on September 13, 2003, clearly shows that power is not the only object of the Aliyevs' desire. Both were implicated in a court case that was unsealed in New York this week. The actual case had been filed against a Swiss banker by the name of Hans Bodmer. In the indictment, he allegedly conspired to facilitate the participation of foreign citizens in Azerbaijan's privatization process of the state-owned oil company, often referred to by its name, SOCAR, through improper payments made to Azerbaijani officials. This would most likely not have come to light were it not for the fact that Heydar and Ilham Aliyev had never intended to privatize the oil company in the first place. Instead, they stole over $100 million in the form of vouchers that were designed to give the purchaser disproportionate influence over the privatization process. All of this was alleged to have happened while Ilham Aliyev was the head of SOCAR, a position his father bestowed on him to apparently prepare him for his job as heir apparent of the country of Azerbaijan. Mr. Speaker, this is a clear example of this administration's misguided policies when it comes to countries that are oil rich. The day that Ilham ascended to his post and forced the former Prime Minister from office, President Bush sent a letter of congratulations to him. This is clearly not in the interest of democracy that the President of the United States has touted lately in regards to the Middle East. How can this administration have separate distinctions about what is democracy and what is not? It seems increasingly clear what the answer is. Those countries that have significant resources that are sent to western markets are allowed to be less Democratic than those that do not. Now, Mr. Speaker, I am also very concerned about what the Aliyev regime plans to do about the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Heydar Aliyev was tantalizingly close to reaching a settlement with Armenian President Robert Kocharian in Key West in 2001, but those negotiations soon fell apart when Aliyev returned home. Since then, Aliyev and Kocharian have met many times, but resulted in no progress. The Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe's Minsk Group, which is charged with moving the two parties towards peaceful settlement, has been increasingly frustrated with the process. Ilham has recently taken a much harder stance on the Karabakh issue than did his father, and this is of great concern to me. Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Aliyev family is on their way to establishing the first dynastic regime in the former Soviet Union. Not only is this a concern for the entire Caucasus region but also other leaders in the former Soviet Union that must be watching the United States' reaction to this. The message that is sent is not positive. How can we be supportive of this? Families in the Middle East that have controlled vast oil revenues have scarred the last century with wars and oppressive regimes. Members of the Bush administration know this better than anyone. The current Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, visited Iraq with a delegation in 1988. They met with Saddam Hussein and decided that the stability of his regime and oil revenue was more important than his lust for power, whatever the cost. We are now paying for that tragic mistake with the lives of our Nation's sons and daughters. It is time for the administration to change its tune on the corrupt and oppressive Aliyev regime. Though stability may be the temporary result of the President's support, the end result could destabilize the entire region.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, subject to rule XXII, clause 7(c), I hereby announce my intention to offer a motion to instruct on H.R. 1308, the Tax Relief, Simplification, and Equity Act of 2003. The form of the motion is as follows: Mr. Pallone moves that the managers on the part of the House in the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 1308 be instructed as follows: 1. The House conferees shall be instructed to include in the conference report the provision of the Senate amendment (not included in the House amendment) that provides immediate payments to taxpayers receiving an additional credit by reason of the bill in the same manner as other taxpayers were entitled to immediate payments under the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. 2. The House conferees shall be instructed to include in the conference report the provision of the Senate amendment (not included in the House amendment) that provides families of military personnel serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other combat zones a child credit based on the earnings of the individuals serving in the combat zone. 3. The House conferees shall be instructed to include in the conference report all of the other provisions of the Senate amendment and shall not report back a conference report that includes additional tax benefits not offset by other provisions. 4. To the maximum extent possible within the scope of conference, the House conferees shall be instructed to include in the conference report other tax benefits for military personnel and the families of the astronauts who died in the Columbia disaster. 5. The House conferees shall, as soon as practicable after the adoption of this motion, meet in open session with the Senate conferees and the House conferees shall file a conference report consistent with the proceeding provisions of this instruction, not later than the second legislative day after adoption of this motion.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize a woman who exemplifies the idea of the humanitarian activist, my good friend, Ms. Rita Balian. Rita is an extraordinary person who gives significant time and personal resources to see that the rate of cancer in the Country of Armenia is significantly reduced. Rita is the founder and current president of the Armenian American Wellness Center (AAWC). The Center has provided mammography screening to over 40,000 women and has been credited with saving the lives of nearly 1,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer in Armenia. Started in April 1997 and originally called the Armenian American Mammography University Center (AAMUC), Rita has worked tirelessly to expand the Center to serve an ever increasing clientele. Before Rita established the Wellness Center in Armenia, not a single mammogram had been preformed in the entire country. Instead, women discovered breast through obvious pain and a woman's only treatment option was complete mastectomy. Along with her commitment to the Wellness Center, Rita was closely involved in the rebuilding of Armenia in the aftermath of the devastating 1988 earthquake. During this time, she worked with the Mayor of Alexandria, VA to establish a sister-city program with Alexandria and the Armenian town of Gyumri. She has also worked with her husband Vartkess to promote their passion for education throughout the country. Despite her generosity and dedication to her causes, Rita seeks no recognition for her work. However, other groups and organizations have seen fit to commend her giving spirit. Last year, she was honored by the United States Agency for International Development's ``Outstanding Citizen'' award for her work with the Wellness Center. Today, she is the sole recipient of the ``Cancer Advocacy Award'' as part of the Washington Hospital Center's Spirit of Life Awards Celebration. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join the Washington Hospital Center, USAID, and the patients of the Armenian American Wellness Center and recognize the extraordinary efforts of Rita Balian. It is with great pleasure that I speak about her accomplishments today.