Nancy Pelosi

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the legislation to honor Johnny Micheal Spann, who was laid to rest yesterday with other fallen men and women of great courage in Arlington National Cemetery. That an officer of the CIA was the first combat fatality of the struggle against terrorism in Afghanistan is a stark reminder of how dangerous and difficult the mission of collecting intelligence can be. The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Goss) spoke eloquently to that point. He also described Mike's role at the CIA, and the circumstances and the danger in which he was placed; and which, unfortunately, caused his demise. Like 78 CIA officers before him, Mr. Spann gave his life to protect the freedom which we hold dear and which defines us as a Nation. As we mourn his death, it is well to remember the gifts he gave our country through a career of service, first in the Marine Corps, and sadly, finally, in the CIA. He went to Afghanistan because he knew that is where his country needed him most. Our ability to respond effectively to the events of September 11 is due in large measure to the willingness of people like Mike to put personal considerations aside and accept the risks inherent in their important work. Mr. Speaker, we are joined by Mike's family in the gallery today, and want them to know, those of us who are speaking on this resolution speak for the entire Congress when we offer them our deepest sympathy and condolences. No words we can say will ever be adequate to relieve the agony that they are in. However, I would like to place in the Record some of the words of Mrs. Spann that she said in eulogy yesterday which eloquently describe Mike's contribution to our country. She said, ``Mike was faithful in giving his life to God and to his colleagues, his friends, his country and his family.'' Mrs. Spann said her husband ``was a hero not because of the way he died, but rather because of the way he lived. He served his country not only by risking his life, but by being good. It seemed like when Mike took an oath to protect the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic, that he took that oath to our family as well. He just thought that it was really his duty as a father to protect his children from terrorism, just as equally as he thought it was his duty to provide a roof over their heads.'' As we pay tribute to Mike Spann's sacrifice, Mr. Speaker, our sympathies and prayers certainly go to his family, his wife, Shannon, who is also a CIA officer; his daughter, Alison, who is here with us today; Emily, his daughter, who is 4, is not; and his infant son, Jake, who is with us. Their loss is incalculable. His father and mother are with us today, and our condolences go to them. As a mother of a son 32 years old, I cannot imagine the scale of their loss; but nonetheless, offer my prayers in sympathy. To his children especially go our hope that they learn more clearly of their father's life in the years to come, that they will find it a source of pride and comfort, and that he will always be in our prayers and in our memory. Mr. Speaker, as we sing the praises of Micheal Spann and mourn his death and try to comfort his family, I would like to pay tribute to those Americans who lost lives in the so-called friendly fire incident that occurred in Afghanistan. They have been memorialized as well, the three Green Berets. They were Master Sergeant Jefferson Davis of Watauga, Tennessee; Staff Sergeant Brian Cody Prosser of Frazier Park, California; and Sergeant First Class Daniel Petithory of Cheshire, Massachusetts. We lost two others in helicopter accidents in Pakistan. Every one of these losses is felt by all of us in our country. Today we mourn and pay tribute to Johnny Micheal Spann, known as Mike, who would want us to recognize the others whose lives were sacrificed, to end terrorism in our country, to protect Jake and Alison and Emily, and all of the children of our country. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I am very moved by the words of the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus) and extend condolences to them and the people of Alabama for the great sacrifice that they have all made as well as the Spann family. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop), who is a member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished ranking member for yielding me this time and for his initiative that he is presenting here today. I, unfortunately, rise in opposition to the legislation before us. Mr. Speaker, today we have the opportunity to create a new trade framework for a new century. I had hoped to be able to support Fast Track Authority for President Bush, as I had supported Fast Track Authority for his father, President Bush, at an earlier time. I wanted to do this, and I had hopes that we could do so with a trade promotion act that reflected our Nation's concerns about the importance of the environment and workers' rights. If this bill had done so, it would have passed this House overwhelmingly. Instead, if it passes at all, it will squeak through based on a handful of promises. I wish my colleagues to consider the true value of those promises as they cast their votes. So here we are with an economy in recession and hundreds of thousands of American families struggling with the realities of unemployment. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation. Anyone who does not see the connection between the economy and the environment is on the wrong side of the future. Vote ``no'' on this trade promotion.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. If I may question the distinguished leader further. What are the chances of having votes on next Friday?

Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, are we to understand from what the gentleman has said that Fast Track legislation is definitely going to be on the schedule on Thursday?

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas to inquire about next week's schedule.

Ms. PELOSI. I thank the distinguished gentleman.

Ms. PELOSI. Is it possible we could work Friday through the weekend and end for the year next weekend?

Ms. PELOSI. If the distinguished leader would answer one more question, can we expect election reform legislation on the floor next week?

Ms. PELOSI. I thank the distinguished leader.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to salute Nancy Hellman Bechtle for her longstanding commitment to the San Francisco Bay Area community. For the last fourteen years, Nancy Bechtle has served as the President of the San Francisco Symphony. On December 3, 2001, the Board of Governors of the San Francisco Symphony, civic leaders, elected officials and friends and fans will gather for a tribute dinner and concert in Nancy's honor, to recognize what her Presidency and overall leadership has meant to the community. A fourth generation San Franciscan and alumna of Stanford University, Nancy Bechtle comes from a family tradition which has blessed California with its philanthropy and civic involvement and she is passing this legacy on to her children. Nancy Bechtle has been a member of the Symphony's Board of Governors since 1984. Elected in 1987, she is the second woman to hold the position of President of the San Francisco Symphony. Mrs. Bechtle's tenure was one of the most successful in the Symphony's history, highlighted by the appointment of Michael Tilson Thomas as Music Director, the completion of an acoustic renovation of Davies Symphony Hall, a major touring program that has taken the Symphony throughout Europe, Asia and the United States and the release of numerous Grammy Award winning recordings. Mrs Bechtle, with her grace and strength, negotiated a historic six year labor agreement signed in January of 1999. As a result of these efforts, the San Francisco Symphony is considered one of the world's premiere orchestral ensembles. In addition, Mrs. Bechtle has illustrated her commitment to the San Francisco community by establishing annual outdoor concerts as well as expanding the Symphony's education program for youth, Adventures in Music. Mrs. Bechtle has been recognized with numerous awards for her outstanding service to the community. I am proud to Join my constituents in thanking and praising my friend Nancy Bechtle for her fourteen extraordinary years as President of the San Francisco Symphony. We have been truly blessed by her leadership, will miss her as President, and wish her well in all her endeavors, including her continued service on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Symphony.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, today the American public has achieved an important victory. At long last, more than two months after September 11, Congress has bowed to our true leaders, the American people, and agreed to take airline security out of the hands of the private contractors who failed so miserably to protect us. H.R. 3150 also will ensure that all baggage is screened for weapons and explosives, cockpit doors are reinforced, airport workers are properly screened and trained, and more air marshals are stationed on our flights. Unfortunately, the bill also requires all security screeners to be U.S. citizens. Legal permanent residents serve in the armed forces, fly airplanes, work as flight attendants, and repair airplanes. Qualified legal residents should be allowed to serve as screeners too. Mr. Chairman, our sadness is renewed by the new tragedy in New York. But now we can travel to our Thanksgiving destinations with a greater sense of security, give thanks for the loved ones gathered safely around us.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and for his extraordinary, as usual, leadership in attempting to bring this amendment to the floor. I am very sad. It is a sad day for this Congress that this amendment has not been made in order, because it addresses many of the concerns that are shared by the American people and, indeed, have been shared by the President of the United States. I have great respect for our distinguished chairman of the full committee and the chairman of the subcommittee, but I object to the fact that we were not able to have this amendment made in order. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Obey amendment. It is hard to understand how the Republican leadership can argue that there is enough money to provide $100 billion in tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest 25 percent of taxpayers but not enough to strengthen homeland defense, improve security for vulnerable nuclear materials, and keep our commitment to New York. They found enough money, the Republican leadership did, to provide $1.4 billion in tax breaks to IBM, $1 billion to Ford, $833 million to General Motors, and $671 million to General Electric. Why can we not find the money to strengthen State and local health departments, accelerate vaccine development, and improve security of vulnerable nuclear materials? The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) has successfully put together a thoughtful, comprehensive package that met these and other needs for $7.1 million, less than one-twelfth of the tax package that the Republicans support. I wish to associate myself with the concerns expressed by our colleagues from New York. I share their concern about meeting our commitment to them. But I want to focus, Mr. Chairman, in my remarks on the perspective of the prevention of nuclear terrorism, what opportunities are missed here today. Our President, President Bush, said on November 13 on the occasion of the visit of President Putin, ``Our highest priority is to keep terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction. We agree that it is urgent that we improve the physical protection and accounting of nuclear materials and prevent illicit nuclear trafficking.'' Earlier that week the President had said they, the al Qaeda, ``are seeking chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Given the means, our enemies would be a threat to every nation and eventually to civilization itself. We will not wait,'' the President said, ``for more innocent deaths. We will not wait for the authors of mass murders to gain the weapons of mass destruction. We act now because we must lift this stark threat from our age and save generations to come.'' We all applauded President Bush's remarks. How then, how can we understand, then, how this Republican majority in the House would reject the Obey amendment which would add $221 million to this bill; $191 million for securing Russian nuclear materials, $30 million to better fund programs employing former Soviet Union nuclear scientists? The President said, we act now. We cannot wait. When they say that we are going to have a supplemental down the road, let us review that. That bill came up before Thanksgiving in the Committee on Appropriations. Now we are on our way to Christmas, and we do not even have this bill passed, but we will soon. After Christmas comes what? Let us go through. Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, President's Week, it will be easily Easter before we can revisit this bill and have a supplemental that will address these nuclear issues. How then can we, as the President said we act now, do so when we reject the opportunity that the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) has given us here today? We are now giving opportunity to those who would threaten our security in our country. I think that is unfortunate.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlelady for the recognition and commend her for managing her first bill. How appropriate that the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley) would be managing the bill to assist Afghan women, a bill sponsored by women, for women and managed by women, presided over by women. I commend the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for her excellent statement and leadership and the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Pryce) for her leadership as the author, along with the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald) for her leadership on this important bill. I, too, want to join in commending the Bush administration. It was quite a remarkable day when the First Lady of our country, for the very first time maybe, addressed the White House radio address alone on an issue, and how appropriate that that issue would be the plight of Afghan women and the need for there to be more assistance from the United States. Yes, to help with medical and humanitarian assistance but also to ensure that in the government that is formed in Afghanistan that women will have a leadership role and be part of the decision making. Our colleagues have very clearly spelled out the suffering of the Afghani women during the time of the Taliban regime, and indeed even preceding that girls were not educated fully in Afghanistan. Preceding the takeover by the Taliban, women constituted 70 percent of the teachers in Afghanistan, 50 percent of the government workers, 40 percent of the health professionals; and, of course, with the onset of the Taliban regime they were forbidden from working. Women suffered, girls suffered, but everyone suffered. Who taught the little boys? Because 70 percent of the teachers were women. So everyone in Afghanistan suffered, and everyone in Afghanistan will benefit under the provisions of H.R. 3330 which authorizes educational and health care assistance to the women and children of Afghanistan. Madam Speaker, I think it is important to note that the United States is the single largest contributor of a huge amount of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, and this well preceded September 11, very much preceded September 11. I was pleased to serve under my ranking member, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), and was our former ranking member on the Committee on Foreign Operations with the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) as my chairman. He beefed up, I would say, the Child Survival Account, now we call it the Callahan Account, now under the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe). We appreciate this authorization coming as it does. When we go back to do the appropriation for next year, we will be fully armed with the authority to take money as it spells out in the bill from the Child Survival and Health Programs, UNICEF, immunization, safe injections, maternal health, medical equipment, women and development, children's basic education and refugee assistance, and whatever other accounts and amounts might be available under the 2001 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act. One other point I want to make, Madam Speaker, is I think women of America deserve a great deal of commendation because they early on talked about the plight of women in Afghanistan long before September 11. It is completely appropriate that the Congressional Women's Caucus is taking the lead on this issue. It is a reflection of the mood of our country, as was clearly demonstrated by the willingness of the First Lady to make this her first White House radio address; and how proud we were of her in doing that, as I said before. But the women of America are the ones who spoke out early and said, look, listen, see what is happening in Afghanistan. It was an early bellwether of awful things to come. So I think this leadership role played by women should be recognized, should be heeded; and one giant step we can take in doing that is to pass H.R. 3330. Again, I commend all my colleagues for their leadership on this.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I just want to mention that we serve, those of us on the Intelligence Committee, serve in the Edward P. Boland Room upstairs, and while Members have the opportunity to come to the floor to express their condolences as well as their commendations of Mr. Boland, I want to extend the condolences also of the staff of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, especially Mike Sheehy, the Democratic counsel to the staff, who served Mr. Boland so very well for so many years, and mourns his death, and knows more about his contributions than many. I thank the gentleman for allowing me that further remark.

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman for calling this special order and congratulate him. I congratulate because this is a wonderful occasion when we in the House who served with Ed Boland can come together and talk about him and the wonderful contribution he made to our country. I felt a special responsibility to come to the floor, not only because it was a privilege to serve with Eddie, but also as the senior Democrat on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I know full well what his great contribution was to our country. The gentleman referenced that in his remarks very beautifully, and I want to speak to that for a bit. I do so bringing some of the appreciation from the staff of the Intelligence Committee, as well as many Members who have served on that committee over time. We serve in the Edward P. Boland Room in the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. For over 50 years, 36 in this House, Eddie Boland represented the people of western Massachusetts with uncommon dedication and effectiveness. He believed deeply in the capacity of government to be a positive force in people's lives and in the duty of those in government to do everything within their power to ensure that result. It has been said that he treated his constituents the same way as he treated his friends. That explains not only his success at the polls, but the high regard with which he was held. His career was a testament to the fact that politics, when practiced by people of great skill and commitment, is both an art and a high calling. Eddie served with distinction on the Committee on Appropriations, and was the committee's second most senior Democrat for many years. He was a long-time chairman of what was then the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs and Independent Agencies, now known as VA-HUD. I doubt that there are many communities in the United States who have not benefited from his programs that he promoted on the subcommittee. Veterans hospitals and clinics, projects to improve the quality of air and water, affordable housing for the poor, the elderly and disabled, efforts to reinvigorate the Nation's cities and to explore the universe of which we are a part, were among the activities made national priorities by the appropriations measures he crafted. It is impossible to calculate all of the ways in which those programs made fuller and more secure the lives of the people of our country. Had Eddie Boland's service been measured only by his work on the Committee on Appropriations, it would have been deemed highly successful. As has been mentioned by the distinguished dean of the Massachusetts delegation earlier, in 1977 Speaker Tip O'Neill asked Eddie to be the first chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Tip's reasoning was simple. The leader of that committee would have to be someone people could trust, as the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey) said, someone who could keep a secret. Eddie Boland's integrity was unassailable. The committee's reputation for keeping secret matters secret is due in large part to the standard established during the 8 years he served as chairman. That is an incredibly long time to be chairman of the Committee on Intelligence. Although not one to seek fame, he did not shrink from taking on a popular President in a most public way when the U.S. intelligence agencies unwisely, in his judgment, became involved in a civil war in Nicaragua. Later when questions arose as to whether laws restricting the activities of those agencies had been violated, he was among the small number of Members of the House selected to determine the truth. Even in the highly charged atmosphere that surrounded that investigation, when legislation bearing his name was central to the inquiry, he was not interested in publicity, but sought only to do the job entrusted to him by the House. Despite his many accomplishments in Washington, Eddie took his greatest joy and was most proud of his family back home in Springfield. His wife, Mary, and their children, Martha, Edward, Jr., Kathleen, and Michael were the focus of his life, each though he started late in life to acquire that magnificent and beautiful family. Many of us saw him with his family at the funeral of Congressman Joe Moakley, another esteemed Member of this Congress, and it gave us a chance to say hello to Eddie, and little did we know that it would be good-bye. But we reported to our colleagues in the House that Eddie was still as sharp as a tack and enjoying his beautiful family. Our condolences go out to Mary and the children. That is why he left here, to spend more time with his family at a very important time in their lives. His devotion to them says as much about the man he was as does his distinguished service in the Congress. Mr. Speaker, although I only served for a short time with Eddie Boland, I directly followed him onto the Committee on Appropriations and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, so I know well how well-respected he was by his colleagues and by the people in the executive branch. He was one of the quiet, hard-working Members so essential to the conduct of the business of the House. His service enriched the Nation, and will always be a source of great pride for his family. Anyone who served with him will always treasure the privilege of calling him ``colleague.'' Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for allowing me to participate in this special order.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this motion to instruct conferees to accept the higher funding levels for education that are included in the House bill. Chairman Regula and Ranking Member Obey have shown tremendous leadership on our Subcommittee, and they have negotiated a strong bill that reflects the value our country places on education. We started this budget cycle in a much different place. In order to make room for his huge tax cut, President Bush's budget proposed the smallest increase for education in 5 years. The $2.4 billion increase in the Bush budget included substantial increases for reading programs and a modest increase for Pell grants, but left only $400 million for all other education programs. This proposal left all other elementary, secondary, and higher education programs, special education, and vocational education programs with less that the level needed just to keep up with inflation. Members of both sides of the aisle recognized that this was unacceptable, and the bill we negotiated included an increase of $4.7 billion over the request and $7 billion over last year. These increases include an additional $1.7 billion for disadvantaged schools, the largest dollar increase for title 1 since its inception of the program, a $154 million increase for after school child care, and a $240 million increase for bilingual education. We can never forget that our strength as a nation is measured both in our military might and in the well being of our people. There is no more important priority than educating our children and passing our knowledge and values to the next generation. I urge my colleagues to these funding increases and vote yes on the motion to instruct.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding time and for his leadership on this issue. Mr. Chairman, 7 weeks ago, terrorists used our own commercial airliners as deadly weapons against us. For years transportation experts have blown the whistle on airline security and today we have an opportunity, indeed a responsibility, to make the change necessary to make America's skies safe for Thanksgiving. Mr. Chairman, for too long the airline industries and their private screeners have not only neglected public safety, they have made a decision against it. Today, we should not support the dangerous status quo. Instead, we should vote a public indictment against a system which has failed to train screeners, which has failed to invest in human resources and has failed the American people. That is why 100 percent of the United States Senate voted for a proposal that the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Ganske) are presenting to us today. I urge my colleagues to support that amendment. Ensuring our personal security is a bedrock responsibility of government. Support the Oberstar-Ganske substitute.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), the ranking member, for his generosity in yielding time and his kind words, and the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis) for bringing this resolution to the floor. I am pleased to join my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), a big Giants fan, in representing San Francisco and in honoring Barry Bonds today. I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose), who also had a resolution about Barry Bonds, for his generosity in allowing the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and I to bring this resolution to the floor as we represent San Francisco. But as the gentleman knows, the Giants family extends well beyond that, and we are pleased to share this honor for Barry Bonds today with our California colleague, and I thank the gentleman. I appreciate his kindness. I also thank the Republican leadership for allowing a Democratic resolution honoring Barry Bonds to come to the floor. Mr. Speaker, in an uncertain time in our country's history, this fall has been as bad as it gets for us. Our spirits were lifted as Barry Bonds hit his 73rd home run on October 7. For those of us who go to the Giants games, we could only say, just think what he would have done if they would have pitched to him, as my colleague said in his remarks. I was there for number 58 on Labor Day. I kept going to the games thinking I would see many more home runs and I saw some, but again, they did not always have the courage to pitch to Barry Bonds. I really hope that all of our colleagues will, in the spirit of friendship and competition, join in congratulating Barry Bonds on his spectacular record-breaking season for the San Francisco Giants and major league baseball. Our resolution says, whereas Bonds has brought distinction to major league baseball and excellence to the San Francisco Giants, he was following in the footsteps of his father Bobby Bonds and his godfather Willie Mays. My colleagues have to come to San Francisco to see the Willie Mays statue on Willie Mays Plaza there. Barry Bonds has had an outstanding career and that so far includes 3 Most Valuable Player awards, 10 All Star Game appearances, 8 Rawlings Gold Glove awards and the distinction of being named Player of the Decade for the 1990s by Sporting News; whereas also, in 2001, Barry Bonds had one of the greatest seasons in major league baseball history, achieving the aforementioned 73 home runs, a slugging average of 863, and an on-base percentage of 515. Barry Bonds has established himself as the most prolific single season home run hitter in major league baseball history, again hitting his 73rd home run on October 7, 2001, eclipsing the previous record of 70 home runs set by Mark McGuire in 1998, and that seemed like an unachievable goal to break that record. Of Bonds' 73 home runs, 24 gave San Francisco the lead and 7 tied the game. Bonds also hit the five-hundredth home run of his career during the 2001 season, a two-run game-winning home run which landed in the waters of McCovey Cove, something my colleagues must come visit as well when they come to San Francisco to our PacBell Stadium, which, by the way, is privately funded, very exceptional, again under the leadership of the Giants family headed by Peter McGowan. Barry Bonds at 37 is the oldest player in major league baseball history to hit more than 50, 60 and 70 home runs in a single season. My daughter is 37 years old, and I remember when we went to Barry Bonds' 30th birthday, which seems like just yesterday. But in any event, he has even at that ripe old age of 37 broken many records. Barry Bonds has recorded 484 stolen bases. Can we imagine that: Becoming the only major league baseball player to hit both more than 400 home runs and to steal more than 400 bases. Barry Bonds' 233rd stolen bases achieved while playing for San Francisco placed him sixth on a Giant franchise list behind his father, Bobby, who was fifth, with 263 stolen bases. So this is indeed a family affair. Perhaps more important to Barry Bonds than even his baseball success is his record of community service. He has proven himself to be an active leader, not only in the Giants' club house, but also in the community, donating privately approximately $100,000 already to the September 11 Fund to aid the victims of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. Barry Bonds has also devoted his time and personal financial resources to support the ``Link and Learn'' program of United Way and has been an active participant in numerous other San Francisco Bay Area community efforts, just too numerous to mention. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join in very enthusiastically and resolve that the House of Representatives congratulate Barry Bonds on his spectacular, record-breaking season in 2001, and outstanding career in major league baseball. This House wishes him continued success in the seasons to come, and thanks him for his contribution to baseball, and especially his contribution to the community.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, as I was saying at the close of the other debate, instead of supporting the shameless Republican package, we should support the Democratic stimulus package put forth here today. It honors the principles of bipartisanship in that it is short term, provides a quick boost to the economy, and does not, does not sacrifice our long-term fiscal stability. It is paid for, Mr. Speaker. It is paid for. What it does is there are many good ideas that are being brought to the table, including a one-time rebate for people who were left out of the last rebate because they only pay payroll taxes. It gives new resources to help unemployed workers get access to health insurance and unemployment benefits, and funds to help small business and increase infrastructure investments to create jobs. We must pass a bill that includes a proper balance between spending and tax cuts and must target tax cuts that are included to low-income families with the greatest need. I urge my colleagues to support the Democratic stimulus package which is, as I say, a stimulus in every respect, and to reject the Republican shameless package on the floor today.

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, America needs a stimulus package. That is why the House and Senate Budget Committees worked in a bipartisan manner to put forth principles to stimulate the economy. The package, it said, should be short-term, give a quick boost to the economy, and not sacrifice our long-term fiscal stability. The Republican package here today fails on all three scores. It is not a stimulus package; it is a shameless package which gives $10.4 billion in ill-timed capital gains cuts. It gives $53.6 billion tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans and, are we ready for this? It gives a $24 billion retroactive to 1986 tax cut on the Alternative Minimum Tax, and 86 percent of this benefit goes to the wealthiest Americans. Vote ``no'' on the shameless Republican bill.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time; and once again I want to take the opportunity to commend our new chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Regula), for his first Labor-HHS bill on the floor; the ranking member of this subcommittee and the full committee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey); and the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), for their great leadership in crafting this legislation and bringing it to the floor. I rise in defense of the committee position and in opposition to the Istook amendment. Mr. Chairman, this guidance which is contain in the bill does not create any new requirements or place any new mandates on recipients of Federal funds. It simply clarifies the Department's long- standing policy so that recipients have clear, concise, and constructive information about their responsibilities under title IV. This information helps grantees be sure that they are in compliance with the law, as it has been in effect for over 30 years. This guidance is intended to be flexible and recognizes that there are no one-size- fits-all solutions. The guidance on limited English proficiency also clarifies that recipients only have to undertake reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access and that recipients are not required to take steps that would incur unreasonable costs or burdens. This amendment ignores the positive impacts of limited English proficiency. They ignore the Department of Justice's reasonable direction. Many limited-English proficiency persons work in some of the lowest paid jobs, are more subject to abusive employment situations, and need more help with complicated government bureaucracies. For example, a Cambodian refugee worked as a landscaper to support his family of five children. After he was laid off, he made repeated attempts to file an unemployment claim. He could not communicate with his State agency, and often received contradictory information. For most of the winter, he was without income and unemployment insurance compensation. The costs of providing assistance to persons who have limited English speaking abilities does not have to be expensive. In California, the limited-English speaking population is estimated to be over 3 million people. Since 1973, we have had a State law with more specific interpretation of translation requirements than title IV, which this guidance addresses; and this law has not created a burdensome financial strain on the State of California's Department of Social Services. That department spends a total of $648,312 to staff an internal team of 13 employees to translate documents into Spanish, Chinese, Cambodian, Russian and Vietnamese; and not that much more in outside contracts for vendors for translation into other languages. This is a very small cost for an $18 billion social service budget. This guidance simply fulfills the goal that Secretary Chao expressed in her welcoming ceremony remarks, making sure that no worker gets left behind. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the Istook amendment and defend the committee's position.

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment to take money from primary care services delivered by Title I and move it to the drug purchasing ADAP program. Delivering drugs to the people who need them requires the strong infrastructure established under Title I. Without that infrastructure, we will have a bigger pool of money with which to buy drugs, but fewer people able to take advantage of these life-saving medications. The amendment will merely provide a windfall to the pharmaceutical companies that manufacture these drugs while hurting the people who need them. The AIDS cocktail involves a complex daily drug regimen. To be effective, drugs must be taken in a consistent manner following every instruction exactly. Failure to do so can result in the medication becoming ineffective in a person. In addition, these medications can have severe side effects, including liver problems, dramatically increased cholesterol, and diabetes. People taking these medications need access to the primary care and support services provided by Title I to ensure proper compliance and effective treatment for any side effects. Title I benefits the majority of people living with HIV in this country. More than 75% of Americans with HIV reside in the 51 areas that receive Title I funding. Without this funding, the public health systems in these areas will face a major challenge that they are unable to meet. The Ryan White CARE Act was created to prevent such a situation. Also, the CARE Act was designed to provide comprehensive medical services to people with HIV. This amendment will undermine that goal by focusing on only one aspect of treatment. AIDS medications have been remarkably successful and allowed people to live much longer with a better quality of life. However, this success also means that more people than ever are living with HIV and AIDS in the US and require the services delivered through Title I of the CARE Act. Many who are HIV-positive also have other pressing health concerns, such as Hepatitis C, mental disorders and substance abuse problems. To deal with these challenges, people rely on the overall health infrastructure provided by Title I and cannot be helped by merely receiving AIDS drugs. I urge my colleagues to oppose the Weldon Amendment.

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding time to me, and for his excellent service in bringing this bill to the floor. I want to commend, certainly, our new chairman of the committee, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Regula), and our big chairman, the chairman of the full committee, for their extraordinary leadership. With all of them working together, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Regula) put us in position today to vote for a bill that is worthy of our support. One of the challenges, Mr. Chairman, that has been of particular prominence in the minds of all Americans since September 11 has been the threat of bioterrorism. On the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where I serve as the ranking Democrat, we have studied the threat posed by biological and chemical agents and our ability to respond. Great strides have been made in recent years, but we must strengthen the ability of the public health infrastructure to detect and contain an attack and treat its victims. This bill provides an increase of $60 million to improve surveillance and strengthen our medical response. In addition, $20 million has been included for pilot projects to explore the feasibility of developing a Nationwide Health Tracking Network among all States to identify and track disease and related environmental factors. The CDC will use this and increased funding for its environmental health lab to rapidly assess human exposure to environmental toxins. I am pleased also that HIV care and treatment through Ryan White has been increased by $112 million, and HIV prevention at the CDC has been increased by $86 million. For the fourth year in a row, we have provided dramatic increases in biomedical research at the NIH. In addition to progress in the search for better treatments and eventually a vaccine for AIDS, these investments are yielding phenomenal progress in our understanding of the human body and how we are affected by our environment. Additional resources, thanks to our distinguished leadership, have been provided for child care, breast and cervical cancer treatment, drug treatment, bilingual education, worker safety, and many other important areas. This progress is promising, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address the unmet health, education, and labor needs that remain. I urge my colleagues to support the labor, health and human services, and education bill. Mr. Chairman, I comment Chairman Regula and Ranking Member Obey for their leadership on the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee. This is a difficult time for our Nation, and this can be a difficult bill to pass because it addresses important needs that we all feel passionate about--health care, education, and a strong work force. The Appropriations Committee has risen to this challenge and I am proud of the bipartisan bill that has been produced. One challenge has been particularly prominent in the minds of all Americans since the September 11th attacks is the threat of bioterrorism. On the Intelligence Committee, where I serve as the Ranking Democrat, we have studied the threat posed by biological and chemical agents and our Nation's ability to respond. Great strides have been made in recent years, but we must strengthen the ability of our public health infrastructure to detect and contain an attack, and treat its victims. This bill provides an increase of $60 million to improve surveillance and strengthen our medical response. In addition, $20 million has been included for pilot projects to explore the feasibility of developing a Nationwide Health Tracking Network among all States to identify and track disease and related environmental factors. The CDC will use this and increased funding for its environmental health lab to rapidly assess human exposure to environmental toxins, including biological and chemical agents. I am also pleased that HIV/AIDS care and treatment through the Ryan White Care Act has been increased by $112 million, and HIV prevention at the CDC has been increased by $86 million. As new infections remain steady and treatment advances reduce the number of AIDS deaths, more people than ever are living with HIV/AIDS and in need of treatment regimens that are costly, complicated, & lifelong. For the fourth year in a row, we have provided dramatic increases in biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health. In addition to progress in the search for better treatments and, eventually, a vaccine for AIDS, these investments are yielding phenomenal progress in our understanding of the human body and how we are affected by our environment. Additional resources have also been provided for child care, breast and cervical cancer screening, drug treatment, bilingual education, worker safety, and many other important areas. This progress is promising, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address the unmet health, education, and labor needs that remain. I urge my colleagues to support the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Appropriations bill. These needs are especially critical for communities of color, where the majority of new AIDS cases are occurring, and I am particularly pleased that funding for the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative is increased by $37 million. Greater access to voluntary counseling & testing, stronger linkages between prevention & treatment, improved access to AIDS drugs, and a reduction in new HIV infections worldwide are vital, and will require significantly more resources than we currently provide. We must continue to increase these resources, and commit ourselves to ensuring that the third decade of the AIDS epidemic is the last decade of the AIDS epidemic. The increases that are provided in this bill are an important step forward.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Boswell) who serves as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. (Mr. BOSWELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)