Joseph Pitts

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, 6 days from now millions of Americans will be scrambling to get their Federal income taxes done. Every year at this time we are reminded how much of a burden the American tax payer bears. Here are some facts: 10 years ago the IRS said it took the average person 9\1/2\ hours to complete a 1040 form. Today it takes 13 hours. That is enough time to play four baseball games. This year it will cost Americans about $194 billion just to comply with the tax code, enough to buy 4.7 million brand-new Cadillacs. The IRS employs over 104,000 people. That is four times as many people that work for the FBI. Mr. Speaker, if there is a lesson to learn from all of this it is this: that taxes will keep going up and up if we do not constantly fight to keep them down. In 1913, the first year of the Federal income tax, the top rate was 7 percent and that was the rate for millionaires. Today the top rate is almost 40 percent. The American people need more tax relief, tax reform and IRS reform; and I urge my colleagues to make this a priority this year.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and communities of the Americans, Pakistanis, Afghans, Iranians, Iraqis, Ethiopians, Sri Lankans, British, Swiss, Germans, Australians, and Canadians who were killed or wounded in the barbaric church bombing in Islamabad, Pakistan on Sunday, March 17, 2002. I commend President Bush for his statement that we will bring those responsible to justice and I look forward to his action against the perpetrators. And, I greatly appreciate President Musharraf's condemnation and subsequent action to find and punish the criminals. Men who seek to murder peaceful religious believers, particularly in the midst of their service of worship of God, reveal the depth of their uncivilized, brutal nature. Once again, extremists are using violence to attempt to intimidate people and gain power. These criminals who murder in cold blood, just like those who attacked the peaceful Pakistani worshipers in October of last year, must be brought to justice. Mr. Speaker, my heart goes out to those families and their loved ones. To the families and friends of those killed, please know that our hearts and prayers are with you in this time of suffering and mourning. The Americans killed and wounded in Pakistan were there to serve our nation and to serve people in Pakistan and the surrounding nations through their work in our Embassy or through NGOs. They are to be applauded and commended for their sacrificial service during this time of great difficulty in our world. And, they are to be admired for they have now paid the ultimate price for their service--they have given their lives.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the work of The Mobility Project, an organization which serves the underprivileged with disabilities in other nations. The Mobility Project has distributed wheelchairs and other mobility aids, along with surplus medical supplies and physical therapy equipment, free of charge to the disabled poor in Vietnam, Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and refugee camps in Kashmir. The volunteers with The Mobility Project give a tremendous amount of time and thorough care into ensuring that each wheelchair or mobility aid is properly adjusted to the individual for whom it is intended. As you may know, in many places of the world the disabled are resented or are pushed out of active participation in society. Some are even left in as virtual prisoners in their rooms. The work of The Mobility Project gives hope to people and offers an avenue for the disabled to be productive members of their society. In addition to giving wheelchairs and other aids to those in need, The Mobility Project helps to provide remedial education, sports programs, and job training for the disabled poor. I have seen the faces of refugees and other suffering people who have received the gift of mobility as a result of the work of this organization. I watched the face of a young Pakistani girl who received a wheelchair--it will change her life. Mr. Speaker, it is important to honor those in our world and in our nation who quietly, humbly, and ably serve people in need. The Mobility Project volunteers, particularly President and co-founder and Vice President and co-founder Ray Terrill, are role models for us all.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to raise again the policies of the government of Sudan and its treatment of its people. Christians, Muslims, and Animists who do not submit to the Khartoum regime's control are targeted for destruction. In addition to its daily war against the Sudan's people, which includes destroying villages, killing the men and selling women and children into slavery, the government issues draconian punishments for crimes. One recent report details an 18-year-old illiterate Christian, Abok Alva Akok, who was raped but was sentenced to death because she could not produce the four male witnesses required under Muslim Sharia law. International outcry caused her sentence to be overturned, but the court then sentenced her to a ``rebuke'' of 75 lashes, carried out immediately. During the proceedings, she was denied legal representation. Mr. Speaker, the Khartoum regime not only denies justice to the Sudan's people, gives out harsh punishments, and permits active slave trade, but also is carrying out a brutal war to destroy the people of southern Sudan. Khartoum's brutal policies must be stopped.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, President Bush said that there is an axis of evil governments at work in the world today, three countries ruled by evil governments that sponsor terrorism, practice genocide, and seek weapons of mass destruction. It should be pointed out that it is the governments, the rulers of these three countries the President has talked about, not the people who live there. No one knows better than the people of Iran, Iraq, and North Korea that their rulers are evil. Take, for example, the boy in this picture. A German doctor who was visiting the North Korean countryside took this photo more than a year ago. He said, When I see the brainwashing, starvation, concentration camps, medical experiments, and mass executions, I must say that Kim Jong Il is an upgraded version of Hitler's Nazi Germany. Children like this suffer from starvation, oppression, poor medical care, while the ruling elite live like kings. The people of North Korea and other axis countries live in constant fear and, while they are sorely oppressed, they dare not complain. The people are not the ones that the President is talking about; it is the governments of these countries that are brutally oppressing their people.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, we learned this week that there are credible reports that Saddam Hussein has been holding an American Navy pilot for the last 10 years. Lieutenant Commander Scott Speicher was shot down over Iraq during the Gulf War, and he has never been accounted for. Now, intelligence sources are saying Saddam Hussein captured him and has been holding him prisoner ever since. Mr. Speaker, we know that Saddam Hussein does not follow the rules of peace or war. The world knows that he is a tyrant who murders his own people, and we know that he has repeatedly invaded his neighbors. Now it seems he may be secretly imprisoning an American officer. To be clear, we do not know yet if this is true, but if it is, Saddam Hussein needs to return our pilot to us immediately. If he does not, the Government of Iraq will have to pay the consequences, and I do not need to point out that those consequences will be severe.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, for years the people of Burma have suffered horrifying brutality, torture, rape, forced labor and destruction of homes and villages. Entire communities are forced to live in hiding in the jungles without access to medical care or education for their children because the military dictatorship of Burma continues to attack villagers who refuse to allow drug production on their land or who will not bow to the illegitimate authority of the SPDC. Approximately 300,000 Burmese are now refugees in Thailand, Bangladesh, and India. When Rev. David Eubank visited with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League of Democracy in 1997, she suggested inviting churches from around the world to pray for the people of Burma. Since then, people from all faith backgrounds around the world now join each March to pray for peace for the people of Burma. Madam Speaker, I urge the American people and this body to join me in praying for freedom and peace for the people of Burma.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, when the leader of the free world came to this Chamber in January to deliver his State of the Union address, he described the axis of evil governments. He mentioned them by name: Iran, Iraq and North Korea. Since then, some people have criticized the speech. In fact, one of President Bush's predecessors said the speech was ``over simplistic'' and ``counterproductive.'' Mr. Speaker, the Government of Iran spends millions of dollars financing the murder of innocent civilians and violence in the Middle East. The Government of Iraq has used chemical weapons to kill its own citizens and has invaded its neighbors. North Korea is the only country I know of today that has concentration camps where people enter and never come home from. They literally starve their citizens. If that is not evil, I do not know what is. Years ago another President referred to the Soviet Union as an evil empire, and some of us remember the Soviet refusenik Natan Sharansky. He was in a gulag when President Reagan gave that speech. Mr. Sharansky told me, when I met him, that news of that speech spread like wildfire through the Soviet gulags. Not until then did they realize that a leader in the West understood the nature of communism.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of talk these days about self- esteem. We do not want children to have low self-esteem. Whole curricula are developed about how to increase children's self-esteem. The truth is, marriage is one of the best mental health programs for children and adults. Children born or raised outside of marriage are more likely to suffer mental health problems, such as depression. Children whose parents are not married have lower school attendance, lower school performance. Teenagers whose parents are divorced are also more likely to have problems with substance abuse than children whose parents are married. Married adults are significantly less likely to suffer from the problems of alcoholism and depression than non-married adults. Mr. Speaker, I am not a mental health expert, but it seems to me that encouraging healthy marriages is a whole lot cheaper and more effective than picking up the pieces of broken marriages after it is too late.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, the world was amazed a few years ago when scientists in Scotland successfully cloned a sheep. Many of us wondered what was coming next. Well, in November, Advanced Cell Technology of Massachusetts announced that they had successfully cloned a human embryo. Amazingly, there are people out there who think cloning human beings is perfectly okay. Right now the U.N. is meeting to discuss a ban on what they call ``reproductive cloning.'' Mr. Speaker, I think we all know what a redundancy is. It means using two words that mean the same thing. Cloning is by definition reproductive. The only question is how long will the clones survive. But the pro-cloning crowd wants to create this false distinction so they can keep on cloning human beings as long as they do not grow up. In other words, they want to clone human beings as long as they are used for experimentation and then destroyed. Mr. Speaker, this is sick and it needs to stop. The House has passed a cloning ban. America is still waiting for the other body to do the same thing so we can put a stop to this immoral and ethical science.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, preserving and strengthening marriage in America is not just a values issue, it is a safety issue, especially for women. According to Federal statistics, women are much more likely to be victims of domestic abuse if they are not married. In fact, domestic partner or spouse abuse against women is almost three times as high among cohabiting couples as it is among all married, divorced, and separated couples combined. If we simply compare married couples to couples who just live together, violence against women is five times as high for those who are not married. Clearly, women are safest when they are living in healthy, committed marriages. To most Americans, this sounds like common sense, but for the most at-risk women in America, I mean poor women, our welfare laws create a strong disincentive against marriage. Mr. Speaker, that needs to change. I hope that when we reauthorize our welfare laws later this year that we will address this. America's families and America's women deserve no less.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the program and the remarks of the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Bartlett), the Member representing the House of Representatives at the wreath-laying ceremony at the Washington Monument for the observance of George Washington's birthday on Friday, February 22, 2002, be inserted in today's Congressional Record.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, on the day we found out that Daniel Pearl was dead, the editors of the Wall Street Journal said, ``His murder is an act of barbarism that makes a mockery of everything that Danny's kidnappers claimed to believe in. ``They claimed to be Pakistani nationalists, but their actions most surely bring shame to all true Pakistani patriots.'' I think the editors of the Journal got it exactly right. Murder is never an act of patriotism, no matter what country one comes from. Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf is doing everything he can to track down Mr. Pearl's killers. Our own President says he is confident that Pervez Musharraf is doing everything possible to find them. Pervez Musharraf has proven that he is a reliable ally in our war on terrorism. He has proven it by tracking down terrorists, even when they are citizens of his own country. Daniel Pearl, another totally innocent victim in this war on terrorism, died seeking the truth. Let us make sure he did not die in vain. Let us help Pervez Musharraf find his killers, stop terrorism, and bring peace and democracy to the struggling nations of this world.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, later this week the House is going to vote on a bill that claims to reform our campaign finance laws. Is there too much money in politics? Yes. No one knows that better than the candidates who have to raise it. But the Shays-Meehan bill uses a chain saw where we need a scalpel. This bill goes way beyond regulating the way we contribute to candidates. The Supreme Court ruled long ago that political donations are constitutionally protected speech. But even if that were not true, surely talking about our elected officials is protected by the first amendment. But Shays-Meehan supporters are not talking about the provisions in this bill that limit free speech, but those provisions are there. This bill would make it a crime for any citizens group, other than a political action committee, to criticize, praise or even mention a political candidate 60 days before an election. Madam Speaker, this is an outrage. How dare we even suggest this? The freedom of speech is our most cherished freedom, and it is most important when it comes to choosing our leaders. Madam Speaker, the Shays-Meehan bill is flawed and unconstitutional in this regard.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of this resolution welcoming President Musharraf in his visit to the United States this week. He has shown very bold leadership in cooperating with the United States in the war against terrorism. He has made some very difficult decisions, which were politically risky for him to do. Had he chosen the politically easy path, the great successes of the past months would not have been possible. I think history will describe him as a courageous leader. Despite great risk to himself, to his government, he stood up for what was right and against what was wrong. He has cracked down on the extremists, the terrorists in his country. He has publicly spoken out and cracked down on the leaders guilty of hate speech. He shut down some of the madrassas which were teaching children to hate. He has acted to reform the education those young people receive. He has put his military into tribal areas along the western border where military forces have never been in their history, as under the British arrangement tribal law supersedes national law. He had to make special negotiations and arrangements to put his military along the western border to interdict the terrorists, the al Qaeda network, as they sought to flee Afghanistan, and he has turned those al Qaeda terrorists over to the United States. In my mind these actions are the definition of courage. It is no secret that Pakistan is an important ally of the United States. It has been for years. Yet Pakistan faces many challenges. President Musharraf has made good-faith efforts to weed out extremism, restore democracy and the rule of law, to ensure stability in a region that is torn by conflict. In addition, President Musharraf has led historic change in his country by abolishing the separate electorates that disenfranchised minority ethnic and religious groups and boldly mandating a joint electoral system. The joint electorate will help ensure that elected officials must respond to the needs of all people in Pakistan instead of ignoring the important issues, particularly fundamental human rights issues, facing ethnic and religious minorities. I applaud President Musharraf for bringing one of the biggest steps forward for human rights in Pakistan, and I encourage President Musharraf to continue in this direction bringing further reform to eliminate discriminatory laws and procedures, such as the blasphemy law, and to protect and uphold the fundamental human rights of all people in Pakistan. I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for cosponsoring this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the courage, the leadership, the progress of President Musharraf of Pakistan as he visits the United States by voting for this resolution.

Mr. PITTS

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

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I recently returned from a visit to Afghanistan with Congressman Frank Wolf and Congressman Tony Hall. We were greeted with warm, friendly smiles wherever we went, from meetings with Interim Administration officials to hospitals, schools and orphanages. There is a hope in Afghanistan that the country will be different and new opportunities and life will emerge out of the terrible suffering the Afghan people have endured. The visit was a highlight, but it was also sobering. The best children's hospital in the nation, the Indira Ghandi Pediatric Hospital, lacked basic medicines to treat the children, two children and their mothers shared each bed, one of three children in the malnutrition ward died each night, there is a lack of basic medical equipment, and no hospital employees have been paid for six months. Yet, the doctors and nurses worked valiantly to save the lives of the children in their care. We visited a girls school, the Dorkhanai High School, that had re- opened one week earlier after being shut down for over five years. The concrete building was full of bullet holes from the Soviet invasion, one room had no roof, and no rooms had glass in the windows. The girls sat on blankets on the concrete or dirt floor as their were no desks or chairs. Yet, the students were so motivated to learn they raised the money from the meager earnings of their families to buy thick plastic to cover the window holes and pay for kerosene heat to keep out some of the biting cold in the schoolrooms. The girls greeted us with big smiles and chants of ``Welcome, welcome.'' They were delighted to be back in school. Teachers need to be re-hired, 80 percent of the teachers were women, and the government needs assistance with providing basic supplies such as paper, pens, chalk and books. The Allauddin Center Orphanage has 900 children in their care--800 boys and 100 girls. The children, many obviously suffering from malnutrition and trauma from the violence of the war and the loss of their loved ones, gave us huge smiles and recited and sang for us. A delegation of firefighters from New York City had visited recently and donated enough food for the children for the next three months, but after that, it will again be a struggle to feed these young children. The firefighters also provided warm blankets for these children who, in the winter due to lack of adequate heating facilities, sleep three to a bed with three rooms of children crowding into one room--this way they can all be in rooms in which there are heat sources. We also visited a women's bakery with the United Nations World Food Program Women's Bakery Project that has been vital in helping women, particularly widows, support and feed their families. During our visit, we learned that one woman had been a doctor at the hospital, but she left to work at the bakery so that she could earn money to actually support her family. There is an almost overwhelming humanitarian crisis that continues today. Food, medicine and shelter are lacking for much of the country's population. Yet, there is hope--hope that the American people will cement their friendship with the Afghan people by remaining engaged in their country through various avenues. Government aid to Afghanistan is vital, but people to people diplomacy, sister relationships between schools and hospitals in the US. partnering with schools and hospitals in Afghanistan, will be invaluable in helping to rebuild the nation and the historic friendship between our nations. Our meetings with government officials also gave us hope. The Chairman of the Interim Administration, H.E. Hamid Karzai, is an impressive, capable, straightforward man who has the capacity to lead his country to establish a coalition that will last through the historic transitions the nation is experiencing. The Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) in June will mark a key transition for the people of Afghanistan and Hamid Karzai appears to be the one who can lead the people through that transition. In response to our visit, there are several key points that must be addressed as our nation, government and people remain engaged with the people of Afghanistan: 1. The United States and the international community must continue to support Chairman Karzai and the Interim Administration in Kabul as well as the Administration's clarifying to the various regions of Afghanistan that federal authority rests in Kabul. In addition, it is vital that the international community ensure that the Bonn Agreement is fully implemented and culminated in the Loya Jirga to be held on June 22, 2002. The Loya Jirga is the traditionally accepted Afghan method of solving problems and reaching consensus. We must continue our support for the new government, otherwise lack of stability could create the opportunity for another pre-September 11 environment of factional fighting, violence and upheaval, and a central power vacuum that would have severe implications for our national security. 2. Humanitarian Aid must continue. The UN World Food Programme and U.S. and other NGOs serving the people there are doing a great job. But the need remains high. The UN estimated that they would be feeding 8 million people within Afghanistan, not to mention refugees in neighboring countries, in the next three months to help avert an even greater crisis. Food aid is needed, as is medical and educational assistance. People to people diplomacy can be conducted through Chairman Karzai's office in Kabul. 3. U.S. assistance must be deliberate. Security is the primary need, mentioned in every meeting and site visit we had. Unless there is security, no amount of effort will ensure that the new government leaders can implement the very necessary changes in the country. Second, the economy must be developed, primarily through developing the agricultural sector of society. Prior to the 1997 Soviet invasion, Afghanistan was self-sufficient and even exported agricultural products to neighboring countries. Studies show that before 1979, 80 percent of the socieity was in farming. The skills are there, but the opportunity needs to be developed. Unfortunately, the four-year drought in the country has drastically affected the output of farms and the ability of animal herders to keep animals alive. Irrigation systems and drought assistance need to be constructed and provided as soon as possible. In addition, development of the agricultural sector with alternative crops is a proactive avenue of fighting against narcotics production. Third, development of the education system is one of the primary needs. An overwhelming portion of the population has been affected by lack of access to education. As reflected in our visit to the girls' school, the people have a desire to pursue an education as they view this as the primary avenue for bettering their lives. Studies from around the world support this: the development of educational systems changes nations. The Afghan people may lack the basic materials for education, but not the desire to learn. Mr. Speaker, there are tremendous needs in Afghanistan, but there also is a tremendous amount of hope and an expectation that this time will be different. I look forward to visiting Afghanistan in the future and seeing these hopes and expectations lived out. As Chairman Hamid Karzai said during our meeting together, ``Think of the help as help to our children. The families will do well if the children do well.'' As we look forward to the hopes and expectations of a new Afghanistan, I will be working with the generous people of Pennsylvania and others across this nation to extend a hand of friendship, partnership and care through practical projects that will help build up the Afghan people.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, keeping the American people safe is our government's most important duty. We are spending billions of dollars to fight terrorism and to keep the homeland secure. In addition, the recession has cost the government billions more in lost revenue. These things are unavoidable. And it looks like, after passing four balanced budgets in a row, the first time in 40 years, that we will again run a budget deficit this next year. But even with all of this necessary spending, we should put plans in place now to return to a balanced budget as soon as we can. We have worked too hard to start paying off the debt to give up now. In his State of the Union Address, President Bush urged us to limit spending so we can return to surpluses in a year or 2. So let us fully fund the war on terrorism, let us make sure our airports and power plants are secure, and if the other body ever passes the stimulus package, let us make it law right away. But when it comes to other things, we need to tighten our belt and rein in spending. That is the only way we will stay on track and pay off the public debt. We have paid down over half a trillion dollars in debt already. Let us pay off the rest as soon as we can.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, it has been 10 months since this recession began, and it has been nearly that long since President Bush created a plan to boost the American economy. The House of Representatives passed that plan. It was a good one. It would have put people back to work, but there are two halves to Congress, and the other half did not like the plan, so we compromised. We passed a new plan. This one was reported to have the votes to pass both Chambers, but the vote has not been allowed on the other side. Mr. Speaker, hundreds of thousands of Americans are out of work. Several major employers have gone bankrupt. Pension funds have shriveled up. The American people need an economic stimulus package, and they need it now. I do not know what more we can do on this side of the Rotunda to make that happen, and I think we are all getting tired of waiting for the other side, and the American people are, too.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, on January 4, one of the political leaders of the other body said President Bush's tax relief plan ``probably made the recession worse.'' Oh, really? Only $41 billion of the President's $1.35 trillion bipartisan tax relief plan went into effect last year. Of that amount, 93 percent, or $38 billion, comprised the income tax rebates that were mailed to every tax-paying American last summer and early fall. So according to this illustrious political leader, the tax rebate proposal, widely hailed by Democrats at the time, caused ``the most dramatic fiscal deterioration in our Nation's history.'' Blaming the President's plan for the cause of the recession, when the bulk of tax relief will not occur until the year 2005, is faulty logic at best. To say that providing a $300 tax rebate to working Americans during a recession probably made the recession worse does not make sense. The real reason some political leaders want to repeal tax cuts is just so they have more money for government program spending.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, we are in a recession. People are losing their jobs and their retirement savings. The Congress needs to do something about it. The House has passed an economic stimulus package, not once, but twice, in order to accommodate critics. It is common knowledge that the economic stimulus package we passed in December has enough support to become law. It has enough votes to pass not just in the House but in both Chambers of Congress. Mr. Speaker, we in the House have done our part. We have passed a good bill, a bill that will help the unemployed, the underemployed, and those who would create jobs in the first place. We have shown that we care. We have done more than just talk. Now the bill is out of our hands. I understand that it is against House rules to comment on the other body's inaction, so I will not. But I will say that the American people need this economic stimulus. I will say that the media reports that the stimulus has the votes to pass into law, and people are waiting for a vote.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today out of concern over the serious internal terrorist attacks occurring in Indonesia. A terrorist extremist group, Laskar Jihad, led by a man by the name of Jafar Umar Thalib, has caused tremendous destruction, death, and internal displacement of the Indonesian people. In Poso, Central Sulawesi, villagers are presently fleeing in terror as Laskar Jihad attacks and burns their homes and kills innocent people. Credible reports in the news media have revealed links because the Laskar Jihad and the al Qaeda organization. During the attacks in Poso, foreigners from countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan have been seen among the terrorists. There is not only a strong ideological link, but also an important financial link between al Qaeda and Laskar Jihad. Mr. Speaker, it is vital that we work proactively with the Indonesian Government as their officials seek to appropriately respond to terrorism and as they continue to establish democracy and stability in their Nation. This is another front in the international war on terrorism that should be addressed.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this important legislation, the Nurse Reinvestment Act, to help relieve America's nursing shortage. Every American should be concerned about the growing shortage of nurses. Just as more Americans are reaching their golden years, fewer nurses are graduating from nursing schools to provide them the quality health care they earned and deserve. Less well known, but of equal severity and concern, is the fact that there is a shortage of nurse anesthetists in America. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, or CRNAs, provide 65 percent of anesthetics in the U.S., and are the sole anesthesia provider to 70 percent of U.S. rural hospitals. They are the military's predominant anesthesia provider, especially on U.S. Navy ships and at forward- deployed locations, serving our men and women in uniform as we are united in America's war on terror. They are registered nurses, who go on to complete masters-level education and certification in nurse anesthesia, and are considered a type of advanced practice nurse, licensed to practice in all 50 states. America's 28,000 CRNAs meet the most stringent continuing education and recertification requirements in anesthesia care. And with all this, the Institute of Medicine reported in its landmark survey of medical errors, To Err Is Human, that anesthesia care is 50 times safer than 20 years ago. And there are not enough CRNAs today. The growth in the number of Medicare-eligible Americans compounds the growth in the number of surgical procedures requiring anesthetics. A 2001 survey of nurse anesthetist managers reported a 250 percent increase in CRNA vacancies among those managers reporting vacancies just since 1997. America's 83 accredited schools of nurse anesthesia are graduating more CRNAs, just not enough to keep up with growing demand. In real life, this means surgeries get delayed, operating rooms lie unused, and hospitals and patients suffer, for a lack of a sufficient number of nurse anesthetists. We simply need to educate more of them. This important legislation helps relieve the nursing shortage, and the CRNA shortage, in several important ways. It expands the authorization of the existing Nurse Loan Repayment program, so that nurses, including CRNAs, can work off their obligations in a greater range of health care sites with shortages, such as rural hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, and Critical Access Hospitals. It authorizes scholarships for nurses, including CRNAs, who agree to work in shortage areas. It provides important new incentives to educate nursing faculty, and to reach out to young people with the information they need to consider nursing as a positive, challenging, and life- changing career that is both economically secure and flexible. This is only the beginning of our work on relieving this critical shortage. In 2002, Congress is due to consider reauthorizing of existing nurse education programs, Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act. I hope that as we reauthorize the Title VIII programs, we can look for creative ways to expand the number of nurses in America, while growing our ranks of advanced practice nurses such as nurse anesthetists. I want to thank several Members for their excellent work on this bill; Chairman Billy Tauzin and Ranking Member John Dingell of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Chairman Michael Bilirakis and Ranking Member Sherrod Brown of the Subcommittee on Health, as well as Congresswomen Kelly and Capps, original cosponsors of this legislation.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, a fourth grader in Pennsylvania has been told that he cannot hand out Christmas cards to his classmates if they contain religious messages. Two middle school students in Minnesota have gotten in trouble for wearing red and green scarves during a Christmas skit and for ending the skit by saying ``We hope you all have a merry Christmas.'' Two ninth graders in Massachusetts have been told they cannot create Christmas cards that say Merry Christmas or depict a nativity scene. A teacher in Illinois has been warned by her principal not to read a book about Christmas to her second grade class, even though it is from the school library. A school district in Georgia has deleted the word Christmas from its school calendar to avoid a lawsuit from the ACLU. Mr. Speaker, the Constitution has been hijacked. The founders never intended the first amendment to prevent schoolchildren from wishing each other a merry Christmas. Left-wing lawyers are distorting the Constitution beyond all recognition. Pretty soon they will be able to make it say anything they want it to say, and then we will all be in trouble. The Grinch may have already stolen Christmas. Let us keep him from stealing the Constitution too.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, Congress' job is to represent the people. That does not mean that we should be a rubber stamp for every poll that is taken. The American people expect us to exercise our judgment; and, in fact, that is our constitutional duty. But when the Gallup organization tells us that 88 percent of the American people oppose cloning, it is pretty hard to deny the will of this country. Mr. Speaker, creating human life through cloning is unethical, and it is bad science. Creating human life with the intent to kill it in experiments is even worse. Yet that is the justification we are hearing. The scientists that are cloning human beings say that it is okay as long as they kill them off before they reach maturity. That is sick. It is time to demonstrate that at least we can still tell right from wrong. Mr. Speaker, the House has already passed a ban on human cloning. The other body needs to act immediately. There is no time to wait.