Ralph Regula

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, we have recognized the problem; and we have increased those programs, as the gentlewoman has probably noticed. It has been a difficult issue to balance out all of the demands that confront us in this bill. We have tried to be fair in beefing up that program.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, if the gentlewoman would continue to yield, we are aware of that; and will work with the gentlewoman.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I think the gentlewoman is addressing what is a serious problem. This is just one of the many fall-outs of September 11. There will be more yet to come, and I think we need to be sensitive to it. Probably as time flows along, the problems that the gentlewoman is discussing will become even more evident. It is an authorizing problem, as the gentlewoman realizes, and I am sure that the gentlewoman's amendment will be before the authorizing committee for a hearing. But we are well aware of it. Any portion that we deal with here, we have tried to put adequate funding in.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my original request and to amend it so that further debate on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Istook), and any amendments thereto, be limited to 24 minutes, to be equally divided and controlled by the proponent and myself, the opponent.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman is not going to ask for a recorded vote, but just to reiterate what he recognizes, too, this is a delicately balanced bill. We tried to balance all of the priorities. This is a good example of it. The Ryan White program serves a lot of people. This amendment would cut out services to about 11,000 people; and it does focus on the big cities. I think what the gentleman is expressing concern for is right. It is just that we do not have enough money to do everything that we would like to do. I congratulate the gentleman for his concern and for the other areas that he sees as underserved by ADAP.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I agree that this is a concern. I had a conversation with the sponsor of the amendment, and I understand the need for this funding. We have a tough time balancing off all the different problems that afflict us in terms of disease and research. I do want to talk to the NIH folks and see if we could get a little more urgency on the part of NIH in doing research. Of course, we will also, in the conference, see if we cannot get some additional funding for this program.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 12 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, the amendment offered by the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Istook) proposes to amend portions of the bill not yet read. The amendment may not be considered en bloc under clause 2(f) of rule XXI because the amendment proposes to increase the level of budget authority in the bill.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, yes, I do.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my point of order.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the amendment.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. REGULA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, events of the past week have given all of us great pride in America, great pride in the people of this Nation and the way in which they responded to our crisis. But tonight we also have a moment of pride, and that is that we are a Nation of laws; that we are a Nation that follows the rule of law; and that in this action, in this resolution, we are respecting the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution says that the Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes and to provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States, to declare war, to provide calling forth the militia to repel invasions. That is what we are doing. But it also provides that the President shall be commander in chief of the forces of this Nation. I think this resolution says eloquently that we are a Nation of laws; that we respond in a measured way, as provided in the Constitution of the United States; and that we can take pride in our response along with the people in their response to the events of this week.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot about the great American experience. They were all heroes, but I want to mention the Centers for Disease Control. They are unsung heroes because they are protecting us from bioterrorism, chemical, biological weapons. We are to have a briefing in the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education at 1 o'clock on that subject. My question is will the funding here be available to deal with bioterrorism as well as other forms of terrorist attacks?

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield to me for a question?

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to strongly condemn the heinous acts of terrorism committed against the American people yesterday. The barbaric cowards perpetrating these acts have attacked not only our country, but also the values of human freedom and democracy that so many Americans have died defending both here and abroad. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and those who have tragically lost loved ones. In the short term, we must do everything we can to save and care for those injured in these attacks. The Federal Government can and must be a vital partner in this effort. As chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that funds the Department of Health and Human Services, I am very pleased to see the Department is coordinating emergency medical services under the Federal Response Plan, dispatching medical supplies and disaster medical teams to the areas affected by these attacks. I must express my sincere gratitude to all those police, fire, and volunteer rescue units that have saved so many already at their own risk and continue their efforts to find survivors. My appreciation also goes out to those tresting the many injured. Lastly, I must say thanks to all those who have donated their time, blood, and possessions to aid the rescue effort. It always impresses me that in times of great tragedy, the people of this country rise to the challenge in coming to the aid of their fellow citizens. This says a lot about the values this nation represents. Of course, our energies must be strongly focused on finding those responsible and bringing them to justice. I consider this to be an act of war against the United States and a substantial and coordinated response is needed to protect our national security. Like the President, I believe we must strongly punish not only these terrorists, but also those who provide them with a haven in which to operate. I hope that our friends and allies worldwide will help us in this effort. Clearly, the unforeseen nature of these attacks requires us to rethink the way we defend this country, with the hope that future attacks can be prevented. Domestically, we must pay better attention to unconventional threats and basic security measures. Internationally, we need to better utilize our intelligence resources so that these types of threats can be detected early. This is not the first time our country and way of life have been challenged. This challenge too will be answered and this great nation will prevail over these faceless cowards. These are the times when all Americans are called upon to rise to the occasion, working together with a common purpose to show that this Nation continues to stand tall and proud.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the fiscal year 2002 Commerce, State, Justice bill. I do especially want to commend the chairman and the ranking member for crafting a fair and balanced bill that takes into account the priorities of the President and the Congress. I have a special interest in trade issues, and the bill provides full funding for the trade agencies which carry out several important functions. The trade laws, in view of our economic situation, become even more important so that we get not only free trade but fair trade in our economy. We provide the full funding request for embassy security. I can remember as a member of this committee when we were very concerned about embassy security, and we traveled to a number of places. It was a serious problem. I think the chairman is trying to address that, and it is important that he do so. We do have full funding for the Legal Services Corporation. I refer to that as the equivalent of the Medicaid program in the area of legal matters. I know that the new president of the system, one of our former colleagues, former Congressman John Erlenborn, will do a great job of giving leadership to the Legal Services Corp. I especially want to thank the chairman for providing $2.5 million for the continuation of the partnership between the JASON project and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The JASON project is a state-of-the-art education program that brings scientists into classrooms through advanced interactive telecommunications technology. The program is really designed to excite students about the sciences and to encourage them to pursue higher education in the sciences. We have had many speeches on this floor about the importance of science and science education. The JASON project benefits from the scientific information and expertise available from NOAA that can be incorporated into the JASON curriculum and the annual expedition. It extends benefits by encouraging students to become future scientists. Finally, I would like to mention the Ohio WEBCHECK program. This innovative and award-winning program allows for quick and convenient background checks to be completed over the Internet. The Ohio system allows fingerprint images of two fingers and two thumbs to be electronically transmitted for a criminal background check through the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification. This is especially important for people who are hiring counselors, who are hiring adults that deal with children. It avoids a lot of problems. Last year, we provided $5 million of Federal funding to hook WebCheck into the FBI fingerprint system for a more comprehensive national check. I want to thank the chairman for recommending additional funding for this project so that it can be completed in a manner that will make it possible for all States to set up similar programs and hook them into the FBI system. Having a quick, convenient, and comprehensive national background check system will provide a safer environment for our children and the elderly. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this appropriations bill.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. The committee in their wisdom chose to structure it that way.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the elimination of this amendment. The fee program has worked extremely well. It has raised about $400 million that has been used to improve campsites, repair sanitation facilities, roads, bridges, and safety. I heard this characterized as a tax. It is a user fee, and the people that pay the fee get the benefit. If one does not use the facilities, they are not paying for them. We know that the backlog of maintenance in the national parks is about $5 billion, maybe $10 billion, no one knows for sure. But when we do not have maintenance, this means that the visitors do not have an opportunity to enjoy these facilities, as has been described. By having a very modest fee, and usually the fee for a whole carload of people is about the price of one ticket to Disneyland, or maybe even less than that, they have the benefit of the trails, the campsites, the sanitation facilities, the enhancement of visitor locations. Thus far, we have raised over $600 million. Under the language, this money has to be on top of the base support of the park program in the bill. This is not a substitute for what we would be normally spending. Therefore, the money is used to enhance the visitors' experience. When I talk to the superintendents, they say that the vast majority, the vast majority of the people are happy to pay a fee. In fact, oftentimes they will contribute extra if they have a box for contributions. People appreciate the parks and forests and the recreational opportunities afforded to them, and they are perfectly willing in most cases to pay a very modest fee. This program over the next year or year and a half will produce a total of over $900 million. Members can imagine what that means in fixing up rundown campgrounds and picnic sites, and fixing cultural parks that are part of our great parks and forest system. Sometimes campgrounds are closed because they do not have the money to maintain them. By having the fee program, they have an opportunity to open these campgrounds and give more visitors a chance to use the facilities. One other thing I am told by park and forest superintendents is that vandalism is substantially reduced, because when people pay a certain small fee they have a greater appreciation of the facility, plus the fact that they do not go in there in a careless way. I still remember visiting the Angelos National Forest, where they built a beautiful picnic area with slides and charcoal burners and picnic tables. Obviously, what had happened the night before we were there, someone with one of these vehicles with huge tires had come into this facility and just drove over it, drove over the gate, smashed everything in sight. Had they paid a fee they would not have done that, because they would have known that somebody at the gate knew they were in there. But at that time, there was no fee program. This is just one example of how vandalism would be reduced under this program. I think if we talk to park and forest superintendents, if we talk to the vast majority of people who use the parks and forests for recreation, they will be very supportive of this program. It has worked well. A lot of the facilities are in far better condition than they would be otherwise, had there not been the program of modest fees. I think this is a bad thing, this amendment, it is a bad thing for the parks and forests. It would take away from them an opportunity to work with the visitors in improving their experience when they do use our parks and recreation facilities. Mr. Chairman, I urge a strong no vote on this amendment. Mr. DeFazio. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. REGULA. I yield to the gentleman from Oregon. Mr. DeFazio. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman has always been gracious in dealing with our disagreements over this, and I appreciate it. I would just like to clarify, the gentleman kept saying parks and park superintendents. This amendment applies only to the Forest Service and the BLM, so the parks and park superintendents are not at issue here. They would still be allowed to go there.

Mr. REGULA. I yield to the gentleman from Oregon. Mr. Defazio. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman admits this will not affect the Park Service, it is only the Forest Service and the BLM.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, in the mind of the public, the forests and parks are oftentimes indistinguishable. I might say, the forests are a very rapidly growing source of recreation. In fact, what used to a source of wood fiber is now a source of recreation, and I think the gentleman will find in this bill a lot of commitment of money to enhancing the recreation dimension of the national forests. So obviously the fee program works there as effectively, and will, as it does in the parks.