Lucille Roybal-Allard

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise this afternoon in support of the Coble amendment to restore what I think are the badly needed funds, in fact, the direct fees that are paid to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This is really a fascinating debate that we are having here today in the House. I think this is a most interesting and instructive debate that is taking place here today, and I think that every Member that has risen on the floor, whether they are in support of the amendment or rise in opposition, have made very, very important points. I guess the most important one is that this budget is not funded the way it should be. What I want to point out are the very important things that the Patent Office does and what it means to our Nation and our Nation's economy. The Patent Office is 100 percent supported by the user fees that are paid by patent and trademark applicants and owners. Since 1992, the Congress has been withholding an increasing portion of these fees for use in other CJS agencies. In fiscal year 2000 alone, $116 million in PTO user fees were given to other CJS agencies. So it is not as if people are not coming to the Patent Office. They are, in increasing numbers, and they are paying the fees; but the fees are being siphoned off for other parts of the budget. I do not think this is right. The user fees are meant to pay for the work of the agency to which they are very directly paid.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. So why is there a deficit? Why is there a decreasing amount of money for the Patent Office, and why are we having this debate then?

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the VA-HUD appropriations bill and its inadequate funding levels for our nation's housing need. The bill currently provides $2.5 billion less than the President's request and would under-fund almost every program within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This inadequate funding would severely impact our nation's communities and roll back much of the progress we have made towards making affordable housing and economic development opportunities available to all Americans. As the nation enjoys its longest sustained economic boom, now is the time to meet our critical housing needs and fully fund our housing services and programs--not neglect them. I have deep concerns about this bill because, among other things, it: Fails to fund the administration's request for 120,000 rental assistance vouchers. This includes 10,000 vouchers to construct the first affordable housing units for families since 1996. It cuts the President's proposed funding levels for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program by almost $400 million, and it fails to provide funding for America's Private Investment Companies (APIC) which stimulate private investment in distressed communities. These are just a few examples of how the VA-HUD bill in front of us today short changes the millions of lower income Americans who critically need the assistance provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. We can and must do better. I ask my colleagues to join me in opposing this inadequate bill.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Los Angeles Lakers on winning the National Basketball Association Championship. As a native of Los Angeles, I could not be more proud of our team's achievement. The Los Angeles Lakers have a history of phenomenal success and great basketball. Yesterday's win was their sixth championship in two decades. The Lakers are stars, and they have dominated the game of basketball. They have made us proud.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4365, and would like to focus on one element of this bill, the Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act, which I introduced last year with the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Emerson). This provision will help prevent an estimated 2,500 U.S. babies a year from being born with serious birth defects of the brain and spine, such as spina bifida. Added to this tragedy is the fact that up to 70 percent of these birth defects can be prevented if women of childbearing age consume 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. Unfortunately, thousands of U.S. women are unaware of this fact. The Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act in this bill addresses this problem by authorizing the Centers for Disease Control to launch a national education and public awareness campaign to inform women of the benefits of folic acid. Like so many public health needs, common sense tells us that devoting a few extra dollars to this problem today will save thousands of dollars in future health care costs, but more importantly, will prevent the occurrence of these tragic birth defects. On behalf of our Nation's families, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4365.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, Democrats want to ensure that all American children receive a quality 21st century education in public schools with up-to-date facilities and safe classrooms. That is why Democrats support The Safe and Successful Schools Act of 2000. This act would provide our schools with $1.3 billion annually for emergency school renovations. As one of the most powerful nations in the world, Mr. Speaker, it is a tragedy that America's schools are in such desperate need of repair. The schools in my district are indicative of what is happening nationwide. For example, the roof in the gymnasium at Belmont High School in Los Angeles has multiple leaks. Garbage cans must be scattered throughout the gym to catch the rain. Two other high schools in my district, Venice and Lincoln, have extensive water damage that has left dangerous wiring and piping exposed to the children. Americans value their children, Mr. Speaker, and they are the future of our nation. We must not abandon them and sit idly by while our schools fall apart, hampering our children's ability to learn. We must pass The Safe and Successful Schools Act and invest in the future of America.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I am honored today to pay tribute and to congratulate Dr. Richard B. Harvey upon retirement from Whittier College. His educational leadership encouraged countless young students to seek careers in public service. The inspiration that Dr. Harvey brings to the classroom springs from his commitment to educating students and his belief in the importance of the political process. Dr. Harvey has been an exceptional educator of our youth. He earned a B.A. degree from Occidental College, M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles. Within the Whittier educational community, Dr. Harvey participated as a Whittier college assistant dean, a dean of academic affairs and chair of the political science department. In addition to his academic pursuits, Dr. Harvey is also an author, a cohost on television programs, and a radio commentator, delivering political analysis of election results. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing Dr. Richard Harvey best wishes on his retirement. His dedication and commitment to teaching California politics has earned him the respect of our citizens.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3439, the Radio Broadcast Preservation Act of 2000. The House is rushing to judgment on this important issue and I regret we are considering this bill at this time. This bill would block the Federal Communications Commission from going forward with its plan to establish Low Power Radio which is a non-commercial, community-based radio service to give churches, non- profit community groups, colleges and universities and state and local government access to the public airwaves. These stations would serve an audience within a 1.5 to 3.5 mile radius, which is not a very large area. Low Power radio is important because it will allow the sharing of the public airwaves with local community voices, voices left off the air because of the massive consolidation of the broadcast industry. I do not agree that broadcasters would be hurt by a local government's 100-watt radio station trying to inform its constituents about important local government services or events. I do not agree that anyone would be hurt by a college or university radio station that tries to inform its students about campus events. I do not agree that anyone would be hurt by a 10-watt church radio station wanting to offer mass over the airwaves to parishioners who cannot attend services. Nor do I believe that anyone could be hurt by a non-profit organizations' efforts to inform language minority groups about important community events or services available to them. It seems ironic that we would be voting here today on a bill to suppress the voices of those we've pledged to give a voice to. Voices that, had this bill been given a proper hearing, we would have heard from, such as the National Council of La Raza, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the U.S. Catholic Conference, the United Methodist Church, the National League of Cities, the US Conference of Mayors, among many others. Low Power Radio is critical and comes at a time when our communities are losing out to the massive consolidation taking place in the radio broadcast industry. This merger mania has left many of us with little choice about who or what gets to be heard today. We have to do something to protect the diversity of voices and opinions that are often suppressed by the giants in the field. I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill and help protect low power radio and the communities that would most benefit from this service.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Democratic substitute to the budget resolution. I want to commend the ranking member, Mr. Spratt for working to make the Democratic substitute a plan that pays down the debt, protects the future of Social Security and Medicare, and helps our low-income families. During this period of economic good times, it may be difficult to comprehend that across America, 28 percent of families with three or more children are living in poverty. But the fact is, poverty rates for families with three or more children are much higher than for smaller families. By providing them with an increased tax credit, this expansion of the EITC for families with three or more children recognizes the economic difficulties of raising a large family today. Expanding the earned income tax credit for these larger families is a common-sense tax policy; a policy that will directly benefit 7.7 million kids whose hard-working parents are struggling to climb the economic ladder out of poverty. In closing, Mr. Chairman, today we have a choice between the Republican budget, which gambles away the surplus on risky tax cuts and jeopardizes crucial programs such as Social Security and Medicare, or the Democratic substitute, which protects these programs and gives a boost to millions of hard-working American families. I urge my colleagues to vote for the Democratic substitute and invest in the future of all Americans.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict in my Congressional District on Wednesday March 8, I was not present for rollcall votes 29-33. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on all five votes.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict in my Congressional District on Tuesday, February 29, I was not present for rollcall vote 26. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea''.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to come to the floor of the House to recognize the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works for its Generation Earth Program. Generation Earth is an environmental program of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and presented by TreePeople. The program educates and empowers secondary school students in Los Angeles county to be an active part of the solution to minimize use of landfill space and understand their role in reducing pollutants from entering our waterways by proper disposal methods. Through a hands-on approach, students learn that the local environment is part of their everyday life, and that everyday decisions, choices and actions make a difference to the health of our environment. TreePeople, is one of Los Angeles' oldest and most successful locally based nonprofit environmental education group. Since 1996, it has worked under the direction of the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Environmental Programs Division to create Generation Earth, the state's most effective secondary school environmental education program. Generation Earth is a highly successful program with measurable milestones backed by research reviewed by educational experts. The classroom curriculum was designed to fit any academic discipline. It meets the curriculum objectives of language arts classes, math, science, social studies and history. By providing opportunities for young people to improve their quality of life and challenge them as they apply lessons learned in school, Generation Earth is an important catalyst for the people of Los Angeles. Thanks to Generation Earth, Los Angeles County teenagers are beginning to learn that they can make a positive difference in their surroundings. I hope my colleagues will join me in commending Generation Earth for its leadership in developing a successful comprehensive approach to environmental education.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and as a fellow Californian, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 363, honoring the life of Joe Serna, Jr. I commend my colleague, Representative Bob Matsui, for sponsoring this important resolution. I want to express my deepest sympathies to Joe Serna's family and the residents of the City of Sacramento for his passing. Mayor Serna's death is mourned not only by his family, friends, and the residents of Sacramento, which he so proudly represented, but also by countless individuals for whom he served as a role model by setting an example of what can be achieved through hard work, dedication, and determination to better not only one's own life, but the lives of others. Joe Serna grew up in Northern California, the son of Mexican immigrant farm workers. Serna worked his way through junior college to become a college teacher, as well as a passionate activist who spent more than a decade working with migrant farm workers under the guidance of his role model, Cesar Chavez. In 1981, Serna, was elected to the Sacramento City Council where he served until 1992, when he was elected as the first Latino Mayor of Sacramento. During his tenure as Mayor, Serna developed a reputation as a leader who stood up for the things he believed in, such as quality job opportunities, strong families, good schools, and empowering the communities and people he represented. The City of Sacramento and its residents have truly benefited and will continue to benefit from Joe Serna's vision and leadership. Joe Serna was a great leader and a great man and he will be truly missed.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and former Chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, I want to express my deepest sympathies for the passing of my colleague, friend, and mentor, George Brown. It has been a true honor to serve with George in the House of Representatives. I have had the privilege of knowing George for years, since he served with my father, Congressman Edward R. Roybal, for over two decades. George was the oldest current House member and the longest serving member of the House or Senate in the history of the state of California, as well as the top Democratic Member on the House Science Committee and a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee. George served as Chairman of the House Science Committee during the 102nd and 103rd Congresses and was probably best known in Congress for his work on the science and technology issues under his committee's jurisdiction. As an energetic proponent of the environment, Brown championed the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Technology Assessment in the early 1970s. George was a person of integrity, intelligence, and respect, who never failed to stand up for what he believed. George worked to bring down the color barrier at the University of California, Los Angeles by organizing the first integrated campus housing in the late 1930's. In the 1940's he helped organize Los Angeles city workers. Later, in Congress, Brown fought for passage of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act. He was one of the first outspoken critics of the Vietnam War and stood his ground by voting against every defense spending bill during the Vietnam era. George was also friend and role model to me and countless other members of Congress and staff. George paved the way for me to become the first woman to chair the California Democratic Congressional Delegation. Not confined to the dictates of seniority or protocol, George encouraged me to run for the chairmanship, recognizing the value of inclusion and promoting new leadership. George was an outstanding legislator, individual, and friend and he will be dearly missed.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to S. 900, the Financial Services Modernization Conference Report. I would be happy to support a financial modernization bill that improves choice, access and affordability for all Americans. Unfortunately S. 900 fails on all accounts. While I understand the need to update our antiquated banking laws and bring our country's financial system into the 21st century, I am unwilling to do this at the expense of our consumers. It is unacceptable that we give the green light for the unprecedented conglomeration of banks, securities firms, and insurance companies while we ignore the most modest provisions to protect our consumers. Earlier this year, I joined many of my colleagues in opposing the House's financial modernization bill, H.R. 10. I opposed the bill because it failed to protect consumers in regards to community reinvestment and privacy. Unfortunately, this conference report is no improvement. First, S. 900 fails to adequately protect the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which has been instrumental in leveraging billions of dollars of investment into communities such as mine, where unemployment and poverty levels are still well above the national average. Specifically, S. 900 fails to require that banks maintain a ``satisfactory'' CRA rating after they have expanded across industry lines to take advantage of the newly authorized activities under this bill. Moreover, S. 900 reduces the frequency of CRA examinations for small banks. Lastly, S. 900, under the guise of ``sunshine disclosures'', targets community groups with onerous and burdensome reporting requirements in their community agreements with banks. Rather than promoting greater accountability, this sunshine provision will have a chilling effect on these community agreements, which have been so effective in opening up access to credit in low income and minority communities. Second, S. 900 fails to provide strong financial and medical privacy protections. If we're going to allow for the creation of mega one-stop centers with access to information about millions of customers, consumers should have the right to say ``no'' to the distribution of their personal information to third parties and affiliates. Instead of giving consumers control over the use of their confidential customer information, the bill allows banks to share or sell it. As I previously stated when I voted against the financial modernization bill earlier this year, I am not willing to trade the so- called perks of financial modernization--efficiency, choice, convenience, one-stop-shopping--for the decimation of privacy rights and community reinvestment. S. 900 leaves our consumers even worse off than before. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, Democrats will continue to fight for critical priorities in the Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill so that the bill will address the education and health needs of all America's children. The bill as currently drafted fails in this regard: For example, it cuts $60 million of the President's request for the GEAR UP Program, leaving over 100,000 disadvantaged high school students without mentoring, counseling, and tutoring services critical to helping them reach their fullest potential. It cuts $50 million from the President's proposal to educate disadvantaged youth and their families about college opportunities. And at a time when we need to increase resources to attack the HIV/ AIDS crisis particularly in our communities of color, where African- Americans represent 43 percent and Latinos 20 percent of new HIV/AIDS cases--the bill cuts $39 million from this critical program. This is a sad commentary on the Republican vision for our country's future, and it is the wrong choice for America.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 2300, the so-called ``Academic Achievement for All Act.'' With this bill, the Republican majority takes a step backward by eliminating our federal commitment to education and washing the federal government's hands of its responsibility to our nation's students. H.R. 2300 would establish a pilot program to allow ten states to use federal funds designated for programs like Safe and Drug Free Schools, Literacy Challenge Fund, and Title I funds, for virtually anything they deem ``educationally relevant.'' This essentially amounts to the block granting of Title I funds, which are critically important to the disadvantaged students in my district. Title I of ESEA has done more for our nation's poor children than any other program. The possibility that this money may never reach our neediest students could have a devastating and lasting effect on their future. H.R. 2300, however, would allow states to give away federal funds specifically targeted for schools and students with the greatest need and give them to more affluent and wealthier school districts. This is just plan wrong. The proponents of H.R. 2300 claim that state flexibility from federal requirements will focus more funding and attention on the needs of low- income and minority students. But the track record of most states, in the use of their own dollars suggests that low-income students lose, not gain, when states are not directed to do so. A 1998 GAO report which focused on state and federal efforts to target poor students found that, in 45 of the 47 states studied, federal funds were more targeted at low-income students than were state funds. The report further found that combining federal and state funds as proposed by this bill, would decrease the likelihood that the funding would reach the neediest students. Mr. Chairman, no one is arguing against promoting high academic standards for all children. But in order to accomplish this we need to target limited resources to children with the greatest need. The truth is that only a strong federal role in reduction will assure that all children have equal access to a quality education. Instead of weakening educational progress by promoting legislation such as H.R. 2300, I hope that my colleagues will work in a bipartisan way to strengthen accountability provisions to ensure that states are held responsible for the achievement of all their students, regardless of their income. I urge my colleagues to vote against this ill-conceived and counterproductive bill.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2. I oppose this bill due to strong reservations concerning the Bilingual Education Act and parental notification component of the bill. I know my Democratic colleagues on the committee, Ranking Member Clay and Representatives Kildee, Hinojosa, and Martinez and staff have fought hard for acceptable and fair language in the reauthorization of the Bilingual Education Act. However, in the end, what the Republicans offered in the final negotiations fails to fully protect bilingual education programs. For example, instead of making bilingual education programs stronger, Republicans are simply interested in block granting the program. Those of us who support bilingual education want to bring more accountability to the program and help students meet high state standards. Diluting the funds through block grants will do little to help LEP students achieve high standards. Bilingual education is important to our students and our nation. We must promote bilingual education so that our students can learn English, while retaining their native language, in order to excel academically. We must help our limited English proficient children develop the talents and the skills they need to compete in today's highly technical and competitive global economy. Multilingualism is something we should be proud of. Our LEP children bring invaluable language resources and knowledge to our society. Bilingual education promotes our students' native language skills. Another significant problem with H.R. 2 was the parental notification and consent requirement for LEP students. In order for LEP students to receive services under Title I, schools would have to seek permission from the parents of these students. No other group of students is asked to get permission from their parents to receive services under Title I, only LEP students. This is wrong, discriminatory and has no place in an education bill. Many of my colleagues will support this bill, in the hopes that it will be improved as it moves through the process, knowing that when the bill comes back from conference they will have the option to vote against it. However, as chair of the Hispanic Caucus, I feel it is important for me to vote against this bill as a signal that the Caucus, regardless of their vote on the overall bill, feels strongly that much more work needs to be done. It is unfortunate that this signal must be sent because the reauthorization of Title I is critical to the Hispanic community. Title I funds serve a rapidly expanding number of low-income and limited English proficient students, for example, nearly 32 percent of Title I students are Hispanic. In addition, H.R. 2 holds our schools accountable by mandating that Title I schools ensure all students meet high standards. H.R. 2 also requires that States and schools provide report cards so that parents have the basic facts about the progress their children are making in their education so they can take action to improve their schools' curriculum, if needed. Also, H.R. 2 raises the standards for paraprofessionals in the classroom. Paraprofessionals are supervised teacher's aides who provide critical assistance for our kids in the classroom. However, in many of our schools it is the teacher's aide and not the teacher who is doing the instruction. This bill would encourage paraprofessionals to enroll in a career track program to better assist teachers with instructional support in the classroom. These are just a few examples of the good that is in this bill and why so many of my colleagues will support the movement of this bill to the Senate. But with their vote also comes the commitment of the CHC members to work diligently to make the final version of the bill closely mirror the CHC language on bilingual education. The future of many of our children depends on it. Therefore, it is my hope that the Republican leadership will work with us to achieve this goal.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor to stand before you today to pay tribute to the members of MANA, a national Latina organization whose members are in our Nation's Capital to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the founding of this organization. MANA, a national Latina organization, was founded in 1977 as a Mexican American Women's National Association. Its mission is to strengthen Latina community leaders; cultivate vital and prosperous Latino communities and advance public policy for an equal and just society. MANA is a membership-based organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. and has chapters across the country. For over 25 years, MANA has been the voice for Latinas in the Nation's Capital and across the country--from the statehouse to the White House. They have shared the national and international concerns of Hispanas with Presidents of the United States and Mexico and consulted with cabinet-level leaders on a range of domestic issues. Through its chapters, MANA has duplicated a strong advocacy role at the community level. Throughout its rich history, MANA has established a number of programs which have been replicated at the local level through their chapters. From the outset, MANA viewed leadership development as the key to achieve a dream of ``full empowerment of Latinas.'' To that end, the organization holds annual training conferences on public policy issues and the legislative process. MANA also provides scholarships specifically targeting Latinas. Concerned with the high dropout rate, MANA developed its youth stay-in-school program, Las herMANITAS. This program has been duplicated at the chapter level. Through role models, success stories, personal triumphs, encouragement and leadership training, MANA has developed, inspired, motivated and mobilized self- reliant, determined and courageous women to become community leaders. Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention the women who led the organization the last 25 years. Through their efforts they demonstrated how a totally volunteer organization of more than 1,000 women across the country can make a difference in creating a better future for Hispanic women, their families and their communities. Past National Presidents include: Blandina (Bambi) Cardenas, Founder, 1974; Bettie Baca, Organizing Chair 1974-75; Evangeline (Vangie) Elizondo, President 1975-76; Gloria Lopez Hernandez, President 1976-77; Elisa Sanchez, President 1977-79 and 1995-1999; Wilma Espinoza, President 1979-81; Raydean Acavedo, President 1981-83; Veronica (Ronni) Collazo, President 1983-85; Gloria Barajas, President 1985-86; Maria Rita Jaramillo, President 1986-88; Irma Maldonado, President 1988-90; Judy Canales, President 1990-92 and Elvira Valenzuela Crocker, President 1992-94. On behalf of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, we applaud you for your contributions, and we thank you for your leadership on behalf of Latinas and Latinos throughout the country. We look forward to continuing to work with you in the years to come.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Chairman, I rise in support of the Mink/ Woolsey/Sanchez/Morella amendment. This amendment restores the crucial gender equity provisions removed from the bill during committee consideration, most notably, the Women's Education Equity Act. Since 1974, the Women's Education Equity Act helped school districts and teachers meet the goals of title IX which require fair and equitable opportunities for girls in our schools. This amendment helps to achieve these goals by providing--grants for the development of materials and model programs that ensure gender equity in education; information on methods and techniques teachers can use to promote gender equity; and it provides dropout prevention programs targeted to pregnant and parenting teen girls. These are just some of the provisions in the Women's Education Equity Act that have contributed greatly to the progress we have made in ensuring that girls in this country have the same educational opportunities as our boys. The sad reality is, however, that although we have made progress, a gender gap still exists in America's schools, particularly in the areas of science and technology. For example--only 17 percent of students taking the computer science advanced placement exam are girls and women continue to be sorely underrepresented in both undergraduate and graduate programs in engineering, math, the physical sciences, and computer science. Hispanic and African-American girls fare even worse with respect to technology education. In fact, only 127 Hispanic girls nationwide took the computer science advanced placement exam in 1998. These facts are strong evidence that we still have not reached many of our young girls who would excel in these and other areas. This is particularly alarming because, as we move into the new millennium, all our children must be prepared to compete in the even-growing, highly technological world economy. Equally important is addressing the crisis that can prevent many of our young girls from reaching their full potential: the near epidemic rate of teenage pregnancy in our country. The reality is that, teen mothers are more likely to drop-out of school and never go on to college than girls who delay pregnancy and motherhood. With the Women's Educational Equity Act we can continue to help address many of the barriers facing our girls today because this act will give our schools the help they need to give girls the confidence and direction necessary to pursue and excel in math, science, and technology. And it will help schools provide guidance and encouragement to pregnant and parenting teens through targeted dropout prevention programs. If our country is to remain the leader in the next century, we must ensure that all our children, regardless of their race, sex, or socioeconomic background, have access to the highest-quality education. I urge all my colleagues to vote for this critical amendment.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Norwood-Dingell Bipartisan Consensus Managed Care Improvement Act of 1999 and in support of effective use of the National Practitioner Data Bank. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership, in restricting the debate on managed care reform, has prevented many promising ideas from being discussed, including an amendment I submitted to the Rules Committee about the National Practitioner Data Bank. The purpose of my amendment was to encourage health care providers to use the existing National Practitioner Data Bank. This would allow health consumers to make accurate and informed decisions about their health care. We've all read about these terrible stories where doctors, whose licenses have been suspended by one state, to relocate to another state and start their harmful medical practices all over. The National Practitioner Data Bank was established as part of the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 to try to prevent this from happening. The purpose of the data bank is simple: to help prevent incompetent doctors, dentists, or other practitioners from moving from one state to another without a state discovering their previous history of unethical or incompetent medical practice. The data bank contains information on malpractice payments, licensure actions taken by state medical boards, professional review actions taken by hospitals or HMOs, actions taken by the Drug Enforcement Agency, and Medicare/Medicaid exclusions. Information is made available only to registered entities such as state licensing boards, professional societies, HMOs, PPOs, and group practices. Hospitals are required to query the NPDB when hiring medical staff and at least once every 2 years for those already on staff or having clinical privileges. However, other health care entities may consult NPDB but are not required to. My amendment would have encouraged the use of NPDB by health plans and HMOs in order to give consumers confidence that bad actors are not employed or covered by their health plan. The amendment simply stated, that in the ``Patient Access to Information'' section of the bill, along with a doctor's name and address and availability to new patients, an HMO or a health care plan must indicate whether the National Practitioner Data Bank has been consulted--essentially, whether a background check has been done on the doctors in their list. The amendment did not require HMOs or health plans to consult the data base. The fact is, more and more Americans are now covered by HMOs. Many have little choice in the matter--80% of small businesses and over 50% of large businesses offer one and only one health care plan to their employees. In the past, most of us were able to choose a family doctor or a specialist because someone we knew or trusted--a relative, a family friend--recommended them to us. Under most HMOs, we are handed a list of participating doctors and told these are the only doctors we can pick. Yet we may have no idea who they are--it may be a list of complete strangers. Are they licensed? Has their license been suspended in another state? Has another state taken a disciplinary action? Have they been sued for malpractice in the past? If so, was it an aberration or is it a regular occurrence? It seems the very least we should expect is that our health care plan or HMO has run a background check on these doctors. These are legitimate questiions the health plan or HMO should know the answer to. Practically speaking, I had hoped such disclosure would serve as an incentive for health plans and HMOs to check up on who they are hiring, or who they are including in their list of covered physicians. My amendment would not have done everything, but it would have represented a small step forward in the area of consumer access to information that will help us move ahead for a more open health care system with access to the information people need to make informed medical decisions. I urge my colleagues to pass the Norwood-Dingell bill today to begin the long process of reforming our health care system, expanding coverage, and bringing quality health care to all our people. I hope that we can move quickly in the near future to discuss ways of making the National Practitioner Data Bank effective, and to consider related legislation to prevent medical malpractice and give consumers the confidence that unethical or illegal practitioners are not hiding out in the medical system, waiting to prey on their next unsuspecting patients.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Friedman Bag Company for over 70 years of continuous operation in my congressional district and to highlight its leadership as a responsible corporate citizen. In 1927, four Russian immigrant brothers started a small bag manufacturing company in the heart of Los Angeles. Sam, Saul, Harry and Morris Friedman fled Imperial Russia with their family in search of freedom, settling temporarily in Mexico until they were granted permission to enter the United States. Over the years, Friedman Bag Company grew almost as quickly as the city around it. In many ways, the founding and growth of Friedman Bag Company personifies our nation's immigrant experience. The company was born from an immigrant family's dream to provide their children with a better life. The Friedmans succeeded, eventually becoming one of the largest suppliers of textile and polyethylene bags in the West. Their bags were primarily used for agriculture products such as Idaho potatoes, walnuts and other crops such as carrots and lettuce from the Central Valley of California. But like many manufacturing companies in the United States, fierce competition from lower cost producers, in countries like China, eventually threatened the survival of Friedman Bag Company. To endure, the company needed to change and adapt to the new economy, and the successful effort was lead by two sons of the founding members. Friedman Bag Company desperately needed to invest money in new equipment. Company workers were still sewing burlap and mesh bags by hand. Morale and sales were suffering. Having never taken on debt financing in its history, the company embarked on a somewhat radical and risky venture to make sure it could remain competitive. Working with a financial institution that recognized its special history as a family business, and overcoming internal and external challenges, Friedman Bag Company secured the resources to continue its operations in the 33rd Congressional District. Friedman Bag Company also worked with the Mayor and City Council to consolidate operations, ultimately bringing more jobs to Los Angeles. Today, Friedman Bag Company employs more than 250 people, with operations in Idaho, Washington and Oregon. The company's morale has soared as its future prospects have brightened. Friedman Bag Company is now firmly positioned so a third generation of the Friedman family can continue the dream started by their family's ancestors. I am proud of Friedman Bag Company's long tenure in southeast Los Angeles. Their efforts to modernize and adapt to an ever-changing economy in order to stay competitive are to be commended. Many men and women in my congressional district have worked at Friedman Bag Company, supporting their families and contributing to our community. I congratulate Friedman Bag Company for over 70 years of success which has epitomized the contributions to America made by our immigrant community, and I wish them many more years of successful operation to come.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the conference report for H.R. 2490, the Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2000. The bill reported out of conference is a sound bill and a significant improvement over the House-passed version. Specifically, the $240 million that irresponsibly was cut from the House bill at the direction of the Republican leadership, was restored in the conference on the bill. As a result, this conference report is unanimously supported by the both the House and Senate conferees. The conference report provides $13.7 billion dollars in funding for the important agencies and programs within the bill. The conference report includes increased funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to enforce our gun and tobacco laws and provides increases in funding for key drug control programs, such as a $10 million increase for the Drug Free Communities Act, a $5.5 million increase for the High intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, and a small increase for the drug technology transfer program. Additionally, the conferees approved funding for a much-deserved 4.8% raise for our hard-working federal employees. I am particularly pleased that the conference report contains two important measures for American families. The first is a provision that would ensure that mothers have the right to breastfeed their babies anywhere on federal property that they have a right to be. It may seem shocking that this legislation is actually needed. However, this provision was attached by Representative Carolyn Maloney in response to several instances in which women were asked to stop breastfeeding their babies or leave federal museums, parks, and galleries. preventing or discouraging mothers from nursing their babies is simply not acceptable. I am pleased that the federal government will now set an example for the country by encouraging the healthy and natural act of breastfeeding. I am also pleased that Congresswoman Morella's provision that allows federal agencies to use their own funds to help low-income federal employees pay for child care was included in the conference report. With the severe shortage of affordable, high-quality child care in our country, this provision is critically needed. While this is a good bill overall, the strict funding limitations our committee was forced to adhere to means it is certainly not a perfect bill. There are several agencies and programs in this bill that deserved and truly needed additional funding. Specifically, I am very concerned that new federal courthouse construction projects will receive no funding in this bill. The federal war on crime and drugs has greatly increased the workload of the federal courts. Accordingly, the number of judges and court employees has grown. However, our court facilities have not even come close to keeping pace with this growth. I am particularly aware of this need for new courthouses because the proposed federal courthouse project in my district in Los Angeles is first on the General Services Administration's priority list for fiscal year 2000. The Central District Court in Los Angeles is the largest district court in the nation, covering seven counties and over 17 million people. The court still operates out of the original courthouse, built over 60 years ago, in 1938. The existing facility lacks the adequate space to house the current court operations. In fact, according to the Judicial Conference, these facilities were officially ``out of space'' in 1995. This lack of space has created delays, inefficiencies, and large backlogs of cases. Moreover, security is insufficient to protect those who work in and utilize the court facilities. Among other problems, the Judicial Conference found that the current facilities in Los Angeles have ``critical security concerns,'' including ``life-threatening'' security deficiencies documented by the U.S. Marshals service. These conditions are simply unacceptable. In addition, not providing the funding needed to modernize our court facilities will only cost us more money in the long run. According to GSA delaying funding of new courthouse projects increases costs by an average of 3 to 4% annually, meaning that the 16 courthouses on GSA's priority list, which would cost $532 million in FY 2000, will cost the taxpayers significantly more in years to come. I sincerely hope that the Administration and my colleagues in Congress will not allow this short-sighted strategy regarding out nation's courts to continue. In closing, given the current budgetary constraints, the conference report on the Treasury, Postal and General Government Appropriations bill is a fair bill. Chairman Kolbe and Ranking Member Hoyer deserve to be commended for crafting a sound bill under these adverse circumstances. As a new member of the Appropriations Committee, I am pleased to support this conference report and I urge my colleagues to do so as well.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, on September 15, 1999, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) will host Latina Action Day in Washington, D.C. It is with great pleasure and pride that I commend them for their commitment to Latinas. Since its founding in 1989, HOPE has remained dedicated to improving the educational, political and economic status of Latinas. HOPE has anchored itself by the principle that knowledge of the political process coupled with active participation will guarantee a more representative, democratic government. HOPE, through its Latina Action Day in Washington, D.C., rallies several national community, business, and women's organizations to our nation's capitol for indepth dialogues and analysis of current issues impacting the community at large. September 15, 1999, marks the second year that Latina Action Day will be held in Washington, D.C. and continues to be an annual event that brings together hundreds of women for the purpose of educating and empowering Latinas in all phases of economic, cultural, and social structures. As Latinas assume more leadership positions nationally, it becomes increasingly important to have firsthand knowledge of legislative issues and to participate in the political process. I salute HOPE for recognizing the value in an educated citizenry and wish the continued success in forwarding their mission.