Ciro Rodriguez

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Madam Speaker, I agree with the gentleman completely. A survey showed that 85 percent of Americans support the importance of federalizing our airline screeners. There is no doubt even after we have Federal workers we are still going to have some breaches. But I feel confident that those people can do a better job in making sure. I have had some experience with Customs workers. Those Customs workers have the experience and are able to tell and question people. For example, on the Mexican border, they were able to catch some people by asking where are you headed and why are you going there. They sensed some problems, and they were able to catch them. They have worked there and they understand. The type of workers employed as airline screeners, we have all seen the turnover rates. Up to 400 percent. Not to mention that same company has hired people with criminal records. Here we have some criminals who have been in jail, they are providing our security. We have a real problem in this country. I hope that we come to grips with these issues. Whether my colleague is a Republican or a Democrat, we need to do the right thing; and the right thing is to get good law enforcement people. National security is nothing less. I heard today on the House floor the discussions about the fact that a Member was angry on the Republican leadership that we made an indication that our security here in the Capitol is federalized. They are Federal workers. He was embarrassed that we compared them with the workers in airline security. They should not be any less. They should be trained. Just because they look at luggage and people coming through, they need to be trained. They also need to be on the lookout for the types of people that are coming through. It becomes important that we do the right thing. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for allowing me to go a little ahead of everyone else. I thank the gentleman for what he is doing. It has been 7 weeks since September 11. Hopefully, we can get some Federal law enforcement workers that know what they are doing.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. First of all, let me congratulate the gentleman on taking this opportunity for us to come and say a few words on this very important issue. It is an issue that we recognize that we have not come to grips with since September 11, and I just wanted to share with my colleagues a couple of statistics. Prior to September 11, we had over 9 million passengers. After that date, we have had only 5 million. So we have had a drastic decrease. There is no doubt that people have some serious concerns about flying. A lot of people that are flying now are those that have business and those that have to, but a lot of people are choosing not to fly. And for good reasons they feel insecure in terms of the situation that they find themselves in. The actions of the House leadership have delayed the passage of strong airline security legislation. Politics must give way to action. This is not the time to be partisan. This is not the time to be playing games at the expense of our national security. It is a time to deal with it. It has been 7 weeks. So we have to come to grips with it. We must provide the best security we can at our airports. Not just adequate security, not just sufficient security; no, we need to provide the best security, and we will not get the best security if we continue to auction it off to the lowest bidder. We have to come to learn the hard way that airline security is a national security. So we need to recognize that national security should be in the hands of highly trained, highly motivated Federal law enforcement personnel. The current work force, brought to us by private contractors, are underpaid and undertrained, and we recognize that. We all understand that, and we all realize that we have a serious problem. This weekend someone managed to slip through at the O'Hare Airport at Chicago. He did not just have one knife but seven folding knives with blades up to 4 inches. He also had a stun gun and a small container labeled teargas pepper spray. This is unacceptable. The American people expect our airport security personnel to be able to handle the job and be able to do the right thing. We cannot take chances. We cannot accept what we have before us, and we have to make sure that when it comes to tourism, when it comes to trade, when it comes to security in the air that we make it as secure as possible. What disturbs me is that the company at O'Hare is the same company that has already been cited by the FAA and has been placed on probation. Here we have a company that we continue to allow to be there, continue to allow them to do the things they have been doing. It is obvious that the private companies do not provide the type of security that we need. The private companies, no matter what, are going to cut corners. When it comes to our national security, we should not live with those types of situations where they are going to cut corners.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, we had 9 million passengers prior to September, 5 million afterwards. We have got a real problem and we all recognize it. Yes, this is not the answer that is going to save everything, but it definitely is headed in the right direction. I was listening to the comments of the chairman about the redundancy in what we are creating. I think the gentleman is creating redundancy. It is the status quo. It submits the same low bids, submits the same private screeners, submits the same low wages, submits the same high turnover rates in terms of the workers. The bottom line is that right now we have a real serious problem and we need to come to grips with the situation that is before us, and that is that we need well-trained law enforcement people there. We all recognize that if we have to travel, we are doing it, but for the average person and our families we are real concerned under this situation and we need to do the right thing. The right thing to do is to put good law enforcement people there to make sure we do the right thing. So as we move forward, we need to recognize that and realize that we do have a problem.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, where is the aviation security bill? I will tell you where it is. It has been hijacked. Americans are demanding that we act and that we act quickly; yet the House leadership continues to play politics. The travel industry is also demanding that we act quickly; yet we fail to move. It has been over 7 weeks since the September 11 date, and the American public knows that we could have already sent this bipartisan piece of legislation to the President to be signed. Yet this weekend we had the managers at the O'Hare Airport allow knives and other dangerous items to slip through. In Kentucky, we also had an occurrence. Even Secretary of Transportation Mineta has concluded that the ``Federal Government must take direct control of the security system.'' Airport security is national security. National security should be handled by highly trained, motivated Federal workers. We cannot afford to stand still. We must move forward.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, educators from Collier Elementary School, which is located in my congressional district, recently visited Washington, D.C. to accept the 2000-2001 Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award. At this time, in particular, we must remember and honor the many men and women who daily are entrusted to enrich the lives of our children. Collier earned this prestigious award because of its unique dedication to academic excellence, quality teaching, parental involvement, and community support. Collier Elementary is located in the heart of a working class community in the Harlandale Independent School District in southeast San Antonio. As a former Harlandale school board member, I understand the social and economic challenges facing students, teachers, and administrators. I am greatly pleased that Collier is a model neighborhood school where children can master the basics with adequate textbooks and equipment in an environment that is safe, disciplined, and drug-free. Schools are a reflection of our community and it takes everyone working together to make them quality institutions. The administration, teachers, staff, students and their families should be commended for their hard work and dedication to making Collier an exemplary school. The entire Collier Elementary community deserves due praise for being designated by the Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, aviation security is a national security. Protecting our skies is a matter of national defense and we should not leave national security to the private companies that contract to the lowest bidder. We would not expect the President to be protected by the lowest bidder. We do not do that. We do not expect our leadership here in the House to get protected by the lowest bidder contract. The current system is broken and needs to be corrected. Contracting to the lowest bidder has created a workforce that suffers from high turnover, and we have seen the turnover over 400 percent, low pay and low morale. Baggage screeners should be a highly skilled, highly trained workforce that serves the frontline of this Nation's national defense. There is a broad bipartisan support for federalizing the workers. The Washington Post just came out with a report that 82 percent of Americans support this effort. We need to make sure that every American feels secure when they go to the airport, and making them feel secure is by making sure that those people are well-trained and well-educated. The Air Pilots Association has endorsed it, and I ask your support.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. I thank my colleague for yielding to me and for being here tonight. I know it is late tonight and the gentleman is working out here making things happen for our communities, and I know this issue is a key issue. Aviation security is a national security issue, and it is something that we need to take a look at from that perspective. The current system is broken, and we do have a lot of problems with it and we need to begin to do a lot of things. This bill brings it in that direction, begins to open it up, begins to look at one of the key problems that we have, and that is that we have in the past privatized some of the inspection efforts. As the gentleman well knows, some of the companies have not done a good job of hiring people. They have not been doing background checks, and their turnover rates in some cases are over 400 percent because of the fact that they pay very low wages. So there is a real need for us to get professionals there. Just like in law enforcement, we want people that are well-educated, that are professionals, and we should have nothing less to make sure that we secure the airports. When we look at the security of our President and the security of our Nation, we would not even consider privatizing that. So when we look at securing our airports and the public, we should consider nothing less than the most important thing, and that is to make sure we provide the best in security. When we talk about privatization, yes, sometimes things are improved upon. Private companies might do a lot of things a lot better. But with time, one of the basic principles about that system is that it is a for-profit system, so sometimes they will start cutting corners to make a profit. So when we look at that issue, I think it is important that we federalize our screeners and we make them part of the system. We have great professionals at Customs; these people check baggage, and I can share a couple of incidents. We caught a terrorist on the Mexican border because, as they were crossing back into Mexico, one of the persons was just asked where he was headed, and the individual hesitated in terms of responding. That was a clue that there was something wrong. These people that are professionals are able to catch them, and that is what we need to do. We are hoping that we do not politicize this bill, that we do the right thing on behalf of all the people in America, which would be to federalize those workers. I know that the Senate, 100 percent of them, voted for it. I know Senator Hutchinson, Senator Gramm from Texas, both Republicans, supported it, and I am hoping that we can pass it out of the House. It has been almost 7 weeks since September 11. We need to move forward on this and hopefully make this happen, because we have a lot of work, as the gentleman well knows, that we still need to do in a lot of other areas where we still feel very uncomfortable. And I just want to thank the entire Nation as a whole, because I know we have come together after this incident. This is a war that we have to win and this is a war that we have no other choice but to go forward with and make sure that we pull it off. I know that we can, but we have to continue to work together; and one of the first things we have to do, as we all know, is secure our borders. We need to secure our borders. Airport security is part of that effort. There still are a lot of other efforts. I know we filed, as Democrats, other pieces of legislation on bioterrorism that talk about making sure that we have those first response teams also. That is also extremely critical. Throughout this country a lot of our towns and cities and communities are having a lot of difficulty. Some might not have as many qualified as they should to do that first response, but that will be very important, that we provide those resources. So we need to look at that piece of legislation that is very comprehensive, that looks at our borders and at a lot of our agencies. As we move forward, there will be a variety of other pieces of legislation, and I want to thank the constituents out there because they have been providing us with ideas as to what we need to do and not do. Most of these ideas have come from back home, our constituents, who have the answers to a lot of these questions. As we move forward, we are hoping that we can come to grips with this. Yes, a lot of it is trial and error. We have never been in this kind of situation before. But I know that we can begin to solve these problems and, working together, we can make some good things happen. I am looking forward to pushing forward on this particular piece of legislation on aviation, on national security at our airports, because this will be one bill that would allow that sense of security. We still have a lot more, but it is definitely going to be helpful in moving in that direction. We also need to do a lot when it comes to our infrastructure. I know the GAO just came out with a major report talking about our bases throughout this country and the fact that a lot of them are vulnerable. We have started in that area. We need a lot of resources to make sure from an infrastructure perspective there are safeguards at all our bases, not to mention our facilities and where people meet. There have been a lot of comments from people as to, what can I do, what is the best thing that we can do; and I would just say, educate yourself. Let us continue to move forward. It has been an educational process for all of us. I think that we need to learn how to act and be able to react appropriately to certain crises and certain things that occur. Part of that is doing the right thing, and the right thing is making sure that we have good, qualified people and that we just do not go to the lowest bid when it comes to our security people in the airports. So I am hoping that we will be able to pass that legislation. And once again I want to thank the gentleman for allowing me to be here with him tonight.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. I apologize for interrupting, but our leadership here is also protected by Federal workers. Our President is protected by the Secret Service that are Federal workers. We should not expect any less when it comes to our airports. It is a national security issue. It should require Federal workers that are well-trained, well-equipped and well-paid to make sure they do the right thing. And I was told, well, what about if they make a mistake; we are not going to fire them. We have made some stipulations on that. If they are not doing their work, they are going to get fired. So it is important for us to move forward on that versus what we have right now, which is a shambles, a 400 percent turnover. And by the way, 82 percent of the people, based on what the Washington Post says, say that they want Federal workers there making sure they check our baggage and making sure they check on people as they move forward. So I think if we expect that for our President, and we should expect the best, then we should expect it for our public and for our airports throughout this country. So I am hoping we can make that happen. And I am optimistic that we will get a lot of Republicans like we have on the Senate side where we got over 49 Republicans to vote with us.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, the security of America should be our first priority and it should not be turned into politics. Politics should not be part of this debate. We use over 450 airports and over 3,000 employees to transport people across this country. The size and complexity of our system requires a Federal workforce that is professional, well-trained, and well-paid, not contracted employees making less than fast food wages. If we are to restore public confidence in air travel, we must make real attempts to address the security problems. We cannot guarantee safety with a system that leaves national security in the hands of private companies that contract to the lowest bidder. We stand a fighting chance against terror in the skies only if we have professionalism in the law enforcement function, where we can feel confident that they are well-trained, they are competent and they will be able to protect our citizens. We should not privatize our national security. We do not privatize the Department of Defense, we do not privatize the FBI, we do not privatize security services. We must do the right thing.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, Americans want Congress to strengthen homeland security and help workers after the terrorist attacks. They want us to look at our borders and make sure that they are secure and make sure we have sufficient vaccine and make sure that we are sure that we have the security that is needed. But at the same time, Christmas came early yesterday. The leadership of the House decided to give a tax break to the corporations and the special interests of this country. At a time when we should be looking at what is occurring as far as the security of this country, they chose to send checks out. Mr. Speaker, Ford Motors will receive a $2.3 billion check. Chevron will get $314 million. Exxon will get $254 million. IBM will get $1.4 billion. General Motors, they are going to get a check for $832 million. Christmas came early. The only ones that are benefiting from the atrocity of September 11 are the corporations. We need to refocus and concentrate on the security of this Nation. I ask the leadership of the House to reconsider their position.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I'd also like to thank our distinguished chairman and ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee for crafting this bipartisan legislation that targets the specialized needs of a often-neglected population within the veterans community--the homeless--which has very little access to services. Last year, the VA issued a report on homeless veterans. It found that during 1999 there were an estimated 344,983 homeless veterans, an increase of 34 percent above the 1998 estimate. Many of our homeless veterans suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental illnesses in addition to drug addiction. Unfortunately, the VA has cut the number of inpatient beds in half. Many have argued, and the committee has heard testimony to this effect, that the lack of inpatient beds has adversely affected the quality of care for veterans who suffer from substance abuse, many of whom are homeless. The VA admitted during a hearing that they have not met 1996 capacity requirements for substance abuse. So while I'm happy H.R. 2716 authorizes more resources for homeless programs and promotes greater accountability and oversight for these programs, I have concerns with some of VA's policies, which may hinder implementation. In particular, the VA's move from inpatient hospital settings to community based clinics may have unintentionally turned homeless veterans away from treatment. Therefore, I hope this legislation will enable the VA to better serve this population through aggressive outreach efforts and to render much-needed services as quickly as possible. The events of the past month have reminded us that our Nation's peace and security must be protected at any cost. Those men and women who answer the call to defend our democracy when it is under attack should be assured that we will take care of them during their time of crisis.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Chairman, contrary to what is being said, if what the gentleman was saying is accurate, I will be there for the gentleman. When the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez) and I met with the medical association, we discovered what they were being told was not practical and it was not correct. We are not saying that we ought to consider those 200 languages. That is not practicable. We are not saying if there is one person who is Spanish speaking they ought to be responsive to them. That is not what the law says. If Members look at the law, it is very specific. The law says specifically that the size of the limited English proficient population that is served needs to be considered. So allow the administration that opportunity. Secondly, it says the frequency of the visits in terms of the hospitals. Most important, it also talks about the severity. If the person has tuberculosis, cancer, and it is serious, there has to be a real need to make sure that that person understands if it is a life-or- death situation, so depending on the severity of the case and the numbers of the population. Mr. Chairman, I will again tell the gentleman that I will be with him if they start forcing agencies to do it in the number of languages that the gentleman says. That is not the intent. In addition, this is not new. It is the 1964 civil rights legislation. What this does is allows the Government, in this case the administration, an opportunity to establish the guidelines that allow them to put it into effect. It is nothing to get all bent out of shape over and to raise all of those contrary items because that is not the case. If it is, I promise the gentleman that I will be there for him in ensuring that the administration does not do that. In addition, let me state that it is going to be very important that as we look at this, that we also consider the seriousness of the situation. I had a case of a person who was told in English that they were positive for AIDS, and that person understood positive as everything being okay.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes) for providing this opportunity for us to be here today to speak on Hispanic Heritage Month and the contributions that Hispanics have played throughout the country. I also want to congratulate the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) on his efforts in education. There is no doubt that the issue of education has been one of the main issues from the beginning. Most Hispanics, no matter what, always recognize that that is one of the few issues that we see, one of the few ways of fulfilling the American dream, and the dream of being able to go forward, and education allows an opportunity to make that happen. Once again, I congratulate the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) for playing a significant role in the area of education and LULAC. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to express my deepest sympathy to the families of those lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. On September 11, agents of evil and hatred declared war against our country, seeking to use terror as a weapon in cowardly attacks. By targeting symbols of American strength and success, the terrorists intended not only to destroy the bricks and mortar that hold our Nation together, but also to assault the core values and the civil liberties at the foundation of our democracy. We face new challenges for which we are not fully prepared, and we recognize that we have also failed in not being up to the challenge. Part of this challenge also is a recent rash of violence against other Americans and immigrants solely because of the fact that they might be Arab or Muslims. This is an affront to all Americans and to American civil liberties, exactly what the terrorists would want us to do. This is the time for us to unite and to have better understanding. It is a time to embrace the very diversity that is the source of our national pride for so many Americans. Mr. Speaker, I stand here also very proud because I see people reaching out and reading books on Islam, reading material, trying to educate themselves on Muslims and the different religions, and that is going to be important for us to be able to grasp what we are confronting, as well as having a better understanding of different people. Mr. Speaker, September 15 through October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the contribution and achievements of our Hispanic community. We are Puertorriquenos, Cubanos, Chicanos, Dominicanos, and Mexican Americans. We are from Central America, South America. We come from Florida, California, Texas, and the other 50 States. We come from New York and Washington, D.C. also. We are Americanos. We represent a broad spectrum of color, cultural values and political beliefs. We have strength in the numbers and our desire to better our communities. Our goals are one and the same with the rest of America. I want to take this opportunity to talk about three special Americans that we feel very strongly about, three Mexican Americans. These three are Medal of Honor recipients, and I want to take this opportunity to talk about them and their history and their accomplishments. In so doing, I also want to add that Mexican Americans and Hispanics in general have over 37 Medal of Honor recipients within our ranks. We take pride during these times of difficulty, our people have been there to stand for America. It was beautiful this past weekend to go to a meeting in Pearsall, Texas, a little community where over 250 people were giving a collection of food for the needy. There was a veteran there over 80 years old. He came to me and in all sincerity said, I am 81 years old, but if you need me to go to Afghanistan, I am ready. Tears almost came to my eyes as he said that. He meant it, and I know that we have a lot of Hispanics out there willing to give of themselves. In that same light, let me talk about a man, a hero of ours, Cleto Rodriguez, who we have named a school in San Antonio after, Cleto Rodriguez Elementary, as well as a highway. He was a rifleman. His unit was attacked, and he strongly defended the Paco Railroad Station in Manila in the Philippine Islands. While making a frontal assault across the open field, his platoon was halted 100 yards from the station by intense enemy fire. On his own initiative, Cleto Rodriguez left the platoon. He went on his own accompanied by one of his friends and continued forward to a house that was 60 yards from the objective. Although under constant enemy observations, the two men remained in this position for over an hour targeting and firing at the people that were there. It was estimated that they killed over 35 hostile soldiers and wounded many others in that specific scrimmage. As they moved closer to the station, discovering a group of Japanese replacements, they attempted to reach the pill box. They opened heavy fire, killing an additional 40 enemy soldiers and stopped subsequent attempts for the men to be able to get replacements again. As the two went forward, the story is they kept on firing and were able to kill the machine gun people. The figures are shown and reflected in the numbers as the recipient of the Medal of Honor. The enemy fire became even more intense as they advanced within 20 yards of the station. Then covered by his companion, Private Rodriguez boldly moved to the building and threw five grenades one at a time through the doorway killing an additional seven Japanese, destroying a 20- millimeter gun as well as wrecking a heavy machine gun. With their ammunition running low, by that time they did not have any more bullets or very few, the two men started to return back to the American lines, providing cover for each other as they withdrew. During this movement, Private Rodriguez' companion was killed. In 2\1/2\ hours of fierce fighting, the team of two killed, it is estimated, over 82 Japanese, completely disorganized their defense and paved the way for the subsequent overwhelming defeat of the enemy at this particular point. Two days later, Private Rodriguez again enabled his comrades to advance when he single-handedly killed six Japanese and destroyed a well-placed 20-millimeter gun by his outstanding skill with his weapons, gallant determination to destroy the enemy, and heroic courage in the face of tremendous odds. Private Rodriguez, on two occasions, materially aided the advance of our troops in Manila. That is the story of Cleto Rodriguez and the beautiful work that he did in behalf of all of us. I also want to take this opportunity to talk about Roy Benavidez, another Mexican American from our area. Cleto was from San Marcos, Texas, and lived in San Antonio, where he joined the military and where the school is named after him. Roy Benavidez, also a Texan who also lived in the San Antonio area, I want you to know that the late Roy Benavidez, who received the Medal of Honor in 1981 for valor in Vietnam, is the latest soldier whose name will be borne on a Navy ship. Navy Secretary Richard Danzig announced September 15 that the next in a series of resupply ships will be named the U.S. Naval Ship Benavidez. The retired Army master sergeant died at age 63 on November 29, 1998 in San Antonio. He was buried with full military honors at Fort Sam Houston there in San Antonio. ``Our Bob Hope class of ships are resolute assets that are always quietly there in the background providing our needs,'' Secretary Danzig said in his announcement. They are capable of coming forward in a vital way when America calls for reinforcement of its combat needs around the world. Roy Benavidez personified that same spirit throughout his life, and most powerfully during a single action that saved lives in combat.'' The Benavidez is scheduled to be launched next summer. It is the seventh in a class of 950-foot-long roll-on/roll-off sealift ships. The diesel-powered ships are 106 feet abeam, displace about 62,000 long tons and can sail at a sustained 24 knots. I want to mention to you a little briefly on Roy Benavidez and his background and his history. Mr. Benavidez was in the Army and was also a special forces soldier. He was of Mexican descent and also part Yaqui Indian ancestry. He also coauthored a book, ``Medal of Honor, a Vietnam Warrior's Story.'' ``Roy was a soldier to be emulated by those wearing the uniform and an example of a self-made person, a real hero to our community and to all Americans. He was a role model to many young Hispanics and made a lot of public appearances at schools,'' said retired Army Master Sergeant Charlie Hoffman, who had commented about his friend. He enjoyed the fact that Roy Benavidez took his time to talk to our kids. Benavidez' destiny took him to Vietnam where as a member of Detachment B56, 5th Special Forces Group Airborne, 1st Special Forces, he challenged death on May 2, 1968. A staff sergeant at the time, Benavidez distinguished himself by gallantry. The citation credits him with helping to save the lives of eight of his special forces comrades during helicopter evacuations during a firefight with North Vietnamese regular forces there in Vietnam. Benavidez suffered a broken jaw, 37 bullets as well as a bayonet. I will repeat that again. He suffered not only a broken jaw, 37 bullets in his body, but he was also bayonetted. He was also mauled so bad that his officers were going to give him the Distinguished Service Cross because that could come quicker because they assumed he was going to die. But he did not. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor. The story is he knew his troops were out there and there were eight of them that had been isolated and hurt, and he asked to go and be dropped. The story is that as they let him go, he said, ``What do you need?'' He says, ``I'm a special forces guy. I don't need anything. Just drop me there.'' The story is that they dropped him there and he was able to get some guns from some of the ones who had already been killed and he was able to fight off a large number of the enemy there as he fought and helped the lives of those individuals. Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez was a true American hero, rising from humble origins in south Texas to become an Army legend. The Navy's recognition of his selfless service is truly an appropriate tribute to Master Sergeant Benavidez' memory and to the ideals of our Nation that he epitomized. He is only one of 37 Hispanics that have received this honor. I want to take this opportunity to also mention one additional Medal of Honor recipient. He is a close friend of mine, a good friend that continues to work in San Antonio, to work with young people to keep them off of drugs, to work on a variety of different projects with veterans, to making sure that he reaches out to those veterans that are homeless in helping in a lot of ways, and, that is, the Medal of Honor recipient Louis Ricardo Rocco from San Antonio. Louis Ricardo Rocco, a warrant officer, distinguished himself when he volunteered to accompany a medical evacuation team on an urgent mission to evacuate eight critically wounded Army of the Republic of Vietnam personnel. As the helicopter approached the landing zone, it became the target for intensive enemy automatic weapons fire. Disregarding his own safety, Warrant Officer Rocco identified and placed accurate suppressive fire on the enemy positions as the aircraft descended toward the landing zone. Sustaining major damage from the enemy fire, the aircraft was forced to crash land, causing Warrant Officer Rocco to sustain a fractured wrist and hip and severely bruised back. Ignoring his injuries, he extracted the survivors from the burning wreckage. He sustained burns to his own body. Despite intensive enemy fire, Warrant Officer Rocco carried each unconscious man across approximately 20 meters of exposed terrain to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam perimeter. On each trip, he went for each one, not once but eight times. His severely burned hands and broken wrist caused excruciating pain, but the lives of the unconscious crash survivors were more important to him than his personal discomfort. He continued his rescue efforts. Once inside the friendly position, Warrant Officer Rocco helped administer first aid to his wounded comrades until his wounds and burns caused him to also collapse and finally lose consciousness. His bravery under fire and intense devotion to duty were directly responsible for saving these men and others. His unparalleled bravery in the face of enemy fire, his complete disregard for his own pain and injuries and his performance were far above and beyond the call of duty and were in keeping with the highest traditions of self- sacrifice and courage of the military service. And so I am real proud because I have the distinct pleasure of knowing Louis Ricardo Rocco, a man who not only during the time of war was there for those people that are in need but continues to be there now in the service as he reaches out to young people, young Hispanics in San Antonio and throughout south Texas and wherever he goes as he talks about the importance of staying in school and staying off of drugs. I take pride in just mentioning those three, but there are many more Hispanic Medal of Honor recipients that have taken the call of duty. I also want to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about the issues that confront Hispanics. We are concerned as Hispanics about education, as the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) talked about. We are concerned about our schools and our children and where they attend. We are concerned about vital resources for our seniors who face illness, poverty and challenges to their quality of life. We are also concerned about access to quality health care. It is unacceptable that Hispanics account for one-fourth, 25 percent, of the 44 million uninsured but make up only 12.5 percent of the population in the United States. So you see the disproportional issues that we still need to confront. Our poor access to quality health care services and education results in our community being disproportionately affected by disease such as diabetes and HIV/AIDS. As we make gains in the area of HIV/AIDS, we also see the disproportionate numbers of those people that are impacted by AIDS. As we look at the issue of diabetes, we also see that Hispanics are disproportionately also hit on diabetes. For those at the forefront of health care and health care policy, this fact is not new and we recognize the troubling issues. We have certainly come a long way since the time of Dr. Hector Perez Garcia, founder of the American GI Forum in 1948. He had a goal of providing good health care for veterans who needed it and for everyone. Dr. Garcia in his formation of the GI Forum pushed forward the issue of health care and the importance. His admittance into medical school 8 years earlier was incredible, to say the least. This was an era when the University of Texas Medical School in Galveston admitted only one Mexican American per year, and at that time that seemed to be the quota. I am proud to say that we have come a long way from that era. Recently we had Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, who became the first Hispanic president of the medical school at the Health Science Center in San Antonio, the first of its kind in this country. Hopefully we will have a lot more Dr. Francisco Cigarroas as we move forward and as we allow for opportunities for young qualified doctors to be able to not only get their degrees but to be able to rise in their positions. In the area of health care, as chairman of the Hispanic Caucus on Health, I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Elena Rios, President of the National Hispanic Association, who has done tremendous work in the area of health care, and people at home like Charlene Doria Ortiz, Director of the Center for Health Policies, who continues to look at the issues of health and making sure that the needs of Hispanics and Latinos are met and who have dedicated their lives to improving the Latino community. I would like to also take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank all the individuals who have worked so tirelessly to improve the lives and the health of Latinos and to promote the importance of nurses, doctors and health advocates. In the area of health care, we recognize that there is a big gap there. When it comes to nurses, we have a large, disproportionate number that are needed. We look forward to making sure that we make some advances in those areas. I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes) for allowing me the opportunity to say a few words. I want to thank him for the work he has provided.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, the events of September 11 shocked America. The horrible acts of terrorism, designed to kill the maximum numbers, woke all of us to the threat of international terrorism. Our borders have been violated, and we are not the same today as we were before that bright, but terrible, Tuesday morning. We have all felt the pangs of discomfort, and the national mood has gone from business as usual to mourning. None, however, have faced the impact as much as the families of those who lost their lives that morning. One such family of so many lives in my hometown of San Antonio, and they must now lay to rest their precious daughter and sister, whose life and future were cut short at the Pentagon on September 11. Our Nation will mourn the loss of Lieutenant Colonel Karen J. Wagner, a 17-year veteran of the U.S. Army. On October 5, 2001, she will be buried with full military honors at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas. Lieutenant Colonel Wagner began her Army service on February 14, 1984 with a ROTC appointment after graduation from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She previously received a masters degree in Health Services Administration from Webster University. Lieutenant Colonel Wagner received her most recent promotion just this past August and was last assigned to the Medical Personnel Officer, Office of the Army Surgeon General, with duty as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel at the Pentagon. Her previous assignments included duties as Adjutant for the 85th Medical Evacuation Hospital at Fort Lee, Virginia; Executive Officer and Company Commander of D Company, 187th Medical Battalion, Fort Sam Houston; Chief, Personnel for the 57th Evacuation Hospital at Wurzburg, Germany; Chief, Personnel Services Branch at Walter Reed Army Medical Center; Personnel Officer assigned to Office of the Army Surgeon General; Staff Officer with Inspector General Office, U.S. Army Medical Command, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and Executive Officer and Secretary General Staff, Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Lieutenant Colonel Wagner was born on February 22, 1961, in Kansas, and listed Texas as her home of record. She is survived by her mother of San Antonio, Texas, and two brothers and a sister. Lieutenant Colonel Wagner was killed because she wore the uniform of our Nation's Army, and, like those who perished at the World Trade Center, simply because she was an American. She stood up for her country and has now paid the ultimate price. We all stand in honor of her and the thousands of others who lost their lives on September 11.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Centers for Excellence program and other health professions. The President's budget for the year 2002, Madam Speaker, has called for a drastic 60 percent reduction in these Health Resources and Service Administration health programs. The HERSA agency, in addition, has announced this week that they would be also limited to only $12 million for this program for the year 2002, a significant decrease. According to the Health Education Program Act, the first $12 million is set aside for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Thus, in order to continue the Hispanic and native Americans and other programs, we urge an increase in the existing budget for the Center for Health Care Services, which is at $30 million. The Centers for Excellence programs are essential and still needed to help increase the number of minorities in the health professions throughout the country. The program has a proven track record of producing and graduating more minority students than any other schools. So we encourage and we ask our fellow colleagues to support the $30 million that we have had in the past. Hispanics now represent 12 percent of the population; and we need additional nurses, so we ask for my colleagues' support.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Madam Chairman, I rise in support of the Stump-Skelton amendment to take $400 million from the national missile defense program to fund intelligence, anti-terrorism, force protection, and counter-terrorism efforts. The funding shift in the amendment is a good start but more needs to be done. We must question spending an additional $2.5 billion next year and possibly $100 billion in the future to establish a national missile defense system when deadly terrorist attacks can occur with the purchase of an airline ticket. Don't get me wrong. I strongly support a theatre missile defense system to protect our troops and allies on the battlefield. But not a national missile defense system that threatens our world wide treaties. But, let's take this one step at a time in light of our many priorities. The enormous sum of $100 billion could be better spent on intelligence, diplomacy, rebuilding the military, and protecting America's ports of entry. My Congressional district includes several border crossings between the U.S. and Mexico. The U.S. Customs agents at the border crossings are undermanned and underfunded even though they are on the frontline of protecting our Nation. For three years Customs has been attempting to upgrade its computer systems to enhance the inspection of goods crossing U.S. borders. Funding shortfalls have prevented the implementation of this critical system. Customs is only one example of where money could be better spent to protect Americans from terrorist attacks. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, I thank my colleagues for bringing this resolution before us. My daughter asked me, What has happened? I could not find the words to explain what has occurred. For on September 11, the agents of evil and hatred have declared war against our country, seeking to use fear as a weapon in a cowardly attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C. These attacks were, by far, the deadliest ever launched against the United States and, by targeting symbols of American strength and success, clearly were intended to intimidate our Nation and weaken its resolve. But the cowardly perpetrators of these heinous crimes do not know America. They do not know Americans. For freedom is not a vulnerability; it is our strength. Throughout our history we have met every challenge, and we will meet this one. Make no mistake: this was an act of war against the United States and all of our people, and we will not tolerate it. As we experience this tragedy, I have joined, and we have all joined, the President and the Congress and the American people in outrage. As a member of the House Committee on Armed Services and a member of the Terrorism Panel, we will push for action to see that the cruel people who have committed this horrible crime and those who have sponsored them meet with justice expeditiously. With the fall of the Twin Towers and the devastation of the Pentagon, Americans have lost their innocence, but America will not be defeated. We do not know how many lives have been taken. We do not know how many tragic stories we will be hearing. But our hearts and our prayers go out to the many victims, to the loss of life, to the pain and the suffering that is immeasurable. The heroic and selfless actions of those workers, volunteers, State and local officials who responded to the tragic events with courage and determination will not be forgotten. Our prayers go with the victims and with everyone. God bless America.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I am honored to ask the House to suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1628, the Camino Real de los Tejas Historic Trails Act of 2001. This legislation would designate a series of historic trails dating back to the 1600s as National Historic Trails. These trails, used first by the Native Americans, became the primary travel routes for exploration and then for commercial routes for the Spanish, the Mexicans, the Texans, and the Americans. Before I go any further, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to express my sincere thanks to the chairman and to the committee for their hard work; and to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the ranking member, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), for their hard work in bringing the bill to the floor today. The Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands has been very supportive. I would like to thank its chairman, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Hefley), and the ranking member, the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen). I appreciate the bipartisan support that the committee has provided. The El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trails Act has received tremendous support from local governments and community organizations all across the State of Texas. More than 60 cities, counties, and local organizations from all over the border, from Mexico into Louisiana, have passed formal resolutions endorsing the passage of this legislation. I owe a special thanks to the Alamo Area Council of Governments for its leadership in working on this with the National Park Service, with me and my office, and with local governments along the trail route for the more than 3 years they have worked on this legislation. Without their hard work, we would not be here today. The National Park Service completed its feasibility study in July of 1998 pursuant to Public Law 103-145. The study concluded that the proposed trail met all the applicable criteria in the National Trails System Act, Public Law 90-543. In the 105th Congress, the Senate passed similar legislation, the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Act of 1998, Senate bill 2276, but the Congress ended before the House had the opportunity to consider the legislation. The bill before the House today contains a number of important changes in the version passed by the Senate in the 105th Congress. In an effort to clarify the intent of the legislation and to respond to concerns raised by private property owners and advocates during the bill's consideration, H.R. 1628 contains specific provisions to ensure protection by private property rights, as our chairman has indicated. Specifically, the bill states unambiguously that no land or interest in land can be acquired by the Federal Government without the willing consent of the owner; secondly, that the Federal Government has no authority to condemn or appropriate land for the trail; that the trail would not be established on the ground unless a private property owner voluntarily requests to participate; and that the designation of the trail does not confer any additional authority to apply other nontrail Federal laws that might be implicationable. These provisions reflect my desire to remove any concerns that the National Historic Trail in Texas would negatively impact on private property owners. In fact, the experience of other existing national historic trails suggests just the opposite. Private property owners can and do benefit from participation in the trail program, but only if they so choose. The trail that will be designated today is truly historic. The Camino Real, or Royal Highway, forged the way for the early development of Texas from the Spanish colony to an independent Republic as a State of the United States and as the first great highway of Texas. This Camino Real opened the door to trade and cultural exchange, which continues to impact our lives today. The State of Texas recognized the critical importance of these royal highways in 1929 when the State legislature designated portions of the El Camino Real de los Tejas, later known as the Old San Antonio Road, as one of Texas's historic trails. State Highway 21 marks the trail's pathway in many parts of the State, as do State historical markers. Designation as a National Historic Trail would greatly enhance the resources available for trail preservation and public education of its unique and important history. The Camino Real de los Tejas, as defined in this legislation collectively, represents a series of roads and trails extending for over 1,000 miles from Mexico City to Los Adeas in what is today Louisiana, beginning with the Indian trails. Remember, this goes back, it is a beautiful history, to 1689 and the explorers as well as missionaries and people who colonized the area. All told, various portions of this El Camino Real de los Tejas now extends up to 550, and some up to 2,600, miles as they paralleled each other with various roads. The Camino Real de los Tejas linked the Spanish in Mexico to their new outposts in East Texas in the late 17th and 18th century. The mission San Antonio de Valero, later known as the Alamo, was established along the Camino Real route and later served as a focal point for military battles for Texas independence. Critical supplies made their way to the American Colonies during the war of independence via the Camino Real de los Tejas trail system. The El Camino Real de los Tejas road system provided many transportation routes for Mexican and Texan armies during the Texas revolution, and continued to play a major role in the military future of the area. Recognizing the significance of El Camino Real de los Tejas and its historical importance grounds us for the future and provides us great opportunities for today. The trail's designation will help enhance tourism and economic development for many of the small cities that it goes through, and for the towns and trails that it passes through. The local museums as well as historical sites will give new opportunities for growth. The San Antonio Missions National Historic Park and the importance of the beautification network of the mission in San Antonio will provide a base for operation of the trail. The number of public roads, State parks, and national forests can also provide public access to this important piece of our history. As we strive to boost international trade and development of our local communities, as well as enhance educational opportunities, we only have to look to the El Camino Real de los Tejas for inspiration. I can just add once again, I thank the gentleman very much. We always talk about the westward movement. We forget there was a northward movement also, and a southern movement.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, throughout the 2000 Presidential election, talk from both sides of the isle focused on the growing prominence of Latino voters in the American political system. Of the total number of registered voters in the United States, Latinos currently comprise almost 6 percent. And according to the United States Census Bureau, 12.5 percent of the total U.S. population or 35.3 million Americans are Hispanic. Legislation I introduced today would recognize William C. ``Willie'' Velasquez for his pioneering work to empower Latinos and other minority groups through voter registration. Coining the famous phrase, ``Su voto es su voz,'' ``Your vote is your voice,'' Willie not only translated words describing the influence of the vote, he raised a battle cry for political activism that can still be heard today. Throughout the American Southwest, Willie was recognized as a selfless advocate of the politically under represented. An outstanding leader who inspired others to play an active role in American democracy, Willie dedicated his life to empowering the Hispanic community through voter registration, hard work, and education. His efforts are largely responsible for the unprecedented growth in the number of registered Hispanic, Native American and low-income voters across the country. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Willie helped to lay the foundation of political activism which brought the importance of the Hispanic vote to prominence in the 2000 Presidential election. In large part due to the civil rights organizations Willie founded, voter registration grew from 2.4 million registered Latinos in 1974 to nearly 8 million in 2000. In 1974, he founded the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and the Southwest Voter Research Institute (now known as the William C. Velasquez Institute). Under Willie's leadership, Southwest Voter registered Hispanics, Native Americans and low-income citizens across the country in unprecedented numbers. The research institute enjoyed similar success, emerging as a preeminent institution in the analysis of Hispanic voting trends and demographics. Sadly, Willie passed away in June 1988 without the opportunity to see the full benefits of much of his groundbreaking advocacy work. Congress adjourned for the day upon learning of his passing, and people across the country lamented the untimely loss of the prominent community organizer and leader. President Clinton later presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to his widow Janie Velasquez and their children. A request I submitted to the U.S. Postal Service's Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee was unfortunately denied, but Willie's legacy remains an example for all those who believe in civil rights, democracy, and equality. I hope you will agree that his memory is worthy of national recognition and join my efforts to encourage the U.S. Postal Service to issue a commemorative stamp in Willie's honor. Now, more than ever before, the Hispanic voice has been heard and courted by both Democrats and Republicans. Today I urge all my colleagues in the House of Representatives to recognize Willie's life- long work and the importance of the Hispanic vote with a commemorative postage stamp.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize the important contributions of the Community Action Council of South Texas (CACST) to the improvement of the general quality of life of the citizens of South Texas. CACST is a private, nonprofit corporation that provides high quality comprehensive primary health care to the medically underserved residents in Duval, Jim Hogg, Starr, and Zapata Counties in South Texas. These counties are currently medically underserved due to geographic isolation, financial barriers, and an insufficient number of health care providers. The CACST has made great strides in the South Texas health care system, specifically by empowering communities to develop programs to meet their specific needs. This has strengthened the local communities and enhanced opportunities for children and families. In addition, the CACST has maintained a high standard of accountability and provided health care services in accessible low-cost environments. They have worked to improve access to quality health care by providing trained professionals in areas that had previously been underserved and promote individual responsibility and health awareness in the communities. It is critical that the CACST remain a provider of primary health care and their host of support services, including transportation, case management, outreach, and eligibility assistance. Their presence in the South Texas community has been a tremendous benefit to the individuals that reside there. I commend their efforts to help achieve primary health care for everyone and end health disparities.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, while we have a long way to go, the Veterans Benefit Act is a step in the right direction. The compensation legislation before us would streamline the rating system of certain service-connected illnesses, as well as provide a cost-of-living adjustment to those receiving disability compensation benefits. As a member of the committee, I am proud to join the bipartisan efforts to improve the quality and deliver the veterans benefits program. Veterans should not be left wondering if the Federal Government is going to fulfill its promise. Those who have received service-connected disability benefits can expect a cost-of-living benefit. So can their survivors. For Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and now suffer from diabetes, the Veterans Benefit Act acknowledges their entitlement to service-connected disabilities benefits. In addition, Gulf War veterans suffering from ill-defined illnesses which modern medical technology cannot really diagnose, the Veterans Benefit Act will likewise extend the presumption of service connections. Veterans who suffer from disabilities should not be abandoned and their disabilities should not be ignored simply because doctors cannot diagnose the causes. Finally, I am supportive of a 2-year nationwide pilot program to include in the bill expansion of the availability of hours of the VA 1- 800 toll-free information service. Veterans worked around the clock for us, and they deserve for us to do the same for them. Our freedoms did not come free, and for veterans the physical and psychological wounds of the war do not go away. I want to take this opportunity to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for his hard work, and that of my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), the ranking member.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, too many times when Americans get sick, not only do they have to fight their illness, but they also have to fight their managed care company. That is not right. It is up to the Congress now to make things happen. For the last 2 years, we passed a bill and the Republicans have killed it in conference committee. It is time to pass the bill. If my colleagues agree with me that one should see the doctor of one's choice, then they should vote for this. If they agree that that doctor should have the decision to decide if one should see a specialist or not, then they should be in favor of this. If they agree that we should not have a gag order, that doctors should be able to provide the options that one should have, then my colleagues should vote for the Patients' Bill of Rights. Mr. Speaker, it is up to us now. It allows a review. We did it in Texas. The then Governor, now President Bush, decided then to allow it to go through. Now he has a problem with it. We are only asking that we do the same thing that we have allowed in Texas and that is to allow an opportunity for people to see a doctor of their choice, to allow an opportunity for the physicians to decide on the specialists, to allow them an opportunity to have an external review. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues support the Patients' Bill of Rights.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I was just here talking about the Patients' Bill of Rights and how important that issue is. I want to take this opportunity tonight to begin to talk a little bit about border health. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the poor state of health along the U.S.-Mexican border. The United States-Mexico border reaches approximately 2,000 miles, from the Pacific Ocean in the West to the Gulf of Mexico in the East. More than half of this border, over 1,248 miles, is shared with Texas. It is a vast region, and each of the four southwestern border States have a unique history and community dynamics. However, Texas, California, Arizona, and New Mexico's borders all share the plague of persistent socioeconomic problems largely ignored by the rest of the Nation. If the United States border region of Texas were declared the 51st State, and we say this and we kind of talk in Texas about the fact that we are one of the few States that has a law that says we can divide our State into five States if we wanted to, but if we were to make the 51st State on the border of Texas, taking those counties into consideration, it would rank as one of the poorest in terms of access to health care, second in the death rate from hepatitis, and third in the death rate of diabetes. The rate of the uninsured is among the highest in the country, as are the poverty rates. In Texas and New Mexico, an estimated 30 percent of the border residents have no health insurance, and in Arizona it is estimated at 28 percent, and the estimates in California are 19 percent. So that what we have throughout the border area is a very large lack of access to health care. I am relieved that there is finally a focus on health care and this has dominated both of the campaigns in the previous elections. There is some talk about the importance of border health now, although this focus had not been there before. Since the focus has started now and some dialogue has started, we are hoping to be able to get revenues to the border. I strongly support all the efforts that have been made to pass a comprehensive Patients' Bill of Rights, and we are going to continue to move forward on that, but I urge my colleagues to also look at the issues of access and especially in underserved communities such as the border. Oftentimes, the emergency rooms end up being the first line of care for residents in underserved areas like the border. It is also true that health disparities along the border are enormous. For those of my colleagues who have ever visited the border, any of the areas I represent, Starr and Zapata on the border are the two counties I have of which are in my district, both Starr County and Hidalgo County, not in my district, these two counties included are among the four poorest counties in the Nation. So we have a great deal of poverty associated with lack of access to health care. The district that I represent faces many health and environmental challenges. The poor state of infrastructure leads to real health and environmental problems, including hepatitis, diabetes and tuberculosis. Health problems are compounded by low per-capita income, lack of insurance, and lack of access to health care facilities. There is no question that the border region is crying out for increased resources in the face of so many challenges. Tuberculosis has emerged as a serious threat to public health along the border. One- third of the new TB cases in the U.S. were from four southwest border States. Once again, one-third of all the cases in the United States come from the border. The ease with which an individual can contract the tuberculosis bacteria is often frightening. Often someone needs to do no more than breathe in the tuberculosis bacteria coughed into the air by the infected individual. Currently, 15 million Americans are infected with tuberculosis, which means we are all at risk. So this disease hits some communities more than others. Regions which have high levels of tourism, international business and immigration experience higher than average levels. For instance, Texas has one of the highest tuberculosis rates in the country now. My State ranks seventh nationwide in the incidence of tuberculosis, with TB rates of 8.2 percent per 100,000. Even more sad is that minorities suffer disproportionately. Latinos in the United States have a tuberculosis rate six times that of Anglos. Tuberculosis is not the only disease of which the border residents are hit disproportionately. They also suffer from diabetes. When we look at diabetes, the border has a higher mortality rate than the rest of the country. Again, I will use the Texas statistics. In 1995, the Texas diabetes mortality rate was nearly 50 percent higher than the rest of the United States. Gestational diabetes and Type II diabetes hit the Spanish population in greater numbers than other populations, and it is the Hispanic population that makes up the larger percentage of border residents. It is unacceptable that such a high number of border diabetes patients die from disease that can be controlled and even prevented. When we consider the effect that environmental pollution has on health, it gets even worse. Last week we debated whether to let Mexican trucks into the United States. I cannot stress again how important it is that these trucks meet U.S. safety standards, especially when it comes to emissions. Our air quality along the border is threatened due to the increased truck traffic brought about through NAFTA. More children than ever are developing respiratory problems, such as asthma, causing them to miss school, extracurricular activities and, even worse, to be hospitalized. Water pollution poses a serious health hazard, including the spread of Hepatitis A and parasitic infections. Hepatitis A, spread mainly through unclean food and water, is two or three times more prevalent along the Mexican border than the U.S. as a whole. The presence of lead in water can cause damage to developing brains, the nervous system of children, and affects reproductive systems in adults. Residents in colonias are even more at risk from environmental health-related problems. Colonias are rural unincorporated communities characterized by the lack of certain basic public services, such as drinking water, sewage disposal, garbage pickup and paved roads. For instance, 86 percent of the individuals living in Texas colonias in the year 2000 had water but only 12 percent had sewage disposal. As my colleagues can see, what I am describing is not on the Mexican side, I am talking about the U.S. side, and we are talking about the boarders between Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Mr. Speaker,the border regions between the U.S. and Mexico are an area of great potential and challenge, especially with respect to the health and environmental concerns that our two nations face. What is the cause of the border health disparities? The lack of health education, low reimbursement rates to our health care providers, the lack of access to health care facilities, and the chronic shortage of health care professionals. In addition, the poor data collection has left us in a situation where we do not have all the information needed to solve the problems that confront us. Disparities in the reimbursement rates for Medicaid and the SCHIPs, along with the consistent lack of health care professionals are some of the problems that have been confronted. I want to take this opportunity to also mention that we have had the opportunity to go through the border. We recently had a town hall meeting in El Paso with my colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes), and one of the things, as we get the data that deals with the disproportionate disparities that exist on the border regarding health, is that despite the fact that we get resources from the Federal Government, such as Medicaid, for example, that we still find some disparities within the States. One of the great ironies was some testimony that was provided by a county judge from El Paso, Dolores Briones, and I want to read part of her testimony that she gave us. She talked about the ironies that have recently been discovered in our State, and I am going to read from her testimony. Our State, referring to Texas, Medicaid budget actually benefitted from the high poverty rates along the border when drawing down Federal dollars. That is, because of the poor people in south Texas, the State of Texas is able to leverage additional resources that they would not necessarily be able to. Right now, those funding formulas for the Texas Medicaid program allows the State to draw down $1.50 of every State general revenue dollar spent on Medicaid services. That is what we call the 60-40 split. That is that for every 40 cents we put in, we get 60 cents. This split of funding responsibility is recalculated each year for each of the States, and it is based upon the State's per capita income. I mention this because it is real important that my colleagues stay with me and follow through. We get those monies based on per capita income when compared to the national average per income levels. The lower the State per capita income, the higher the Federal share. That means that Texas gets additional resources because of the poor people that live on the border. The testimony we received is that the State of Texas actually benefits from the high poverty based on per capita income and child poverty, El Paso and other border counties. Without the borders, the State of Texas would only be getting a statistic of 50 to 50 instead of 40 to 60 percent, which is a minimum of Federal matching rate allowed under Medicaid. A separate calculation for the area, if we just took the lower region and if we took that calculation, the lower counties should get 83 cents for every 17 cents we put in. The bottom line is, when the money comes down and the formulas are distributed and the State gets that money, they reimburse Houston and some of the communities and Dallas in the north at a higher rate than they do San Antonio, than they do the rural area, than they do El Paso. So here they are leveraging that money based on per capita, based on the low-income population and, at the same time, as they receive those resources, they choose to distribute them on a formula that discriminates against those same poor that were able to leverage those resources for them. It was very startling information that was provided by the county judge. She talked about the fact that she was going to do everything she could to come to grips with that issue, to make sure that those monies followed those patients and that it go to those areas where those patients are in need. And the areas that are a little more affluent such as Dallas and Houston should not be leveraged at higher rates if they do not have the same formulas or the same per capita. The region and the border should be getting a higher rate, San Antonio included. So when we look at that disparity, we see some of the problems that exist and that we need to begin to clarify. And she indicated that she was looking at it and, if she had to, was going to go into litigation over the issue. My colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes), and other Members of Congress from Texas asked the GAO to do an assessment of each of the States as to how this money was being handled. So it is something that needs to be looked at. It is something that is serious. It is something that we need to come to grips with in making sure that if those monies are going down there to help those people that are in need and if it is followed based on a formula that talks about how important it is because of the fact that they are poor and it is per capita, then one would think they would be receiving the money, yet they get disproportionate monies. What it does is it creates a real difficulty because of the reimbursement rate for our doctors on the border, which is much less, for our hospitals it is much less than it would be in Dallas or Houston or elsewhere. So that is unfortunate. But, hopefully, we will continue to work on that specific issue as we move forward. I also want to take this opportunity to just give a few statistics about the border. It is important to note that, in 1995, approximately 10 million people lived along the border, with 55 percent in the United States and 45 percent in Mexico. A lot of times we do not take into consideration that these communities have sister cities right across and there are major populations. So it is important for us to remember that. When we look at the problems of tuberculosis, it is not just the population that we have in El Paso or the population that we have in Laredo. We have to consider the populations on the other side also that have a direct impact. So it becomes real important that we keep that in mind. So for health care, which is the issue that I am talking about, it is one of the areas that we also need to be very conscientious of. We talked about tuberculosis. As my colleagues may well know, tuberculosis can be spread by just talking in front of someone, as we breathe the air. It is very serious. Tuberculosis, a very infectious disease, up to six or seven prescriptions are needed. It has to be fought for over 6 months, and if it is not fought and the medication not taken during that period of time, we find a situation where those particular prescriptions will no longer work on that particular illness. We find out now that in tuberculosis, we are finding that there are some strands that we are having difficulty with because we do not have medications to treat them. Mexico treats tuberculosis with less prescriptions, and a lot has to do with cost. We really need to battle tuberculosis on the border. We need to battle it wherever it is throughout the world because when it comes to infectious diseases, it is like preventing a war. If you can prevent something, it is better than having to send our troops to deal with it. The same thing with access to infectious diseases. We need to treat them because later on we will find other forms of the disease that you are unable to treat because people did not take the medication appropriately the way that they should. When we look at AIDS, the disparity in AIDS also exists. There is a tremendous amount of AIDS. We see the statistics of Hispanics based on their population figures. It is beginning to hit those populations that are poor. We know in the area of AIDS there is some new information that you can begin to test yourself, and you can identify whether you have AIDS or not much earlier, which has a direct impact on being able to take care of yourself and taking care of those persons that are inflicted with that disease. It is important that we do that as quickly as possible. Once again, one of the problems that exists is with the poor. It is one thing to know that they have diabetes or AIDS, but it does not do any good unless patients have access to good care. It becomes more important with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and AIDS that we provide that access. One might say why should I care about that, it is not in my area. We should all care because eventually if we do not take care of it, we are going to find some strands that we will not be able to defeat, such as the strands in tuberculosis that we need to come down on. Mr. Speaker, as we talk about the border States of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, we find the same problems in terms of the demographics, in terms of the lack of access to good quality care, the problems of not having access to insurance, and we do have Medicaid for our indigent, but one of the things that we find is if you are not indigent and you are working on the border, and a lot of times small companies do not have access to insurance. If you do not have access to insurance and you are trying to make ends meet, you find yourself in a situation if you get sick or your child gets sick, you find yourself in trouble. Thank God we were able to establish the CHIPs program which has helped a lot of youngsters of parents who are working and trying to make ends meet to get covered with insurance, but we need some additional efforts in that area. We do need to do the outreach. We need educational programs. We have done some good studies on diabetes. In fact, some initial studies on diabetes were on the border, Starr County, where we have been able to detect it earlier in life. The only way it is good information is if we do something about it. As we have found a way of being able to identify whether a person has diabetes or not, now we have to provide access to care and the possibility of being able to get rid of those problems that they encounter. I want to take this opportunity to mention the current border population is a little over 11 million. In the first 5 years up to July 2000, the border area population has continued to increase by 25 percent. If you look at the year 1986, 806 maquilladoras existed in the six border States. But a decade later, we have over 1,500 maquilladoras. 1997 estimates show that over 2,000 plants employed more than 600,000 Mexican workers on the borders. We have a good deal of growth on both sides. One of the larger metropolitan areas is the city of Laredo, and it continues to grow on the U.S. side. On the Mexican side we have similar growth throughout the border region. Although poverty is a common element shared with both United States and Mexico, the U.S. side of the border is more impoverished than the rest of the United States, with over 33 percent of the families living at or below poverty levels. In Texas the statistics are 35 percent of all of the families, and 40 to 50 percent of the families in some of the border counties are living at or below that poverty level. Three of the U.S. border counties are among the 10 poorest counties in the United States. As I indicated, Starr County, that I represent, is one of the poorest. Tonight what I want to share is that there is a need for us to look at the border. We need to look at it from the perspective of also being part of this United States. We have to look at the colonias that are out there. There has been a great deal of efforts on the part of the States to stop that type of growth, and we do need to stop that growth from that perspective because it is growth that is not planned growth, is without good quality water, and we need to make every effort to make sure that those people, those individuals that still reside on the border, have access to good housing. It becomes important that we provide them with that access without the stumbling blocks of having those colonias that exist on the border. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to give a little data on California's border. One the issues talks about the problem of diabetes all along the border, and the fact that people have gone blind. The sad thing is that it could have been prevented. Now we have gotten to the disease so we can prevent a great deal of blindness that occurs through diabetes. And amputation, people have lost their limbs as a result of diabetes. In a lot of those cases, it is preventable. Some it is not, but in most cases it is preventable. It could be worked on, and these are important things for us to remember. On the HIV-AIDS situation, as we all know, we can look at the data and say it is looking great. We have made some inroads, but the bottom line is the numbers are increasing for the socioeconomic areas of our country. Those increases are going to be more harshly hit because these are the people who do not have access to good quality care. These are people who do not have access to the resources needed to respond to issues such as AIDS. If you are wealthy and have insurance, you can almost survive AIDS. But if you do not, you are going to find yourself not being able to sustain life and also not even knowing about it until it is almost too late. As we look at the border, we look at our children's health and the importance of vaccinations in providing access to good quality health care, there have been some efforts with community mental health centers in assuring that we provide that care. I do want to take this opportunity to thank those centers for their efforts throughout the country, and especially on the border in providing access to health care. They have people working out there, people working in communities providing that access to that care, and making sure that those people have access. We still need a lot more resources. In addition to that, we have talked about the environment. We talked about water pollution. Remember that on both sides we still need sewage plants, not only on the United States side but the Mexican side also. We drink water from the Rio Grande. We find ourselves in a real bind in terms of the quality of that water. So every effort needs to be made to make sure we have good quality drinking water. When we look at air pollution, it is no coincidence that El Paso has not been able to meet EPA standards. No matter what El Paso does, they are going to have difficulty meeting those standards mainly because of colonias. So colonias needs to be considered when looking at the formulas. You cannot consider one side of the river without looking at the other side, and making sure that good quality care exists on both sides because we breathe the same air and drink the same water and we are affected as we communicate with each other. Mr. Speaker, the border has a lot of positives. It has a lot of enthusiasm. It has a lot of people moving forward. There are a lot of things happening that are great, but part of that is making sure that we have good quality care. I want to take this opportunity and maybe I will do it at a later date, to talk about the information regarding some of the other States. I know in New Mexico there are 167 miles along the Mexican border area comprised of five counties in that region. You will find some disparities that exist in the area of health care, and those disparities are evident not only in New Mexico but throughout. I want to mention a couple of other things. I know one of the main disparities that exist in New Mexico when you look at tuberculosis cases, they find that you have a large number of tuberculosis cases also all along the border, and New Mexico is no exception. As well as Arizona. Arizona finds itself in the same situation, as well as California. So the whole border region is an area that we need to continue to focus on. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased if nothing else with the issue of NAFTA. For those who opposed NAFTA, you have to admit that at least NAFTA has allowed us an opportunity to focus. In Texas, very seldom did we talk about the border. The State of Texas never focused on it. It continued to neglect it, and because of the importance of trade, because they saw the value of our neighbor to the South, now there is a great deal of focus. Along with that focus once again should come the real concern of meeting the needs of the community in that area, and those needs are translated in the form of resources for access to good quality care. I am hoping as we move forward, we will continue to look at getting resources for access to health care; and I am hoping as that county judge from El Paso testified, that we can start looking at those disparities and making sure that those resources when they come to Texas, and those States on the border, that they come to those regions where they are needed the most and allow them to be able to leverage those resources in order for them to be able to fight the diseases I have mentioned. I want to thank everyone who has been here tonight. I know that we had some opportunities to be able to dialogue about the importance of these issues. I want to just indicate that there has been some discussion on the issue of medication. I just want to briefly indicate that along the border, there is a study that was done where nearly 40 percent of a survey reported that someone in the immediate household, 40 percent, received their medications on the border from Mexico. We find a population that is seeking out for access to health care, they are not finding it on this side, they are seeking it elsewhere in Mexico, and there are some pitfalls to that. There are some positives also, but there are some pitfalls. Some of the pitfalls that I have indicated are like the problems that we find with tuberculosis that in Mexico is not treated in the same way that we treat it. We provide it with a lot more medication than they do. That could create some serious problems for all of us if it is not treated appropriately. Secondly, as they go across, one of the main prescriptions that they get deals with uses for colds and some uses, 30 percent, were for blood pressure, 50 percent were for heart disease, 20 percent for diabetes. As we move forward, I am hoping that Congress at the national level, that there is a responsibility to meet and that when people live on the border and people come across the border that we as a Nation have a responsibility to also provide access to good quality care for not only all the people on the border but also those people that get impacted by people from the other side of the border.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I would hope that when people provide lip service, I would hope that we judge people on what they also do. So when they give it lip service, I am hoping they will go beyond that and start acting in an appropriate manner. But when we talked about rural health care, they came up with tort reform. If they use it for political reasons to get after and reward their friends and do in their enemies, then that really upsets me and angers me. I saw the tones of that when they got up here. The majority of people do not like attorneys. I am not one, and I do not know if the gentleman is one. I apologize if the gentleman is. But the bottom line is that we have the judiciary for a reason. Those judges, I respect the judges out there, with the exception of the Supreme Court in the last decision that they made. Beyond that, most judges do the right thing. We would expect that people would go only to the judiciary in the last resort. With our piece of legislation, it allows a review board, and it allows that review board to be able to look at that data before any court decision. So it would be very obvious to anyone if something wrongful had occurred. And if it does occur, and if it occurs with one's loved one or anyone, then that person deserves to receive justice if they were denied access to a certain care that caused them injury. So I think that is important, and that ultimate right still belongs to every American. It should not be taken away by the insurance companies of this country. Just because they have paid insurance all their lives, and all of a sudden they are sick and find themselves not having access to the quality care they had been paying for and had been promised, and they find themselves once again fighting the disease and the illness and also fighting the HMOs, then they would wonder, where are our politicians? Where are they? We have been trying to make this happen, and I hope that they are sincere about trying to make something happen and make people accountable, and make those insurance companies accountable for doing the right thing when those people find themselves in need.