Billy Tauzin

Mr. TAUZIN

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time remains on both sides?

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer), a member of our committee.

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Shadegg), a distinguished member of our committee.

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gillmor).

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 6) to enhance energy conservation and research and development, to provide for security and diversity in the energy supply for the American people, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the amendment, and agree to a conference asked by the Senate.

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes. Mr. Speaker, I rise in the strongest opposition possible to this motion to instruct. It is rather cleverly worded. It is cleverly worded because as we would expect from someone as talented as my friend, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), in parliamentary terms it says separate this issue from the rest of the energy bill and pass this issue, leaving to limbo, perhaps, the rest of the comprehensive energy bill. It does precisely what we should never do and that is to ignore the fact that the blackout is just part of an awful energy situation that exists in this country. Oh, yeah, we just had a big blackout in the Northeast, but do not forget that just recently Alan Greenspan made four or five trips to this Hill to warn us of a natural gas crisis facing this country this winter. We are paying twice as much for natural gas as we did this time last year. Petrochemical plants in my district are beginning to lay off workers and threatening to move their production to offshore facilities in other countries because we pay twice as much for natural gas in America as we do anywhere else in the world. Has anybody noticed the price at the pump lately? Have my colleagues noticed the awful situation with gasoline prices? Do you think for a second that the problem in the Northeast is just a single, isolated problem in the whole energy situation our country faces? On the contrary, the situation in the Northeast is just one of many enormous problems in our energy marketplace. Also, as my colleagues might recall exhibited was the awful situation of the California energy crisis just a few years ago. In this country we face the possibility of huge natural gas price cost increases to consumers as winter approaches. We face the situation where low-income beneficiaries whom we are trying to help with LIHEAP funds may not be able to pay their energy costs this winter. We saw the price spikes in gasoline. To strip off one piece of this bill for political expediency would not only be foolish, it would be disastrous. The House and Senate have both finally passed comprehensive energy bills after a great deal of deliberation. The Senate passed the bill they passed last year. We improved our product. The conferees have just been named, and we have agreed to go to conference. But my colleagues should know on the day the Senate passed that bill by unanimous consent, our staffs and the Senate committee and the House committee began work immediately, conforming the two bills. And now that the conferees are appointed, we are going to bring in a conference report before the end of this month and vote on it on this House floor. We are going to pass the comprehensive energy title. It will include, by the way, all the improvements that have been recommended in the transmission grids following the New York and Northeast blackouts. Those improvements were passed last April on this House floor and are contained in the comprehensive bill. They include transmission incentives to build new transmission systems. They include new provisions on siting to make sure the Federal Government is involved in interstate siting of transmission lines so States cannot block interstate improvements to transmission facilities. It will eliminate the artificial barriers to the new investment grid called the Public Utility Holding Company Act. It will change the transmission tax treatment to create more favorable tax treatments to encourage people to invest in improvements in transmission grids so we do not have the problems we saw in California and now in the Northeast. We passed, in this comprehensive energy bill, massive improvements in energy efficiency and conservation all designed to help reliability of our systems. Do my colleagues want to throw those away tonight? Of course, H.R. 6 addresses all the urgent needs of the energy sector by increasing the production of oil and gas and other energy resources, particularly renewables, by dramatically increasing LIHEAP funding, by making significant investments in energy research and development including the President's Freedom Car Initiative. Mr. Speaker, my committee has just conducted two very full days of hearings on the August blackouts. With the testimony from nearly 30 witnesses working with our Secretary of Energy, Mr. Abraham, and others, we will get to the bottom of what happened just a few weeks ago. But the overwhelming message I got from those hearings is that abundant, reliable energy sources are the lifeline of our economy. If we walk away from all the policy improvements that this bill provides, we will be turning our backs on the people of this country, our economy, and a reliable and secure energy future for this country. So I urge my colleagues to defeat this motion to instruct. While it is not binding, it is a wrong signal. It needs to be defeated tonight. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives.

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), a distinguished member of our Committee on Energy and Commerce, who is also a lieutenant colonel.

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted and honored to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton), a subcommittee chairman, and one of the principal architects of this comprehensive energy plan we are trying to save tonight. (Mr. BARTON of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, it was February 2001 that I was honored to assume the role of chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of this great House. It was in August of that same year that our Committee on Energy and Commerce, together with the Committee on Ways and Means, Committee on Resources, Committee on Science, numerous committees of this body, helped to report to the floor a comprehensive energy bill for our country following the disaster in California, recognizing the disasters to come in the Northeast. It took the Senate almost 2 years to finally pass their version at the end of the conference when it was too late to finish the conference report. This year in this Congress, this House had the wisdom to pass this bill as early as April of the first year of the Congress, and the Senate in just 7 short months has passed their version and now joins us tonight in a conference to finish the work. Many, many votes have gone by since August of 2001. In fact, prior to that in committee, many votes were taken. I find it strange that on the night we finally appoint the conferees to finish this awesome task, on this night, my friend, the gentleman from Michigan, who was the main opponent of the comprehensive energy bill on the floor when we brought it here in April of this year, brings this motion to take one small piece of that bill and to leave, in fact, the rest behind. That is the game. Is it a coincidence that every person who spoke on the other side voted against the comprehensive energy bill when we brought it to the floor? I do not think so. I think this is an effort to help derail the final passage of that great bill. We are not going to let them get away with that because this country cannot do without this comprehensive energy bill. It is critical for this country. We had 13 recorded votes on the floor tonight. Thirteen times we came to this floor and we put our card into the electronic voting machine and we made a decision for this country. We are two votes away on the floor of this House and in the other body, one in this House, one in the other body, we are two votes away from finishing the most comprehensive energy package to help this country on its way again than we have ever been. When this conference brings its conference report before the end of the month to this floor and to the Senate, we are two votes away from putting it on the President's desk for final signature. I know those of you who voted against it, those of you who were in the 175-Member minority who voted against the passage, would probably not like to see us finish, but this country wants us to finish. People in the Northeast who went through that blackout want us to do a comprehensive bill. The people in the Northwest, in California who had their problems a few years ago want us to do this bill. Americans who suffer with high energy prices want us to do this bill. Let us reject this motion to do away with this bill and to simply pick it to death. I urge my colleagues to reject this motion to instruct.

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

Mr. TAUZIN

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Commerce be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 2854) to amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to extend the availability of allotments for fiscal years 1998 through 2001 under the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. TAUZIN

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the Senate bill (S. 1015) to authorize grants through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for mosquito control programs to prevent mosquito-borne diseases, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the House is considering, hopefully for the final time, the Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health Act (MASH). Last summer, West Nile infected over 40 states in the nation. This record epidemic led to the deaths of 274 people and made seriously ill more than 4,000. While much of the press has focused on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), it is important to point out that last year West Nile Virus led to more American deaths than the total caseload of SARS in this country. West Nile Virus is clearly an infectious disease that must be addressed in a coordinated fashion. The House has passed the Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health Act twice in the past year. I am pleased to announce that we have reached agreement with our Senate counterparts and are now planning to move forward legislation that is substantively the same as the MASH Act approved by the House in March, with of course, minor, but nonetheless improvements to the House bill. The bill we are considering today will compliment the work the CDC already has underway. The MASH Act provides authority to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states for the purpose of coordinating mosquito control programs, including assessment and mosquito control planning grants to political subdivisions. In addition to State grants, the MASH Act authorizes the CDC to award grants to political subdivisions of states for the operation of mosquito control programs. The rapid outbreak of West Nile virus across America--which is fast outpacing the predictions of many scientists--has made it very difficult for our communities to adequately respond. The additional federal dollars we authorize through this legislation will assist states and localities with their immediate needs to combat West Nile virus. Notably, this legislation recognizes the importance of keeping mosquito control programs running at the local level, where they have historically operated. The bill also gives additional support to the CDC so it may provide training and technical assistance in the planning, development, and operation of mosquito control programs. I would also like to personally thank my colleagues, Representative Chris John, for the leadership he has shown in advancing this legislation. I would also like to thank Senators Gregg, Frist, Breaux, Landrieu, and Kennedy and their staff for the extensive time they dedicated to this issue. The Senate bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

Mr. TAUZIN

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2854 and S. 1015, the two bills just passed.

Mr. TAUZIN

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 335, I call up the bill (H.R. 2427) to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations for the reimportation of prescription drugs, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), chairman of the Committee on Rules. (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht) be permitted to control 15 minutes of the debate time allocated to me.

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2427.

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2\1/2\ minutes. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleague, the ranking member of our committee, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), in opposing this bill because it is dangerous. This week the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) and I and all of the members of the Committee on Energy and Commerce had to face a horrible realization: This week we faced the parents of Steve Bechler, the 23-year-old pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, who died of a heart attack at that young age taking ephedra tablets, tablets which we in 1994 voted to exempt from FDA safety regulations. I have got that on my conscience now. In 1994, you and I decided, those of you who were here with me, that safety did not matter when it came to ephedra. Mr. Speaker, as the Justice Department criminal investigations are under way and as our own Committee's investigation is under way, we learned this week that over 17,000 serious events have occurred as a result of the use of unregulated ephedra; young athletes, young people, dying, suffering strokes, heart attacks, like Steve Bechler, because we voted in 1994 to say that safety did not count when it came to ephedra. And with this bill tonight, its authors I know well-intentioned, angry at the price of drugs in America, angry at Canada because they impose price controls that take advantage of our citizens, angry at those trade laws that let it happen, they are asking us tonight to do exactly what we did in 1994, to vote for a bill that says safety does not matter when it comes to drugs, that safety does not really count; that we are going to repeal tonight, if they get their way, the language that is in the law that says that FDA must certify the safety of any drugs that are imported into this country; to take away the language that says FDA must do those things appropriate to ensure that the drug supply in this country is never compromised; that bogus, counterfeit, diluted, old, rotten drugs are not permitted into this country. I voted wrong in 1994. I am not going to vote wrong tonight. I will never vote to compromise safety again in the use of drugs or products for our young people and our old people and our citizens. Tonight we will learn about those rotten drugs that are coming into this country from Canada, yes, and from a lot of other countries, transhipped through Canada. We will have the smoking gun for tonight to show what is about to happen if we open the door to that awful problem. I urge Members, vote against this bill.

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I would point out that the packaging is held by a single company and the bill they have mandates a monopoly. We ought never do this in this country. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood), the distinguished chairman of our Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation.

Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would point out that both the American Pharmacists Association and the Arkansas Pharmacists Association have sent letters in strong opposition to this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer).

Mr. TAUZIN. Will the Speaker announce how much time remains.