Bill Thomas

Mr. THOMAS

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the H.R. 3529, the bill just passed.

Mr. THOMAS

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson), someone who sits in the unique position of being not only on the Committee on Ways and Means, but a subcommittee chair on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and I think he has a clear perspective on the problem in front of us.

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 320, I call up the bill (H.R. 3529) to provide tax incentives for economic recovery and assistance to displaced workers, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Lewis), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. THOMAS. Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, it is indeed my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth), a member of the committee.

Mr. THOMAS. To understand the import of that dialogue, if someone on the floor now was to indicate that the Senate has not passed a bill, that would be in violation of the rule; is that correct?

Mr. THOMAS. So saying that the Senate did not pass a stimulus bill would not be in violation of the rule? I thank the Chair.

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson.)

Mr. THOMAS. Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, can one say they have not acted? I believe the earlier clarification was that if one stated the fact, and the fact is that the Senate has not acted, that would not rise to a point of order.

Mr. THOMAS. And a factual statement is, the Senate has not acted?

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 10 seconds. The gentleman from New York really does need to know that out of the $9 billion, New York gets half a billion; out of the block grant alone, New York gets another half a billion; and out of that victims tax relief, New York gets another $5 billion. Even a New Yorker would recognize that a billion here, a billion there, finally adds up to real money. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. English), a valued member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Watkins) who does not believe we ought to hold the line and deny people help when people need that help. (Mr. WATKINS of Oklahoma asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. Some people might think it is the late hour when they listen to the math on the other side of the aisle. I have to assure those who believe it is the late hour that, actually, they do this in daylight as well. I read off the amount of money that was going to California. The immediate retort from the gentlewoman from California was, yes, but we give more than you do, and yet we hear the refrain that we put ourselves into a deficit. Well, if we are going to double every number we deal with and you are telling us we put us into deficit, I think you ought to take a look at what you are doing as well. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins), a very valuable member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 10 seconds. Mr. Speaker. Under the temporary State Health Care Assistance of $4.6 billion grant, California out of that $4.6 billion would get $482 million. Out of the $9 billion on the unemployment insurance, California alone would get over $1 billion. That, to me, is real help to real people in need. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Nussle), the chairman of the Committee on the Budget and a valued member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 10 seconds to tell the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) that a no vote on this would deny her fellow Ohioans $406 million additional on just the $9 billion in this program for unemployment insurance, and the decision is hers. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger).

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 15 seconds to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson).

Mr. THOMAS. I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I tell my friend I have great admiration for the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell). But this health insurance plan was devised by someone who proudly calls himself a compassionate conservative, and the description the gentleman just provided is simply flat out wrong. It is an advancable refundable credit. They get it immediately. They do not have to wait until the end of the year. It is not based upon one's income. And it is not something that the gentleman described. As I said, I have a great deal of admiration for him. But his three minutes were used to describe something that is not in our bill and it simply was wrong. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes 30 seconds to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp), a member of the committee.

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The gentleman failed to tell anyone that if they are actually under the COBRA program they can take the certificate, they can go to the unemployment office. As they get the registration for unemployment, they apply it to COBRA. That certainly is available. There are those people who have health insurance who actually pay for it out of their pocket. They, now, when they are unemployed, get 60 percent of every dollar subsidized. They already have health insurance. They continue that health insurance. The gentleman seems to believe there is only one way to solve the problem when the American worker has been scrambling around for a number of years because, depending on whether your employer provides it or not, you may or may not have health insurance. This guarantees if you get health insurance, whether you had it at your employer's place or not. We simply cover more people than they do. I think that is why they are squirming a little bit. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. McCrery).

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds. I am pleased the gentleman believes this program in this bill is mine, because it is an excellent bill. It is in fact the President's plan. The administration has worked out the structure, and this is President Bush's response for those in need. Those people who have COBRA are able to utilize COBRA. But those who believe that that is a bit expensive when they are unemployed are provided additional options. And I think the President has done an excellent job in responding to those in need. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Shaw), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means who has contributed significantly in helping us shape this package so that we can actually get the country moving again.

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am looking at page 44 of a bill called the Rangel bill and it is under the health insurance provision, and as some of my colleagues might expect, do not be too surprised. This is what it says: ``Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this act, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, shall establish a program under which premium assistance is created.'' My colleagues are right. We have the Secretary of the Treasury, we have the Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of Labor. It really is a significant difference. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health.