Ed Whitfield

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this legislation, H.R. 5710, would reauthorize the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act, known as NASPER, which provides grants through HHS to the States to establish and operate prescription drug monitoring programs. I also want to thank Congressman Stupak for his tremendous leadership. Without him we wouldn't have this bill on the floor. Chairman Pallone has been helpful, Ranking Members Barton and Shimkus. And I would also like to thank our late friend Charlie Norwood of Georgia, who was very much interested in this legislation. NASPER was designed to reduce prescription drug abuse by providing physicians with the tools to stop the abuse before it starts. The law allows physicians to provide proper medication therapy to patients while also cracking down on the interstate diversion of prescription medications. Importantly, the law contains safeguards to ensure this sensitive information is protected and accessed appropriately. This is an important piece of legislation. I urge all of our Members to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I think all of our speakers have explained very clearly why we need to support this legislation. I urge all of our Members to support it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD. I also want to thank Mr. Green of Texas and Mr. Murphy for their leadership on this issue. All of us recognize the importance of community health centers. They are spreading throughout the country and they are playing an important role in providing primary health care for the American people. At this time I would like to yield 5 minutes to one of the real leaders in this area, Mr. Murphy of Pennsylvania.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. There has been a lot of debate in the United States about infant mortality. And when we hear that the U.S. ranks 30th in the world, it certainly bothers all of us. I do think it is important that we also recognize, just for informational purposes, that not every country in the world uses the same method to determine infant mortality. For example, in the United States, all live births at any birthweight or gestational age must be reported. In France, for example, only live births of at least 22 weeks of gestation or weighing at least 500 grams must be reported. So some of these countries use different reporting facts to determine their mortality rates. There is no question that certain communities in the United States have infant mortality rates that are persistently high. And this legislation authorizes HHS to award grants for pilot projects to reduce infant mortality in the communities with the highest infant mortality rates and would require these projects be evaluated to ensure we are on the right track to reducing infant mortality rates in those areas and in the United States. I want to thank Congressman Cohen for his leadership on this issue as well as Congressmen Pallone and Shimkus. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today also in support of H.R. 3199, the Emergency Medic Transition Act. This legislation would provide grants to States with a shortage of EMTs to assist veterans who have completed military emergency training and assist them in becoming State-licensed or certified EMTs. Through their service in the Armed Forces, these veterans have received some of the best emergency response training available. Our Nation is currently blessed with thousands of men and women who, through their honorable service in Iraq and Afghanistan and around the world, are equipped with unmatched credentials and vast practical experience. We have heard of stories from around the country of there being a shortage of EMTs and about the training and licensing barriers returning veterans face when they transition to the civilian workforce. If the Federal Government has provided training in emergency management services to these veterans, it would be beneficial to use that investment to fill EMT needs in communities once the veteran has left the service. It makes sense to me that we should help veterans with life-saving skills to use them in our communities after they come home. I would certainly like to thank also Congresswoman Harman and Chairman Pallone as well as Congressman Buyer of Indiana, all of whom have worked hard on this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 6130, a commonsense solution to combating fraud in Medicare. This legislation will provide the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General with tools to properly combat Medicare fraud. First, it will close an important loophole in current law and give the Office of the Inspector General additional authority to fight fraud. Under current law, for example, if an executive leaves a company before the company is convicted of Medicare fraud, that executive cannot be barred from participating in Federal health programs. Under current law, an executive intent on defrauding Medicare could simply move from one company to another and continue to inequitably use American taxpayers' money. Second, this law will prevent companies from hiding behind corporate shells. Some companies use shell companies to protect the parent company from any liability. If the company is caught participating in fraud, the shell could be dissolved, leaving the parent company fully intact. Under this bill, the Office of Inspector General can exclude parent companies when such punishment is merited. I am glad that we are continuing to find ways to combat fraud in Medicare because we know that health care costs are out of control. And I might say, I am sure every Member had the same experiences that I did when we were home over this recent 3-week work period in which people were coming up asking all sorts of questions about the health care reform bill, and we really do not know the answers to it because HHS is basically going to be writing these regulations. And we are not going to fully know the outcome of this legislation for many years to come, which I think merits, once again, the importance of starting to have oversight hearings to have some questions answered that the American people are asking for. I would ask unanimous consent at this time to yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger).

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. I want to thank Members on both sides of the aisle for working with us on this resolution. Mr. Speaker, as it has already been said, John James Audubon came to Henderson, Kentucky, in 1810, 200 years ago this year. He was an ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He also painted and catalogued the birds of North America in a more precise way than any other naturalist in this Nation's history. Not only was he a tremendous painter, he also was a great businessman, and in 1816, he brought one of the first steam-powered saw-and-grist mills on the banks of the Ohio River to Kentucky. To commemorate John James Audubon's commitment to his community and wildlife, the Commonwealth of Kentucky dedicated the John James Audubon State Park on October 3, 1934. It is an impressive structure designed as a replica of a Norman-French inn to honor Audubon's French heritage. The museum structure has a round tower in which there is a lot of nesting birds, I must say. A cobbled courtyard with a French garden graces the immediate grounds of the museum. It also contains the world's largest oils and water colors of birds. And today, the park enjoys thousands of visitors who come and admire the work of John James Audubon. This year their bicentennial celebration has been occurring throughout the year, and it's going to end on October 23 in Henderson with a huge gala in the community celebrating the works of John James Audubon. I would urge the Members of the House to support this legislation, and, once again, I want to thank both sides of the aisle for working with us on it.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. I want to thank Congressmen Pallone and Shimkus for bringing this important legislation to the floor. We all recognize the devastating effect of methamphetamines. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp), who has been a true leader in combating methamphetamines.

Mr. WHITFIELD. When you talk to law enforcement officers anywhere in America today, they will tell you that about 80 percent of the crimes committed in America are the direct result of some type of drug. Methamphetamine is certainly one of those. In Kentucky, we have the Pennyrile Drug Task Force. And when I think about the passage of this legislation, I think of a gentleman named Cheyenne Albro who started that task force and who was a true leader in combatting methamphetamine and who, unfortunately, died a couple of weeks ago, but I know he would be very proud of this act. I would urge that this legislation be adopted.

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

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. I also want to thank Congressman Doyle for his leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who has been particularly involved in the issue of autism.

Mr. WHITFIELD. I would just like to reiterate what the gentleman from Pennsylvania said, which is that early detection can make all the difference in the world. This legislation goes a long way in providing assistance and in aiding in early detection.

Mr. WHITFIELD. I urge Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of S. 2781, Rosa's Law, and I certainly want to thank the majority and all of those involved in this important legislation for bringing it to the floor for final passage. This legislation is really very simple, but very important. It simply modifies specific terms used in Federal law and instead of referring to the people as mentally retarded individuals, it refers to them basically as individuals with developmental disabilities. It will affect the Social Security Act, the Public Health Service Act, and a lot of other Federal laws. I think it certainly is a step in the right direction, and I would urge passage of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2781, Rosa's Law, and I would like to thank the Majority for finally bringing this legislation to the floor of the House for final passage. Rosa's Law follows previous Congressional action to modify the specific terms used in Federal law to refer to individuals, or broad categories of individuals, when earlier terminology became outdated, offensive, or otherwise inappropriate. I would like to note that our former colleague, Nathan Deal of Georgia, actually offered an amendment during the Energy and Commerce Committee's consideration of the ObamaCare legislation back in July of last year that would have changed references in Federal law to mentally retarded individual to references to an individual with an developmental disability, but unfortunately, Congressman Deal's amendment was not accepted by the Majority, which prevented it from being included in the House-passed version of the health reform legislation. However, by bringing this legislation to the floor today, the Majority can atone for their past mistake, and finally correct this glaring problem. And speaking of health reform, I would also like to note that today is the 6-month anniversary of the Democrats' ObamaCare package being signed into law, and just as Republicans, independents, and a few brave Democrats predicted, insurance premiums are rising and people are losing their current health insurance coverage as a direct result of the flawed provisions in that legislation. Reports of problems in ObamaCare abound, but has this Congress held a hearing on its implementation? No. In fact, the Subcommittee on Health--on which I serve--has held 15 hearings since the passage of ObamaCare, but we have not dealt with the most radical change to America's health care system in generations. As all of us have noticed lately, people back home are experiencing the unhappy reality of the Federal Government's health care takeover. And as many news reports indicate, many people seem to prefer a Congressional Majority that wants to get the truth from the Obama Administration about what's gone wrong. I know the seniors in my district are completely clear about their desire to have us look into the Administration's plans to cut $575 billion from Medicare. They also want to know about statements by the Chief Actuary of Medicare that providers ``could find it difficult to remain profitable'' and might ``end their participation in the program.'' And any American concerned about the disastrous spending policies of this Administration and the current Majority would want oversight over recent revelations that after passage of ObamaCare, health care spending is projected to increase more than the Obama Administration had projected before passage of this deeply flawed legislation. During the run-up to passage, miracles were promised day in and day out. Seniors were told the law would strengthen Medicare, only to see reductions to the program spent on new entitlements. Everyone was told the cost curve would be bent down, only to see the Administration's own actuaries report it will continue to go up. Families were told that if they liked their current coverage they could keep it, only to learn that the law encourages employers to drop coverage, that health insurers will pass along increased costs through increased premiums, and that every plan will be subject to a host of costly new Federal rules and restrictions. Where is the oversight? Where are the hearings? As the election nears, I would like to note that the American people seem to want a new kind of Congress, one that is willing to find its mistakes and to fix them. With that, I will urge my colleagues to support the bill before us today.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. May I ask how much time we have remaining on this side?

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to make some concluding remarks. All of us on this side of the aisle support Mr. Lipinski's effort. We believe that this legislation is good and we commend Mr. Rush and Mr. Lipinski. But we reiterate that this administration is not doing enough to improve manufacturing in America. The majority leader said we want more products produced in America. But in order to do that, we need a tax policy that encourages investment, not making it more expensive to do business in America. We need a policy to provide incentives for more research and development to be more competitive in the global marketplace. We need a strong program to defend and protect intellectual property developed by our manufacturers. We need a strong international trade policy that encourages more American products to be sold abroad. And as the gentleman from Illinois said, we need an energy policy that does not raise energy costs. And every objective analysis of the Obama administration's cap-and-trade system indicates that that bill would dramatically increase electricity costs making American manufacturers less competitive, not more competitive. I have already talked about China and the steps that they're taking to decrease their electricity costs. So we support this bill, but we need to do more. And we call upon the administration to do more than just talk about these issues. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo).

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey), who is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. WHITFIELD. At this time I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus). (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. WHITFIELD. First of all, I do want to thank Congressman Lipinski of Illinois for introducing this legislation on the National Manufacturing Strategy Act. Mr. Speaker, I think we all recognize in America today that our manufacturing sector, while still one of the strongest in the world, has lost a lot of manufacturing jobs. In fact, we have lost way too many. This legislation, while providing additional studies to look at the problems for our manufacturing sector, I firmly believe does not go far enough and does not address the real problems with manufacturing in America today. One issue that we certainly need to look at, in my view, is the American tax policy. It is my understanding that the United States has the second-highest corporate tax rate in the developed world and will soon move into the No. 1 slot because Japan, evidently, is getting ready to drop its corporate income tax rate. We also know that, already in the Federal Government, there are many task forces that are looking at this manufacturing issue. For example, there is an Interagency Working Group on Manufacturing Competitiveness. The Commerce Department has a manufacturing council. The Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program is in existence, and the Interagency Working Group on Manufacturing Research and Development is operating today. Additionally, both the Department of Commerce under the Bush administration and the White House under President Obama has issued reports and recommendations on the state of domestic manufacturing. Then just recently, in June of this year, the National Manufacturers Association issued an extensive report on what was needed in America to make manufacturing in America more competitive. One of the things that I pointed out was tax policy and a more aggressive trade policy to have tariffs lowered in other countries. Then the ability to compete in the global marketplace is vitally important. One of the reasons I have been very much concerned about some of the energy policies of this administration, particularly as they relate to cap-and-trade, is that, if that kind of legislation is adopted, it is going to increase electricity costs and make manufacturing in America less competitive in the global marketplace. The CEO of CSX Railroads was in my office 2 weeks ago. He said the railroads are moving more coal to the ports for export to China today than they ever have in the past. He also said the same thing is happening in Australia. The reason for that is that the Chinese are depending more and more upon coal to produce electricity. A delegation of them came to Washington, and said one of the reasons they were doing it was that they wanted the lowest electricity costs in order to be more competitive in the global marketplace and to encourage more manufacturing plants to move to China. So I think we need to take concrete action. We know the problems. I will say that this legislation will provide an additional study, and that may be important. I would like to commend Chairman Rush and Mr. Lipinski, because I think they improved this bill a great deal when they eliminated the task force and created one strategy board so that there would be less repetitiveness on the studies that this legislation calls for. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I also would like to thank Congressman Moran for being a real leader on this legislation, and I certainly want to thank Chairman Rush and Chairman Waxman and others on the Energy and Commerce Committee. This legislation, as Mr. Sarbanes adequately described, is relatively simple. It simply amends the Fur Products Labeling Act of 1951. That act required accuracy in the labeling of fur products and apparel, but it did not apply to any apparel sold for less than $150. A series of recent investigations revealed that a significant number of clothes designers and retailers were selling some fur-trimmed garments described as faux or raccoon or coyote or mink or whatever, when actually it turned out to be dog fur or something else. As a matter of fact, of 38 jackets subjected to very specific tests, every single garment of those 38 was either unlabeled or it contained a label that misidentified the animal's fur that was used in that garment. And so this legislation is about transparency, providing consumers with accurate information on what they're buying. Eighty-seven percent of garments sold in the U.S. today with fur already are required to abide by this. This will simply require the other 13 percent, those valued below $150, to abide by the same law. And consumer protection organizations, retail, and even the fashion industry all support this legislation. And I would urge our colleagues to support it as well. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 150th anniversary of Kentucky's Metcalfe County and city of Edmonton. Metcalfe County became the 106th county in the Commonwealth of Kentucky on May 1st 1860 and was named in honor of Kentucky's 10th governor, Thomas Metcalfe. Its sesquicentennial is a significant milestone for Metcalfe County and one I am pleased to honor. Through the course of the history of Edmonton and Metcalfe County, its citizens have endured hard times and sacrifices. Its sons and daughters have answered the call to serve in every war beginning with the Civil War and continuing through this day. The town of Edmonton was settled as a result of the sacrifice, work and vision of Edmund Rogers, a Revolutionary War veteran and cousin to General George Rogers Clark and William Clark. In March of 1826, the first United States Post Office was established in Edmonton, which changed its image from that of a trading post to a more permanent settlement. By an act of the Kentucky Legislature in 1836, the settlement of Edmonton became officially established as a town and gradually became the largest population center in the area. The citizens of Edmonton and Metcalfe County have a deep appreciation for the sacrifice and struggles endured by their predecessors in the development of their hometown. Today its citizens continue the rich history of their forefathers and it is with great pride we celebrate this momentous occasion.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 36th anniversary of the Turkish peace operation which prevented an attempt by Greece to annex the island of Cyprus. Although peace prevails in Cyprus today, the social, economic and political development of the Turkish Cypriots has been restricted for more than four decades. Despite their continued commitment to achieving a just and lasting settlement that respects the political equality of the two peoples on the island, the Turkish Cypriot people are still waiting for the international community to honor the promises it made to them that their isolation would be listed. While the Greek Cypriots were given full membership in the European Union, despite rejecting a United Nations plan to unify the island, Turkish Cyprus is still largely isolated from the international community. Madam Speaker, if the process is to move forward toward a lasting settlement it is important that the United States Congress recognize the unwavering commitment of the Turkish Cypriot people to unify the island and encourage the lifting of their isolation. The current opportunity for a settlement arises from the ongoing negotiations conducted under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General. The Turkish Cypriot side needs to be commended for the seriousness and commitment it has displayed in the negotiations. I would particularly like to applaud the new Turkish Cypriot president, Dr. Dervis Eroglu, who wasted no time after his election in resuming negotiations. It is time that this positive stance of the Turkish Cypriots be reciprocated. The Greek Cypriots should be encouraged to respond in kind to these gestures of good will. We now find ourselves at a critical juncture in the history of Turkish and Greek Cypriot relations. It is vital that the United States joins a number of other voices in the international community who hope that a mutually acceptable settlement might be reached. In order to promote the spirit of good will generated during the recent meetings, I encourage this body to seize this opportunity to support the two Cypriot leaders as they work toward reunification.