Extensions of Remarks E1123 EXTENSIONS of REMARKS
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June 5, 1997 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð Extensions of Remarks E1123 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS H.R. 1795, RESCIND DOLLAR LIMI- SECTION 1. REMOVAL OF DOLLAR LIMITATION Today CGS employs nearly 1,000 people TATION ON POLICE AND FIRE- ON BENEFIT PAYMENTS FROM A DE- FINED BENEFIT PLAN MAINTAINED with offices in seven major cities and business FIGHTER BENEFIT PLANS FOR CERTAIN POLICE AND FIRE EM- partnerships throughout Europe, North Amer- PLOYEES. ica, and East Asia. Phil's 5-year plan to ex- HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN (a) IN GENERAL.ÐSubparagraph (G) of sec- pand his operations and dramatically increase tion 415(b)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of CGS revenues is well underway. OF NEW YORK 1986 is amended by striking ``participantÐ'' Mr. Speaker, Phil Friedman is a man who IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES and all that follows and inserting ``partici- pant, subparagraphs (C) and (D) of this para- started with virtually nothing but the deter- Thursday, June 5, 1997 graph and subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) mination to not only survive, but succeed, in a Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to in- shall not apply.'' new, unfamiliar, and highly competitive coun- (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.ÐThe amendment troduce H.R. 1795, legislation to amend the try. From his spectacular success he has made by subsection (a) shall apply to years sought to return as much as possible to his Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to remove the beginning after December 31, 1996. dollar limitation on payment of benefits from a community and adoptive country. I am proud defined benefit plan maintained by a State or f to invite my colleagues to join me in congratu- lating Phil and celebrating his lifetime of local government for the benefit of employees CONGRATULATING PHIL FRIED- achievement. of the police department or fire department. MAN ON HIS RECEIVING THE I am introducing this bill in an attempt to be LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD f fair to our local and State fire and police offi- FROM THE EMANUEL FOUNDA- SUPPORT FOR AUTISM FUNDING cialsÐthose who day in and day out place TION FOR HUNGARIAN CULTURE their lives on the line for our protection. As my colleagues may know, police officers HON. STEVEN R. ROTHMAN HON. TOM LANTOS OF NEW JERSEY and firefighters throughout most of the country OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES are eligible to retire under certain defined ben- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES efit plans which generally allow for retirement Thursday, June 5, 1997 Thursday, June 5, 1997 after a fixed number of years of service. Typi- Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to cally, such services entails 20 or 25 years, re- Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my col- share some facts about a disease that is very gardless of age. Retirement benefits generally leagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Phil close to my heartÐas it is to thousands of are based on a percentage of the retiring offi- Friedman, founder of Computer Generated other AmericansÐautism. My nephew, Jack, cer's highest 3-year salary average, and start Solutions [CGS], who is receiving on June 8, the son of my twin brother, is afflicted with this at about 50 percent of that average. The aver- 1997, the Lifetime Achievement Award from disease and his illness has educated our en- age in most instances increases with addi- the Emanuel Foundation for Hungarian Cul- tire family about how little is known, and how tional years of service but usually does not ex- ture. This richly deserved recognition high- much still needs to be learned, about autism. ceed 65 to 75 percent. lights the outstanding accomplishments of a I want to tell my colleagues a few things Accordingly, many officers, living along the remarkable man. An immigrant from the Soviet Union in 1976, about autism that will not be learned from east coast or in large metropolitan and sur- watching the movie ``Rain Man.'' Autism is not rounding suburban areas throughout the coun- Phil came to the United States with his wife, Rose, a few hundred bucks, even fewer Eng- rare. It affects 400,000 people in the United try, are forced to work past their general retire- States. One in 500 children born today will be ment age in order to afford the high cost of liv- lish words, and a determination to succeed. In this new chapter of his life, Phil became a autistic. Though 5 percent will make strides ing in these areas. with early intervention, 95 percent of those af- If we are going to continue to expect these model immigrant and lived the American dream. From his business success to his im- fected will never marry, have a meaningful job, men and women to protect our neighbor- or live on their own. More than half will never hoods, we should at least allow them the op- pressive charitable and philanthropic commit- ments to his community, he has become an learn to speak. portunity to collect the money they have paid Autism affects more people than multiple into their own pension. After all, under the Tax inspiration to all who know him. Although he was trained in both electronic sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, and childhood cancer Code we allow those participants in private engineering and in accounting and finance, combined, yet autism still receives less than 5 pension funds to collect the money they have Phil discovered that the first requirements of percent of the research funding of these other paid, once vested. Why then don't we allow life in America were learning both the lan- diseases. Autism costs America over $20 bil- those who risk their lives and protect our guage and cutting edge skills. He went to lion dollars each year, yet just last year the streets on our behalf to collect the money they school to learn English and study computers, NIH spent only $31 per child on autism re- have both paid and earned? while Rose studied accounting. Much to his search, significantly less than what is spent on H.R. 1795, does not provide any loss in surprise, his first job lasted only 6 months be- other diseases which affect fewer individuals. Federal tax revenue dollars and, in fact, will fore he was laid off for lack of work. Although Until very recently, there was no hope for increase revenue. Under current practice the the shock of unemployment was a new sensa- people with autism. For 30 years, psychiatrists moneys paid into these municipal pension tion to a man from the Soviet Union, Phil land- mistakenly thought of autism as an emotional funds are not required to be accounted for by ed on his feet as a programmer, and then di- problem, the fault of bad parenting. As a result the IRS unless collected by the retiree. Should rector of management information systems, in of this tragic mistake, parents did not orga- we repeal these special provisions, under sec- a major apparel firm. From his experience in- nize, no medical research was funded, no sci- tion 415, tax revenue would now be collected tegrating software for the firm, he developed entists were encouraged to enter the field, no on the funds dispensed to retired police offi- the innovative idea that would change his life progress was made and another generation of cers and firefighters. yet again. autistic children was lost. H.R. 1795 is an issue of fairness. In 1984, Phil discovered that the systems in- But while the world ignored people with au- I urge all of my colleagues to cosponsor this tegration software and techniques he had tism, science marched on, largely through the legislation and support our police and fire offi- mastered could serve the entire fashion indus- support Congress has given to the National In- cials' efforts to collect their full pension bene- try and not just one firm. He formed CGS and stitutes of Health. The strides that science has fits upon retirement. immediately landed a number of major compa- made in neurology, immunology, and genetics H.R. 1795 nies as clients. In 1994, he bought out the are unbelievable. We have gone from penicil- Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- software company on which his business de- lin to gene therapy in the span of a single life- resentatives of the United States of America in pended and has invested millions to upgrade time. We live in a world of miracles and won- Congress assembled, the products and remain competitive. ders. In an age when important discoveries · This ``bullet'' symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. E1124 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð Extensions of Remarks June 5, 1997 are being made in other diseases every day, the issue of child poverty is one that neces- CONGRATULATIONS TO ADAM we cannot let another generation of children sitates immediate action. JAMES slip away. Why the great rise in child poverty? Over I have recently met with the parents and the past two decades and especially since the HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY professionals of a group called CURE AU- beginning of the 1980's there has occurred an OF INDIANA increasing gap between the rich and poor in TISM NOW, and they have let me know that IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES there is hope for people with autism. The top this country. The average workers wages neurologists and geneticists in the country say have declined since 1970 while the wealthiest Thursday, June 5, 1997 that autism will yield to medical research, fifth of the population has seen their in- Mr.