Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 106 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 106 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 145 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 1999 No. 58 House of Representatives The House met at 12:30 p.m. and was mental building block of a livable com- fact that the Universal Service Fund called to order by the Speaker pro tem- munity and that is a healthy education has been an accepted part of the Fed- pore (Mr. HASTINGS of Washington). system. eral communication landscape for over f The Federal Government has, 60 years. throughout our history, been a key Adding the E-Rate to this mechanism DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO partner with the States and local com- TEMPORE munities in education. Some mistak- simply brought it up to date, to the modern challenges faced by both rural The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- enly suggest that there is no Federal and urban America. It was exciting to fore the House the following commu- role. Yet from the Northwest Ordi- be a part of a coalition that included nication from the Speaker: nance of 1789, which set aside land in educational advocates, farsighted WASHINGTON, DC, each of the new States for educational April 27, 1999. purposes, to the GI Bill following members of the industry, libraries I hereby appoint the Honorable DOC World War II, to the important legisla- across the country, and over 100 Mem- HASTINGS to act as Speaker pro tempore on tion in the 1980s that expanded edu- bers of Congress who put their names this day. cational opportunities to the disabled, on the line as part of that effort. J. DENNIS HASTERT, the Federal Government has played an Speaker of the House of Representatives. Although scaled back somewhat, and instrumental role in the development with some important adjustments and f of American education. reform, we were able to hold the sys- One of the most important actions MORNING HOUR DEBATES tem intact. There were over 25,000 ap- Congress has taken in the last 10 years plications approved who received $1.66 The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- to promote both the goal of quality billion. ant to the order of the House of Janu- education and connections to the ary 19, 1999, the Chair will now recog- broader world through the Internet is Well, the word is in for this year. nize Members from lists submitted by to be found in the Telecommunications There are even more applications than the majority and minority leaders for Act of 1996. This Act mandated that last year, over 36,000 from around the morning hour debates. The Chair will some of the billions of dollars in sav- country, more applications, and the alternate recognition between the par- ings for the telecommunications indus- total requests are over $2.4 billion. ties, with each party limited to 30 min- try be returned to our community in Even though we successfully resisted utes, and each Member, except the ma- the form of reduced rates for Internet efforts to eliminate the E-Rate in the jority leader, the minority leader, or access. the minority whip, limited to 5 min- Known as the E-Rate, short for edu- last Congress, and even though public utes. cational rate, it is part of the Federal opinion polls show overwhelming sup- The Chair recognizes the gentleman Universal Service Fund. It provides a port for it, we must not be complacent. from Oregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER) for 5 20 to 90 percent discount on tele- Once again, there is legislation circu- minutes. communications services, Internet ac- lating in this session of Congress that f cess, and internal connections for pub- would repeal the E-Rate and deny this lic schools, both public and private, as essential program. E-RATE well as our library systems. I am optimistic that we will prevail Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, my One of the major battles in the last in protecting it. I am optimistic that goal in Congress is for the Federal Gov- Congress was to protect the E-Rate. this administration and this Congress ernment to be a better partner with There were some justifiable concerns will approve more money for school States, local government, business, and about the initial start-up, but these construction, and that we will do a bet- private citizens in promoting livable were turned into political issues that ter job being a partner to provide more communities. This means helping our threatened the future of the discount teachers in our classrooms. citizens guarantee their families they itself. are safe, economically secure, and Others tried to turn it for partisan But it is essential, as we focus on healthy. advantage, attacking the Vice Presi- education and livable communities, While we give much attention to the dent in his work to develop the infor- that we protect and enhance the capac- physical infrastructure in livability, mation superhighway, characterizing ity of every child in this country to roads, housing, transit, environmental the E-Rate as a ‘‘Gore tax.’’ While it gain computer skills and have access to protection, there is another funda- was a clever laugh line, it ignored the the worldwide Internet connection. b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H2307 . VerDate Aug 31 2005 03:55 Jun 07, 2008 Jkt 041999 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 J:\ODA15\MISCRE~1\1999\H27AP9.REC H27AP9 mmaher on MIKETEMP with SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS H2308 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE April 27, 1999 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS Freedom House has said the already MEDICARE MUST NOT BE FREEDOM ACT intense persecution of the underground PRIVATIZED The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under church in China has intensified since The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- mid-1998. There was no mention of this the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- uary 19, 1999, the gentleman from Vir- during the recent summit with the Chi- uary 19, 1999, the gentleman from Ohio ginia (Mr. WOLF) is recognized during nese Premier. Neither was there any (Mr. BROWN) is recognized during morn- morning hour debates for 5 minutes. discussion about the fact that China ing hour debates for 5 minutes. Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, 6 months has stopped all dialogue with the Dalai Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, ago today President Clinton signed the Lama over the future status of Tibet, many in Congress have been on a cam- International Religious Freedom Act or the Chinese Government-sponsored paign to scare America’s seniors into into law. The law mandates that with- campaign to encourage Tibetan Bud- believing that Medicare is going bank- in 120 days of enactment individuals dhists to become atheists. rupt. They say Medicare must be shall be named to the Commission on And I was in Tibet last year, and the privatized in order to save it. Once International Religious Freedom cre- persecution of the Buddhists in Tibet is again, Medicare privatizers and their ated by the bill. horrible. It is more horrible than any- Mediscare campaign are wrong. The It has been 6 months since enactment body realizes. And yet no one from this trustees of the Medicare Trust Fund of the bill, 2 months past the deadline, administration has taken the time to have just reported that Medicare will and the White House has still not remain solvent through 2015, up from go to Tibet to see how the conditions named its three commissioners. Con- its earlier projection of 2008. are. gress has done its part, but we are still Those in Congress, the think tanks, waiting for the administration. When The church in Hong Kong is being and the Beltway pundits who want to will the White House get serious about squeezed. The war in Sudan, very little privatize Medicare are wringing their implementing this legislation? diplomatic effort, 2 million people, hands over the trustees’ latest report. In early February, the President mainly Christians, who have been They believe these new projections will spoke before a crowd of religious and killed for their faith in the last 15 lead Congress to do nothing towards re- political leaders from around the world years, and this administration has forming Social Security and Medicare. at the National Prayer Breakfast. He done nothing. They cannot even ap- With the programs projected to last praised the bill and he said he was point the people to the commission longer, we cannot rest on the our lau- proud to have signed it. But where is that we all passed in a bipartisan man- rels, they say. the implementation? Where is the en- ner. The real threat to Medicare, how- forcement? Where is the commitment? ever, is not its alleged pending bank- In Vietnam the situation is no bet- The commission’s first report on the ruptcy. That is not true. The real ter. And the administration has done condition of religious freedom around threat is a proposal just rejected by the nothing, nor have they appointed the the world is due on May 1, this Satur- National Medicare Commission to pri- people. In India, Pakistan, Indonesia, day. Because the administration has vatize Medicare and deliver it to the East Timor, atrocities taking place, wasted so much time in making the ap- private insurance market. pointments, there is no way that the and they do nothing. Under a proposal soon to be intro- commission will meet that date, and it There is so much going on around the duced called premium support, Medi- is unlikely that we will see a report world.