February 8, 2000 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E89 granting such contracts. The second adminis- vember 8, 1999 by voice vote and currently In the movie ``Life is Beautiful'' the child sur- trative vendor contract will be negotiated in awaits action in the U.S. Senate. vives the concentration camp because his fa- California later this year. Without Congres- You may remember that Mr. Ileto, a resident ther is clever enough to hide him each day. sional action on this issue, it is likely that there of Chino Hills, was the postal employee who The child is led to believe that he is playing a will once again be competition among partici- was murdered on August 10, 1999 by Buford game with the SS soldiers. Harold Gordon and pating health plans to obtain the vendor con- Furrow, the gunman who shot and wounded his father survived the concentration camp tract. five children and employees at the North Val- through no special gimmicks. There was no To further describe the seriousness of this ley Jewish Community Center (in suburban fantasy and no games. This was life-and- conflict of interest, under California's program Los Angeles). death reality at its worst. the administrative vendor performs a wide va- At the time of H.R. 3189's passage, I was And yet, Harold Gordon has written of his riety of functions including: providing trained listed as the only sponsor of the bill. The Post- experience during that awful time a book that staff on the program's toll free telephone lines, al Subcommittee of the House Government is an inspiration to us all. The Last Sunrise is making eligibility determinations and redeter- Reform Committee allowed me to introduce Harold Gordon's memoir of his daily struggles minations, collecting premiums, enrolling and H.R. 3189 with the understanding that I would to avoid the gas chambers and give strength disenrolling members, transmitting enrollment need to seek additional support within the to those around him, even though he was just information and updates to participating health California delegation. Even though my Cali- a boy at the time. plans, administering the annual open enroll- fornia colleagues will not be listed as cospon- I marvel at Mr. Gordon's ability to present a ment process, and the list goes on and on. sors of H.R. 3189, they have graciously story of death at a pace that reads like a These are clearly functions over which a par- agreed to be listed as supporters. Number One Bestseller on the New York ticipating health plan has tremendous interest Therefore, Mr. Speaker, please add the fol- Times book list. You simply cannot put it and will certainly attempt to influence in any lowing 19 Members as supporters of H.R. down. I think the appeal of The Last Sunrise system. 3189: is that its real story is not even that of the war Clearly, allowing plans to play both roles Representative WALLY HERGER, Representa- or of the concentration camps. It is a story ulti- creates an inherent bias. And, at a time when tive DOUG OSE, Representative LYNN WOOL- mately of hope and survival. there are numerous alternatives to selecting a SEY, Representative GEORGE MILLER, Rep- Despite the gruesome realities of daily exist- health plan with a financial interest in that resentative BARBARA LEE, Representative ence, Harold carried with him the belief that market, it is a bias that can be easily avoided. ELLEN TAUSCHER, Representative RICHARD human spirit will overcome, that the power of Further evidence that our legislation has POMBO, Representative TOM CAMPBELL, Rep- humanity will survive beyond the walls of the real merit can be found in another provision of resentative ZOE LOFGREN, Representative concentration camp. Certainly, even those the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) which GARY CONDIT, Representative GEORGE RADAN- who lost their lives during this terrible time in included the S±CHIP program. The BBA al- OVICH, Representative CALVIN DOOLEY, Rep- mankind's history have not been forgotten but lows state Medicaid programs to choose pri- resentative BILL THOMAS, Representative XA- serve daily as a reminder to us all not ever to vate enrollment brokers to handle the day-to- VIER BECERRA, Representative LUCILLE ROYAL- let it happen again. day enrollment functions of their Medicaid pro- ALLARD, Representative GRACE NAPOLITANO, At one point, Harold asks himself, ``Why grams. However, in allowing these enrollment Representative STEVE KUYKENDALL, Rep- was I being spared?'' The answer to that brokers, the law clearly stipulates that the en- resentative JOE BACA, and Representative question is: so we can all learn from Harold's rollment broker be free of any conflicts of in- RON PACKARD. experience. It is the same question we should terest. Specifically, the law requires that, ``The f all ask ourselves: why are we here and what broker is independent of any such entity and THE HOLOCAUST AND THE is it that we bring to this life that will benefit of any health care providers (whether or not MILLENNIUM others? Harold found the answer by writing a any such provider participates in the State most compelling book to remind us of the plan under this title) that provide coverage of HON. SAM FARR value of life, the power of hope and the inspi- services in the same State in which the broker ration of another day. OF CALIFORNIA is conducting enrollment activities.'' Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, I commend IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Our legislation would apply the same con- to you The Last Sunrise and hope that you will flict-of-interest standard that exists in the Med- Tuesday, February 8, 2000 join me in honoring Harold Gordon. icaid enrollment broker law to the S±CHIP law. Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, just f This is an important bill that would protect barely five weeks ago the world celebrated a the integrity of S±CHIP programs across the new millennium. There were fireworks and SEVENTH REPORT OF THE SPEAK- country. We look forward to working with our galas and celebrations galore. We all hoped to ER’S TASK FORCE ON THE HONG colleagues for passage of the State Children's wipe the slate clean and begin a new year, a KONG TRANSITION Health Insurance Program Integrity Act this new eraÐfree of our old prejudices, free of year. our old nightmares. HON. DOUG BEREUTER f That was a lofty goal and I endorse it OF NEBRASKA wholeheartedly: we ought to strive for peace IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THE JOSEPH ILETO POST OFFICE and harmony every chance we get. A new Tuesday, February 8, 2000 (H.R. 3189) year and new millennium is as good a chance as you can get. Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today HON. GARY G. MILLER But that doesn't mean forgetting the sac- to submit the Sixth Report of the Speaker's OF CALIFORNIA rifices of those who have gone before us, or Task Force on the Hong Kong Transition. It IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES forgetting the history that has shaped our has been approximately two and half years lives. since Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sov- Tuesday, February 8, 2000 This weekend in Salinas in my home dis- ereignty on July 1, 1997. Prior to that historic Mr. GARY MILLER of California. Mr. Speak- trict, the community will honor Harold Gordon. event, at the request of Speaker Gingrich, this er, I would like to take this opportunity to in- Remember the Academy Award-winning film Member formed the House Task Force on form my fellow colleagues that H.R. 3189, the ``Life is Beautiful''? Harold Gordon is ``Life is Hong Kong's Transition. In addition to myself Joseph Ileto Post Office in Chino Hills, Cali- Beautiful'' for real. as Chairman, the bipartisan Task Force in- fornia, has the support of the California con- Harold Gordon was a shy, happy child cludes Representatives HOWARD BERMAN, gressional delegation. growing up in Poland when suddenly the world SHERROD BROWN, ENI FALEOMAVAEGA, ALCEE Today, I am submitting the names of 19 turned dark. He, along with the rest of his fam- HASTINGS, DON MANZULLO, and MATT SALMON. California Members who recently agreed to ily, was trundled off to the Polish ghetto, then To date, the Task Force has prepared six support my legislation which will name the work camps, then concentration camps. Most reports assessing how the revision has af- soon-to-completed U.S. Post Office in Chino of his family was killed. All of his friends dis- fected Kong Kong. The seventh report, which Hills, CA after Mr. Joseph Ileto. These 19 appeared. Auschwitz, Dachau, Buchenwald I submit today, covers the period of March 31, names will be added to the 33 Members of the . . . these are words that instill fear in all of 1999, through December 31, 1999. Mr. Speak- California delegation who support passage of us, even though we did not live through the er, I submit the following Task Force report to the Joseph Ileto Post Office. H.R. 3189 torture of those places. But Harold Gordon be printed in full in the CONGRESSIONAL passed the House of Representatives on No- knows it first hand. RECORD.
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