[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 130 (Saturday, August 5, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1647-E1648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND 
               RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1996

                                 ______


                               speech of

                         HON. RONALD D. COLEMAN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 2, 1995

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2127) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human 
     Services, and Education, and related agencies, for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 1996, and for other purposes:

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. Chairman, I would like to go on record by stating my 
opposition to the removal of all $193 million for title X of the Public 
Health Service Act and the transfer of those funds to maternal and 
child block grants and community migrant health centers. The services 
provided by the family planning program reduce the amount of people on 
welfare, reduce the amount of unintended pregnancies, and reduce the 
spread of sexually transmitted diseases. An estimated 4 million 
patients, primarily low-income women and adolescents, receive services 
through more than 4,000 title X clinics nationwide. Since the creation 
of title X funding in 1970, there has been a decline in unintended 
pregnancies, particularly among teenagers. In addition, nearly 1 in 4 
American women who use a reversible form of contraception rely on a 
publicly funded source of care. It is estimated that, if these services 
were not available, women would have between 1.2 and 2.1 million 
unintended pregnancies a year instead of the 400,000 now currently 
experienced. However, my colleagues have seen fit to eliminate a 
program that saves this country money and promotes our public health.
  Title X funding provides training for nurse practitioners, clinical 
personnel, educational programs for family planning, exams, counseling, 
contraceptives, and screening for sexually transmitted diseases. The 
effect of this measure, in my district
 alone, will be calamitous. One hospital in El Paso receives about half 
a million dollars from title X funds annually. This hospital provides 
services to about 5,000 women. These women will be left with only one 
limited alternative--to seek health care at Planned Parenthood. The El 
Paso Planned Parenthood has indicated that its services are stretched 
to its capacity right now. Therefore, the potential that these 5,000 
women will go without the necessary care is great.

  Not only will lack of services affect my community severely, so will 
the loss of jobs due to the reduction of title X funds. El Paso Job 
Corps would be required to cut staff due to this reduction.
  This type of action is simply dangerous to Americans and communities 
like El Paso. The transfer of funds to block grants certainly does not 
guarantee that the money will be spent for the purposes of sound family 
planning or that poor communities will receive their fair share of the 
funds. I understand that every public dollar spent for family planning 
services under the current title X saves an estimated $4.40 in medical 
welfare, and nutritional services provided by Federal and State 
governments. As a nation, we either pay the cost now and provide these 
women with the health care they need, or we will undoubtedly pay later 
and at a quadrupled rate.
             [From the White House Office of Media Affairs]

 House Republicans Cut $36 Billion From Current Education and Training 
                              Investments


  Estimated State-by-State Reductions From FY 1995 Funding Levels for 
 Education and Training for FY 1996-2002 Based on Action by the House 
                        Appropriations Committee
Alabama....................................................$575 million
Alaska......................................................102 million
Arizona.....................................................524 million
Arkansas....................................................317 million
California..................................................4.3 billion
Colorado....................................................457 million
Connecticut.................................................325 million
Delaware.....................................................88 million
Florida.....................................................1.5 billion
Georgia.....................................................805 million
Hawaii.......................................................98 million
Idaho.......................................................137 million
Illinois....................................................1.5 billion
Indiana.....................................................639 million
Iowa........................................................357 million
Kansas......................................................321 million
Kentucky....................................................520 million
Louisiana...................................................789 million
Maine.......................................................157 million
Maryland....................................................540 million
Massachusetts...............................................884 million
Michigan....................................................1.3 billion
Minnesota...................................................530 million
Mississippi.................................................472 million
Missouri....................................................669 million
Montana.....................................................141 million

[[Page E1648]]

Nebraska....................................................184 million
Nevada......................................................124 million
New Hampshire...............................................137 million
New Jersey..................................................837 million
New Mexico..................................................250 million
New York....................................................2.9 billion
North Carolina..............................................651 million
North Dakota................................................116 million
Ohio........................................................1.4 billion
Oklahoma....................................................437 million
Oregon......................................................385 million
Pennsylvania................................................1.7 billion
Rhode Island................................................174 million
South Carolina..............................................503 million
South Dakota................................................121 million
Tennessee...................................................607 million
Texas.......................................................2.5 billion
Utah........................................................215 million
Vermont.....................................................108 million
Virginia....................................................610 million
Washington..................................................635 million
West Virginia...............................................316 million
Wisconsin...................................................581 million
Wyoming......................................................88 million
Washington, DC..............................................179 million
All Other...................................................1.9 billion
                                                       ________________

      Total.................................................$36 billion


                          ____________________