[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 199 (Thursday, December 14, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2364-E2365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 EXTENDING AU PAIR PROGRAMS, H.R. 2767

                                 ______


                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 13, 1995

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a bill to extend the 
authorization for a program important to many American families. This 
measure renews the authority for the Au Pair program that expired on 
September 30. This bipartisan measure includes as original sponsors the 
ranking Democrat on the International Relations Committee, the 
gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Hamilton, the chairman of the International 
Operations and Human Rights Subcommittee, Mr. Smith of New Jersey the 
gentlelady from Maryland, Mrs. Morella, the gentleman from Virginia, 
Mr. Moran, the gentleman from California Mr. Baker, the gentleman from 
Virginia, Mr. Wolf, and the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Davis.
  This measure will: Extend the authority for the program for 2 years; 
open it up to world wide participation; lift the limitation on the 
number of organizations that may participate and manage an au pair 
program; and, require the U.S. Information Agency to report on the 
compliance of the au pair organizations with recently adopted 
regulations.
  Many families rely on the au pair program for their child care and 
particularly welcome the opportunity to broaden their children's 
experience by having someone from another country live with them for a 
year. The lapse in the program has caused untold inconvenience to many 
families turning their child care plans upside down. It is time to fix 
this problem.
  Accordingly, I am pleased to be able to introduce this bipartisan 
bill and will seek rapid consideration by both Houses of Congress.
  I request that the entire text of H.R. 2767 be inserted at this point 
in the Record.

                               H.R. 2767

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF AU PAIR PROGRAMS.

       (a) Repeal.--Section 8 of the Eisenhower Exchange 
     Fellowship Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-454) is repealed.
       (b) Authority for Au Pair Programs.--The Director of the 
     United States Information Agency is authorized to continue to 
     administer an au pair program, operating on a world-wide 
     basis, through fiscal year 1997.
       (c) Report.--Not later than October 1, 1996, the Director 
     of the United States Information Agency shall submit a report 
     regarding the continued extension of au pair programs to the 
     Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the 
     Committee on International Relations of the House of 
     Representatives. This report shall specifically detail the 
     compliance of all au pair organizations with regulations 
     governing au pair programs as published on February 15, 1995.
     
[[Page E2365]]


                   AMERICA'S FORGOTTEN ATOMIC HEROES

                                 ______


                          HON. BILL RICHARDSON

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 13, 1995

  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to talk about 
forgotten heroes. As we contemplate sending United States troops to 
Bosnia, we would be well-served to remember the fates of those men and 
women known as Atomic Veterans. Most Americans, and maybe many of us 
here in Congress, are not aware that there exists today a group of 
veterans who were exposed to ionizing radiation while in the U.S. 
military in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in the nuclear and thermonuclear 
tests in the Pacific, and the Nevada nuclear tests. Some were directly 
exposed, some were exposed by cleaning up contaminated sites, ships, or 
aircraft. Some, sadly, lost their lives. And, in the 50 years since 
nuclear testing began, many of our Atomic Veterans have fallen ill from 
exposure and, today, probably more than half of them are dead.
  Our Government has recognized more than 40 cancers and conditions 
that are caused by exposure to ionizing radiation, but only the 13 
named in PL100-321 and 2 in PL102-578 are deemed presumptive. Many of 
the Atomic Veterans don't think these laws go far enough. They tell me 
that the law we passed in 1984, PL93-542, under which most radiation 
claims are adjudicated, do not go far enough. They say, in fact, that 
we have a double standard. The Marshall Islands Nuclear Claims Tribunal 
Act of 1987, as amended, gives compensation to Marshall Islanders, 
presumptively, for cancers and conditions that are denied to U.S. 
servicemen. These veterans are exposed at the same time and places as 
the Marshall Islanders. Does that sound fair to you?
  The President's Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments 
issued their final report of over 900 pages on October 3, 1995. 
President Clinton apologized on behalf of the United States for the 
human experiments performed on both civilians and the military. The 
report brought some long-overdue recognition by the executive branch of 
Government. Today, I would like to ask Congress to recognize the Atomic 
Veterans, throughout the country, for their valor and service. I know 
many of my colleagues join me in thanking them for their sacrifice, and 
I know many of you will join me in working with the Veterans 
Administration to equalize the standards for those veterans with 
radioactive cancers and diseases.

                          ____________________