[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 15, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E810-E811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1997

                                 ______


                               speech of

                          HON. CARDISS COLLINS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 14, 1996

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3230) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 1997 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense, to prescribe 
     military personnel strengths for fiscal year 1997, and for 
     other purposes:

  Mrs. COLLINS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the 
amendment offered by Congressman Torkildsen and Congresswoman Harman 
which moves to restore sanity, and bipartisan reality to the U.S. 
Congress. Last year, the radical Gingrich-Armey Republicans prevailed 
in inserting their radicalism into the Defense Department authorization 
and

[[Page E811]]

forced upon the U.S. military that it had to kick out valuable 
experienced, trained U.S. military personnel if and when they were 
diagnosed as being HIV-positive.
  Upon signing the DOD bill for fiscal year 1996, President Clinton 
instructed the military that it would be the policy of his 
administration to not enforce that provision. A bipartisan omnibus 
appropriations conference committee supported President Clinton's 
position by including a provision to override the discharge mandate. 
The current DOD authorization bill for fiscal year 1997 has a rerun of 
the radically conservative, homophobic and punitive measure that is 
really only designed to further harass persons because of their sexual 
orientation. It has been widely publicized that the 1,000 plus active 
military personnel currently known to be HIV-positive reflect a broad 
cross-section of American life. There are married men and women, single 
men and women, gays and straights, mothers and fathers among the HIV-
positive currently serving in our military, just like there are all 
across our great land.
  The Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA] passed by Congress and 
implemented into helpful law all across America, prohibits 
discrimination against and provides for accommodation for persons who 
are HIV-positive among the many listed disabilities. Our dedicated 
military personnel deserve the same fair and culturally competent 
support as any other person afflicted with a physical or medical 
disability. Logical persons understand that a person can be HIV-
positive for 20 or more years without developing AIDS or any further 
symptom or manifestation of HIV/AIDS. Reasonable persons have learned 
that HIV is a sexually transmitted disease that cannot be contracted by 
simple human contact.
  In supporting this Torkildsen/Harman amendment, my colleagues are in 
good company. Let me just list a few of the people and organizations my 
colleagues have advised us are in support of this amendment: The 
American Medical Association [AMA]; the Air Force Association; the 
Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFW]; Disabled American Veterans [DAV]; the 
Human Rights Campaign; former Senator and former Senate Armed Services 
Committee chairman Barry Goldwater; Secretary of Defense William Perry; 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jesse Brown; and Gen. John Shalikashvili, 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
  I urge my colleagues to support the Torkildsen/Harman amendment that 
eliminates the current bill language requiring that military personnel 
who are HIV-positive be discharged from the service, and to support 
fairness for all U.S. citizens, including our dedicated military 
service members.

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