[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 103 (Friday, July 12, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1281-E1282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND 
               RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1997

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 11, 1996

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3755) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human 
     Services, and Education, and related agencies, for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 1997, and for other purposes:

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the fiscal year 
1997 Labor-HHS appropriations bill. While it is much improved over last 
year's bill, this legislation does not meet the needs of millions of 
Americans who rely on this funding for education, job training, 
workplace safety, and family planning.
  On the positive side, I am pleased that this legislation increases 
funding for health research at the National Institutes of Health and 
related agencies. This bill provides $12.7 billion for the NIH, an 
increase of 7 percent over fiscal year 1996. This investment in medical 
research is cost-effective and will help improve our Nation's health. 
As a result of this research new medical treatments will be discovered 
that will lower health care costs and improve the lives of patients 
with AIDS, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, and other illness. As 
the representative for Texas Medical Center, I am keenly aware of the 
tremendous advances being made by medical researchers and of the 
funding pressures researchers face for the health of our Nation and for 
the good of our economy, a strong NIH budget is one investment we must 
continue to make even as we seek to balance the Federal budget.
  But the rest of this bill fails to set the right priorities, 
especially in the area of education. Our constituents do not want this 
Congress to cut funding for education. In the Houston area, cuts of 
over $475 million in title I compensatory education for economically 
disadvantaged children will hurt every one of our school districts, 
including Fort Bend, Houston, Pasadena, and Goose Creek. These cuts 
could result in fewer teachers, larger classes and higher local 
property taxes.
  Furthermore, cuts in bilingual education and the Safe and Drug-Free 
Schools Program will dramatically hurt the ability of schools to 
provide adequate education for thousands of Hispanic-Americans and to 
meet the safety needs

[[Page E1282]]

of all Houston area students. The complete elimination of the Goals 
2000 and Eisenhower Professional Development Programs will also prevent 
schools from incorporation innovative, locally developed teaching 
techniques into the classroom.
  This bill also dramatically cuts Student Financing Aid Programs. Too 
many Americans are already struggling because of the high cost of 
higher education. As American workers face increased foreign 
competition, higher education is more necessary than ever before. Over 
82 percent of undergraduates at Houston's Rice University, one of the 
premier universities in the United States, receive financial aid by 
cutting Perkins loans and eliminating State student incentive grants, 
we are sending a message to America's youth that higher education will 
be harder to afford. That is wrong.
  This legislation also reflects the Republican leadership's disdain 
for American workers. It recklessly and foolishly cuts the Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration budget by 13 percent and the National 
Labor Relations Board by 20 percent.
  The two agencies responsible for ensuring worker's safety and rights 
are singled out for dramatic and unnecessary cuts. The Republican 
leadership places unnecessary restrictions on both OSHA and the NLRB on 
how the perform their mission.
  Finally, I would like to point out that members of this Congress once 
again have attempted to gut our Nation's Family Planning Program. Title 
X provides essential health care services for thousands of low-income 
women each year. Without family planning, American women would not have 
access to the safety medical care possible, and I am pleased that the 
Congress rejected any attempt to limit or eliminate this vital program.
  In summary, I urge my colleagues to oppose this misguided legislation 
because of its dramatic effects on the America's working families. It 
does not meet the needs of millions of Americans who rely on funding 
for education, job training, workplace safety, and family planning, and 
should be rejected.

                          ____________________