[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 16, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1291-E1292]
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. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    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. HAMILTON. Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak in opposition to the 
Lowey amendment to cut rural health care and increase funding for what 
amounts to gun control advocacy by the Centers for Disease Control. I 
have two objections to the amendment.
  First, the amendment would cut $2.6 million from area health 
education centers. These funds help train medical personnel for rural 
areas and small communities which do not have adequate health care. It 
is hard for many small communities to attract doctors and nurses, and I 
oppose this amendment to reduce support for rural health care.
  Second, I strongly object to increasing funding for the National 
Center for Injury Prevention and Control. I am concerned about reports 
that NCIPC research into firearms injuries has been compromised by 
political advocacy for gun control. For example, NCIPC paid for a 
newsletter urging recipients to ``put gun control on the agenda of your 
civic or professional organization * * * or organize a picket at gun 
manufacturing sites.'' It is inappropriate for any federally funded 
scientific research program to engage in even the appearance of 
political activity. Such activity compromises the credibility of all 
scientific research.
  I support language in this bill that states ``None of the funds made 
available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun 
control.''
  The right of self-defense is an important right and is frequently 
used. Guns are used for defensive purposes more than a million times 
each year, not even counting their use by police. If government does 
not protect you and your property from crime, you should not be 
deprived of the opportunity to protect yourself.
  With respect to the constitutional arguments about gun control, I 
think that the Founding

[[Page E1292]]

Fathers supported the right to bear arms by everyone, not just by the 
militia, in order to help secure the good order of the community. 
Private gun ownership is an important right that should be preserved.
  I urge my colleagues to defeat the Lowey amendment, which would take 
funding away from important rural health care programs to fund a 
program that has engaged in unneeded and inappropriate political 
advocacy.

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