[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 23, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1351]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TREASURY, POSTAL SERVICE, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  1997

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. RONALD D. COLEMAN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 16, 1996

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3756) making 
     appropriations for the Treasury Department, the U.S. Postal 
     Service, and Executive Office of the President, and certain 
     independent agencies, for the fiscal year ending September 
     30, 1997, and for other purposes:

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to the 
Treasury-Postal Appropriations Act for fiscal year 1997. As reported, 
the bill would throw over 2,000 Federal employees out of their jobs on 
October 1, 1997 and lead to the loss of several thousand more Federal 
jobs during fiscal year 1997 due to inadequate funding for the Internal 
Revenue Service. The measure also bans the use of a female employee's 
own funds appropriated in the bill to pay for insurance that would 
cover the termination of a pregnancy under the Federal employee health 
benefit programs.
  The Treasury, Postal Service and general government appropriations 
bill provides funding for Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, 
the network of insurance plans that cover approximately nine million 
federal employees and their dependents. There are approximately 1.2 
million women of reproductive age who rely on the FEHBP for their 
medical care.
  According to the American Medical Association, funding restrictions 
that deter or delay women from seeking early abortions make it more 
likely that women will bear unwanted children, continue a potentially 
health-threatening pregnancy to term, or undergo abortion procedures 
that would endanger their health.
  Further, while the subcommittee's 602(b) allocation was $100 million 
below the fiscal year 1996 level, the IRS was hit with a funding cut of 
$775 million below fiscal year 1996. It is important to underline the 
fact that the cuts in IRS funding will result in the deficit going up 
because less revenue will be collected.
  My colleagues on the Subcommittee of Treasury, Postal Appropriations 
are concerned about the lack of results from IRS's efforts on the tax 
system modernization [TSM]. I concur TSM has many problems. They have 
had problems through three administrations. However, I disagree with 
the majority in trying to solve those problems by cutting funds from 
existing programs and mandating that the Department of Defense alone 
should handle finding the IRS a suitable new contractor to implement 
TSM.
  Further, I disagree with the majority's restrictive TSM language and 
reduced funding levels for all of IRS, that would mandate the immediate 
elimination of as many as 7,500 positions throughout the agency.
  Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' 
on the Treasury-Postal Appropriations Act for fiscal year 1997.

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