[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 112 (Friday, August 1, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               H.R. 2015--THE BALANCED BUDGET ACT OF 1997

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                               speech of

                         HON. WILLIAM J. COYNE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 30, 1997

  Mr. COYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2015, the 
Balanced Budget Act of 1997.
  I am pleased that many of the worst provisions in the House version 
of this bill have been eliminated or moderated. The changes make it 
possible for me to support the conference report on this bill. As a 
result of the unceasing efforts of President Clinton and the Democrats 
in Congress to make this a better bill, this legislation contains a 
number of provisions that will benefit millions of Americans.
  This legislation will ensure the solvency of the Medicare part A 
trust fund for the next 10 years, and it creates a commission that will 
recommend measures to preserve this important program for decades more. 
H.R. 2015 preserves the Medicare Program primarily by lowering future 
reimbursement rates for health care providers. The bill also provides 
several important new prevention benefits to Medicare recipients--
including expanded mammography coverage, coverage of prostate and 
colorectal cancer screenings, and screenings for osteoporosis, and 
self-management programs for diabetes.
  The bill also includes $24 billion for President Clinton's initiative 
to provide health insurance coverage for children who currently have no 
health insurance. This is a major step forward. I believe that this 
country needs comprehensive health care reform, but in the absence of 
such reform this measure represents a solid incremental improvement. 
Some estimates have suggested that up to half of the 10 million 
children who currently lack health insurance could receive coverage 
through this initiative.
  This bill also takes several important steps to reverse many of the 
draconian provisions that were included in the so-called welfare reform 
bill that was enacted in the 104th Congress. Due to the leadership of 
President Clinton, and at the insistence of the House and Senate 
Democrats, H.R. 2015 restores SSI and Medicaid benefits for legal 
immigrants who were receiving them before the welfare reform bill was 
enacted last year, and it provides SSI benefits for legal immigrants 
who were in the country at that time and who subsequently became 
disabled. In addition, the bill eliminated the provision in the House 
version of this bill that would have excluded welfare recipients in 
workfare programs from Federal minimum wage and workplace protection 
laws.
  Finally, I would like to point out that the balanced budget package 
that we will adopt this week has only been made possible by the deficit 
reduction packages of 1990 and 1993--bills that together reduced 
deficits by over a trillion dollars. Those were the real budget 
balancing votes. Those bills raised taxes and cut spending. It was not 
easy, but it was absolutely necessary to produce a healthy economy and 
economic growth. The upbeat economic conditions that we are enjoying 
today are due in no small part to those bills, and the tax breaks 
provided in this balanced budget package are the fruits of the seeds 
that were sown in 1990 and 1993 by Democratic Congresses.
  Mr. Speaker, in a letter that the American Association of Retired 
Persons sent to me earlier today, Mr. Horace B. Deets concluded that 
``legislation of this scope can never fully satisfy every interested 
party. But, on balance * * * this conference report * * * will 
accomplish the objectives of balancing the budget while also protecting 
access, affordability, quality, and choice in the Medicare Program.'' I 
agree with his assessment. Consequently, I intend to vote in support of 
this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to do so as well.

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