[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 152 (Thursday, November 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2315-E2316]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 4328, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND 
               RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT A. WEYGAND

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 12, 1998

  Mr. WEYGAND. Mr. Speaker, on October 20, 1998, this House was finally 
able to bring to a close our Constitutionally-required duty of 
approving a budget for the United States. I regret, however, that while 
we have brought this process to a close, it is in no way complete. As a 
member of the House Budget Committee, I find it distressing that this 
year marks the first year that Congress failed to properly begin the 
process by not completing its work on a Budget Resolution.
  While there is much to criticize about the process that produced this 
bill and the lack of time we had to carefully review it, the fact 
remains that there is much in this bill that I believe is good for 
Rhode Island and for Rhode Islanders.
  Last year, the Balanced Budget Act created a new interim payment 
system (IPS) for home health care benefits under Medicare. The IPS was 
enacted to decrease the rate of growth of home health care spending 
until a prospective payment system (PPS) was implemented. 
Unfortunately, the IPS adversely impacted home health agencies and 
Medicare beneficiaries across this country. Due to the manner in which 
it was written into law, the IPS rewarded agencies whose costs were 
inflated, while effectively punishing those which had worked hard to 
contain their costs. In fact, it was estimated that Rhode Island lost 
more than $18 million in home health care reimbursement due to the IPS.
  Since the passage of the Balanced Budget Act, I have been working 
hard with several colleagues to reform the IPS and make the system more 
equitable and fair. Following the passage of my amendment to the Budget 
Resolution calling on Congress to reform the IPS, we were able to form 
a bipartisan coalition to work diligently on this issue. I felt, and 
continue to feel that we need to do all we can to ensure home health 
care is available to every Medicare beneficiary who truly deserves to 
retain their independence and dignity by receiving care at home.
  I was pleased that the Omnibus Appropriations Act includes a small 
measure of relief for home health care agencies throughout our nation 
and in Rhode Island. Provisions related to home health care were hard 
fought and will provide additional reimbursement to home health care 
agencies with per-beneficiary limits below the national average. In 
addition, the bill increases per-visit limits for certain home health 
care agencies.
  One of the most significant home health care related provisions in 
this bill is the one year delay of the automatic 15% cut in home health 
care reimbursement until October 1, 2000. As my colleagues are well 
aware, the Balanced Budget Act mandated that an automatic cut occur on 
October 1, 1999 if the PPS is not fully implemented. Earlier this year, 
the Health Care Financing Administration stated that the PPS would not 
be ready and that a 15% cut would be necessary. I am pleased my 
colleagues joined me in recognizing the

[[Page E2316]]

importance of delaying these additional cuts to home health care 
agencies, which were already struggling with the negative affects of 
the IPS.
  Although I believe much more must be done, I believe the home health 
care related provisions in the legislation are a small, yet positive 
step forward.
  One of the first bills I introduced when I came to Congress was 
legislation to allow for the deduction of health care benefits by small 
businessmen. I was pleased that a version of my legislation was 
included in the FY98 budget. This year, the Omnibus bill provides for 
the acceleration of the health insurance deduction for self-employed 
individuals. This will provide much needed tax relief to small 
businesses and place them on a level playing field with large 
businesses that can already deduct 100 percent of their health care 
costs.
  As Rhode Island works to develop the former Quonset Point Naval Air 
Station in North Kingstown, Rhode Island into an intermodal industrial 
park, efforts are underway to provide for a third rail track between 
Quonset Point and the Massachusetts state line allowing uninhibited 
movement of freight through Rhode Island and the Northeast rail 
corridor. Completion of this track is a critical component for the 
development of Quonset Point Davisville and the future of Rhode 
Island's economy. The Omnibus bill includes $5 million for the 
continuation of the Rhode Island Rail Development Project.
  As a landscape architect, I have a particular interest in and concern 
for our environment. I am pleased that the final agreement includes 
significant funding for the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage 
Corridor, including $750,000 for construction of exhibits throughout 
the corridor, $328 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund 
(LWCF) for the protection of sensitive and valuable public lands. In 
addition, the bill eliminates the wasteful purchaser road credit 
program. I do not believe it necessary for the federal government to 
subsidize the building of roads in our national forests by timber 
companies.
  As a member of the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services, 
I am pleased that the Administration and the majority were able to come 
to agreement on the important matter of funding for the International 
Monetary Fund. Along with the money--the bill provides $17.9 billion--
are the reforms that the IMF must make. These reforms are similar to 
the ones approved by the Banking and Financial Services Committee. This 
will help stabilize foreign economies while at the same time make the 
IMF's transactions more transparent, liberalize the IMF's trade policy, 
and require the IMF to address environment, labor and human rights 
conditions in the nations they lend to.
  The bill also provides funding for the Overseas Private Investment 
Corporation (OPIC) and the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) that help U.S. 
business enter foreign markets.
  Title II-B of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), known as the 
Summer Youth program at the Department of Labor, has been fully funded 
at $871 million. The purpose of this program is to enhance the 
educational skills of young people, encourage enrollment in additional 
education, and provide exposure to the working world. It is estimated 
that Rhode Island will receive $2,671,035 which will allow 2,081 young 
Rhode Islanders between the ages of 14 and 21 to participate in this 
worthwhile program.
  I am particularly pleased that Congress provided funding equal to the 
amount requested for the Job Corps program. I hope that full funding 
will pave the way for approval, by the U.S. Department of Labor, of an 
application by the state of Rhode Island for a new Job Corps Center. 
Rhode Island is one of only four states in the nation without a Center.
  Since its creation in the early 1960's as part of President Johnson's 
War on Poverty, the Job Corps Program has provided hundreds of 
thousands of poverty level young men and women all over the United 
States with one last opportunity to become contributing members of 
their community. It is always a trying decision for any young person to 
say no to their family, friends and neighborhoods and yes to Job Corps 
and the possibility of a new beginning. Unfortunately, that decision 
has been all the more difficult for the young people in Rhode Island 
who have been forced to travel to other states for Job Corps training. 
In all too many instances, the distance has been just too difficult. 
Hopefully, saying yes to Job Corps and a brighter future will be just a 
little bit easier for Rhode Islanders in the near future.
  Two other job training programs important to Rhode Island also 
received proper funding in this budget. Both Title II-A of JTPA, the 
adult training program and Title III, the Economic Dislocation and 
Worker Adjustment Assistance Act, may provide close to $7 million in 
training aid to Rhode Island workers. Regrettably, funding for these 
programs remains of great importance to Rhode Island. In recent weeks I 
have been working with the U.S. Department of Labor and the Rhode 
Island Department of Employment and Training to assist the employees of 
two separate companies who have lost their jobs and are in need of 
retraining for the future. Historically, Rhode Island's economy has 
been blue collar in nature. As we stand at the doorway of the next 
century, Rhode Island is making the changes necessary to compete in the 
high tech, global economy of the future. As we make that conversion, it 
will be very important that our workers receive retraining to make the 
jump to that new economy.
  In August of this year, I joined with South County Community Action, 
West Bay Community Action, Self Help, Inc., Tri-Town Community Action, 
Providence Community Action, the Blackstone Valley Community Action, 
the Rhode Island Department of Elderly Affairs and several 
representatives from energy companies comprising the Good Neighbor 
Energy Fund to express our concern about proposed cuts in the Low-
Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) then proposed by House 
Republicans. I am pleased that the final budget will fully fund LIHEAP. 
This program will provide much needed heating assistance to over 17 
thousand Rhode Islanders this year. Nobody should ever have to choose 
between heating or eating. Without LIHEAP, too many people would be 
forced to make that terrible decision.
  As I have stated time and time again, our children deserve a world 
class education. With a quality education, children can succeed in this 
ever evolving and ever competitive global society.
  I am pleased the Omnibus Appropriations Act includes critical money 
for local school districts to begin hiring additional teachers to 
reduce class sizes, especially in the lower grades. This $1.2 billion 
down payment will provide over $5.6 million for the State of Rhode 
Island to lower class sizes. Reducing class sizes has proven successful 
in raising education outcomes, not only for students in the classrooms 
where the sizes are smaller, but also for students in higher grades. 
The 30,000 teachers provided in this budget will assist our 
neighborhood schools to provide quality education for all of our 
children. We need to continue funding this important program and 
realize the goal of 100,000 additional, well-trained and highly 
qualified teachers in the near future.
  I was disappointed that the budget did not include much needed money 
for school construction and modernization. Countless school buildings 
in my district are in need of repair and rehabilitation. Countless 
others need assistance with modernizing their facilities, so they can 
prepare their students to compete well in the global economy. The 
federal government must provide some measure of assistance to local 
school districts to respond to their infrastructure needs. Although I 
am troubled that the Omnibus Appropriation Act does not provide this 
assistance, I am pleased that Congressional Democrats and the White 
House were able to succeed in providing some assistance to the students 
of our nation.
  All in all, Mr. Speaker, I think this legislation is good for Rhode 
Island. For that reason, I voted in favor of the bill.

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