[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 78 (Tuesday, June 20, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H4681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INTRODUCTION OF RESOLUTION EXPRESSING CONCERN FOR WELL-BEING OF 
                       CITIZENS INJURED IN MEXICO

  (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend my colleague the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) for sponsoring a resolution that 
expresses the concern of the Congress for the safety and well-being of 
United States citizens injured while traveling in Mexico and calls for 
the President to begin negotiations with the government of Mexico to 
establish a humanitarian exemption to that country's exit bond 
requirements.
  No American should have to live through the nightmare faced by 
Michael and Lorraine Andrews, a couple from my congressional district, 
on a recent trip to Mexico. What was supposed to be a peaceful vacation 
cruise became a life-and-death situation after a serious car accident 
required Michael's immediate transfer to the United States to receive 
adequate medical treatment for a spinal cord injury. The Andrews couple 
was delayed by Mexican authorities and had to pay off several 
individuals in order to board the plane to head home.
  Humanitarian considerations should be allowed to supersede any 
regulatory bond that may delay an American's departure to receive 
proper medical care so that emergencies like that of Michael and 
Lorraine Andrews will be prevented in the future.

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