[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 100 (Thursday, July 27, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H7176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PERMISSION TO INSERT OMITTED REMARKS ON H.R. 4942, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2001

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I understand that in my remarks 
yesterday, some of those remarks were inadvertently left out of the 
Journal. I ask unanimous consent to insert those remarks in their 
entirety.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  The text of the remarks as originally delivered is as follows:
  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Madam Chairman, perhaps some people take 
umbrage at the passion of the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia 
(Ms. Norton), but I would expect that any of us if facing the same 
level of frustration and unfairness would not react in the same 
passionate manner.
  She is defending, not only her constituents but a process, a 
democratic process, that she believes in that caused all of us to get 
into public service, and the fact is, she is right, Madam Chairman. The 
mayor of the District of Columbia said he is going to pocket veto this 
bill. We have to believe. I cannot believe any of us do not believe 
that he is going to do that. So if we believe he is going to do that, 
why are we doing this?
  He is going to insist that there be a religious exemption clause. 
People that have moral objections are going to be able to raise them. 
So why are we doing this, putting this offensive language in this bill? 
Just to show that we are more powerful than them, just to show them. 
She is right. This is wrong.
  Now, let me also say it is wrong for insurance companies to cover 
viagra for men and not cover contraception for women. Let us just tell 
it like it is. What could be more unfair? All this contraceptive equity 
provision says is that insurance companies ought to be fair and start 
respecting women, when contraception is the largest single expense, 
out-of-pocket expense, for women during most of their lives, and that 
is because of men's irresponsibility that, darn it, it ought to be 
covered.
  So it is the right legislation. They should have passed this 
legislation, and it is also true that most of these Catholic 
institutions are self-insured. It does not even apply to them. They are 
self-insured.
  Let me also say something, and I can only say this, I certainly would 
never say this if my own life were different, but having been educated 
in Catholic schools all my life, if I were a gay man, I would feel the 
same sense of frustration and disappointment that Councilman Jim Graham 
expressed on the D.C. council.
  That disappointment and the intolerance and, yes, the hypocrisy of 
the Catholic church as an institution towards homosexuality ought to be 
addressed. So I do not blame them for saying that. I know he wishes he 
had not said that, but these are debates that belonged in the D.C. 
council. These are debates and issues that should be settled, should be 
settled by the D.C. government.
  The Catholic institutions within the D.C. government have plenty of 
access. They are well respected, deservedly so. They contribute 
tremendous benefits to D.C. government and its society. They will be 
fully reflected in the legislation that becomes law, and that is the 
way it ought to be. We have no business getting involved in this issue, 
particularly when we have no legitimate role to play.
  The gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) is 
absolutely right. The mayor is going to take care of that situation. 
Let him take care of the situation. He will be held accountable. He 
should be held accountable. He is elected. He understands it. He has a 
solution for it, and that is the way it should be, and what we are 
doing on this floor is not what should be done by this Congress. Madam 
Chairman, I gather we are going to continue this debate tomorrow.

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