[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 148 (Tuesday, December 5, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11549-S11550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HEALTH AND EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, over a month has passed since the 
Republican and Democratic negotiators came to agreement on the health 
and education appropriations bill for this year. As I said back then, 
the agreement was reached as a product of long and difficult bipartisan 
negotiations. Senator Stevens, Senator Byrd, Senator Specter, and I, 
along with Congressmen Bill Young, Congressman David Obey, and 
Congressman John Porter, worked for months to craft this agreement.
  Chairman Stevens and Chairman Young had been charged by their 
leadership to lead these negotiations to closure so that we could pass 
this very

[[Page S11550]]

important bill. That is exactly what they did. At times when 
negotiations got heated, both sides hung in there, and in the end we 
came up with a compromise. Neither side liked everything that was in 
it, but it was a true compromise.
  Less than 12 hours after we reached agreement, the faction within the 
House leadership led by Congressman DeLay and Congressman Armey decided 
to renege on our bipartisan conference. We were baffled by this sudden 
decision. We spent many late hours giving and taking, compromising, and 
negotiating. We came to an honorable, mutually satisfactory agreement.
  As I said, no one was 100-percent happy with it. For example, I was 
extremely displeased that, at the insistence of Republicans, an 
important regulation protecting workers from workplace injuries--such 
as carpal-tunnel syndrome--was delayed yet again; despite the fact that 
last year's conference report contained explicit language, it would be 
delayed further.
  Each year, over 600,000 American workers suffer disabling, work-
related, musculoskeletal disorders that cost employers $15 billion to 
$20 billion a year in compensation. It may cost our economy as much as 
$60 billion total a year.
  I was especially disappointed in the delay because this ergonomic 
provision, as a nonpartisan proposal, initiated under Labor Secretary 
Elizabeth Dole in the Bush administration 9 years ago.
  While I was displeased with certain aspects of the bill, I was 
satisfied that the bill contained important provisions to improve the 
education of our kids, provide health care for working women, and 
safeguards for Social Security and Medicare. Those provisions are far 
too important to be destroyed by last-minute partisan politics.
  There is a 21-percent overall increase in education funding in this 
bill and 35-percent more funding for class size reduction. This means 
12,000 new teachers across America will be making a difference for 
648,000 children.
  There is school modernization funding that will generate 
approximately $9 billion for school repairs; $250 million to increase 
accountability to turn around failing schools; a 40-percent increase in 
IDEA grants, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act grants, to 
States; the largest increase ever in Pell grants, so that college is 
affordable to working families and their kids; 70,000 more kids will 
get Head Start under this bill; an additional $817 million for child 
care to serve 220,000 more children; another almost $.5 billion for 
afterschool care for 850,000 kids.
  In the health care area, there will be 1.4 million more patient 
visits to community health centers under this bill with an additional 
$150 million; an additional $18 million for breast and cervical cancer 
screening; an additional $1.7 billion for NIH funding, the largest 
ever; home heating, an additional $300 million for the Low-Income 
Heating Energy Assistance Program.
  In the end, each side won some battles and each side lost, but we 
ended up with a fair and honorable agreement that was in the best 
interests of our Nation. That is what bipartisan compromise is all 
about.
  Some are suggesting we just adopt a full year's continuing 
resolution. Not only would that be an abdication of our responsibility, 
but it would be exactly the wrong start to the next 2 years of a 
possibly evenly divided Senate and closely divided House. It would toss 
out one of the best examples of bipartisan cooperation that we have had 
this year, the bipartisan cooperation to enact the Labor-Health-
Education appropriations bill.

  Even worse, Mr. President, a full year's continuing resolution would 
be a step backwards for the education of our kids and making health 
care available to all Americans. It would wipe out all the gains I have 
just mentioned that are included in the bill. We would be kissing 
goodbye all these important advances in class size reduction, Head 
Start, breast and cervical cancer treatment, and many others.
  Among other things, a full year's continuing resolution would cut NIH 
research by 47 percent, denying funding to 4,500 new research project 
grants this year. This chart indicates that.
  If we pass a 1-year continuing resolution, here is what will happen: 
Under the current bill on which we had bipartisan agreement, we will be 
able to fund 9,500 new research projects at NIH. If we have a 1-year 
continuing resolution at last year's level, we will have only 5,000.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The hour has arrived for the party conferences 
to meet. The discussion on this issue will continue.
  Mr. HARKIN. I ask unanimous consent to be recognized at 2:15 for 10 
minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The unanimous consent divides time at that 
time, so I object.
  Mr. HARKIN. I ask unanimous consent to be recognized at 2:15 to 
finish my statement.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. I have to object. We have divided the time at 
2:15 on this issue.

                          ____________________