[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 159 (Friday, November 16, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2110]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    WAIVING POINTS OF ORDER AGAINST CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2620, 
DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND 
             INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2002

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                               speech of

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 8, 2001

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank our Chairman Jim Walsh 
and our Ranking Member Alan Mollohan and all the staff that assisted in 
crafting this bill VA-HUD FY02 Appropriations bill. Faced with the 
allocation provided to the subcommittee, I believe the bill before us 
is a good and balanced product, which I support and plan to vote for 
today. The allocation, however, was simply inadequate to take care of 
our veterans and their truly pressing needs. All around our country 
veterans wait too long for doctors appointments, are disabled by 
substance abuse and mental illness, far too many are homeless, and 
surely it is nothing less than a crisis that a backlog of more than 
500,000 claims for compensation and pension benefits are pending before 
the VA today.
  I am, however, happy to note that this report does provide an 
important first step toward ensuring that veterans suffering from 
schizophrenia have greater access to new and vitally important atypical 
anti-psychotic medications. Under the provision, a physician's practice 
of prescribing atypical anti-psychotic medications must not be used as 
performance indicators when evaluating the physician's work. The 
provision also clarifies and reiterates the policy that physicians are 
to use their best clinical judgment when choosing these critical anti-
psychotic medications.
  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is provided with $7.9 
billion --$74 million than the FY01 funding and $587 million more than 
requested. The measure provides full funding for EPA enforcement 
activities and staff. I am pleased that changes were made from the 
House bill that would have significantly reduced EPA enforcement staff 
and shifted more enforcement duties to states.
  The Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) is funded at a 
level of $30.1 billion--$1.7billion more than FY01 appropriations, but 
$433 million less than requested. It includes funding for 25,900 new 
Section 8 rental vouchers to provide housing assistance to additional 
families. There were increases in the Conference report for housing 
programs for the elderly, disabled, and persons with AIDS.
  I am disappointed that the Conference did not provide the Senate's 
appropriation of $300 million for HUD's Public Housing Drug Elimination 
Grant Program. This program fits several of the U.S. Department of 
Housing and Urban Development's main strategic goals: improving quality 
of life, promoting economic vitality, and keeping communities and 
neighborhoods safe. Housing authorities are specifically required to 
develop, in cooperation with local police, plans that ensure safety and 
crime prevention. Crime statistics show that crime has dropped nation 
wide and especially in our cities and public housing facilities since 
this program was created. I again am very disappointed that his program 
has been eliminated, with no clear replacement that is accessible to 
localities.
  The National Credit Union Administration provides $1 million for the 
Community Development Revolving Loan Fund for loans to community 
development credit unions. Of this amount $350,000 is provided for 
technical assistance to low income and community development credit 
unions. Technical assistance grants are available to low-income 
designated credit unions and those credit unions that expand service to 
low-income communities or investment areas. The purpose of these awards 
is to strengthen these credit unions by funding the following 
activities: improved technology and service delivery systems; economic 
development; consumer and entrepreneurial education; micro-enterprise 
business development; employment opportunities for through community 
business development; and credit union infrastructure and staff 
development.
  Once again, I appreciate the hard work behind this bill but am deeply 
concerned that as we prepare to honor veterans on Veterans Day that an 
inadequate allocation will prevents us from providing this nation's 
defenders and protectors of liberty with the services and benefits they 
deserve.

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