[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 178 (Thursday, December 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2399-E2400]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 3061, DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN 
 SERVICES, AND EDUCATION AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2002

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 19, 2001

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased with the bipartisan bill 
passed out of the House Labor-HHS-Education subcommittee and brought to 
the floor by unanimous consent. The bill generally makes sure that we 
continue our commitment to education and health care, preserves our 
most important worker protection programs, and includes the largest 
increase in new educational investment in a decade. This is good news 
for the American people.
  However, I am extremely disappointed that this $123.8 billion 
appropriation does not include a greatly needed provision to expand 
insurance coverage for mental illness. This provision, known as 
``mental health parity'' would have required group health plans 
offering mental health coverage to make that coverage available at the 
same level as insurance coverage for physical illness.
  This was a crucial social issues issue that was included in the 
Senate version of the spending bill (H.R. 3061) that should have been 
adopted by the conferees. The adoption by the conferees of an amendment 
offered by Representative Randy ``Duke'' Cunningham that would keep the 
Wellstone-Domenici Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-204) in 
effect for another year is notable, but should not replace the 
responsibility of the conferees to address this important issue to 
protect all Americans from disparities in insurance coverage.
  According to the Wall Street Journal, the cost to American businesses 
of untreated mental illnesses is $70 billion per year, and the National 
Institute of Mental Health estimates that the cost to society is $300 
billion per year. These costs are reflective of the 23% unemployment 
rate among American adults who suffer from depression, and the fact 
that four of the ten leading causes of disability in America are mental 
disorders.
  The mental health parity provision would have addressed these issues 
while increasing the levels of productivity in the American workforce. 
It is a seriously missed opportunity that this provision was not 
included in this appropriation.
  Having said that, I am pleased that this appropriation includes $48.9 
billion for the Department of Education, roughly $4.4 billion more than 
President Bush originally requested. However, as Chair of the 
Congressional Children's Caucus, I am disappointed that funding for 
elementary and secondary education programs fell short of the levels in 
the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
(ESEA; H.R. 1) which would authorize $26.5 billion for elementary and 
secondary education programs, and which awaits the President's 
signature.
  I am also disappointed that the conferees failed to keep in the bill 
$925 for elementary and secondary school renovation, particularly in 
light of the current state of disrepair that we find our schools in.
  I am pleased with the large increase to $7.5 billion in special 
education funding, raising spending roughly 19 percent higher than the 
$6.8 billion in fiscal 2001. I am also pleased with the increases in 
spending for Pell Grants to $10.3 billion from roughly $8.8 billion in 
fiscal 2001, raising grants from $3,750 to $4,000.
  Americans will also be well-served by the other increases such as: 
the 18% increase to $1 billion for after school centers, the $1.6 
billion (18%) increase to $10.35 billion for Title 1 grants, the 45% 
increase to $665 million for Bilingual Education, the 31% increase to 
$2.85 billion for Teacher Quality grants, and the 15% increase to $1.1 
billion for Impact Aid.
  This appropriation also increases funding to the Department of Labor 
by 3%, or about $12 billion, rather than cut by 3% as proposed by the 
President. This is a $310 million increase over fiscal 2001 spending 
and provides growth in the major employment, training and worker 
protection programs. It also targets $54.2 billion to the Department of 
Health and Human Services, increasing $5 billion over fiscal 2001 and 
$2.5 billion over the President's initial request.
  However, much more should have been done to help displaced workers, 
particularly in light of those recently displaced by the September 11 
attacks on America , including more than 100,000 airline employees have 
lost their jobs. These attacks radically altered the prospects of 
workers and business in every community in America.
  Unfortunately, by all indicators, the recession is upon us and it 
seems clear that we have not yet hit bottom. So while hard working 
Americans continue to loose their jobs through no fault of their own, 
we must do all that we can to provide them with the benefits and safety 
net that they need and deserve.
  That's why I was proud to join Representative Hastings and over 150 
other members of the House in co-sponsoring H.R. 2946, the Displaced 
Workers Relief Act of 2001. This bill served as the companion bill to 
S. 1454, which was introduced in the Senate by Senator Jean Carnahan of 
Missouri. It would have provided those who lost their jobs in the wake 
of the attacks of September 11 with the ability to pay rent, put food 
on their table, buy school books for their children, while trying to 
get by in these difficult times.
  Specifically, the bill extended unemployment benefits from 26 to 78 
weeks, provided 26 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits for workers 
who would not otherwise qualify, extended Job Training Benefits from 52 
to 78 weeks, provided up to 78 weeks of federally subsidized COBRA 
premiums, and provided temporary Medicaid coverage for up to eighteen 
months to those workers without COBRA

[[Page E2400]]

coverage. Many of these benefits would have served Americans well had 
they been included in this Conference Report.
  I am, however, pleased with the large increase to the National 
Institutes of Health by targeting $23.3 billion, which helps meet our 
pledge to double fiscal 1998 spending on NIH by fiscal 2003.
  The bill addresses the new threats that the nation faces by 
increasing the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) by increasing funding 
11% above last year. Also, it maintains the Low-Income Home Energy 
Assistance Program (LIHEAP) at the FY 2001 level, an increase of $300 
million over the President's request. Finally, it rejects proposed 
enrollment cuts to Head Start, preventing potential cuts of as many as 
2,500 children from the program. Finally, the support I received for 
Houston in fighting prostate and breast cancer--with $290,000 for 
minority testing centers and $150,000 for Sisters Network--will help 
save lives.
  Overall, this bill, while not perfect, addresses many of the problems 
that we currently face and fulfills our obligations to the American 
people. I support it, and I urge my colleagues to also support it.

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