[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 17, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H5431-H5437]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WAIVING POINTS OF ORDER AGAINST CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 342, KEEPING
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SAFE ACT OF 2003
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I
call up House Resolution 276 and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 276
Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be
in order to consider the conference report to accompany the
bill (S. 342) to amend the Child Abuse Prevention and
Treatment Act to make improvements to and reauthorize
programs under that Act, and for other purposes. All points
of order against the conference report and against its
consideration are waived.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions) is
recognized for 1 hour.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield
the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings),
pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During
consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose
of debate only.
Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a standard rule for consideration of
conference reports and waives all points of order against consideration
of the conference report.
{time} 1330
Mr. Speaker, the process of reauthorizing the Child Abuse Prevention
and Treatment Act and the Family Violence Prevention Treatment Act
completes a promise made to the American people that was begun in the
107th Congress. Unfortunately, the last Congress adjourned before
consensus was reached between the two bodies on this very important
issue. By taking up the conference report on the reintroduced
legislation today, Congress is demonstrating an ongoing commitment to
ensuring that programs to prevent child abuse, neglect, and family
violence can continue to work and to protect American families.
The underlying conference report that we are debating maintains
important Federal resources for identifying and addressing issues of
domestic violence. It supports efforts to ensure that the current
programs designed to address these issues are operating effectively and
efficiently, and that they promote the prevention of child abuse before
these heinous acts can occur.
The conference report retains language promoting partnerships between
child protective services and private and community-based
organizations, including education and mental health systems, to
provide child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment services. It
improves the training, recruitment, and retention of individuals who
are capable of providing services to children and families. It also
increases the availability of casework supervisors for oversight and
consultation, while simultaneously improving public education on the
role of the child protective services system and appropriate reporting
of suspected incidents of child abuse and neglect, to reduce the number
of false or malicious allegations.
This conference report requires States to have provisions and
procedures for administering criminal background checks to prospective
foster and adoptive parents, and other adult relatives and nonrelatives
residing in the household, and helps to improve the training
opportunities and requirements of child protective services personnel
to ensure their active collaboration with families, and their knowledge
of legal duties with these individuals to protect children's individual
rights.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation also requires States to implement
policies and procedures to address the needs of infants born and
identification as being affected by illegal substance abuse or
withdrawal symptoms resulting from prenatal drug exposure, including
the requirement that healthcare providers involved in the delivery or
care of such infants notify child protective services of the occurrence
of such conditions in infants. It then requires the development and
planning of safe care for such infants.
Lastly, the conference report retains language that expands priority
services to infants and young children who are born with a life-
threatening condition or with other very special medical needs, to
ensure that these special needs are met and that these special children
have a chance in life.
If there is one issue upon which every single Member of this
institution can agree, regardless of his or her political belief, it
should be the need to prevent child abuse and domestic abuse. These
atrocities and often silent crimes do lasting damage to the lives of
individuals and the moral fabric of our society. There exists a
responsibility incumbent upon each of us to enact laws that protect the
most vulnerable in our society, and this conference report will go a
very long way to accomplish that exactly that noble and moral goal.
[[Page H5432]]
I am pleased to note that the House version of this legislation, H.R.
14, easily passed through its committee of jurisdiction, the Committee
on Education and the Workforce, earlier this year and then through the
House by voice vote. Today's conference report should continue to enjoy
widespread and overwhelming bipartisan support as it has already
enjoyed tremendous support throughout the child abuse and family
violence prevention advocacy communities.
I would ask each of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to
demonstrate their commitment to American families, to American
communities, and to America's future by supporting this conference
report. In particular today, I would like to thank the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra), the House sponsor of this legislation; and the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), chairman of the Committee on
Education and the Workforce, for their hard work in producing this
conference report. I would also like to take this moment to commend the
conferees from both bodies that have labored to produce this fine
product.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this rule
and the underlying legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions), my friend, for
yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this rule and the underlying
conference report for the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act. My
colleagues know that the rules for conference reports in the House are
typically closed, and today's rule is reflective of the longstanding
tradition in the House to bring conference reports to the floor in a
similar fashion.
Mr. Speaker, every time a child is abused or neglected, the whole
human race suffers. With that sobering thought in mind, I support the
Keeping Children and Families Safe Act. I support this conference
report, because most States are facing severe budget deficits, and this
is the only Federal legislation that targets child abuse and neglect. I
support this conference report because States are dependent on Federal
money to meet the increasing demand for community child abuse
prevention programs. But realize this legislation does not begin to
solve the overwhelming financial problems that the States are currently
experiencing. In fact, critics of this bill including the director of
the National Child Abuse Coalition say that there is a $2.5 billion
spending gap between the amount currently allocated towards prevention
and protection and the amount required to handle this problem
effectively.
The statistics on child abuse and neglect in this country are heart-
wrenching. The Department of Health and Human Services estimated that
in 2001, 903,000 children in this country were victims of abuse or
neglect. This figure represents an 11 percent increase from the
previous year, and many child advocates say the stress of a bad economy
and unemployment could be two reasons for the increase.
This bill includes funding for training and preventative programs for
social workers and families and encourages partnerships between State
child protective services and community organizations. It also requires
foster parents and adoptive parents to undergo criminal background
checks and mandates that States expand child abuse services to children
born with drug-related problems.
Child abuse and neglect is everyone's problem and it affects us both
morally and financially. The cost of training and preventative programs
will be offset later when children who might have been burdens on
society grow into upstanding citizens. From a financial perspective,
the costs of child abuse and neglect to our society as a whole are
staggering. Studies have documented the link between abuse and neglect
in childhood with medical, emotional, psychological and behavioral
disorders in adulthood. Those who are abused as children are more
likely to suffer from depression, alcoholism, and drug abuse.
The abused are also more likely to become juvenile delinquents and
are 29 percent more likely to become criminals. Using that estimate,
36,000 of the children who were victims of abuse or neglect in 2001 can
or may become criminals.
I certainly hope that the work we are doing in this conference report
will help curb this number and help those who need it. However, if we
are going to come to the floor today and talk about child abuse and
neglect, we will be remiss to not talk about the child neglect that
occurred last week in this very Chamber when Republicans in this body
refused to extend the child tax credit to more than 12 million children
living in low-income families without attaching a significant cost to
the bill that would have provided for those 12 million children.
Frankly, it baffles me how the rhetoric of Republicans in this body
rarely meet the reality of their policies. The All-American Tax Relief
Act, which passed this House last week was filled with tax cuts that
benefit the more well off in our society more than six times as much as
they do the needy. The bill was another tax cut to the wealthy that
further drives our country into debt and deficit spending, and it
lacked even the slightest bit of fiscal responsibility. In truth, the
child tax credit failed to provide relief to more than 12 million
children who are growing up in low-income families. In truth, families
making between $10,500 and $26,625 were excluded from this tax relief,
including 1 million children of U.S. Armed Forces personnel. Perhaps
when Republicans talk about all Americans, they are really talking
about all Americans in the upper tax brackets.
Mr. Speaker, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson
noted, ``A Nation as compassionate as ours should ensure that no child
is a victim of abuse or neglect. The number of children that are being
abused and neglected in this country is an unacceptable daily
tragedy.'' Indeed, Secretary Thompson is correct.
But while this body helps communities fight child abuse and neglect
throughout the country, we ought to first fight it right here in the
House of Representatives. That we do not, Mr. Speaker, is an
unacceptable daily tragedy.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the issue we have before us, this rule, this conference
report that we are working on, really does talk about ways in which we
can go and improve the lives of millions of children, where we can help
families. Families, many times single parents, who are under the stress
and strain of attempting to go to work, raise their family, meet their
obligations in the community, to their schools, need some help, and I
think that that is exactly what this bill does. It does it in a way
that community-based organizations can become involved in the life and
the opportunity to make not only their neighborhoods and their schools
and their communities is safer and better, but they did it in a way
that is a partnership.
This administration, this President, supports this. This
administration, our President, when President Bush was the Governor of
Texas, worked extensively in Texas across Texas in poor communities to
try to make the lives better of children to provide them an opportunity
to grow up and not only be in safe neighborhoods, but also have safety
in their schools. So I think that the underlying legislation in this
conference report is fabulous. It does a lot of things to make sure
that as a Member of Congress, that all of us as Members of Congress,
that we can become engaged in things that we not only can hold our head
up high about but we can mentor with our President to make sure that
people see this Congress as a caring group of men and women who not
only want to ensure the success of people who many of whom we will
never know their names but the children who live their lives and are
prepared for the future.
I think that in the scheme of things this is a question that comes
about not just to Members of Congress but as a demand on this country.
The demand on our country is do America's greatest days lie in our
future? Are we doing those things throughout the 40 some weeks that we
are here in Washington, D.C. away from our families, are we handling
the business of the people to
[[Page H5433]]
make sure that we make life better? And I think that answer is yes.
Today the underlying legislation is yet another example of this
Congress working together with this President to make sure that
America's greatest days lie in our future because we are active,
engaged, and involved with our communities and with people back home.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Before I yield to the gentlewoman from California, I would like to
respond to my good friend and colleague by indicating that the
President's remarks were to pass the Senate bill, and what we did last
week was force a conference which is going to delay the tax cuts for
the 12 million persons about whom I spoke earlier.
{time} 1345
That is a reality, and, to my way of thinking, that is, in some
respects, uncaring. It certainly is not compassionate. Everybody that
is wealthy, including those of us here in Congress, will get our tax
benefits, but many of the persons about whom I speak, including some in
the military, will not receive a dime this year by virtue of the
actions that we took last week.
Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to yield 5 minutes to my friend, the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey), who has been a leader in the
fight for protecting children.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, today as we stand here and discuss the
conference report on the Keeping Our Children and Families Safe Act, I
find it ironic that this week the Republican leadership can find it in
their hearts to provide much-needed funding to prevent child abuse,
which is decent and necessary, but last week they could not provide
critical funding for low-income children without voting for additional
tax breaks for the rich. These are the very children from low-income
families who are statistically likely to suffer from child abuse,
perhaps because of frustration piled on families struggling to make
ends meet. This week, the Republicans care about children; last week,
they did not. What kind of message is this?
The Republican's child tax credit bill, which the House debated last
week, was a squandered opportunity to invest in all of our children and
their families. We missed the chance to pass a child tax credit bill
which would immediately grant our Nation's hard-working families their
fair share of the tax credit.
The families I am talking about are those with dedicated workers that
work long hours at low pay, who pay taxes and earn less than $26,000 a
year. It is unfortunate that Republicans believe these children and
families do not contribute enough to deserve a break, a break now, like
higher income families will get.
Republican actions last week left me no doubt that Republican
priorities are dead wrong. Last week the House Republicans should have
followed the other body and brought a child tax credit bill before us
that would help children now, without burdening them with a tax debt
later in life. But, according to the majority leader, ``If we are going
to do it, we should get something in exchange. If we give people a tax
break that don't pay taxes, it is welfare.''
Well, Mr. Speaker, these families do pay taxes. They are not seeking
welfare. They are seeking the same acknowledgment for their hard work
as the rich received in the Republican tax package. They deserve tax
relief at the same time as other American families. Instead, this
supposed party of ``compassionate conservatism'' has exploited the
child tax credit issue to pass even more tax cuts for their wealthy
friends. Instead of bringing up the other body's child tax credit bill
costing $3.5 billion with offsets to fully pay for it, they passed a
bill costing over $80 billion not paid for.
Mr. Speaker, this is at a time when America's Federal deficit will
exceed $400 billion, which, by the way, will be paid for by our
children, their children, and their children, and on down the line.
Mr. Speaker, our priority must be putting money in the hands of
working Americans while keeping our fiscal house in order. That way we
can create jobs and build a strong economy. We are helping our children
today by protecting them from child abuse, but being poor is abuse of
another kind.
Mr. Speaker, children are 25 percent of the population of this
Nation, but they are 100 percent of our Nation's future.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood), from the Committee on Energy and
Commerce.
Mr. GREENWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me
time.
Mr. Speaker, I do think it is unfortunate that when we are here to
debate a bill on child abuse prevention, that we get into a debate
about a legitimate difference of opinion as to tax policy. I think that
that is unfortunate.
But, be that as it may, I also would say ironically I think it is
unfortunate to hear the minority party constantly talking about their
hatred of deficits, when every single subcommittee markup of any kind I
have been in for the last several months, it is the other party trying
to spend more money, more money, more money, and us trying to hold the
line.
Let us talk about the rule before us. I rise in support of the rule,
which I think is a fair rule, but I also rise in strong support of the
bill.
I would like to talk about a particular provision that I worked very
hard to get in in the Committee on Education and Workforce, and which I
think will do a tremendous amount to actually prevent child abuse,
which is what we want to do.
What it does is it says that we look at the causes, the root causes,
of child abuse. When you look for the root causes of child abuse to try
to prevent it, you find this constant association between abusers of
children and abusers of substance. We find it over and over again.
Parents who are caught in abusive cycles with drugs and alcohol bring
their problems to bear on their children, with often very devastating
results in terms of physical brutality against children, sexual abuse
of children and psychological abuse of children.
What we noticed, and I bring to bear on this experience my own time
spent as a child protective service worker in my home of Bucks County,
what we find is that children are born in hospitals every day in this
country, and it as clear as can be they are born to mothers who are
addicted. These are women who come to the hospitals and bear children
who either suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome or they suffer from the
systemic presence of a drug or actually have what is called neonatal
abstinence syndrome. The child is in withdrawal from the drug. It is a
pretty good indicator that this child may be returning to a home where
it is not safe.
We have wrestled as a society with how do you protect these children.
We do not want to necessarily deem the mothers as having abused the
child by virtue of their abuse of the substance. We want to provide
intervention, but how do you do that?
What this underlying conference committee report says is that when
children appear in a hospital and are delivered and have these symptoms
of substance abuse apparent, that the mandated reporters, the health
care providers, must notify the child protective service agency, and
that child protective service agency then must come in and make sure
that there is a safe plan of care for the child.
It does not say that it finds abuse necessarily, it does not say that
it finds dependency, it just says we need to intervene, we need to talk
with the parents of this child and find out how they intend to overcome
their own personal issues so that they can be prepared to nurture this
vulnerable child.
I think this provision will go in a tremendous way to provide
intervention for young children before they are ever subject to abuse,
and help not only that child, but help the mother certainly and the
father involved as well.
Mr. Speaker, I want to commend and thank the staffs of the committees
that worked with us in the House and Senate, and the Committee on Rules
for providing a rule under which this conference report can be
considered.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
[[Page H5434]]
Mr. Speaker, before I yield, I will just respond to my friend from
Pennsylvania, who is an extremely thoughtful Member of this body, when
he cites the fact that Democrats want to spend. Let me isolate that on
the child tax credit: Democrats did want to spend the $3.5 billion that
the United States Senate wanted to spend, and each nickel of it was
offset. Toward that end, I would urge that that kind of spending
redounds to all of our benefit.
Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to yield 3 minutes to my good friend,
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for
yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, as we discuss keeping children and families safe, I
cannot help but be reminded of a popular song that Marvin Gaye used to
sing, and the words went sort of like this. He says, ``Who will save
the children? Who is willing to try? Who will save a world that is
destined to die? Save the babies.''
The reality is, Mr. Speaker, that when we talk about protecting
families and saving children and refuse to provide a meager tax credit
for those at the bottom of the barrel, for those who can barely
survive, who can barely make it, it seems to me we are being
contradictory.
It is abusive in my mind when we refuse to fully fund education so
that every child can have a meaningful head start, to get a grip and a
handle on life. It is abusive when we leave children out of being
protected so that they can have the kind of health care that they need.
And it is certainly abusive that we have 2.7 million people who have
lost their jobs in the last 2 years and cannot find a way to really
make it. And while I agree that programs and activities are always good
and meaningful and beneficial, policies are even better.
I would hope that as we try and find these ways to protect our
children, that which would protect their families by giving them a
meaningful opportunity to earn a living, to have a job, to have the
monies that are needed so that they are not frustrated and resort to
behavior that causes them, in many instances, to abuse children.
So, Mr. Speaker, I would have to ask, who will save the world? Who is
willing to try? Who will save a world that is destined to die? Let us
save the children.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, hearing the gentleman from Illinois and the gentleman
from Pennsylvania speak about children, about the things that we
encounter and learn from time about tragedies that occur in people's
lives with women who have problems along life, either drugs or alcohol,
and also at the same time at which they are birthing babies and carry
life within them, and the impact that it has on those children, not
just at birth but throughout their life, it is a stunning problem in
America.
But to hear the gentleman from Illinois and the gentleman from
Pennsylvania speak about the great parts about this bill, about how
this Congress can reach out, how we as a government can keep working
with local communities to bring out the best, not only in their
interaction with these mothers that are at risk, but also child abuse
victims, it is all important.
I am hopeful we can also learn a lot from the things we have learned
over the last few years about people who perpetrate crimes upon
children, the identification of those kinds of people, so that
communities can do a better job spotting these people and protecting
their children. That is what this bill is about. That is the good part
of what this bill is about.
I appreciate both these gentleman for coming and telling their
stories, not only about why they support this bill, but why this rule
is fair and important for us to pass and this conference report. Let us
get it to the President and let the President continue to do the things
for the American people that he did for the people of Texas when he was
Governor.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to taking care of children, I just wonder,
and pardon me for asking, what $1.1 trillion in the original tax cut
during the President's administration and the $350 billion that we
passed recently, in addition to the tack-on to the child tax credit,
they ran it up to $82 billion, I wonder what those funds could possibly
have done for the children of America? I, for one, would have preferred
to spend it on them, rather than on rich people.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to 2\1/2\ minutes to my friend,
the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), a continuing fighter
and champion for children.
{time} 1400
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, this legislation would authorize $312
million for several programs that seek to prevent child abuse, expand
adoption opportunities, assist abandoned infants, and prevent family
violence; good goals, good values, good measures. Child abuse is an
important issue. It has many, many manifestations. It is attributable
to many causes, including, and let me just mention, there is a pending
issue in this body, a piece of unfinished business that pertains to our
Nation's children; and, if you will, our delaying on this issue
directly abuses American children.
What we need to do is to restore the child tax credit to the 6.5
million families this Republican leadership continues to leave behind.
That is child abuse. The families of 12 million children generally earn
minimum wage. They are tax-paying families. They deserve tax relief
like every other family. They have bills to pay, mouths to feed,
children to care for, just like every other family. And with the
economy stuck in a rut, they cannot go to bed at night knowing whether
their job will even be there for them the week after next.
These families pay taxes. They make between $10,500 and $26,600 a
year. They pay taxes, payroll taxes, sales taxes, excise taxes,
property taxes. And they pay a greater share of their income in taxes
than Enron did; and for the last 5 years, I say to my colleagues, Enron
paid zero taxes. There are lots of individuals who are getting the
benefit of $93,000 worth of tax cuts every year, those who are the
184,000 millionaires in this country. I will bet some of them have not
paid all of the taxes that they were supposed to have been paying all
of these years.
That is why what this House needs to do is to take up the other
body's child tax credit legislation, legislation that was denied a
simple up or down vote in the House of Representatives.
Let me be clear. The majority has said that these 6.5 million
families are not their priority. What they tried to do last week is, in
essence, they passed a bill here which would kill the opportunity for
the $3.5 billion to address this issue and it would be taken care of. I
would just quote the Committee on Ways and Means chairman. He says he
is going to be heavily focused on a different issue and that they would
be surprised if a conference between the House and Senate could begin
this week. They are going to kill this piece of legislation because
they do not really care about the 6.5 million families or the 12
million children.
Mr. Speaker, let us do the right thing. Let us address this issue.
Let us end this kind of child abuse.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Marietta, Georgia (Mr. Gingrey), one of our bright young Republican
Members.
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Sessions) for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I have to admit, of course, as a freshman legislator, I
am here to speak in favor of the rule for the conference agreement to
S. 342, the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003, and to
speak in favor of the overall piece of legislation. But I stand here
and I am listening to the other side and all of the discussion I hear
is about a tax bill, and it just makes me wonder if the speakers from
the other side plan to vote against this bill, if they are opposed to
keeping children and families safe for the foreseeable future.
I am, as most of my colleagues know, a physician Member, Mr. Speaker,
of this body; and, in particular, I am an OB-GYN doctor. As such, over
the past 28 years, I have delivered over 5,000 precious children.
Unfortunately, I wish I could say they were all born healthy and well
and in the best of circumstances, but unfortunately, some
[[Page H5435]]
were not. I think that my passion for this type of legislation, for
protecting children and making sure that every child has an opportunity
to be well born and in a healthy environment and going into a healthy
family situation, that is what this legislation is all about.
We can talk about the child tax credit and tax issues ad infinitum,
but we have already had that debate. What we are talking about here
today on the floor of the House is this conference committee report and
the reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act,
the Adoption Opportunities Program, the Abandoned Infants Assistance
Act, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. That is what this
debate is about. I would hope and trust that the Members of the other
side will support unanimously this legislation, because we desperately
need to protect those of our society, the most precious and vulnerable
members of our society; and that is what this great piece of bipartisan
legislation is all about.
I am very proud to serve on the Committee on Education and the
Workforce and to serve under my subcommittee chairman, the gentleman
from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra), who brings this bill to us, this
reauthorization. It was an honor, it was an honor indeed for this
freshman Member of Congress to be appointed to the conference committee
on this bill. In fact, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra) said
to me, he had been here 10 years before having an opportunity to be
appointed to a conference committee.
So it is indeed a privilege. I think it shows a lot of respect for me
as a physician Member and someone who is often in that delivery room
seeing these children who may be very possibly born in a situation
where the mom has been on substance abuse or drugs during the pregnancy
and we, many times, are highly suspicious of that situation because of
the condition of the child, the irritability of the child during the
physical examination. These children have a certain physical appearance
which is very suggestive in some instances of alcohol or substance
abuse. And to just simply go from that delivery room to the next one or
the next one, or go from there to a surgical procedure, and then back
to the medical office where you might see an additional 30 patients a
day would be unconscionable.
So this bill calls for, among other things, reporting these
instances. I cannot tell my colleagues how supportive I am of this
legislation, and I am proud of the leadership for bringing it to us.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2\1/
2\ minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Emanuel), my good friend
who has been a continuing champion for children in this body and in his
previous life before coming here.
Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Hastings), my friend, for yielding me this time.
The underlying bill here I think reflects not only bipartisanship,
but our common set of values. It is the right approach to how to
protect our children.
As the brother of a sister who is adopted, I applaud the efforts that
are reflected here and the attempt here. But that bipartisanship, also
those common set of values that we come together on, is in sharp
contrast to what was done on the child tax credit.
Mr. Speaker, the other day The New York Times reported that in Iraq
right now, 200,000 Iraqis are getting $20 a day who do not show up for
work. Mr. Speaker, 200,000 Iraqis, $20 a day who do not show up for
work. I come from Chicago. We know something about no-show jobs. We
think they are a good thing, periodically. But that stands in stark
contrast to the 200,000 active duty troop members who are over there
putting their lives on the line who will not get the full child tax
credit. Now, where in our common values do we respect the people of
Iraq, give them 20 bucks a day who do not show up for work, and yet, to
our troops who are over there in Afghanistan and Iraq, whose families
are only getting $450 per child tax credit, but not the full $1,000.
Where in our common set of values do we say that is the right thing to
do?
Over the weekend the AP ran a story that Halliburton's bid for the
oil drilling and oil work that they are doing in Iraq originally for
$77 million is now running double. It was a no-bid contract and
Halliburton, in the year of 2001, did not pay any Federal income taxes
and, in fact, got an $85 million rebate. Last week when we were
debating the child tax credit, some people described welfare as the
full refundable credit; and I have a description of welfare, it is
known as corporate welfare, that was done in Halliburton's case.
We here in Congress earn $12,800 a month. That is equivalent to what
some of these families earn in a full year who are worthy of this child
tax credit.
So I applaud the efforts that were done here to reflect our values
and to take care of our children. I applaud the work done here on this
bill; but I want to remind our colleagues, this bill's success comes
from not only our bipartisanship but working on a common set of values.
We need now to come together, come together, work on the conference,
Democrats and Republicans, produce a bill, because as July approaches,
some families will get this tax cut and other families, 12 million
children, 6.5 million families who work full-time, sometimes more than
40 hours a week, will not be getting that tax credit.
Now, originally this bill was passed to get a tax cut to get the
economy moving. It was in there in the Senate when they went to
conference, but when the Vice President showed up, somehow it got
dropped. We all have an obligation from the White House to the Senate
to the Congress, Democrats and Republicans, to work together to give
these middle-class families a tax cut.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, at the close of this matter, I will urge that Members
pay attention to a request on the previous question, and I will urge
Members to vote ``no'' on the previous question. If the previous
question is defeated, I will offer an amendment to the rule, and my
amendment will provide that as soon as the House passes the conference
report, it will take from the Speaker's table and immediately consider
the Senate-passed version of H.R. 1307, the Armed Forces Tax Fairness
Act. My amendment will also add to H.R. 1307 the text of H.R. 1308, as
passed by the Senate, which restores the refundable child tax credit
that was removed from the Republican tax bill passed last month.
This will allow the House to combine these two Senate-passed bills
and immediately send them back to the Senate and then, hopefully, on to
the President's desk for his signature. If this happens, we can begin
helping America's lower- and modest-income families right away, and we
can give tax relief to those members of the military who are bravely
fighting for this Nation as we speak.
Is it not about time we started giving tax breaks to those Americans
who really need it? And is it not about time we put an end to
legislation that has no chance of becoming law?
Last week, the President said he would sign H.R. 1308, as it was
passed by the Senate, and restore the refundable tax credit to those
families making between $10,000 and $26,000. H.R. 1308, as amended by
the Senate, will provide immediate tax relief to America's hard-
working, but struggling, families by extending the child tax credit to
6.5 million low-income working families and nearly 12 million
additional children. This measure will provide help to the families of
8 million children whose parents serve in the military or are veterans.
It will also help families of soldiers in combat in Iraq and
Afghanistan by extending the child tax credit to many of them.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1307 will also help our brave men and women serving
in the military. It will help with travel costs for those called up for
the National Guard and Reserves, and it will provide benefits for the
families of the Columbia astronauts.
Vote ``no'' on the previous question so we can combine and then
consider these two important tax relief bills as they passed in the
Senate and rush them back to the Senate. Let us not let tax relief for
these two important and deserving segments of our society wither on the
vine.
[[Page H5436]]
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question so we can
consider tax relief that can actually become law and really help those
most in need of tax relief.
I want to emphasize that a ``no'' vote will not prevent the House
from considering the conference report for this very important
legislation, the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act. It will allow
us to consider the Senate-passed versions of the refundable child tax
credit and the Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act, in addition to this
important conference.
{time} 1415
However, a yes vote will stop us from voting on this package of true
tax relief for lower income Americans.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the amendment
be printed in the Record immediately before the vote on the previous
question.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gilchrest). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask Members to vote no on the
previous question, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I appreciate the gentleman from Florida for his support of this
conference report, S. 342, Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of
2003.
Mr. Speaker, we have had a good debate today. We have talked about
the children of this country. We have talked about our communities. We
have talked about our schools. We have talked about the desire that we
have as this United States Congress, this administration, President
George W. Bush and the kind and gracious leadership of this House,
including our Speaker, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), and
our majority leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), to time
after time take time out of their schedule not only to talk about
children, children that are the future of this country and will make a
difference, but also that these three gentleman, as leaders of our
country, take time to make sure that this administration and the laws
of this country are there to protect children, the most vulnerable part
of our society.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud of what this will do. This conference report
will go to help people. It will strengthen our communities. It will
strengthen community-based organizations who work in a way that we need
them to become efficient and be efficient and to offer these services.
I am proud of what we are doing. I am proud of what this Congress is
doing, and Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting
this rule and the underlying legislation.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.
Res. 276 the Rule governing debate on S. 342, the ``Keeping Children
and Families Safe Act of 2003.'' This rule waives all points of order
against the Conference Report and its consideration.
Just last week, this Chamber vigorously debated the Child Tax Credit
bill. The Republican members of the House of Representatives refused to
adopt the Senate-passed tax bill that would have provided relief to 12
million children of hard-working American families. My Democratic
colleagues offered a substitute to aid America's children but it was
voted down. We have still not passed a Child Tax Credit for America's
low-income children.
Now, we prepare to debate the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act
of 2003. Another bill that is beneficial to America's children by
taking strong steps to prevent child abuse. This bill governs
dissemination of information about abused children, expands valuable
research programs, authorizes grant programs, and many other valuable
programs.
The Keeping Children and Families Safe Act was an opportunity to
redress the failures of this body in our failure to pass the Child Tax
Credit bill last week. By passing this rule, we continue to neglect and
jeopardize the welfare of America's children and families, by not
immediately passing the Senate Child Tax Credit bill so the President
can immediately sign the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I oppose the Rule governing debate on the Keeping
Children and Families Safe Act. I find it ironic that the title of the
bill is the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act, and yet will have
not passed real Child Tax Credit. This rule jeopardizes America's
children, bill for America's most vulnerable children.
The material previously referred to by Mr. Hastings of Florida is as
follows:
Previous Question for H. Res 276
Rule on Conference for Keeping Children & Families Safe Act
At the end of the resolution insert the following new
section:
``Sec. 2. Immediately after disposition of the conference
report, the House shall be considered to have taken from the
Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 1307) to amend the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a special rule for members of
the uniformed services in determining the exclusion of gain
from the sale of a principal residence and to restore the tax
exempt status of death gratuity payments to members of the
uniformed services, and for other purposes, with the Senate
amendment thereto, and a motion that the House concur in the
Senate amendment with an amendment consisting of the text of
the Senate amendment to the text of H.R. 1308 shall be
considered as pending without intervention of any point of
order. The Senate amendment and the motion shall be
considered as read. The motion shall be debatable for one
hour equally divided and controlled by the chairman and
ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means.
The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the
motion to final adoption without intervening motion.''
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I
move the previous question on the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous
question.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the
ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a
quorum is not present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Evidently a quorum is not present.
The Sergeant at Arms will notify absent Members.
Pursuant to clause 8 and 9 of rule XX, this 15-minute vote on
ordering the previous question will be followed by a 5-minute vote on
adopting H. Res. 276, if ordered; suspending the rules and adopting H.
Res. 171; and suspending the rules and passing H.R. 658 with an
amendment.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 226,
nays 200, not voting 8, as follows:
[Roll No. 279]
YEAS--226
Aderholt
Akin
Bachus
Baker
Ballenger
Barrett (SC)
Bartlett (MD)
Barton (TX)
Bass
Beauprez
Bereuter
Biggert
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Blackburn
Blunt
Boehlert
Boehner
Bonilla
Bonner
Bono
Boozman
Bradley (NH)
Brady (TX)
Brown (SC)
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Burgess
Burns
Burr
Burton (IN)
Buyer
Calvert
Camp
Cannon
Cantor
Capito
Carter
Castle
Chabot
Chocola
Coble
Cole
Collins
Cox
Crane
Crenshaw
Culberson
Cunningham
Davis, Jo Ann
Davis, Tom
Deal (GA)
DeLay
DeMint
Diaz-Balart, L.
Diaz-Balart, M.
Doolittle
Dreier
Duncan
Dunn
Ehlers
Emerson
English
Everett
Feeney
Ferguson
Flake
Fletcher
Foley
Forbes
Fossella
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Garrett (NJ)
Gerlach
Gibbons
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Gingrey
Goode
Goodlatte
Goss
Granger
Graves
Green (WI)
Greenwood
Gutknecht
Harris
Hart
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Hayworth
Hefley
Hensarling
Herger
Hobson
Hoekstra
Hostettler
Houghton
Hulshof
Hunter
Hyde
Isakson
Issa
Istook
Janklow
Jenkins
Johnson (CT)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, Sam
Jones (NC)
Keller
Kelly
Kennedy (MN)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Kline
Knollenberg
Kolbe
LaHood
Latham
LaTourette
Leach
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
LoBiondo
Lucas (OK)
Manzullo
McCotter
McCrery
McHugh
McInnis
McKeon
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Moran (KS)
Murphy
Musgrave
Myrick
Neugebauer
Ney
Northup
Norwood
Nunes
Nussle
Osborne
Ose
Otter
Oxley
Paul
Pearce
Pence
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Pickering
Pitts
Platts
Pombo
Porter
Portman
Pryce (OH)
Putnam
Quinn
Radanovich
Ramstad
Regula
Rehberg
Renzi
Reynolds
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Royce
Ryan (WI)
Ryun (KS)
Saxton
Schrock
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shadegg
Shaw
Shays
Sherwood
Shimkus
Shuster
Simmons
Simpson
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Souder
Stearns
Sullivan
Sweeney
Tancredo
Tauzin
Taylor (NC)
Terry
Thomas
Thornberry
Tiahrt
Tiberi
[[Page H5437]]
Toomey
Turner (OH)
Upton
Vitter
Walden (OR)
Walsh
Wamp
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Weller
Whitfield
Wicker
Wilson (NM)
Wilson (SC)
Wolf
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
NAYS--200
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Alexander
Allen
Andrews
Baca
Baird
Baldwin
Ballance
Becerra
Bell
Berkley
Berry
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd
Brady (PA)
Brown (OH)
Brown, Corrine
Capps
Capuano
Cardin
Cardoza
Carson (OK)
Case
Clay
Clyburn
Conyers
Cooper
Costello
Cramer
Crowley
Cummings
Davis (AL)
Davis (CA)
Davis (FL)
Davis (IL)
Davis (TN)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
Deutsch
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Dooley (CA)
Doyle
Edwards
Emanuel
Engel
Eshoo
Etheridge
Evans
Farr
Fattah
Filner
Ford
Frank (MA)
Frost
Gonzalez
Gordon
Green (TX)
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hall
Harman
Hastings (FL)
Hill
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hoeffel
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hooley (OR)
Hoyer
Inslee
Israel
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
John
Johnson, E. B.
Jones (OH)
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kennedy (RI)
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kind
Kleczka
Kucinich
Lampson
Langevin
Lantos
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
Lowey
Lucas (KY)
Lynch
Majette
Maloney
Markey
Marshall
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (MO)
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McIntyre
McNulty
Meehan
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Menendez
Michaud
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Mollohan
Moore
Moran (VA)
Murtha
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor
Payne
Pelosi
Peterson (MN)
Pomeroy
Price (NC)
Rahall
Rangel
Reyes
Rodriguez
Ross
Rothman
Roybal-Allard
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Sabo
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sanders
Sandlin
Schakowsky
Schiff
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Serrano
Sherman
Skelton
Slaughter
Snyder
Solis
Spratt
Stark
Stenholm
Strickland
Stupak
Tanner
Tauscher
Taylor (MS)
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Towns
Turner (TX)
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Van Hollen
Velazquez
Visclosky
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Weiner
Wexler
Woolsey
Wu
Wynn
NOT VOTING--8
Berman
Carson (IN)
Cubin
Gephardt
Lofgren
Millender-McDonald
Nethercutt
Smith (WA)
Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gilchrest) (during the vote). There are
2 minutes remaining in this vote.
{time} 1439
Ms. SOLIS and Mr. RUSH changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
So the previous question was ordered.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
The resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________