[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 38 (Wednesday, March 24, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H1382-H1384]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING SECURITY PRINTING ACT OF 2004
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3786) to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to produce
currency, postage stamps, and other security documents at the request
of foreign governments on a reimbursable basis.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 3786
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Bureau of Engraving and
Printing Security Printing Act of 2004''.
SEC. 2. PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS.
Section 5114(a) of title 31, United States Code (relating
to engraving and printing currency and security documents),
is amended--
(1) by striking ``(a) The Secretary of the Treasury'' and
inserting:
``(a) Authority to Engrave and Print.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Treasury''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
``(2) Engraving and printing for other governments.--The
Secretary of the Treasury may produce currency, postage
stamps, and other security documents for foreign governments
if--
``(A) the Secretary of the Treasury determines that such
production will not interfere with engraving and printing
needs of the United States; and
``(B) the Secretary of State determines that such
production would be consistent with the foreign policy of the
United States.
``(3) Procurement guidelines.--Articles, material, and
supplies procured for use in the production of currency,
postage stamps, and other security documents for foreign
governments pursuant to paragraph (2) shall be treated in the
same manner as articles, material, and supplies procured for
public use within the United States for purposes of title III
of the Act of March 3, 1933 (41 U.S.C. 10a et seq.; commonly
referred to as the Buy American Act).''.
SEC. 3. REIMBURSEMENT.
Section 5143 of title 31, United States Code (relating to
payment for services of the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing), is amended--
(1) in the first sentence, by inserting ``or to a foreign
government under section 5114'' after ``agency'';
(2) in the second sentence, by inserting ``and other''
after ``including administrative''; and
(3) in the last sentence, by inserting ``, and the
Secretary shall take such action, in coordination with the
Secretary of State, as may be appropriate to ensure prompt
payment by a foreign government of any invoice or statement
of account submitted by the Secretary with respect to
services rendered under section 5114'' before the period at
the end.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Delaware (Mr. Castle) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle).
{time} 1100
General Leave
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on this legislation, and to insert extraneous material thereon.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Delaware?
There was no objection.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to voice my strong support for H.R. 3786, the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing Security Printing Act of 2004,
introduced by the gentleman from New York (Mr. King). The bill
authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to print, under certain
conditions, currency and security documents for foreign governments if
it is consistent with our foreign policy objectives.
Mr. Speaker, while the United States Mint is allowed in law to
produce coins for other countries, the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing, or BEP, as we know it, is not. This prohibition has prevented
the BEP from responding to a number of requests or opportunities to
help smaller countries strengthen their economies by producing currency
or security documents such as stamps or deeds or passports that are
difficult
[[Page H1383]]
to counterfeit. Simply put, Mr. Speaker, if the opportunity is there to
impede counterfeiting of this sort and the BEP is prevented by law from
taking it, we are all the losers.
The bill is essentially in the same language as that which has passed
the House by both voice and recorded vote in the past several
Congresses after being introduced at the request of both this and the
prior administration, Mr. Speaker.
Because of the current prohibition in law, we have turned away
currency-printing requests from friends such as Kuwait after the first
Gulf War and Mexico a couple of years ago when they were redesigning
their currency, and we were unable to bid on reprinting the currency of
Iraq to remove the image of Saddam after last year's war.
Mr. Speaker, many countries lack the resources to produce secure
currency or secure passports. Nothing in this legislation prevents a
country from choosing a U.S.-based private sector printer; but the
history of this sort of printing is that while a private sector printer
is bound to be less expensive, the business is not price-sensitive.
Typically, when countries turn to a printer outside their own borders,
it is to another government printer: the bank of Australia, the Bank of
England, or the European Central Bank printers. In my view, the United
States Treasury should be on that list as well.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation specifies that the BEP could not bid on
any printing contract for another government unless it could do the
work without interrupting the printing and delivery of U.S. currency
and security documents, and unless the Secretary of State certified
that the work would be consistent with U.S. foreign policy.
Additionally, the BEP must be reimbursed by the client country, so
that the work does not cost the U.S. taxpayer and it is not just
another form of foreign aid. All costs, including administrative costs,
will be passed to the foreign governments and no rogue state or
unfriendly nation will receive the benefit of our knowledge and
expertise.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this long overdue
legislation and permit BEP to print currency, postage, and other
security documents for foreign governments.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 2993, the ``District of
Columbia and United States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar
Program Act,'' introduced February 10 by the gentleman from New York,
Mr. King.
This legislation will enhance the popular 50-State Quarter program I
am proud to have authored, with the addition of a one-year program that
will include designs reminiscent of the District of Columbia, American
Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands on the reverse of our circulating
quarters in the year following the end of the State quarter program in
2008. With passage of this legislation, the District of Columbia and
the U.S. territories will rightly be included in the historical
depictions on the quarter. I support these inclusions for both the
historical importance and financial benefit for the United States
Treasury.
Mr. Speaker, the State quarter program--which reached the halfway
mark at the end of December--has dramatically increased general
knowledge of the historical contributions of our fifty States. I
believe the legislation under consideration today would do the same for
the District and the territories. These areas have some of the highest
enlistment rates in our armed forces--their commitment continues
through today's conflicts and includes the tragic sacrifice of the
lives of among others Lance Cpl. Gregory E. MacDonald of the District
of Columbia, and Army Pvt. Jonathan I. Falaniko, of Pago Pago, American
Samoa.
As well, Mr. Speaker, the District and the territories have made many
historical, cultural and athletic contributions to our Nation, and this
bill we consider today is a great opportunity to recognize them, in
artwork on the reverse of the quarters.
The one-year program provides more than intangible benefits to the
United States. It provides an economic boon to our Nation's Treasury.
The success of the State quarter program has been overwhelming. The
quarters have become one of the most popular collector's items in the
United States and abroad. As of December, the halfway point of the
program, Federal revenues had grown by over four billion dollars,
representing coins that have been taken out of circulation by
collectors. As a result, it is estimated that if the popularity of
quarters produced under this legislation follow similar trends, as much
as one billion dollars worth of the quarters may be taken out of
circulation.
Mr. Speaker, I applaud the gentleman from New York, Mr. King, for
introducing this bill, and the gentlewomen from the District of
Columbia, Ms. Norton, for her tireless campaign towards its passage. I
also commend many others who have urged passage over the past,
including the gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Bachus, who sponsored a
previous version of the legislation, and the gentlewomen from
California, Ms. Waters. Of course, I would also like to thank the
ranking member of the Subcommittee, the gentlewomen from New York, Mrs.
Maloney and the Chairman and Ranking Member of the full committee, Mr.
Oxley and Mr. Frank, for their assistance in making this legislation
possible.
Mr. Speaker, I urge swift passage of H.R. 2993 to recognize the
invaluable contributions of the District and the territories.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
This is a perfectly reasonable bill, and I support it. However, I do
want to comment on what seems to me the poignancy that this great House
of Representatives, this Chamber that represents the American people,
in the middle of the week, in the middle of what will be a short
session because it is an election year, cannot find anything more
important to do with its time.
Actually, there is one interesting thing about this law. We will get
to see some foreign money. We will get to see it only when we print it
for them, and then we will send it right back. Unfortunately, our
economic policies and our approach to trade and globalization mean that
we do not see much other foreign money. We have not been very diligent
about trying to promote other ways in which we could get something from
globalization for the people here, but at least we will get to wave at
the money as we send it overseas.
I did want to, though, particularly join in one sentiment expressed
by the gentleman from Delaware. I very much agree with him: This is an
example of where the public sector can do the job better than the
private sector. Now, that is not usually the case. We have a private
sector economy and we depend, for the creation of wealth, of goods, and
services, primarily on the private sector. But it ought to be
underlined that there are some things important to our society that can
only be done by the public sector. This is an example.
When another country is asking us to print their money for them, the
question of security becomes very important; and this is something,
security, which is particularly appropriate for the public sector to
do. This will mean some work for the public sector, but not enough,
because we are in an unusual situation now with our economy.
Because of a set of technological factors, public policy choices, the
nature of globalization, we have the odd situation in which something
which is a very good thing in the abstract, increased productivity, has
sadly some negative consequences in reality. We are in a situation in
which we are able, through productivity, significantly to increase
wealth. An example here today is America's superiority in the printing
of money over many others. We do that in a very productive way. But
because of retrograde public policies, as well as the inherent nature
of much of what happens, that wealth is not nearly as well-shared as it
should be. We are in an odd situation in which, as wealth is created,
too little goes to the people who work for others and are compensated
for that work through a living. We have unemployment not dropping; we
have real wages dropping. We have health care being eroded because
employers no longer want to pay for it. And while public policy has not
been the major cause of these trends, we have had public policies
recently, the weakening of labor unions, unfair tax policies, one-sided
trade policy, which asks nothing of those with whom we trade so that
this redounds the disadvantage of workers here when we try to maintain
standards. We have exacerbated that situation, and that we ought to
change.
So I am pleased to join in reaffirming the importance of the American
Government as the superior way for foreign countries to get their
currency printed. I am glad to affirm that. I regret only, Mr. Speaker,
the narrowness with which that principle is now being affirmed and the
fact that on a prime
[[Page H1384]]
day in the middle of the legislative week, in the middle of the
legislative session, this is all the leadership of this House can find
to ask us to do. There are issues involving the extension of
unemployment benefits, and there are other important questions that we
should be dealing with. Unfortunately, we do not.
So I do not mean to blame this nice little bill for not being what it
is not. This bill deserves to be passed. But this country deserves a
chance for this House of Representatives to deal with much more
substantive legislation addressing the economic distress that so many
of our fellow citizens now encounter.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I am very pleased that this bill at least addresses in some very
small part some of the concerns which the gentleman from Massachusetts
holds, and I understand all that. But I think he is correct about this
bill. I do not think there is any argument that what we are doing is
essentially positive for the environment and for a government agency
which can provide these services.
Mr. OXLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3786, the ``Bureau
of Engraving and Printing Security Printing Act of 2004.''
Mr. Speaker, it is rare when the Members of this body can do
something that is good for the country, good for the world, bad for
nobody except crooks and terrorists and cost U.S. taxpayers nothing.
This is one of those occasions.
Mr. Speaker, by approving this legislation, which would allow the
Treasury Department to print currency and security documents such as
passports or stock certificates for foreign governments, Members of the
House will be voting to help strengthen the economies of friendly
smaller nations and cutting the opportunities fraud and identity theft
worldwide. Further, should the Treasury Department print any such
documents, the work would be done on a fully reimbursable basis while
allowing our expert engravers and printers at Treasury to refine their
craft by working on anti-counterfeiting techniques that are not yet
ready for the high-volume production necessary for U.S. documents but
which with refinement someday may find their way to U.S. security
documents or currency.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation is similar to bills introduced at the
request of both this and the previous Administration, which was broadly
and bipartisanly approved in this chamber in several recent Congresses.
That it never has been considered in the other body is a shame--the
Treasury was unable to participate in producing new currency for Iraq
that removed the face of the dictator, Saddam Hussein.
No work authorized under this legislation could be performed if doing
so would interfere with the Treasury's job of providing currency and
other security documents for the U.S. or if such work would not be in
full harmony with U.S. foreign-policy objectives. Further, the bill
does not prevent foreign nations from sending such printing to a U.S.-
based private-sector printer, although such printing is usually done by
government printers in larger nations.
Mr. Speaker, this is good legislation. It deserves our full support,
and I recommend its immediate passage.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3786.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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