[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 70 (Tuesday, May 18, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   UNDOCUMENTED ALIEN EMERGENCY MEDICAL ASSISTANCE AMENDMENTS OF 2004

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                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 18, 2004

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, today the House considered H.R. 3722, the 
Undocumented Alien Emergency Medical Assistance Amendments. As you 
know, I voted against this bill.
  Frankly, at a time when tuberculosis is on the rise in America, when 
STDs and AIDS continue to plague our population, and when biological 
health threats are no longer strictly the realm of science fiction. I 
am embarrassed that we had to debate legislation to erect barriers to 
health care rather than debating ways to encourage early intervention 
whenever someone falls ill.
  Communicable diseases still do exist, even in a techno-world like 
ours. And they are very real threats to public health and safety. Just 
one ``Typhoid Mary'' can cause health emergencies of epidemic 
proportions.
  Intrusive identification programs like the one proposed in H.R. 3722 
create a near police-state environment in the emergency room. Suddenly 
the fear of not having one's proper documentation becomes more 
important than the prospect of getting treatment. Not getting treatment 
leads to risks for all of us and believe me, disease does not respect 
green cards. This bill is mean-spirited in its targeting of hard-
working, albeit undocumented persons, but it is reckless in its 
exposing the greater community to potential health threats.
  The better answer to this problem is to enforce the current 
immigration laws, which do not allow for the hiring of undocumented 
workers, to provide the necessary resources to protect the border from 
illegal crossings, and above all, to work with our international 
neighbors to build a world economy that encourages citizens to remain 
in their homeland and build their lives there.

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