[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 86 (Friday, May 23, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1083]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   EXTENDING PROGRAM RELATING TO WAIVER OF FOREIGN COUNTRY RESIDENCE 
      REQUIREMENT WITH RESPECT TO INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES

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                               speech of

                          HON. JOHN M. McHUGH

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 19, 2008

  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5571, which 
provides a 5-year extension of the Conrad 30 J Waiver Program. That 
program is of critical importance to my constituents and to our Nation 
as a whole because it provides a mechanism whereby doctors can be 
provided to medically underserved areas.
  I have the privilege of representing New York State's 23rd 
Congressional District, a predominantly rural region which encompasses 
14,739 square miles in 11 counties in northern and central New York. It 
is breathtakingly beautiful and contains national treasures such as 
Lake Champlain, the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, and the 
Adirondack Mountains. However, it has a 13.5 percent poverty rate and 
some have characterized it as remote.
  One of our greatest challenges is recruiting and retaining 
physicians. In fact, given its importance to our economy and quality of 
life, that challenge is almost always raised whenever I meet with the 
fine men and women who serve as local elected officials, business 
community leaders, or health professionals.
  The Conrad 30 J Waiver Program is an invaluable tool in our effort to 
meet that challenge. In fact, since 1996, my office has helped secure 
waivers for 46 doctors, including 7 primary care physicians located in 
6 of the 11 counties I represent. While these doctors have helped 
immensely in our effort to address our physician shortage, I am 
hesitant to imagine a scenario where we did not have the Conrad 30 J 
Waiver Program.
  Accordingly, I greatly appreciate the work the Gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Lofgren) and the Gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) 
have done to bring this measure to the floor and look forward to its 
enactment.

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