[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 26, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H348-H350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    EMERGENCY AID TO AMERICAN SURVIVORS OF THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE ACT

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (S. 2949) to amend section 1113 of the Social Security Act to 
provide authority for increased fiscal year 2010 payments for temporary 
assistance to United States citizens returned from foreign countries, 
to provide necessary funding to avoid shortfalls in the Medicare cost-
sharing program for low-income qualifying individuals, and for other 
purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                S. 2949

       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 ``Emergency Aid to American 
     Survivors of the Haiti Earthquake Act''.

     SEC. 2. INCREASE IN AGGREGATE PAYMENTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010 
                   FOR TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE TO UNITED STATES 
                   CITIZENS RETURNED FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES.

       Section 1113(d) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
     1313(d)) is amended by striking ``September, 30, 2003'' and 
     all that follows and inserting ``September 30, 2009, except 
     that, in the case of fiscal year 2010, the total amount of 
     such assistance provided during that fiscal year shall not 
     exceed $25,000,000.''.

     SEC. 3. QI PROGRAM FUNDING.

       Section 1933(g)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
     1396u-3(g)(2)) is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (M), by striking ``$412,500,000'' and 
     inserting ``$462,500,000''; and
       (2) in subparagraph (N), by striking ``$150,000,000'' and 
     inserting ``$165,000,000''.

     SEC. 4. APPLICATION OF MEDICAID IMPROVEMENT FUND.

       Section 1941(b)(1)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
     1396w-1(b)(1)(A)) is amended by striking ``$100,000,000'' and 
     inserting ``$10,000,000''.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. McDermott) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny 
Brown-Waite) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) be allowed to control 10 
minutes of the time for debate on this bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Washington?
  There was no objection.


                             General Leave

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 2949.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Washington?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Madam Speaker, 2 weeks ago, the largest earthquake 
ever recorded in Haiti wreaked havoc throughout the country.
  Some of those affected by the devastation in Haiti are U.S. citizens 
who are now being evacuated back to the United States. We need to act 
today to continue a program that helps these Americans get back home.
  The Repatriation Program provides assistance to U.S. citizens 
evacuating foreign countries due to a crisis by helping them secure and 
pay for connecting flights, temporary lodging, food, and medical 
assistance. Recipients of this assistance are expected to reimburse the 
government for such aid, unless repayment poses a significant hardship.
  This program has an annual funding cap of only $1 million, which is 
far short of the funding needed to help all the U.S. citizens returning 
home. There were roughly 45,000 Americans living in Haiti when the 
earthquake hit, and over 14,000 have already been evacuated.
  The bill before us increases the program's funding cap to $25 million 
for this year so that it can continue to serve U.S. citizens returning 
from Haiti.
  It is worth noting that we have raised this program's annual funding 
cap in response to past international crises. Most recently, in 2006, 
Congress responded to a request from the Bush administration to 
increase the program's funding to help Americans evacuating Lebanon.
  As sent over by the Senate, this bill also continues funding for 
another group of needy Americans, low-income senior citizens. A program 
known as QI that now helps Medicare beneficiaries with their part B 
premiums if their income is only slightly above the poverty line 
requires additional funding in order to continue to provide assistance 
to every State throughout the rest of the year. This legislation 
provides the necessary funding to address this shortfall and to ensure 
the program continues to operate.
  The Congressional Budget Office reports that the cost of both of 
these provisions is fully offset by a reduction in the Medicaid 
Improvement Fund, which provides additional funding to HHS for program 
management.
  In short, this bill helps people in great need of assistance without 
raising the deficit.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this effort to help 
Americans evacuating from Haiti and to continue assistance to Medicare 
beneficiaries.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of this Senate bill, S. 2949. As Representative 
McDermott described, it will provide assistance to thousands of 
Americans returning from Haiti following the devastating January 12 
earthquake there.
  Let me reiterate that we are helping American citizens with this 
legislation.
  The bill, entitled Emergency Aid to American Survivors of the Haiti 
Earthquake Act, will ensure that State and local governments and 
charitable agencies on the ground in Florida, for example, and 
elsewhere have the resources to do exactly that.
  Funding for those local efforts is provided through the Repatriation 
Program administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services. Each year, that program provides temporary assistance in the 
form of loans to U.S. citizens and their dependents arriving in the 
U.S. following an emergency. By law, currently the program is capped at 
$1 million per year.
  This bill, which passed the Senate last night, temporarily increases 
that cap for 2010. As the legislation makes clear, and the 
Congressional Budget Office score confirms, this increase is entirely 
paid for by reducing spending in other areas. It does not raise the 
national debt.
  This is similar to how Congress responded when demand for 
repatriation assistance swelled following the American evacuation of 
Lebanon in 2006. Congress stepped in to provide for the additional 
funds that were needed and paid for that additional funding through 
savings. That is the right approach. And, frankly, my constituents

[[Page H349]]

would like to see this balanced budget approach applied across the 
board, not just to the smallest items.
  For my part, I wish we were cutting funds in the bloated State 
Department budget to pay for this emergency. As I am sure my colleagues 
would agree, Congress should be looking for ways to save taxpayer 
dollars all the time, not just when new spending emergency needs come 
up. Unfortunately, since we are acting on a Senate bill, these concerns 
will have to wait for another day.
  Before I yield, I would like to note the special importance this bill 
has for the State of Florida. Since so many of our returning citizens 
are arriving through my home State, I truly appreciate my colleagues 
supporting this bill and making sure that State and local agencies have 
the resources that they need to respond to this emergency.

  The State Department suggests that there were approximately 45,000 
U.S. citizens in Haiti and that they were there when the earthquake 
hit. As of yesterday, some 14,000 had already returned to the United 
States. I commend all the workers in Florida and across the country, 
whether with State or local government agencies, the Red Cross, our 
Armed Forces, or other agencies who are helping fellow citizens as they 
travel to their final destinations in the United States.
  The House and Senate are to be commended for acting very quickly on 
this legislation. Passing the Emergency Aid to American Survivors of 
the Haiti Earthquake Act today is important to thousands of Americans 
who have been displaced and who need a helping hand to return home. I 
encourage support for this bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in strong support of the Emergency Aid to American Survivors 
of the Haiti Earthquake Act, or S. 2949, which passed the Senate last 
night with bipartisan support.
  As my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee have explained, this 
bill provides $25 million to enable the Secretary of HHS to reimburse 
States for the costs of providing temporary assistance to U.S. citizens 
who have returned from the catastrophe in Haiti without available 
resources.
  I want to focus on the portion of the bill that provides temporary 
assistance for low-income Medicare beneficiaries under what is known as 
the Medicaid QI program.
  Currently, Medicaid pays the Medicare part B premiums for low-income 
Medicare beneficiaries with incomes between 120 percent and 135 percent 
of the Federal poverty level. That translates to an income of between 
$13,000 and $14,600 per year.
  Now, the monthly part B premium is $96.40 per month, or $1,157 per 
year. And this is 8 percent to 9 percent of the income of these low-
income, elderly, and disabled Medicare beneficiaries. Obviously, having 
Medicaid pay this premium makes Medicare much more affordable for these 
people and eases their financial struggles.
  This Medicaid payment comes from a fixed amount of funding for the 
QIs that is allocated among the States. According to the Centers for 
Medicare and Medicaid Services, that fund is about $65 million short 
for this calendar year 2010. When the fund runs out, States have the 
option of continuing to pay the part B premiums for this population 
with their own funds or simply stopping new enrollment.
  One State, Arizona, has already announced that it is capping its QI 
program this week in response to an estimated $2.8 million shortfall in 
its allotment. The State is going to give public notice and then deny 
all new Arizona applications. This will affect approximately 175 
Medicare beneficiaries in Arizona each month.
  While no other State has yet to stop enrollment, there are 21 States 
in addition to Arizona that have projected shortfalls in their QI 
funding. That includes Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, 
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, 
Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South 
Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Vermont.
  By filling this $65 million national QI funding shortfall for this 
calendar year, this bill will allow Arizona to uncap its QI program and 
help the other 21 States avoid capping theirs. Tens of thousands of 
low-income Medicare beneficiaries all over the country will be able to 
receive assistance with their part B premiums.
  Madam Speaker, let me stress that this bill is fully paid for. It 
withdraws $90 million from the Medicaid Improvement Fund to offset both 
the cost of the temporary assistance for U.S. citizens returning from 
Haiti and the cost of funding the QI program shortfall. In fact, CBO 
estimates that the legislation will actually reduce the deficit by $14 
million. So I think overall this is very good legislation, very helpful 
to the States, and certainly significant for those who are returning 
from Haiti. And I would urge my colleagues to suspend the rules and 
pass S. 2949.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. This legislation will ensure that 
American citizens returning from the devastation in Haiti in the days 
ahead will receive the same help and support as those who have already 
arrived and gotten their way home. It also will ensure that the many 
individuals hard at work assisting their fellow citizens will get the 
resources they need to continue these important efforts. I would ask my 
colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Rangel).
  Mr. RANGEL. I want to thank my colleagues, and especially Dr. 
McDermott, for bringing this piece of legislation to the floor to give 
some assistance to American citizens who found themselves in Haiti 
during this tragedy. This comes under the Social Security system, and 
I'm glad that Dr. McDermott was able to bring it to the floor.
  I have never been more proud of the Congress, my country, and, 
indeed, citizens throughout the world for rallying to the cause of 
these young people.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 
2949: The ``Emergency Aid to American Survivors of the Haiti Earthquake 
Act.'' This bill would provide up to $25 million in Fiscal Year 2010 
for a Department of Health and Human Services program which repatriates 
U.S. citizens from foreign countries. This assistance is vital to 
Americans who were living in Haiti when the earthquake struck as well 
as the families of those displaced who are now faced with the 
unexpected responsibility of supporting their repatriating relatives.
  This repatriation assistance provides temporary assistance to 
citizens and their dependents who are identified by the Department of 
State as needing to return from a foreign country to the U.S. but who 
do not have the resources to do so.
  As you know, on Tuesday, January 12th, a massive, 7.0 magnitude 
earthquake struck Haiti near the capital of Port-au-Prince. There is 
still no official estimate of death or destruction but the damage to 
buildings is extensive and the number of injured or dead is estimated 
to be in the hundreds of thousands.
  The full dimensions of the disaster are still unfolding, but Haiti's 
Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive told CNN that he believes there are 
well over 100,000 dead, and leading senator Youri Latortue estimated 
the number at possibly as high as 500,000, according the Associated 
Press.
  America is responding, and will continue to respond with immediate 
humanitarian assistance to help the people of this struggling island 
nation rebuild their livelihoods. I send my condolences to the people 
and government of Haiti as they grieve once again in the aftermath of a 
natural disaster. As Haiti's neighbor, I believe it is the United 
States' responsibility to help Haiti recover, and build the capacity to 
mitigate against future disasters.
  America and her allies have already initiated a comprehensive, 
interagency response to the earthquake. The State Department, 
Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard, 
USAID--all worked overnight to ensure critical resources were 
positioned to support the response and recovery effort, including 
efforts to find and assist American citizens in Haiti.
  Within days of last week's devastating earthquake, U.S. Southern 
Command deployed a team of 30 people to Haiti to support U.S. relief 
efforts in the aftermath of one of the largest natural disasters in the 
western hemisphere. The team included U.S. military engineers, 
operational planners, and a command and control group and communication 
specialists arriving on two C-130 Hercules aircraft. Since, there has 
been a tremendous interagency response with support and partnering with 
U.S. Embassy personnel as well as Haitian, United Nations and 
international officials

[[Page H350]]

to assess the situation and facilitate follow-on U.S. military support.
  Our friends in the international community must also be commended for 
their efforts. The United Nations is releasing $10 million from its 
emergency funds. The European Commission has approved =3 million ($4.37 
million) with more funds likely. Countless other nations, from Germany 
to China to Israel to Mexico have also pledged support. I commend each 
of these nations for coming to our neighboring nation in dire need of 
assistance.
  Many of my constituents have asked what they can do to help, or how 
they can find their loved ones. Those who are interested in helping 
immediately can text `HAITI' to `90999' and a donation of $10 will be 
made automatically to the Red Cross for relief efforts. The donation 
will be charged to your cell phone bill.
  The outpouring of support and funding from the American people was 
both instant and sustained. According to the Washington Post, the text 
messaging effort raised $5 million in its first day, breaking the 
previous one-day record of about $450,000. Text-message donations 
continue to play a larger-than-expected role in the push for earthquake 
relief in Haiti. As of late Sunday, the American Red Cross said that it 
had collected pledges of about $103 million, including $22 million 
through the text donation program. Each donor should be proud of their 
contribution to help their brothers and sisters in Haiti.
  Financially, 2009 was not an easy year for many Americans. Although 
thousands of jobs were created and we are back on the road to economic 
recovery, Americans lived on tighter budgets than usual. This 
legislation passed today will allow those Americans who have generously 
donated money to Haiti to receive their tax break this year instead of 
next year.

  In January of 2005, Congress enacted this type of relief for 
individuals that made charitable contributions to victims of the Indian 
Ocean tsunami that occurred in late December of 2004. That bill (H.R. 
241 in the 109th Congress) passed the House of Representatives without 
objection and subsequently passed the Senate by unanimous consent. I 
hope that this legislation, like our response to the 2004 tsunami, will 
encourage Americans to contribute more money to Haiti. As Haiti starts 
on its long recovery, every dollar is critically important. Americans 
have responded in great numbers, and I am proud to represent such a 
compassionate and generous nation.
  Americans are not only giving their money, they are also giving their 
time and expertise as well. This weekend, I arranged for a team of 
seven doctors, six nurses, two techs, and two search and rescue 
volunteers to fly to Haiti and provide immediate humanitarian support. 
This team led by Dr. Richard Toussaint from Forest Park Medical Center 
in Dallas Texas arrived in Haiti just after noon on Saturday. From 
there, the doctors made their way to Hospital Sacre-Couer where, in 
roughly two days, they performed about 70 amputations, surgically 
treated about 150 patients, and saw about 600 patients total. I commend 
this team of medical personnel for their selfless actions and 
willingness to spend their own time and money to come to the aid of 
people they had never met.
  Additionally, I hosted a Houston-based Haiti relief effort called 
``Texans helping Haitians'' with city leadership and the Haitian 
community in the aftermath of this horrible disaster. Groups included 
in the effort to provide supplies and medical assistance to Haiti were: 
Texas Medical Center, Texas Dental Association, Search and Rescue 
Organizations, the Haitian Multicultural Association, Haitian Caribbean 
Organization of Texas, Caribbean Impact Foundation, and Haiti Counts.
  We also helped coordinate the safe return of six Houston Rotarians 
that were stranded in the mountains and we are now working with Office 
of Foreign Disaster Assistance on the transport of orphans to awaiting 
families here in the U.S. Our paramount duty is to protect Americans, 
and this bill will do exactly that.
  In addition to providing temporary assistance directly to 
repatriates, the program also provides funds to States and other 
vendors to cover the administrative costs of providing temporary 
assistance to these individuals. This financial assistance is repayable 
to the U.S. government, unless waived by the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services.
  Additionally, this legislation provides an additional $60 million in 
funding for the Qualifying Individual (QI) program, which allows States 
to fund the Medicare Part B premiums of near-poor seniors not eligible 
for Medicaid.
  The bill's Haiti funding and the increased QI funds are paid for 
through transfers from the Medicaid Improvement Fund. The Medicaid 
Improvement Fund is a program intended to improve the management of the 
Medicaid program. The legislation cuts $90 million from that fund.
  Medicare is a lifeline for Houston's seniors and this bill takes 
crucial steps toward strengthening it and providing the highest quality 
of care and benefits for our elderly.
  In my home state of Texas, the need for a more efficient healthcare 
is more prevalent now than ever. One in four Texans, about 5.7 million 
people, or 24.5 percent of the state's population, has no health 
insurance coverage. An estimated 1,339,550 Texas children--20.2 percent 
of Texas children--are uninsured. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 
Texas has the nation's highest percentage of uninsured residents. This 
poses consequences for every person, business and local government in 
the state who bear extra costs to pay for uncompensated care. If 
Medicare funding is allowed to be cut or capped, the number of 
uninsured will grow dramatically.
  Once again, I am devastated by the immeasurable tragedy that occurred 
in Haiti. Along with my colleagues, I hope to visit Haiti in the near 
future to meet with their leaders and see what the United States can do 
to rebuild the shattered livelihoods. This bill will help two 
categories of Americans with no cost to the taxpayers. I strongly 
support this bill and urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor 
of it.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, it is difficult to comprehend 
the depth of tragedy and sorrow that has visited the poor island of 
Haiti. It is difficult to convey the depth of our sympathy and shock at 
the catastrophe that has befallen the Haitian people.
  Madam Speaker, the extent of the misery, destruction and death is 
nearly beyond imagination. It surely puts our own national trials and 
tribulations into perspective.
  Our national unity in pursuing efforts to relieve the suffering of 
the Haitian people has been tremendously encouraging, particularly as 
this unity has sprung up amid the division and vitriol that have 
plagued our national politics in recent months and years.
  And while our efforts to bring aid to the Haitians must continue, and 
will continue, our first priority, our first obligation, our first 
solemn duty as Americans and members of the United States Congress is 
to rescue and provide immediate relief to the American citizens in 
Haiti who are victims of this tragic natural disaster.
  I applaud Chairman Rangel in the House and Chairman Baucus in the 
Senate for their swift and focused action. On short notice and in an 
environment of uncertainty they have crafted a bill that will ensure 
the U.S. government has the resources and authority it needs to provide 
emergency aid to American survivors of this earthquake.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 2949.
  Two weeks ago today, Haiti was devastated by its largest earthquake 
in over two centuries.
  The United States has been unparalleled in its efforts to assist 
Haiti in the wake of this catastrophe and it only makes sense that we 
would show the same compassion and generosity to the many Americans who 
were victims of this tragic disaster.
  As my colleagues have shared, this bill will provide important 
temporary assistance to help U.S. citizens on a need basis as they 
return from Haiti and re-establish themselves here in the U.S.
  When the earthquake struck, there were an estimated 45,000 Americans 
living in Haiti.
  Since then, nearly 12,000 Americans have been evacuated.
  This bill will help to cover the costs related to these 
repatriations.
  Again, I rise in support of this important measure and if I may, 
would also like to take a moment to acknowledge the many Americans 
whose lives were lost as well in the earthquake.
  My most sincere thoughts and prayers go out to all of the family and 
friends who lost loved ones that day.
  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I urge 
passage of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. I urge the passage of S. 2949, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, S. 2949.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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