[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18301]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               SUPPORT THE CENTERS FOR EXCELLENCE PROGRAM

  (Mr. RODRIGUEZ asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Centers for 
Excellence program and other health professions. The President's budget 
for the year 2002, Madam Speaker, has called for a drastic 60 percent 
reduction in these Health Resources and Service Administration health 
programs.
  The HERSA agency, in addition, has announced this week that they 
would be also limited to only $12 million for this program for the year 
2002, a significant decrease. According to the Health Education Program 
Act, the first $12 million is set aside for the Historically Black 
Colleges and Universities. Thus, in order to continue the Hispanic and 
native Americans and other programs, we urge an increase in the 
existing budget for the Center for Health Care Services, which is at 
$30 million.
  The Centers for Excellence programs are essential and still needed to 
help increase the number of minorities in the health professions 
throughout the country. The program has a proven track record of 
producing and graduating more minority students than any other schools. 
So we encourage and we ask our fellow colleagues to support the $30 
million that we have had in the past. Hispanics now represent 12 
percent of the population; and we need additional nurses, so we ask for 
my colleagues' support.

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