[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 26]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 THE MEDICARE FRAUD PREVENTION AND ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 2003, THE FAMILY 
AND MEDICAL LEAVE CLARIFICATION ACT OF 2003, AND THE ENERGY AND SCIENCE 
                    RESEARCH INVESTMENT ACT OF 2003

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce three bills that 
address issues affecting our health care system, our workplace, and the 
future of science research in the United States.
  Topping our agenda as we begin this first day of the 108th Congress 
are the serious challenges facing our Medicare system: enacting a 
prescription drug benefit for seniors and providing fair and adequate 
reimbursement for physicians, hospitals, and care facilities in my home 
State of Illinois and across the Nation.
  So the first bill that I introduce today is one that will make it 
easier to provide this funding by cracking down on the waste, fraud, 
and abuse that drain more than $12 billion a year from the Medicare 
system.
  The Medicare Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Act of 2003 will put an 
end to that theft. It will strengthen the Medicare enrollment process, 
expand certain standards of participation, and reduce erroneous 
payments. Perhaps most importantly, it gives criminal investigators at 
the Department of Health and Human Services the Federal law enforcement 
tools to help them pursue and prosecute health care swindlers.
  The time to modernize Medicare is not next week, not next month or 
next year; the time is now. But true reform will not be achieved 
without first protecting Medicare from fraud and scandalous 
exploitation.
  The second bill I introduce today, the Family and Medical Leave 
Clarification Act of 2003, will make a good act work even better for 
our Nation's workers and employers. What do I mean by that? Well, since 
its enactment in 1993, the Family and Medical Leave Act, or FMLA, has 
brought peace of mind and job security during critical times to 
thousands of workers and their families. That is a good thing. But 
along with this good thing has come the bad: conflict with existing 
workplace policies, misinterpretations, and misapplications of the law, 
intrusions into the privacy of employees, and other consequences that 
were never anticipated or intended by Congress. While none of us would 
say that FMLA is broken, all of us, employees and employers alike, must 
recognize that it should be fixed.
  How will my bill fix the unintended and unwanted consequences of 
FMLA?
  First, it clarifies what is now regarded as a confusing definition of 
a ``serious health condition.''
  Second, it allows for employees to request leave time in blocks of at 
least 4 hours so that they have enough time to take care of their 
business without feeling rushed to return to the office. At the same 
time, it cuts down on the paperwork that employers must process and the 
intrusive questions they must ask employees before granting leave.
  Third, it allows employers to require employees to choose whether to 
take unpaid leave under FMLA or a paid leave of absence under a 
collective bargaining agreement. It provides an incentive for employers 
who offer sick leave to continue to do so while providing a 
disincentive for those who are considering termination of such employee 
friendly plans.
  The FMLA Clarification Act is a reasonable measure and fair response 
to many of the concerns raised by workers and employers around the 
country. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it.
  Last but not least, I introduce today the Energy and Science Research 
Investment Act, which recognizes the urgent need to finance and manage 
well our Nation's basic research initiatives.
  Over the past 5 years, Federal funding for medical research has 
nearly doubled, yet funding for research in the physical sciences has 
remained stagnant at 1990 levels.
  The Energy and Science Research Investment Act will provide 
additional resources to the Department of Energy's Office of Science 
and make organizational changes that will enhance the accountability 
and oversight of energy research and science programs at the DOE.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank those who have signed on as original cosponsors 
of these bills, and I urge others to join us in becoming cosponsors of 
these three key measures.

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