[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 22819]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1900
   EXTENDING PROGRAM RELATING TO WAIVER OF FOREIGN COUNTRY RESIDENCE 
      REQUIREMENT WITH RESPECT TO INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 5571) to 
extend for 5 years the program relating to waiver of the foreign 
country residence requirement with respect to international medical 
graduates, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the Senate amendment is as follows:

       Senate amendment:
       On page 2, line 5, strike ``June 1, 2013'' and insert 
     ``March 6, 2009''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5571 reauthorizes a critically important 
immigration program that helps medically underserved communities 
attract highly skilled physicians. This program expired on June 1 of 
this year. On May 21, the House passed this bill with a 5-year 
reauthorization.
  As sent back from the Senate, the bill allows the program to expire 
again on March 6, 2009. While this unfortunate limitation will require 
Congress to revisit this issue promptly next year, the program is too 
important to let expire. The program helps States attract doctors who 
have received their medical training in the United States and who agree 
to work in medically underserved areas.
  Its importance was demonstrated last year when a tornado utterly 
destroyed the town of Greensburg, Kansas. That town would not have had 
doctors without this program, and their presence helped tremendously in 
the town's ability to keep casualties to a minimum.
  We need to keep this program going so that the States can attract 
medical talent and keep the doors open.
  I commend Ranking Member Lamar Smith, as well as my colleague, Sheila 
Jackson-Lee, for their efforts to bring this bill to the floor, and I 
urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill extends a program that has successfully 
brought doctors to medically underserved areas in the U.S. The Conrad 
Program allows foreign doctors who have been here on exchange programs 
to stay at the conclusion of their residencies if they agree to 
practice medicine for at least 3 years in health professionals shortage 
areas.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill. I urge my colleagues to support it.
  This bill extends a program that has successfully brought doctors to 
medically underserved areas in the U.S. The ``Conrad'' program allows 
foreign doctors who have been here on exchange programs to stay at the 
conclusion of their residencies if they agree to practice medicine for 
at least 3 years in health professional shortage areas.
  In May the House passed legislation to extend the program for an 
additional 5 years. And Senator Specter introduced legislation in the 
Senate to also extend the program for 5 years. Our medically 
underserved communities deserve a long-term reauthorization of this 
program so that they can better plan for the future.
  I support this bill today. However, it only reauthorizes the Conrad 
program for about 5 months. Why such a short reauthorization? Well, the 
reason is that the Democrats on the other side of the Capitol are 
holding the reauthorization of another vital immigration program 
hostage.
  The E-Verify program provides tens of thousands of American employers 
who want to do the right thing with an effective way to ensure that 
they are hiring a legal workforce. The authorization for E-Verify 
expires in November, so the House passed a 5 year reauthorization by 
the overwhelming vote of 407 to 2.
  Unfortunately, the Democrats in the Senate have refused to pass an 
extension of E-Verify for longer than 5 months. They refuse to pass a 
longer extension unless we accede to their demand to increase 
immigration to the U.S. by over 500,000 persons.
  Such a demand goes against the clear preference of the American 
people who oppose an increase in immigration levels already at a record 
high. It goes against the interests of American workers in these 
unsettled economic times. And it goes against the interests of American 
employers, who want to count on E-Verify being available to them for 
the long term.
  The House is right to reject the demand of the Senate Democrats. 
Unfortunately, since they will only extend E-Verify for 5 months, we 
will only get a five month extension of the Conrad program. Thus, we 
will need to address this issue again after the 111th Congress convenes 
next winter.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, today, we are preventing 
a critically important immigration program from expiring.
  No one disputes that there is a health care crisis in this country. 
With our population aging, there is no doubt that the demand for health 
care will only increase.
  The problem is made worse by a shortage of medical professionals, 
including doctors, in many communities across America. H.R. 5571 will 
reauthorize a program--the Conrad 30 J Waiver Program--that has been 
successful at helping medically underserved communities attract highly 
skilled physicians.
  The program allows States to recruit foreign doctors who have 
received their medical training in the United States, so long as those 
doctors work in medically underserved areas.
  This program is critically important to underserved communities 
across this country, but it unfortunately expired on June 1, 2008. The 
House passed the bill on May 21, but the Senate did not act until just 
yesterday, when it extended the program through March 6, 2009.
  Although I would have strongly preferred to reauthorize this program 
for 5 years, as the bill I introduced stated, this program is too 
important to let expire as we continue to negotiate the length of time 
this program should be extended. We must pass this bill today so that 
we may have the additional time we need to further reauthorize the 
Conrad 30 J Waiver Program.
  I wish to thank Lamar Smith, the Ranking Member of the Judiciary 
Committee, and Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee for their efforts in 
helping me bring this bill to the floor.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back my time.
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I just further urge 
support of this bill, and I yield back my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren) that the House suspend 
the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 5571.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the Senate amendment was concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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