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   (Mr. CROWLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

   Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I believe there is no greater issue that confronts this Congress and the Nation than health care reform. This is not a Democratic issue, this is not a Republican issue, but rather, a matter whose urgency and scope should unite all of us in a bipartisan effort to ensure that each and every American can obtain affordable coverage to meet their health care needs.

   This is why I am pleased to join the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. DINGELL) and my colleagues as an original cosponsor of the Patients' Bill of Rights. Mr. Speaker, my constituents, the hardworking people of Queens and the Bronx, strongly support the enactment of comprehensive health care legislation, as the vast majority of them are in favor of the Patients' Bill of Rights.

   We must pass legislation that guarantees access to specialized care, common sense emergency room treatment, and the ability of women to have direct access to OB-GYN care. We as a Congress must protect the millions of Americans who are in managed care programs, and provide them with the highest quality of health care possible.

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