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[Page: H5932] GPO's PDF---
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 546 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the further consideration of the bill, H.R. 4811.
[Time: 22:45]
IN THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the further consideration of the bill (H.R. 4811) making appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for other purposes, with Mr. THORNBERRY in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The CHAIRMAN. When the Committee of the Whole rose earlier today,
[Page: H5933] GPO's PDF
Pursuant to the order of the House of today, no further amendment to the bill shall be in order except pro forma amendments offered by the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations or their designees for the purpose of debate and the following additional amendments, which may be offered only by the Member designated in the order of the House or a designee, or the Member who caused it to be printed or a designee, shall be considered read, shall be debatable for the time specified, equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for a division of the question:
(1) The following additional amendments, which shall be debatable for 60 minutes:
One of either the amendment printed in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD and numbered 11 or the amendment numbered 15; and amendment by Ms. LEE, regarding child survival and disease program fund.
(2) The following additional amendments, which shall be debatable for 30 minutes:
The amendment printed in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD and numbered 28; and the amendment by Mr. PAYNE, regarding development assistance.
(3) The following additional amendments, which shall be debatable for 20 minutes:
One, one of either the amendment printed in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD and numbered 5 or the amendment numbered 6; two, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, regarding conscription under the age of 18; and, three, the amendment printed in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD and numbered 18.
(4) The following additional amendments, which shall be debatable for 10 minutes:
The amendment by Mr. BEREUTER regarding North Korea; Mr. BAKER regarding Panama; Mr. SMITH of Michigan regarding biotechnology research; Mr. BROWN of Ohio regarding child survival and disease program fund; Mr. BROWN of Ohio regarding the Tariff Act; Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas regarding peacekeeping operations; Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas regarding Economic Support Fund; Mr. Payne regarding Congo; Mr. PAYNE regarding sanctions against Angola; Mr. PAYNE regarding peacekeeping operations; Mr. PAYNE regarding Sudan; Mr. PAYNE regarding restrictions on assistance to governments destabilizing Angola; Mr. MENENDEZ regarding Peru; Mr. FILNER regarding Economic Support Fund; Mr. CONYERS regarding section 558; Mr. CAPUANO regarding Armenia-Azerbaijan peace and democracy initiative; Mr. CAPUANO regarding termination of unilateral agricultural or medical sanctions; Mr. NADLER regarding honor crimes; Mr. JACKSON of Illinois regarding the African Development Bank; Mr. LATHAM regarding international financial institution loans; Ms. KAPTUR regarding the Ukraine; Mr. SHERMAN regarding child survival; and the amendments printed in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD and numbered 7, 9, 13, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, and 26.
Are there further amendments to this portion of the bill?
If not, the Clerk will read.
The Clerk read as follows:
ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES
For administrative expenses to carry out the direct and guaranteed loan and insurance programs (to be computed on an accrual basis), including hire of passenger motor vehicles and services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, and not to exceed $30,000 for official reception and representation expenses for members of the Board of Directors, $62,000,000: Provided, That necessary expenses (including special services performed on a contract or fee basis, but not including other personal services) in connection with the collection of moneys owed the Export-Import Bank, repossession or sale of pledged collateral or other assets acquired by the Export-Import Bank in satisfaction of moneys owed the Export-Import Bank, or the investigation or appraisal of any property, or the evaluation of the legal or technical aspects of any transaction for which an application for a loan, guarantee or insurance commitment has been made, shall be considered nonadministrative expenses for the purposes of this heading: Provided further, That, notwithstanding subsection (b) of section 117 of the Export Enhancement Act of 1992, subsection (a) thereof shall remain in effect until October 1, 2001.
OVERSEAS PRIVATE INVESTMENT CORPORATION
NONCREDIT ACCOUNT
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation is authorized to make, without regard to fiscal year limitations, as provided by 31 U.S.C. 9104, such expenditures and commitments within the limits of funds available to it and in accordance with law as may be necessary: Provided, That the amount available for administrative expenses to carry out the credit and insurance programs (including an amount for official reception and representation expenses which shall not exceed $35,000) shall not exceed $37,000,000: Provided further, That project-specific transaction costs, including direct and indirect costs incurred in claims settlements, and other direct costs associated with services provided to specific investors or potential investors pursuant to section 234 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, shall not be considered administrative expenses for the purposes of this heading.
PROGRAM ACCOUNT
For the cost of direct and guaranteed loans, $24,000,000, as authorized by section 234 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to be derived by transfer from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation noncredit account: Provided, That such costs, including the cost of modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974: Provided further, That such sums shall be available for direct loan obligations and loan guaranty commitments incurred or made during fiscal years 2001 and 2002: Provided further, That such sums shall remain available through fiscal year 2010 for the disbursement of direct and guaranteed loans obligated in fiscal years 2001 and 2002: Provided further, That in addition, such sums as may be necessary for administrative expenses to carry out the credit program may be derived from amounts available for administrative expenses to carry out the credit and insurance programs in the Overseas Private Investment Corporation Noncredit Account and merged with said account: Provided further, That funds made available under this heading or in prior appropriations Acts that are available for the cost of financing under section 234 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, shall be available for purposes of section 234(g) of such Act, to remain available until expended.
Funds Appropriated to the President
TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of section 661 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $46,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2002.
TITLE II--BILATERAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE
Funds Appropriated to the President
For expenses necessary to enable the President to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and for other purposes, to remain available until September 30, 2001, unless otherwise specified herein, as follows:
AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CHILD SURVIVAL AND DISEASE PROGRAMS FUND
For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapters 1 and 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, for child survival, basic education, assistance to combat tropical and other infectious diseases, and related activities, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, $834,000,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That this amount shall be made available for such activities as: (1) immunization programs; (2) oral rehydration programs; (3) health and nutrition programs, and related education programs, which address the needs of mothers and children; (4) water and sanitation programs; (5) assistance for displaced and orphaned children; (6) programs for the prevention, treatment, and control of, and research on, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS , polio, malaria and other infectious diseases; and (7) basic education programs for children: Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated under this heading may be made available for nonproject assistance, except that funds may be made available for such assistance for ongoing health programs: Provided further, of the funds appropriated under this heading, not to exceed $125,000, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, may be used to monitor and provide oversight of child survival, maternal health, and infectious disease programs: Provided further, That the following amounts should be allocated as follows: $290,000,000 for child survival and maternal health; $30,000,000 for vulnerable children; $202,000,000 for HIV/AIDS ; $99,000,000 for other infectious diseases; $103,000,000 for children's basic education; and $110,000,000 for UNICEF: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, up to $37,500,000 may be made available for a United States contribution to the Global Fund for Children's Vaccines.
AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MS. LEE
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment offered by Ms. LEE:
Page 6, line 25, after the dollar amount insert (``increased by $42,000,000).
Page 7, line 21, after the first dollar amount insert ``(increased by $42,000,000)''.
[Page: H5934] GPO's PDF
Page 34, line 21, after the dollar amount insert ``(decreased by $42,000,000)''.
The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the order of the House of today, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. LEE) and a Member opposed each will control 30 minutes.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Alabama reserves a point of order.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California (Ms. LEE) for 30 minutes on her amendment.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
This amendment adds $40 million to the child survival and disease fund to the amounts allocated in that account for HIV/AIDS and really derives that funding from the FMF account.
Mr. Chairman, I had the privilege to be part of the official United States delegation at the 13th International Conference on AIDS in Durban, South Africa . I returned yesterday with an even more sense of urgency regarding the HIV/AIDS pandemic throughout the world and especially in sub-Saharan Africa . There are over 10,000 people in Durban, South Africa breaking the silence on HIV/AIDS about the devastation of the AIDS pandemic this week. Our United States delegation is led by our very able Surgeon General, Dr. Satcher, and Sandy Thurman, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy.
Can you imagine that in several countries now, life expectancy has been reduced from 70 years of age to 30 years of age because of this killer disease? This means also that many 13-year-old girls and boys will not live beyond 30 years of age because they will die from AIDS . This also means that years of development and progress have been really wiped from the face of the earth.
Also, can you imagine now that there are over 12 million orphans in Africa ? These children's fate lay unknown because their parents have died. And by the year 2010, there will be 40 million orphans in Africa . This is the number of children in America's public schools. Also, believe it or not, it is mind-boggling to know this, but in Durban, we talked about this and documented this and discussed this, that in many countries 20 to 38 percent of the country's populations have HIV/AIDS .
This further cripples Africa because it does move to threaten economic stability which is a security threat as well, not only in terms of African security but in terms of our own national security. Can you imagine that this is really only the beginning? It is only the tip of the iceberg. India has nearly 7 million people infected with HIV/AIDS . This epidemic is spreading and it is spreading very rapidly.
The conference in Durban, which is continuing this week, is really helping us break the silence with regard to the devastation of this pandemic. We must listen to what is coming out of that conference. We all have a sense of urgency about this, but many of us do not know what to do. But we do know that there is a state of emergency in sub-Saharan Africa .
So the administration requested $244 million, minimal request, for HIV/AIDS this year, and we only have $202 million in this budget request. All this amendment does is add $42 million to bring to the level of the administration's request the AIDS funding to address this pandemic. This is not nearly enough. The United Nations has estimated that we need approximately $3 billion a year just to begin with the crisis in sub-Saharan Africa . So, Mr. Chairman, adding $42 million to this account is a mere pittance.
I ask for your consideration. I ask for your real commitment to ensure that the United States of America goes on record tonight and passes this amendment to do the right thing and to send a message to the Durban conference and to those who are working so desperately to save lives in Africa that we are stepping up to our moral obligation, and we do want to restore this mere $42 million to our account.
Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. MEEK).
(Mrs. MEEK of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)
Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I thank my dear colleague who has spearheaded this strong effort for yielding this time.
As we are becoming a more global community, we must become more concerned about what is going on with our national borders as well as the people we know are now suffering from AIDS throughout this world. It just does not take very much unless you understand man's inhumanity to man to think that in a country as rich as ours we have not placed the amount of money on the prevention and treatment of AIDS as we should. Now it is reaching catastrophic dimensions and we must realize that it is now an epidemic that is an impediment to our national security.
A study by the National Security Council prepared in January projected that a quarter of South Africa's population is likely to die of AIDS . I have only 1 minute, 60 seconds' worth of distance run to say to you that to place money in an AIDS prevention and treatment program in Africa will be money well spent. If not, we are on a disastrous course. It is time now to place money where we can help man and his humanity.
Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for calling this special order to highlight the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.
As our world becomes more of a global community, we must become more concerned about what's going on beyond our national borders. As the Washington Post aptly described, the global spread of AIDS is reaching catastrophic dimensions and is now seen as a threat to our own national security.
A study by the National Security Council prepared in January projected that a quarter of southern Africa's population is likely to die of AIDS and that the number of people dying of the disease will rise for a decade before there is much prospect of improvement. Further, based on current trends, that disastrous course could be repeated, perhaps exceeded, in south Asia and the former Soviet Union.
50 million people--1% of the world's population--have become infected with HIV.
Sub-Saharan Africa has been by-far more severely affected by AIDs, than any other part of the world. Africans make up 10% of the worlds population, but nearly 70% of the worldwide total HIV/AIDS ca ses.
In many African countries 35% of all adults are infected
with HIV/AIDS, an d it is
estimated that half of today's teenage population in parts of Africa wil l die of AIDS. In a study of eleven African countries, the rate of
infection in teenage girls was more than five times higher than in boys of the
same age. Each day more than 15,000 people become infected. 1,600 of them are
children, infected during or shortly after birth.
Infection rates in the Caribbean are also high.
There is an epidemic in Asia with more than 6 million
people infected, and the potential for millions more.
Fortunately, we now have the opportunity for a much more
effective response to the HIV epidemic.
We now know how to prevent the spread of HIV and provide
care for those infected. The tools are complex and imperfect. But we know that
when used correctly, these tools can help slow the epidemic, relieve suffering
and enable millions of people to have additional years of quality life.
Yet, with opportunity comes responsibility and challenge.
There are no more excuses. The millions who are infected and the hundreds of
millions who are at risk will not forgive us if we do not take advantage of the
opportunities for action that exist today.
No one constituency can act alone to change the face of
this epidemic, and America must step up to play a leadership role in reducing
the global spread of HIV/AIDS. Wh
erever there is inequity, conflict or lack of mutual respect, the virus feeds on
our divisiveness.
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