Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008-- Continued

Floor Speech

AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008--Continued -- (House of Representatives - July 31, 2007)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Chairman, I rise with considerable regret, and I want to speak with affection and respect for my good friend and colleague from Texas (Mr. Barton), the senior member of the Republicans on the Committee on Energy and Commerce. He complained about the process in the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

I would like the House and this committee to know that he was afforded, first of all, every bit of notice that is required by the rules of the House, that the proceedings which were conducted in that committee were conducted in an eminently fair and proper way in full accord with the rules and the proprieties of the House.

I would also like him to know that I am sure he can recall that we sought his counsel as to how it was we could put something together which, in fact, would give him a process which would enable us to address the problem of SCHIP.

I would like to remind him and this committee that SCHIP is going to expire on the 30th of September. That is an important date because at which time we are going to find that all of the kids, 6 million of them, who have coverage under SCHIP will lose that coverage if something is not done by the Congress of the United States. It is our purpose, given the fact that there will be a recess in this body during the month of August, to see to it that we have this measure ready for the floor in time that the business can be dealt with and that we can handle the matter in a way which will take care of these kids.

The legislation was made available to my good friend and to my Republican colleagues on the committee as soon as it could be done after the necessary discussions were held to try to frame a proper piece of legislation and to address something that responsibility of a fiscal and financial character requires, and that is to deal with the pay-fors and how we will pay for the cost of this program. We have done so, and we have arranged that the payments will be a little different than the Senate bill, but they will be sensible.

First of all, we will require that the Medicare Advantage plans pay their fair share but that they are not overpaid for the services which they are providing. Some of the less fortunate are getting 11 percent more than they are entitled to, some of the more fortunate are getting 19 percent more than they are entitled to, and some of the most fortunate are getting 30 percent more than they are entitled to. It seemed like good sense to put them in a position where they could compete honestly with the other Medicare providers, and that is what we have done. We also have a modest increase in the tobacco tax.

These are all issues which will be considered; and we offered my good friend and my Republican colleagues a chance to amend, debate, and to discuss this legislation.

I would note for the benefit of my good friend from Texas that the rules do not require hearings and that on a number of occasions on important legislation in prior Congresses during his chairmanship and that of others of my very dear friends on the Republican side, the situation was conducted in a way in which there were no hearings and which legislation was brought directly to the committee and shot to the House floor in considerable haste. We protested this, but I have to say that, given the exigencies of the situation, the needs and the circumstances and the fact that the kids are very liable to lose their health care benefits and their insurance under SCHIP, we saw fit to bring the matter up.

The House will, I hope and I think and I am informed, have this measure before us in the next little bit. We will do so with a full opportunity of everybody to debate it, to discuss where the money is coming from, what the benefits will be, and whether or not the legislation should be passed.

It is my personal feeling that we have a chance here to not only save some 6 million kids who would lose all benefits, but under the legislation which has come out of the Ways and Means Committee and which was considered in the Committee on Energy and Commerce to cover not 6 million but 11 million kids that desperately need this, which will be important.

I conclude with an expression of affection for my friend and colleague from Texas.

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