E 1042 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks May 16, 1995

COAST GUARD REAUTHORIZATION

ACT OF 1995

HON. STEVE C. LaTOURETTE

OF OHIO

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, May 16, 1995

Mr. LATOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, when the

House debated and passed the Coast Guard

Reauthorization Act of 1995 on Tuesday of

last week, the issue of Coast Guard inspection

fees was raised by some of my colleagues on

the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Although the amendment failed on a point

of order, I wish to associate myself with the

logical arguments made on the floor that day.

The Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 requires that the Coast Guard impose user fees

for some of its services. While I am in support

of the concept, and recognize the importance

of such an approach to assist in balancing the

budget, the Coast Guard has gone off course

with its fee schedule in terms of fairness and

balance among different classes of boats.

The Coast Guard estimates it is charging

$87 per hour for the inspection service. However, my colleague from Louisiana, Mr. TAUZIN, cited an example of a 1 hour inspection

costing $545 under the current fee schedule.

This is unacceptable. I believe in fee-for-service, but the fees must reflect the value of the

services rendered. I fear that the burden of the

current policy will fall disproportionately on

small vessel owners and small businesses;

those who can afford it the least. I am supportive of capping the inspection fees based

on boat length to ensure fairness within the

current system.

I also believe it is appropriate for the Coast

Guard to consider a fee schedule that takes

into account the seasonal nature of some

commercial boating operations. For example,

Rutherford’s Cruise Line, which operates in

my district from the Grand River on Lake Erie,

only operates during summer months. Under

the current system, Rutherford’s would pay almost $2,400 to the Coast Guard to inspect

three vessels. Small cruise line businesses on

the Great Lakes have a limited season and

short time in which to make their operation run

in the black. The current annual fee requirement, which treats a vessel in Florida the

same as one on the Great Lakes, is burdensome and economically unfair to boaters in

the Great Lakes region.

I understand Mr. TAUZIN’s amendment will

be the subject of hearings before the Ways

and Means Committee and the Transportation

and Infrastructure Committee in the near future. I am supportive of finding a rational and

fair approach to the inspection fee schedule

that more closely approximates the true cost

of the inspection process.

Recreational boating, including charter boat

fishing, is an important part of the economy in

my district. The 60 miles of Lake Erie shoreline I represent has seen a tremendous resurgence over the past 10 years due to a revitalized Great Lakes fishery. I am encouraged by

the small businesses entrepreneurs, who are

taking advantage of the opportunity to start

new businesses and do not believe they

should be punished with unreasonable inspection fees.

YVONNE AND ARVIS RICHARDSON

CELEBRATE GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY

HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, May 16, 1995

Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, as far as I’m

concerned, there are two things which have

made our Nation the greatest on Earth, our

commitment to family and pride in country. It

is my privilege today to pay tribute to a couple

who together, have embodied these exceptional characteristics for 50 years now.

Upon the outbreak of World War II, these

two young patriots lived far from one another.

Yvonne grew up in Cohoes, NY, while Arvis

was born in Salem, MO, and moved to St.

Louis prior to the outbreak of war. Both of

them responded to this impending national crisis like any great American would, they voluntarily enlisted in the military, Yvonne in the

Navy Waves and Arvis in the U.S. Marine

Corps. It was this love of Nation and service

to country that brought the two of them together when their country needed them most.

Well, Mr. Speaker, we are all reminded of

the fortunate ending of World War II, especially as we commemorate the 50th anniversaries of V–E and V–J days this year. However, there was another fortunate occurrence

as a result of the end of this war. As he promised, Arvis returned when the fighting ceased

to seek Yvonne’s hand in marriage. On May

26, 1945, Arvis and Yvonne began their life together at Alameda Naval Base in California.

Now 50 years later, as we commemorate the

historic victory of democracy and freedom

over tyranny and oppression, we can also rejoice in the happiness of the Richardson’s

whose marriage has stood the same test of

time.

Yvonne and Arvis should be commended

not only for their commitment to their Nation,

but for their commitment to their family and

one another. It is this commitment and understanding which laid the foundation for a solid

family structure, pivotal to their success in

raising their two children, Dennis and Peggy.

Mr. Speaker, I have always been one to

judge people by their commitment to their family and children, and by what they return to

their community. By this measure, Yvonne and

Arvis are truly great Americans as evidenced

by their clear devotion to family, and the

American way of life. This May 28, family and

friends will join them in commemorating their

50 years of happiness together. Mr. Speaker,

I would ask that you and all Members join me

now in paying tribute to two tremendous patriots and devoted family people, Yvonne Blair

Richardson and Arvis Sanford Richardson of

Waterford, NY.

KERNEL BLITZ AND PACMEDNET:

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY SUCCESS

fSTORIES

HON. RANDY ‘‘DUKE’’ CUNNINGHAM OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, May 16, 1995

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I would

like to commend the men and women of our

Defense Department’s medical corps for the

fine job they performed during the Marine

Corps’ annual Kernel Blitz combat exercise,

held last month at Camp Pendleton, California.

This exercise showed how military medical

care is on the cutting edge of the latest automation technology, and Kernel Blitz demonstrated the integral role that this technology

plays in supporting the troops. Our fighting

forces deserve nothing less than the very

best.

Last year, Congress and the Defense Department proposed a demonstration project

known as the Pacific Medical Network

[PACMEDNET] which utilized investments already made in the Defense Department’s

Composite Health Care System [CHCS] and

expanded these attributes for effective wartime

deployment. This technology was successfully

used in Kernel Blitz and will take the Defense

Department into the 21st century in both its

peacetime and wartime medical missions.

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to share the following

article from Federal Computer Week on how

this investment in technology is improving

emergency medical care for the Defense Department. This successful usage of CHCS

technology is a simulated wartime exercise

demonstrates that PACMEDNET is the future

of battlefield medical care.

[From the Federal Computer Week, Apr. 10,

1995]

HOSPITAL SYSTEM SURVIVES FIRST

BATTLEFIELD TRIAL

(BY BRAD BASS)

The Defense Department’s $1.1 billion Composite Health Care System (CHCS) went into

battle last week, and early reports said the

system came through with the colors flying.

The Marine Corps’ annual Kernel Blitz

combat exercise, held at Camp Pendleton,

Calif., last week, featured deployable medical information systems for the first time.

The training mission linked hospital based

CHCS to battlefield medical systems composed of smart cards, ruggedized handheld

and laptop computers, and wireless communications. The expansion of CHCS to the battlefield stems from lessons learned in Operation Desert Storm and other hot spots,

where Defense forces suffered from inadequate medical technology, said officials

with both DOD and with CHCS contractor

Science Applications International Corp.

‘‘The fleet hospitals in Saudi Arabia had

no automation,’’ said Cmdr. Mel Baxter, director of development in the DOD CHCS program office.

‘‘Things could have gone a whole lot better

if they had these tools,’’ Baxter said. The Air

Force has already decided to put a version of

CHCS in its base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,

next month, Baxter said.

SIMULATED CASUALTIES

The Kernel Blitz system connected two

ships—the USNS Mercy, a medical ship, and

the USS Peleliu, both off the coast of Camp

Pendleton—to forward surgical companies

near the beach.

After the Marines simulated a full-scale

landing operation using helicopters, tanks

and armored personnel carriers, troops moving inland suffered about 200 simulated casualties, according to Steve Hudock, SAIC’s

director of CHCS deployment. Each soldier

carried a CHCS Multitechnology Automated

Reader Card, a smart card equipped with a

2K chip, a bar code and a photograph. Manufactured by 3G Inc., Williamsburg, Va., the

cards contained basic medical information

on the ‘‘injured’’ troops.

Field medics used SAIC’s ruggedized SE–

1415 Agilpac, a 486SX-based handheld computer purchased from the Army’s Common