Jim Ramstad

I would just remind my friend from New Jersey that this is not a joke to many low-income families. Under the motion brought here today, the same low-income families who would benefit from the increased refundability of the child credit…

This is the least we can do, Mr. Speaker, for our fallen law enforcement heroes and other public safety officers killed in the line of duty, to give all of the survivors of public safety officers who give their lives for our public safety…

I rise as the proud sponsor, along with my good friend, our distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak), of this important resolution, H. Res. 501, to honor those brave police officers who have given their lives to…

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Most importantly, it will help ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have timely access to life-enhancing and life-saving medical advances.

This bill will correct a number of complex but significant problems that currently plague HCFA's coverage, coding and payment systems.

I am pleased that HCFA is attempting to address the problems associated with its process for making national coverage decisions for new technologies.

I am introducing 'The Medicare Patient Access to Technology Act' to make targeted adjustments in the technical methods and systems that Medicare uses to adopt and pay for new medical products.

I urge my colleagues to consider this bill carefully and join me in seeking to extend these cost-savings and health care-enhancing CNO demonstrations for another three years.

By demonstrating what a primary care oriented nursing practice can accomplish with enrollees who are elderly or disabled, CNOs are helping show us how to increase benefits, save scarce dollars and improve the quality of life for patients.

It is important to recognize that the extension of this demonstration will not increase Medicare expenditures for care.

Frankly, in order to do all this analysis of the program, we need more time to evaluate the extensive data that has been collected.

I rise to re-introduce legislation similar to that which I sponsored in the 104th and 105th Congresses to extend the demonstration authority under the Medicare program for Community Nursing Organization (CNO) projects.

Of course there should be sanctions to those who violate the reforms that we enacted in 1997 which took effect in 1996. I will join my colleague in such legislation. But this, Mr. Chairman, is not the vehicle to attach that, to go after…

The reference to my home State of Minnesota, the gentleman who made that statement should know that, in fact, there are no Legal Service Corporation dollars involved in that lawsuit. It is Minnesota, not Wisconsin.

I also have never been more proud of the people I represent in the Twin Cities suburban Third District. They have also been there, and they are there, they are going to remain there in support of our friends in North Dakota and South…

The present bill I am sure the gentleman recognizes applies to all civil actions, as it properly should.

It was certainly thought if it applied, the limitation on punitive damages applied to products cases, it should apply to all civil actions.