Congratulating East High School in Denver, Colorado, on winning the 2008 "We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution" national competition.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this time to be able to address. I want to commend East High School in Denver, Colorado. As a former civics teacher myself, I concur with my colleague from Colorado of the importance of teaching government and the processes of how we should do things here in Washington. Hopefully they're giving some real world examples of what we do and what we fail to do. An

example of what we fail to do is energy policy in this country.

Historically, since the Bush administration came in, crude oil was at $23 a barrel. When this new leadership came in in the House, the price of a barrel of crude oil was $58, now it stands at $145 a barrel. What we're saying here on this side of the aisle is that the trend line in this energy debate is bad, and we have to address this. That's why we've come to the floor--unfortunately we have to do it in times like this--to raise awareness that there is a plan to get away from this reliance on imported crude oil. And that answer is, do all of the above. Do all of the above: Expand our renewable portfolio; push for efficiencies; open up the Outer Continental Shelf; explore and recover gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I was in a hearing today addressing expansion of nuclear power. Move to coal-to-liquid technologies.

Now, what's interesting about this floor, this bicameral legislative body that we have, we have a House and a Senate. The Founding Fathers, as ``We the People'' would teach, identified the House as the body that should be most outraged and be the most responsive to the public needs and demands. It is the House that's supposed to take up the clarion call when the public is angry and frustrated at their government, and it is the House that's not doing that. We're acting like we're the Senate. We're sitting back and doing nothing. We're trying to take some long-term provision instead of moving aggressively to address the energy crisis in this country.

And the people are behind us. Numerous polling is highlighting this debate. A new IBD/TIPP poll says 64 percent of Americans support Republican-led new American energy production efforts. That's not good enough? I had a telephone town hall meeting last night to my district. Three different callers referenced this poll number: 76 percent of Americans say we need more drilling, we need more supply.

The Founding Fathers, in the formation of this new Constitution that we have, would say it is the House that should be taking up this call. We're the ones who are supposed to be responding to the 76 percent of Americans, saying, ``we hear you. We're going to aggressively move to open up more supplies.''

Seventy-six percent, just over three-quarters, support immediately increasing oil drilling in the United States, more than seven in 10. And from Democrats, 71 percent of Democrats hold this view. So the populist issue that should be raised in the House is not being heard. A CNN opinion research poll, 73 percent of more than 1,000 Americans surveyed from June 26 to June 29 said they favor offshore drilling for oil and natural gas in U.S. waters. Los Angeles Times poll, 68 percent; when all registered voters were asked whether they support increased exploration for oil and natural gas, 68 percent responded in the affirmative. In a Rasmussen poll, 67 percent. According to Rasmussen, 67 percent of Americans support oil drilling off the Nation's coast. And 64 percent think it will lower gas prices.

Is anyone on the floor of the House listening to this? Sixty-seven percent. Seventy-six percent of the public want us to drill. They want us to look at our natural resources not as an environmental disaster, but as a strategic national interest.

Reuters: Most Americans support more U.S. oil drilling, some 59.6 percent of Americans surveyed in a poll. In a Gallup poll, 57 percent support drilling. Now, why is this important? Here's a news story from my congressional district, Wayne County Board. The Wayne County Board has approved covering a shortfall in the county sheriff's gasoline budget with money from the county's Public Safety Tax Fund. Members urged the sheriff to cut costs anywhere possible and to curb any unnecessary spending the remainder of the fiscal year. Why? High energy costs.

A transfer of funds will take place near the end of the current fiscal year.

Sheriff Jim Hinkle has announced that dramatic measures have been taken to curb gasoline consumption in his department. This is in a rural county. One major community, rural. The sheriff covers the entire county. He has initiated two-man patrols and has mandated that officers perform 2 hours of stationary patrol. I think that's an oxymoron. How can you patrol and be stationary? But energy costs are causing rural sheriffs to make a decision which does not have sheriffs driving the county roads. He has initiated two-man patrols and has mandated that officers perform 2 hours of stationary patrol with their engines turned off during each 8-hour shift.

Friends, we don't have to be in this position. Mr. Speaker, we can aggressively address these issues. The House should be the body. My colleagues on the other side should be welcoming this. We're doing what the Founding Fathers intended us to do. We are the body that should be throwing stones when the Federal Government is not hearing the cries of the public. And the cries of the public are we have got to address this problem. And how do we do it?

A current debate is the Outer Continental Shelf. We only drill and explore on 15 percent of the Federal lands in the Outer Continental Shelf, and that is the western gulf. What is off-limits by mandate by us by Federal law, we said no, you cannot go on the West Coast, you cannot go on the East Coast, you cannot go on the eastern gulf coast, thus depriving our country of billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas.

We can change this today with a vote on the floor. In fact, yesterday the President said have at it, I will not stand in the way. Now it's up to us to address the Outer Continental Shelf, bringing on more supply to lower gas and oil prices. That's what this line here has.

Other options is when we do that, we'll get royalties, we will get Federal money, and we can expand wind and solar. The great position about our side is we are for all of the above. We want more renewables. We want more efficiency standards. We want more supply. We want more energy to lower prices.

Also I have talked about earlier coal-to-liquid technologies. Taking American coal, American jobs, mining that coal, bringing it to the surface, building a coal-to-liquid refinery, refining that coal into liquid fuel and using it for aviation. The bill coming to the floor next is honoring Nelson Mandela. South Africa is a leader on coal-to- liquid technologies. South African Airlines, that's how they operate their fleet.

And then, of course, the renewable fuel issues with biodiesel, soy diesel, ethanol, cellulosic. And the one solution is to bring on more supply.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this time to be able to talk about we the people and addressing the important educational aspects of our Founding Fathers. Having taught civics for 4 years at the high school level, I agree with my colleague from Colorado we can't teach the Constitution and the process more than we do today, but we have to lead by example here on the floor of the House. We cannot continue to bring regular order bills on a suspension calendar so we are not allowed a chance to amend, debate, and argue this out in front of the American people.

This is the first in a long time that the Republican side has been so right on a populous issue that the public wants and that we're right on our votes, that we welcome any chance, and, unfortunately, the only chance we have to do it is on suspension bills like we have today.

I want to thank my colleague from New York, who is a great friend and a colleague, for putting up with my ranting and raving. I want to thank the ranking member.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 1261.

I want to take a moment this afternoon to recognize one of the premier civics instruction programs in this country. Most of my colleagues are aware of the ``We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution'' national civics class and competition. And in this day and age, when so few Americans take American Government in school, and even fewer know who their Members of Congress are, this class is incredibly vital and this competition is vital for civics awareness among our high school students.

``We the People'' is a year-long class incorporated into high school curriculums around the country that focuses on the foundation of the U.S. Constitution and its relevance in American modern government. In this program, students are not confined to the walls of their classrooms; they have the opportunity to take their knowledge on the road, participating in a national competition against students from other schools. ``We the People'' culminates in a simulated congressional hearing right here in Washington, D.C. for the finalist teams.

In addition to learning the basic tenets of our democracy, the program teaches students valuable critical thinking, debate, and public speaking skills.

``We the People'' was first started in 1987, on the bicentennial of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Since its inception, more than 28 million students and 90,000 educators have participated.

The program is sponsored by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Center for Civic Education, whose mission is to help develop and foster a well- informed citizenry through civics education. Its flagship program, ``We the People,'' is funded in part through the U.S. Department of Education under the Education for Democracy Act. And just to show how bipartisan this program is, several years ago I worked with Congressman Dan Burton to expand funding for this important program to middle school students.

This year, as we've heard, East High School, in my congressional district in Denver, Colorado, won the competition for the second year in a row. Each year, thousands of students from around the country participate in this program, which, as I said, culminates in the hearings on Capitol Hill. These students are given questions ranging from the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation, to the implications of Federalist No. 51, to what James Madison would think about current political topics. Frankly, Mr. Speaker, most Members of Congress would struggle to answer these questions.

I would also like to note that these students are not simply memorizing facts from stuffy 18th-century debates that they will soon forget. They are diving into real-world debates over executive power, civil liberties, and other issues that are on our front pages every day and on the agenda in this hallowed Chamber week in and week out.

I would like to say I have personal familiarity with the depth of knowledge this program gives to students because I was one of the very first volunteer coaches of the East High School team in the 1980s, well before my tenure in Congress, when I was a practicing attorney in Denver. And I can attest, these students know far more than many professors and Members of Congress about our political process and our Constitution. So, given the depth of knowledge of these thousands of high school students around the country, it really was a tremendous achievement for this year's East High School team to win the ``We the People'' competition for the second year in a row.

Under the leadership of this year's teacher and coach, Susan McHugh, and the dedication of my long-time friend and colleague, Loyal Darr, the ``We the People'' coordinator for Colorado's First District, East High School demonstrated an unrivaled expertise in constitutional issues.

To all of the dedicated students, teachers, parents and organizers of ``We the People'' nationwide, on behalf of the United States Representatives, I want to congratulate you on your accomplishments and thank you for your efforts towards promoting civic engagement, healthy debate, and an ongoing commitment to the foundations of this great country.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. But more importantly, I urge my colleagues to think about the importance of civics education in this country. We need to look at the successes of Denver's East High School. We need to look at the accomplishments of ``We the People'' participants from across the Nation and their ability to dissect complex current and historic political issues. And we need to ask ourselves, do we need more civics education, or less? The answer is self-evident.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to place the names of the team and their coaches in the Congressional Record. With that, Mr. Speaker, I simply say this is a wonderful program, I'm so proud of my constituents, and I ask for an affirmative vote on this resolution.

East High School 2008 ``We the People'' National Championship Team

Isabel Breit, Nicholas Brown, Maya Burchette, Nitai Deitel,

Gideon Hertz, Gideon Irving, Katherine Jablonski, Gavin

Jacobs, Noah Kaplan, Brendan Lamarre, Zachary Lass,

Alexandria Leenatali, Richard Londer, and Nathan Mackenzie.

Rebecca Nathanson, Alyse Opatowski, Marley Pierce, Alyssa

Roberts, Paige Romer, Hayley Round, Ryan Saunders, Lindsay

Shields, Jeffrey Thalhofer, Shaquille Turner, Charlotte

Vilkus, Taylor Want, and Jacob Zax.

Coach: Susan McHugh; We the People coordinator, Colorado's

First District: Loyal Darr.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1261) congratulating East High School in Denver, Colorado, on winning the 2008 ``We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution'' national competition, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 1261 into the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the students of East High School in Denver, Colorado, on winning the 2008 ``We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution'' national competition.

``We the People'' is a program that encourages civic awareness and responsibility in middle school and high school students through hands- on activities. Students discover firsthand how the Constitution and the Bill of Rights impact their everyday lives and participate in a simulated Congressional hearing. At the national level, students utilize higher order thinking skills as they demonstrate their knowledge of constitutional theory by defending a historical or contemporary issue.

For the second consecutive year, Denver's East High School won the national title. In order to receive this high honor, 27 students from East High School competed against 1,200 other participants from all 50 States. The 3-day long competition took place on Capitol Hill and involved the students completing a mock hearing. They were judged by law school professors, State supreme court justices, mayors, and others on their opening statements and their responses to follow-up questions on 17 different constitutional topics.

This competition makes the Constitution come alive and helps students connect what they are learning to contemporary issues and events. This type of learning is important not only for its academic aspects, but also for the way in which it improves our democracy. Students are able to analyze and evaluate their rights and responsibilities and apply this new knowledge to their surroundings.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I wish to congratulate the students of East High School and all the other students across the Nation that took part in the ``We the People'' competition. I hope all students have the opportunity to see civics come alive, and I encourage my colleagues to pass this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlelady from Colorado (Ms. DeGette).

Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank my friend from Illinois, who is truly a friend, and I thank him for his passion on this issue.

I would simply say that we understand and agree that we need to expand our development and research and drilling for additional supplies of energy. And I would just ask all of my friends on the other side of the aisle to join us on this side of the aisle in passing use- it-or-lose-it legislation. It is estimated by the Minerals and Management Service of the Department of the Interior that 81 percent of the known reserves of oil and natural gas are already available for lease and the vast majority of those leases are not being acted upon. So we are going to try to pass, on this side of the aisle, use-it-or-

lose-it legislation, and I would ask my friends on the other side of the aisle to join us in that effort.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of House Resolution 1261, congratulating the East High School in Denver, Colorado, on winning the 2008 ``We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution'' national competition.

Every year since 1987, the Center for Civic Education has sponsored ``We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution,'' a competition for American high school students held in Washington, D.C.

The primary goal of the competition is to promote civic competence and responsibility among the Nation's elementary and secondary students. What makes the program successful is the design of its instructional program, including its innovative culminating activity.

The instructional program enhances students' understanding of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, while also discovering their contemporary relevance. The culminating activity is a simulated congressional hearing in which students testify before a panel of judges. Students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles and have opportunities to evaluate, take and defend positions on relevant, historical and modern day issues.

In the 21 years of competition, East High School has gone to the ``We the People'' nationals 19 times, placed in the Top Ten 16 times, placed in the Top Three eight times, and placed in the Top Two four times. However, this year East High School placed first in the national competition.

The 27 team members, under the leadership and guidance of their coach, Susan McHugh, are to be commended. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the team's accomplishments.

From the earliest days of American democracy, the study of history has been essential to the preservation of freedom. This competition is a great forum in which to strengthen the teaching, study and understanding of our Nation's history and culture. ``We the People'' is a wonderful opportunity for American youth to develop an understanding of the documents upon which our Nation was founded. Therefore, I ask my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus).

(Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

In returning to the resolution at hand, congratulating the East High School in Denver, Colorado, I would just like to ask that all of us be supportive of this, not just to recognize that school but to recognize that program and what we the people have done to educate people about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and make all of us better citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.