A bill to designate the Federal building and United States Courthouse located at 100 East 8th Avenue in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, as the "George Howard, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse".

Mr. President, I wanted to take a few minutes of the Senate's time to talk about a bill that I introduced, along with Senator Burr and Senator Kennedy, entitled the Graduation Promise Act of 2007, or GPA.

This bill would create a Federal-State-local partnership to improve the Nation's graduation rates and help transform our lowest performing high schools. This is a bill we just introduced today.

I thank Senator Burr and Senator Kennedy for their commitment to improving our high schools and for increasing graduation rates in this country. I am very pleased to be working with both of them on this legislation. I am also very glad that GPA, this legislation we have introduced, is supported by the Alliance for Excellent Education, by the Center for American Progress, by Jobs for the Future, by the National Council of La Raza, by First Focus, and many other education groups.

Nearly 20 years ago, the Nation's Governors met for the first education summit and, as far as I know, for the only national education summit in our country's history. They met with the first President Bush in Charlottesville, VA. They agreed to set high expectations for education for the coming decade. That was the decade following 1989.

One of those standards they set was for an increase in high school graduation rates to 90 percent by the year 2000. Today, we are not even close to achieving that goal. In fact, the Nation's graduation rate has stagnated at around 70 percent instead of 90 percent. Graduation rates for Hispanic and African-American students are lower than that. In my home State of New Mexico, by some estimates, the graduation rate is less than 60 percent in some high schools.

Many students are entering the ninth grade significantly behind in their reading and mathematics skills. They are ill-prepared to master the challenges of the typical high school curriculum. Not surprisingly, these students are more prone to academic failure and grade retention and, accordingly, the dropout rates among these students are disturbingly high, specifically in the ninth grade.

But low graduation rates are only one broad indicator of the crisis affecting our Nation's high schools. Even if a student makes it to graduation, only a third of all students who enter the ninth grade will graduate with the skills and the knowledge necessary to go on to college or to succeed in the modern workplace. They are not receiving the kind of quality education that permits a seamless transition to a job or postsecondary education. Again, this problem disproportionately affects minority students. Only 16 percent of Hispanic students and 23 percent of African-American students graduate prepared for college, compared to 40 percent for other students.

This situation is simply unacceptable. In the global technology-based economy we live in today, a high school diploma is a minimum qualification for most jobs in our fastest growing sectors. The United States ranks 19th in high school graduation rates among major industrial democracies.

The Federal Government recognized that investments in early childhood and elementary grades are critical to a student's academic growth and success. Still, attention and resources must be sustained throughout the middle and high school years as well if the national goal of leaving no child behind is to be met. Unfortunately, we have not been doing this. Only about 8 percent of all title I dollars go to our high schools today.

Our continued economic security hinges on preparing our young people to enter college and to enter the 21st century workforce. In fact, our national security depends on it.

Fortunately, research has come to light that will help us to better understand the factors behind the low graduation and student performance data. For instance, we can identify the high schools that are producing the majority of dropouts in this country. These schools-- roughly 2,000 schools I am referring to--represent about 15 percent of all high schools in the country, and they have persistently low rates of graduation and low rates of grade promotion.

If we look at the typical senior class at one of these high schools, it will have decreased in size by at least 40 percent since the students entered the school 4 years earlier. These high schools are in every State. They tend to be concentrated in urban areas, and they serve more than a third of our African-American and Hispanic students nationwide. Unfortunately, there are 23 of these high schools in my home State of New Mexico.

Research has also shed light on the specific factors that allow us to predict who is going to drop out of high school. We can identify with up to 80 percent accuracy the future dropouts as early as the ninth grade. We can do so by looking at such predictors as course failure, poor attendance, behavior problems, and retention in earlier grades. Students who enter high school significantly lagging behind in their academics and who show signs of becoming disengaged from the school are prone to drop out unless additional support is put in place.

Finally, research-based solutions with solid evidence of success are transforming of our high schools with low graduation rates. Restructuring schools into smaller, more personalized learning environments ensures that students become engaged from the time they enter the ninth grade on. Sustained efforts to boost attendance ensure they will not fall further behind.

Schools that have combined these efforts with a high-quality curriculum and structural improvements have been very successful at improving student performance and improving graduation rates. They have done so with transitional math and English for ninth graders that will help them catch up by offering challenging curricula and tangible contextual applications of

learning in order to rekindle the interests of these students and creating teaching teams, targeting professional development for the teachers to help them meet this challenge. A combination of these interventions has improved student performance and increased graduation rates. We know this problem can be solved to meet the goal.

This legislation has been introduced by Senators Burr and Kennedy, and I hope very much this legislation and many of its provisions can be included when we get to a markup of the No Child Left Behind legislation later this year.

I submit we cannot afford to let the estimated 2,000 failing high schools continue to push students off the path to prosperity. Collectively, these schools serve about 2.4 million students. We need to ensure for the continued prosperity of the country that these students remain in school and graduate with the skills needed to become productive citizens.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on December 18, 2007, at 10 a.m. in open session to consider the following nominations: Mary Beth Long to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs; James Shinn to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs; Craig W. Duehring to be Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs; and John H. Gibson to be Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, at 11 a.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building, for the purpose of conducting a hearing.

The Committee will be hearing from the following nominees: Francis Mulvey, Reappointment to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board (PN 1084); Denver Stutler, Jr., to be a Member of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation Board of Directors (Amtrak) (PN 1047); Nancy A. Naples, to be a Member of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation Board of Directors (Amtrak) (PN 1046); Thomas C. Carper, to be a Member of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation Board of Directors (Amtrak) (PN 1045); and Carl T. Johnson, to be Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Department of Transportation (PN 1011).

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, at 2:30 p.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building, for the purpose of conducting a hearing.

In light of the recent spill in San Francisco Bay, this hearing will examine the oil spill threats, risks, and vulnerabilities posed by large nontank vessels. Topics will include the prevalence and environmental impact of nontank vessel spills, the adequacy and enforcement of vessel response plans, the status of Coast Guard rulemakings, the adequacy of nontank liability limits, and the allocation of Coast Guard and other Federal resources toward oil spill prevention, preparedness, and oil spill research and development in a post-9/11 world.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, December 18, 2008, at 10:30 a.m., In room SD366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. At this hearing, the Committee will hear testimony regarding the nomination of Jon Wellinghoff, to be a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the term expiring June 30, 2013. (Reappointment).

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, in room S-216 of the Capitol at a time to be determined in order to hold a business meeting to consider the following items: pending General Services Administration Resolutions; S. 862, a bill to designate the Federal building located at 210 Walnut Street in Des Moines, Iowa, as the ``Neal Smith Federal Building,'' S. 1189, a bill to designate the Federal building and U.S. Courthouse located at 100 East 8th Avenue in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, as the ``George Howard, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse''; and H.R. 735, a bill to designate the Federal building under construction at 799 First Avenue in New York, New York, as the ``Ronald H. Brown United States Mission to the United Nations Building''. Pending nominations: Kristine L. Svinicki, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Gregory B. Jaczko, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, at 3:30 p.m. in order to consider the nomination of Steven H. Murdock to be Director, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate in order to conduct a hearing entitled ``Executive Branch Nominations'' on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 10 a.m. in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Witness List

Ondray T. Harris, to be Director, Community Relations Service, Department of Justice; David W. Hagy, to be Director of the National Institute of Justice, Department of Justice; Scott M. Burns, to be Deputy Director of National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the President; Cynthia Dyer, to be Director of the Violence Against Women Office, Department of Justice; and Nathan J. Hochman, to be an Assistant Attorney General, Tax Division, Department of Justice.

Mr. President, while many measures are being taken at the Federal, State and local levels to improve student achievement in America, our high school students are still being left behind. High school students continue to lag in both math and reading. In 12th grade, less than a quarter of students scored proficient or better on the math assessment, and only 35 percent were proficient or better on the reading assessment.

Furthermore, Federal funding is not currently going to the high schools that are in the most need. The main source of Federal funds is through the title I program. Yet only 8 percent of students who benefit from these funds are in high school. Ninety percent of high schools with very low graduation rates have many low-income students.

The statistics on high school graduation rates are staggering. About 1,000 high schools across the country only graduate half their students, and only about 70 percent of high school students graduate on time. Among African Americans and Latinos, only 55 percent graduate on time. It is clear that high schools need more assistance in supporting and retaining students.

The continued partnership between local, State and the Federal Government is essential in improving secondary education in America. That is why the Graduation Promise Act provides the necessary funding to improve the capacity of low-performing high schools, decrease dropout rates and increase student achievement. The act speaks directly to the root of the problem, providing support to high schools and middle schools to both assist and retain students who may have fallen between the cracks.

The Graduation Promise Act would make great strides in helping high school students achieve to their fullest potential. The act would provide $2.5 billion to build capacity for secondary school improvement, and at the same time provide States and local school districts with the resources to ensure high schools with the greatest challenges receive the support they need to implement research-based interventions.

Research shows that we can identify students who are most at-risk for not completing high school as early as sixth grade. With early intervention, quality teachers, small classes, and

data-driven instruction we can ensure that these students make progress, stay in school and succeed.

The act assists these efforts by supporting the development and dissemination of highly effective secondary school models for students most at risk of being left behind. It would also strengthen state improvement systems to identify, differentiate among, and target the level of reform and resources necessary to improve low-performing high schools, while ensuring transparency and accountability. Finally, the act would support states' continuing efforts to align State policies and systems to meet the goal of college and career-ready graduation for all students.

Bringing our schools into the 21st century is the ultimate goal of this important piece of legislation. Local schools, States and the Federal Government must continue to work together to modernize the practices and models that are being used to ensure success from all of our high school students. Updating the system for the current times is a difficult process, but with the assistance of the Graduation Promise Act, all high school students can be given the tools necessary to succeed both in school and beyond.

I thank my colleagues, Senator Bingaman and Senator Burr, for their good work on this initiative and their leadership on this issue. I look forward to working with them on this and many other important issues as we move forward with the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Act. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. President, I am delighted to join my colleague in the other body, Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, in introducing the Congressional Accountability and Line-Item Veto Act of 2007. Congressman Ryan and I belong to different political parties, and differ on many important issues. But we do share at least two things in common--our hometown of Janesville, WI, and an abiding respect for Wisconsin's tradition of fiscal responsibility.

The measure we are each introducing today would grant the President specific authority to rescind or cancel congressional earmarks, including earmarked spending, tax breaks, and tariff benefits. This new authority would sunset at the end of 2012, ensuring that Congress will have a chance to review its use under two different Administrations before considering whether or not to extend it. While not a true line- item veto bill, our measure provides for fast-track consideration of the President's proposed cancellation of earmarks. Thus, unlike current law, it ensures that for the specific category of congressional earmarks, the President will get an up or down vote on his proposed cancellations.

There have been a number of so-called line-item veto proposals offered in the past several years. But the measure Congressman Ryan and I propose today is unique in that it specifically targets the very items that every line-item veto proponent cites when promoting a particular measure, namely earmarks. When President Bush asked for this kind of authority, the examples he gave when citing wasteful spending he wanted to target were congressional earmarks. When Members of the House or Senate tout a new line-item veto authority to go after government waste, the examples they give are congressional earmarks. When editorial pages argue for a new line-item veto, they, too, cite congressional earmarks as the reason for granting the President this new authority.

That is exactly what our bill does. It provides the President with new expedited rescission authority--what has been commonly referred to as a line-item veto--to cancel congressional earmarks. The definitions of earmarks that we use are the very definitions upon which each house has agreed in passing legislation earlier this year.

Unauthorized congressional earmarks are a growing problem. By one estimate, in 2004 alone more than $50 billion in earmarks were passed. There is no excuse for a system that allows that kind of wasteful spending year after year, and while I have opposed granting the President line-item veto authority to effectively reshape programs like Medicare and Medicaid, for this specific category, I support giving the President this additional tool.

Under our proposal, wasteful spending doesn't have anywhere to hide. It's out in the open, so that both Congress and the President have a chance to get rid of wasteful projects before they would become law.

The taxpayers--who pay the price for these projects--deserve a process that shows some real fiscal discipline, and that's what we are trying to get at with this legislation.

I ask unanimous consent that the text of this legislation be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate the life and achievements of Arkansas native George Howard, Jr., who died Saturday, April 21, 2007 at Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff, AR. Howard, a remarkable lawyer and civil-rights leader, was Arkansas's first black Federal judge. I am pleased to honor his legacy today by introducing legislation to designate the Pine Bluff Federal building and courthouse the ``George Howard, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse.''

Judge Howard will be remembered for a number of remarkable professional accomplishments. He was named by President Carter to a lifetime appointment as U.S. District Court Judge for Arkansas's Eastern and Western districts in 1980. Prior to taking office as a Federal judge, Mr. Howard worked as an attorney in private practice and served as President of the State Council of Branches of the NAACP.

He graduated from law school at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1954. Though not the first black student to graduate from the U of A law school, he was one of the earliest and was the first black student to live in campus housing. Judge Howard also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

His hard work, dedication to his country and profession, and historic contribution to the State of Arkansas should be celebrated and remembered. For this reason, I urge the Senate to adopt this legislation honoring Judge George Howard, Jr.