Expressing the support of the House of Representatives for the goals and ideals of National Healthy Schools Day.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 370) expressing support for designation of April 27, 2009, as ``National Healthy Schools Day,'' as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, in the coming months we will address critical problems in the areas of education, energy and health care. National Healthy Schools Day promotes positive changes in all three areas.

I'm pleased to present the amended version of House Resolution 370 for consideration. This legislation expresses the support of Congress for the goals and ideals of National Healthy Schools Day.

House Resolution 370 was introduced by my colleague and friend Representative Paul Tonko from the Empire State of New York on April 27, which is actually the day that National Healthy Schools Day is annually commemorated.

The measure has the support of over 50 Members of Congress and has met requisite criteria for approval by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Madam Speaker, I am sure you will agree that it is important to ensure that our public schools are places that advance intellectual growth and provide healthy environments for our children to learn and to thrive.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that only 22 percent of public schools in America have effective indoor air quality management programs. More stringent regulation of indoor air quality in public schools would protect students against dangerous environmental hazards such as carbon dioxide, radon and even asbestos.

The National Healthy Schools Day initiative encourages new efforts to combat these hazards and limits the prevalence of indoor environmental asthma triggers that have been reported to account for more than 14 million missed school days each year.

Steps to improve the indoor air quality of our public schools should work in conjunction with efforts to make our schools more energy efficient. Through the use of new ventilation systems and the construction of high-performance so-called green schools, we can make certain that our educational facilities are using less energy while providing a healthier environment for our students.

Through efforts to enhance healthy environments within our school systems, we can improve educational environments as well. Improved energy efficiency in our schools will reduce energy costs and allow more resources to be devoted to other areas, such as hiring new teachers and the acquisition of new educational tools.

Madam Speaker, the health and well-being of all American students is paramount. Therefore, let us take one step forward in providing a high- quality learning environment for our children by expressing our support for the goals and ideals of National Healthy Schools Day.

I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of House Resolution 370, as amended.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I appreciate the gentleman's words.

At this time I would like to yield 5 minutes to the chief sponsor of this resolution, the one who has brought it to the floor, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).

Madam Speaker, again, let us join with the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko) and send a strong message to the public that we are committed to ensuring the development and growth of healthy learning environments and schools for our children by supporting House Resolution 370.

With that, I ask my colleagues to join us.

I yield back the balance of our time.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Massachusetts.

I rise today in support of House Resolution 370, a resolution I was proud to introduce to recognize National Healthy Schools Day.

National Healthy Schools Day recognizes the importance of having a clean, healthy and safe indoor environment for our Nation's schools.

Fifty-four million children, Madam Speaker, and 6 million adults spend their days in our Nation's schools. The EPA estimates that up to one-half of those schools have problems, problems with indoor air quality. Some 32 million students attend schools that have self- reported environmental problems with their facilities that can affect students' health and certainly students' learning.

Some of the hazards common to schools include overcrowding, indoor air pollution, mold infestation, airborne fiberglass particles, lead and copper-contaminated drinking water, playgrounds and classrooms with high levels of pesticides, unchecked furnaces and buses leaking carbon monoxide, chemical spills, renovation fumes, demolition dust, exhaust from gasoline-powered equipment and emissions

from hazardous facilities next door to their school campus.

These problems can contribute to absenteeism, the need for medication use amongst students and can contribute also to learning difficulties, sick building syndrome, staff turnover and liability issues for our school districts across this great country.

Children are more vulnerable than adults to environmental hazards in their schools simply because of their developing immune systems and small bodies. Poor indoor environmental quality has been linked to asthma and other illnesses in our children. With one out of every 13 children suffering from asthma, the number one cause of missed school days, it is very important that we address these issues and address them boldly.

Research shows that simple steps can be taken to make our Nation's schools healthier. Heating and ventilation equipment can be improved upon to enhance indoor air quality. New schools can be built with a healthy design and can be located at nonpolluted sites. Nontoxic products can be used for cleaning, for maintenance and for teaching. The use of natural light should be encouraged. Certainly we can improve on that dynamic heavily.

Many States have adopted guidelines for building healthy high- performing schools that incorporate these steps and more. H.R. 2187, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act, which we will be considering in this body later this week, would do just that. It would require States to adopt similar guidelines.

I was very proud to work with my colleagues at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to develop New York State's High Performance Schools Guidelines. I would suggest that they are some of the most effective and most rigid guidelines in the country and will score wonderful opportunities for our students.

National Healthy Schools Day draws attention to the importance of having a safe and a healthy school environment for all of our Nation's children.

National Healthy Schools Day is supported by the Healthy Schools Network, the EPA, the National Educational Association and many more organizations.

I am proud to be counted as a supporter of National Healthy Schools Day and look forward to working with my colleagues here to ensure that every student has a healthy environment in which to learn. Our students require that, and our students deserve that.

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

Some 54 million children and 7 million adults, Madam Speaker, spend a large part of their day in our 120,000 public and private schools. These hardworking teachers and students deserve a healthy school environment.

We share a great responsibility in shaping the future for our children, and it is critical that it is done in a clean and safe environment.

When these elements are in place, everyone's performance improves, test scores rise, and attendance levels increase. Our Nation's children, parents and educators deserve to know that their schools provide the safest and healthiest environment possible.

A National Healthy Schools Day will help promote school environments that are conducive to learning and protect student health.

In order to express support for the goals and ideals of National Healthy Schools Day, I also urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 370.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.