Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, inside the beltway, Republicans threaten to take us back to the failed policies that created this economic crisis in the first place. They are siding with the special interests, with credit card companies, with Big Oil, and with insurance companies. These failed economic and fiscal policies created the George Bush recession-- the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, with job losses of nearly 800,000 per month.

This Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which is responsible for 2.8 million jobs saved or created, including jobs for teachers, police, and firefighters. More than a third of the bill was for tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans and for small businesses--the very people who suffered through 8 years of George W. Bush.

This act is also rebuilding America with clean tech, clean energy, and 21st century jobs. Our passage of health insurance reform will create not only 4 million new jobs over the next decade, primarily in small businesses, but it will also unleash the potential of the American economy.

Madam Speaker, as Flag Day approaches, I rise to pay tribute to our Nation and to commend the Elks Lodge in Forest Grove, Oregon, for celebrating Flag Day in my district.

The United States flag is a hallmark of the enduring character of America. In 1818, Congress passed legislation that provided the basic design of our flag, with 13 stripes honoring the 13 original colonies and one star per state.

Throughout our history citizens have honored the flag and the principles for which it stands, but we did not have an official day honoring our flag until President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation in 1916 establishing Flag Day. In 1949, congressional legislation designating June 14 as national Flag Day was signed into law by President Harry Truman.

I am pleased to offer my thanks and support to the Elks Lodge of Forest Grove, Oregon, which has organized a Flag Day celebration to educate the community about our flag and its history. The Order of the Elks promotes American principles of individual freedom, opportunity, and dignity, consistent with the principles that the U.S. flag represents.

I am honored to provide the Elks Lodge of Forest Grove with a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol for their celebration, and I thank them for their service to our community and Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the America COMPETES reauthorization, and I am particularly proud of the contribution my subcommittee--the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee--has made to this legislation. Innovation is critical to our nation's long-term global competitiveness, and we have a responsibility to support the kind of economic environment that empowers our nation's private sector to innovate and create jobs.

The bipartisan legislation we are considering today will strengthen our nation's economic competitiveness by helping to create an environment that encourages innovation and facilitates growth. Among other things, the bill makes critical investments in, and improvements to, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which will help this vital program better address the needs of our nation's small- and medium- sized manufacturers. The bill will also help ensure that students have the training necessary to secure a good-paying job in their community by requiring MEP centers to inform local and regional community colleges of the skills needed by area manufacturers. America COMPETES also focuses the National Institute of Standards and Technology on creating jobs, supporting competitiveness, and meeting the needs of our nation's private sector.

America COMPETES is the cornerstone of our nation's global competitiveness, and today's reauthorization bill represents another critical step in implementing the innovation agenda. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation.

Mr. Chair, my amendment, which I have submitted along with my colleague from Maryland, Mr. Bartlett and will be part of an en bloc amendment, will facilitate ARPA-E applications by small businesses and entrepreneurs and will allow ARPA-E to consider a wider range of proposals relevant to its mission.

This amendment is straightforward and emphasizes the importance of proposals submitted by small businesses and entrepreneurs--the lifeblood of innovation and our American economy. This amendment further mirrors the DARPA program by creating flexibility within ARPA-E for solicitations year-round, on broadly defined areas of science and technology, creating a greater diversity of projects coming into the pipeline, while still maintaining the program's ability to focus on funding projects in specific areas of technological innovation.

ARPA-E is a robust pathway to new discoveries in technology and new investment in American manufacturing. To paraphrase Secretary Chu, ARPA-E was designed to provide for opportunity to swing from the heels. There will be missed pitches, but there will be home runs and grand slams, too. While the program has been considered a success--recently announcing 37 diverse solicitation winners--by providing continuous and non-restrictive solicitations, ARPA-E will be able to act in an all- comers fashion, selecting from a wide range of products in order to foster innovative solutions to the energy issues our Nation faces.

I am happy to have worked in a bipartisan way with Mr. Bartlett from Maryland--I greatly appreciate his thoughtful contributions to this amendment. Through both his scientific background and his work on Armed Services, Mr, Bartlett has always brought an informed and helpful perspective in the establishment of ARPA-E. The House Committee on Science and Technology may be one of the last bastions of nonpartisan policymaking in this body and Mr. Bartlett's work and forethought has helped to exemplify that ideal. I ask that the House support this amendment.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor AmeriCorps Week, and the nearly 12,000 Oregonians who are AmeriCorp alumni that have pledged to ``get things done for America'' since the program began in 1994.

Whereas service to others is a hallmark of the American character, and throughout our history citizens have stepped up to meet our challenges by volunteering in their communities; and

Whereas those AmeriCorps members have served more than 774 million hours nationwide, including 14,388,200 served by residents from Oregon, helping to improve the lives of our State's most vulnerable citizens, strengthen our educational system; protect our environment, and contribute to our public safety, and;

Whereas the Corporation for National and Community Service State Office and Oregon Volunteers! Commission on Voluntary Action and Service play a key role in determining where AmeriCorps resources should be directed to meet State and local needs; and

Whereas residents of Oregon have earned more than $32,097,912 in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards to help pay for college or pay back student loans; and

Whereas AmeriCorps members, after their terms of service end, remain engaged in our communities as volunteers, teachers, public servants, and nonprofit leaders in disproportionately high levels; and

Whereas last year I cosponsored and helped pass the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act which sets AmeriCorps on a path to grow to 250,000 members by the year 2017 and focuses AmeriCorps on critical national

issues of education, health, clean energy, veterans, and economic opportunity; and

Whereas, AmeriCorps Week, May 8-15, 2010, is an opportune time for the people of Oregon to salute AmeriCorps members and alums for their service; thank AmeriCorps' community partners; and bring more Americans into service: Therefore, be it

Resolved, that I, David Wu, do hereby recognize AmeriCorps Week and urge citizens to thank AmeriCorps members and alumni for their service and to find ways to give back to their communities.

I thank the chairman.

I rise today in strong support of America COMPETES, and I want to recognize the tremendous leadership which Chairman Gordon has given in this effort. He is the father of this bill. He has created the ARPA-E energy initiative in this bill and has shown tremendous leadership by pushing this effort forward.

I am particularly proud of the contribution that my subcommittee, the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee, has made to this legislation. Innovation is absolutely crucial to our Nation's long-term global competitiveness. It is our economic seed corn, and we have a responsibility to support the kind of economic environment that empowers our Nation's private sector to innovate and create jobs.

The bipartisan legislation we are considering today will strengthen our Nation's economic competitiveness by creating an environment that encourages innovation and facilitates economic growth. It will create high wage, middle class jobs through innovation and technologic development. Among other things, the bill makes critical investments in the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which will help this vital program better address the needs of our Nation's small- and medium- sized manufacturers.

Of particular importance is the new focus of the MEP program on finding out what the local job market really needs and helping community colleges focus job training on these particular needs so that the retrained workers can find work nearby. America COMPETES is the cornerstone of our Nation's global competitiveness, and today's reauthorization bill represents another crucial step in implementing the innovation agenda.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the president's decision to privatize the human spaceflight program. The space program inspires us to reach for the stars in both our dreams and our actions, and it helps drive our nation's technological innovation. I am deeply concerned that this decision will hinder our ability to remain at the forefront of human achievement.

The Constellation Program is not perfect. But putting all of our eggs in a private sector basket is simply too risky a gamble. We are jeopardizing our lead in space exploration, we are jeopardizing our nation's future, and we are jeopardizing astronaut safety.

I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing the president's plan to privatize the human spaceflight program. We must not concede our leadership in space exploration at a time when it is more critical than ever.

I thank the gentleman.

I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in supporting House Resolution 1062, which recognizes Coast Guard Group Astoria's more than 60 years of service to the Pacific Northwest. And I thank the gentleman for his service in Coast Guard Group Astoria, his personal service. I want to welcome him back to Oregon any time he chooses to come.

For more than six decades, Coast Guard Group Astoria has served the people of Oregon and Washington and the Pacific Northwest. The 325 men and women of Group Astoria are responsible for patrolling more than 140 miles of coastline, stretching from Queets, Washington, to Pacific City, Oregon, one of the most dangerous and beautiful expanses of water in the world.

The group is compromised of Station Grays Harbor in Westport, Washington; Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, Washington; Air Station Astoria in Warrenton, Oregon; Aids-to-Navigation Team Astoria at Tongue Point, Oregon; and Station Tillamook Bay in Garibaldi, Oregon.

Group Astoria carries out a diverse set of missions, from search and rescue to law enforcement, and from environmental protection to aids to navigation maintenance, but its contributions to our community do not end there. Coast Guard members are also responsible for homeland security functions vital to our national defense. Moreover, Group Astoria personnel are ever-present sentinels guarding our coastal waterways and enabling the safe and steady flow of both commercial and recreational traffic.

I want to add as a personal note that I deeply appreciate the community service and community contributions of the many individuals in Coast Guard Group Astoria that I have known over the past years.

Group Astoria continues to embody the Coast Guard's motto, ``Semper Paratus,'' always ready, each and every day. These men and women risk their lives to ensure that those who venture to sea return home and return home safely.

Each year, Coast Guard Group Astoria responds to roughly 800 search- and-rescue calls for help, assists more than 1,700 mariners, and saves nearly 100 lives. They do so in all types of weather and amid the many challenges of our harsh and beautiful coastline.

One effort in particular stands out in my mind, not only for its heroism but also for the way that it lifted the spirits of all of those affected: in December 2007, Oregon was hit by a winter storm with hurricane-force winds in excess of 130 miles per hour. The storm knocked out power in thousands of homes in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington, and communication in many areas was completely cut off.

Of the many heroes who distinguished themselves that week, the Coast Guard ranks amongst the most courageous. For instance, Coast Guard Air Station Astoria helicopter crews rescued over 130 people trapped by flooding in Chehalis, Washington. In my personal visit there a day or two after the storm, I met one of the rescue divers. He didn't tell me the story, but his colleagues did.

With high winds blowing, he was dropped in the water near Chehalis. There was a residential structure there, a home there. Not only were the lights still on and electricity still flowing to that house, but there was sheet metal flapping in a very strong wind there. At great risk to himself, ignoring the hazard posed by flying sheet metal, he entered this home and found an elderly gentleman lying on a floating couch inside a flooded room. It takes a lot of courage to enter structures like that, which is to do the right thing and to bring the citizens of Oregon and Washington to safety.

For their extraordinary heroism, many of the aircrews involved in these December 2007 rescues were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Group Astoria's bravery during that storm is just one example of its service to Oregon's north coast. It illustrates the selflessness and the professionalism that gives Group Astoria its reputation.

Madam Speaker, it is right and fitting that we should recognize Coast Guard Group Astoria's service to the Pacific Northwest. These brave men and women give so much to their fellow Americans, and they ask so little in return.

At this time, I would like to specifically recognize the leadership of Captain Peter Troedsson, who commanded Group Astoria during the 2007 winter storm, as well as Captain Doug Kaup, Group Astoria's current commander.

I am grateful for Coast Guard Group Astoria's service, and I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing their ongoing efforts in protecting the people of the Pacific Northwest. I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 1062.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to congratulate Pacific University's Na Haumana `O Hawai'i Club for their 50 years of service and support for the student body and surrounding communities in Forest Grove, Oregon.

Pacific University, founded in 1849, is one of the oldest schools in the Pacific Northwest. It prides itself on its community of intellectually curious and highly motivated faculty, staff, and students who are committed to educational excellence and the maintenance and expansion of an open worldview. Pacific is a comprehensive liberal arts and health care university with more than 3,200 graduate and undergraduate students attending classes at campuses in Forest Grove, Eugene, Hillsboro, and Portland, Oregon.

Na Haumana `O Hawai'i, which was founded in the fall of 1959, is an integral part of Pacific's vibrant and diverse community. It began as a group of sixteen students from Hawaii under the guidance of Dr. Fred Scheller and Dr. A.C. ``Hap'' Hingston and has now grown into a campus- wide organization with over 200 members.

Through social functions and community projects, active members of the club become a part of a family of students, or `Ohana, and are integrated into a network that ensures a memorable college experience. For the group, family means more than blood relations; it means a collection of people who have strong community ties and are focused on building positive relationships.

One of Na Haumana `O Hawai'i's most successful activities, the Big Brother-Big Sister program, pairs new students with upperclassmen from the same high school or hometown, allowing the new students to adjust to their surroundings using peers as a resource and further capitalizing the concept of `Ohana. Club members are also given the opportunity to participate in intramural sports, which afford them the opportunity to engage in the competitive spirit while meeting new people and fostering a deeper sense of community and loyalty to one another.

In addition, the Na Haumana `O Hawai'i club facilitates a variety of activities throughout the year to enrich the student body and wider community. The most well-known of these events, the annual spring lu'au, is a culmination of many hours of hard work and months of planning. The lu'au allows the community to share in a unique aspect of Hawaiian heritage, culture, and family, or 'Ohana. This event is the only completely student-run and student-directed lu'au in the Northwest and attracts over 2,000 attendees every year.

On April 10, 2010, Na Haumana `O Hawai'i will celebrate its 50th annual lu'au at Pacific University. I wish to recognize Na Haumana `O Hawai'i for its accomplishments, legacy, and importance in the university community. Congratulations to Pacific University's Na Haumana `O Hawai'i club for having reached its 50th anniversary lu'au celebration. Mahalo and best wishes.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3820) to reauthorize Federal natural hazards reduction programs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3820, the bill under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3820, the Natural Hazards Risk Reduction Act of 2010. This bipartisan bill addresses a crucial need--securing our communities against earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural phenomena.

As we saw last month in Haiti and just this past weekend in Chile, earthquakes can strike without warning, can cause massive damage and many, many casualties. Mitigation efforts, like advanced building codes, are crucial to preventing loss and injury. Preparation saves lives. The Chilean experience demonstrates the importance of preparation, of building codes, and of education.

H.R. 3820 reauthorizes two very important natural hazard mitigation programs--the Natural Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program and the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program.

Since Congress created the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, or NEHRP, in 1977, it has been used to study earthquake phenomena, to identify seismic hazards, and to develop building codes and practices to withstand earthquakes. This reauthorization will allow the U.S. Geological Survey, FEMA, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to continue their efforts to develop and to promote earthquake mitigation measures.

Created in 2004, the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, or NWIRP, is also a critical tool in countering the destructive forces of hurricanes, tornadoes, and other severe windstorms. Destructive windstorms are not limited to Florida, to the Gulf Coast, or to Tornado Alley in our Midwest. Two years ago, in my Pacific Northwest, we experienced 150-mile-per-hour winds, a storm which killed 18 people and which caused nearly $200 million in damage. Just last week, gusts of up to 90 miles per hour were reported in the Northeast, knocking out power for more than 87,000 New Yorkers and others in Pennsylvania through the Mid-Atlantic. The purpose of NWIRP is to study wind hazards and to develop building codes and practices to prevent damage.

The adoption of mitigation measures is the crucial last step in preventing losses from natural disasters. H.R. 3820 includes provisions to develop ways to cost effectively retrofit existing structures and to secure lifelines as well as provisions for research to identify the best methods to encourage homeowners, businesses, and communities to plan for natural disasters and to adopt mitigation and education measures.

H.R. 3820 also brings greater coordination to Federal natural hazards R&D efforts. It directs the relevant agencies to develop a multihazards research agenda and to identify where common research approaches are appropriate across different types of hazards. This will enable a research agenda where the lessons learned in one disaster will be applied to help prevent damage in another and, therefore, save lives. It will use scarce taxpayer dollars more effectively and more efficiently.

I would like to thank the ranking member of the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee, Mr. Smith of Nebraska, for his hard work and support in helping us bring this bill to the floor.

I would also like to recognize my friend and colleague, Mr. Broun of Georgia, who is here on the floor with us today.

I would similarly like to thank the chairman of the full Science and Technology Committee, Mr. Bart Gordon of Tennessee, and the ranking member, Mr. Hall of Texas, the unforgettable Mr. Hall.

H.R. 3820 is supported by the American Society of Civil Engineers. I urge my colleagues to vote for its passage.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the chairman of the Research and Science Education Subcommittee of the Science Committee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski).

I want to thank the gentleman from Georgia for his very kind remarks.

Madam Speaker, we do not and we actually should not agree all the time, because these are sincere differences which, I think, we reflect in our personal values and in the values of our constituents; but the legislation that we are dealing with today demonstrates this Congress' working at its best on those issues where we should be coming together, and we do.

I want to thank the gentleman. I want to thank Mr. Smith and Mr. Hall on the minority side.

I would be happy to yield to the gentleman.

I thank the gentleman for his kind remarks. Sometimes the largest things start in small ways, and the longest journey starts with a small step, and perhaps we are taking that step today, Mr. Broun.

Storms teach us all sorts of things, and personal effort and caring matter a lot. The snowstorms that paralyzed this city a couple of weeks ago in some respects are a metaphor for what has been going on with the political and policy mechanisms that also occupy this city.

I believe that in my home State, within a few hours of the storm being over, we would be out there starting to clean up, and we would be doing a reasonable job fairly soon. What happened here was paralysis for days at a time, schools closing for the rest of the week, and people complaining about the city not cleaning the streets.

But what I noticed was that in my neighborhood, folks did shovel their sidewalks, and it makes a big difference. Just take care of your own sidewalk, and maybe help your neighbor, if your neighbor is old or just not able to do these things for him or herself. In the second storm, I actually offered to pay my son a little bit of money to shovel the whole block. Shoveling the block was the second most important thing to do. I think the most important thing to do was to teach him civic virtue and what serving the broader good is all about.

This bill does serve the broader national good. The example of Chile demonstrates the importance of preparation. It demonstrates the importance of American technology, because the Chileans borrowed their designs from the United States. It also helps us understand where we need to get better, because their highways had a lot of collapses, just as our highways during the quake in Los Angeles unfortunately collapsed, and perhaps we can improve our designs for that.

Education is also a very, very important component of earthquake safety. In my State, it is estimated that we could have a 9.5 Richter scale quake, just like the world's largest quake ever recorded. That one was down in Peru and Chile, and it was 9.5 on the Richter scale. The scientists tell us that is what can happen in the Pacific Northwest, and it actually has happened in the past.

Since the last ice age, these quakes have occurred every 200 to 1,000 years, and the average period was 300 years. We didn't know that this was going to go on. When I moved to Oregon, we didn't know anything about problems like this. But this is the problem of science.

Through research on tree roots which were buried in mud and research on Japanese records, we found out that the last such earthquake occurred in January of 1701, 309 years ago. So if the average period is 300 years, we are in that zone, and we ought to be prepared.

Education is key. Preparation is key. And it is not just the buildings, it is not just design, but it is also about educating people about what to do before the quake, what to do during the quake, what to do after the quake, and how do you prepare for a tsunami, how do you get out of the way.

It takes courage, and it takes overcoming fear, and there are different kinds of courage, and there are different kinds of fear. I know that some folks are concerned about what happens when we move to an all-hazards approach to these natural phenomena, and I can tell you that this Congress, this committee, Mr. Broun and I, will stand united in providing the resources so that we can appropriately reduce risk across different phenomena, whether the risk is created by wind, by water, by earthquake, or by tsunami. That is the obligation of leadership, and we will provide the leadership to do that, because at the end of the day, the earthquakes, the wind and other hazards, they know no bounds, they know no geographic bounds, and they know no bounds with respect to age or income or any other hazard.

Madam Speaker, I ask all Members to vote in favor of this legislation.

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

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1097), supporting the goals and ideals of National Engineers Week, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on House Resolution 1097, the resolution now under consideration.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1097, supporting the goals and ideals of National Engineers Week.

I would first like to thank my friend and colleague, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education, Mr. Lipinski, for introducing this resolution. As one of only a handful of engineers in Congress, Mr. Lipinski has and will continue to be a strong advocate for engineers and engineering on the Science and Technology Committee and in Congress.

National Engineers Week, which was held from February 14 to February 20, has grown into a formal coalition of more than 100 engineering, education, and cultural societies, major corporations, and government agencies. Its goal is to raise public awareness of the significant positive contributions to society by engineers and encourage students to become engineers.

This resolution supports the goals and ideals of National Engineers Week. It also pledges that the House of Representatives will work with the engineering community to make sure that the creativity and contribution of the engineering community can be expressed through research, development, standardization, education, and innovation.

This is a vitally important cause for our country's future well- being. As China and India graduate record numbers of engineers, the number of engineering graduates in the United States is stagnant. This is a troubling sign for our ability to maintain our edge as the world's technologic leader.

I might add that numbers alone do not tell the story. Quality, as well as quantity, counts, and traditionally we in this country have focused on quality and maintaining the best education system and the best professional and technical communities that we can, and we intend to maintain that lead in quality also.

We also need to continue to highlight the importance engineers play in our

society and encourage our young people to enter into these careers. Engineering is a challenging field, but one that can be truly rewarding for both the engineer and our society.

I ask you to join me in supporting this effort, and urge passage of House Resolution 1097.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I now yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski), the Chair of the Research Subcommittee of the Science and Technology Committee.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I want to agree with my good friend and colleague from Georgia that America does indeed, does indeed, have the best care system in the world, if you can pay for it. And the great struggle in which we find ourselves today is the challenge of coming together--of coming together to help all Americans be able to pay for their health care. And I want to thank my friend for his service as a physician and as a Member of this body.

I also want to thank Dr. Ehlers, a Ph.D. and physicist, for his service in this body. We have worked on many issues together in a bipartisan fashion because these tend to be the issues which come before the Science and Technology Committee. For years, I was his ranking member and he was the chairman. For a few years, I was the chairman and he was my ranking member. It did not matter who was playing which role in our agreement or, quite frankly, in our disagreement. But we were always honest about it, and we were able to work together for the public good. Dr. Ehlers, Vern, thank you for your public service.

Today, I hope that my parents are actually watching C-SPAN because they are both research engineers. At a certain level, I remain concerned that they still regret that I left science and technology, first for law, and now for what I'll call public service. When I was here on this floor being sworn in, I can remember seeing them right there. And what was going through my head was, You know, I wonder if my dad is still angry that I left science and technology. He cares about it, and my mom does also, because they realize that engineering is hard and that it's important. Recognition in this resolution today is appropriate because it recognizes that engineering is hard.

All of us can remember that when we went through college, the engineers took these classes where they worked really, really hard, and they got three credits for it. We took some other things that weren't quite as hard, and we got five credits for it. So it is a difficult thing for a student, and it remains challenging as a young professional. I think that this body and this Nation should recognize and celebrate those things which are hard, at least in part just because they are hard. We should do some things because they are hard; we should do more of. That is the American way--to work your way through, to earn your way through, to step up to the challenge.

Today, we take a small step with this resolution of recognition. I ask that all Members support H.R. 1097.

I'm happy to yield to the gentleman from Georgia.

I thank the gentleman. I am concerned about my dad. I think my mom realizes that I'm doing my best, and I'm just trying to keep science and technology and engineering well funded through this committee.

Madam Speaker, I ask all Members to support the resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Marshall for recognizing me for this period of time.

I want to recognize Mr. Hall for his leadership in bringing this resolution to the floor and for his service to the congressional district which includes West Point, and Mr. Jones on the Republican side, who has been a good friend and colleague.

I have always taken pride in sending good young people to the service academies, including West Point. And now I can say that for those who are going to West Point that Forbes has selected your institution as the finest college in America in 2009. I do believe, though, that these young people who go to our service academies are there not only to get a great education, they are there for service, and the highest kind of public service, because it puts them at great personal risk.

My first recollection of visiting West Point was at the age of 8. At that point I was an immigrant child. I am not sure that I knew English completely, but I could read well enough to read the stone, that not too large stone there that has a very large phrase on it: ``Duty, Honor, Country,'' the words that the United States military has lived by, under civilian leadership, for over 200 years. And I want to honor that long gray line that I saw in 1962. I just also wonder whether those academy graduates from the class of '63 or '64, whether there are any left in active service, and perhaps they would be a four-star today.

There is a long line of service. Thank you very much, Mr. Marshall and Mr. Hall, for bringing this resolution to us.

Madam Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4061, which will improve our Nation's cybersecurity by supporting research, create usable technical standards, and promote cybersecurity education. Cybersecurity is critically important, and I want to commend our chairman, Chairman Gordon, for bringing this legislation to the floor today and for his long term leadership on this issue.

The recent cyber attack perpetrated by China against Google and numerous other American companies is a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities we face in an electronically interconnected world. More and more of our personal information is making its way online. Everything from traffic control systems and air traffic control to manufacturing and banking depends on Internet networked systems.

Within the Science Committee, the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee, which I chair, has been exploring ways that the National Institute of Standards and Technology's expertise in information technology can be used to advance the administration's goal of securing cyberspace. Twenty-two years ago the Science and Technology Committee paved the way for Federal cybersecurity efforts with the Computer Security Act of 1987, the first of 13 major laws related to cybersecurity. The 1987 bill charged NIST with developing technical standards to protect nonclassified information in Federal computer systems.

H.R. 4061 improves on these ongoing efforts by implementing recommendations made in the Cyberspace Policy Review and in a hearing my subcommittee held last October. The Cyberspace Policy Review and witnesses at our hearing stressed the importance of increased coordination as the Federal Government works on international technical standards, an education awareness campaign for all Internet users, and improved identity management systems. NIST has a leadership role to play in all three of these critical areas.

The U.S. Government must better coordinate its efforts to develop international cybersecurity technical standards. These responsibilities are currently divided among numerous agencies without any coordinated, consistent policy. A coordinated, consistent policy will ensure U.S. representatives operate with the overarching needs of our Nation in mind when they negotiate.

Witnesses testified before the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee that NIST is suited for the role of policy coordinator because of extensive technical expertise, established relationships with international bodies, and the fact that it is a nonregulatory body. Experts also called for a cybersecurity awareness and education campaign.

While NIST can be a valuable resource for Internet users by providing consumers with the same guidance it gives to Federal agencies, witnesses have noted that NIST guidance is often too technical for the average Internet user. The legislation before us today tasks NIST with developing a plan to make its standards and best practices usable by those with less technical expertise.

In simple terms, 70, 80, 90 percent of needed cybersecurity improvement can be achieved by using available methods and technology. Take simple steps. Do back up your data. Don't back up data and take it home in an open, unlocked car. It is like clicking your seatbelt before you drive or washing hands before a surgeon operates on a patient. Commonsense steps, available methods and technology; simply put, good computer hygiene.

We also know that cybersecurity cannot be improved without first improving identity management. Today's bill

builds upon NIST's ongoing work on identity management systems, such as biometrics, by tasking NIST with improving the interoperability of these systems to encourage more widespread use. By focusing on the usability and privacy aspects of identity management, this bill will encourage greater confidence in the general public that their personal information will be secure.

Madam Chair, securing cyberspace is a primary concern of each and every one of us. We cannot stand by and let the most powerful tool for connecting Americans with each other and the world remain a technologic wild west. It is time to fence the prairie to make it available to the technologic communities of the future.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4061 so that our communities and our constituents can be secure in the knowledge that they are safe when they go online.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Tongue Point Jobs Corps Center on its 45th birthday. The Tongue Point Jobs Corps Centers is located at the mouth of the Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon, which is in my district.

The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 created the Job Corps Program. As the second Job Corps Center to open, Tongue Point Jobs Corps Center received its first students on February 2, 1965, exactly 45 years ago. In 1972, Tongue Point Jobs Corps Center was the pilot program for co-ed Jobs Corps centers, which is now the standard throughout the Corps.

To date, more than 25,000 students have come through Tongue Point's doors. Tongue Point is the largest Job Corps Center in the Northwest. On average, Tongue Point contributes $11.2 million annually to the local community. Beyond obtaining job skills, Tongue Point students are also great citizens. During 2009, students performed 6,230 hours of community service in a variety of service areas.

I am proud to have Tongue Point Jobs Corps Center in my district and I am constantly amazed by the tangible benefits they provide for the students and the local community. They are a wonderful example of how the Job Corps Program provides meaningful education and job training to youth in need. As our country strives to create jobs, train a new skilled workforce and recover our economy, the Job Corps Program will help us succeed in our efforts and accomplish our goals.

Madam Speaker, I rise in somewhat reluctant support of this legislation which temporarily, among other things, extends the Small Business Innovative Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. The truth is that we should have reauthorized these programs long ago, and we should not be dragging this process out. But that is not a problem that we have in this Chamber. It is very, very important because SBIR and STTR are innovation programs which invest in small businesses, the ones best positioned to drive economic growth and to create new jobs.

Innovation is the key to resuscitating our ailing economy and to creating good, family-wage jobs for the American middle class. By investing in innovation, SBIR and STTR create more than good-paying jobs; they encourage the development of growth industries. And that, Madam Speaker, is what our Nation needs most.

AMGEN, Apple, Microsoft, and Research In Motion all started out as cutting-edge small businesses. These creative, high-tech companies spurred new industries, new jobs, new technologies that now employ hundreds of thousands of Americans.

By facilitating creative renewal, SBIR and STTR are not only helping guide our economy out of a recession, they are building our Nation's capacity to thrive in a very competitive global economy. SBIR and STTR have a proven track record of over 25 years' success in creating good- paying jobs in high-growth industries, and we must continue our commitment to these programs and reauthorize them immediately.

But we cannot continue to fuel the 21st century economy with 20th century programs. We must modernize SBIR and STTR so that they can meet their potential as innovation catalysts. Some of these improvements are simple, like making awards more reflective of today's technology development costs. Others, like ensuring that our most innovative companies are eligible for public investments regardless of their capital structure, require a more nuanced approach.

The Science and Technology Committee and the Small Business Committee, led by my colleague Chairwoman Velazquez, have been working hard with our Senate colleagues to strike the right balance for these improvements. We're not there yet, but I am confident that we will get there. In the meantime, we must pass today's temporary extension.

Madam Speaker, I urge support of this bill and its swift passage.