Donna E. Shalala

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of the Torres amendment, No. 658, which recognizes the lifesaving work performed by our Nation's 911 call takers and dispatchers.

Mr. Chairman, all of the emergency activities in my own district--the police, the fire, the emergency responders--strongly support this amendment, and so I want to stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle simply stating these professionals save lives. And more than giving 911 call takers and dispatchers the recognition they deserve, it would make the standard occupational classification system more accurate and, therefore, more useful as a statistical resource.

I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the brilliant coach of the United States Women's National Team, Jill Ellis.

On Sunday, on a soccer pitch in Lyon, France, our U.S. team clinched their fourth FIFA World Cup victory, two of which have been won under the leadership of Coach Jill Ellis.

I know that our former colleagues who passed title IX in 1972 are smiling. That year, only 700 girls in the United States played soccer at a high school level. This year, over 400,000 played at a high school level, a 55,000 percent increase.

Coach Ellis lives in my district with her family. She is my friend.

We join our entire country in honoring her extraordinary recruiting, her analytical skills, and the sophisticated winning system she developed. As one writer put it, her team ``could do different things and win in different ways.''

Jill Ellis is one of the greatest coaches in soccer history. She is the very definition of world class.

I am proud to join my colleagues in honoring her and the entire United States Women's National Team today.

Madam Chairwoman, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

Madam Chairwoman, the Department of Defense Tuition Assistance program provides financial assistance to servicemembers for voluntary off-duty education programs in support of professional and personal development.

Tuition assistance is available for courses that are offered in the classroom or by distance learning and are part of an approved academic degree or certification program.

These courses must be offered by schools that are recognized by the United States Department of Education, and they must abide by all rules governing the higher education sector.

Because of a loophole that exists in Federal law, known as the GI Bill loophole, however, many for-profit colleges target veterans and servicemembers with aggressive and deceptive recruiting tactics in order to collect as much GI Bill and DOD revenue as possible.

In fact, research has demonstrated that the for-profit college sector is the only sector in higher education that increases tuition when additional Federal student aid becomes available. As one for-profit college president turned whistleblower told veterans' organizations and Federal officials last summer:

We cleaned up all our materials, but behind closed doors,

our recruiters will do anything and say anything to get their

hands on GI benefits and DOD Tuition Assistance funds.

This is simply unacceptable. Through the selfless sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, we as citizens receive freedom, a freedom that many people in this world envy. We owe an immense debt of gratitude to those who serve and must not allow anyone to abuse their benefits.

Madam Chair, this amendment is simple, and it will ensure that veterans, Active Duty servicemembers, and their families are not taken advantage of by anyone in the predatory for-profit college sector. This amendment requires the Secretary of Defense to publish on its website the distribution of DOD Tuition Assistance funds at institutions of higher education and conduct an audit for any for-profit institution that fails to meet the financial responsibility standards set in the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Madam Chair, a for-profit college has, by definition, a fiduciary duty to its shareholders to maximize profits. Success is determined by the amount of tuition revenue brought in and the profits made, not by the quality of education provided to its students.

We speak about the good and bad actors in the for-profit college sector, and this amendment seeks to tell us just that. I know that my good friends on the other side of the aisle have always supported our veterans. I know they deeply care about fiscally responsible policies and transparency.

Supporting our veterans and Active Duty servicemembers has historically drawn large, bipartisan support. It is incumbent upon us as elected officials to put forth an accountability system that distinguishes bad actors from good actors and looks out for the American taxpayer and protects our military community.

Madam Chair, this is personal for me. Every generation of my family has served in our country's military, and all have used their educational benefits. I know the value of a good education. I have seen it firsthand in my four decades as an educator and as a college president. Our veterans deserve better than policies that allow bad actors in our education system to take advantage of their service and their sacrifice.

I want to thank my colleagues who have worked with me on this issue and my good friend, Congresswoman Katie Porter, for cosponsoring this amendment. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment and stand on the side of our servicemembers.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, the DOD has already taken steps before to ensure Tuition Assistance funds are being spent properly when those institutions have been identified.

My amendment allows the Secretary to broadly apply much-needed oversight to a sector that continues to defraud servicemembers and siphons off billions of dollars from the Federal Government.

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