Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I voted present today on H. Res. 568 because of my concern that it contains language that could create a blank check for war with Iran. As best said by Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff of Secretary of State Colin Powell, ``This resolution reads like the same sheet of music that got us into the Iraq War.'' This resolution threatens to undermine upcoming U.S.-Iran negotiations on May 23, 2012. While I am not disputing the fact that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a serious threat to Israel and U.S. national security interests, I am concerned that the tone of this resolution could be used as fodder for future conflict.

While I am an ardent supporter of Israel and remain committed to supporting legislation that ensures their security, I urge my colleagues to support more balanced policies and diplomatic solutions as we enter into negotiations with Iran. As we struggle to get our economy back on track, we simply cannot afford the economic and social costs of another war.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in favor of Congressman Rahall's Motion to Instruct Conferees to close the loopholes in the Buy America laws. By closing these loopholes, we can create more American jobs, and revive our domestic manufacturing base.

Our economy is still recovering from the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. Today, more than 2.2 million construction and manufacturing workers are still out of work. Let's use this opportunity to get them back to work.

Provisions contained in the Senate amendment to H.R. 4348 will help ensure that the materials used to construct our roads and bridges are produced in the United States. These projects are financed with taxpayer dollars, and we should be using materials produced domestically, not outsourced overseas.

I want to encourage my colleagues to support this motion, and to seize this opportunity to promote our construction and manufacturing industries. By producing and manufacturing domestically, we will create and sustain good-paying jobs in our local communities.

Madam Speaker, the Violence Against Women Act, VAWA, has historically provided a vast network of support for victims of dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking since its initial passage in 1994. Declining instances of domestic violence and increased awareness surrounding these forms of abuse are a testament to the success of VAWA's programs, and to the importance of its preservation. Unless VAWA is reauthorized, these programs will no longer be available to protect the countless victims of domestic violence and abuse throughout the United States.

Today, as Congress seeks to reauthorize this landmark piece of legislation for the third time, VAWA is at serious risk of being stripped of its most important provisions. The Senate version of VAWA was adopted on April 26 with bipartisan support, and not only preserves important protections for women but also expands those protections to LGBT individuals and Native American women. Conversely, H.R. 4970 represents a partisan bill that rolls back existing protections and excludes entire groups of victims.

As long as H.R. 4970 excludes critical improvements and disregards the recommendations of key stakeholders, I cannot support this bill. In the previous reauthorization, VAWA was drafted in a bipartisan fashion and included meaningful provisions for protecting battered and abused individuals, and as such I supported its passage. Unfortunately, H.R. 4970 completely fails to achieve the original objectives behind VAWA, and actually does more to harm women than it does to help them overcome their aggressors.

To show my support for VAWA, I have joined my colleagues as a cosponsor of H.R. 4271, an alternative to H.R. 4970 that contains language more consistent with the original intent of the bill. H.R. 4271 is simply a better bill that goes further to recognize the same prevalence of abuse among Native American women and LGBT individuals, and ensures that all victims are protected regardless of sexual orientation or national origin.

Madam Speaker, this attack on women needs to stop immediately. I can find no justification for why this Congress should exclude certain groups of women from the protections afforded by VAWA. The bill that is being considered before the House today does a disservice to victims of domestic abuse in the U.S., and falls drastically short of the original intent of the law.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the Lewis-Johnson amendment to H.R. 5326, the Fiscal Year 2013 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill. This amendment prevents funds in the FY13 CJS Appropriations bill from being used to shut down the regional Department of Justice Antitrust Division Offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Cleveland, and Philadelphia. These closures will have a serious adverse effect upon antitrust enforcement in 21 states including Texas, and my district in particular. The Dallas Antitrust Office has been responsible for approximately $1 billion in criminal fines to date. It has been a priority of this Administration to reign in waste, fraud, and abuse, and that is exactly what the Dallas Antitrust office has been doing.

Mr. Chair, I would ask to submit into the Congressional Record a copy of my April 23, 2012, letter to Attorney General Holder highlighting the critical role the Dallas Field Office serves upholding vital antitrust laws in our region and the United States.

April 23, 2011.

Hon. Eric H. Holder, Jr.,

Attorney General, Department of Justice,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Attorney General: In October 2011, the U.S.

Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its plans to close the

Dallas Antitrust Division Field Office. The Dallas Field

Office is joined by three other offices planned for closure

in Atlanta, Cleveland, and Philadelphia. I strongly oppose

this proposal and believe that millions of Americans and many

U.S. companies across multiple states stand to be severely

impacted by this closure.

The Dallas Field Office serves Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana,

New Mexico, and Oklahoma in enforcing antitrust laws. By

closing the Dallas Field Office and reassigning those

enforcement positions to the remaining field offices, the

Department is seriously curtailing the government's ability

to enforce lawful business practices. DOJ's Antitrust

Division has an extensive history of promoting fair

competition in the marketplace. Shuttering the Dallas Field

Office will significantly undo the progress that has been

made during this Administration, paving the way for future

corruption and abuse.

In DOJ's October 2011 press release, you cite the potential

cost savings of nearly $8 million as one of the primary

factors behind this decision. I respectfully reject any

arguments for cost savings in this context, particularly

because there is a failure to consider the millions of

dollars that the Dallas Field Office has brought in through

criminal fines. While the Dallas Office costs roughly $3.5

million to operate each year, it has returned approximately

$1 billion in criminal fines to date. These gains do not

include criminal fines levied through the Atlanta, Cleveland,

or Philadelphia field offices. Thus, closure of the Dallas

Field Office is short-sighted for both long-term enforcement

of federal antitrust laws, and the lost revenues that

criminal penalties bring back to the American people.

Another aspect of your reasoning centers around

consolidating offices in order to focus on larger

international investigations. Aside from the obvious

implications that this would have for local or regional

enforcement of antitrust laws, history has demonstrated the

ongoing need to keep that focus at home in a similar, if not

greater, capacity. The Dallas Field Office has served a vital

role in numerous cases here in the U.S., while still managing

to have an effective international presence, as demonstrated

in the case of Hoffman-LaRoche. The $500 million fine paid by

the global healthcare company still represents the largest

criminal fine ever collected by the Antitrust Division or

Department of Justice.

Understanding this, I am respectfully requesting additional

insight into the agency's rationale behind this proposal. The

Dallas Field Office serves a critical role in upholding vital

antitrust laws in the United States. Closing this office will

open the doors for further violations of federal antitrust

and competitive bidding laws.

Should you have any questions or comments, please contact

Justin Maturo of my staff at [email protected] or

(202) 225 8885.

Sincerely,

Eddie Bernice Johnson,

Member of Congress.

Allow me to say happy Teachers' Day to every teacher and also to say that it is an honor and privilege to offer a resolution recognizing National Nurses Week, which is May 6 through 12. This year's theme is ``Nurses: Caring, Leading, Advocating.'' Since 1994, National Nurses Week has served as an opportunity to recognize nurses for their hard work, patience, and service, as well as for their contributions to improving our Nation's health care system.

Throughout my career as a registered nurse, I've had no greater privilege than to provide health care to those who have courageously served our country. As a former chief psychiatric nurse at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Dallas, I know firsthand the importance of providing quality care to those coming home from war. Through Joining Forces, which is a health care and treatment program for military personnel that was recently launched by the Obama administration, more than 500 nursing schools and 150 nursing organizations will work together to ``meet the unique health care needs of servicemen and -women, veterans, and their families.''

Nurses provide an invaluable service on a daily basis in settings such as hospitals, clinics, schools, workplaces, correctional facilities, and through their service in the military and during natural disasters. With over 3 million strong, nurses comprise the largest sector of the health care workforce, and year after year, nurses are voted the most trusted of all professionals. For the 12th time in 13 years, in a Gallup survey, nursing ranked first for honesty and ethical standards in 2011.

While our country shifts toward a nationwide focus on prevention and promotion, I believe it is the nurses who should stand at the forefront of this reformation. Mr. Speaker, nurses save lives, provide critical care, and advocate on behalf of their patients 52 weeks a year. They deserve more than 1 week of recognition for their tireless work within health care.

I want to thank my many congressional colleagues who cosponsor this bill in honoring nurses. My colleagues Congresswoman Lois Capps and Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy are also nurses. They have worked with me to promote this resolution, and they are champions of the nursing profession.

This week, remember to thank nurses for the admirable and selfless contributions they make to our community.

Mr. Chair, funding for research, innovation, and STEM education is an investment in our future, perhaps one of the most important investments we make as a nation. China, the European Union, and many other countries understand this and are poised to surpass the United States in innovation capacity and in the creation of a highly skilled 21st century workforce, if they have not already. According to an analysis carried out by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the United States ranks second to last of the 44 countries and regions analyzed in terms of progress in innovation-based competitiveness over the last decade. It used to be that the world's best and brightest flocked to our shores. Now many of our own best and brightest are finding better opportunities in other countries, and we are losing our edge in the competition for top talent from around the world.

In 2007, and again in 2010, the U.S. Congress enacted legislation-- the America COMPETES Act--that recognized the importance of increased investment in research, innovation, and STEM education. The funding trajectories we put forth in those bills were developed while our budget situation was healthier than it is today. While falling short of the authorized levels, we nevertheless have still managed to come together on a bipartisan basis with the Administration to ensure that funding for scientific research remains relatively unscathed as many other important programs and initiatives suffer deep cuts. This is particularly the case with the CJS bill before us today. I want to thank Chairman Wolf, Ranking Member Fattah, Chairman Rogers, and Ranking Member Dicks and for their to funding science and STEM education even as they made very difficult cuts in other worthy programs.

In particular, I want to commend the Appropriators for their enduring support for the National Science Foundation. The NSF is the only agency to fund basic research across all of science and engineering, and its support for education research has transformed the way we think about teaching and learning. The returns on our 65-year investment in the National Science Foundation include such critical discoveries as the hole in the ozone layer and the warming of the Arctic and such inspiring discoveries as new planets in the cosmos above and breathtaking creatures in the deep seas below. Our relatively modest investments have also led to such economically important technologies as fiber optics, the bar code, computer-aided design, cloud computing, and to a large extent the internet. But perhaps NSF's most important investment is the investment it makes in human capital--both in the great scientists and innovators of tomorrow and in the workforce at all level that will fill the jobs that would not be possible without those scientists and innovators.

While I am very pleased with the overall funding levels proposed for NSF, I do want to make a couple of specific comments. First, in their report on NSF, the Appropriators raise a few important oversight issues, especially with respect to management of research facilities. The Science, Space, and Technology Committee is undertaking a series of oversight hearings in preparation for a reauthorization of NSF next year. We've already held two hearings this year focused solely on facilities. I look forward to working with the Appropriators as we refine our own guidance to the agency through a careful and deliberative process. Second, I remain concerned that the agency continues to flat-fund its broadening participation programs and is now proposing a significant cut to its informal STEM education program even though the National Academies found that out-of-school learning provides a special opportunity to provide science learning experiences for millions of students who don't have access to such experiences in their under-resourced schools. We can't afford to continue leaving behind such a large and growing percentage of our brainpower. Given the overall growth in the Education Directorate proposed in this bill, I hope we can work together to ensure that NSF does not let up in its commitment to broadening participation in STEM.

Turning to NASA, it is clear that NASA is a critical part of the nation's research and development enterprise, as well as being a source of inspiration for our young people and a worldwide symbol of American technological prowess and good will. We need NASA to succeed. While fiscal challenges require difficult decisions, those decisions should not come at the expense of losing critical capabilities.

I'm pleased to see that the House bill restores a portion of the 21% cut to our planetary exploration program--a program that has been a highly successful scientific undertaking that has captured the imaginations of people around the world. Planetary science has also been an increasingly international effort, especially in plans for future Mars exploration. The rationale to back out of our plans for Mars collaborations with Europe was never clear, and this restoration of planetary funding provides the opportunity to resume our engagement in that effort and sustain critical U.S. capabilities.

Regarding the Commercial Crew development program, I have witnessed the enthusiasm from aspiring commercial crew companies testifying before the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and I wish them well. But as a steward of the taxpayers' dollars, I cannot let enthusiasm override the need for hardheaded oversight. NASA has yet to provide Congress with a convincing explanation of why it reversed course and scrapped its plan to use FAR-based contracts--contracts that allow NASA to ensure that its safety and performance requirements are met for whatever systems it funds--in favor of a agreements that cannot mandate that safety requirements be met. We don't have the luxury of paying for a ``hope for the best'' strategy that risks having us pay more down the road the problems that inevitably arise when that hope- based approach collides with reality. That is why I support a commercial crew development approach that returns to FAR-based contracts as soon as actionable.

I am pleased that the House bill provides increases for the Space Launch System and Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle--also known as Orion--over the amounts in the budget request, although even these levels are significantly below authorized amounts. It is essential that both the SLS and Orion remain on track for planned flight tests in 2014 and 2017. With respect to Orion, I hope that by the time the House and Senate have completed their negotiations on this appropriations bill, funding for that important capability will be at least at the level in the Senate's Committee-passed. We need to ensure that the development of Orion includes sufficient funding to enable preparations for its use as a back-up or alternative to commercially provided crew and cargo transportation in a timely manner in the event those commercial vehicle programs are delayed.

With respect to NOAA, I am pleased to see the CJS appropriations includes the full requested level of funding for the Joint Polar Satellite System, JPSS. It is vitally important that during a time where every region of this country is experiencing various extreme weather phenomena, we ensure that we make the needed investments in our premier weather and climate observational and forecasting tools. This year alone, this country has witnessed in every region and on every coastline some of the most extreme, record-breaking weather events. We must ensure that Americans are provided accurate short--and long--term weather forecasts--forecasts that are critical to saving lives and properties and to making informed plans.

Finally, I am very pleased that the bill before us today recognizes the important role that the National Institute of Standards and Technology plays in fostering innovation and industrial competitiveness. In this bill, NIST's research budget receives a level of funding that

will allow it to continue its important work with industry to advance the nation's technology infrastructure. I am also pleased that the research budget, along with a decision to continue robust funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program and to initiate funding for the promising Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia program, will help U.S. manufacturers compete and flourish in the global marketplace.

One of the keys to our ability to grow the economy for the future lies in our ability to spur innovation-based economic development in regions throughout this country. The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 recognized how critical regional innovation is to our competitiveness and authorized a regional innovation program at the Economic Development Administration. This program built on initiatives already underway at EDA, but provided the agency with the tools and flexibility that it needed to ensure the biggest bang for its buck by funding the projects with the greatest innovative potential. I am disappointed that this bill does not follow the Senate's lead by providing a separate line item of funding for this regional innovation program. If our shared goal is to promote innovation and economic growth, we should fund these activities under the program that was developed specifically with this goal in mind and not continue to require these activities to be funded through programs that were developed for other economic development purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Ms. Margaret Bracy Pleasants, a Florida-born teacher and active member of her community. Ms. Pleasants was 79 years of age.

Ms. Pleasants placed great value in her involvement in various civic organizations and social clubs. Despite moving several times throughout her life, Ms. Pleasants was always an active member of her community, and made lasting connections with her neighbors. From her humble beginnings in Jacksonville, Florida, to her eventual move to Texas and California, Ms. Pleasants always left a lasting impression on those around her.

Ms. Pleasants was blessed with musical talents, and used them in service to her local church.

Ms. Pleasants always wanted to become an educator, and it was her dream to inspire future generations. She taught at the Bryant Academy and later at Jack Yates High School in Houston, Texas. Ms. Pleasants inspired her students and taught them the value of life. While teaching at Whaley Middle School in California, Ms. Pleasants formed the Human Relations Club, a group focused on bringing multicultural events to the entire student body. She used her love of different cultures to inspire her students, expand their horizons, and help them to embrace cultural diversity.

Mr. Speaker, Margaret Pleasants enjoyed many simple pastimes and was always eager to share in those experiences with others. She understood well the importance of living in the moment and bestowing those values upon future generations. While her passing comes as a great loss to many, we may continue to look to her life for inspiration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of Mr. Herb Weitzman, a Dallas-born commercial real estate professional who has been in business for over 51 years. Mr. Weitzman is 72 years old, the owner and chief executive of the Weitzman Group and Cencor Realty Services, and he shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Texas is widely known for its thriving economy and deeply-rooted culture. Over the past five decades, Mr. Weitzman's contributions have added considerable value to the Texas economy, and he has helped to define the dynamic culture found in cities all across Texas.

In North Texas, Mr. Weitzman established the first locations for a number of retail chains including Kentucky Fried Chicken, Toys R Us, and T.J. Maxx. Mr. Weitzman has also brought newfound prominence and economic diversity to various shopping centers throughout Texas by bringing anchor stores like Whole Foods and Krogers, among many others. In addition to the economic benefits enjoyed by many Texans through the creation of jobs, Mr. Weitzman has helped to breathe new life into a number of Texas communities.

Mr. Speaker, Herb Weitzman is a man who understands the importance of building lasting relationships with his clients. In doing so, those relationships have helped Mr. Weitzman launch a long and successful career in real estate, and has had such a keen insight in business that he has weathered the difficult times in the economy. Mr. Weitzman is a model of what it takes to lead a successful business, and I am pleased to recognize his accomplishments and integrity in commercial real estate.

Let me express my appreciation to the leaders of this bill. This is a good bipartisan bill, and it is nearly identical to the legislation that passed the House by an overwhelming majority in the last Congress. I would like to certainly cite Mr. Lipinski and Mr. McCaul for their leadership and work on this bill.

The Internet--and our access to the Internet through computers, tablets, smartphones, et cetera--has greatly increased our productivity and connectivity. Unfortunately, this connectivity and the dependence of our infrastructure, our commerce, and a great deal of our day-to-day lives on information technologies have increased our vulnerability to cyberattack. For example, you may recall last year, the networks of 48 companies were penetrated for at least 6 months by a hacker who was looking for intellectual property to steal, and it was reported that the personal information of nearly 80 million video game users was compromised.

So we need to do what we can to help ensure that these sorts of intrusions are minimized. To do this, we need to build strong partnerships between our Federal agencies, businesses, nongovernmental organizations, and educational institutions.

I am pleased that H.R. 2096 strengthens the public-private partnerships, guarantees a proactive and comprehensive Federal cybersecurity R&D portfolio, trains the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, and ensures the development of robust cybersecurity technical standards. These activities are essential to our efforts to advance the security of our current information and communication systems and to build future systems that are more secure from the outset.

I would simply close by saying thank you to Mr. McCaul and to Mr. Lipinski. I hope that we get this bill passed.

Both of the agencies covered in H.R. 2096, the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, play an important and unique role in the Federal effort to secure cyberspace.

While I support the passage of H.R. 2096, I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to express some disappointment over the language in H.R. 2096 that authorizes a cybersecuity awareness and education program at NIST.

During Committee consideration of H.R. 2096, I offered an amendment to ensure that the education and awareness activities authorized by the bill accurately represent NIST's current role as the coordinator of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, or NICE.

I was pleased that my Republican colleagues offered to work with me to address this concern. However, the language in the bill we are considering today still falls short and fails to accurately reflect these activities.

NICE, under NIST's leadership, is playing an important and critical role in improving cybersecurity education in this country. Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues were resistant to language that specifically addressed NICE's role in formal cybersecurity education.

I believe that this is a regrettable omission and that we missed an opportunity to ensure that the initiative focuses sufficient attention on developing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. I hope that this shortcoming can be addressed as the bill moves to the Senate.

President Obama has stated that cyber threats are ``one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation'' and that cutting edge research and development and a commitment to science and math education are central to securing America's information and communication networks. I couldn't agree more.

H.R. 2096 will help to advance these important goals and improve the Nation's resiliency to cyber attack.

I'd like to take a moment to thank both the Majority and Minority staff for their work on this bill, and in particular thank Marcy Gallo on my staff for her hard work. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

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

I rise in support of H.R. 3834, the Advancing America's Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act of 2012.

H.R. 3834 is a good bipartisan bill which I was pleased to join Chairman Hall in introducing. It is largely based on the 2009 House- passed bill that was introduced by then-Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Hall. But the current bill also includes some updates from the 2009 bill that appropriately reflect changes to the networking and information technology landscape, as well as policy and management recommendations made by an outside panel of experts charged with evaluating the NITRD Program.

The NITRD Program, as it is known, involves the collaboration of 15 Federal research and development agencies, each contributing its own unique expertise. To ensure that we make the most effective use of our Federal R&D resources and remain a leader in these fields, H.R. 3834 requires that all 15 agencies come together to develop and periodically update a strategic plan for Federal investments in NIT R&D.

H.R. 3834 calls for increased support for large-scale, long-term interdisciplinary research in NIT that will help us tackle national challenges such as improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our health care and energy-delivery systems. The bill also promotes partnerships between the Federal Government, academia, and industry to foster technology transfer.

In particular, I would like to highlight this bill's role in ensuring that the education of a future NIT workforce remains an important component of the NITRD Program.

I am hearing every day from small and large companies alike that the demand for skilled American IT professionals is higher than the supply. We hear the same message from university faculty who tell us that computer science graduates are snatched up the moment they graduate even while we're in the midst of a recession. This gap between supply and demand exists, despite the fact that these jobs are among the highest paying and most stable jobs out there.

It is imperative that we encourage more young Americans to pursue studies in NIT fields. In particular, because of the stark gender and racial gaps that we see in computer science programs, it is imperative that we encourage more young women and students of color to enter these fields. We simply cannot afford to ignore more than 50 percent of our Nation's brainpower.

H.R. 3834 doesn't go quite as far as I'd like it to go in addressing these education challenges, but it still sends an important message about the need to educate more of our students in NIT fields and provide the necessary authority for the agencies to play an appropriate role here.

Finally, since this is Cyber Week, I would be remiss not to mention that the NITRD Program serves as a coordinating and planning umbrella for all unclassified Federal cybersecurity R&D. Our committee addressed specific needs in cybersecurity R&D in a separate bill just considered today, but in doing so, we made sure that both the intellectual and financial resources for cybersecurity R&D are appropriately integrated into the rest of the Federal NIT portfolio. Information security R&D should not take place in its own silo. It bears on all network and information technologies.

In closing, NIT technologies cut across every sector of our economy and our national defense infrastructure. Our relatively modest 20-year investment in the NITRD Program has contributed immeasurably to our economic and national security by enabling innovation and job creation in NIT and providing American students with the skills to fulfill these jobs. Let's authorize this program today and ensure it remains strong.

I want to thank my friend, Chairman Hall, and his staff, especially Mele Williams, for working so collaboratively and openly with us on this good bipartisan bill. I'd also like to thank my staff, and in particular Dahlia Sokolov, for their hard work on the bill, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3834.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski).

I urge passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in opposition to H.R. 4628. This bill forces an unnecessary and immoral choice between students' education and the health care of women, children, and seniors.

Since January, President Obama and the Democratic Members of Congress have urged Republicans to address the pending increase in student loan interest rates. Over the last month, many Republicans have stated that they had no qualms about the additional borrowing costs. In fact, they spoke loudly with their votes in support of the Ryan Budget just last month, which would double student loan interest rates.

Republicans are not working in good faith to help students and their families, but are rather using this situation to continue their efforts to defund programs that provide critical illness prevention and wellness screening. Cutting the Prevention and Public Health Fund will have a disproportionate impact on America's women and children. Defunding this program means stripping away vital funding for cancer detection, childhood immunizations, and screening newborns for birth defects. The GOP repeal of the Prevention and Public Health Fund is opposed by nearly 800 organizations, including the American Lung Association, American Heart Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs.

In 2007, Democrats in Congress provided relief to students from high interest rates on need-based loans. We passed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act that lowered interest rates on subsidized Stafford Loans each year until they reached a low of 3.4 percent this past year. Since then, 15 million students have benefitted from lower rates. Unfortunately, without Republican action in the House and action in the Senate, those rates are set to double on July 1st from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent.

The doubling of loan rates will hit students at a time when they can least afford it. In the current weak economy, young Americans have the highest unemployment rate of any other group. Two-thirds of the Class of 2010 graduated with an average of student loan debt of $25,000.

Congress should not be building more hurdles for young people to get the education and the skills needed to succeed. We should be facilitating the ability of students to pursue higher education and training. Every year Congress does not act, it will cost a student borrower $1,000 in additional repayment costs, and failure to act now will add $6.3 billion to students' debt burden in one year alone.

Mr. Speaker, it is stop playing politics with American's students and the health care of women, children, and seniors. I urge the passage legislation maintaining the current student loan rate that does not undermine the access to health care that would affect millions of Americans.

Mr. Speaker, in a global economy, putting a college education within reach for every American has never been more important, but it has also never been more expensive.

Our Nation's young people have been hit particularly hard over the economic downturn in the last several years. In Texas and all across the country, students and recent college graduates are now facing the highest unemployment rate of any other group. Two-thirds of the class of 2010 graduated with an average of $25,000 of student loan debt. Young Americans are rightly concerned about their future, and so am I.

Mr. Speaker, on July 1 of this year, Stafford loan interest rates are set to double unless Congress takes action. As we sit here as a Congress, we need to work together to prevent this increase. I, along with my Democratic colleagues in Congress and President Obama, have been working on a number of efforts to make college more affordable.

Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing H.R. 4483, the ``Broadening Participation in STEM Education Act.'' This bill aims to increase the number of students from underrepresented minority groups who receive undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, disciplines. It also seeks to increase the number of STEM faculty members from underrepresented minority groups at institutions of higher education.

The U.S. faces a severe shortfall in students graduating with degrees in STEM fields. With approximately 20 percent of our undergraduate degrees awarded in science and engineering disciplines, we rank 27th among developed nations in producing graduates qualified for 21st Century STEM careers. Statistics become even more alarming when you look at the number of students from underrepresented minority groups who receive degrees in STEM disciplines. As of 2011, only about 8 percent of 24 years-olds from these groups had obtained a bachelor's degree in a science or engineering discipline.

This is more than just a question of equity. We have a vast, untapped pool of talent in America, and this pool is continuing to grow. It is estimated that, by 2050, 52 percent of the U.S. population will be from underrepresented minority groups. We have to drastically increase the number of students from these groups receiving degrees in STEM disciplines or we will undoubtedly relinquish our global leadership in innovation and job creation.

There are many reasons why the number of underrepresented minority students receiving degrees in STEM fields is so appallingly low. It starts at the K 12 level, where too many of our teachers are not well prepared to teach math and science and too many of our schools lack even basic science laboratory equipment. But even those minority students who enter college intending to major in a STEM discipline abandon science and engineering for other fields at a much higher rate than their peers. These young people are smart and motivated and small steps such as improved mentorship and increased access to research experiences have proven to keep students from all backgrounds on track to complete their STEM degrees.

Statistics are equally troubling when it comes to underrepresented minorities and their pursuit of academic careers in STEM disciplines. Underrepresented minorities currently make up about 29 percent of the U.S. population, but only about 8 percent of tenure-track science and engineering faculty members at universities and four-year colleges. Less than one percent of tenure-track science and engineering faculty members at the nation's top 100 research universities are from underrepresented groups. One consequence of having such a low number of minority faculty, among other things, is that they are called on much more frequently than their peers to serve on commissions, committees, and the like as a way of showing that a college or university is committed to diversity in their administrative procedures. As a result, minority faculty have less time to conduct research, publish papers, mentor students, and do other work that is required for them achieve tenure status and otherwise thrive in their research careers. More fundamentally, the low number of minority faculty is another indicator of the untapped potential that we have in the STEM disciplines.

Passing the ``Broadening Participation in STEM Education Act'' will help address both of these issues. By authorizing the Director of NSF to award grants to colleges and universities that want to implement or expand innovative, research-based approaches to recruit and retain students from underrepresented minority groups, we will take a necessary step toward increasing the number of students from these groups who successfully complete undergraduate degrees in STEM fields. Similarly, by making grants available to colleges and universities to allow them to make an effort to increase the number of faculty members from underrepresented minority groups, we will take a necessary step toward achieving equality at our institutions of higher education. These are admittedly small steps toward maintaining American leadership in innovation, but they are necessary and achievable steps and we need to act now. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting H.R. 4483.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on H.R. 2146, the DATA Act. I join all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in supporting greater transparency in Federal grants and contracts. But the details in how we reach that goal are important. The bill as reported by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform would have created an extra level of bureaucracy and duplicative reporting of financial data in addition to an administrative tax on scarce Federal research dollars and an unfunded mandate imposed on our already struggling universities.

Research universities, the economic engines of our Nation, typically receive research grants from 6 7 Federal agencies, each with its own financial reporting requirements and data standards. The bill as introduced would simply have added one more agency, in the form of the new Commission, to which universities would have to report. This would have increased the administrative costs on Federal research dollars without providing any new information about funding to those institutions.

The amendment being considered today is a big improvement on the original bill in ensuring that financial reporting of Federal grants and contracts is standardized and consolidated to reduce the overall administrative burden on grant recipients such as universities while providing the increased transparency that is the goal of this bill. I want to express my appreciation to Chairman Issa and Ranking Member Cummings for working closely with the university groups to address these issues.

However, I believe that more work still needs to be done on this bill to guarantee that financial reporting is fully streamlined and agencies are required to comply with a consolidated reporting system. I understand that the transition will be difficult for all involved, including both the granting agencies and the grant recipients, but I also believe that a consolidated financial reporting system is good for the government and good for the taxpayer.

I share with some of my colleagues other concerns that have been expressed about this bill, but today I speak only in my role as Ranking Member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. I hope that Chairman Issa and Ranking Member Cummings will maintain their open dialogue with the universities and other Federal grant and contract recipients about the details of this bill as it moves forward. I believe we all share the goal of increased transparency while keeping U.S. research dollars directed to ground-breaking research that is the foundation of our economic growth, rather than to additional paperwork.

Let me thank my ranking member and chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

I rise in support of the provisions included in the Senate version of the reauthorization. It was my hope that we

would have a longer-term bill, one that would reauthorize surface transportation, transit, and rail provisions for several years. I support the Senate version because it will provide certainty to the State departments of transportation, to transit agencies, and to contractors, which will help create and sustain jobs for out-of-work Americans.

Most of the roads and bridges in this country are in serious disrepair, and States and municipalities are unable to address these needs with piecemeal extensions.

The Senate bill preserves transit funding and continues funding major transit programs from the highway trust fund. I was very concerned with the elimination of transit funding included in the House version. Transit funds are essential to both urban and rural areas by providing alternative transportation, easing congestion, and reducing emissions. In addition, I support the expansion of the TIFIA program to $1 billion annually, and the modifications that make it easier for public transportation agencies with dedicated revenue sources to apply for TIFIA loans.

Madam Speaker, we are currently operating under the ninth extension of SAFETEA LU. This really is unacceptable, and we owe it to the American people to address our crumbling infrastructure and to get them back to work.

I voted for the most recent extension of SAFETEA LU, but for the purpose of getting to where we are now, so we could get to conference and consider the Senate amendment to H.R. 4348 in conference. I implore my colleagues to support the instructions to put the Senate transportation bill before us in conference so that we can bring it to the floor.