Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 68, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 43, 44, and 45, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague and both the Government Reform Committee and Rules Committee for allowing this resolution to be considered today. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

The Dynamo soccer team arrived in Houston just 2 years ago, and in the team's first two seasons, they won back-to-back MLS Cups. The Dynamo are the first team to do so in over a decade and have immediately drawn a huge fan base in Houston for their success.

Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear has guided the team to 26 wins, 20 draws, and 16 losses in its first two seasons in Houston. The Cup win this season came over the New England Revolution, the same team the Dynamo defeated in 2006 to win their first MLS Cup and the 2007 match to an attendance of merely 40,000. The 2007 Cup win was a come-from- behind victory in which Dwayne De Rosario assisted on the tying goal to Joseph Ngwenya, and scored the winning goal to take home the most valuable player honors from the match.

The Dynamo managed to accomplish this without the most valuable player from their 2006 Cup win, Brian Ching, who was sidelined with an injury.

Texas and Houston have a long history of being a football State and town, but I first learned about soccer when I was in college playing goalie just during college sports. My two children grew up playing soccer in the 1980s when they were young in Houston. Over the years, I watched soccer grow not only in the suburbs but also in the very inner city, and you can hardly have a flat field, flat surface, without having soccer goals put up.

Today in our district and throughout the Houston area, countless numbers of children have played and become soccer fans, and the Dynamos' success since arriving in Houston greatly increased the interest in the game.

Four of the Dynamo stars, Brad Davis, Eddie Robinson, Ricardo Clark, and Stuart Holden, have been selected for the U.S. Men's National Team roster that will face Team Mexico at Reliant Stadium tonight in Houston. This is the most players of any club represented on our national team, and it includes the Houston native, Stuart Holden, who played his high school soccer in Houston.

The U.S.-Mexico soccer rivalry is one of the biggest matches the team plays and always draws enormous crowds and a large television following.

We wish the players luck tonight in their match and congratulate the Dynamos on their past success and look forward to their continued success in 2008.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution congratulating the Houston Dynamos on their 2007 Major League Soccer Cup victory.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4848. This legislation is an extension of the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996.

This bill requires that annual and lifetime dollar limits for mental health treatment under group health plans offering mental health coverage be no less than that for physical illnesses.

Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for individuals between the ages of 15-44. In fact, 54 million Americans currently suffer from mental illness.

Unfortunately, the stigma of mental illness prevents millions of Americans from receiving the health care they need. Arbitrary limits on insurance benefits also serve as a significant barrier to many Americans seeking help.

The original Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 was an important first step toward mental health parity and mandated that annual and lifetime limits in mental health coverage be equal to those applied to medical and surgical benefits.

While I support this bill, I strongly believe that we must pass H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2007.

The scientific community has long told us that mental illness and substance abuse are biologically-based, and the Surgeon General recognized that fact in the 1999 Surgeon General's report.

The sad reality, however, is that the health insurance market still does not provide true parity to mental health and substance abuse coverage.

Individuals who struggle with mental illness or substance abuse have no guarantee they'll get the treatment they need--even if they have health insurance.

Mental illness and substance abuse are serious issues for many Americans who too often do not receive the appropriate treatment. Twenty-six million Americans struggle with substance abuse addictions.

I hope that we will recognize the struggles that individuals with substance abuse addictions face in seeking treatment.

I strongly support H.R. 4848 and hope that we will build on this piece of legislation by considering H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2007 sometime this session.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to explain my absence from votes cast on January 22, 2008. I was in Houston meeting with constituents at a townhall meeting our office scheduled prior to knowing votes would take place last night.

On rollcall vote No. 19, to approve H.R. 4211, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall vote No. 20, to approve H. Res. 866, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Madam Speaker, I thank our Chair of the committee for allowing me to speak. Sitting here, waiting in line and listening, I am amazed at the rhetoric I hear. We had Members from our minority side talk about we have to worry about saving for the stimulus next week, and we want to vote for that. But it is amazing they want to save money from the SCHIP program to pay for a stimulus, and at the same time they don't worry about paying for the billions of dollars a month that we are spending in Iraq. It is amazing how frugal they are when they want to be.

Madam Speaker, the President's veto of the children's health care bill once again shows it is playing politics rather than embracing an opportunity to fix a system that is in need of repair. The reason we are here is over 10 years ago this House and Senate and the President at that time signed the bill. The issue was we need to cover the children first. Instead of signing this piece of legislation into law, President Bush twice vetoed a bill to provide insurance coverage to 10 million low-income American children of working parents.

The administration's reason for this veto just doesn't stand up. No Federal funding will be spent on undocumented immigrants in this bill. If they are, they are on the State's, the State of Texas or whoever else, to pay for it if they allow illegal immigrants on the CHIP plan. In 1 year, childless adults are taken off the SCHIP program, even though this administration issued waivers to allow them to be on it. Only lowest income children are covered, with a prohibition on coverage for over 300 percent of poverty, and still the President vetoed it.

We continue to spend billions of dollars a month in Iraq, and we can't even cover the lowest income children. Energy costs are up. Everything is up. Our economy is weakening, and the number of unemployed and uninsured in this country are rising. Let's at least cover the children with health care. Let's vote to override this misguided veto.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend Mr. Manuel Escontrias on announcing his retirement from Exxon-Mobil, after 38 years of service. Mr. Escontrias, a long time Baytonian, served his community for 6 years as a District 3 city councilman, 6 years as a Goose Creek school board trustee and as a Lee College regent for 1 year.

Mr. Escontrias holds a bachelor's degree in science from Texas A&M and a master's degree from Pepperdine University. In 1968, Mr. Escontrias went to work for the Exxon-Mobil Chemical Plant as the first Hispanic engineer at the Baytown complex.

In the 1980s, while with Exxon-Mobil, Mr. Escontrias helped develop and build the Exxon Coal Liquefaction Plant (ECLP), was involved in the biggest expansion in the company's history, and was part of the Exxon- Mobil Process/Risk Management Group. Through his 40 years as a Baytonian, Mr. Escontrias has been involved with many local groups including the United Way, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Lakewood Civic Association, and many more. For his involvement in the community, Mr. Escontrias was awarded the Henry B. Gonzalez Leadership Award.

And so it is with great pleasure that I recognize Mr. Manuel Escontrias, for his service to Exxon-Mobil and the city of Baytown, and I congratulate him on the announcement of his retirement.

I thank my colleague from the Rules Committee for allowing me to speak.

I have to admit, it is not very often I follow my colleague from Massachusetts and support a lot of what he said. The legislation before us today is the result of almost a year of hard work

and negotiation to compromise by the new majority to produce an energy bill that helps address the serious concern of climate change in our Nation.

For the first time in over 30 years, Democrats increase the fuel economy standards by 40 percent, as well as increase energy efficiency requirements and promote research and development of alternative sources of energy.

Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer and Chairman Dingell deserve special praise for their work in crafting this historic legislation.

Almost as important as what is included is what is not included. H.R. 6 omitted provisions from the previous energy bills that I feared could raise the cost of energy for consumers, including a Federal renewable electricity standard, new taxes on the energy industry outside of those carefully negotiated in the original H.R. 6 from January of this year that could tilt the competitive playing field against U.S. companies, and provisions that could hamper domestic oil and natural gas production. These changes are commendable and represent a more balanced proposal which I support.

What was unfortunately omitted was the opportunity to create a balanced energy policy that invests in our energy future without ignoring America's energy needs today. Energy security cannot be achieved by alternative energy and conservation alone.

The Energy Information Administration predicts that natural gas, oil, and coal will comprise approximately the same share of our total energy supply in 2030 as they did in 2005, even with new investments in renewable sources of energy.

Comprehensive energy legislation must be enacted that will increase America's domestic energy supply, particularly clean-burning natural gas which will play a critical role in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.

What's also lacking was the debate on renewable fuel standards, RFS, a provision not moved through the regular process of the House and that lacks a clear mechanism to reduce the mandate prior to taking effect in the case of environmental challenges, technological, feasibility or supply issues, or other adverse consequences.

There is no shortage of literature detailing the negative environmental impacts of corn-based ethanol, its questionable greenhouse gas emission reductions, its reduced fuel efficiency, and its effect on food and energy prices.

I hope in a few years down the road we don't find ourselves asking whether the supposed cure for our oil addiction is not worse than the disease.

In closing, I believe as Democrats we can craft a sensible energy policy that actually enhances our energy security. I hope our House leadership will continue to try to work with Democrats and Republicans together to address America's need to produce additional domestic energy, both conventional and renewable, and to ensure the reliability and affordability of our Nation's critical energy supplies.

[From the Houston Chronicle, Dec. 8, 2007]

Energy Policy

The energy bill passed by the U.S. House last week is more

a political statement than a blueprint for U.S. energy

policy. Titled the Energy Independence and Security Act, it

misses many chances to attain those goals.

The bill's best feature is the requirement that automakers

have a fleet average of 35 miles per gallon. The measure's

proponents say the higher mileage standard would save the

United States 1.1 million barrels of oil per day--about half

of what the country imports from the Persian Gulf. With

populations and demand for energy growing, more efficient

cars and SUVs are essential.

The bill's reliance on the use of ethanol to cut crude

imports is suspect, however. Most ethanol here is made from

corn. The present mandate for gasoline blenders to use

ethanol has driven up food prices, but the nation hasn't

enjoyed a significant net gain in energy. The bill aims to

force the development of efficient cellulosic ethanol, but

the technology might be slow in coming. If House Democrats

wanted to increase use of efficiently made ethanol, they

would eliminate the tariff on imported ethanol made from

sugar cane.

A requirement that utilities produce 15 percent of their

electricity from renewable sources is arbitrary and does not

suit every locality, but it would prompt market solutions.

Texas, one of the leading producers of wind power, has a 5

percent renewable requirement, and the state's economy and

consumers have benefited.

President Bush has voiced objection to the bill's new taxes

applied to the oil industry, and he has good reason. Does it

make sense to raise the tax burden on the companies that

produce and distribute the energy the nation's prosperity

rests on? The oil industry should be taxed as near as

possible in the same manner as other corporations.

If Congress wanted to increase domestic oil and gas

production, as it should, it would allow responsible drilling

on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. There is no reason the

Gulf of Mexico should bear the strain of providing the

nation's only offshore energy.

Perhaps one day the Democrats and Republicans in the House

and Senate will agree on a compromise that would enhance

efficiency and the nation's energy supply. For that to

happen, both parties must decide policy based on the common

good rather than on narrow competing interests.

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend from Louisiana for allowing me to speak.

Mr. Speaker, there is no question this is a historic day. This bill will substantially increase fuel economy standards for the first time in over 20 years, increase energy efficiency requirements, and promote research and development of alternative sources. These are all worthy accomplishments, and the efforts of Chairman Dingell should be commended.

The only opportunity this Congress missed was to create a balanced energy policy that invests in our energy future without ignoring America's energy needs today. I believe as Democrats, we could have crafted a sensible energy policy that actually enhances our energy security, but that would require bringing all Democrats to the table, including those of us who represent districts that produce energy needed to heat our homes, fuel our vehicles, and generate our economic prosperity.

While some improvements from the previous bill, H.R. 3221, have been made, new additions that have not been thoroughly debated have been included and could have a negative impact on the cost of energy in our area.

For that reason, I must vote against the legislation and hope that we can instead vote on an energy bill that is focused on provisions we can agree on, such as a bill to increase CAFE standards, energy efficiency standards, and that would actually increase energy security in the United States.

I am particularly disappointed in the lack of discussion on the renewable fuel standard, RFS, which was not included in our House bill and was not moved through any regular process in the House of Representatives. It is premature to consider expanding the RFS until our current one is fully implemented, and we run the risk of negative environmental impacts, questionable greenhouse gas emissions, and increased food and energy prices with a focus on corn-based ethanol.

A sensible approach would have been to require RFS to include, prior to taking effect, a clear mechanism to reduce the mandate in case the environmental challenges, technological, or feasibility

of supply issues, or projected food price increases were impacted.

This bill includes tax provisions outside of those carefully negotiated earlier in H.R. 6 that actually tilt the competitive playing field for global energy resources against U.S.-based oil and gas companies and discourage the expansion of natural gas distribution systems.

There has been an effort to moderate some of the tax provisions passed early in August, particularly by retaining current deduction levels under section 199 for our Nation's independent producers. I am glad that happened, but I am concerned with the impact on my constituents and their electricity bills with a Federal renewable electricity standard, the RES. Under a one-size-fits-all mandate, Texas utilities may be forced to make payments to the Federal Government to meet a 20 percent target or a 15 percent target, or 11 percent, now we hear it is 11 percent, ultimately driving up costs for the utility, the electricity users.

I wish Congress would capitalize on this historic moment and actually make it to where we could pass an energy bill that would be bipartisan. We could instead have a more sensible bill that focused on the provisions we all agree on, increase CAFE standards and energy standards, and that would meet with Senate and Presidential approval.

Mr. Speaker, there is no question this is a truly historic day for Congress. This bill will substantially increase fuel economy standards for the first time in over 20 years, increase energy efficiency requirements, and promote research and development of alternative sources of energy. These are all worthy accomplishments and the efforts of the Chairman should be commended.

The only opportunity this Congress missed, Mr. Speaker, was to create a balanced energy policy that invests in our energy future without ignoring America's energy needs today. I believe as Democrats we can craft sensible-energy policy that actually enhances our energy security, but that would require bringing all Democrats to the table, including those of us who represent Districts that produce the energy needed to heat our homes, fuel our vehicles, and generate our economic prosperity.

I believe that day will come, but after reviewing some of the proposals contained in this legislation, it is clear we have a long way to go. While some improvements from H.R. 3221 have been made, new additions that have not been thoroughly debated by this House and that could have a negative impact on the cost of energy have been included.

For that reason, I must regrettably vote against this legislation and hope that we instead vote on an energy bill that is focused on the provisions we can all agree on--such as a bill to increase CAFE and energy efficiency standards--and that will actually increase the energy security of the United States.

Renewable Fuel Standard

I am particularly disappointed in the lack of discussion and debate with various stakeholders when crafting the expanded Renewable-Fuel Standard, RFS, which was not included in the House-passed bill, was not considered by the Energy and Commerce Committee, and was not moved through the regular process of the House of Representatives.

It's premature to consider expanding the RFS before our current one is even fully-implemented, and we run the risk of ultimately shifting the nation's dependency on petroleum to another fuel that's costly, less efficient, and many unintended consequences.

There is no shortage of literature detailing the negative environmental impacts of corn- based ethanol, including soil erosion, herbicide and insecticide pollution, aquifer depletion, and loss and degradation of wildlife habitat.

Its effect on greenhouse gas emissions are questionable, and many studies find that the amount of energy needed to produce ethanol is roughly equal to the amount of energy obtained from its combustion.

The biggest loser in the blind push for ethanol is the American consumer. I come from a low-income area in Texas where families struggle to make ends meet. When you account for the increased cost of transporting ethanol, its reduced fuel efficiency, and higher food prices due to increased corn demand, all our constituents will take a substantial hit to their pocketbooks.

Even with this, I had hoped to sit down with different RFS stakeholders to find a reasonable solution to address these concerns. A sensible approach would have been to require the RFS to include--prior to taking effect--a clear mechanism to reduce the mandate in the case of environmental challenges, infrastructure bottlenecks, technological, feasibility or supply issues, projected food price increases, adverse weather conditions, harm to livestock producers, or other adverse consequences. Such evaluations could be repeated on a periodic basis to ensure these conditions do not materialize. Unfortunately, this idea did not have the opportunity for an open discussion and debate.

If this Congress supports this expansion, I hope we at least understand the energy requirements we'll need to meet the mandate. Most of the energy used to produce ethanol comes from natural gas or electricity. A Congressional Research Service report concluded that an increase in corn ethanol to 15 billion gallons would require an increase in natural gas consumption, ultimately substituting energy demand from one fossil fuel to another.

I have always believed clean-burning natural gas will play a critical role in addressing our nation's energy needs; I just hope we remember the important role natural gas will play in this RFS mandate as we debate future proposals affecting domestic natural gas supply.

Tax Repeals

Next, I believe we cannot keep taxing American's energy industry and expect to have adequate supplies of energy. This bill includes tax provisions outside of those carefully negotiated in H.R. 6 that could actually tilt the competitive playing field for global energy resources against U.S. based oil and gas companies and discourage the expansion of natural gas distribution systems.

This increase in new taxes targeted at the U.S. energy industry could reduce our Nation's energy security by discouraging new domestic oil and gas production and new investments in refinery capacity.

I am pleased, however, by the effort made to moderate some of the tax provisions from H.R. 3221, particularly by retaining the current deduction levels under Section 199 for our Nation's independent producers. While it is fundamentally unfair to treat energy companies differently than other companies under the manufacturers tax credit, at least this provision does not also punish independent producers which develop 90 percent of domestic oil and natural gas wells.

Renewable Electricity Standard

Finally, I am concerned with the impact on my constituents' electricity bills with a federal Renewable Electricity Standard, or

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend Ms. Prissy Grace, who has represented members of the National Association of Letter Carriers, on announcing her retirement. Ms. Grace was born in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1943, and started with the Humble Post Office in 1973. The National Association of Letter Carriers has recognized her dedication by electing her as a union steward, the first woman Member of the Year, the first woman full-time officer, in 1983, and the first woman president of their union, in 1998, and again in 2002. She was truly a pioneer and blazed a trail that women will be following for generations to come.

Ms. Grace once forced a postmaster, who belonged to the Klu Klux Klan, to integrate his station. She defended workers who refused to work in unsafe and dangerous conditions. She worked to turn a credit union, in receivership, into one of the strongest financial institutions in the State. In many other ways, too numerous to list here, she has improved the life of all the postal workers and their families in the Houston area. Her decades of service have generated the respect and admiration of the union members and Post Office management.

Not only was she a tireless defender of postal workers, but as a single mother, she raised three children who each went on to graduate from college. If ever an individual embodied the ideals of family values, freedom and feminism, she is this individual. She is also a good friend of my family and of working people in our country.

And so it is with great pleasure that I recognize Ms. Prissy Grace, for her distinguished service to the National Association of Letter Carriers, and I congratulate her on announcing her retirement.

Mr Speaker, as an original cosponsor of H.R. 3919, I rise in strong support of this legislation.

Recent data indicate that the United States has fallen behind other nations in the availability, speed, and value of broadband services, which refers to high-speed Internet access. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported earlier this year that among the group's 30 member countries, the United States had fallen to 15th place in per capita broadband use by the end of 2006, whereas in 2001 the United States had been in fourth place. The United States recently ranked 21st in the International Telecommunication Union's Digital Opportunity Index, which includes 11 different variables of technology development, including the cost of connectivity relative to per capita income.

H.R. 3919 would direct the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to produce a public, online map showing what types of broadband access are provided where and by which companies. As the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted in May, 2006: ``Without accurate, reliable data to aid in analysis of the existing deployment gaps, it will be difficult to develop policy responses toward gaps in broadband availability.'' Some experts have forecast that implementation of universal broadband service would fuel the American economy, adding $500 billion and creating 1.2 million new jobs. H.R. 3919 is an essential first step toward bringing high-speed Internet to every American and in ensuring that our Nation's citizens can realize the vibrant future that the information age offers.

This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to complete an annual broadband census, i.e., an assessment and report on the deployment of broadband service capability, which would include a comparison with deployment in other countries. The measure also requires the National Technology Information Administration (NTIA) to develop a broadband inventory map showing the availability of service and types of service available, and it permits the NTIA to make grants to assist in the development of such a map. It also requires periodic FCC consumer surveys regarding broadband service.

It has been said before that ``sound data makes sound policy,'' and this legislation will provide the information that is necessary to assist Congress and the FCC in creating a sound, national broadband strategy to bring us in line with other countries' broadband deployment.

Mr. Speaker, I again what to express my strong support for this legislation and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3919.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation to update and improve 911 services for today's technology.

Improving public safety is a constant struggle, as I have learned working on improving 911 services for the Houston area and the entire state of Texas as a state legislator, and I want to thank Mr. Gordon for his work on this legislation, both in introducing it and for working with all involved parties throughout the process to create a bill with such broad support.

In June 2005, after it received reports about the inability of some Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) customers to access 911 services, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued regulations requiring VoIP providers to automatically provide 911 services to their customers, and to route these calls with a call-back number and the caller's registered location, either directly or through a third-party.

After trying to address this issue for several years, I hope we can send a bill to the President this Congress addressing VoIP E911. The purpose of H.R. 3403 is to ensure that consumers using VoIP services to place phone calls have access to E911, by giving VoIP providers access to 911 infrastructure and by extending existing liability protections to VoIP service.

This bill requires VoIP providers to provide 911 service and E911 service to its subscribers in accordance with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations. It allows VoIP to access the nation's existing 911 infrastructure, which is largely operated by their competitors, traditional telephone companies. VoIP companies will also be permitted to access existing 911 infrastructure not only to deliver 911 calls, but also to provide location and call-back information for those calls.

Customers using VoIP services expect to access 911 services just as wireless and wireline customers do, and this legislation ensures it is parallel with those services when it comes to E911 regulations and requirements.

I strongly support this legislation to improve public safety, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

Madam Speaker, I support this effort to override the President's veto of the fiscal year 2008 appropriations bill funding the Departments of Labor, HHS, and Education.

After years of too little attention to our important domestic programs, this legislation makes important investments in our health care and education programs. Several years of flat funding and small increases have resulted in funding reductions for the health, education and labor programs that Americans rely on every day.

I am pleased that the bill provides the National Institutes of Health with a 4-percent increase over current funding levels. The $30 billion in this legislation will help expand our nation's commitment to life- saving medical research, much of which is performed in my back yard at the Baylor College of Medicine, the MD Anderson Cancer Center and many other impressive research facilities located in the Texas Medical Center.

I also support the legislation's $225 million increase for the Health Centers program. I know the administration supports this program, but by vetoing this bill, the President puts in jeopardy our goal to expand the program to a level that will provide 30 million Americans with a health care home.

H.R. 3043 also provides $200,000 in funding for Gateway to Care, for the Community Health Center Technology Improvement Program. Gateway to Care is the community health care access collaborative in Harris County.

Gateway to Care will utilize this funding to help coordinate the deployment of health information technology among the county's health care clinics. This funding will allow Gateway to Care to offer technical support to the developing health centers in Harris Co. during the implementation of a common Management Information System.

Additionally, this funding will allow Gateway to Care staff to lead workforce development and training activities at health centers to utilize technology to improve the business management and health care delivery in area health centers.

In this bill, the appropriators also generously dedicated $415,000 in equipment funding for the Harris County Hospital District's Diabetes Program.

This project would help the Harris County Hospital District procure the necessary equipment to establish a Diabetes Program, which will provide comprehensive diabetes care in an appropriate setting for a multi-ethnic, indigent population.

The interdisciplinary program will include an outpatient referral center, diabetes specialists, educators, nurses, nutritionists, social workers, case managers and specialist services related to the screening and treatment of diabetes complications.

Houston is the only large city in the U.S. without a single comprehensive diabetes program, which is why this funding is so important to our community. The establishment the diabetes program at the Harris County Hospital District would improve health outcomes for its 40,000 patients with diabetes.

I want to thank the Appropriations Committee for all of their hard work on this bill. This piece of legislation provides critical and necessary funding for programs that all of our districts need.

Madam Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this veto override.

Mr. Speaker, Head Start is a critical part of this country's effort to combat the effects of poverty and ensure that all of our children have the opportunity and skills they need to thrive.

Since its creation in 1965, it has proven to be our most valuable school readiness program in the history of this country--especially, now that we know more about the importance of early-childhood education.

Study after study demonstrates that by age 6, a child's capacity to learn is largely formed, and time after time, we have seen reports that prove students who attend Head Start perform better than those who don't.

By doing this, Head Start is helping to close the achievement gap between students of differing socio-economic status across our country, and helping the children in our communities by providing opportunities that they might not otherwise have.

Additionally, people often forget the wonderful things that this program does for the parents.

The key to Head Start's approach is its level of actively involving parents and the community in all aspects of the program--and this reauthorization would further this goal.

Parents are a child's first teachers, and Head Start helps build and foster a person's parenting skills in various ways.

Parents are also urged to improve their literacy skills, obtain adult basic education, and make their homes a place where reading is part of everyday life.

Head Start also tackles a wide range of poverty issues through its family and community partnerships, including: substance abuse, violence, HIV, homelessness, single-parent households, inadequate child care, unemployment, and numerous other stressors that challenge families' resources.

This program is clearly instrumental to our country.

The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 will reinvigorate Head Start and help more children arrive at kindergarten ready to succeed.

I urge my colleagues to support this report.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1534, the Mercury Export Ban of 2007. This bill is a bipartisan effort that will effectively reduce the amount of elemental mercury in the atmosphere.

Mercury is a neurotoxin that is very harmful to children, fetuses, and pregnant women. It took us many years to realize there are negative health effects associated with mercury. Once the true health effects of mercury were realized in the US its use for manufacturing and products was decreased.

The decrease in the use of mercury has left us burdened with reserves of commercial mercury that is being sold to recyclers who have no means of disposing of the mercury. The recyclers sell this mercury to brokers who distribute this mercury on the global market.

Once on the global market this mercury is used by small scale gold miners who unknowingly allow their miners to unsafely expose themselves to mercury.

Once the mercury is released into the atmosphere or water we are allowing other countries to contribute to a global mercury contamination problem.

We essentially are selling mercury to other countries in an attempt to get rid of it only to have the mercury come back to us in the form of contamination.

This bill would ban exporting elemental mercury by 2010 and the sale, distribution, or transfer of elemental mercury between state and local government, Federal agency, or private entity except for storage purposes.

It would also require the EPA issue a report to Congress one year after the ban to address the issue of mercury in the U.S. and create an Excess Mercury Storage Committee so that we can address the storage and health issues related to elemental mercury in the U.S.

This is a good bill and I strongly urge my colleagues to support it.