Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 19, 20, and 21. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of those votes.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent during roll call vote 6; had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, today I take privilege in honoring Gary Schlansker's 11 years as the President of the Greenville YMCA. Gary has recently accepted the position as the President of the Greater St. Louis YMCA, the 8th largest YMCA system in the country. Gary started his relationship with the YMCA back in 1956 when he was first enrolled in a YMCA program in St. Louis. Gary has indicated that the St. Louis position is the only job that would take him out of Greenville, as Gary grew up in St. Louis and has family in the Show Me State.

The Greenville YMCA has been a model of stability and success for the YMCA system. Since the founding of the Greenville YMCA in 1876, only six people have served as President of the Greenville YMCA.

During Gary's 11 years at the Greenville YMCA, the annual operating budget increased from $4 million annually to in excess of $10 million annually. The Greenville YMCA grew from five branches serving 35,000 community members annually to seven branches with three additional outreach centers serving a total of 55,000 people annually. The annual scholarships campaign increased by over 200 percent and collaborations with the greater community now number in excess of 85 annually. Program highlights for the Greenville YMCA include Camp Greenville, Youth in Government, and outreach services through schools and churches. The Youth in Government program of South Carolina is sponsored exclusively through the Greenville YMCA, and is one of the most successful Youth in Government state programs in the country.

Gary's stewardship of the Greenville YMCA is accurately reflected by the tremendous growth and success of the Greenville YMCA. Not only is the growth of the Greenville YMCA impressive, but very importantly the kind and caring manner that Gary has conducted himself on a daily basis will be greatly missed by those who he has served in the Greenville area.

I sincerely wish Gary all the best for a nice start to his new job leading the St. Louis YMCA, as they are getting a wonderful workhorse of a leader to guide their YMCA. Thank you Gary for your 11 great years in Greenville, and we will miss you.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 569, 570, 571, 572, 573, and 591. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 569 and 570. I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall votes 571, 572, 573, and 591.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 524, 525, and 526. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall votes 524 and 525. I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 526.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 463, 464, 465, 466, 467, and 468. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall vote 463. I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 464. I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 465. I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall votes 466, 467, and 468.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall vote 460, 461, and 462. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on each of those rollcall votes.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcalls 297, 298, 299, and 300. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of those rollcalls.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcalls 249, 250, and 251. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of those rollcalls.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcalls 227, 228, and 229. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of those rollcalls.

Mr. Speaker, today we are here to honor and remember our troops--the young, brave Americans who recently fought to save a nation from enslavement. Answering the call of our great nation, young men and women are putting on a uniform, serving our military, and making enormous sacrifices. As American fighting men and women, they are helping write the history of the 21st century with bold strokes of courage.

Like their parents and grandparents, our troops are having their characters tested. This time it is by sweltering heat, blinding sandstorms, and enemies that hid behind women and children. But they quickly won a victory, not just for a nation, but for a vision--a vision of freedom and individual dignity. As a result, their heroic efforts will help preserve peace around the world and extend freedom and human dignity to even more people.

And when their service in Iraq is over, they will return home to a proud and grateful Nation. Their humility will pass off praise with the words ``just doing my job,'' while they think about their brothers and sisters who didn't come home. This is why America is so great. And through all their efforts our world continues to be shaped by American courage, power, and wisdom; and reverberates with American ideals.

Still, our troop's victories in Iraq do not come without a price. The United States has lost some of its best citizens. Tonight we recognize one of those fallen Marines, Private Nolen Ryan Hutchings. A graduate of Boiling Springs High School, Ryan taught those around him what it meant to be an American, and his willingness to serve inspired others to become Marines.

There is one story where he felt the need to honor a former classmate's deceased father who had retired from the military. Ryan traveled to several Marine bases to find a frame to hold a U.S. flag and then got in full dress uniform and presented the flag to the family.

Without a doubt, Ryan's sacrifice will enrich the history of the Marine Corps, and places such as An Nasiriyah will be added to the list of hallowed ground like Belleau Wood, Iwo Jima, and the Chosin Resovior. At the same time, his dedication to his community, to his fellow Marines, and to his country provide us with a shining example.

His strength, honor, sacrifice, devotion, and courage show us the path we must follow. As Ronald Reagan once said, ``some people wonder all their lives if they made a difference''--the Hutchings family will never have to wonder about Ryan.

Mr. Chairman, I offer amendment No. 5.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 2 minutes.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to ask for Members' consideration of my amendment to promote specialized education and to empower parents with children who have special needs.

I would like to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Boehner) and my colleagues on the Committee on Education and the Workforce for their hard work and determination in bringing this bill to the floor.

Mr. Chairman, I have concerns with special education today. Instead of meeting the needs of the children who are truly disabled, special education is becoming a label for every child that learns differently or has not been taught basic skills. Nearly one in eight of U.S. schoolchildren is currently considered disabled. As a result, education for truly disabled children is becoming less and less special.

My amendment permits States and encourages States to develop new, innovative systems that promote customization of special education. Giving States the flexibility to develop new and innovative approaches to serving the needs of disabled children will help those children receive the customized and truly special education that they deserve.

Children with special needs deserve education services that are customized to their unique needs. This legislation will ultimately provide parents with more resources and opportunities for their children with disabilities. I am confident my colleagues will support giving States the option to develop creative solutions to educating special needs children.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Isakson).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra).

Mr. Chairman, how much time remains?

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Putnam).

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

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the concerns of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, but unfortunately they have apparently read the propaganda from the Teachers' Union rather than reading the legislation itself.

This legislation does not establish a voucher program. It establishes no program at all. It simply encourages the States to innovate in a way that will empower parents with more voluntary choices so that they can meet the needs of their kids. It allows States to expand the rights of parents with more choices, to expand the accountability by giving parents more voluntary options.

Mr. Chairman, this vote today is a vote to empower parents and to do what IDEA is supposed to do, and that is to provide personalized, customized services for children with special needs.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment and commend the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Barrett) for his insight and initiative on this issue.

I support this amendment for three simple reasons. First, America already depends on nuclear energy. Even though it has been 2 decades since we built a new facility, nuclear power provides over 20 percent of the electricity in this country and over 55 percent of the electricity in South Carolina.

The second reason is nuclear power saves money. It is less expensive than coal, less expensive than oil, and a third less than natural gas.

The third reason is nuclear energy is good for the environment. Because it burns no fuel and emits no pollution, it is good for our environment and good to preserve our quality of life all across the country. Again I thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Barrett) and urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent during roll calls 92, 93, and 94. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on each of those rollcalls.

Mr. Speaker, today I submit for introduction a bill to improve education for children with special needs by encouraging innovative approaches to parental involvement and flexibility.

This legislation is meant to enhance other reforms being proposed in the IDEA reauthorization bill. Those reforms will improve special education by reducing the paperwork burden for educators, improving early intervention strategies, reducing misidentification of special needs students, and restoring trust between parents and districts by reducing litigation. I believe we must empower parents to be more involved in their child's education.

My legislation would help states create customized education systems for children with special needs. Many states would like to offer options for children with special needs. Unfortunately, the current IDEA structure does nothing to promote these alternatives. This new legislation encourages states to research and develop scholarship programs for children with special needs, providing parents the opportunity to choose the education they see as a best fit for their child.

The Improving Parental Choice bill would give states greater flexibility in providing for supplemental services. Students with special needs should have the flexibility to access the tutoring services of their choice. My bill would make it permissible for districts to use their federal IDEA reserved funds to provide greater opportunities for participation in outside supplemental education services. Children at a school designated for improvement under No Child Left Behind would have the opportunity to access the support services preferred by their family.

This legislation would also allow pre-school age children to continue education with successful and comfortable providers. Children under age three currently receive special needs service from the provider of their choice. This legislation would expand the options of parents and decrease transition problems for the youngest children with disabilities by allowing states to expand programs that currently serve children ages 0-2. It would allow children to continue participation in their preferred program (including private providers) until age five when the child begins school.

Children with special needs have different needs. They deserve education services that are customized for their personal needs. This legislation will provide parents with more resources and more opportunities for their children with disabilities.