Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman from Vermont for yielding.

And, you know, we have a wonderful situation in here. We have a very interesting and productive dialogue, I believe, about something we all want to do, and that's to solve our energy crisis to take the pressure off the American consumers whose lives are being terribly affected, adversely affected, by these high gas prices and the economy as well.

I call back to the words of a very smart person who once said the significant problems that we have today cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them. And unfortunately, this idea that we are going to drill our way out of the problem, both the short term and the long term, is the same level of thinking that got us into this problem. The man who said that was Albert Einstein. He was a pretty smart guy.

What we are proposing, and you have heard many instances of it and suggestions of it today, is that we have the ability, we have the resources right now to have an impact, a downward impact on prices. All we have to do is free our own oil, free America's oil. It's in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

As my colleague from Oregon just pointed out, we have been able to reduce the price three separate times over the last 17 years by releasing that oil. We can do it again and we should do it again. But more importantly than that is the entire attitude we take toward what's down the road, no pun intend.

My colleague from Tennessee on the other side of the aisle just mentioned a few minutes ago, he asked where are the electric cars, where are these hybrid cars? Well, actually, they're very close on the horizon. We met with Ford executives just a few weeks ago in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. They are on the verge of some significant breakthroughs. They have a plug-in hybrid that uses hydrogen power, as well as electricity. They're working on a battery car. They have several versions of alternative power sources they're working on.

General Motors has promised to have a battery-powered car on the road in 2010. We know in California there's a new manufacturer that's developed a battery-powered car.

These are the technologies that will be our future. We need to be investing in them, because as President Bush said the other day, what we are trying to do with this long-term approach is change the psychology of the market, change the psychology of the speculators, so that if they see down the

road that there's not going to be that much need for oil, the price will come down. I agree with him totally.

But wouldn't the effect be that much more dramatic if the speculators said not only is there going to be a reduced demand for oil in 2020 or 2030, there's going to be virtually no demand for oil in 2020 or 2030? That would really scare the speculators out of this market and drop the price. That's where we need to be investing our attention, our resources.

We can take tax breaks way from the oil companies--we have tried to do it a number of times already--and invest it in these technologies because they're not that far away. They are actually closer than the policies that will bring us relief at the gas pump maybe in 2030.

Mr. Speaker, while gas prices continue to soar, Democrats are looking for real solutions to give Americans relief at the pump. We aren't repeating the same rhetoric day after day about opening up our pristine lands and waters to drilling only to save pennies per gallon in 20 years. Instead, we've offered energy solutions for today and for the future.

We pressured the President to stop sending more oil to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which could save about 25 cents per gallon at the pump. We also passed legislation cracking down on price gouging. And now we're calling on President Bush to begin releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

After 7 years of the Bush-Cheney energy policy, written by and for an oil industry raking in record profits, a plan to transition America to a new and more affordable energy future is long overdue. The American people are suffering now and are looking for solutions today. Republicans say we need to open more land for drilling, but the average American family will spend $57,800 on gas before that drilling saves them a penny.

Mr. Speaker, House Republicans need to stop looking to the past for solutions to today's problems.

Madam Speaker, Americans all over the country want us to do something about gas prices, and every Member in this House wants us to do something about gas prices, too. The Republicans have one strategy. It would bring relief at the pump about 20 years from now, a couple of pennies a gallon. That's their approach.

Democrats have a different approach. We want to free America's oil. We can release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. We now have 700 million barrels of oil in that. We don't need them. We can drive the price down in the market. We can force the gas companies, the energy companies, as we have tried to do already, to drill on the 68 million acres worth of leases they already own to produce oil.

Finally, we can open up the 23-million-acre Alaskan National Petroleum Reserve area where there are proven oil reserves and where they are eligible for drilling right now. We have the tools at our disposal immediately to drive down gas prices. We ought to take advantage of them.

Free America's oil.

Madam Speaker, the Democratic-led Congress is working for consumers to lower gas prices and to launch a cleaner and more cost-effective energy future that creates new green jobs and that reduces global warming.

For 7 years, Washington Republicans allowed Big Oil to run our Nation's energy policy. The result, high gas prices and continued dependence on oil.

Democrats believe we must diversify our energy sources with bold investments in renewable energy and more efficient technology. Last year, for the first time in three decades, this Congress passed a landmark law that increases fuel efficiency to 35 miles per gallon and that will save American families at least $700 a year when it takes effect.

We have also passed legislation that repeals billions of dollars in corporate welfare to big oil companies that are currently seeing record profits. Instead, we invest these funds in the renewable energy solutions of the future.

Madam Speaker, the energy policies of the past are not working. It is time that we look for new solutions.

I thank my colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in favor of legislation that would pressure the oil companies to drill, and drill now. In my hometown of Louisville, people are struggling to pay more than $4.20 for a gallon of gas. While they search for a way to make ends meet, a few multinational corporations hold the answers: Permits to drill over 60 million acres of oil and gas reserves today.

These existing leases could double U.S. oil production. But the oil companies don't want more land to drill, they want more land to control, which keeps oil off the market and gas prices high. After all, high gas prices have made them the richest companies in the history of the world.

Instead, they demand the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, presumably so they cannot drill there too. Even this oil-friendly White House admits that drilling the wildlife refuge won't affect the price of gas for more than 20 years, and then, only by a couple of pennies.

Mr. Speaker, the American people's problems are measured in dollars, not pennies, and they can't wait until 2030. I urge my colleagues to pass this legislation and get American oil into the market as soon as possible.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding service of COL Raymond G. Midkiff, who has served as commander of the Louisville District, Corps of Engineers since July 2005. Colonel Midkiff will retire from active duty with the U.S. Army on September 1 of this year, with over 26 years of dedicated service to our Nation.

Born in Dayton, Ohio, and raised in Texas, Colonel Midkiff was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers upon graduation from Texas A&M University where he earned a degree in agricultural engineering. Colonel Midkiff completed his graduate studies at Murray State University receiving a masters of science degree in environmental management. During his military career, Colonel Midkiff's leadership, vision, and dedication to duty have contributed significantly to the national defense, economic prosperity, and quality of life for our citizens.

As commander of the Corps of Engineers' Louisville District, Colonel Midkiff oversaw Army, Air Force, and DOD military construction projects valued in excess of $1.2 billion annually. Major military installations supported include, Fort Campbell and Fort Knox in Kentucky, Scott Air Force Base near St. Louis, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton as well as Army and Air Force Reserve facilities nationwide. Additionally, Colonel Midkiff has been responsible for comprehensive water resources and project operations in 76,000 square miles of the Ohio River watershed, providing flood damage reduction, ecosystem restoration, and commercial navigation.

Colonel Midkiff extended his leadership well beyond the assigned missions of the Corps of Engineers by personally participating in regional events and promoting a strong partnership between Army and civilian engineers. As current president of the Society of American Military Engineers Kentuckiana Post, Colonel Midkiff hosted the 2007 Louisville District Open House, attended by over 400 people, and the 2007 Kentuckiana Post Small Business Workshop attended by over 200 small businesses. Upon his arrival in the Louisville District Colonel Midkiff initiated the district's annual small business workshop which was instrumental in awarding $344 million under the Small Business Program in FY07.

Prior assignments also reflect Colonel Midkiff's commitment to military readiness and willingness to share his considerable talents for the good of others. Colonel Midkiff has served in a variety of troop and facility assignments that had a tremendous impact on the support of the Army during peace and war. He began his military career overseas as an engineer platoon leader in an atomic demolitions munitions company. He also served as an assistant operations officer during his tour in Germany. He served as an engineer battalion logistics officer, company commander, and facility engineer with the 326th Engineer Battalion. During his time with the 326th Engineer

Battalion he deployed with the battalion to Saudi Arabia and was instrumental in preparing base camps necessary to support the heavy inflow of soldiers and equipment into the region prior to the commencement of Desert Storm. He was a project officer and the deputy commander for the Ft. Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas, where he was the engineer group logistics officer, 1st Engineer Battalion operations officer, and executive officer. He also served as secretary to the general staff for the 1st Infantry Division commander as well as the installation's director of public works. Colonel Midkiff commanded the Albuquerque District, where he was instrumental in working with State and local sponsors in the management of critical water resources and endangered habitat along the Rio Grande River from Colorado through New Mexico and into Texas. He also provided outstanding support to our Air Force customers with design and construction services at the three Air Force bases located in New Mexico. He again served our Nation overseas as the chief of plans and operations for engineer activities in support of 8th Army in Korea.

His leadership has truly been visionary. His accomplishments will have lasting impacts on our Nation's water resources and construction support for military customers for years to come.

A good neighbor and valued steward of our defense assets and natural resources, I am proud to honor Colonel Midkiff for his spirit of service, patriotism, and dedication to our Nation. On the occasion of his retirement, I know my colleagues will want to join me in extending wishes of continued success and happiness to Colonel Midkiff, his wife Tammy, and their daughter Rae.

Mr. Speaker, 150 years ago, the American Printing House of the Blind opened its doors in my home district of Louisville, Kentucky, to make educational materials accessing to blind students. That day in 1858 stands as a milestone, not just for the education of the vision impaired but for the improved education of our community as a whole and the history of learning in the United States of America.

Prior to the early 19th century, it was generally presumed that, with rare exceptions, people who were blind simply didn't have the capacity to learn. Through experimentation and repeated

success, it became clear that the blind were failing to learn, not for lack of intellectual capacity, but because information was not presented to them in a manner that they could perceive. Once information was presented in appropriate ways, primarily through touch and sound, blind students began to achieve.

In the 1830s, residential schools for the blind began to open across the U.S., and eventually almost every State established a school specifically designed to meet the needs of students who were blind and visually impaired. In those early years, each school produced the tactile educational materials that its own students needed. In 1842, Kentucky joined the ranks of these States when Louisville's Kentucky Institution For the Education of the Blind began making tactile materials for its students in a basement facility.

It didn't take long for schools producing these highly specialized materials to realize they were duplicating effort and wasting valuable resources. The idea of developing a national publishing house for accessible materials for people who were blind and visually impaired took hold. Since the facility in Louisville, Kentucky, was centrally located among the existing schools for the blind and had developed an effective distribution system utilizing the Ohio River, our community was selected as the site for the American Printing House of the Blind, which was chartered by the Kentucky legislature on January 23, 1858.

Because the expensive process of printing educational materials in raised letters for a small percentage of the population was not commercially viable, Federal funding was sought to assure a permanent source of revenue to support this important work. In 1879, the 45th Congress of the United States passed, and President Rutherford B. Hayes signed into law, the Act to Promote the Education of the Blind, designating APH as the official source of textbooks and other educational aids for legally blind students below college level.

Since that time, APH has provided adaptive and specially designed educational materials, including textbooks in Braille and large type, tangible teaching devices, educational tests, and special instructional aids and tools essential for the education of students who are blind and visually impaired. As identified needs require, APH utilizes outside expertise by establishing innovative partnerships with publishers of textbooks and testing materials, commercial manufacturers, universities and many other industries.

We in Congress have continued to appropriate funding for APH each year since 1879. As a result, this national, non-profit corporation now serves over 58,000 students into every U.S. State, providing the visually impaired the tools they need to they need to learn and excel.

In addition to textbooks and other academic materials, APH manufacturers and adapts daily living tools and materials. Talking computer software provides access to the wealth of information available via the Internet, and electronic mobility devices assist with safe travel from one place to another. APH has developed tools that help people with low vision learn to utilize the limited vision they have more efficiently, and new technologies are delivering reading materials electronically.

The technology and treatment are impressive, but here is what stands out. In the 1800s, a child born blind had no future. Losing one's sight ended independence and ambition. Today, that is not the case. Sight is no longer a prerequisite for leading a productive, independent and fulfilling life. And that is thanks in large part to APH. For tens of thousands of men and women without sight, APH has provided the keys to live, learn and thrive. People who are blind now work in our communities. Children who are blind pursue the same dreams as children with sight. And mothers who are blind read stories to their kids before putting them to bed.

As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the American Printing House for the Blind, we also recognize the wisdom of the 45th Congress for their initial investment in educational opportunities for our Nation's blind and visually impaired students back in 1879, and I trust that my colleagues and those who follow will continue to support the successful precedent they set.

Madam Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Madam Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Before I begin, I want to thank Chairman Gordon, Chairman Udall, and Ranking Member Hall for their leadership and their hard work that has gone into the NASA Authorization Act.

The amendment I have offered today to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2008 will make sure that the American public has access to the best and most up-to-date taxpayer- funded Federal research.

In the transparent government we wish to provide to the American people, the suppression of nonsensitive information has no place. Yet last year, I took part in two Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearings where we investigated instances in which critical data on the causes and long-term effects of global warming were withheld from the American public.

The taxpayers are funding government studies every day, and they should fully benefit from the results. To proceed otherwise is a disservice to science and the American people.

In order to protect the integrity of scientific discoveries and to ensure the widespread availability of the research being conducted by government scientists, the Government Accountability Office and the National Academy of Sciences made a series of recommendations. Those recommendations include making available the information that supports published results to other researchers creating an infrastructure in which data can be easily accessed, and releasing research in an affordable and timely fashion.

The amendment I'm proposing would simply require NASA to develop a response to these recommendations. These provisions would further scientific progress by enabling data sharing between government agencies, colleges, universities, and grant recipients. It's also my understanding that NASA agrees with the recommendations of the GAO.

The United States has the advantage of being home to some of the greatest scientific minds of the world, and by providing these scientists with the most up-to-date research information, we can help ensure that American innovation stays on the cutting edge.

At this crucial time when America strives to end its addiction to oil, it could not be more important to ensure that our Nation's scientists have every possible advantage in working towards the next generation of discoveries, inventions, cures, and energy solutions.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment which will ensure that the American people have unfettered access to reliable information that their tax dollars help to undercover while giving American ingenuity another edge in revolutionizing the world.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman, and I appreciate the point made by my colleague.

The intent of the amendment is that, since the Government Accountability Office has set a broad range of actions that they recommend in a very general sense, we wanted to provide the flexibility to NASA and to the other agencies--although this amendment only covers NASA--to develop guidelines for the sharing of data that comply broadly with those guidelines set down by the GAO.

So, with that, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, every month this year our economy has shed more jobs than it has produced. Last month was no exception; 49,000 jobs were lost nationwide and unemployment rose from 5 percent in April to 5.5 percent in May. That is the largest 1 month increase in 20 years.

As job losses continue on a monthly basis, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the unemployed to find jobs, and it is expected to get even worse. That is why last month this Congress passed legislation to extend unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks.

Today, more than 1 million people have exhausted all of their benefits. Washington should provide these workers some additional relief as they continue to pursue a job through these rough times. Yet President Bush and congressional Republicans oppose the unemployment insurance extension, even though they supported a similar extension in 2002 when economic conditions were not nearly as hard as they are today.

Madam Speaker, the May jobs report should serve as a wake-up call to President Bush and congressional Republicans to support our efforts to extend unemployment insurance.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1225) expressing support for designation of June 2008 as ``National Safety Month''.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 1225 into the Record.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1225, which recognizes the month of June as National Safety Month and commends the National Safety Council for their ongoing mission to educate and influence the public on the prevention of accidental injury and death.

In 1912 the National Safety Council was established by a small group of midwestern industrial leaders concerned about safety in the workplace. Since then, the council has broadened its scope to include the home, transportation and the community. Its membership has grown to over 18,000 companies spanning more than 33,000 locations. Altogether, the council represents 8.3 million employees across the Nation.

In 1953, a congressional charter was granted to the National Safety Council to lead the country in injury prevention through safety education and training. The council has had a great impact on the local level by providing a variety of community-based programs and services, including workshops, training, conferences, and by providing a local voice for safety and health education.

Through the efforts of the National Safety Council, more than 8.5 million rescuers have been trained and more than 60 million people have taken one of the NSC's defensive driving courses. It is obvious that the National Safety Council's programs have had a profound effect on our Nation, and they

deserve to be recognized for their continuing efforts.

The National Safety Council will commemorate this 2008 National Safety Month with their ``Make a Difference'' campaign. The campaign will work to educate the public on emergency preparedness, safe driving, poisoning and fall prevention.

Each year, accidental injuries cost Americans more than $650 billion. In the workplace alone, 16 workers die every day on the job. Far too many lives are lost and too many suffer because of preventable accidents.

Protecting the citizens of this Nation from these accidents requires the cooperation of Federal, State and local institutions, as well as help from the citizenry itself. Together, we can protect ourselves from accidental injury and death. This June we must encourage all Americans to take time to learn how they can help make this country safer.

Mr. Speaker, once again I express my support for the designation of June as National Safety Month.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman has additional speakers, I will reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to thank the gentleman from Georgia for his compelling and expansive support of this resolution, and I urge its support.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5524) to amend the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to authorize appropriations, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H.R. 5524 into the Record.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act, which I introduced earlier this year. This legislation will reauthorize the sole source of Federal funding for at least 1 million young people who find themselves homeless or unaccompanied each year. Some of those children are born homeless, but most run away to escape mental, emotional or physical abuse. More than a third of them are victims of sexual abuse in the home.

Although they escape terrible conditions at home, for most, what is waiting for them on the street is no better. These youths are raped or assaulted at rates two to three times the national average, they are seven more times likely to contract HIV, and a third of them attempt suicide. For these young people, hope is a distant concept and the future is little more than a dead end.

The situation is bleak, but the solutions are within our grasp. My hometown of Louisville, thanks to organizations like Safe Place and Boys Haven, has set the standard for helping homeless youth find a home, get an education and rediscover their futures.

I invited Rusty Booker to testify before the Education and Labor Committee last year. Rusty, a fellow Louisvillian, ran away from an abusive home at the age of 12 and went through five different foster homes before finding his path at Safe Place. Rusty showed us that we have the answers, we have the tools to eliminate childhood homelessness and disconnection, but only if we choose to use them.

That is the opportunity we have before us today, because despite the tremendous work of our service organizations, the funds and personnel to accommodate the basic needs of our Nation's runaway and homeless youth are far short of meeting the demand and the required infrastructure is simply not in place. We need to do more than just contain these children while we have them. We must set them on a path to adulthood, prepared for the workplace and ready for the world, without dragging the dead weight of a history of neglect.

The Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act will refocus our resources and give America a real shot at eradicating youth homelessness forever. Thanks to the groundwork laid in Louisville, the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act won't simply extend the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act until 2013. It will provide significant improvements and much-needed expansions.

Addressing the critical funding shortfall, this legislation will dramatically increase the reauthorization for Runaway and Homeless Youth Act funding to $150 million per year, ensuring that the resources are in place for community-serving organizations to reach every child in need.

The bill will also increase the basic center program allotments for small States, make public entities eligible for street outreach program funds, establish grantee performance standards, and finally create a process for developing a national runaway and homeless youth research and evaluation agenda.

The progress that we have made in the past year is significant. In fiscal year 2007, 740,000 young people were helped by our HYA programs. But more significant will be the advances down the road. As we work to restore faith in this Nation's future, we must build an America where every child has a chance to learn, succeed, and at the very least have a place to call home.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, which will offer a chance and a childhood to millions of our most vulnerable citizens.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have the great honor of yielding as much time as he may consume to my colleague on the Education and Labor Committee, Mr. Hinojosa, from Texas.

We are prepared to close if you are prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, with that, I strongly urge my colleagues to pass this important legislation that for more than 1 million young people each year could mean the difference between continuing to live on the streets without hope and finding a path to independent adulthood that begins with a place to call home.

I want to thank Chairman Miller, Chairwoman McCarthy, and especially Representative Biggert for her hard work and dedication to this issue.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4926) to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a grant program for automated external defibrillators in schools, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H.R. 4926 into the Record.

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

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4926, the Josh Miller HEARTS Act. This is a bill that will save countless lives at a relatively low cost to taxpayers.

According to the American Heart Association, more than 200,000 Americans die of sudden cardiac arrest each year. Even more disturbing is the fact that 50,000 of these deaths could have been prevented with the use of an automated external defibrillator, or AED.

AEDs are portable devices used to restart the heart after sudden cardiac arrest. Studies have shown that these devices, which are required in Federal buildings and on airplanes, can be safely used by anyone, including children. Defibrillators talk the user through the lifesaving process and do not deliver a shock unless the heartbeat analyzed through the machine is in need of it.

Prompt response to a person experiencing cardiac arrest is imperative, and waiting for an EMS to arrive can be fatal. Utilizing CPR techniques and administering an AED can more than double the victim's chance of survival. A defibrillator shock is the most effective treatment for sudden cardiac arrest. Heart experts at Johns Hopkins University believe that over 500 lives can be saved annually with the widespread placement of AEDs.

The legislation put forward today will go a long way towards saving lives in our Nation's schools. This bill establishes a grant program to place lifesaving defibrillators in every elementary and secondary school that chooses to participate in the program. Additionally, the law would require recipients of these grants to train school staff in AED and CPR practices, coordinate with local paramedics, and integrate AEDs into existing medical emergency response plan. These provisions will save the lives of students, teachers, parents, staff and community members in U.S. schools.

On any given day, as much as 20 percent of a community's population passes through its schools, and it is our duty to ensure that these are safe places for kids to learn and community members to interact. Since schools are natural meeting places for the public, this bill can save the lives of countless children, teachers, parents and others.

Similar legislation has already passed and is making an important difference in States such as Ohio and New York. As a response to the tragic death of 15 year-old Josh Miller, Ohioans instituted a program to place AEDs in schools. Since the inception of the program in 2005, 13 lives have been saved by defibrillators. Similarly, the New York program, in honor of 14 year-old Louis Acompora, has saved 38 lives since 2002.

I want to thank families like the Millers and the Acomporas, whose hard work has brought national attention to this issue. They have worked through their grief, and fueled by the tragic loss of a child, have toiled tirelessly to keep other parents from experiencing similar losses. With passage of this bill, Congress has the opportunity to join with these families and prevent future tragedies.

Encouraging results and the many lives saved already demonstrate why we must pass this legislation. By putting in place preventive measures like these offered in this bill, we can save more lives.

Once again, I express my support for H.R. 4926, and I urge my colleagues to pass this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the sponsor of this bill and my good friend and a member of the wonderful majority maker's class of 2006, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Sutton) and yield as much time as she may consume.

We reserve the balance of our time.

I thank the gentleman from New York, and I thank Congresswoman Sutton for her wonderful work on this piece of legislation.

I want to also echo my thanks to Dr. Terry Gordon who happens to be a childhood friend of mine and a native of Louisville, Kentucky. He deserves a great deal of credit for beginning the movement that has resulted hopefully in the passage of this bill today.

I urge my colleagues to support this marvelous piece of legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1243) recognizing the immeasurable contributions of fathers in the healthy development of children, supporting responsible fatherhood, and encouraging greater involvement of fathers in the lives of their children, especially on Father's Day.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 1243 into the Record.

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

I rise today in support of H. Res. 1243 which recognizes the contributions of millions of fathers in the lives of their children. This coming Sunday, June 15, is Father's Day, so this is an appropriate time to stop and commend the millions of fathers who serve as wonderful, caring parents for their children.

Fathers can play a special role in the rearing and development of their children, and I commend the millions of fathers across our country for devoting their time, energy, and resources to improving the well-being of their children.

But, Mr. Speaker, I would also like to mention that this is not just a day for children to honor their fathers, or for adults to honor their fathers, it is also a day, I believe, for fathers to recognize the blessing that they have been given to mean so much in the lives of their children.

When I was a columnist years ago, I began writing columns about my son and being my son's father. What was interesting about them is each year that I did that, they were always the most popular columns that I wrote because they were human subjects that many people could relate to.

The first one I wrote, which was June of 1994, I wrote this: ``When I was growing up, I figured Father's Day was the day when I was supposed to acknowledge my gratitude for everything my dad did for me. Now that I'm a dad, I know it is really something much different. It's a reminder of how wonderful it is to be an important part of someone else's life, to shoulder responsibility, to love without conditions or expectations.''

So I want to make a personal comment that Father's Day is about being a father as much as paying honor to your father.

With that, Mr. Speaker, once again I want to express my support for H. Res. 1243 that acknowledges the importance of fathers in the United States.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the great honor of introducing and yielding as much time as he may consume to the sponsor of the bill, the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

(Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I think that all of us agree that this is something that transcends party, transcends geography and transcends economics. We all treasure our fathers, and I urge that this resolution be adopted by the House.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, as the price of gasoline continues to hit record prices almost every week, congressional Democrats continue to pass legislation to help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil and lower prices at the pump. Unfortunately, the only solution President Bush and congressional Republicans come up with is more drilling. They ignore the fact that drilling in the U.S. has recently exploded. Since 2000, the number of wells that have been drilled in this country has increased by about 66 percent, while the price at the pump for the consumer has more than doubled.

President Bush and congressional Republicans also continue to push drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Again, they ignore experts who say that opening the refuge for drilling would produce only about 6-months' worth of oil and it wouldn't be available for another 10 years. How is that a strategy for lower prices today?

Mr. Speaker, House Democrats know that American families are feeling squeezed every time they head to the gas station. That is why we continue to pass legislation that should help ease the pain at the pump. It would be nice if the President would support these efforts.

Madam Chairman, I rise on behalf of Mr. Klein of Florida and myself to offer an amendment to the fiscal year 2009 National Defense Authorization Act, requiring Iraq to help support our troops stationed in their country.

Oil revenues have helped generate a multibillion-dollar surplus in Iraq that is expected to reach $180 billion within 3 years. Still, American taxpayers send $339 million to Iraq each day, money that can be invested here, as gas prices are soaring, education is lagging, health care is increasingly out of reach, and everywhere American families are struggling.

When the administration negotiates a Status of Forces Agreement this year, this amendment will require them to negotiate commonsense terms for Iraq to provide support for our military operations on their soil. This arrangement could be similar to the plan we have with South Korea, where they pay our security costs, or in Japan, which pays for 75 percent of the cost of maintaining troops and grants U.S. base rights.

Whatever the arrangement, this amendment would ensure that Americans no longer have to shoulder the burden alone. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment.