Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this broad amendment before us. Included in this package is the text of H.R. 1412, the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003, or the HEROS Act. This legislation passed the House overwhelmingly on April 1, and I urge its inclusion here to ensure its enactment into law.

As we know, many members of our National Guard and Reserves are also students. This amendment will bring assurance to those men and women by providing the Secretary of Education with the authority to waive certain rules and requirements to ensure that as a result of war, military operation, or national emergency, they are protected from hardship in relation to their education or for their student aid obligations. It is crucial that our military and others are protected while the integrity of the student aid programs remain intact.

I thank my colleague, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), for his support. I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and I thank the chairman of the Committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), for his support here.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 217) commending the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers for Winning the 2003 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 217.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 217. I thank my colleague, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo), for bringing this resolution forward.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution recognizes the achievement of the University of Minnesota men's hockey team, the Golden Gophers, for their NCAA Division I championship. The Gophers are the first team in 31 years to win back-to-back championships. With this fifth NCAA title, they are tied for third place in all-time championship victories.

This national championship team is to be commended not only for its athletic success but also and perhaps more importantly for their academic record. In addition to their achievements on the ice, the Minnesota men's hockey team was able to maintain a higher grade point average than the overall student body. This is a testament to the dedication of the team, the leadership of Coach Don Lucia, and the support of family and friends. It is clear this team has a winning spirit and a commitment to excellence.

I extend my congratulations to each of the hardworking players of the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's hockey team, to Coach Lucia and to the University of Minnesota.

I am happy to join any colleagues in honoring the accomplishments of this team and wish them continued success. I ask my colleagues to support this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo) for his remarks. He is right. Minnesota is the hockey capital of the world. He is right that we have been excited by not only NCAA hockey but by professional hockey. We are very proud of our Wild. But it is the Golden Gophers who we are here to commend today.

I am pleased as he is that we will see more of them again next year, and I am doubly excited by looking at my neighbors' kids, all of whom are in elementary school and look at their prowess that we will be a leader for a long time to come.

Again, my hearty congratulations to the team, to the Golden Gophers, to their coach.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume just to say thank you to my colleague from Texas and to commend him and the Great State of Texas for recognizing the great sport of hockey, and I appreciate the invitation. I hope that I have the opportunity to accept that invitation and join my colleague, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo), for that visit. I hope that this occurs in February. I would be grateful for that consideration at least.

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

Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, I would like to echo the praise of the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kennedy) for a great Minnesotan, a great American, and a man I am proud to call a friend. John Weaver is an exemplary citizen both of his community and of his Nation.

As a father of three, grandfather of six and loving husband, his dedication to his family is evident. But despite his family-first philosophy, he has continued to find time to serve his community. That makes his involvement all the more meaningful. A life-long resident of Anoka, John Weaver has served the Anoka City Council since 1983. In a true demonstration of what it means to serve, John Weaver saw a need and met it head on.

When asked why he decided to run, Weaver said, ``Anoka is potentially at a crossroads. We have some interesting challenges, not the least of which is the financial picture.''

Standing up for his community, John has fought tirelessly to ensure his small town is not overlooked by the State of Minnesota. John Weaver believes that it is important that the people of Anoka see a return on their taxes in the form of outstanding government services. He has gone far beyond advocating this message, personally setting an example to other community leaders.

He has a long resume of public service that the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kennedy) has already enumerated. Let me say his dedication to his community is clear, and it is an honor to recognize this fellow Minnesotan and a great American.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements of a truly inspirational individual. As we conclude Teacher Appreciation Week, I would like to pay tribute to Minnesota educator Verna Ziegenhagen, and the many dedicated teachers like her who have inspired each of us.

Who among us cannot look back and recall one teacher who made a difference in our lives? Verna Ziegenhagen has been that person for hundreds of Minnesota children. Throughout her 53 years as a teacher, Verna Ziegenhagen instructed and inspired the students of German Lake; Le Center; Heidelberg; Lexington; and Le Seuer, Minnesota.

Following her 53-year teaching career, Verna transplanted to her rural Le Center property a 100-plus-year-old country schoolhouse, which she filled with the mementoes of her teaching career. What began as a personal journey to preserve the memories is now a museum of tribute to her former students and, by extension, a shrine to her own dedication and sacrifice.

Verna's dedication to teaching continues in spite of her retirement. For the past 16 years, this two-time Teacher of the Year has maintained and operated the museum, constantly changing the theme to reflect the seasons and capture the imagination of visitors. This is a wonderful teacher. We thank her.

Mr. Chairman, pursuant to the rule, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 3 minutes.

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to offer an amendment to H.R. 1261 that remedies concerns raised about the funding of one-stop development centers. Under current law, each partner program in the WIA system is to contribute to the cost of infrastructure for one-stop career centers. Unfortunately, many partners do not contribute as intended and the process for determining each partner's share has proved to be cumbersome at best. As a result, WIA has been left to cover the one- stop center infrastructure costs, and fewer funds have been available for the provision of services and training for individuals.

H.R. 1261 recognizes the problems of saddling WIA with most of the infrastructure costs and takes the steps to remedy those problems. H.R. 1261 requires partner programs to help pay administrative and infrastructure costs. The amount is determined at the State level in consultation with the State workforce investment board. Under the bill, the directors of mandatory partner programs will sit on this board, giving them a voice in the negotiation. Under H.R. 1261, the Governor makes the final determination of the appropriate amount of funding to be provided by each partner program. Unfortunately, this provision caused partner programs to be concerned that the Governor would be able to take needed program dollars away from direct services in order to pay for administrative costs at the one-stop career centers.

My amendment solves this problem by ensuring the administrative funding requirements will not cut into funding for the services program partners provide. My amendment will require the Governor to consult with the State board to determine the proportionate use of the one-stop centers by each partner. This consideration will ensure a program accounting for 10 percent of the usage of the center would not be responsible for 50 percent of the infrastructure costs. The Governor and the State board would also consider any additional administrative costs each program must cover in addition to those costs associated with the participation in the one-stop centers. This will ensure that program dollars intended for services to individuals are not spent on infrastructure costs.

Some may suggest that it would be better to create a new Federal program to cover infrastructure costs. Rather than create yet another government program, I would prefer to improve the program we have. When WIA passed in 1998, Congress expected the partner programs to pay their portion of the administrative costs of operation. The process outlined in H.R. 1261, as modified by my amendment, will ensure this happens while maintaining flexibility to each State to set the standards that work best for them. I think we would all agree that one of the hallmarks of WIA, the one-stop career center system, benefits both job seekers and the programs themselves. The centers provide individuals with streamlined access to a variety of programs and improve the efficient delivery of service. We cannot, however, expect these robust relationships to continue without reasonable, proportional financial participation. By streamlining the process, H.R. 1261 ensures the best use of investment by partner programs.

I urge my colleagues to support the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the chairman of the committee.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1412) to provide the Secretary of Education with specific waiver authority to respond to a war or other military operation or national emergency.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous matter on H.R. 1412.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to bring forward, along with several of my colleagues, the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students, or HEROES, Act of 2003. This is a bill that

expresses the support and commitment of the United States House of Representatives to the troops who protect and defend the United States.

Throughout our involvement in the war on terrorism, many thousands of men and women who serve our Nation in the Reserves or National Guard of the Armed Forces, whether the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, other than Coast Guard, have been called to active duty or active service. Many of these men and women are also college and university students who are called away from their families, class work and studies to defend our Nation. Unfortunately, due to a number of restrictions in the Higher Education Act, these individuals are at risk of losing financial assistance and/or educational credit as a result of their service.

Such a scenario is clearly not acceptable. The HEROES Act provides assurance to our men and women in uniform that they will not face education-related financial or administrative difficulties while they defend our Nation. The HEROES Act achieves this by granting the Secretary of Education the authority to address the specific needs of each student whose education is interrupted when they are called to service.

This bill is specific in its intent to ensure that as a result of a war, military contingency operation, or national emergency our men and women are protected. By granting flexibility to the Secretary of Education, the HEROES Act will protect recipients of student financial assistance from further financial difficulty generated when they are called to serve, minimize administrative requirements without affecting the integrity of the programs, adjust the calculation used to determine financial need to accurately reflect the financial condition of the individual and his or her family, and provide the Secretary with the authority to address issues not yet foreseen.

Following the September 11, 2001, attacks on our Nation, Members of this House united to unanimously pass similar legislation which helped ease the burden on students, institutions, and families affected by the attacks on our Nation. Today, the men and women serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and in other parts of the world deserve the same support.

I am pleased that a number of my colleagues have signed on as cosponsors of this legislation. This is an indication of Congress' commitment to our military, our students, our families, and our schools. I urge my colleagues to stand in strong support of the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act and join me in voting yes on H.R. 1412.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I thank the gentleman for his remarks, and appreciate his commitment to the troops and his desire to extend additional benefits to those now serving. I look forward to work with the gentleman on that.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Isakson).

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns), a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, a man with extensive experience in higher education.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), my colleague on the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey), another of my colleagues on the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

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

I would like to start by saying thanks again to my colleague, the gentleman from Ohio, for his passionate interest in this bill, for his support of the bill; and I, too, look forward to working with him in the days and weeks that come ahead to make sure that we are doing the very best that we can for our men and women who have been called to active duty.

I appreciate very much the many remarks of my colleagues here today. We have had remarks from a college professor and from a college coach and from people with years of experience on this committee. I very much appreciate the work they have done on this.

I am grateful for the credit that has been given to me for bringing this bill forward, but the truth is, I am following the steps of some people who have blazed the trail ahead of me.

This is a very, very important bill. It is important for our colleagues, for families and for the men and women in uniform, and I urge my colleagues to stand in strong support of the Heroes Act and vote yes on H.R. 1412.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce a resolution expressing the support and commitment of the U.S. House of Representatives for the troops who are serving to protect and defend the United States. More specifically, the resolution encourages actions to extend and protect the postsecondary student financial aid monies of these soldiers during this uncertain time.

This resolution is simple in its purpose. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Congress passed the HEROES Act of 2001, which allowed the Secretary of Education to work with affected borrowers, lenders and institutions of higher education to grant flexibility surrounding student financial aid matters. This resolution urges the Secretary of Education to maintain his commitment to our men and women in uniform by providing assistance and flexibility as they transfer in and out of postsecondary education during this uncertain time.

The resolution also urges all postsecondary institutions to provide a full refund of tuition, fees and other charges to students who are members of the Armed Forces or are serving on active duty, including the Reserves and National Guard. Many times, America's military are also students. They are called away from their class work and studies to serve our nation's national defense. These heroes deserve the flexibility and accommodations that institutions of higher education can provide as they are leaving for active duty and returning to the classroom.

Lastly, this resolution urges lending institutions that hold or service Federal student loans for borrowers who have been called to serve the nation's defense to provide all available benefits and flexibility to these servicemen and women. When these servicemen and women return to the United States, we don't want to put them in a worse position financially because of the time they were overseas serving our nation.

I hope my colleagues join me in expressing the Congress's commitment to our military and to our students and families.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce, along with several of my colleagues, the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act, HEROES, of 2003. This is a bill that expresses the support and commitment of the U.S. House of Representatives for the troops who protect and defend the United States. Specifically this bill provides authority to the Secretary of Education to assist students whose lives are being disrupted by being called to serve in the Armed Forces.

This bill is simple in its purpose. It extends the specific waiver authority within title IV of the Higher Education Act for the Secretary of Education, and allows him to maintain his commitment to our men and women in uniform by providing assistance and flexibility as they transfer in and out of postsecondary education during a time of national emergency. This waiver authority addresses the need to assist students who are being called up to active duty or active service.

This bill is specific in its intent--to ensure that as a result of a war, military contingency operation or a national emergency: Affected borrowers of Federal student assistance are not in a worse financial position; administrative requirements on affected individuals are minimized without affecting the integrity of the programs; current year income of affected individuals may be used to determine need for purposes of financial assistance; and the Secretary is provided the authority to address issues not yet foreseen.

The bill also urges all postsecondary institutions to continue their support and commitment to their students by providing a full refund of tuition, fees, and other charges to students who are members of the Armed Forces or are serving on active duty, including the Reserves and National Guard. Many times, America's military are also students. They are called away from their families, class work and studies to serve our nation's national defense. These heroes deserve the flexibility and accommodations that institutions of higher education can provide as they deploy and return to the classroom.

As families send loved ones abroad to defend our Nation, the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act will allow the Secretary of Education to reduce some of the effects of that upheaval here at home.

I am proud and delighted that a number of my colleagues have signed on as original cosponsors of the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act. It is an indication of the Congress's commitment to our military and to our students and families, as well as to those who make higher education available. I look forward to swift passage of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of this resolution to commend our troops and to show our complete support for them. The men and women engaged in the struggle against the war on terrorism face a difficult challenge, and we have seen it tonight with the loss of 16 servicemen. Whether directly involved in combat or serving in support roles, these brave individuals are responsible for providing protection to our allies and freedom to the people of Iraq.

There are those who may have debated the United States's role in this conflict, and fairly so. But now is a time to rise above this debate and send one clear message to the men and women of our Armed Forces. These troops need to know that we support what they are doing. If we express doubt as to the validity and purpose and importance of what they are doing, I am afraid our support will sound hollow to their ears. Our message to these troops is one of gratitude for what they have done and what they will continue to do to advance the cause of peace and protect our national security. Our prayer tonight is one for fortitude that they can persevere throughout the battle and return safely to their families and their loved ones.

We commend our troops for their service, and we pray for their safety.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 11 a.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, March 12, 2003.

Mr. Speaker, twenty-two years ago, as a young major of Marines, I had the high honor of serving President Reagan as his military aide. On inauguration day in 1981, this great man started immediately to improve the morale and pride of the armed forces. He had real admiration and respect for Americans in uniform, and real concerns about the status of our military forces in that troubling decade following the war in Vietnam. It seems impossible now, but in those years we were not permitted to wear the military uniform, unless by exception, in our nation's capital--a sad indicator of the state to which pride and confidence had fallen.

During his first inaugural parade, President Reagan told each of the service chiefs that it was time for a change. He told them he wanted to see more uniforms on the street. He knew that this change of direction and attitude was important not only to those wearing the uniforms, but to all Americans. The time of shame and remorse was over. We owe a great debt to this great man for many, many reasons. But, perhaps the first reason is his remarkable transformation of our armed forces.

Thank you, Mr. President and Happy Birthday!

Madam Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in honoring the extraordinary accomplishments of a true hero. On the 30th anniversary of his return from captivity, Sam Johnson deserves a far greater tribute than we can offer today. However, the debt of honor we owe to this great American compels us to do our part to bring attention to the impact his example and leadership provide to each of us.

Every person in this room, in the gallery and on the floor, has served his

country, but even the achievements of those of us with a lifetime of military service pale in comparison to the service and sacrifice exemplified by Congressman Sam Johnson. Not one individual in this room has attained the level of service and sacrifice exemplified by the gentleman from Texas. He is an American hero.

It has been a privilege to know Sam during my brief tenure as a Member of Congress. I look forward to learning from his wisdom as we serve together.

His service is exemplary, his experience unparalleled. I rise to honor this American hero.