Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to add my voice to the many here this morning in support of our Speaker and my neighbor from Illinois, Dennis Hastert.

In so doing, I would ask three questions: Is the price of leadership defamation of character? Is the punishment for defending this body and its Members rumor, innuendo and false leaks? Is the cost of speaking the truth and upholding the Constitution greater than the need for flashy headlines?

The answer to all three must be no. Speaker Hastert is one of the finest men I have ever known. His integrity is unquestioned. Let's stop the witch hunt, let's shake the gotcha mentality, and let's put an end to the unjust attacks on those who bear the heavy responsibility of leadership.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this bill.

Since coming to Congress, I have been advocating for increased resources for research in the physical sciences and for the Department of Energy Office of Science in particular. I just really am most gratified that the chairman and the ranking member of the Energy and Water Subcommittee fully supported the President's request for funding for the DOE Office of Science.

As the Nation's primary supporter of research in the physical sciences, the DOE Office of Science led the way in creating a unique system of large-scale, specialized, often one-of-a-kind facilities for scientific discovery.

I also want to express my appreciation for the funding provided for the Energy Supply Account. This bill before us contains vital work in fossil energy, nuclear energy, renewable energy and conservation. Such a diverse portfolio of technologies is necessary to secure our energy future. These technologies represent wise investments and deserve broad support.

At the same time, I want to register my concern about the decreased funding for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, or GNEP. We must begin developing advanced fuel cycle technologies now. I know the chairman of the subcommittee appreciates this fact and wants DOE to do it right. So do I, which is why I look forward to continuing our work on this issue of common interest.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding to me.

I know that the chairman shares my interest in protecting the Great Lakes from aquatic invasive species like the Asian carp. I appreciate his past support for efforts by the Army Corps of Engineers to construct, operate and maintain a system of dispersal barriers.

Located on the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal, the only link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River ecosystems, these barriers are underwater, invisible electric fences that repulse fish.

As the chairman knows, the corps has encountered some obstacles, both in terms of funding and authority, to completing construction of the permanent barrier. At the same time, funding for the corps to operate the original demonstration barrier is limited.

It is up to Congress to provide the funding for the corps to complete construction and testing of the permanent barrier and to operate and maintain the original demonstration barrier while the corps completes the construction and testing. If we fail to do so, we will leave the corps without any tools to protect the Great Lakes from the Asian carp and other invasive species.

This is why I would ask the chairman to do any and everything possible in conference to ensure that the corps has the resources it needs to maintain some barrier to the threat of the fast-approaching Asian carp and other invasive species.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for his commitment. I look forward to working with him and the ranking member to ensure that every precaution is taken to protect the Great Lakes from such a harmful species as the Asian carp.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding, and let me just say to the sponsor, who asserts that the reprocessing is too expensive and will add to the cost, that we don't know what the cost is.

My Subcommittee on Energy for the Science Committee has spent an entire hearing on the economics of reprocessing, and today it might be cheaper to mine and use enriched uranium, but the enrichment technology has had 30 years to develop. We stopped the process. President Carter stopped the process that is needed to treat and use all of the nuclear energy.

So, if anything, this concern only reinforces the need to increase the R&D on technologies for the back end of the fuel cycle in order to bring down the cost. We have got to have this process if we are going to have the energy needed for our children and grandchildren to live in this country. But we also have to look at taking the nuclear energy and using all of it by reprocessing and reestablishing that program.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mrs. Peggy Reipsa on the occasion of her retirement from Orland School District 135. On June 30, 2006, Mrs. Reipsa will be stepping down after 34 years of distinguished service to the young people of Orland Park, Illinois.

From 1977 to 1998, Mrs. Reipsa served School District 135 in multiple capacities, including that of Special Needs Resource Teacher, Reading Teacher, and Instructional Services Assistant. In July of 1998, she accepted a position as Principal of Orland Center School, where she has served the students, faculty, and the community with great distinction.

On behalf of the families of School District 135, I would like to thank Mrs. Reipsa for her tremendous contribution to the education of so many young children over the years. Her guidance and leadership have helped countless children develop the confidence, knowledge, and skills to lead fruitful and fulfilling lives.

So one again, I congratulate Mrs. Peggy Reipsa and wish her a happy and relaxing retirement.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to join the members of Downers Grove Boy Scout Troop 89 in celebration of their 50th anniversary.

Since 1956, the Scouts of Troop 89 have acted as role models for the youth of our community. By teaching values like loyalty, kindness and thrift, the Scout program has given generations of our sons and grandsons the foundation they will need to live honorable and successful lives.

Both my husband and my son were Boy Scouts, so I know firsthand what a positive force Scouting can be. Scouts make outstanding leaders and volunteers who give of themselves to make communities like Downers Grove a better place in which to live.

So congratulations to the members of Troop 89--past, present, and future. After 50 years, you continue to make us all very proud. And thank you to the families and friends of these Scouts who have supported them over the years. Without you, we could not have hoped to celebrate this momentous anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to congratulate the Bolingbrook High School Girls' Varsity Basketball Team on capturing the 2006 Illinois Class AA Girls' Basketball State Championship.

On March 4, 2006, the Bolingbrook Raiders beat the Althoff High School Crusaders 45-34 in the state championship game. Not only did this give the Bolingbrook Girls' Varsity Basketball team its first state championship, but it provided Bolingbrook High School with its first ever state championship in any sport.

It's not often that Congress passes a law that makes a big difference in the lives of young people--especially in the lives of young girls. But that's exactly what happened in 1972, when Title IX was enacted, allowing girls and young women to participate in sports just like the boys and young men.

When many of my colleagues and I were in high school, girls were only allowed to play half court basketball. Why did they only let us play on half of the court? Well, they thought we were too weak and delicate and that running across the full court might exhaust us or affect our health.

As they say, we've come a long way, and the Bolingbrook High School Girls' Varsity Basketball Team is a great example of that. Not only are they excellent basketball players, but I'm sure that they could teach many young men a thing or two about the sport.

Today, our hats are off to the Bolingbrook Raiders for their great athleticism, team spirit, hard work, dedication, and the example they set for girls and women everywhere.

Once again, congratulations to girls of the Bolingbrook High School Varsity Basketball Team on winning the Illinois state championship. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to congratulate the winners of the Illinois Regional Science Bowl--Sarah Carden, Alex Lapides, Jeremy Lee, Tyler Mitchell, and Benjamin Xie. With the support of their coach, Mr. Kevin Farrell, these talented young students from Naperville North High School bested a field of Illinois brightest for a chance to compete in the 16th annual Department of Energy National Science Bowl.

As the only federally sponsored science competition, the National Science Bowl hosts over 12,000 participants, making it the largest such competition in the United States. Each year, this event adds energy and excitement to the study of math and science for students across the country. Mr. Speaker, it is by inspiring and supporting the next generation of America's scientific leaders today that we can ensure America's competitiveness in the global marketplace tomorrow.

So once again, to the five promising young scholars from Naperville North representing the Land of Lincoln in this weekend's National Science Bowl, congratulations and good luck.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Pryce) for yielding me time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4916, the bill that really authorizes the United States' contribution to the first replenishment of the resources of the Enterprise for the Americas Multilateral Investment Fund, which is often referred to as MIF.

I want to thank Chairman Pryce for her leadership on the authorization bill and on all of the domestic and international economic development initiatives that she has undertaken since becoming chairman of the House Financial Services Domestic and International Monetary Policy Trade and Technology Subcommittee. It is an honor to serve as her vice-chairman.

I also thank the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for all the work that she has done as the ranking member of the committee. And I would like to thank Mr. Bachus for really being able to put this all in context of what this really means for all of us in the United States and why this is so important.

It is important and in the U.S.'s best interest that we support international economic development initiatives as we fight the war on terror. It is especially important that we fund homegrown, microeconomic projects in developing countries.

These projects are often supported through MIF's technical and financial supports. The Inter-American Development Bank is doing important work to marry the public and private sectors, is working to engage the international community and pro-democracy, pro-free trade, and pro-free market.

Through a variety of initiatives, programs and projects, the bank is promoting sustainable economic growth in developing countries. Just as important as it is to the U.S., it is important to many developing countries to promote job growth, improve education, expand health care, enhance environmental standards, produce clean energy, develop sound infrastructure, and increase access to financial markets and institutions.

The MIF fund, which is operated by the International American Development Bank, is a critical component of all of these marks of economic stability for developing countries, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, as they work towards stabilizing their governments and towards sustainable economic growth.

H.R. 4916 authorizes the U.S. contribution of $150 million to MIF and sends a strong message to our neighbors in the south, and to the international community and the leaders in the Inter-American Development Bank that we support their efforts.

Madam Speaker, I would like to commend the U.S. delegation that participated in the 47th annual Inter-American Development Bank meetings that were held earlier this month and for their hard work. In particular, I would like to commend the bank's leaders and staff for taking the helm of anti-corruption initiatives and for promoting ethical practices within the bank.

In addition, I would like to recognize the new Inter-American Development president, Luis Alberto Moreno, for his leadership in promoting public-private partnerships, especially those that involve small businesses.

I would also like to thank him for facilitating discussions about Latin American debt relief and development at this year's annual meeting. MIF is a proven winner in meeting important job creation and economic goals throughout the region.

By tapping the talents, strengths, and resources of private sector groups and organization, we can continue to help others help themselves. This is a great program that leverages small dollars into big results for many people throughout Latin America.

Madam Speaker, I am again pleased to lend my support to the chairman for her legislation, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 737 to designate April as Financial Literacy Month. This is the third year that I have introduced this resolution with my colleague from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) to raise public awareness about the importance of financial education in the United States.

The state of financial literacy among our citizens may not garner much in the way of headlines, but it is an issue that should command our attention. It is a problem that is serious and urgent but is one that could be solved through education, and that is why I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

In 2003 I worked with my colleagues and again Mr. Hinojosa to establish within the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act, or the FACTA, the Financial Literacy and Education Commission. We tasked the commission with establishing a Web site, a toll-free hotline, and a national financial literacy strategy. I am happy to say that the commission immediately launched www.mymoney.gov and 1-888-MYMONEY, and just yesterday it unveiled the national strategy report.

It is called ``Taking Ownership of the Future: The National Strategy for Financial Literacy.'' And it highlights best practices and outlines outreach and education goals for the public and private sectors. I would urge my colleagues to go to mymoney.gov and take a look at the report. It is a great roadmap for how Americans can improve their understanding of issues such as credit management, savings, and homeownership. It is my hope that this national strategy can serve as a focal point for the hundreds of groups out there who are stepping up to the plate on financial literacy. There are so many issues and so many groups of individuals who need help and want to help.

Since my colleague Mr. Hinojosa and I founded the Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus, which now has 68 Members of Congress, literally hundreds, if not a thousand, not-for-profit groups and private sector organizations have called us to offer their help or tell us about their financial literacy programs.

And I would like to take a moment to insert into the Congressional Record letters of support for these resolutions from four such organizations.

Networks Financial Institute

at Indiana State University,

Terre Haute, IN, April 4, 2006.

Hon. Judy Biggert,

House of Representatives, Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Financial

and Economic Literacy Caucus, Washington, DC.

Hon. Ruben Hinojosa,

House of Representatives, Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Financial

and Economic Literacy Caucus, Washington, DC.

Dear Representatives Biggert and Hinojosa: We are writing

to express our support for H. Res. 737, ``Supporting the

goals and ideals of Financial Literacy Month.'' The

resolution is an important step in raising awareness among

individuals, policymakers, and institutions about the need

for a more competent, financially literate country.

A lack of basic money-management skills is widespread among

Americans. Over a quarter of our population have not received

adequate financial literacy education in order to manage

household finances. Personal bankruptcies increased 19% in

2002 over 2001, and increased by over 10% in 2003 with young

adults between 20 and 24 representing the fastest growing

segment of bankruptcy filings. In 2004, America's teenagers

scored a failing grade in basic financial literacy knowledge,

and more people filed for bankruptcy than graduated from

college. Now more than ever, there is a critical need for

research-based financial literacy educational programs to

reach individuals at all age and socioeconomic levels,

particularly in the early years. Our nation's educational

systems are an effective conduit through the use of quality

programming with a common set of educational standards, pre-

and post-education assessment tools, effective training

programs for educators, and materials which appropriately

serve various segments of adult and child populations. The

goal of these efforts is to develop an adult population of

consumers that have adequate skills and confidence for making

day-to-day financial decisions, and planning for their

financial futures.

Thank you again for introducing H. Res. 737. Your continued

leadership and commitment to financial literacy is essential

to raise awareness of the need to implement a national

strategy, and improve the money, credit, and debt management

skills of all individuals.

Sincerely,

Liz Coit,

Executive Director.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to introduce an amendment that would make the dream of a college education more accessible to youth who are homeless and on their own.

While many young people experience homelessness as part of a family, so many youth in homeless situations are on their own. These children are unaccompanied for reasons that are extremely diverse and usually heartbreaking. In many cases they have run away to escape physical or sexual abuse. Others have been abandoned by their parents.

Due to their severe poverty, these homeless students are extremely unlikely to be able to access post-secondary education without Federal student aid. But in order to determine student eligibility for aid, the FAFSA requires them to provide financial information and a signature from their parent or guardian.

While these requirements are logical for most applicants, they create insurmountable barriers for unaccompanied homeless youth. So the very children who are most in need of financial assistance are the least likely to receive it.

My amendment removes these barriers by allowing unaccompanied homeless youth to be considered independent students. To ensure that there is no fraud or abuse, the living situation of the student must be verified by one of the following individuals: a McKinney-Vento Act school district liaison, a shelter director, or a financial aid administrator.

This independent student status will ensure that unaccompanied homeless youth are not required to provide their parental income information and parental signature, information they simply do not have and cannot get. The amendment thus opens the doors of higher education to some of our Nation's most vulnerable youth.

I should add, Mr. Chairman, that this amendment was scored by the CBO as having no budgetary impact.

I yield to the gentleman from California.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Thank you all. I would like to thank in particular Chairman McKeon and the ranking member, Mr. Miller of California, for their support for homeless education. Whether we are talking about the No Child Left Behind Act or this legislation today, the Education and Workforce Committee members and staff have worked in a bipartisan way to address problems related to the education of homeless children, and I believe that we have made significant progress.

Mr. Chairman, I urge support of the amendment.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the resolution honoring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Justice O'Connor served as a role model at a time when very few women were pursuing legal careers. Even before she was appointed to the United States Supreme Court, Justice O'Connor's career was one to follow. She served as a government lawyer, general practitioner, agency attorney, state legislator, and a judge at both the trial and appellate levels.

As the first woman ever to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice O'Connor was a steady--albeit unpredictable--presence on the bench. She was incredibly thoughtful and deliberate with her decisions, evaluating every case on its merits.

Justice O'Connor earned her place in history, making a permanent mark on the judicial system that will forever inspire girls and women throughout America. She will be greatly missed.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this rule for the consideration of House Resolution 571.

But first I want to state for the record that I have a great deal of respect for the gentleman from Pennsylvania. I do not believe that this resolution is about him or anyone else in this Chamber. This resolution is about our troops, our mission, and our commitment to finishing the job in Iraq. It is about communicating to the world where the Members of this Chamber stand on immediate withdrawal of our troops from Iraq.

A number of my colleagues and I visited Iraq several times and met with the women who had run for office in elections there. These women, Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, risked their lives to help build a better Iraq. One woman lost her son and her bodyguard to assassins. Another was kidnapped and finally returned after a ransom was paid for her. Still others told harrowing stories about the pressures brought upon them simply because they were exercising the kind of rights that we take for granted.

Mr. Speaker, the one thing that these brave women told us repeatedly was this: do not leave us. Do not leave us until we have a stable government. Do not leave us like you did before in 1990 after the gulf war, and do not leave us until we have the security that a stable government will provide.

Let us honor this commitment. Let us honor our troops. Let us be clear of our intentions. I urge my colleagues to support the rule and reject the underlying resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday

rule be dispensed with on Wednesday, December 7, 2005.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember a beloved former Congressman from Illinois who passed away October 30, Representative John Erlenborn. John was a member of this body for nearly 20 years. Throughout his distinguished service in Congress, he became an expert on labor and pension issues and helped shape our Nation during a formative time in our history.

Born and raised in suburban Chicago, Mr. Erlenborn enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a 17-year-old during World War II. He studied at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University, the University of Illinois, and Loyola University in Chicago from which he later received his law degree.

John went on to practice law at a firm he founded before he began his life in public service as an assistant state's attorney for Illinois' DuPage County. This inspired John to run for elected office. He went on to serve for 8 years in the Illinois General Assembly before coming to Congress in 1965.

John earned a spot as the Republican ranking member of the House Education and Labor Committee where he became know as Mr. ERISA after avidly working to pass the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, which created corporate pension plan standards that continue to protect American workers today.

When John retired from Congress in 1985, he did not leave behind his compassion and motivation to help those less fortunate than himself. Instead of fully enjoying retirement, John continued to give back and was appointed to serve on the board of directors and selected to serve as president of the

Legal Services Corporation Board, committing himself to help those who needed legal services, but could not afford it. He also served as adjunct faculty member of the Georgetown University Law Center.

John represented what is now my congressional district, the 13th district of Illinois. He was committed to helping those in need and represented his constituents with honor and integrity.

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the service John Erlenborn gave for the State of Illinois and our Nation for so many years.

On behalf of this body, I extend my deepest sympathies to the entire Erlenborn family during this difficult time. John Erlenborn lived a rich life. He never stopped giving to others even after his tenure in Congress, a model for all of us. He will be deeply missed.

Mr. Speaker, it is with sadness that I rise to inform the House of the passing on Sunday of one of our beloved former colleagues, John Erlenborn of Illinois.

John Erlenborn served the people of the southwest suburbs of Chicago from 1956 to 1985. After his service in Congress, he served on the board and as president of the Legal Services Corporation from 1989 until 2001. A former president of the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, he was well-known and well-loved by all of us.

Our hearts and prayers go out to his wife Dorothy and his wonderful family.