Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill to authorize establishment of a memorial at Kalaupapa National Historical Park on the island of Moloka`i, HI, to honor the memory and sacrifices of the some 8,000 Hansen's disease patients who were forcibly relocated to the Kalaupapa peninsula between 1866 and 1969. I want to thank my friend and colleague Congressman Neil Abercrombie for cosponsoring this legislation.

The policy of exiling persons with the disease that was then known as leprosy began under the Kingdom of Hawaii and continued under the governments of the Republic of Hawaii, the Territory of Hawaii, and the State of Hawaii. Children, mothers, and fathers were forcibly separated and sent to the isolated peninsula of Kalaupapa, which for most of its history could only be accessed by water or via a steep mule trail. Children born to parents at Kalaupapa were taken away from their mothers and sent to orphanages or to other family members outside of Kalaupapa. Hawaii's isolation laws for people with Hansen's disease were not repealed until 1969, even though medications to control the disease had been available since the late 1940s.

While most of us know about the sacrifices of Father Damien, who dedicated his life to care for those exiled to Kalaupapa, fewer know of the courage and sacrifices of the patients who were torn from their families and

left to make a life in this isolated area. It is important that their lives be remembered.

Of the some 8,000 former patients buried in Kalaupapa, only some 1,300 have marked graves. A memorial listing the names of those who were exiled to Kalaupapa and died there is a fitting tribute and is consistent with the primary purpose of the park, which is ``to preserve and interpret the Kalaupapa settlement for the education and inspiration of present and future generations.''

Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa, a non-profit organization consisting of patient residents at Kalaupapa National Historical Park and their family members and friends, was established in August 2003 to promote the value and dignity of the more than 8,000 persons--some 90 percent of who were Native Hawaiian--who were forcibly relocated to the Kalaupapa peninsula. A central goal of Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa is to make certain that the lives of these individuals are honored and remembered through the establishment of a memorial or memorials within the boundaries of the park at Kalawao or Kalaupapa.

Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa has made a commitment to raise the funds needed to design and build the memorial and will work with the National Park Service on design and location of the memorial.

The House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on the 109th Congress version of this bill, H.R. 4529, on September 28, 2006. I have read the heartfelt and compelling testimony submitted by current patients and family members of former patients who want to make sure not only that the story of Kalaupapa is told but that the patients are recognized as individuals by having the names of each of those exiled to Kalaupapa and buried there recorded for posterity. Families that have visited Kalaupapa and Kalawao searching in vain for the graves of their family members will find comfort in seeing those names recorded on a memorial.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Providing Resources Early for Kids Act of 2007, the PRE-K Act.

The PRE-K Act will help more children enter school ready to succeed. It creates a new Federal/State partnership to provide better preschool opportunities for our country's children.

Research shows that participation in a high-quality early education program can improve success in school and later in life. So this bill focuses on quality. It is flexible enough to encompass many types of State-funded preschool programs so long as they are high quality. For example, in Hawaii, an Early Learning Task Force is working on a new State-funded preschool program to ensure Hawaii's children have access to a variety of high-quality preschool experiences, from Head Start to community based organizations.

The PRE-K Act is one of the best investments we can make in our children, our families, and our Nation. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2831, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007, and I would like to thank Chairman George Miller of the Education and Labor Committee for his commitment and dedication to bringing this bill to the floor.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted to protect individuals from discrimination they face in the workplace. This bill amends title VII to ensure employees have a realistic remedy to pay discrimination. The bill reinstates the paycheck accrual rule, a law widely interpreted by eight Federal circuit courts to mean that the 180 day time limit for filing a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission begins each time a discriminatory paycheck is received.

I would like to stress that this bill does not amend the rule that an aggrieved person may only recover back pay for the 2 years preceding the filing of the charge, so there will be no incentive to wait 5, 10, 15 or 20 years, as our opponents claim, to bring such a lawsuit. Moreover, employers prior to the Ledbetter decision were not inundated with stale pay discrimination claims, and this law will in fact not promote the filings of such claims.

The Ledbetter decision was a shocking decision for many of us, because we know what it is like to face pay discrimination in the workplace. It is not as though employers announce that they are going to engage in pay discrimination. Employees are not encouraged to discuss what they are making, so it is very difficult to find out that this kind of discriminatory action is even taking place.

Supreme Court Associate Ruth Bader Ginsburg strongly disagreed with the majority decision stating, ``In our view, the court does not comprehend, or is indifferent to, the insidious way in which women can be victims of pay discrimination.'' She urged the Congress to act by passing this kind of legislation.

I urge my colleagues to vote strongly in favor of this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong opposition to the amendment offered by Mr. Westmoreland to eliminate funding for the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant program.

The Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant is authorized under title VIII of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA). The block grant is used to carry out affordable housing activities for Native Hawaiian families who are eligible to reside on Hawaiian

homelands which were established in trust by the United States in 1921 under the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA).

Due to a variety of factors, including long-term leases for purposes outside of the HHCA and the lack of funding for infrastructure, only 8,000 individuals currently hold leases, and approximately 19,000 remain on a waiting list, and many of our elderly, our kapuna, have died waiting for the dream of home ownership.

I submit for printing in the Record an article from the Honolulu Star Bulletin that introduces these families to us.

[From the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, July 9, 2006.]

Homestead awards end long wait for lucky few--One Hawaiian homestead is

awarded to a woman 57 years after her father applied.

(By Alexandre Da Silva with Leila Fujimori)

The line for a homestead was so long for Aloysius Lincoln

that he never saw the end of it.

But yesterday, 57 years after the former Honolulu Gas Co.

employee applied for a lease, his daughter claimed the lease

awarded for the second phase of a Department of Hawaiian Home

Lands project in Kapolei.

``Unfortunately, he died two years ago. He was 87,'' said

Frances Segundo, 60, who was a baby when her father signed up

for the program. ``However, his legacy goes on, because this

award is for our ohana, our family.''

About 2,000 people showed up yesterday morning at the Neal

S. Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall, where the Department of

Hawaiian Home Lands awarded 250 lots in Phase 2 and Phase 3

of in their Kaupe'a project in Kapolei.

The 52-acre subdivision has 326 lots, 76 of which were

awarded in November 2005.

Segundo, a clerk at Maui Community College, said her

cousin, Naira Martin, would live in the four-bedroom, three-

bathroom house with her daughter, but there would always be

room for another relative.

``I'm free from the rent, which is going to be over with,''

said Martin, 56. The $2,000 she pays each month for rent will

now go toward her mortgage. ``When the whole family comes

from the mainland, Louisiana, they will stay with me. It's a

very good feeling.''

Gov. Linda Lingle, who was present for yesterday's

selection meeting, said the latest awards would help the

state's shortage of affordable rentals as new homeowners are

able to free up rental homes and apartments.

``Those units now become available for the general

public,'' Lingle said. ``It is better for the entire

community.''

Yesterday's crowd was a fraction of the nearly 20,000

native Hawaiians currently on the homestead waiting list,

about half of which are on Oahu, said Lloyd Yonenaka, a

spokesman for the Hawaiian Home Lands Department.

Even though more than 1,200 leases have been given out

since 2003, the department's waiting list keeps growing, at a

pace of about 100 people a month, Yonenaka said.

To qualify, applicants must have at least 50 percent

Hawaiian blood and be pre-approved to afford one of the five

Kaupe'a models, which range between $238,600 and $296,100 in

lots averaging 5,000 square feet. The lease rent for the land

under their homes is $1 per year.

The first phase of the Kaupe'a project is expected to be

completed by the end of the year, while Phase 2 and Phase 3

should be done in the first and second quarters of 2007,

according to the department.

As she signed documents for her new lease yesterday, Vivian

Perreira, 71, said she would vacate her Maili home in

Waianae--where she lives with husband, Alfred, her son and

his two children--sometime next year. Perreira said her

youngest son, 47-year-old Prince, a refuse truck driver for

Rolloffs Hawaii Inc., had to co-sign her application because

her Social Security earnings weren't enough for a loan.

After waiting 48 years for her name to be called, Perreira,

now in a wheelchair, will lease a four-bedroom home on a

corner lot in Kapolei.

``I signed up when I was 23,'' she said. ``I almost gave

up, but I left my name on for so long.''

The federal government set up the Hawaiian Homes Commission

Act in 1921, eventually reserving 200,000 acres statewide to

benefit native Hawaiians. But development of land to provide

homes has been slow, and many families have been on the

waiting list for decades.

Last month the state Supreme Court ruled that 2,700 native

Hawaiians can seek monetary damages in a lawsuit against the

state for its alleged mismanagement of the Hawaiian Home

Lands program.

Not everyone who came yesterday had a happy story to share.

Homes went to 250 families, but 750 people qualified for

lots, which are awarded on the basis of seniority. People who

have qualified and waited the longest are the next in line

for a home.

Lee Kogler, 54, who has been researching her genealogy for

more than 20 years, had to leave without a lease after

arriving at 7 a.m. with her husband, daughter, grandson and

two sons.

Kogler turned in her paperwork in 1991. But after marrying

and moving to New York, Kogler's application was returned,

with the department saying she needed to show the Hawaiian

lineage on her father's side. Finally, in 1994, Kogler combed

through the bound volumes of records at the state Archives,

where she found a Census Bureau report listing her

grandmother, Hannah Kaulia, at age 19, living in the house of

her father, Samuel, a master carpenter.

Kogler, who is number 7,954 on the wait list for Oahu, said

she would never quit trying for a lease.

``It's not a sad day,'' Kogler said, citing plans by the

department to award another 300 lots in Kapolei in October.

``I'm still with hope. I've waited a long time for this, and

I'm not going to give up.''

Aloysius Lincoln first applied for Hawaiian Home Lands in 1949. In 2006, a wait of 57 years, his daughter, Frances Segundo, claimed the lease awarded for the second phase of a Department of Hawaiian Home Lands project on the Island of Oahu. Frances claimed the lease because her father had, unfortunately, passed away 2 years before. Frances herself, now 60 years old, was a baby when her father first signed up for the program. Frances stated that ``[her father's] legacy goes on because this award is for our ohana, our family.''

That is something I would like this body to remember: That this is not just money we are talking about today. We are talking about the opportunity for families to live the American dream of home ownership, and Native Hawaiian families are among those with the greatest need. A study conducted in 1996 by the Urban Institute, the National Commission on the American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Housing, and the State Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, found that nearly half of Hawaiian households and 67 percent of those on waiting lists for Hawaiian Homes Lands experienced housing problems related to affordability, overcrowding, or structural inadequacy. That compares with 44 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives living on tribal lands, and 27 percent of all U.S. households.

In 1992, 49 percent of Hawaiian Home Lands applicants lived in overcrowded conditions compared with 37 percent of all Hawaiian households, and 21 percent of non-Hawaiian households. Twenty-eight percent of Hawaiian households put more than 30 percent of income toward housing compared with 22 percent for non-Hawaiians. The rate of homelessness among Hawaiians at 12.2 households per 1,000 is double that of non-Hawaiians.

In 1982, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and the Governor of the State of Hawaii established a Federal-State task force to renew HHCA and the programs carried under that act. The Federal-State task force issued a report in 1983 with specific recommendations, including one that the State and Federal Government should each make contributions of $29 million per year to accelerate the program.

For the first time in 2000, Federal funding was made available when housing assistance for Native Hawaiians was added to NAHASDA through the Native Hawaiian Block Grant. This amendment follows what I sense is a developing pattern of challenges to programs benefiting Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people.

The earlier failed challenge to the previously uncontroversial Native Hawaiian Housing Act earlier this year was the first apparent salvo against Native American programs. The attempt to strike funds in the Labor and Education appropriations bill for the Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, and the Higher Education Act raises the concerns that all programs benefiting Native Americans will be subjected to attack by certain groups.

The same arguments of constitutionality of these programs benefiting Native Americans have been raised and rejected by this body time and again. This is not race-based discrimination. The relationship between the United States and Native Americans is based on a political relationship, as Supreme Court decisions have consistently held.

Like other indigenous peoples, such as Native Americans and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians have a special trust relationship with the United States. It has been well settled that Congress has clear plenary power to fulfill its obligations to indigenous people who once had sovereign governing entities before the establishment of the United States, and whose lands are currently within the borders of the United States. Like Native

Americans and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians suffered the loss of their sovereignty and lands to the United States.

I could go on, Mr. Chairman, but for these and many other reasons, I strongly urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment.

Madam Chairman, on rollcall No. 674, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote No. 635, my vote was mistakenly recorded as ``yea''; however, I intended to vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the College Cost Reduction Act, the largest increase in college aid since the GI bill, and I especially thank Chairman Miller for his leadership.

This legislation will make college more affordable and accessible for students in Hawaii and across America. It will do so at no new cost to taxpayers.

Keeping America competitive requires an educated workforce prepared for high-skilled jobs. Beyond preparing our youth for careers, education is vital for the full development of an individual.

College costs have skyrocketed beyond the needs of many students and their families, and as a result, students in Hawaii and elsewhere are holding off going to college or skipping it all together, and those who do attend college are taking on increasing amounts of debt.

So this bill is of critical importance because the hardworking families I represent need this help.

I also want to mention a few other provisions in this legislation that are very important to me. As a member of this committee, I worked to increase funding for colleges and universities for native Hawaiians and Alaska natives $30 million over the next 5 years. For this and many other reasons, I rise in strong support of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I ask permission to revise and extend my remarks.

I rise in support of the College Cost Reduction Act, the largest increase in college aid since the G.I. bill, and I thank especially Chairman Miller for his leadership.

This legislation will make college more affordable and more accessible for students in Hawai`i and across America.

It will do so at no new cost to taxpayers.

Keeping America competitive requires an educated workforce prepared for high skilled jobs.

Beyond preparing our youth for careers, education is vital for the full development of an individual.

College costs have skyrocketed beyond the means of many students and their families. As a result, many students in Hawai`i and elsewhere are holding off on going to college or skipping it altogether. And those who do attend college are taking on increasing amounts of debt, so this bill is of critical importance to the hard-working families I represent.

I also want to mention a few other provisions in this legislation that are especially important to me: As a member of the Education and Labor Committee, I worked to increase funding for colleges and universities serving Native Hawaiians and Alaska Natives by $30 million over the next 5 years.

We also included a $10 million investment in institutions serving Asian and Pacific Islander populations that historically have had low education attainment.

This legislation includes the provisions from my Early Educator Loan Forgiveness bill that provides college loan forgiveness for graduates who enter the field of early education to encourage more of them to pursue this field.

For these reasons and more, I am proud to support this legislation.

Mr. Chairman, on rollcall No. 566, I was on the floor, but in a discussion with collegues, and missed the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

(By unanimous consent, Mr. Lewis of Georgia was allowed to speak out of order.)

Mourning the Passing of the Honorable John J. Flynt, Jr.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 406) celebrating the accomplishments of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, also known as the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, and recognizing the need to continue pursuing the goal of educational opportunities for women and girls.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

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

I rise in strong support of the resolution.

Thirty-five years ago, a college applicant could be denied admission simply because she was a woman. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 changed that. Led by the late Representative Patsy T. Mink, who had been denied admission to a medical school because of her sex, and Representative Edith Green, Congress established a principle we often take for granted today, the prohibition of sex discrimination in any federally funded educational program.

Title IX requires that ``No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal assistance.''

These 35 words over the last 35 years have had a profound impact, and the results are astounding. More women than ever now attend college, which means more women than ever go on to advanced degrees. In 1972 only 9 percent of law degrees were earned by women. In the mid-1970s, when I attended law school, that number had improved. Women then had made up 15 percent of the graduating class. Today women earn almost half of all law degrees. The story is similar for medical degrees and Ph.D.s.

This new generation of highly educated women has made a substantial impact on society. Expectations have changed. Girls expect to grow up and contribute to our country and the world in any way they want, as doctors, lawyers, CEOs, school principals, consultants, just to name a few careers previously underrepresented by women.

Title IX also literally changed the face of athletic programs and colleges throughout the country. In fact, it is through athletics that title IX's impact has seeped into the public's consciousness. In athletics the change from 1972 to 2007 is astounding. Today, college athletic opportunities abound for young women. In the past three decades, title IX has led to a 450 percent increase in the rate of female participation in college sports and a more than 900 percent increase in participation at the high school level. And the recent surge in women's professional sports teams could not have happened without the dramatic increase in women playing college sports.

The thousands of women athletes in basketball, volleyball, soccer, and other sports, where we can see them, root for them, and even play on the team with them, have had a huge impact. Young girls today take it for granted that they can play a sport and aspire to athletic scholarships to college. My own niece started playing volleyball in junior high, continued in high school, and is aiming for a volleyball scholarship to attend college. Women in my generation did not even consider this a possibility. Title IX opened the door to higher education for women in many ways, including through athletic scholarships.

These successes, both academic and athletic, are worth celebrating, as are the women who came before us here on the House floor as leaders of the title IX movement. In 2002, after Representative Patsy T. Mink passed away, Chairman George Miller introduced a bill that named title IX the ``Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.''

This picture of Patsy hangs in my office. She was my friend and continues to be an inspiration to me. I am proud to represent the congressional district that Patsy represented for so long and so well. I know that if she were here today, she would remind us that our work is not done.

There are many challenges still to be addressed. Women continue to face substantial barriers, especially in high-wage fields such as science, technology, engineering, and math. Women own less than 30 percent of all U.S. firms. Women make up only a third of chief executive officers and less than 20 percent of engineers. Sexual harassment remains pervasive in schools and on college campuses. Women's and girls' sports teams still receive only 33 percent of recruiting dollars and 38 percent of athletic operating dollars.

Title IX is as necessary today as it was in 1972.

I am pleased that over 120 of my colleagues are cosponsors on this resolution, including Speaker Pelosi. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in celebrating title IX's successes and in recognizing the work still to be done in our march towards equal educational opportunities.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Utah for his remarks in support of the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).

Mr. Speaker, before I yield back the balance of my time, I would just like to clarify that I am the original sponsor of this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2284, which will amend the Small Business Act to improve the assistance provided by Small Business Development Centers to Indian tribe members, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians.

This bill will provide management, technical and research assistance to small businesses owned by Indian tribe members, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians and ensure them full access to existing business counseling and technical assistance available through the Small Business Development Center program.

Mr. Speaker, in a recent report by the distinguished Visiting Senior Fellow at the East-West Center and Emeritus Professor at the University Hawaii, Dr. Seiji Naya, the poverty rate for Native Hawaiians was 15 percent in 2005 while the state average was 9.8 percent. Native Hawaiians accounted for 27 percent of the total State population in poverty. The per capita income for Native Hawaiians was only 67 percent of the state average. In terms of per capita income, 32 percent of Native Hawaiians earned less than $10,000 in 2005 compared to only 18 percent for Non-Native Hawaiians.

Native Hawaiians are committed to changing these statistics through innovative educational and entrepreneurial programs. One of the most promising government programs that will enable them to do this is the Small Business Act, particularly Section 8(a) which has given Native Americans an opportunity to participate in the economy of this country by providing a fair chance to obtain federal contracts. As a result, hundreds of Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs have been given the opportunity to demonstrate their business capabilities, while providing valuable services and products to the government and the private sector.

The Native Hawaiian organizations that have taken advantage of the 8(a) program have provided hundreds of new well-paying jobs for Native Hawaiians and Non-Native Hawaiians alike. Many Native Hawaiians have received training in new marketable skills. The profits from these enterprises have been plowed back into the Native Hawaiian communities to provide essential social, health and cultural benefits traditionally funded by government or not at all.

H.R. 2284 will provide the necessary assistance to help make sure that these worthy programs continue to grow and expand as much as possible by providing needed assistance and business expertise. I urge unanimous approval of this measure.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the North Maui Coastal Preservation Act of 2007, a bill directing the National Park Service to study the suitability and feasibility of designating certain lands along the northern coast of Maui, between Sprecklesville and Paia, as a unit of the National Park System.

The citizens of Maui strongly support preservation of this coast, which provides important open space and public beach areas. Thousands of post cards in support of creating a national park or national seashore along this coast have been sent to me and to my predecessor.

This beautiful coastline is under significant development pressure. Its closeness to major population centers in Maui and its popularity with both visitors and residents makes protecting access a major concern.

Supporters of this park have asked that it be named after Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink, a native of Maui who grew up in the Hamakua Poko/Paia area. While this bill, which authorizes a study, does not direct what the prospective national park would be named, I would certainly support naming it after Patsy Mink, whose commitment to the people of the island and state was without question.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Early Childhood Educator Loan Forgiveness Act of 2007.

We have paid a lot of attention to reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act so far this year. One of the disturbing things we often hear in these discussions is how far behind our students are when compared with their peers around the world. Another problem we have talked a lot about is the persistent achievement gap between well-off, White children and everyone else in this country.

Last month Speaker Pelosi hosted a National Summit for America's Children, where we heard from leading child development experts about the importance of providing high-quality early education opportunities to boost success in school and in life.

Science shows definitively that a majority of brain development occurs in the first few years of life, and that influences--positive or negative--in these formative years can last a lifetime. We were reminded at the summit that ``getting it right'' in the early years is ``far more advantageous than trying to fix things later.''

Kindergarten teachers know from first-hand experience what scientists know from their research: Often when 5 year olds enter school, there is already a noticeable achievement gap between those students from more privileged backgrounds and those from disadvantaged households.

Too often, working families cannot afford to send their children to a high quality preschool, so the youngsters end up spending their formative years in the care of family members--often untrained in early childhood development. The resulting hours in front of a television certainly do not stimulate the positive neural activity needed for healthy brain development.

Not only does this experience limit the child's potential for success in school, it also hurts our country. Children without a high quality early education experience are less likely to contribute to the economy, more likely to commit crimes, and more likely to experience poverty and the poor health that goes with it.

Scientists, economists, teachers, and parents tell us that we must invest in our country's future by funding increased access to high- quality early childhood education.

And yet, time and time again, I hear from the early education community in Hawaii that even with more classrooms and more money, they could not make real progress toward serving every family who wants to send their children to preschool because they don't have enough qualified teachers.

We know that a highly qualified teacher makes a huge difference for children. We owe it to them to have a teacher who knows what he or she is doing. Unfortunately, there are strong economic barriers to increasing the number of qualified early education workers. When students are choosing a career, it is unlikely that they will decide to take on the thousands of dollars in educational debt for a job that will pay so little. The average preschool teacher makes less than janitors, secretaries, and many other workers with only a high school diploma. As the saying goes, ``it just doesn't add up.''

We can change the equation. We can start by providing loan forgiveness to students who get a degree in early childhood education or a related field and then teach in low income communities, where the real need is, for 5 years. This bill will do just that.

Cost is not the only prohibitive factor for prospective early education teachers. In some places there are simply no training programs available. Our teachers' colleges are not prepared to turn out the number of quality teachers we will need if we are to make a real investment in early education. Further, even with a more robust workforce, States would not have the money they need to implement high- quality early education standards, build the facilities, and run the programs. I am working with Chairman Miller and others on the Education and Labor Committee to address these problems in other pieces of legislation.

But while we work on all the other issues, we cannot wait to pass this bill. It is a necessary first step because its benefits will not accrue immediately--training new teachers will take time.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill so that we do not miss a chance to make real progress toward closing the disturbing achievement gaps our children face--both amongst themselves and when compared with their peers around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1252, the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act.

I am a proud cosponsor of this bill, which makes it illegal for any company to sell gasoline at excessive prices or to take advantage of market conditions by increasing prices during an energy crisis. It allows the Federal Trade Commission and the States' Attorneys General to bring lawsuits against corporations that charge excessive prices for gasoline. The bill also permits investigations of companies suspected of price gouging and requires honest and accurate reporting of pricing practices.

In the first month of the 110th Congress, the House took away $14 billion in taxpayer subsidies from the oil companies. This money will be reinvested in alternative, renewable energy sources.

Yesterday the House passed a bill by a bipartisan 345-72 vote, a bill that authorizes the Justice Department to take legal action against OPEC state-controlled entities and governments that conspire to limit the supply or fix the price of oil.

Hawaii's consumers pay some of the highest gasoline prices in the Nation. In 1998, the State of Hawaii filed a lawsuit against the major oil companies operating in our state. The lawsuit revealed that 22 percent of an oil company's nationwide dealer profits came from Hawaii, a state that represented only 3 percent of the market. Clearly, Hawaii's consumers were contributing an excessive share of the company's profits in relation to market share.

Since President Bush took office, gas prices have more than doubled, and previous Congresses have failed to protect consumers from price increases. For the first time in years, Congress has begun exercising its oversight responsibilities. This is important given that the six largest oil companies made $30 billion in profits for the first quarter of 2007, on top of the $125 billion in record profits for 2006.

I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill, which aims to reduce the burden of high energy costs on American families and businesses, build on efforts to increase energy efficiency, lessen our dependence on foreign oil, and cut greenhouse gas emissions in the longer term.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a resolution celebrating the 35th anniversary of Title IX of the Education Act Amendments of 1972. Thirty-five years ago, a college applicant could be denied admission simply because she was a woman.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 changed that. Led by the late Representatives Patsy T. Mink and Edith Green, Congress established a principle we often take for granted today--the prohibition of sex discrimination in any federally funded educational program. The results are astounding.

In 1972, only 9 percent of JDs were earned by women. Today women earn almost half of all law degrees. In fact, I am one of the many women able to go to law school because of Title IX. The story is similar for MDs and PhDs.

There are also, of course, the athletic opportunities. Here too, the change from 1972 to 2007 is astounding. Today, college athletic opportunities abound for young women. And the recent surge in women's professional sports teams could not have happened without the dramatic increase in women playing college sports.

These successes--both academic and athletic--are worth celebrating, as are the women who came before us here on the House floor as leaders of the Title IX movement. In 2002, after Representative Patsy T. Mink passed away, Chairman Miller introduced a bill that named Title IX the ``Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.'' I have a picture of Patsy hanging in my office. She is an inspiration to me. And I know that if she were here today she would remind us that our work is not finished.

There are many problems still to be addressed. Women continue to face substantial barriers, especially in high wage fields such as science, technology, engineering and math. Sexual harassment remains pervasive in schools and on college campuses. Women and girls' sports teams still do not receive an equal share of resources.

Title IX is as necessary today as it was in 1972.

I am pleased to have over 100 original cosponsors on this bill, including Speaker Pelosi. I urge the rest of my colleagues to join me in celebrating Title IX's successes and in recognizing the work still to be done in our march toward equal educational opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1700, the COPS Improvement Act of 2007. I would like to thank the chief sponsors of this legislation, Congressmen Weiner and Keller, for their efforts in bringing this bipartisan bill to the floor today.

Congress created the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-322). Administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, the COPS program awards grants to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire and train community policing personnel, implement new technologies to combat crime, and develop new policing techniques.

Since its establishment, the COPS program has been widely hailed as a success. It most notably has supported the hiring of over 120,000 additional police officers and helped contribute to a nationwide decrease in the rate of violent crime. In Hawaii alone, COPS grants have helped to hire 522 additional police officers and sheriffs and placed 18 new resource

officers in primary and secondary schools throughout the islands.

Yet funding for this successful program has become a yearly Congressional battle. President Bush's latest FY 2008 budget request seeks to cut funding for the COPS program by 50 percent, which is actually an improvement from previous years in which program funding was simply zeroed out.

In justifying the COPS program funding cut, the administration has often cited the need to refocus our energies on homeland security issues. However, our State and local law enforcement agencies play an increasingly significant role in homeland security through their already established roles in local crime prevention and investigation. It is not unreasonable to suggest that State and local law enforcement entities are among our first lines of defense in keeping our homeland secure. To that end, it is the responsibility of this Congress to continue to support and strengthen the COPS program.

H.R. 1700 is an affirmative step in this direction, as it would authorize $1.15 billion each year in years 2008 through 2013 for the COPS program. This is a 10 percent or $103 million increase from the amounts authorized in current law. Of that amount, $600 million would be allocated each year for the hiring of additional law enforcement officers. It is estimated that this amount will translate into at least 50,000 new police officers on our streets. H.R. 1700 would also allow for up to $350 million annually for grant programs that improve crime- fighting technologies and up to $200 million each year to assist district attorneys in hiring prosecutors.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 1700, as it supports the work of law enforcement officers across our Nation. I would also like to extend a heartfelt mahalo (thank you) to our State and local law enforcement officers who serve our Nation with distinction and aloha.