Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, we all have heard the impressive statistics regarding the education funding increases that this Congress and Administration have provided over the past two years. No one can legitimately refute the fact that each year we provide historic increases that are necessary for states and schools across the country.

As someone who worked closely with the Administration and the Committee when Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act, I have remained committed to following its implementation as well as the funding levels. I have always argued that we should make fundamental reforms to our federal programs before throwing money at them. No Child Left Behind is inciting those reforms and states, school districts, teachers, students and parents across the country are answering the call.

I think we all can agree that change is difficult and that No Child Left Behind reflects that. It is forcing all of us, as a nation, to have an important dialogue about education. A discussion that is being followed by action and dedication to success. It is for these reasons that I believe we are justified in continuing to push for and appropriate increased funding for our education programs. The people on the ground deserve it.

I have always prioritized adequate funding for education programs as well as fiscal conservatism. Given other expenses we have across the country and the world, I believe the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Act represents a delicate balance between increased funding for federal education programs and fiscal restraint. I support the motion to instruct, however, because all of these education programs deserve to have the highest funding levels possible. Any additional available funding should go to our students.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3232) to reauthorize certain school lunch and child nutrition programs for fiscal year 2004, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3232.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support bipartisan legislation that extends certain child nutrition provisions through March 31 of 2004. This extension is vital to ensure that low-income children have access to safe and nutritious food in school, after school, and during the summer months.

Members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce in the House and of the Committee on Agriculture in the Senate are busy preparing legislation to reauthorize and improve all the child nutrition programs included in the Child Nutrition and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch acts. Included in these acts are: the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, WIC, and the Child and Adult Care Food, After School Snack, and Summer Food Service Programs. These programs are a critical part of our Nation's effort to ensure that needy children in America do not go hungry.

I have been pleased with the progress made in preparing a reauthorization bill for introduction. Despite our progress, however, committee members do not want to draft such important legislation in haste and so need additional time to ensure that any changes to the current law best serve the interests of the children whom these programs are intended to reach. The extensions included in this legislation can assure us that millions of needy children will not lose access to meals and snacks that are needed for their healthy growth and development and academic success in school.

Millions of children, including many whose mothers and fathers serve in America's armed services, rely on these programs each day. Without this legislation, many children who reside with their parents in privatized military housing would lose the benefit of free or reduced- price school meals. In Delaware, approximately 250 children will benefit from this extension, and up to 100,000 children nationwide. Taking these subsidies from children when many of their mothers and fathers are fighting for our Nation's security at home and abroad would have a devastating effect on these families.

This legislation also would continue the availability of healthy meals and snacks to low-income children enrolled in for-profit child care centers. Additionally, this legislation would allow schools, churches, and community organizations to operate Summer Food Service Program sites and in 14 States to continue special pilot programs that reduce paperwork and thereby increase the number of disadvantaged children who receive free meals and snacks during the summer months.

Mr. Speaker, these are just a few reasons why H.R. 3232 should be approved today with unanimous support. The child nutrition provisions that would be extended through this legislation benefit America's most vulnerable children. It is our duty as lawmakers to ensure that these at-risk children and their families can continue to receive the benefits for which they have been deemed eligible until the Congress can complete its work on legislation reauthorizing both the Child Nutrition Act and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.

I conclude by asking my fellow colleagues to please join me in support of H.R. 3232.

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 such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I have listened intently to the speakers here today. We are all concerned about getting the reauthorization of these programs done correctly, and that is going to take some final work, but all of us, I am sure, are in total agreement of the significance and importance of the programs, and, hopefully, when all is said and done, in 6 months we will be able to do that. For now, it is essential that we pass H.R. 3232.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3076, the Graduate Opportunities in Higher Education Act.

The Graduate Opportunities in Higher Education Act, H.R. 3076, builds upon the success of the graduate fellowship programs within the Higher Education Act (HEA). Because graduate education trains the faculty who train the teachers of tomorrow, the legislation recognizes subject areas in elementary and secondary education facing shortages, and places a priority on those subject areas, working to create a pipeline of highly qualified teachers to improve education at all levels.

Since enactment of No Child Left Behind, this Congress, the administration and educators nationwide have recognized the importance of having highly qualified teachers in the classroom. We need to raise teacher quality standards in our education system, but also help our teachers find the means to meet these goals. H.R. 3076 is an important step toward this end. By expanding our graduate programs, we guarantee that our students will be educated by highly qualified teachers with an extensive knowledge base. It is a great step toward the betterment of our education system.

I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 3076 as an important reform to our higher education system and ultimately to our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3077, the International Studies in Higher Education Act.

H.R. 3077 updates international and foreign language studies programs by ensuring these programs reflect the current international climate and national security needs. The bill also emphasizes coordination between these programs and homeland security interests, while ensuring the programs continue to enrich higher education by enhancing international knowledge.

As a former Member of the Intelligence Committee I authored legislation encouraging American students to study foreign languages and join the federal government in national security capacities. It is vital to our entire national security that we address our foreign language deficiencies and support educational initiatives that amend this problem. Our lack of highly-trained linguistics experts seriously hampers our ability to fight the war on terrorism and this legislation provides incentive to focus these programs on the reality of the situations our men and women in uniform face overseas. It is important that we build a critical base of future leaders both in government service and in higher education who have cultivated international relationships and worked and studies alongside experts of other countries.

I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 3077.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Pope John Paul II as the world celebrates the 25th anniversary of his ascension to the papacy. Born Karol Joozef Wojtylla in Wadowice, Poland in 1920, he entered the seminary in 1942 and was named Archbishop of Krakow in 1964. Three years later, he became a cardinal under Pope Paul VI. Karol Wojtylla was named Pope John Paul II on Oct. 16, 1978.

Pope John Paul II means many things to many people of different faiths, cultures and backgrounds throughout the world. Adoring crowds, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, meet him wherever he goes to hear his messages of peace and hope, especially during troubled times. As a child he suffered greatly from the death of his infant sister and mother before the age of nine, only to face the death of his older brother three years later. He musters strength, from these challenges in his childhood and an assassination attempt on his life in adulthood, to help others. Indeed Pope John Paul II is one of the most recognized people in the world for his work on human rights and humanitarian assistance.

Growing up during the times of Nazi Germany, he witnessed the very real atrocities committed against Jews, and in Poland worked to end communism by sending messages and instructions with priests to imprisoned union leaders. He was the first pope to visit the memorial at Auschwitz to pay homage to the victims of the Holocaust. Pope John Paul II is often credited with fostering a greater understanding between Christians and Jews and he leads by example, being the first pope to ever visit a synagogue.

Pope John Paul II is also the most traveled pope in the 2000-year history of the church--traveling to over 100 countries and speaking eight languages, he reaches out to families and citizens in need. Often we see pictures of the pope with sick children or ailing seniors and we hear his message of generosity and care towards others.

He is a scholar. Pope John Paul II studied at an underground seminary to become a priest and is an accomplished author of two doctoral dissertations as well as numerous speeches. He taught at the Catholic University of Lublin--the only Catholic university in the communist world--and was later appointed to the Chair of Ethics at Catholic University before becoming an auxiliary bishop.

Pope John Paul II is a pope of many firsts. He was the first non- Italian pope in 455 years and at age 58 was the youngest pope in 132 years. He met with Mikhail Gorbachev--the first meeting between a pope and a Kremlin chief--and also visited Cuba at the behest of Fidel Castro.

As the world joins him in celebrating his 25th anniversary, I hope all of us can agree that Pope John Paul II is surely a man of great courage, conviction, bravery and integrity. He has positively impacted the world and the mark he leaves will surely inspire and teach generations to come.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time.

I do rise in support of the emergency spending measure that we have before

us, and I do thank the members of the Committee on Appropriations and the chairman for their great work on this.

I appreciate the scrutiny of the reconstruction request to fund the priority projects to continue the development of a stable and self- sufficient Iraq and to eliminate those which may not be necessary. The sooner we accomplish this, the sooner our brave troops can return home.

A few days ago, several of my colleagues and I returned from a trip to Iraq where we gained firsthand knowledge of the challenges we face and the responsibilities we have. While there, we met with many American servicemen and -women representing us in Iraq.

I felt their passion for the mission at hand and the pride they felt for making a difference in the lives of Iraqis. I met military men and women from Delaware who described building schools, developing access to water and electricity and talking with Iraqis who are discovering, for the first time, the opportunities that only come from being free.

This trip also exposed me to the pain of this conflict, the senseless loss of life. While we were there, three U.S. servicemen were attacked and killed. Our troops in Iraq face serious danger every second of every day, but they remain committed to establishing a stable Iraq so we are not forced to send a future generation to deal with another Saddam Hussein.

We can all agree that we want our troops home safe and as soon as possible. I believe the best way to do that is by sending them the funding necessary to hand Iraq over to a democratically-elected body that represents a thriving, multiethnic, self-sufficient nation.

To prevent future vulnerability to terrorist attacks, the international community must be united. I have a great deal of pride in the leadership the United States currently provides in our stand against terror, but I support an immediate increase of involvement by the United Nations on the ground in Iraq and feel their leadership has long been overdue. The resolution just passed by the Security Council was altered in good faith for Russia, France and U.N. Secretary Annan, to include a loose time line for Iraqi sovereignty.

A time line should be a goal, but real progress in Iraq depends on the drafting of an Iraqi constitution, free and fair elections and the establishment of an elected governing body. Access to water and electricity, police protection, judicial accountability, secured borders, an internationally recognized monetary system, viable economic structure and making sure Iraqis are getting paid for the work they are doing are all necessities for moving forward and continue to be priorities for the Americans in Iraq.

In response to amendments attempting to shift grants to loans, I share their concern for our growing deficit. The fact is that we are the leaders of the governing body in Iraq. There is no government structure to guarantee repayment. Next week at the International Donors Conference in Spain, we will call upon France and Russia to forgive tens of billions of dollars in debt, request billions in aid and ask that other nations send their soldiers to join ours.

I believe that all of us would prefer that the United States focus our attention wholly on our domestic priorities, but we do not have that luxury. Our responsibility is to make our world safer for generations to come and finish the job we started.

I would encourage all of us to support the supplemental.

Mr. Speaker, during House consideration of H.R. 3108 I was in Iraq visiting U.S. troops and touring U.S. reconstruction efforts. Had I been here, I would have supported passage of H.R. 3108, the Pension Funding Equity Act of 2003.

I support H.R. 3108 as a temporary response to a pressing issue that ultimately affects the retirement benefits of millions of American workers, their families, and beneficiaries. Today the House will protect the benefits of those workers who have a pension benefit under our defined benefit system.

The Pension Funding Equity Act would replace the current standards that employers must use to determine their pension liabilities--the 30- year Treasury bond interest rate--with a corporate bond index rate for 2 years through December 31, 2005. The 30-year Treasury bond interest rate is set to expire this year, jeopardizing pension funds across the country. The bill gives the Treasury Department the flexibility to establish the discount interest rate based on a blend of corporate bond index rates. This change will provide employers with greater certainty and short-term funding relief and strengthen defined benefit pension plans workers in the short term while Congress takes a broader look at the defined benefit system as a whole and the issues that affect the retirement security of American workers. As we progress down the road of defining the long-term answer, the bottom line must be to enable businesses to fill their pension funds, and, more importantly, that they are fully funding them.

As a Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, as well as the House Committee on Financial Services, I have participated in hearings that highlight the plight of American workers, beyond defined benefit plans, who have suffered from a lack of retirement security. It has also become all too clear that addressing this issue is an extremely delicate and difficult task.

It is imperative that this Congress work overtime to ensure today's workforce retire with the benefits they have spent their adult life building. I am committed to asking the difficult questions and pressing for the sometimes controversial answers. We are all aware of Enron and World Com, but we must look beyond these most recent crises. We must look at past documented instances of corporations using innovative ways to rob pension assets. For example, some have projected unrealistically high rates of returns to claim that the plan is overfunded, declare bankruptcy but set up a special bankruptcy-proof pension plan for top executives, and define employees as independent contractors. In asking these tough questions we will be able to give business the tools they need to create fair funds, absent any deceit. For the sake of the millions of workers who rely on the security of their retirement we must be tough on fiscal trickery and strong on pension protection.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to a leader in the volunteer fire services community, Wayne A. Steen, Sr., of Delaware. This Sunday, October 5, 2003, Mr. Steen will be honored as part of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Wayne passed away in September of 2001, due to complications from an aneurysm he suffered while responding to a fatal traffic accident in 1995. Along with his family, I am pleased that Wayne will now receive the national recognition that he deserves for his dedication to the fire services community and to public safety.

Wayne dedicated 34 years of public service to the Mill Creek Fire Company where he held numerous offices before becoming Deputy Chief. Wayne was also an officer of the Delaware State Fire Chiefs Association and a life member of New Castle County Fire Chiefs Association, the Eastern Division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the Delaware Valley Fire Chiefs Association. In 1996, Wayne was named Honorary Deputy Chief and given the President's Award by the Mill Creek Fire Company. Such honors serve as a testament to Wayne's selfless devotion to public safety, and it is fitting that the Nation now join his colleagues at the Mill Creek Fire Company in recognizing Wayne's exceptional leadership and service record.

This Sunday, Wayne Steen, Sr.'s contributions to the fire services, along with those of 104 additional fallen firefighters will be memorialized at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, and their names will be added to the roll of fallen heroes. His commitment to public service has earned him a place in our Nation's fire services' history. Wayne's selflessness and dedication to the safety of others will always remain in our memories.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today to honor and pay tribute to a leader in the volunteer fire services community, Louis A. Rickards, of Lewes, Delaware. A tireless advocate, Mr. Rickards was a dedicated leader within the fire community. Tragically, on February 3, 2002, Louis Rickards passed away. This Sunday, October 5, 2003, Mr. Rickards' admirable life will be honored as part of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Not surprisingly at the time of his death, Louis was on his way to a Delmarva Volunteer Fireman's Association Executive Meeting in Virginia, a lasting example of the dedication Louis gave to the firefighting community throughout his 39 years of service. His level of devotion to the community is exceptional among individuals, and his record of service is exemplary.

Louis began his career with the Lewes Volunteer Fire Company at age sixteen as a volunteer firefighter, then rising in the ranks to serve as Fire Chief for seven years, and as the Company's President for thirteen terms until his death in 2002. His passion for the fire services extended beyond the walls of the fire house, and he shared this with others as the primary author of a book published on the 100th year anniversary of the Lewes Volunteer Fire Company. Louis further demonstrated his commitment to public safety as a member of the Delaware State police, retiring after 25 years of service.

This Sunday, Louis Rickards' accomplishments, along with those of 104 additional fallen firefighters will be memorialized at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, and their names will be added to the roll of fallen heroes. His commitment to public service has earned him a place in our Nation's fire services' history, and he remains in our memories as an example for those who wish to dedicate their lives to the safety of others.

Mr. Speaker, along with my colleagues, Representatives John A. Boehner, George Miller, and Lynn Woolsey, I am introducing legislation to extend for one year provisions in the Child Nutrition Act, the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, and the Commodity Distribution Reform Act that are vital to our Nation's effort to ensure that low income children have access to safe and nutritious food in school, after school, and during the summer months.

Members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce are busy preparing legislation to reauthorize and improve all the child nutrition programs included in the Child Nutrition Act and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, including the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the After School Snack Program, and the Summer Food Service Program. I have been pleased with this effort and the progress made in preparing a bill for introduction.

Despite our progress, Committee Members do not want to draft such important legislation in haste and so need additional time to ensure that any changes to the current law best serve the interests of the children whom these programs are intended to reach. Without the extensions included in this legislation, millions of needy children could lose access to healthy meals and snacks that are critical for their healthy growth and development and academic success in school.

This legislation includes a very important provision that allows children of our Armed Forces to continue receiving free- or reduced- price meals at school if they meet eligibility requirements. Without this legislation, families living in privatized military housing could not exempt their housing allowance from the income amount used to determine their children's eligibility for free- or reduced-price meals, like those living in military-owned housing currently can. Taking school meal subsidies from children when many of their mothers and fathers are fighting for our nation's security at home and abroad would have a devastating effect on these families.

Also included in this legislation is a provision that would continue the ability of for-profit child care centers to participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. This program provides meals and snacks to children in for-profit centers when at least 25 percent of the children meet the income eligibility criteria for free- and reduced-price meals.

Additionally, this legislation would extend the authority for schools, churches, and community organizations to operate Summer Food Service Program sites, and in 14 states, continue operation of special pilot programs that reduce paperwork requirements and thereby increase the number of low-income children who receive free meals and snacks during the summer months.

Finally, this legislation ensures that until a child nutrition reauthorization bill is signed into law, commodity distribution to schools will be maintained at sufficient levels and that schools will have funds available to replace commodities that pose a potential health or safety risk to students.

The child nutrition provisions that would be extended through this legislation benefit America's most vulnerable children. It is our duty as lawmakers to ensure that these at-risk children and their families can continue to receive the benefits for which they have been deemed eligible until the House and Senate complete work on legislation reauthorizing both the Child Nutrition Act and Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act in their entirety.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the observance of National Fire Prevention Week beginning Sunday, October 5, 2003. Celebrated every year since President Calvin Coolidge's official proclamation dedicating this week to educating the public on the benefits of practicing basic fire prevention measures, National Fire Prevention Week has undoubtedly given many the informational tools essential to saving lives and preventing unnecessary fire damage.

This week begins with the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Emmitsburg, Maryland to honor those heroes that lost their lives in the line of duty. To honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice, I authored legislation, that became public law in 2001, to lower all flags on federal buildings to half staff on this day of remembrance.

During National Fire Prevention Week we must all educate and learn to protect ourselves and others. I urge all individuals to take the proper steps to ensure the safety of their families and loved-ones by installing and routinely checking smoke detectors, developing and practicing home evacuation plans, and identifying potential fire hazards throughout the home.

This year's National Fire Prevention Week theme is ``When Fire Strikes: Get out! Stay out!'' As a member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, I know the vital importance of this message. In the United States nearly 6,000 people die each year in their homes, nearly 80 percent of all fire fatalities. Tragically, many fires and can be prevented if only individuals practice the proper preventative measures.

Mr. Speaker, I commend the National Fire Protection Association for their work each year in commemorating Fire Prevention Week. I also would like to thank the fine men and women of our fire and emergency services teams for the outstanding job they do in fighting fires and saving lives. I ask my colleagues to join me in urging all Americans to take the basic precautions that could save their lives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the ``American Dream Downpayment Act.'' I thank Congresswoman Katherine Harris, Congressman Artur Davis, Congressman Mike Rogers and all the members of the Financial Services Committee for their hard work on this important bill.

This legislation, which I am proud to have cosponsored, will help low and moderate income families purchase their first home. As Delaware's governor, I established a Housing Development Trust Fund that helped more than 5,400 low- to moderate-income families become homeowners. I am pleased to support this program which seeks to help more than 40,000 first-time, low-income families achieve their dream of homeownership.

We can be proud of the historic levels of homeownership we have reached in this country, we must also recognize that the number of people who pay more than half of their income in housing is also rising. We need to make our existing government housing programs more efficient and expand them through responsible programs that will help our constituents realize their dreams of homeownership. Equity in a home is the primary asset held by most American families and the best mechanism that families have for wealth creation.

I have maintained a longstanding commitment to affordable housing and expanding homeownership, this legislation is a positive step in furthering that goal. Thomas Jefferson once said the happiest moments of his life were those which he had passed at home in the embrace of his family. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased we are working to bring that sentiment to all Americans and I rise in support of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the ``Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Coin Act of 2003.'' This legislation will direct the Secretary of the Treasury to produce a limited edition silver coin to honor the many achievements of Ben Franklin and celebrate the anniversary of his 300th birthday in January 2006.

Ben Franklin was one of the most remarkable of our founding fathers; he made historic contributions to our nation in a number of fields: government, business, science, communications, and the arts. Mr. Speaker, as I stand before you in the great halls of Congress, it is notable to recognize that Franklin was the only Founding Father to sign all of our nation's organizational documents.

It is fitting to honor Franklin with a commemorative coin, as his role in the early years of currency cannot be overlooked. During the American Revolution, Franklin designed the first American coin, the ``Continental'' penny. He also played a major role in the design of the Great Seal of the United States, which appears on the one dollar bill. Franklin was the printer of official currency for the colonies of my great state, Delaware, as well as Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. Furthermore, the official United States half dollar from 1948 to 1963 bore Franklin's portrait. Until 1979, Benjamin Franklin was the only non-president of the United States whose image graced circulating coin and paper currency.

In 2002, the United States Congress passed the ``Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Act'' to create a panel of distinguished Americans to commemorate Franklin's 300th birthday in 2006. I am proud to serve as a member of the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission which was created to honor a true American statesman. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this legislation and look forward to working with the Financial Services Committee to bring this bill to the House Floor.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today as a member of the Congressional Fire Service Caucus to honor and pay tribute to leaders and foundations in the firefighting community--The Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association and the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association. The members of both organizations are outstanding, dedicated and caring Delawareans

who make great sacrifices for the well-being and safety of our great State. On behalf of myself and the citizens of the First State, I would like to honor these outstanding organizations and extend to them our congratulations on serving Delaware.

Today, I recognize the Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association and the Ladies' Auxiliary for more than just the peace-of-mind that they bring us. I recognize the groups for being leaders in the community and pillars of strength and dedication. Family, friends and fellow firefighters should take a moment to truly appreciate the world of difference the Volunteer Fireman's Association and its Ladies' Auxiliary have made.

In addition to the stature of the two organizations, their respective presidents also deserve our highest regard. President Jasper Lakey of the Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association has served the Delaware City Fire Company for 54 years. In that time, beside the great feats and tireless dedication, he has served as Chief of the Delaware City Fire Company, Chief at the Texaco Refinery in Delaware City, President of the New Castle County Volunteer Fireman's Association and he served for 12 years as a member of the Delaware State Fire Prevention Committee. His undertakings and accomplishments are almost unmatched by anyone in his field.

Pat McCall presides over the Ladies' Auxiliary and in this capacity she has served the organization extremely well. President McCall is a 47 year member of the Christiana Fire Company Ladies' Auxiliary and her husband Jim has served the Company for 43 years. He was also President of the Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association in 1979. The prestige of Mrs. McCall's family, of course, does not end there. Her two granddaughters are now members of the Auxiliary and they have reached a tremendous milestone of 5 generations serving the Christiana Fire Company.

With the leadership of Presidents Lakey and McCall, the Volunteer Fireman and the Ladies Auxiliary are certain to continue the great traditions of the volunteer firefighting community.

Once again, I thank the Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association and the Ladies' Auxiliary for the service they have provided Delaware over their many years. Their commitment to fighting fires and saving lives has earned them a permanent place in Delaware's fire service history.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 13, the Museum and Library Services Act, which will reauthorize the library and museums program under the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The role our libraries and museums play in educating our students, adults and families is incomparable. The lifetime learning encouraged by libraries and museums across the country is something we should all support.

I am particularly pleased that H.R. 13 raises the minimum State allotment. For smaller States like Delaware, this makes a huge impact. For example, with assistance from The Institute of Museum and Library Services, Delaware was able to set the model for evolving with growing technologies. Since 1996, DelAWARE, the Digital Library of the First State, has provided online information and services to all citizens with a library card. Delaware was also the first state to provide access for all its citizens to thousands of newspapers and periodicals in public libraries and remote access.

The support for libraries in Delaware is seen across the country. There are more than 117,000 libraries in the United States, including public libraries and libraries in schools, colleges and universities, hospitals, law firms, businesses, the armed forces and more. In fact, a recent study found that the majority of Americans felt libraries play a unique role because they provide access to everything on the Web or in print, as well as personal service and assistance in finding it.

The Institute for Museum and Library Services offers unique and vital educational services to all Americans. By funding libraries and museums, we improve access to information, improve care of collections and enhance community service.

With the growing momentum and implementation of No Child Left Behind, I encourage my colleagues to recognize museums and libraries as supporting players in helping our young students and engaging their families.