Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of my friend and colleague, Gabrielle Giffords, who four days ago was the target of a malicious, senseless attack in Tucson, Arizona. In the aftermath of this tragedy, 6 have lost their lives, 12 were wounded, and Gabby is still in the hospital fighting for her life. She is a dear friend, and one of the most sincere, conscientious, and thoughtful members I have had the pleasure of working with.

Gabby has so many friends in Congress and is an outstanding Congresswoman for her district and for the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. She has served the last 2 years as the chairwoman of our Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee and has done a magnificent job overseeing our Nation's space program. The passion that she brings with her is always evident and she has been willing to ask the tough questions and work across the aisle in support of what she believes.

Gabby loves her district and her constituents, and she is always finding a way to work her home state of Arizona into the discussion. I have been to her district with her to support solar energy and to the Cape with her to support the Shuttle flights. Perhaps it hurts even more that this shooting took place at an event that was organized so she could listen to her constituents and discuss how she represents their interests. She was doing her job, being accessible, and listening to the people she represents.

Gabby is a beautiful young lady with a beautiful family, and a stepmother of two young children. It's hard to understand how someone could do something like that. In a moment's time, one person destroyed the lives of so many innocent victims. Events like this remind us of how fragile life can be and how in the blink of an eye, everything can change.

I've been around a long time and have seen too many terrible senseless events; these are times when you feel helpless, and all you can do is pray and come together to display solidarity and support for those who have been affected. I will continue to pray every day for Gabby, her husband Astronaut Mark Kelly, her family, her staff, Judge John Roll, little 9-year old Christina Green, and the families of all the victims in this tragedy.

Madam Speaker, as we approach the close of the 111th Congress, it is important to remember our men and women in uniform around the world. These brave men and women sacrifice every day to ensure that United States citizens enjoy the freedom that we all cherish. We pay tribute as well to our wounded warriors and wish them a safe and happy holiday season.

One such hero is retired specialist Jim Batchelor who has served his country proudly for over three and a half years. During his tenure in the Army he has earned numerous awards and decorations, including the Purple Heart, Combat Infantry Badge, expert badges in driving and marksmanship, good conduct medals, and Army Commendation medals. Not allowing his military injury to slow him down, he has finished his degree in criminal justice and is now pursuing a master in psychology to help his fellow soldiers returning from the war. He and his wife, Antoinette, live in Cooper Texas, and are expecting the birth of their first child.

Another hero who deserves tribute is retired Lieutenant Colonel Alphonse R. Telese Jr. Mr. Telese served in the U.S. Army for over 32 years before retiring in August of 2008. It was during his tour of duty in Iraq that he was permanently injured during a mortar attack. He has received numerous awards and decorations throughout his distinguished career. These include the Legion of Merit award, National Defense Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, to name a few. Today, he and his wife Tierney reside in Frisco, Texas. Since his retirement, LTC Telese continues to support the military, volunteering his time and talents to the Dallas Summer Boat Show Tournament of Heroes Invitation Bass Fishing Tournament which provides a much deserved break for our military heroes.

As we adjourn today, let us do so in memory and in honor of those who answer the call to duty and to whom we owe a debt of gratitude that can never be paid.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a dedicated veteran and scientist, Dr. Hylan Benton Lyon, Jr., of Heath, Texas, who died at the age of 74 on July 20, 2010.

Born July 20, 1936 in New London, Connecticut, Dr. Lyon was the son of World War II Veteran Rear Admiral Hylan Benton Lyon, Sr. and Wilma Lyon. In 1958, Hylan graduated from the United States Naval Academy and proudly served his Nation as a naval reconnaissance pilot during the Vietnam War from 1958 to 1969. In addition during his naval career, he attended the University of California, Berkley where he earned a PhD in physical chemistry.

Dr. Lyon enjoyed a very successful career, serving under President Richard M. Nixon and President Gerald Ford on the President's Science Advisor staff, which included working on the Advanced Aircraft Instrumentation program of the U.S. Office of Naval Research. In addition, he worked as a Science Policy Analyst with the State Department. He was a senior consultant to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on International Science and Technology under President Jimmy Carter.

As a civilian, Dr. Lyon was a deputy director of the Science, Technology and Industry Directorate in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, France and then spent ten years with Texas Instruments. While at Texas Instruments, Dr. Lyon used his vast experience in risk management and water resources serving as a member for President Carter's National Agenda for the Eighties Commission and as a chairman of the National Defense University Distinguished Fellows with oversight of the Mobilization of Concepts Development Center. Following his time at Texas Instruments, Dr. Lyon was the chief technology officer for Marlow Industries for fifteen years and then worked for Dumas Capitol Partners LLC.

Dr. Lyon was the president and COO of Polytronix Inc. and was the co- founder of the Texas Institute of Science. He was a member of the Organization of Economic and Co-Operation of Development. In addition he was a member of the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC, Park City Rotary, Rockwall Republican Men's Club and the Rockwall Power Team. He was an avid biker and fisher and had a love for sailing. He also was active in community service.

Hylan is survived by his wife, Sandra Starr Lyon, son Matthew Lyon and wife Jasmine Andrew Lyon, son Jonathan Lyon, son Christopher Starr and wife Rebecca, and son Kenneth Starr and wife Jennifer, daughter Karen

Rogers, several grandchildren, his sister Sharon Gugat and her husband Kevin, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is also missed by those in the community and his classmates from the Naval Academy.

Madam Speaker, I am privileged to have known such a wonderful citizen of Heath, Texas, who leaves a legacy in public service and in science that will be long remembered.

Madam Speaker, it is a great privilege to rise today in honor of a friend and celebrated native of Paris, Texas-- legendary coach Gene ``Bebes'' Stallings who recently was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Coach Stallings embodies the best qualities of a coach, teaching his players not only how to play the game but always to give their best, win or lose. His journey began as a stand-out player at Paris High School and continued at Texas A&M University as a member of Paul ``Bear'' Bryant's famous Junction Boys. During his career at A&M, Gene was part of the team that finished 9-0-1, winning a Southwest Conference Championship in 1956. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor of science in 1957 and later earned an honorary degree from Harding University. After his playing days, Gene arrived at Alabama to be an assistant coach under Head Coach Paul ``Bear'' Bryant. He returned to Texas A&M University as head coach in 1965, coaching there until 1971. One of the most thrilling moments of his tenure as head coach at A&M was leading his alma mater to victory against his former coach at the 1968 Cotton Bowl.

For the next 18 years, Gene was a successful coach in the National Football League. For 14 years he served as an assistant coach for the Dallas Cowboys. He was a part of Tom Landry's very successful staff which led the Cowboys to victory in Super Bowl XII. Gene then became the head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals for two years, followed by two more years as head coach for the Phoenix Cardinals.

After a very successful tenure as a coach in the National Football League, Gene returned to college football and Alabama in 1990. His first year at Alabama started with a 0-3 record; however, because of his great leadership, his team improved, finishing the season with a 7- 5 record. In 1992, Alabama's dominance began as they finished the season with a 13-0 record, becoming Southeastern Conference champions and winning the national championship against Miami. In 1993, the Crimson Tide won their second straight Southeastern Conference western division title and finished with a record of 9-3-1. In 1994, his team had an 11-0 regular season record. The Crimson Tide lost in the Southeastern Conference title game but defeated Ohio State in the Citrus Bowl. Gene's last year at Alabama was 1996, and his team won 10 games and earned a berth in the Southeastern Conference championship game against Florida. In 1996, Gene announced his retirement from football and completed his career at Alabama with a 70-16-1 record.

This astonishing record of achievement led to numerous awards and recognitions. Gene is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, the Texas A&M University Hall of Fame, the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame, and the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame. He was named National Coach of the Year, American Football Coaches' Coach of the Year, Walter Camp Coach of the Year and received the Paul ``Bear'' Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, he won the Southeastern Conference Coach of the year twice.

Gene not only deserves to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame but to be in another Hall of Fame--one that honors great fathers. His son, John Mark, was born with Down syndrome and a severe heart defect and lived to an age, 46, that many doctors felt

was impossible. Gene and Ruth Ann, his wife, provided their child with the most love, care and attention ever given to a child. John Mark was born during an era where a child with such a disability was often institutionalized. The Stallings included John Mark in every decision-- family-wise or career-wise, and John Mark was a fixture at every game and practice of all his father's teams. One of Gene's greatest legacies will be the contributions that he and his family made to families with special needs' children.

In recognition of his humanitarian efforts, Gene received the Dallas Father of the Year Award, the National Boys Club Alumni of the Year Award, Arthritis Humanitarian Award of Alabama, Humanitarian Award of the Lion's Club of Alabama, and the Paris Boys Club Wall of Honor. The Stallings family was honored by the Tuscaloosa Association of Retarded Citizens as the Family of the Year. Their efforts and generosity toward the Rise program, a program which aids developmentally disabled toddlers for entry into public school and interaction with non-disabled students, were again acknowledged with the naming of the Stallings Building on the Alabama campus. In addition, Gene wrote a book about his son, John Mark.

Gene has also served as a valued and esteemed member of President George W. Bush's Commission on Intellectual Disability, the Board of Abilene Christian University, the Tandy Brand Corporation, People's National Bank of Paris, Paris Regional Medical Center, Disability Resources, the Texas Rangers Law Enforcement Association, the Great Southern Wood Corporation, and the Boys and Girls Club of Paris, Texas. In 2005, Governor Rick Perry appointed him to the Texas A&M Board of Regents, where he served as a member of the Committee on Finance, the Committee on Buildings and Physical Plant, and the Committee on Campus Art and Aesthetic. An additional responsibility as a member of the Board of Regents is his place as the special athletic liaison to the A&M Systems Members.

As the 111th Congress adjourns this week, I am honored to recognize the contributions of this great football coach and great American--Gene Stallings.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a very robust basic research and yield myself as much time as I may consume.

This COMPETES Act is back again. It's been here before, and it's living proof that Billy Graham was right when he said you can hate the sin but love the sinner. I'm fond of Bart Gordon, have worked with him. We're going to miss him when he leaves here. But I've never really liked to have a great bill like COMPETES with so much piled on it, so many hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars piled on it that has never really been debated on either floor.

I've stated on this floor a lot of times this year, I remain committed to the goals of the original America COMPETES. Unfortunately, the Senate omnibus language before us today includes a hodgepodge of so many extraneous measures that it is indeed most surprising that we are considering this 5 days before Christmas. Like the House-passed version, it continues to take us off track from what he set out to do, in a bipartisan fashion, more than 5 years ago.

In 2007, Congress responded to the recommendations of many experts that the Federal Government must increase its investment in basic research and in science and math education by developing the America COMPETES Act. The principles behind the legislation were sound, bipartisan, and well-understood.

When COMPETES first passed, our budget deficit was projected at $160 billion, and the national debt was $8 trillion. Sadly, today, just 3 years later, the deficit's projected not $160 billion but $1.5 trillion, and the national debt is over $13 trillion, a 60 percent increase in less than 3 years. This dramatic collapse in our fiscal condition demands that we get spending under control and work harder than ever to patronize taxpayer dollars.

Before I delve into the depths of the bill, let me discuss the process that brought us to this point.

The Senate negotiated amongst themselves and hotlined a bill, then passed it via unanimous consent, that is much different than the bill reported out of even the Senate conference committee back in July. The report on that bill was not filed until December 10, and we didn't see the actual text of the amendment before us until last Friday, this past Friday. We still don't have a complete CBO cost estimate.

Now as we are under a closed rule, we are considering a measure that the Senate has spoken on; but the House as a body, both Democrats and Republicans alike, are having to either accept or reject the Senate's desire in whole, with no opportunity to offer amendments. This is not the way the American people want us to do their business.

They told us in November that they want us to do things differently, and this lame duck Congress is going against those wishes and denying us opportunity to carefully review the items in this $46 billion amendment.

Men who are much smarter than me and whom I greatly respect, like Norm Augustine and Peter O'Donnell, Jr., have encouraged me to support this bill. But, Mr. Speaker, it is hard for me to say that I just can't support this version of COMPETES. If this Senate COMPETES amendment is defeated today, I pledge as the incoming chairman of the Science and Technology Committee to reintroduce the good, fiscally responsible pieces of this comprehensive legislation agency by agency and issue by issue, giving each individual piece the opportunity to be reviewed and voted on by every Member.

Science and technology are the fundamental movers of our economy, and if we want to remain globally competitive, this bill should be considered in smaller pieces and not on the last day of a lame duck congressional session.

Yes, our friends in the Senate have made it a 3-year reauthorization bill, and, yes, they have nearly cut the cost in half; but this $46 billion bill still contains $7.4 billion in new spending.

My good friend and chairman of the committee will tell you that the Senate stripped a number of provisions from the version previously passed and trimmed the bill considerably. I, too, think the Senate missed an opportunity to retain some of the House-passed language, particularly language to assist institutions serving our Nation's veterans and those with disabilities, and language to eliminate pay for Federal employees officially disciplined for viewing, downloading, or exchanging pornography on their work computers.

Unfortunately, it also does not include two bipartisan interagency bills

that passed the House as standalone legislation, bills that would reauthorize our Nation's nanotechnology program and our networking information technology R&D program, NITRD.

On the other hand, I am heartened to see that the Senate removed a number of expensive and in many cases duplicative initiatives added by the House both in committee and on the floor: among them energy hubs, a clean energy consortium, never-before-funded STEM programs at the Department of Education, a laboratory science program, and a decades- old infrastructure construction program at the National Science Foundation.

Alas, it is the items that they did not remove or have not removed on their own, without our input, that cause me the most heartburn. I still have great concern that we are authorizing ARPA-E to the tune of $900 million. This program was never voted on by the House or Senate outside of a conference report, nor has it ever received appropriate funding outside of the stimulus bill. Yet we are going to authorize $900 million to a program that focuses on late-stage technology development and commercialization activities often already supported by the private sector. The amendment before us also keeps and expands a loan guarantee program to build or renovate science parks and develop ``regional innovation clusters,'' alters the MEP program for NIST to make grants to construction and green energy companies, and puts NSF in the business of replicating university programming for future STEM teachers.

Mr. Speaker, correct me if I'm wrong, but America COMPETES is about making this Nation more competitive and ensuring that our basic research agencies have the funding they need to pursue the unknown and scientific and engineering breakthroughs that propel us into the future. It is not about turning these agencies into infrastructure contractors and leaders or oracles, for that matter, who pick winners and losers.

As much as I want to support COMPETES and see NSF, NIST, and the DOE Office of Science reauthorized, I simply can't support this version.

Just like I stated when the House took up the measure on all three previous occasions, this measure continues to be far too expensive, particularly in light of the new and duplicative programs it creates. Further, we have not had the opportunity to give proper oversight to the programs we put in motion in the first COMPETES before authorizing new, additional programs. And, unfortunately, this bill still goes way beyond the goals and direction of the original America COMPETES, taking us from good, solid fundamental research and much too far into the world of commercialization, which many of us on this side of the aisle do not believe is the proper role of the Federal Government.

I want to again thank Bart Gordon for the good services he's rendered and for the good service he'll render as a civilian over in the great State of Tennessee.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).

Mr. Speaker, I say to my colleague who will be working side by side with me for the next 2 years, my neighbor from Dallas and Rockwall County, that I appreciate her, look forward to working with her. She was the very first person, when I switched parties, to call me and say it didn't matter one iota to her. I've always appreciated her for that, and I still do and I will.

And thank you, Dr. Ehlers, a man who's always educated for us. That's his thrust, and he's done a good job. But for him, we'd have gone the wrong way a lot of times.

I now yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Broun).

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield the lady 2 more minutes.

Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

I yield the gentleman 2 minutes.

Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas.

I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reiterate that I remain committed to the underlying goals of the America COMPETES Act, and believe that we ought to continue to prioritize investments in basic science, technology, engineering, and mathematics--STEM research and development.

These long-term investments, coupled with policies that reduce tax burdens, streamline Federal regulations, and balance the Federal budget are necessary steps for our Nation to remain competitive in the global marketplace. I hope my colleagues will join with me in seeking to do just that when the 112th Congress convenes.

In the meantime, I thank everybody involved; but for the reasons I have previously outlined, I must regretfully oppose this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a great American family, and a fallen hero and his brother. On July 5, 2010, Combat Medic SPC Jerod Heath Osborne of Royce, Texas of the 4/73 82nd Airborne, died during an IED explosion in Afghanistan. In his short life he was a combat medic, an Angel on the Battlefield, the ones who rush in while all around the face of hell is going on. The lives that he has saved in his brief but great life will be measured in the future, with children and heroes that he has saved. His brother, a SSG in the 22nd Infantry, on September 21 of that same year almost died in a mortar attack and is currently fighting to save his leg. This family, throughout the generations, has served our nation in the Armed Forces. The very bed of our Nation's freedom is built upon selfless families, our prayers and thoughts go out to them. SSG Grillett has said that his brother Jerod always wanted to be just like him, but now he wants to be like his brother.

Brother . . . Brother . . .

Brother . . . Brother . . .

My . . .

My Brother's Gift . . .

So very precious, as was this . . .

My Brother's Faith, shall forever so wave . . .

My Brothers life, one of such so sure selfless sacrifice . .

.

All in his amazing grace . . .

My Brothers life, so very short . . . yet shines so bright!

Moments, are all we have!

To grab hearts, To Make A Difference . . . to Heaven rise!

As an Angel on The Battlefield . . .

As into the face of death Jerod, you so ran . . . and not to

yield. . . .

To but so save sacred life, as was your mission . . . as was

his most divine light!

From dusk to dawn, as a battlefield combat medic your courage

worn!

As all around you Jerod, the face of death so swarmed!

And what child may be born?

All from your love Jerod, upon battlefields of honor adorned!

That might so save the world, who now lives on . . .

And all those lives you saved, just moments from the grave .

. .

And what children, all on this morning will awake?

With but the greatest gift of all, in their hearts to take!

With a Mother or Father, a Sister or Brother whose fine lives

you saved . . .

Brother . . . Brother, oh how it's for you I cry!

A promise I've made, as I wipe these tears from my eyes!

That I will live for you, each and every new day, every

sunrise!

To the fullest! All in your fine name!

And if ever I have a new son, your name will be his . . .

this one!

Brother . . . Brother . . . I am so very proud of you!

All in what you have done . . . oh yes it's true!

Only the good die young, as now you shine all up in Heaven's

sun!

As an Angel In The Army of our Lord, with your new battle

begun!

To watch over us, as Thy Will Be Done!

Brother . . . Brother . . .

All across Texas this night . . .

As we lay our heads down to rest, as comes a gentle rain . .

.

As upon us, are but our Lord's tears to wash over us . . .

And so bless us, to so ease our pain!

As he cries for your most sacred sacrifice, this rain . . .

Brother . . . Brother . . . I can not wait until up in Heaven

we meet again. . . .

And we won't have to cry anymore, all in this pain . . .

Brother, Brother, once you so wanted to be just like me . . .

Now, I'm the one who so wants . . . to be like you!

Brother . . . Brother . . . Amen. . . .

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a great American family, and a fallen hero and his brother. On July 5, 2010, Combat Medic SPC Jerod Heath Osborne of Royce, Texas, of the 4/73 82nd Airborne, died during an IED explosion in Afghanistan. In his short life he was a combat medic, an Angel on the Battlefield, the ones who rush in while all around the face of hell is going on. The lives that he has saved in his brief but great life will be measured in the future, with children and heroes that he has saved. His brother SSG Wautash Grillett of the 10th Mountain Div. 1st Combat Team 2nd Batt. 22nd Infantry, on September 21 of that same year almost died in a mortar attack and is currently fighting to save his leg. This family, throughout the generations, has served our nation in the Armed Forces. As recently as the Vietnam war, their uncle James Carter gave his life in the name of freedom. The very bed of our Nation's freedom is built upon selfless families, our prayers and thoughts go out to them. SGG Grillett has said that his brother Jerod always wanted to be just like him, but now he wants to be like his brother.

Brother . . . Brother . . .

Brother . . . Brother . . .

My . . .

My Brother's Gift . . .

So very precious, as was this . . .

My Brother's Faith, shall forever so wave . . .

My Brother's life, one of such so sure selfless sacrifice . .

.

All in his amazing grace . . .

My Brother's life, so very short . . . yet shines so bright!

Moments, are all we have!

To grab hearts, To Make A Difference . . . to Heaven rise!

As an Angel on The Battlefield . . .

As into the face of death Jerod, you so ran . . . and not to

yield . . .

To but so save sacred life, as was your mission . . . as was

his most divine light!

From dusk to dawn, as a battlefield combat medic your courage

worn!

As all around you Jerod, the face of death so swarmed!

And what child may be born?

All from your love Jerod, upon battlefields of honor adorned!

That might so save the world, who now lives on . . .

And all those lives you saved, just moments from the grave .

. .

And what children, all on this morning will awake?

With but the greatest gift of all, in their hearts to take!

With a Mother or Father, a Sister or Brother whose fine lives

you saved . . .

Brother . . . Brother, oh how it's for you I cry!

A promise I've made, as I wipe these tears from my eyes!

That I will live for you, each and every new day, every

sunrise!

To the fullest! All in your fine name!

And if ever I have a new son, your name will be his . . .

this one!

Brother . . . Brother . . . I am so very proud of you!

All in what you have done . . . oh yes it's true!

Only the good die young, as now you shine all up in Heaven's

sun!

As an Angel In The Army of our Lord, with your new battle

begun!

To watch over us, as Thy Will Be Done!

Brother . . . Brother . . .

All across Texas this night . . .

As we lay our heads down to rest, as comes a gentle rain . .

.

As upon us, are but our Lord's tears to wash over us . . .

And so bless us, to so ease our pain!

As he cries for your most sacred sacrifice, this rain . . .

Brother . . . Brother . . . I cannot wait until up in Heaven

we meet again . . .

And we won't have to cry anymore, all in this pain . . .

Brother, Brother, once you so wanted to be just like me . . .

Now, I'm the one who so wants . . . to be like you!

Brother . . . Brother . . . Amen . . .

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3729, the NASA Authorization Act, and I yield myself such time as I may require.

Let me begin by commending the Science Committee chairman, Bart Gordon; Space Subcommittee chairwoman, Gabrielle Giffords; and subcommittee ranking member, Pete Olson, for their tireless efforts conducting oversight on NASA's programs and performance. During the 111th Congress, they held 13 hearings before either the subcommittee or full committee that thoroughly examined NASA in all its aspects. During the second session especially, they helped our committee better understand the full impact of the administration's proposal to revamp our Nation's human spaceflight program.

The bill we're about to vote on is a 3-year NASA authorization that was reported by the Senate in early August. In many respects, this bill shares features similar to H.R. 5781, introduced by Chairman Gordon and cosponsored by the committee's leadership. Both bills are fairly similar in their treatment of NASA's aeronautics research and space science programs, and they authorize at the same agency top-line number. They do, however, diverge with regard to the future of NASA's human spaceflight program.

The House bill passed out of the Science and Technology Committee with almost unanimous bipartisan support. This was a good bill that keeps NASA on course to develop a new crew exploration vehicle, with safety a top priority. Unfortunately, this bill never made it to the floor for a vote. So, in the past few weeks, Chairman Gordon sought to reach an agreement with the Senate on a compromise bill that would bridge the differences. It is now clear that time has run out and that we have very few days remaining to advance a NASA authorization bill through this Congress. I see no realistic choice but to take the Senate bill because doing so will be preferable to taking no action at all.

As many of you know, this administration has taken unprecedented steps regarding NASA that has resulted in massive layoffs and created a great deal of uncertainty within the agency and in many of our communities. Without congressional approval or authorization, they have reversed the direction given by the two preceding Congresses and proposed throwing away over $10 billion and 5 years of design investment on the successor vehicle to the shuttle. The administration offered instead no substantive plans to provide a U.S.-built launch system that would be capable of taking astronauts to the international space station and put off even planning to go beyond the international space station until the year 2015. In short, the administration's proposal would have added several years of development and unknown cost before the U.S. would be able to fly astronauts on a new NASA launch system. We find this unacceptable.

The bill before us today seeks to remedy many of the problems created by this administration. It authorizes the immediate development on a heavy lift launch vehicle capable of going beyond the ISS. It advances further development of commercial cargo capabilities to service the ISS, a development that Congress has supported since the year 2005, and provides $1.3 billion to begin the development of commercial crew systems. And through the development of a heavy lift launcher, it provides a backup system to the ISS in case the commercial providers or our international partners do not meet stated goals. One thing the House bill called for was a crew escape launch abort system, and we will need to exercise extensive oversight of NASA next year to ensure that such vitally important safety aspects are not overlooked or neglected by NASA.

It is also important to note that the annual authorizations in this bill are below the amount authorized for FY 2009 in our last NASA bill. Given that our Nation is in a tough economic climate, it is important that we are mindful of our spending.

During hearings this spring before the House Science Committee, three former Apollo astronauts, three giants--Neil Armstrong, Gene Cernan, and Tom Stafford--implored Congress to retain American leadership in space by maintaining continuity and certainty in NASA's role as manager of our space exploration programs. All three opposed the administration's efforts, and they are supportive of passing a bill that advances our Nation forward.

While the bill before us today is far from perfect, it offers clear direction to

an agency that is floundering and sets us on the path toward maintaining America's leadership in space.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas, Congressman Olson, who is the ranking member on the Space Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California, the Honorable Mr. Rohrabacher, a very valuable member of the Science Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson).

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson).

I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Houston, Texas (Mr. Al Green).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Posey).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I have.

Mr. Speaker, with my appreciation to Ms. Giffords and the chairman and everybody here that has spoken, I just want to sum it up real quickly.

The Senate bill being considered today is an attempt to provide congressional direction to a floundering agency. We simply can't let anybody continue to shut down our human spaceflight program.

Failure to reauthorize NASA provides further uncertainty to an agency in limbo, stalling efforts to develop a successor vehicle once the shuttle is retired next year, and could result in the loss of thousands of high-tech jobs nationwide.

I could vote for either of these bills. I am not in love with either of these bills. I feel like the coach's wife who was crying. He came home. He said, ``What's wrong, honey?'' She said, ``You like football better than you do me.'' And he said, ``Yeah, but I like you better than I do basketball.''

I am that way with these two programs. I like both of them, either one of them. But we have to have one go, and I urge the acceptance of this bill today and passage of S. 3729.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I inadvertently voted ``nay'' on H.R. 3940, rollcall vote 565. I intended to vote ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1660, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I, of course, rise in support of H. Res. 1660, supporting the goals and ideals of the USA Science and Engineering Festival taking place on the National Mall and at satellite events around the country.

This inaugural national event on October 23 and 24 is intended to celebrate science and raise awareness of the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math education in the United States. STEM education is a crucial component to our Nation's growth and well-being. Advances in the science and engineering fields not only have made our lives significantly better but also have had a global impact as well.

The USA Science and Engineering Festival will have over 1,500 free hands-on activities and shows for all ages featuring some of the most talented and experienced specialists in the science and engineering fields. This festival aims to reinvigorate the interests of our Nation's youth in STEM by producing and presenting the most compelling, exciting, educational, and entertaining science gatherings in the United States.

Inspiring our children to become more interested in the STEM fields and in careers through endeavors such as this is the key to unlocking our future economic and innovative potential and success. Over 100 members of Congress have joined to support the efforts of this festival in a bipartisan fashion.

I am pleased to support the USA Science and Engineering Festival, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in this support.

At this time I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray).

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

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

I rise in support of H. Res. 1421, recognizing the 40th anniversary of the safe return of the Apollo 13 crew capsule. Apollo 13 launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, for a planned lunar landing, but suffered serious mechanical and systems failures 2 days later while en route to the Moon.

Through inventiveness and tireless efforts, the men and women at NASA's mission control center provided untested solutions to complex challenges that, up to that time, were unthinkable and unknown. Using out-of-the-box creativity, NASA engineers and program managers salvaged what was later deemed to be a ``successful failure,'' bringing the crew successfully back to Earth on April 17.

I am proud to support this resolution. I am proud, of course, of American ingenuity and the valor of the people of NASA, and encourage my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The legislation before us today, H.R. 6160, the Rare Earths and Critical Materials Revitalization Act of 2010, deals with a very important matter of potential concern to national security and to the economy. Rare earths are used in many different high-tech applications, including certain military and weapons systems, and China controls the bulk of world supply and recently announced its intention to reduce exports, triggering concerns that the U.S. could face a supply gap. This is clearly an important issue that warrants our attention.

The obvious question we face now is how best to address this concern. H.R. 6160 intends to do so through establishment of a rare earths materials research and development program and authorization of loan guarantees to support rare earth minerals mining, processing, and production activities. Notwithstanding the clear and significant potential for a rare earth supply shortage, during the committee markup of this bill Republicans questioned whether the activities called for in H.R. 6160 provide the appropriate policy response to this issue. I will summarize these concerns as they were noted in the additional GOP views included in the report on the bill.

To the extent that a rare earth supply gap may present national security concerns, such concerns should probably be addressed through the Department of Defense and the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

With respect to commercial supply needs, taxpayer subsidies in the form of loan guarantees should be restricted to those areas not undertaken by the private sector. This principle is particularly important in the case of rare earths due to the aggressive private pursuit of rare earth mining opportunities in response to recent price increases. Unfortunately, an amendment to address this concern was defeated in committee.

I am pleased, however, that several other Republican amendments to improve H.R. 6160 were approved with bipartisan support, specifically amendments to, one, eliminate funding authorizations for R&D activities; two, elimination of a rare earth ``R&D Information Center''; three, limit loan guarantee support for the exportation of unprocessed rare earth materials necessary to meet domestic demand; and, four, reduce the length of authorization for rare earth loan guarantees from 8 years to 5 years.

Further, modified language addressing additional Republican concerns related to the international collaboration was worked out following the markup, and I thank Chairman Gordon for working with our side of the aisle to improve this provision.

Overall, despite the many remaining questions and concerns regarding rare earths in this legislation, I recognize the importance of ensuring a stable supply of rare earth materials and the potential for a near- term supply shortage, and I remain committed to working on this issue and on this bill as it moves through the legislative process.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray).

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Savage Precision Fabrication for being named the Small Business Subcontractor of the Year.

Savage Precision Fabrication, and its owner W.T. Gardner, represent the very best of the American entrepreneurial spirit. The company is a Native American and Veteran owned business, founded by W.T. Gardner and his business partner and wife, JoAnn. The company started as a one man shop fabricating sheet metal components with only $2,000 worth of tools and equipment, and now boasts over $4 million in annual sales, and is a preferred manufacturer in the aerospace and defense industry.

I am proud to have a company like Savage Precision in my district. Small businesses like this are what make America great, and I would again like to congratulate Savage Precision for their accomplishments and service to our country.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, oil and natural gas are a vital part of our economy and

will continue to be for the foreseeable future. In order to really ensure continued availability and access to this resource, we absolutely have to develop our domestic supply of oil and natural gas whether it is on land or offshore. Like any other complex endeavor, accidents are going to happen. The most we can do is try to prevent them from happening in the first place and then have the tools, technologies and resources to quickly contain, remove, and mitigate any oil spill. This was the motivation behind the passage of the research and development title of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, and it is our motivation again today.

H.R. 2693, as reported, is a good effort to address the many concerns that Science Committee members on both sides of the aisle had with the introduced version of the bill. It is also an attempt to deal with some of the shortcomings in the underlying statute. Although we all worked hard to find compromise on some of the language, a few concerns still remain.

I am pleased that the legislation maintains the Coast Guard as the chair of the Interagency Coordinating Committee. As the on-scene commander for oil discharges in water, Coast Guard leadership is very necessary to ensure a research and development program remains focused on relevant research. However, we have some reservations about streamlining the interagency committee by reducing the participants on the committee to Coast Guard, NOAA, EPA, and the Department of the Interior. While I understand the concerns that the size of the interagency committee was unwieldy, we heard testimony that the current structure did work. So I am left wondering if this is a case of a solution in search of a problem.

I am also a bit concerned that the direction of H.R. 2693 has shifted the focus of the underlying statute to concentrate much more on the environmental effects of the use of the cleanup technologies rather than the effectiveness of the technologies, themselves.

While researching and understanding the environmental effects of technology use is important and should definitely be a part of this program, it should not detract from the overreaching and overarching focus of research, technology, development, and demonstration. The Republicans tried to recover some of this equilibrium via an amendment accepted by the majority. However, the legislation still requires more balance.

During the markup, the committee adopted language greatly expanding the international coordination provisions of the statute. A lively discussion illustrated our concerns that such an expansive role could divert the interagency committee from its primary focus of research, technology, development, and demonstration.

I want to thank the majority for agreeing to temper the language to alleviate some of our concerns, and I am still hesitant that the vague provision could become a larger part of the program than was originally intended.

Coordination and collaboration with other nations and with foreign research entities can be a useful part of the program. For instance, we have seen that some of the assistance offered by other nations during the Deepwater Horizon incident was not accepted for various reasons, including that some technologies failed to be compatible with our own.

Researching the compatibility issues, advanced technology development and coordinated research for field testing of equipment are all activities that should be considered under this provision. I caution against a broader implementation of the language.

I have some reservations about a provision added during markup that would require any entity that receives Federal funding for research, upon request by the interagency committee, to turn over the results of that research to assist in the response effort. In times of emergency, it's vital that the response and decisionmaking authorities have access to the most recent and relevant information available, but the language included seemed broad and seemed unclear.

Research that could be helpful during a response to an oil spill may come from unconventional sources, such as information or technology developments created for a completely different purpose. The language suggests that the request for information would not be limited to those projects explicitly focused on oil spill research. Such a data call could yield a substantial amount of information, easily overwhelming the interagency committee, much like we saw when BP was taking suggestions on how to stop their leak.

We're pleased that the language has been modified to ensure better protection of this research; however, it's still ambiguous as to how the information request would be conducted.

When the country is in the midst of a crisis and Congress decides to act, it's possible for us to go too far to fix things, causing unintended consequences. Acting deliberately and in a focused manner will help the current situation and ultimately prevent the necessity of having to go back and fix things that resulted unexpectedly.

While H.R. 2693 progressed expeditiously through the committee process, my hope is that as we move through the legislative process, including a formal conference, some of our concerns and questions may be addressed. Preparedness is defined as activities and measures that exist before an emergency and are used to support and enhance the appropriate response. Research and development are key activities necessary for not only preparing for an event, but also trying to prevent its occurrence in the first place.

Finally, after changes made, I'm comfortable with the bill. And I thank you, Madam Speaker. I thank Chairman Gordon and Ms. Woolsey, who have been helpful and have written a bill certainly better than we think it was to begin with.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Will the gentleman yield?

I just want to congratulate you and Ms. Woolsey. This bill was improved very much by her knowledge and history of a bad occurrence that happened to her in her district that she is trying to spare the rest of our districts. I thank her for the good work on this.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5716, the Safer Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Technology Research and Development Act.

As we near the 100-day mark since the beginning of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, our understanding of the precise causes of the accident--and the missteps in the days that followed--remain unclear.

However, regardless of the ultimate causes of and best responses to the disaster, it makes sense to continue pursuing improvements to safe and environmentally responsible drilling operations as well as effective spill response systems.

The two oil spill-related bills under consideration by the House today represent the Science and Technology Committee's contribution to this effort and are likely to have a significant impact on future drilling and response mitigation efforts.

The program offered by this bill, H.R. 5716, was established in section 999 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. It supports through a collaborative effort between the Department of Energy and a university industry research consortium cutting-edge technologies to enhance safe and environmentally responsible offshore and onshore oil and gas development.

The program has contributed significantly to transformational advances in deep offshore and onshore drilling technologies that are helping to efficiently and responsibly recover energy supplies long known to exist but which were previously inaccessible. The recovery of these resources has resulted in significant benefits to taxpayers in the form of domestic jobs and affordable energy, as well as increasing royalties to the fund that pays for the program in the first place.

The changes to EPAct section 999 made by H.R. 5716 are the product of extensive negotiations with the majority to develop compromised legislation in response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Specifically, the bill makes three changes to the existing statute. First, it shifts the focus of each of the program's four elements towards advancing safety and accident prevention and mitigation technologies associated with oil and natural gas exploration and production.

Second, it adjusts the award allocations among these four programs reducing deepwater and unconventional onshore natural gas programs by a small amount while increasing the allocation for Department of Energy in-house research from 25 percent to 35 percent.

And, third, it redefines and expands the scope of offshore R&D activities to those involving water depths of a thousand feet or greater, a reduction from the 5,000 feet in current law, and in doing so, modifies the current focus on ``ultra-deepwater'' activities to pertain simply to deepwater activities.

Additionally, the bill makes numerous additional minor changes to the management and structure of the 999 program while preserving its original goals and objectives which recognize America's domestic oil and natural gas resources are important national priorities that contribute significantly to job growth and to the economy while reducing dependence on foreign sources of energy.

While this precise focus and detailed language in this bill is not ideal, it represents a fair and responsible and reasonable compromise that preserves and strengthens the section 999 program. This is the only R&D program in the Federal Government capable of ramping up its activities quickly and effectively to address renewed interest in drilling technology research in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Given the administration's efforts to terminate any and all research and development relating to oil and natural gas, this program is all the more vital.

I want to again extend my thanks to Chairman Gordon for working with me and with us on this bill and the staffs working with one another. I look forward to continued bipartisan cooperation on this bill as the legislative process moves forward. I urge Members to support my bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back the balance of my time.