Floor Statements

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

Many of my colleagues have asked, will we finish today, and I can only answer that by saying we can if everybody works at it, and if we do not get too many delays, I think we can get this bill done in good time.

The Constitution says that the objective of government, or at least this is what we interpret it to be, is twofold. One is to provide for the common defense, and we did that earlier this week; we provided for the common defense. The other is to provide for the common welfare of the people, 280 million Americans. Today, in this bill, we have a unique and, I think, very good opportunity to achieve that goal. Maybe not perfectly, but certainly a lot of very positive things are in this bill.

First of all, I want to say that the members of the subcommittee were all very cooperative, all very helpful. We worked together in the subcommittee listening to a lot of testimony. We tried to put together a bill that represents the aspirations of the American people, not totally to the satisfaction of everyone, but certainly I think one that covers a lot of very positive parts. I also want to commend the staff members of both the minority and the majority. We have an excellent staff on this subcommittee; and if it were not for their effort, we would not be here today.

I am pleased to present before the House today the fiscal year 2004 appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. When we reflect on that, we think of the broad jurisdiction and responsibility which that entails: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.

In crafting this bill, we have taken into consideration the priorities of the President, as well as the Members of the House. We have been attentive to the priorities of Congress as set by the budget resolution, and we are appreciative of the work of the leaders of the House and the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), in

working with the administration to develop a workable allocation for this bill.

My colleagues on the subcommittee know that I call our subcommittee the Love Your Neighbor Committee, because it provides the funding that touches so many lives and provides a helping hand to those in need in this great country. There would not be one American that is not affected by what is in this bill in some part, whether it is education, whether it is health care, whether it is retraining for a new job--a whole host of good things that are done in this piece of legislation.

The bill provides $138 billion in discretionary budget authority. This represents a 2.7 percent increase over fiscal year 2003. We have tried to be restrained and yet meet the needs, and this is really probably a little lower than the rate of inflation. The level of growth in the bill is commensurate with the current level of growth in our economy. It is a responsible and balanced bill.

The bill focuses priority spending for education in three important areas, including Title I, education funding for disadvantaged children, special education, and reading programs. Education programs overall are increased by $2.3 billion over last year, for a total of $55.4 billion. I would point out that this means that in the last 8 years we have doubled what is being spent on education.

Funding for the Department of Health and Human Services totals $61.2 billion, including $4.55 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and we all know from the news that this is a very important function; and $27.664 billion for the National Institutes of Health to continue our research into treatments for disease.

The Department of Labor is funded at $11.7 billion, which includes funding of $1.46 billion for dislocated worker assistance, and $1.5 billion for the Job Corps program. This is a very important program. I just testified before the International Trade Commission that in Ohio alone, we lost over 90,000 manufacturing jobs in the last couple of years, and that retraining becomes extremely important in the lives of those individuals. They do not want welfare; they want jobs. They want an opportunity to get a new skill.

Mr. Chairman, Federal education spending has more than doubled since fiscal year 1996 when our investment totaled $23 billion, to today with the Federal education funding reaching $55.4 billion. This funding is significant and we must be cautious in our funding priorities to ensure that these dollars go to programs most directly improving our children's education.

As my colleagues know, the bill provides the funding necessary to implement the historic No Child Left Behind Act, which passed this Chamber with strong bipartisan support. The law sets high goals for ensuring that every child in our Nation will know how to read by the third grade and establishes important programs to aid in achieving this goal. To carry out this mission, we have provided a $666 million increase in Title I funding for disadvantaged children, bringing the total funding of title I to $12.35 billion. Together with the funding we are providing today and the accountability provisions included in the No Child Left Behind Act, these dollars can make a real difference in the quality of education for every child.

I want to mention at this point that our Committee on Education and the Workforce is working hard to look at the laws to ensure that they are effective, that they work better prospectively. It is not just a matter of putting money into these various activities, but it is a matter of putting the money in and using it carefully. I think the Committee on Education and the Workforce deserves a lot of credit for trying to meet that goal.

In addition to the Title I program, the No Child Left Behind Act creates new reading programs to assist school districts in meeting the challenge of ensuring that every child can read through scientifically based methods. These programs will assist parents, teachers, and school districts in meeting the reading challenges of our children. We provide over $1 billion for these programs.

I would say one of the things that causes me concern is the dropout rate in our big cities. They do not start in the 9th grade or the 10th grade to drop out. If we are to lower the dropout rate, one of the elements of that is getting every child able to read. I think many times high school dropouts result from the fact that they have not been well grounded in reading, and we recognize that in our funding.

Many of my colleagues speak to me about the financial demands of special education programs in their local school districts. We also hear from parents about the need to support adequate special education funding to ensure that their special needs children may receive a quality education. It is a wonderful thing about America; we are concerned for everyone, and this bill reflects that. With the inclusion of an additional $1 billion for special education in this bill, the program is now funded at nearly $10 billion. This figure represents a nearly 300 percent increase in the program since fiscal year 1996, three times as much. Clearly, we are all committed to addressing the needs of our children with special education needs.

I am a believer that no child will be left behind if we can ensure that there is a quality teacher in every classroom in our Nation. Funding for Title II--Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High-Quality Teachers and Principals under the No Child Left Behind Act is a critical component to achieving this goal.

We provide the following funding to encourage people to enter the field of teaching and strengthen the skills of those already there. I am sure if I ask the Members, all of my colleagues have had a teacher or maybe two or three teachers who made a difference in their lives, and we want to be sure that every child has a good teacher in every classroom.

We include $2.93 billion for the State teacher-training block grant, giving the States money to improve their teacher-training programs; $90 million for the teacher-quality enhancement grants; $150 million for math and science partnerships that will allow universities and local education agencies to partner to improve the quality of their math and science programs, and this really is a very critical need; $49.4 million for the Transition to Teaching program to assist in recruiting mid-career professionals into the field of teaching. There are people out there who say, there must be more than what I am doing and they want to be teachers. They want to contribute. And we want to help them through this program.

Mr. Chairman, there is $20 million for the Troops to Teachers program. For those that are not familiar with this program, we encourage those people in the armed services that are leaving, maybe they are 42 or 43 years old, and we encourage them to go into teaching to help fill the gaps because they have travel experience, they have experience in managing people, and this program has proven very successful. I think last year the Teacher of the Year was an individual who had been brought into the field as a retired member of military. So we encourage that program. Many of my colleagues may already know that First Lady Laura Bush supports the Troops to Teachers program with visits to our military bases to inform our troops about the opportunity to enter the field of teaching upon the completion of their military service. With maturity, training in mathematics or science, and assistance in appropriate courses for teaching, members of our Armed Forces make outstanding classroom teachers in fields where we are currently experiencing a teacher shortage. I might say the First Lady is very important in this effort because having her, when she visits military bases, encourage individuals to consider this is a very effective part of the program.

We have restored funding to programs important to our Members, including the popular 21st Century Learning Communities program for after-school programs for students, which is funded at $1 billion, and for rural education at $170 million. In other words, it gives the young people an opportunity to acquire skills or to participate in athletics between the hours of 3 to 6 or 7 p.m., an opportunity to use this time usefully.

And we have strong support for this from YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs, a

whole host of these groups that do provide this kind of service. We have restored funding to programs important to our members.

Impact Aid provides funding to school districts that have Federal facilities, including military facilities, within their jurisdictions and is increased by $50 million to $1.238 billion. We have asked our troops, many of them leave their families to go overseas to protect American interests, and I think it is essential that we give their children a good educational opportunity. That is what we do with Impact Aid and that is why the increase.

Charter schools provide an alternative to students in failing schools, and we have included $220 million in charter school grants and $25.8 for the charter school facilities. We have funded the Head Start program at the President's budget request of $6.8 billion, an increase of $148 million. This funding level will provide for current service levels for the program and ensure that quality improvements and training elements are fully implemented. And, again, the Committee on Education and the Workforce is taking a look at this existing law with the thought of making it even better.

Students who have no experience in higher education benefit from the TRIO and GEAR UP programs. These programs assist students in preparing for higher education through proper course selection, mentoring and even tutoring services. TRIO receives $835 million and GEAR UP $300 million in the bill. What this means is that students who might not have thought about going on to higher education are encouraged to do so by others in the community. Many times volunteers will work in these programs. And, again, that is part of the American way of giving more opportunity.

College costs continue to rise and the cost of higher education today continues to be an impediment to many students. Pell grants play an important role in helping low-income students achieve their education goals. A larger-than-expected demand on these grants has occurred as a result of our slow economy, causing many people who have previously been in the workforce to seek additional training in an academic environment, which is a very positive thing. Therefore, the bill continues to support a maximum Pell grant level of $4,050 while also including funding of $12.250 billion, an increase of $885 million over last year to address the shortfall in addressing the funding needs of students.

There is a book that talks about how the GI Bill has made a very great impact on this Nation in terms of elevating educational opportunities and, again, this Pell grant has a similar impact. It gives students an opportunity who might not otherwise get a crack at a higher education. That does not have to be academic at the sense of a university college. It can be a trade school. It can be a vocational school, a technical institute; but it does provide opportunity for those at all levels of our economic scale.

Health and Human Services. There is little more precious to each of us than our good health. I believe that when you have good health you have it all or at least a good part of it. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many Americans, and it is through the agencies and programs of the Department of Health and Human Services that we assist others to improve their health. I wish all of you could sit in our hearings and see a row of wheelchairs with people with health problems and hear testimony from those who have various kinds of afflictions. It will make you realize how fortunate you are if you have good health and how important it is that we, as a society, try to ensure that everybody has this kind of opportunity, and that is one of the things this bill does.

In fiscal year 2003 we completed a 5-year effort to double the funding of the National Institutes of Health, and this was a bipartisan effort; but it made a vast improvement or vast opportunity for NIH to reach out much further than they would have otherwise. Through the work of NIH scientists and extramural scientists at universities across the country, we have been able to conduct important research to understand who we are through the Human Genome Project, how to treat once-deadly diseases and that many life-threatening diseases are actually preventable. After accounting for one-time costs for fiscal year 2003, NIH will have an additional $1.7 billion for medical research in this bill.

One of the pieces of testimony that really stuck with me was NIH said that every 5 years life expectancy goes up a year. That is an enormous achievement when you think about it. A baby born today will have a possible 10 or 15 years of additional life. We hope it is a quality life as a result of the commitment of this body, again, a bipartisan commitment, to do the research, to deal with these troubling diseases that afflict us. I was also struck when they testified that there are 6,000 identifiable diseases and medical conditions that can possibly afflict people. So you can see why it is so important that we continue the funding. And, basically, because we have funded building programs in the past, we have not had to do that so much in this bill so that the real increase is about 6 percent for the research programs.

All the information and advances we have gained from NIH, however, will be useless without a way to communicate this information to health care providers and individuals, those most directly responsible for their own health. Thus, the work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is critical to improving our health. We call upon the CDC to put into practice medical advances through numerous conflicting disease and prevention programs. Further, we call upon the CDC and its infectious disease experts to act as our first line of defense, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, SARS, which you have heard a lot about lately, and West Nile Virus. In our changed world we must call upon CDC to protect us from diseases that may come to us intentionally through terrorist attacks--bioterrorism, radiological and chemical attacks. Given these tremendous demands on the CDC, we have provided the agency with $4.55 billion. That is a $57 million increase over last year.

Total CDC funding for the Global AIDS Initiative is $243 million. Within this level, we have been responsive to the President's request to fund his new Global HIV/AIDS Mother and Child Prevention Initiative at $100 million. Through this important initiative, thousands of children across the African continent may be protected against HIV transmission from their mothers. What a great contribution. The President, of course, is talking about this when he is in Africa this week.

The Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund was established following the tragic events of September 11. It is through this fund that we are attempting to build a seamless system for delivering important safety information and protecting the American people. The fund includes support to the CDC and through it our State and local health departments, as well as other agencies and the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure protections from all levels of government. This year we are providing over $1.7 billion to the funds.

I might say it is a goal of this subcommittee to make the health care preventative delivery system seamless so the Centers for Disease Control, the State health agencies, the local health agencies, city and county, are in complete communication and that the whole process is seamless. This is very important in terms of delivering services, and it is important in terms of our national security.

Funding for community health centers is $1.627 billion. This represents a $122.3 million increase over last year as we provide funding for the third year of the President's proposed expansion of health services to people who are underinsured or have no health benefits at all. And this is a very important element, again, of our communities, a lot of volunteers that participate. It frees up the emergency rooms because people have another alternative place to go, and it provides some measure of help to those who can ill afford to pay for a doctor or pay for health care services. I think these community health programs are extremely important, and we have reflected that in our funding, and I am sure many of you have those in your own community.

Children's hospitals across the Nation are the training grounds for our pediatricians. The bill provides $305 million to train these important care

givers. The Medicare system takes care of the education for the conventional MD programs but not for pediatricians or OB-GYNs. And what we do is give the children's hospitals financial assistance so they in turn too can provide the same level of education for the pediatricians. We all know that the early years are the most important in a child's life. And I think this is an extremely important program.

The Ryan White AIDS program is funded at $2 billion, an increase of $24 million. An important portion of this funding assists those who are infected with the virus in receiving vital medications through the Drug Assistance Program.

This year the administration sought congressional support for a new substance abuse treatment program called Access to Recovery through the use of a State voucher system. We have responded to this request with $100 million and are eager to work with the administration as they develop a program to serve people in great need. It will be another tool, but we want the administration to do a pilot project to work out how this can be done effectively. They have requested somewhat more money than that, but I think $100 million will go a long way. And if it proves as effective as we think it could, the next year will be another time to look at it.

Additional support of the President's initiatives in this bill include faith-based programs--the Compassion Capital Fund at $50 million, and the Mentoring of Children of Prisoners at $25 million, I suspect a somewhat forgotten group. But those children will be citizens tomorrow too, and we should give them a chance even though maybe one of their parents is incarcerated for some reason.

Programs to support abstinence programs for young people will receive $10 million increase for a total of $65 million in this bill.

LIHEAP is an important safety net providing financial assistance to low-income people who struggle with paying their heating and cooling bills. These funds are distributed to the States through the formula grant program, and we have retained the funding level for these grants at the fiscal year 2003 level of $1.7 billion. To assist people in the event of a particularly severe heating or cooling season, we provide $100 million in emergency funds. These funds may be released to the State at the discretion of the President.

The Department of Labor has jurisdiction over many important worker training and protection programs; therefore, we have restored funding to core job training and employment assistance programs to the fiscal year 2003 level. As a number of communities continue to experience plant closings and other layoffs, we understand the need to support dislocated worker-training programs that can assist workers to return to the workforce. Funding for this program is $1.155 billion, the same as in fiscal year 2003, an increase of $78 million over the budget request. This is one where we feel that this is so important that we want to add more than requested in the President's budget. And if you have ever been to one of these job opportunity locations in your district, you realize how vitally important this is to those that are laid off. It gives them hope, hope that there may be a new job available, hope that they can take care of their families, hope that they can get health care. It is vitally important.

The Job Corps program provides a second chance to young people to develop a skill for the 21st century workforce. As we all know, the mix is different than it used to be in the job market. Many people who enroll in Job Corps centers never completed their high school education, and many have other problems that make holding a job very difficult. A second chance. I like that, second chance. Everybody should have a second chance at training, giving hope to these workers; and it makes them productive members of our society. Funding for Job Corps is $1.5 billion. This is an increase of $28 million.

Worker protection programs, including OSHA and MSHA, are funded at the President's budget request.

Related agencies. While agencies such as the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, receive their funding from the mandatory spending side, this bill provides the administrative costs for these agencies. Effective administration of these agencies ensures efficient service to recipients. We have included a 6.1 percent increase in the funding for the Social Security Administration to improve service delivery of benefits and accelerate the time it takes to process disability claims.

I am sure all of us have experienced a call from someone who has a disability claim and says, why can I not get this taken care of? We recognize that, and we are saying let us put more people so they can be handled promptly. Otherwise they are left without any means of providing a living. So we have given a 6.1 percent increase.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services provides funding to our Nation's public libraries and provides grants for library and museum projects. Funding totals $238 million, including funds for the second year of a program to recruit and educate librarians. Libraries are the windows to the world and a place of inspiration for many individuals.

Mr. Chairman, the programs and funding levels I have described represent the good neighbor in all of us as a Nation, as a people. We have tried to use our allocation to fund our highest priorities and to reduce the growth in this bill. It is fair, it is balanced, and I think it will serve the people well, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

At this time, Mr. Chairman, I will submit a detailed table of the bill into the Record.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield so much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), the Chairman of the full Committee on Appropriations, and I want to say he did a wonderful job in getting us a very substantial allocation to meet these needs.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume to just comment and again point out that we have doubled education funding in the last 8 years. We have tripled the amount that goes to special needs children. We have a 2.7 percent increase in this bill over last year, and I think a lot of people in the United States will be happy to get a 2.7 percent pay raise. I am just saying we are doing the best we can with the resources that are available.

I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.

Reclaiming my time, Mr. Chairman, I would add one more comment. We have a different situation as a result of 9-11. We have responsibilities that have absorbed funds that otherwise might be available here.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Peterson), a very valued member of our subcommittee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute.

Just to keep the record straight, the Democrats had control of the Presidency, the House and the Senate in fiscal years 1994 and 1995. During this time, Congressional Democrats voted to cut the Department of Education by over $3 billion below levels recommended by President Clinton. The fiscal year 1994 increase was only 3.6 percent, and 1995 was only 2.4.

In fiscal year 1993, a Democrat-controlled House and Senate passed a final bill that cut President Bush's education budget by nearly $700 million. I think we have to stick with the facts here today. It is obvious that there have been some different approaches in the past.

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

Mr. Chairman, I think that debate was held when we had the Ways and Means bill. Today we have to work with what we have.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon), a valued member of our subcommittee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 7 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker), a very valued member of our subcommittee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute.

Mr. Chairman, I think we just have to keep the record straight today, and this is a fact. What was promised by President Bush and congressional Republicans in No Child Left Behind was that Federal K-12 education spending would increase substantially, linked for the first time to accountability and high standards, and that is precisely what has happened.

Title I, disadvantaged students, the primary spending program in the No Child Left Behind increased during the first 2 years of President Bush's administration more than it did during the previous 7 years combined under President Clinton.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham), a valued member of our subcommittee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne).

Mr. Chairman, I want to say first, before yielding to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, that his committee is looking at all of these programs to find which of those are working well and is providing reforms that will make them work even better, and I think that is an important element of what we are doing today.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 7 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute.

Mr. Chairman, I just want to comment that in the last 8 years we have doubled Pell grants, and I will also add that we have added $885 million this year. The reason the maximum has stayed stable is that more people are taking advantage of it, and that is good. That is a positive thing. As a naval veteran, I am a product of the GI bill, and I realize how very important these opportunities are. And I would like to do more, but I think we have done a good job, considering the resources that are available.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Nethercutt).

Mr. Chairman, how much time remains on each side?

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute.

We hear on the Pell grant, I want to point out something, and that is that in the last 2 years, the numbers have increased 25 percent. So even though the level which we have increased substantially in the last 6 or 8 years was the same this year, it is because we wanted to give more students a chance. We have increased the total amount by $880 million that will be available for Pell grants, but there are so many more, and that is good. I like to see more and more students gets involved and use this service, but it makes it a tough budgeting situation. At least that is the reason that we have gotten to the situation we are in.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson), a member of the committee.

Madam Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kennedy).

Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume to point out to the gentleman who just spoke, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), that we do have report language urging NINDS to focus on ALS. I know it is a devastating problem for those who are afflicted, and we are concerned about it.

Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

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

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

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) for a colloquy.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for voicing his concerns. In my own State I have seen firsthand how critical LIHEAP is for low- and fixed-income families. I support providing an adequate funding level for this program.

When the House and Senate go to conference on this appropriations measure, I will work with my colleagues to ensure the viability of this crucial program.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), the majority leader.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I would ask the gentleman, who is that nice-looking girl with that young guy?

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes and 25 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions) for a colloquy.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman's leadership on this issue and agree with him that the study of Down Syndrome should be a national priority. The committee has encouraged the NIH and CDC to place a greater priority on Down Syndrome research, which has generally lagged behind other kinds of disability research. The testimony that was provided to the subcommittee on May 13 was very informative and very helpful, and I look forward to working with the gentleman from Texas to encourage NIH and CDC to fund this important research.

Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will yield further, I look forward with working with my friend to address these specific concerns in this appropriations bill.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Porter) for a colloquy.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman's comments. I will be happy to work with my colleague, the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Porter), as this legislation moves through the legislative process.

Mr. Chairman, how much time remains?

Mr. Chairman, let me say to the people who are watching, we are going to do some procedural things. We are making every effort to try to get this bill finished in a timely manner, so bear with us.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word, and I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bonilla).

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for his kind words. We have agreed in the subcommittee that health centers are among our highest priorities. Since I have become Chair of the committee in 2000, we have increased this program by $486 million, or nearly 50 percent. We recognize that in too many cases health centers provide the only access individuals have to our health care system.

Obviously, the health centers program within appropriated funds cannot solve all of the overall access problems. Nevertheless, with the continuing challenges to providing access, we will do our very best through the remainder of the process and within fiscal restraints to provide further increases for the program. I certainly will be pleased to work with the gentleman from Texas to reach that goal.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, we had this debate on the Committee on Ways and Means jurisdiction on the issue of a tax cut. This is not the proper venue. This is the appropriations bill; and, therefore, Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes legislation in an appropriations bill and, therefore, violates clause 2 of rule XXI. In addition, the amendment is a tax or tariff measure and is in violation of clause 5(a) of rule XXI.

Clause 2 of rule XXI states in the pertinent part: ``An amendment to a general appropriations bill shall not be in order if it changes existing law.''

The amendment amends existing law. Clause 5(a) of rule XXI states in part: ``A bill or joint resolution carrying a tax or tariff measure may not be reported by a committee not having jurisdiction to report tax or tariff measures. And an amendment in the House or proposed by the Senate carrying a tax or tariff measure shall not be in order during the consideration of a bill or joint resolution reported by a committee not having that jurisdiction.''

The amendment is clearly legislation as well as a tax or tariff provision. And it is, therefore, in violation of the House rules.

Mr. Chairman, I ask for a ruling from the Chair.

Mr. Chairman, I would be interested in checking with Treasury to find out how many people would voluntarily return their tax cuts. I would daresay it will be few.

I want to point out once against that this budget is double what it was 8 years ago when we took over for all of these good things. Having said that, I oppose the amendment. I hope my colleagues will vote ``no'' on this amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, as the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) and myself are making every effort to expedite this bill today, I, therefore, ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill, through page 91, line 17, be considered as read, printed in the Record, and open to amendment at any point.

Mr. Chairman, we concede the point of order. I am just trying to save some time here.

Mr. Chairman, we concede the point of order, and we will work together to solve this problem.

Mr. Chairman, I seek the time in opposition to the amendment. However, I am willing to accept the gentleman's amendment with the understanding that in preparation for conference we will learn more about its impact on the administration and the Members' priorities.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

MR. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).

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

I would add that we have money in the bill to study these, and I would hope that the gentleman would withdraw his amendment. It really is unnecessary in light of the Agency's action. They received a lot of negative comments on the proposed rule, and for that reason have withdrawn it.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).

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

Mr. Chairman, I was just going to commend the gentleman. I think there is merit to it, but I understand he is withdrawing it.

Mr. Chairman, we are prepared to accept this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, this proposal would eviscerate what the Secretary is trying to do. I think for the membership they should understand that the Secretary's rules would have given a million workers access to time and a half that do not now have it, and it would limit some of the white-collar type of workers to not getting the time and a half under the existing rules. And for this reason we think that the Secretary's rules that have been promulgated are fair because it does elevate the million people into an opportunity to make some extra money and get paid for time and a half if they have put it in. Whereas, the white- collar workers understand that that is part of the condition of the job, that they may understand they have to work some extra time and not necessarily get time and a half.

I think the rules would make management of the enterprise more effective and more efficient and would certainly be fair to everybody. Therefore, I think we should leave the Secretary's rules stand as is, rather than adopt this amendment in an attempt to second-guess what the Secretary is doing in putting these rules in place. I would urge a vote against the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).

Mr. Chairman, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).

(Mrs. BLACKBURN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the remaining time.

I would only say to my colleagues I think we need to reject this amendment. It is premature. These are proposed regulations. There is plenty of time for comment, and it is a recognition on the part of the Department of Labor that the 1 million low-paid workers today that have no opportunity to get time and a half will have that opportunity, and therefore, I would want this amendment rejected to give them that kind of a chance.

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

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I, too, am pleased to have worked with my colleague as a member of our Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. The programs that support historically black health professions schools are essential in eliminating health status disparities among minorities and underserved populations.

I will be sure to keep these priorities in mind as we work to finalize the fiscal year 2004 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill and will work with the gentleman to see how we can accommodate these priorities. I appreciate the gentleman notifying me of his concerns.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition to this amendment, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

These amendments have been picked out of a database that contains a single paragraph on each of 40,000 grants that NIH supports. Now, keep in mind that that represents a winnowing down from perhaps 120,000 applications. How do they pick the one out of three that will be funded? The NIH has an elaborate two-tiered peer review process that is mandated by the Public Health Service Act. Outside review panels of distinguished scientists from universities nationwide gather to review each application, which can easily run on to several hundred pages.

I think to pass judgment on these, you would have to read the several hundred pages to know what the ultimate goal is, rather than one paragraph. Then these recommendations are reviewed by advisory councils comprised of scientists and members of the public whose nominations are cleared through the Department.

NIH only funds about 30 percent, as I mentioned; and we can be confident that they are very careful because there are so many good objectives in the form of requests. They go through these very, very carefully with top-flight people to ensure that there is a worthy objective to be achieved in doing the research in question.

If Members are concerned about NIH funding in certain issue areas, I think they should urge the authorizing committees to review this as they consider the reauthorization of NIH, and that will be coming up. I know that the Committee on Energy and Commerce has been doing an extensive review of NIH actions across a number of areas in preparation for a reauthorization, and I would suggest to my colleagues this would be the appropriate place to bring up their objections to the process that is presently used by NIH because in the reauthorization action they can address what they feel might be a shortcoming.

I strongly urge the Members to resist the temptation to select a few grants for defunding because they do not like the sound of them based on one paragraph out of what probably was a number of pages of information. It would set a dangerous precedent and put a chill on medical research if we start to micromanage individual NIH grants.

This has worked well over the years. We have had enormous progress because of these grants in achieving medical knowledge and giving the public a better health care system. I do not think this body, this committee, wants to get into the process of reviewing 120,000 grants and trying to pick 40,000 out of that group for funding.

I strongly urge the Members to reject this amendment; and I urge my colleagues to take this issue to the proper committee, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and if they feel that NIH needs to have its processes reformed, then that is the place to do it.

I yield to the gentleman from Florida, the chairman of the full committee.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Rogers).

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

I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment. We cannot start second-guessing and trying to review the work of NIH. They have very distinguished panelists, experts and scientists. They spend a lot of time on these. They have 120,000 applications. They do the best job they can, and they have been successful. I would urge my colleagues to go to the authorizing committee if they feel there should be some different procedures and bring that to their attention as they review these panel activities.

Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes legislation in an appropriations bill; and, therefore, violates clause 2 of rule XXI.

In addition, the amendment is a tax or tariff measure and is in violation of clause 5(a) of rule XXI. Clause 2 of rule XXI states in pertinent part, ``An amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order if it changes existing law.'' The amendment amends existing law. Clause 5(a) of rule XXI states in part, ``A bill or joint resolution carrying a tax or tariff measure may not be reported by a committee not having jurisdiction to report tax or tariff measures, and an amendment in the House or proposed by the Senate carrying a tax or tariff measure shall not be in order during the consideration of a bill or joint resolution reported by a committee not having that jurisdiction.''

The amendment is clearly legislation as well as a tax or tariff provision, and is, therefore, in violation of the House rules.

I ask for a ruling from the Chair.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the motion.

I just want to say to all Members, we are getting close to finishing up here.

I would urge all the Members to vote ``no'' on all of the amendments, and I would urge the Members to vote for the bill. It is fair. It is balanced. It meets the needs of the 280 million people of this Nation, and I think it is a very positive step. It is reasonable in terms of cost, and I would hope we have a strong ``yes'' vote in support of the bill and a strong ``no'' vote on all the amendments.

I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. Speaker, I want to say to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) that she made two statements I agree with. She said this is a good bill, perhaps not as much as

they would like, but it is good given the constraints we have; and, secondly, education is a high priority. We agree it is a high priority, so much so in the last 8 years we have doubled the money that went to education, and we have tripled the money for the special needs children. Members need to keep that in mind.

Also, keep in mind we are not debating a tax bill. That is behind us. That was a Committee on Ways and Means issue. We are debating a bill within the budget constraints given to us, an allocation which is about $138 billion. We have tried, and I want to say that the minority members as well as the majority members had input in trying to allocate the priorities and the resources in the best possible way.

Now, we have heard about the letter from the administration, and I understand that because the administration has priorities that are somewhat different than the Members of this House. But if I read the Constitution correctly, the House of Representatives has the responsibility for setting policy, not executing it, but setting it. So if there is some difference, it is because we reflect 435 Members' priorities and 280 million people. This literally is the people's House. As such, in this bill we have tried to reflect the things that are important to the people of this Nation given the constraints.

I want to say for the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), the gentleman worked diligently to get some additional funding so we could meet the needs of the people of this Nation. I think we should not lose sight of that. This is a good bill. I hope all Members between now and tomorrow will familiarize themselves with what is in this bill. A ``no'' vote will be a vote for $1 billion less for special needs children. A ``no'' vote will be a vote against $680 million give or take for education. A ``no'' vote will be a reduction in impact aid, and on and on. It will be a reduction in an amount for NIH.

Let me point out that it was this Republican majority that doubled the NIH budget over a period of 5 years. They have the highest number of projects, research projects, ever in history, something like 34,000 grants that have been made to do research on the medical health of this Nation. Let us remember that a lot of good things were done. This bill does have hope, and it has compassion; and that is our responsibility, to give the people of America hope that there will be better things ahead, and it does, and that we have compassion.

I do not want to debate totally the bill tonight, we will have plenty of time for that tomorrow, but I just point out that our colleagues both on the majority and the minority side will familiarize themselves with what this bill does. We tried to be fair and I think the minority members of the subcommittee will agree that every opportunity was made to have witnesses and hear testimony from all aspects of America. If Members could sit in the hearing room and see the row of wheelchairs and needs of kids, we have tried to address that. We probably had more hearings than any other subcommittee because we are trying to represent the problems that challenge 280 million Americans, whether it is health care, whether it is people who have lost their job and want an opportunity to get some new skills, or whether it is the education needs of our young people. I think we have reflected that. It is the people's bill.

Mr. Speaker, I would point out again that we have doubled education in the last 8 years. We have tripled the money that goes to special needs. We have increased the commitment to math and science. We have heard a lot about that, that we need more math and science teachers; and we have addressed that in the bill. We have addressed the fact that we need more highly skilled teachers in the classroom. We all can see that classroom teachers can make a world of difference. We have recognized that in the bill that is before Members.

I would point out that in terms of NIH, we have recognized their needs. Actually, a lot of construction is taking place out there, so we have focused resources, given a 6 percent increase in program funding, which is an important element to ensure that the requests that come to NIH for research can be met. That is why we have the greatest number of research projects going on right now in the history of NIH. That is a tribute to the Republican leadership in doubling the budget of NIH.

The Centers for Disease Control, we put substantial increases there because that agency has a special responsibility in terms of homeland security; and they are addressing it, and they recognize that infectious diseases are a real threat to this Nation. A former Senator said at a breakfast I was at that the greatest threat is bioterrorism, and we have tried to recognize that by giving CDC a substantial increase in funding. CDC is the watchdog in the sense that they are always looking out to keep these things away from America's shores and to give help to others.

One of the things that we are trying to do with this bill is to streamline the health care delivery system. We have said let us make it seamless, every way from CDC to the local State health agencies to the local agencies so if there is a problem in a community, there is an immediate response all the way to CDC. Again, we are putting a protection in place for the health of American citizens.

As far as job training, in this bill we increase the amount that goes to the Department of Labor to help the communities across the Nation have job training programs so they will be able to help those that are displaced because of imports, because of a shifting consumer market in products, again a recognition of the needs of people. This really is a people's bill. This really is a fair balance. I do not think that it is partisan. I think in constructing this we took the $138 billion that were available and said what can we do in the fairest possible way to meet the needs of education, health research and to meet the needs of those who need job retraining. I hope Members in the minority will look at what is in this bill and realize how valuable it is to the American people, and they will think twice before they vote against all of these programs that are very important to the people of this Nation.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to enter into a colloquy with the distinguished gentleman from Kentucky. I would like to address the issue of how our national emergency preparedness and response plan addresses older Americans, the disabled, and others with special needs.

Our experience with the horrible attacks of September 11, 2001, exposed gaps in our response plan as many elderly and disabled people living near the World Trade Center were trapped for days before receiving assistance. Successive evaluations have identified particular problems, including lack of coordination in city-wide community services, lack of a system to identify and locate older and disabled people, and lack of access to necessary public information both before and after an emergency.

I believe this issue is of great importance in the event of a future terrorist attack and I look forward to working with the gentleman in addressing this great need.

I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for his comments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Connie Veillette for her 20 years of dedicated public service in my Washington, D.C. office and to the people of Ohio's 16th Congressional district.

Connie began her career in my office just after completion of her college degree from Ohio University in 1982. Over the next 20 years, she became a vital member of my office staff, handling policy issues as diverse as foreign affairs and transportation. Connie also served as a key staff person handling Appropriations Subcommittee work in my office. Over the past 10 years, Connie has served as my Chief of Staff. In this role she managed the Washington office and oversaw the District offices, she acted as my principal policy advisor and continued to advise me on foreign policy matters, she served as my press secretary and coordinated all Ohio Delegation matters. During her tenure in my office I have valued her excellent management skills and relied on her good judgment with regard to policy and political matters.

During her tenure in my office, Connie also served as the Congressional manager of the Congress-Bundestag exchange, a 20 year program that promotes greater understanding of the U.S. legislative process and the German parliamentary system. This vital exchange program has allowed hundreds of Congressional staffers to visit Germany and hundreds of German Parliamentary staff to visit the U.S. The program has allowed participants to gain insights into our different political systems and to develop personal and professional relationships that benefit both nations.

Throughout her service in my office, Connie pursued her higher education goals, completing both a Master's Degree and most recently completing course work toward her Ph.D. in Political Science from the George Washington University. We were very proud when she completed her doctoral exams with distinction. These experiences have enabled Connie to develop an expertise in Latin American affairs which she will use in her new position as Analyst for Latin America with the Congressional Research Service.

We are glad that she has not traveled far and that we will still be able to call on her excellent research and analytical skills as will all Members and staff in Congress. We wish her much success in her new endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Madam Speaker, I first want to compliment the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) on an excellent summary of the role of the State of Ohio in dealing with the issue of slavery. We are building a museum in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was the key spot on the Underground Railroad. And as you travel throughout Ohio, you will find a number of communities that will have a marker saying that this community was one of the stations along the way. So I think it is great that the gentleman gave the Members and the audience that watches C-SPAN an understanding of Ohio's role, and it is a proud one, in dealing with these issues.

Ohio is popularly known as ``The Mother of Presidents.'' Our good friends from the State of Virginia like to take issue with that, but we claim eight in our State, one of whom served the 16th District of Ohio in Congress. That would be President William McKinley, who was also chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means. And if you go next door to the headquarters of the Committee on Appropriations, you will see a portrait of James Garfield, who also served in Congress and as chairman of Appropriations.

Madam Speaker, I think our colleague from Illinois has touched on a number of the important people that are part of Ohio history. I do not know if he mentioned Thomas Alva Edison, who started what is today a great industry in terms of providing electricity, and certainly his contributions in progress and industry were a result of hard work. Thomas Edison used to say, ``Genius was 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.''

The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) mentioned John Glenn and his role. We are all very familiar with that. And so I think we in Ohio can take great pride in the part that our State has played in the history of this Nation's space program.

We have had a number of people in science who developed different things that are important to all of us. The Inventure Place is in Akron, Ohio. It tells the story of inventors in the United States. It is a hall of fame for inventors.

We have, of course, in Canton, Ohio the Football Hall of Fame. Many people are very familiar with that. And I would also mention that we have the National First Ladies Historic Site. It is the newest unit in the Park Service that tells how First Ladies have made a very great impact on the history of our Nation.

These are all things that give us pride in the State of Ohio and, since I did mention McKinley, I would add that as President of the United States he was perhaps the first one to recognize that the United States was no longer an insular nation, and he became a champion of international trade. He championed the Open Door Policy to China and many other issues involving trade. And of course as a result of Spanish-American War, the United States became a world player. And we know today that the world looks to, at least part of it, in this day and age, looks to the United States for leadership. But William McKinley made a very great impact on the path this Nation has taken from originally being very protectionist, very insular to that of a Nation that does set the challenge to other nations to follow suit.

I would urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution. It recognizes that Ohio has been a State since 1803 and as such has made many great contributions to our Nation's history.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, since 1983, the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag and Bundesrat have conducted an annual exchange program for staff members from both countries. The program gives professional staff the opportunity to observe and learn about each other's political institutions and interact-on issues of mutual interest.

A staff delegation from the U.S. Congress will be selected to visit Germany during May 24 to June 7 of this year. During the 2-week exchange, the delegation will attend meetings with Bundestag/Bundesrat Members, Bundestag and Bundesrat party staff members, and representatives of numerous political, business, academic, and media agencies. Participants also will be hosted by a Bundestag Member during a district visit.

A comparable delegation of German staff members will visit the United States for 2-weeks in July. They will attend similar meetings here in Washington and visit the districts of congressional Members. The U.S. delegation is expected to facilitate these meetings.

The Congress--Bundestag/Bundesrat Exchange is highly regarded in Germany and the United States, and is one of several exchange programs sponsored by public and private institutions in the United States and Germany to foster better understanding of the politics and policies of both countries. This exchange is funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The U.S. delegation should consist of experienced and accomplished Hill staff who can contribute to the success of the exchange on both sides of the Atlantic. The Bundestag reciprocates by sending senior staff professionals to the United States.

Applicants should have a demonstrable interest in events in Europe. Applicants need not be working in the field of foreign affairs, although such a background can be helpful. The composite U.S. delegation should exhibit a range of expertise in issues of mutual concern to Germany and the United States such as, but not limited to, trade, security, the environment, economic development, health care, and other social policy issues. This year's delegation should be familiar with transatlantic relations within the context of recent world events.

In addition, U.S. participants are expected to help plan and implement the program for the Bundestag/Bundesrat staff members when they visit the United States. Participants are expected to assist in planning topical meetings in Washington, and are encouraged to host one or two staffers in their Member's district in July, or to arrange for such a visit to another Member's district.

Participants are selected by a committee composed of personnel from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State and past participants of the exchange.

Senators and Representatives who would like a member of their staff to apply for participation in this year's program should direct them to submit a resume and cover letter in which they state their qualifications, the contributions they can make to a successful program and some assurances of their ability to participate during the time stated. Applications may be sent to Connie Veillette in Congressman Regula's office, 2306 Rayburn House Building by noon on Monday, March 31, 2003.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of this omnibus appropriations conference report. I want to share with my colleagues some of the things that are covered by this conference report.

Our subcommittee section totals $133.4 billion, and I would emphasize this is the amount of the President's budget request. It includes funding for programs that touch the lives of all Americans from newborn health screening, Head Start, dozens of education programs, health research and prevention programs, training for dislocated workers to older Americans programs and the efficient administration of our Social Security and Medicare programs. All of these are encompassed in the bill.

And for the education portion, it brings funding to title I to $1.4 billion, an increase overall in education funding of 7 percent. I think as was pointed out by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), this is a record. I think it is something we can all take pride in supporting on behalf of the people of this Nation.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of this omnibus appropriations conference report and to share with my colleagues the important programs we are funding within the Labor, Health

and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies title.

Mr. Speaker, this portion of the bill totals $133.4 billion, the amount of the President's budget request. It includes funding for programs that touch the lives of all Americans from newborn health screening, Head Start, dozens of education programs, health research and prevention programs, training for dislocated workers to older American programs and the efficient administration of our Social Security and Medicare programs. All these programs and more encompass this bill.

As my colleagues know, students, parents and teachers are working together to see real gains in student achievement as established in the No Child Left Behind Act passed by this Congress a year ago. This bill provides the vital funding to bring the goals of the new law to fruition, including a $1.4 billion increase in Title I funding, aiding disadvantaged students.

In the area of special education, we have also included an increase of $1.4 billion over fiscal year 2002 as we continue to increase the federal portion of special education dollars. And to assist those seeking to improve their skills through higher education, we have increased the maximum Pell grant to $4,050 while also addressing a shortfall in the program that has resulted from a larger than expected number of students returning to school by providing more than half a billion dollars over the President's request for the program.

I am pleased to report that the bill includes the fifth and final year of a commitment to double biomedical research funding for the National Institutes of Health with funding set at $27.2 billion. At this level NIH will be able to fund more than 38,000 research project grants, the highest number ever funded. These grants span countless areas including basic research as well as that for specific diseases that are the leading causes of death and disability--Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, cancer, AIDS and hundreds of others, including rare diseases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been key in bringing new health research into practice through health promotion programs. Now, as we face continued threats to our homeland we call upon the CDC to act as our first line of defense against bioterrorism as well. We have provided $4.3 billion to the CDC for these important activities.

Within the Health Resources and Services Administration we have included $1.5 billion for Community Health Centers, access points to those who have no health care, and $2 billion for Ryan White Aids program, a $96 million increase.

The bill provides funding for services for our neediest people, including $1.8 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and $1.376 billion for programs for older Americans, including nutrition programs such as Meals on Wheels and totaling nearly $719 million.

This bill funds the Department of Labor at $11.9 billion, $116 million below last year. However, within the account for the Workforce Investment Act, we have tried to focus our resources on the needs of the many people in our country who have been dislocated from their jobs by boosting support for dislocated workers by $92 million overall. We are hopeful that the many good people in our local communities working to provide job placement assistance to these unemployed workers will use this funding to assist these workers in re-gaining employment as quickly as possible. Finally, Job Corps, an outstanding program that partners with so many businesses to train our nation's youth for productive employment is increased by $60 million. Job Corps provides a needed second chance to many of our youth who had not found initial success in school or work.

Mr. Speaker, these programs serve the people of our great nation well and help to strengthen the educational, health and job opportunities for all Americans. I urge the support of the Members of this body in passing the bill today.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the members of my staff and that of Mr. Obey in the endless hours of work they have provided to bringing this bill before us today. Craig Higgins, Sue Quantius, Susan Firth, Meg Thompson, Nicole Kunko, Francine Mack- Salvador, and Elizabeth Bowles, as well as David Reich, Cheryl Smith and Linda Pagelsen have done a terrific job in producing the product before us. Thank you to each of them.

Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation to provide appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies for fiscal year 2003.

Mr. Speaker, this is an appropriations bill that truly touches every life in our nation--from funding our children's education, to research on countless diseases to job training funding to improve our nation's workforce and thus our competitiveness in the world economy.

The bill I am introducing today provides $130,902,000,000 for the discretionary programs and activities within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies. It is the same funding level as the President's budget request and $3.3 billion over the fiscal year 2002 level.

The challenging demands of funding the important programs in this bill have required us to seek a very delicate balance in crafting the legislation. Therefore, I would like to share with my colleagues some of the programs we have focused our attention on in structuring this bill.

Health and Human Services

First in the area of our nation's health, we are providing $26.6 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and increase of $3.357 billion over last year. This funding level brings us very close to our final investment in our five year commitment to double the NIH biomedical research budget. Research efforts to date have resulted in great progress in understanding, preventing and treating disease and I am pleased to support these efforts.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is our nation's first line of defense in bioterrorism preparedness. The agency is also our nation's leader in promoting health and wellness as well as disease prevention. It is critical that we support the CDC's efforts in these areas, and we therefore provide $4.3 billion for fiscal 2003 to carry out these functions.

The Health Resources and Services Administration programs provide the vital backbone for carrying out health programs across the nation. We provide $1.457 billion for Community Health Centers, the access points for healthcare for our nation's uninsured and underinsured. This is a $115 million increase over last year's level. At this new level, we anticipate that nearly 13 million people will receive these important services.

The Health Professions account in this bill has a long tradition of support by the Members of this House, and I am pleased to report that the bill continues this longstanding tradition. We have included $377.6 million for the numerous health professions accounts. Included in this number is additional funding for nursing education, as our nation is now experiencing a critical nursing shortage.

Two further health programs of importance to many Members in this body include funding for the Ryan White CARE Act, at $1.93 billion and Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education at $292 million.

LIHEAP, the program that provides heating and cooling assistance to the poor will receive $1.7 billion in regular formula grant funding, the same level as last year. All of the funding is provided to the states for distribution to families and individuals rather than diverting a portion to emergencies as requested, as $300 million for emergency funding remains available for this purpose.

Other human services programs we focus priority funding on include the Safe and Stable Family program that we fund at $70 million. To support those young people who are no longer of eligible age to receive foster care, we are providing $40 million for Independent Living Vouchers. Finally, for the Compassion Capital Fund we are providing $30 million and for abstinence education we are providing $60 million, bringing the total for discretionary pro-family initiatives to $200 million.

education

Turning to education, Mr. Speaker, this appropriations bill provides the funding for implementing our nation's new elementary and secondary education law, the No Child Left Behind Act. Since the enactment of this important law a year ago, much attention has been devoted to the need to fund this law, giving states and local education agencies the necessary resources to comply with the act.

The bill I am introducing today provides the important resources to assist teachers, school administrators, parents and students to achieve the goals of this new law. Funding for the numerous programs included in the No Child Left Behind Act totals $22.3 billion. This figure includes increases in the following areas: $500 million for the Title I program; $100 million for teacher quality, $100 million for the new Reading First program and $87.5 million for Math and Science Partnerships. Also of substantial importance, Special Education is increased by $500 million over last year.

Mr. Speaker, to some in the education arena this funding level may not be sufficient. However, I would like to take the opportunity to remind my colleagues that education is not exclusively about dollars. Historically, we have watched federal funding for Title I and other programs increase while test scores either remained stagnant or have actually declined. Hence, in the No Child Left Behind Act we seek results. Results in student achievement, results in accountability. How can we best accomplish these goals? I believe we can achieve these goals by ensuring that every year, every child has a good teacher in his or her classroom It is for this reason that I continue to dedicate attention and resources to teacher quality in this bill.

Pell Grants continue to receive pressure for funding, as large numbers of people of returned to higher education as a result of our economic downturn. These new students seek additional skills to improve their position in our job market and in our global economy. In the bill we retain the maximum level for the Pell Grant set last year at $4000, providing $11.2 billion to fund the program. At this level nearly 4.5 million students are expected to receive this aid.

Head Start is an important program that serves our nation's poor and is being called

upon to more fully prepare our nation's children for school. We are providing $6.667 billion for this program. At this funding level, we anticipate that program may serve 915,000 children.

labor

Keeping in mind our nation's current economic situation, the bill focuses increases within the Department of Labor account on dislocated workers, providing an additional $113 million above fiscal year 2002. With this increase, local workforce development boards will receive a total of $1.4 billion for re-employment assistance to these dislocated workers.

conclusion

Mr. Speaker, the numbers before us represent our best efforts at crafting this bill. It focuses our priorities on protecting our nation against bioterrorism, providing assistance to dislocated workers and investing in our future by funding important education programs. The numbers are subject to change as we proceed to work both here in the House and together with the other body to produce a final bill.