Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5006, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

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

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to offer today the fiscal year 2005 appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related agencies. By taking into consideration the priorities of the President and the Members, all the Members of this House, we have produced a bill that meets the needs of all Americans. This bill affects the lives, in one way or another, of every American.

We are appreciative of the efforts of the leaders of the House and the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), to provide a workable allocation for this bill. I am pleased to say that this bill was unanimously approved on a bipartisan basis in both the subcommittee and the full committee. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and expertise of my subcommittee staff, as well as the minority staff, in putting together this bill.

Mr. Chairman, this bill is about hope. It gives hope to every child seeking a good education, it gives hope to everyone searching for a good or better job than they have, and it gives hope to the ill seeking a cure.

This bill provides $142.5 billion--that is $500 for every person in the United States of America--a 2.2 percent increase over fiscal year 2004, for over 500 different discretionary programs. It is responsible, it is fair, and it is balanced.

Let me first talk about education. I would like to discuss what this bill provides for education. Education is essential to the preservation of democracy, and an investment in education is an investment in human capital and an investment in the future of this great Nation.

Mr. Chairman, Federal education spending has more than doubled since fiscal year 1996, from $23 billion to nearly $60 billion today. We have focused spending in this bill in the key areas that most directly improve our children's education.

First and foremost, I believe that no child will be left behind if he or she has a quality and dedicated teacher. Almost every teacher in our Nation's classrooms today is there for one reason: They love children and want to help them reach their full potential, and that should be their goal.

We applaud their hard work and dedication, and we support them in this bill by providing funding to encourage people to enter the field of teaching and to strengthen and maximize the skills of those already in the classroom.

I would urge young people that are thinking about a career to give consideration to being in a classroom, where they can touch the lives of children. Often when I speak to large groups out in the district, I say, how many of you had a teacher that has made a difference in your life? Almost every hand in the room goes up.

This bill also supports teachers and students by increasing funding for Title I by $1 billion. Title I provides the additional resources to low-income schools to help principals, teachers and students close education achievement gaps. At the school level, Title I helps provide additional staff, ongoing training and the latest research, computer equipment, books or new curricula offerings that, coupled with strong accountability efforts, helps disadvantaged children meet the same high standards as their more advantaged peers.

In addition to the funding increases in Title I, this bill also increases funding for scientifically based reading programs so that all children can read well by the end of the third grade. In 3 short years, funding for reading programs has tripled to over $1.3 billion, tripled, and importantly so. Reading is the key. This investment will assist parents, teachers and school districts in meeting the reading challenges of our children.

Mr. Chairman, many of my colleagues speak with me about the financial demands of special education on

their local school districts. We also hear from parents about the need to support adequate special education funding to ensure their special- needs children receive a quality and equal education opportunity.

In this bill, funding for special education totals over $11 billion, a nearly 380 percent increase since fiscal year 1996, and $1 billion more than last year.

Title III programs are designed to strengthen institutions of higher education that serve a high percentage of minority students and students from low-income backgrounds. I want to point out that in fiscal year 2005, funding to Title III programs is at $519 million, and this, combined with the funding for Howard University and other historically black colleges and universities financing programs, our commitment to minority serving institutions exceeds $975 million.

The sharp rise in college costs continues to be a barrier to many students. Pell grants help ensure access to postsecondary education for low and middle-income undergraduate students by providing grants that help meet college education needs. The bill continues to support a maximum Pell grant level of $4,050, while also including $12.9 billion for Pell grants, an increase of $823 million over last year.

Health and Human Services.

If you have good health, you have hope; and if you have hope, you have everything. Health care is a critical part of our Nation's economic development. To assist in protecting the health of all Americans, and to provide essential human services, the bill provides the Department of Health and Human Services over $62 billion for fiscal year 2005.

Mr. Chairman, similar to the Department of Education, we have more than doubled the funding for HHS since fiscal year 1996: $28.9 billion in fiscal year 1996 to $62.2 billion for fiscal year 2005. I think that is a tremendous increase under the circumstances, but will meet real needs.

At the forefront of new progress in medicine, the National Institutes of Health supports and conducts medical research to understand how the human body works and to gain insight into countless diseases and disorders. As a result of our commitment to NIH, our citizens are living longer and better lives. Life expectancy at birth was only 47 years in 1900. By 2000, it was almost 77 years, and my colleagues heard me say earlier that Dr. Zerhouni testified that every 5 years, life expectancy goes up a year.

In every state across the country, the NIH supports research at hospitals, universities, and medical schools. The 5-year doubling of the NIH budget completed in fiscal year 2003 has picked up the pace of discovery and heightened public expectations. We now expect NIH to carefully examine its portfolio and continue to be a good steward of the public's investment. Funding for NIH has increased by over $700 million, bringing its total budget to $28.5 billion. In that regard I might say that we looked at all the programs and said, is this producing results so that we could use the money as good stewards and as wisely as possible for the 280 million Americans.

All of the information and advances we have gained from NIH, however, will be useless if they do not make their way to health care providers and individuals, those most responsible for their own health. Thus, the work of the Centers for Disease Control and prevention is critical to protecting the health and safety of people at home and abroad.

Recognizing the tremendous challenges faced by CDC, we have provided over $915 million for the prevention and control of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, arthritis and tobacco use, and $640 million for immunizations. CDC's total allocation for fiscal year 2005 includes nearly $4.5 billion.

Mr. Chairman, health centers operating at the community level provide regular access to high-quality, family-oriented, comprehensive primary and preventive health care, regardless of ability to pay, and improves the health status of underserved populations living in inner city and rural areas. These funds provided in our bill, $1.8 billion, an increase of $218 million over last year, are expected to serve 14.8 million patients in fiscal year 2005--83 percent more than in fiscal year 1996. These are important to a lot of people. They are important to emergency rooms, because it gives people a place to go as an alternative.

Children's hospitals across the Nation are the training grounds for our pediatricians and pediatric specialists. Many of these hospitals are regional and national referral centers for very sick children, often serving as the only source of care for many critical pediatric services. The bill provides over $303 million to train these important caregivers who care for America's youngest population, its children.

The Ryan White AIDS Drug Assistance Program funding is increased by over $35 million, bringing its total to over $800 million. The increase in funding assists those infected with the virus and receiving vital medication through the drug assistance program. Overall, the Ryan White AIDS programs are funded at more than $2 billion.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is the Federal agency responsible for overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. CMS is the largest purchaser of health care in the world and second only to Social Security in the level of Federal spending. And while the mandatory funding for CMS programs comes through the Committee on Ways and Means, this bill provides the costs for their administrative functions. Funding for CMS is at $2.7 billion, an increase of more than $100 million. That is important, because it will speed up processing of claims for people in Medicare, Medicaid, and so on.

Infant mortality rates in certain segments of our population are at least 1\1/2\ times the national average. We have provided over $97 million for the Healthy Start Program, which uses community-designed and evidence-supported strategies aimed at reducing infant mortality.

Our commitment to a child's well-being does not rest with Healthy Start. We have provided nearly $6.9 billion for Head Start, a program designed primarily for preschoolers from low-income families.

The Adoption Incentive Program has been successful in contributing to substantial increases in adoptions in recent years. Between fiscal year 1998 and fiscal year 2002, a total of 236,000 children were adopted. Think what that means. They got a home. They got a family, Mr. Chairman. 236,000! While the overall number of children being adopted has grown dramatically, some children needing permanent homes remain less likely to be adopted. This bill provides $32 million for the Adoption Incentives Program so that States may continue their efforts to increase the number of children adopted by caring families.

Additional support for the President's initiatives in this bill include: $55 million for the Compassion Capital Fund, which helps faith-based and community organizations increase their effectiveness and enhance their ability to provide social services to those most in need. Mr. Chairman, $129 million for violent crime reduction programs; $110 million for abstinence education, an increase of nearly $35 million over the fiscal year 2004 level.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program ensures that low-income households are not without heating or cooling and provides protection to our most vulnerable populations: the elderly, households with small children, and persons with disabilities. The funds are distributed to the States through a formula grant program, and we have provided $2 billion for fiscal year 2005, an increase of $110 million over the fiscal year 2004 level. In addition, $227 million is included for the weatherization program.

Mr. Chairman, our society is judged not only by the care we provide to our young, but also by how we treat the elderly. This bill provides over $1.4 billion to the Administration on Aging to enhance health care, nutrition, and social supports to seniors and their family caregivers.

In the labor area.

We ought to support the aspirations of people: good health, security, meaningful work, creative and intellectual pursuits. The Department of Labor plays a key role in many important worker-training and protection programs. Therefore, we have restored

funding to core job training and employment assistance programs.

A number of communities continue to experience plant closings and other layoffs, and we understand the need to support dislocated worker- training programs that can assist workers to return to gainful employment. In this bill, we restore funding for dislocated worker- assistance programs to nearly $1.5 billion, $25 million over fiscal year 2004, and an increase of over $96 million above the budget request.

This bill includes $19 million for a Homeless Veterans Reintegration program to operate employment programs that reach out to homeless veterans and help them become employed.

Worker-protection programs, including OSHA and MSHA, are funded at $462 million and $276 million, respectively.

The Social Security Administration receives its mandatory allocation through the Committee on Ways and Means; this bill provides the funding for their administrative costs. Effective administration of this agency ensures efficient services to recipients. We have included $485 million, an increase in the funding for the Social Security Administration to improve delivery of benefits and expedite the processing of disability claims. I am sure all of my colleagues have experienced this, where people very much need the funding and to get their disability claims taken care of, and we recognize that; and we have added money so that we can speed up the process.

Mr. Chairman, much more could be said about this bill which touches every American at some point in life. We are mindful of the fiscal limitations of our bill and have tried to use the allocation to fund our highest priorities.

The French philosopher de Touqueville came to America in the 1800s and wanted to see what makes this country different, and he observed, ``America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.''

This bill is about the goodness of America. This bill is a perfect example of how the taxpayers of this country are providing funds to help others. It is a perfect example of caring for each other, and I think that is very much a part of the goodness of America. As I stated earlier, this bill is about hope. Someone once said, ``Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.'' We give hope to people who want better education. We give hope to people who want better health, and we give hope to those who are seeking retraining in order to get a job. This is very important in what this bill does for the people of this Nation. I think the people desire a good education, they desire meaningful jobs, and they desire good health.

Mr. Chairman, this bill does its best, within the constraints of what we had available, to meet the American people's needs. It is responsible, it is fair, and it is balanced. I ask my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Chairman, at this time 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 3 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker), a very valued member of our subcommittee.

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

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume to remind my colleagues that in what is a relatively short period of 9 years, the total of this bill has gone from $65 billion to $143 billion. That is a dramatic increase, and I think it recognizes the commitment on the part of Members on both sides that these are important issues that we are addressing in this bill. But I think it also reflects the fact that we have a caring approach.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon), a very valued member of the subcommittee.

Mr. Chairman, how much time do we have remaining?

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), a great member of our subcommittee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce and a great colleague from Ohio.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. One comment I would like to make, we are talking about a lot of programs here and an effort to improve education, but the bottom line is that the real work is done in the classroom. I just want to pay tribute to the teachers of America. I think we are so fortunate to have the dedicated people that are in the classroom. I have met many of them, as have you. As I said earlier, when I ask at a meeting, how many of you had a teacher that impacted your life, every hand in the room goes up.

So what our job is, with programs, provide support for those people that are out there and are dedicating their efforts and their lives to young people of this Nation, and we should say a big thank you to all of them.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. I commend the gentlewoman for what she is trying to do here. My concern is that if we diminish OSHA's impact, we will have more people going into the hospital. Part of the objective of OSHA is to have safety in the workplace and get fewer people in. I think her desire to improve the quality programs that are embodied in the amendment here, we will be sensitive to this in conference. We have no idea what the other body's bill is going to look like and where the emphasis is going to be. I appreciate the fact that the gentlewoman will withdraw her amendment, but we will keep this very much in mind.

I yield to the gentlewoman from Connecticut.

I thank the gentlewoman for her contribution.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I think the gentlewoman has a good amendment here. We are prepared to accept this, and I think in light of all the circumstances, the need for veterans' employment and training is growing, and, therefore, I think this is a very positive amendment, and we would be willing to accept it at this point.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order.

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

I appreciate the fact that the gentleman is withdrawing the amendment because there is not an offset, but I want to commend him for his thoughts on this issue because it is important. These centers are very important, and it is a classic example of what confronted us in the subcommittee, and that is, there is so much in the way of good things that need to be done, and we had to make priority judgments. We will keep this in mind as we go to conference, but I certainly think the need is out there.

I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

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

Mr. Chairman, there are a couple of things that I would point out in opposition to this. Number one, we are already recognizing the need for health statistics. In this bill, we have increased the amount for this purpose by $21,960,000. This is an increase of almost 20 percent over last year.

Secondly, at NIH we have increased the amount for monthly health and health disparities reports by $5.3 million.

So it is not the case that we have ignored the subject. I think we have tried to deal within the constraints of what we have available, and to take the money out of the other program, I think, would be just a mistake at this point. Therefore, I would be in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order against the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my point of order, and I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment, if I understand it correctly, takes $1 million out of abstinence and puts it into CDC without any clarity as to how it would be used in CDC. We have over $4 billion in CDC already. I do not think that adding another $1 million would be significant in their total budget; and in abstinence, it is important that we kept that as tight as possible. Again, it is a rearranging of priorities, and for that reason I object to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I just want to point out, we do have $22.5 million in the bill now for hepatitis C funding, and we recognize the importance of that, and we have done all that we could within the budget constraints, and there is a sizable amount there.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill through page 42, line 7 be considered as read, printed in the Record and open to amendment at any point.

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

Mr. Chairman, I want to point out that we recognized in our bill the importance of LIHEAP. We did increase it by $111 million over last year. The total provided in the bill is now $1.9 billion, a lot of money, and that is the formula grants that go right out to the States. In addition, there is $100 million for the contingent emergency fund, and lastly, in the weatherization assistance grant, which came to us from the Subcommittee on the Interior and Related Agencies, we are funded at $227 million.

None of us know exactly what the needs will be in the coming winter. It could be severe, it could be mild; and if it is a mild winter, I think this is more than adequate. If it is a severe winter, we may want to do a supplemental appropriation.

I yield to the gentleman from Vermont.

Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, it seems easy to take this out of the administrative

budget of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, but let me point out that he has a great challenge in oversight to manage that Department effectively, and that is part of his administrative budget.

Within that budget, he has to administer the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, HRSA, SAMHSA, the Indian Health Services, CMS, the children and families programs, the older americans programs and the health care quality. Now, that is quite a range of services that he has to manage effectively if they are going to serve the public well, and we are faced with some priority choices here.

Mr. Chairman, well, if the gentleman would be willing to withdraw, we certainly would keep it in mind in conference, because I understand. I come from a State where it gets reasonably cold in the winter, too.

I understand what the gentleman is saying about fuel costs. We do not know, I see gasoline is like a yo-yo. One day it is $1.89 out my way, and the next day it is $1.69. But the problem for the Secretary of HHS to manage all these agencies, what we have tried to do is put in a reasonable amount for his needs.

Now, in conference, maybe we can address this, and we would certainly keep it in mind if the gentleman would consider withdrawing it.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I have been very pleased to see that NIH has responded so quickly and thoughtfully to the House report language. I think it is a very simple proposition: NIH, or the taxpayer, pays for the research, even pays for the journals, and should be able to share the results with the taxpaying public. Our investment in research is not well served by a process that limits taxpayer access instead of expanding it, and I should add public access.

I encourage NIH to move expeditiously to finalize its proposal after considering the comments it receives on its policy. The public deserves nothing less.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on this, and we do not have a copy of the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, reluctantly we concede the point of order, but I would point out this is part of the President's request. It is a management tool to let the user pay for a service being provided by the government. But the gentleman is correct, it does violate the right of the authorizers to deal with this subject, and it is not a proper part of the bill.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, with the understanding that this has been cleared with the Committee on Ways and Means, we are prepared to accept this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on this amendment.

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

I appreciate the fact that the gentleman is withdrawing the amendment. I think it has been a good discussion about what is a continuing problem. We have recognized it to some extent by putting 12 million plus or minus in AHRQ to do this very thing, and it is something we should keep in mind in the future. But the problem here is there is no offset for the $50 million. I think the intention is good, but this has been a tough bill to make all the dollars fit.

I yield to the gentleman from Maine.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order.

Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the amendment because it provides an appropriation for an unauthorized program and therefore violates clause 2 of rule XXI. The pertinent part of clause 2 of rule XXI is as follows: An appropriation may not be in order as an amendment for an expenditure not previously authorized by law.

Mr. Chairman, the authorization for this program has not been signed into law, and therefore it violates clause 2 of rule XXI.

I ask for a ruling from the Chair.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order against the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my point of order.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill through page 95, line 21, be considered as read, printed in the Record, and open to amendment at any point.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the proposed amendment.

Mr. Chairman, we will have to insist on our point of order because obviously this is legislating on an appropriations, to add the language that the gentleman from Wisconsin is proposing. It violates clause 2 of rule XXI. The rule states in pertinent part that an amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order if it changes existing law. Obviously, this amendment proposes a change in existing law by prescribing changes in tax liabilities; and, therefore, we insist on our point of order.

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

I rise in support of this amendment. I think it is a fairness issue because we want to give all the children in the schools of the United States an opportunity. What this does, and unfortunately we had to drop it from the original bill, it was $296 million last year and down to zero, in an effort to beef up a lot of programs that are very important to Members.

But I think in fairness this is a very modest amendment that is being proposed by the gentleman from Arizona. It is $20 million. It gives the schools that are taking responsibility, the parochial schools, some of the private schools, some of the schools that are in another venue, and it is a modest amount to say to them, we understand and we care about what happens in your school, too. We care about the students in your school, that they get an equal shot or at least some help, a recognition of the importance of that.

The Even Start program will still have a lot of money left. It is not as if we are putting it way behind. In light of all that, I strongly support the amendment proposed by the gentleman from Arizona.

Mr. Chairman, we recognize the validity of the gentleman's point and we certainly, in light of the circumstances, concede that the point of order is valid.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order.

Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve a point of order.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

If I understand this correctly, the corporation would have to disclose information under the requirements of this section that would go beyond the pension part of their liability.

Mr. Chairman, I do. But we recognize that since it is a limitation amendment, that it would not be in order. On that basis, I withdraw it.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order against the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I understand what the gentleman is getting at. I think it is a very difficult definition as to what obesity would be because there are so many factors, but what we might consider and will look at in the conference would be some language just asking the Secretary to give us some idea of what kind of costs are going to be involved in implementing a program of this type, without putting a huge burden on the Secretary to implement or to go ahead with the program.

So I think the gentleman from Florida has served a useful purpose of causing us to focus on what could be a significant challenge prospectively.

I yield to the gentleman from Florida.

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

Mr. Chairman, I understand the gentleman's concern, and it is a worthy objective, but we have tried already to cut back. When we know that we are bringing out a bill of this magnitude that affects the lives of 280 million Americans in terms of their education, in terms of their health resources, in terms of the ability to find new employment opportunities, we have already pushed that as hard as we can; and we are under the cost of living. It is only a 2.2 percent increase over last year.

I think we have worked very hard to meet the needs of the American people in a very responsible way. While it seems like 1 percent is not a lot, it is $1.4 billion. And do we start taking it out of programs for special needs children, do we take it out of the title I, or do we take it out of health research? We realize the difficulty of applying something like this across the board.

Reluctantly, I oppose the amendment because I think we have already made a real effort to make this bill as financially responsible as possible, given the challenges of meeting the needs of the people of this Nation.

Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in honoring the work of Sandra Feldman as she retires as president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Ms. Feldman began her career as a teacher and has committed her life to working with and advocating for teachers across the country.

I want to draw attention today to some of her most recent work and that is her service on a distinguished panel known as the Teaching Commission. The Teaching Commission is a diverse group, comprising 19 leaders in government, business and education. The Commission recently released a Call to Action with specific recommendations to raise student performance by transforming the way in which America's public school teachers are recruited and retained. We know that a high- quality, caring, effective teacher can mean the difference between a lifetime of success or failure in a child's life. Ms. Feldman has dedicated her career to help ensure that every child has such a teacher--and hopefully many such teachers--in his or her life, and I want to personally thank Ms. Feldman for her work on the Teaching Commission.

As the AFT's first female president since 1930, Ms. Feldman has also broken ground for young women to follow in her footsteps. I want to thank Ms. Feldman for her tireless efforts and wish her all the best in the days and years to come.

Mr. Speaker, with great sorrow I rise today to recognize Michael Barkey, a constituent from the 16th District of Ohio, who gave his life fighting for our country. National Guard Sgt. Barkey died in an accident while serving with the 1484th transportation company in Iraq.

A football standout at Northwest High School in Canal Fulton Ohio, Barkey was known as a leader on and off the field. Family, friends, and coaches all recognized this young man's strong values and commitment to honor and integrity. He began his career with the National Guard to help pay his way through the University of Akron and was carrying on a long family tradition of military service.

This outstanding young man showed courage and a commitment to protect those who could not protect themselves. Without people of his moral fortitude, our Nation would not stand. Sgt. Barkey carried a medallion with the inscription ``With God all things are possible.'' We must trust that the dedication of men and women like Sgt. Barkey will create a safer America.

Sergeant Barkey and his family will be forever in our hearts and prayers. May we keep them in mind as they struggle through this difficult period of mourning.

Madam Speaker, I wanted to thank the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne). He is a good neighbor to Doug, and he is doing a great service to bring and have this Special Order.

I would like to begin my tribute to the service of Doug Bereuter by quoting a noted Irish statesman and philosopher, Edmund Burke, who said: ``Your representative owes you not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion.''

This quote reflects the hallmark of Doug Bereuter's service to his constituents and his country.

He has brought integrity and leadership to his service in the Congress and the people of Nebraska have been well-served by his dedication to effective government.

On a personal note, Mary and I treasure the friendship of Doug and Louise. We have been with them on their little farm out in Nebraska. It has been a wonderful relationship to have them as friends over the years.

It has also been a special privilege to be part of a U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly under the very capable leadership of Doug. I am pleased today to join my colleagues in wishing Doug Godspeed in his new challenge for service to our Nation.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Commerce, Justice, State appropriations bill, and commend the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Wolf) for crafting a fair and balanced bill, including the Justice Department, Commerce and State, as well as the Federal Judiciary. I would like particularly to comment on several issues of importance to me.

First, this bill provides a 4 percent increase for the International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce. The ITA serves several important functions that promote economic growth for U.S. workers and firms, including the opening of foreign markets for U.S. goods and the enforcement of trade laws and agreements. I join the chairman in strongly urging the Commerce Department to carefully analyze market trends in order to anticipate unfair trade practices and consult with foreign governments to preempt the requirement for unfair trade cases to be filed. This is particularly helpful to small- and medium-sized companies that have neither the time nor the resources to file lengthy and costly trade cases, but they do deserve the protection of our U.S. trade laws.

Further, I would like to highlight the directive to the Commerce Department to contract with the National Academy of Public Administration to conduct a comprehensive study of the effects of offshoring jobs on the United States workforce and economy. Many manufacturing jobs have left my congressional district in recent years, and I believe it is critical to have accurate data of where jobs are going and what economic impact this job movement is having on the U.S. economy.

I support the $10 million increase over the request for public diplomacy programs in this bill. It is important that we counter the anti-American sentiments that are being voiced in foreign public opinion polls and reflected in foreign media content. Public diplomacy is a critical tool to spread the message of who we are as Americans. The person-to-person exchanges that are promoted by these programs allow for the development of personal, long-term relationships that lead to mutual understanding and respect. We must continue to support these programs worldwide, but in particular, we must focus on programs with the Arab and Muslim world.

Mr. Chairman, I urge support of this important appropriations bill that funds our national and international security needs.

Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from Florida and I were probably the only two Members who were here when the Budget Committee was created and the budget process that we are talking about today. We had at that time great hopes that this would accomplish the goals of achieving fiscal responsibility. I think it is time that we take a look at this process to see if there are changes that can be made. I, for one, think that we might take a look at a 2-year budget as a possibility so that we can bring more certainty to the process. Because what we are doing is setting the parameters for those who execute the decisions that we make in terms of policy. But keep in mind, we always say this is the people's House. This is not the Office of Management and Budget's House. That is what we are talking about here, whether we would give OMB the ability to establish the priorities for the people. That is our job. That is why we get elected.

That is why Daniel Webster, if you read the statement above the Speaker's chair said, ``Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, built up its institutions, promote all its great interests and see whether we also in our day and generation may not perform things worthy to be remembered.'' Daniel Webster was a Member of the House. He was speaking in terms of the people's House. I think we have a responsibility to make these priority decisions. The subcommittee I chair is second only to defense in terms of funding levels and it is the one that touches the lives of 280 million Americans, providing funding for education, health research, and labor. We have dozens of hearings to give the people a chance to tell us what their priorities are and what is important in their lives. That is why it is essential that we have the responsibility for establishing through the budget process the broad parameters of spending, but more precisely the specific appropriations that reflect the priorities of the people should remain in the people's House.

If we truly want to make this the people's House and keep it that way, I think we should retain control of setting those priorities.

Mr. Speaker, President Ronald Reagan was a warm thoughtful leader who governed by the Golden Rule of caring for others. Many speakers have paid eloquent tribute to his role as both a world leader and a best friend of the American people. Because of our shared love of land I developed a personal relationship with President Reagan that I will always cherish.

Mr. Speaker, at the ceremony recognizing the 60th Anniversary of D-Day held at the United States Memorial Cemetery at Omaha Beach, you, Speaker Dennis Hastert, delivered a moving tribute to the courage and sacrifice of those who fought and died for freedom. The text of these thoughtful remarks follows:

D-Day Minus 1

Remarks by Speaker J. Dennis Hastert following a Mass by His Eminence

Francis Cardinal George of Chicago

[From the Omaha Beach Cemetery, France, June 5, 2004]

Thank you Cardinal George for your inspirational words.

Today we stand in this now peaceful cemetery, on the cliffs

overlooking the sea, in this field of white crosses and Stars

of David--straight and tall--as if they were young men

standing at attention.

Together we have made a pilgrimage to this ``hallowed

ground''--as Abraham Lincoln would have phrased it--to bear

witness to what took place here and to spend, at least a

fleeting moment, with our brothers that lie beneath this

ground--men who sacrificed on this foreign shore so that we

might live as free men and women.

It is our privilege, and our duty, to reflect upon the

courage and the heroism of those who were called upon to

defend our freedom. We honor those who lie here, but we also

embrace those who survived, and returned home to raise their

families and to build our nation as a beacon to freedom

loving people around the world.

Not far from here, at Pointe du Hoc, are the cliffs they

said no man could scale. But they were scaled by determined

men with ladders and ropes and grappling hooks in the midst

of a merciless hale of bullets and shrapnel.

Twenty years ago, on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day,

President Reagan looked out at those cliffs and asked, ``who

were these men?''

They were ordinary men doing extraordinary things. Men who

sought no territory--who sought no plunder--and who sought no

glory. They simply came, and many died, so we could live in

freedom.

``Where do we find such men?'' asked President Reagan. He

knew the answer. Over there--across the sea--In America.

Sixty years ago today, D-Day minus One, what were those

young men thinking as they waited to embark on one of the

great crusades of the millennium?

In those tension filled hours some found comfort in quiet

prayer. Others may have wondered why they were here.

What threat forced these farmers, accountants, factory

workers, college students, athletes and assorted other

laborers and professionals, to leave their families, their

careers and their American way of life?

They knew the answer. Hitler's Germany was that threat.

Hitler's hatred of freedom, his assault on common decency,

his brutal murder of millions of his own citizens, and his

determination to impose his sick vision of the future on the

free world.

To end Hitler's regime and restore common decency in the

world: that is why they were there.

Operation Overlord, as with the entire war effort, caused

great hardship. But out of such hardship was drawn great

courage, and from great courage were forged great leaders.

Some of that ``greatest generation'' returned home and

entered politics and went on to serve our Nation in the

Congress of the United States.

Sam Gibbons parachuted behind the lines here in Normandy,

preparing the way for the invasion that would follow. He

would later become a leader on the Ways and Means Committee.

Bob Michel, our beloved leader from Illinois, went ashore

here in Normandy and fought the Nazis all the way to

Bastogne, where he was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge.

The list of members who served our nation in the Second

World War, and still serve in the House of Representatives,

is growing ever shorter with the passage of time.

But those proud members--Henry Hyde of Illinois, Cass

Ballenger of North Carolina, John Dingell of Michigan, Amo

Houghton of New York, Ralph Hall of Texas, and Ralph Regula

of Ohio, still bring great honor to the United States House

of Representatives.

These Members of Congress and the men of the 1st Division,

some of whom are here today, and their millions of comrades-

in- arms, understood that the world-wide threat of fascism,

if left unchecked, would destroy the free world. They faced

that threat and they beat it.

I want to tell you that the ``Greatest Generation'' still

lives today and like the boys of the 1940s, it has a very

young face. They are the grandsons and the granddaughters of

those who hit this beach in France or raised that flag on Iwo

Jimi or pushed the communists back in Korea or in Vietnam.

How do I know that these young warriors of the 21st century

are also part of ``The Greatest Generation?'' Because I have

met some of them. I have visited them in hospital wards at

Walter Reed and in Landstuhl in Germany.

When you visit these young men and women--some of whom have

been severely wounded, and you ask them what they want, you

always get the same answer, ``I just want to go back and join

my unit, sir, to be with my comrades and do my job.''

It happens over and over again, the same response given

with pride and determination. I ask myself, often with tears

in my eyes as I walk away, ``Where do we find such men and

women?'' And I know the answer. All around me. Everywhere I

look. In America.

Today we face the threat of world-wide terrorism. Like the

Nazis of the 1930's, the terrorists of the 1990's were a

threat too often ignored.

But like Pearl Harbor, September 11th, 2001, shocked us out

of our complacency. As Americans, we love peace, but we love

freedom more. So we are facing the threat. And we will beat

it.

In war, we often sacrifice some of the best and the

brightest to further the cause of freedom. But we also forge

the leaders for the next generation.

We cannot know who will be the Bob Michel, or Bob Dole, or

Sam Gibbons of this new generation. But they are out there.

Perhaps serving today in a remote mountain camp in

Afghanistan, or in a village in Iraq, or on a ship at sea.

Their mission is not very different from that of 1944--to

preserve the freedoms that we cherish and to restore freedom

to oppressed people. They are fighting to make our homeland

safe. They are sacrificing for others.

Who are these ordinary men and women doing extraordinary

things you ask? I cannot tell you their names. But this I

know: They are Americans.

May God continue to Bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a dedicated soldier and citizen from my district in Ohio who gave his life defending our country. Private First Class Jesse Buryj (pronounced booty) died protecting a U.S. Army checkpoint in Iraq.

A graduate from McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio, he was a member of the marching band all four years and an outstanding citizen to his community. Growing up he served as a member of the Canton City Police Youth Corps with the lifelong dream of becoming a police officer in his hometown. Upon learning the age requirement to become a police officer was twenty-one years, he decided to join the army to serve his country until he could join the police force.

Pfc. Jesse Buryj served as a Military Police Officer for the Army and displayed great courage and dedication during his tour of duty. He died saving the lives of three of his comrades in Karbala, Iraq. He will be remembered as a hero to those men in Iraq and to all who knew him.

I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to his mother, father, sister, wife and all of his family and friends who are now mourning the loss of his life.

I pray for the safe return of all of our servicemen and women and thank them for the sacrifice they make every day defending our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the achievements of the Morton Salt plant, a company from Wayne County in Rittman, Ohio. I am confident that you will recognize this company by the Morton umbrella girl, a familiar sight on the Morton products, and by the slogan ``When It Rains It Pours.'' What you may not know is the long history of safety that the Rittman plant has experienced.

Today, I rise to recognize the dedicated employees of the Morton plant in Rittman, Ohio, for the recent achievement of 5 million work hours without a lost-time incident. This is a record within the Morton Salt Company as well as the entire North American salt industry.

Since 1848, the Morton Salt Company has been North America's leading producer and marketer of salt for home, water conditioning, industrial, agriculture, and highway use. Morton's Rittman's facility employees process thousands of tons of household salt each day.

As you know, Mr. Speaker, mining and manufacturing can be high-risk professions. This plant employs approximately 285 employees. And since June of 1995, injury accidents have not forced any worker to take time off from work. This milestone shows the dedication to health and safety of these people. I congratulate all of them for their outstanding achievement.

Mr. Speaker, today, March 30, 2004, marks the 151st anniversary of the death of First Lady Abigail Powers Fillmore, founder of the very first White House Library.

Abigail Powers was born on March 13, 1798, in Stillwater, NY, and received a good education and love for learning and libraries through the personal library of her father, Reverend Lemuel Powers (d. 1800). She became a school teacher at age sixteen and helped establish a small circulating library in Kelloggsville, New York about 1817 that greatly influenced the intellectual development of her future husband and President of the United States, Millard Fillmore.

Abigail Powers Fillmore found the White House destitute of books when she became First Lady in 1850 and encouraged and supported her husband's request for appropriations from Congress to establish a library in the Executive Mansion. She used the $2,250 appropriated by the 31st Congress to select library books for the Executive Mansion and transform the Yellow Oval Room into the first official White House Library. Subsequently, the White House Library was the center of many cultural, social, and political activities during the Fillmore Presidency and has been a legacy enjoyed by subsequent presidential administrations for over 150 years.

We honor the life and work of Abigail Powers Fillmore. She serves as a reminder to us of the importance of continuing to advocate for libraries and for educational programs. In these times of economic difficulty and challenge, we continually are reminded of the key role libraries play in providing Americans with the opportunities they need to promote lifelong learning.

Mr. Speaker, with great sorrow I rise today to recognize Richard P. Ramey, an Ohio citizen from my district, who gave his life fighting for our country. On Sunday, February 8th, 2004, in Iraq, Staff Sergeant Ramey was killed by a roadside bomb.

From training as a boy scout to his position on the Perry High School football team and then as a member of the Army, Staff Sergeant Ramey grew to be a leader. He graduated from high school in 1995 and began his career serving in the Army that same year. He was carrying on a family tradition in military service.

This outstanding young man showed courage and a commitment to protect those who could not protect themselves. Those who knew him recognized how proud he was to serve in the military. Staff Sergeant Ramey is a true hero and a reminder of the dedication evidenced by all the men and women all over the world fighting the war on terror. We must reflect on this great life and all the good that is being done in Iraq.

Staff Sergeant Ramey and his family will be forever in our hearts and prayers. May we keep them in mind as they struggle through this difficult period of mourning.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the J.M. Smucker Company. The Ohio-based Smucker Company was recently ranked number one on Fortune Magazine's annual ``Top 100 Companies to Work For'' list.

Founded in 1897 in Orrville, Ohio, Smucker sold its first product-- apple butter--from the back of a horse drawn wagon. Today, the company is the market leader for an array of fruit spreads, toppings, beverages and natural foods. Smucker employs some 2,430 people in the U.S. and maintains 12 manufacturing plants worldwide.

Since its inception in 1897, the Smucker Company has grown to earn a national reputation as a premier and model employer. Sustaining job security and stability for employees even through difficult economic times has been a recurring theme in the company's success. In fact, Smucker has never resorted to layoffs to cope with a lagging economy. Still, Smucker continues to enjoy great success. Sales for the company are up 91 percent from last year alone.

I applaud the J.M. Smucker Company for this recognition as an exemplary employer and I wish it continued growth and prosperity.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge Members to support this bill, but I just want to address a few of the highlights in the Labor, HHS, and Education portions.

One, the Department of Education gets an increase of 4.8 percent which is above the overall rate of inflation, and, I think, recognizes the importance of education. Special education has an additional $200 million over the House-passed number, for a total increase of $1.2 billion over last year.

Reading programs have been increased in the overall bill, as has improving teacher quality, which I think is extremely important. We have a number of programs in here that are important from the standpoint of improving teacher quality, including increasing the number of math and science teachers. Pell Grants are maintained at the highest level ever. Impact Aid is $48 million over last year. After- school programs are $400 million over the President's request because we recognize the importance of these programs to young people. TRIO and Gear-Up are increased, Head Start is increased $148 million over last year, and we maintained comprehensive school reform. That is particularly important in addressing the dropout rate.

Community health centers are expanded. I think most of us know from experience that these are an important part of a community's health program, to have funding for these health centers, and we provide funds to expand them.

National Institutes of Health, we give them an increase of more than 7 percent if we take into account one-time costs in fiscal year 2003. The same is true for a number of activities, such as international HIV, infectious disease, homeland security biodefense. In addition, LIHEAP is fund at $1.9 billion.

I am particularly pleased that in the Labor Department, we are supporting job training programs. The worker training programs are extremely important, particularly as people shift to new types of employment. As the overall job economy changes in our society, it is important that we have a place that people can go and know that there is hope for getting a new job or getting a better job or getting an opportunity. I am glad we were able to do that in this bill.

Overall, I think the Labor-HHS portion of the bill is very responsive to the needs of our people. It is less than 4 percent overall, which is lower than the rate of inflation. It is about 3.4 percent over last year.

Mr. Speaker, given the fact that these programs are very important to people, touch the lives of 280 million Americans in one way or another, the subcommittee and the conference committee tried to address these challenges in the most effective way possible. I urge support of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, Division E of this conference agreement provides funding for a broad range of programs and activities affecting the lives of nearly every American. It provides help to workers looking for retraining or enhancing their job skills, assistance for teachers working hard to educate our children, support for families in need of health services, and funding for scientists seeking to understand and cure disease. The agreement totals $139 billion in discretionary spending, an increase of less than 4 percent over 2003.

In the area of education, I want to begin by laying out a few basic facts. Federal funds for education have more than doubled over the past 8 years. Discretionary appropriations for the U.S. Department of Education have climbed from $23 billion in FY1996 to $55.7 billion in this bill. This is an increase of 141 percent. The problem in American education is not lack of spending. It is lack of accountability for results. With the help of the reforms put in place by the No Child Left Behind Act, being implemented by good teachers and principals and caring parents all across this country, we are changing things for the better.

I will give a few examples of how this bill takes a focused approach to improving education for our Nation's children. First, funding for Special Education for disabled children is increased by $1.2 billion in this bill, bringing total funding to $10 billion. Meeting our Federal commitment in this program has been a priority for the Congress for the past 8 years, and this bill continues that progress.

Second, Title I, which helps children from low-income homes achieve academic success, is increased by nearly $700 million to a total of $12.35 billion. Coupled with the new accountability standards in No Child Left Behind, Title I has the potential to change ``business as usual'' at our public schools.

Third, reading programs, which use sound scientific evidence to help children learn to read effectively, are funded at over $1 billion, representing a tripling of these funds in just 3 years. These programs are important because we know that many children are placed in special education simply because they have not been taught to read properly. By investing in sound reading programs, we can ensure that every child gets the help to excel in reading at a young age.

tchr quality--comprehensive school reform

There are many other good education programs funded in this bill. We have increased funding for training teachers, especially math and science teachers, so that our future workforce can compete in the high- tech, global marketplace. We have included funds for after school and mentoring activities. We have increased funding for student aid programs and other higher education programs to help all students have a chance to realize the dream of graduating from college. Seventy-one education programs have been increased above last year's level in this bill. At the same time, other programs have been cut or eliminated from the budget entirely because they have not proven their results or because they duplicate other programs.

Our conference bill also invests in important health service and research programs. Community health centers, which are the backbone of medical care in many communities, receive an increase of $120 million, which puts our efforts ahead of the benchmark anticipated in the President's 5-year expansion plan. Maintaining the congressional commitment to supporting the important care provided by our pediatric hospitals, the conference agreement provides a $13 million increase for the graduate medical education program for children's hospitals. To ensure that we have enough health care providers for these community clinics and hospitals, we have preserved the health professions and nurse training programs in the face of drastic reductions proposed by the administration.

I'm pleased to report that we were able to provide more than a 30 percent increase for the abstinence education program, which I know many of our Members believe is very important to strengthen their communities.

We continue our commitment to biomedical research to provide the breakthroughs necessary to improve the quality of care we can give our citizens and provide answers to families who are desperate for help. The conference agreement provides over a 3 percent increase for the National Institutes of Health. This year's increase follows the successful campaign to double funding for NIH--in the previous 5 years, the NIH appropriation jumped from $13.6 billion to almost $27 billion. I am confident that the roadmap for future NIH investments developed by the new director of NIH will mold and discipline this investment to ultimately make possible better health care for our communities.

The conference agreement includes $100 million to fund a new substance abuse treatment voucher program, Access to Recovery, which will open new pathways to people who need treatment for addiction. By investing in this new initiative, Congress is giving hope to those who are lost in the cycle of addiction. This program will increase treatment capacity and access to providers by giving vouchers to those most in need.

In the area of faith-based programming, the conference agreement provides a 30 percent increase over last year. Increasing the capacity of small faith-based groups to provide outreach and services to our communities means that more people in need will be served. Programs in this bill with a faith component provide a wide-range of services including mentoring, substance abuse treatment, refugee services, child abuse prevention, and many others.

To provide services to families and individuals who care for their elderly loved ones, $160 million is provided for the Family Caregiver Program within the Administration on Aging. This program provides information, assistance, counseling, respite and supplemental services to the millions of caregivers who are the most important long-term care resource in the country. This support allows our Nation's elderly to remain at home for as long as possible.

For the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the agreement provides $1.9 billion. Within those funds, the conferees have included $100 million to meet the additional home energy assistance needs arising from a natural disaster or other emergency.

While much more could be said about how this bill will benefit the American people, I will stop here and simply say, it is a responsible bill, crafted during tight budget times, that tries to direct resources to programs that work for people most in need. I want to thank Chairman Young for his assistance in forging this agreement. We had some tough issues to resolve with the other body. Of the nearly 600 programs and activities funded in the bill, 61 percent of them were at different levels between the two bodies. On top of that, several difficult policy items had to be resolved.

I also say to my friend, Mr. Obey, this year has been difficult for both of us. I respect your deep commitment to the programs in this bill and understand the reason for your opposition. I trust that in the future, we can again be partners.