Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I regret that I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall Nos. 216, 217 and 218.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1777) to make technical corrections to the Higher Education Act of 1965, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H.R. 1777 into the Record.

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

I rise today in support of H.R. 1777, a bill to make technical corrections to the Higher Education Act.

Last year we enacted the first reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in 10 years. As the administration has moved swiftly to implement the new law, embarking on a new round of negotiated rulemaking, we have identified areas of the law needing technical corrections or clarifications that require our action today.

While many of the provisions of this bill make minor corrections, there are several amendments included in H.R. 1777 that are of particular importance because of the profound impact that they will have on students and families.

I would like to highlight three areas that deserve special attention, Mr. Speaker.

First, H.R. 1777 will head off a looming logjam in the PLUS Loan Program for parents. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act included a program to pilot using an auction mechanism for setting the rate of return for lenders in the PLUS Loan Program for parents. The auction is scheduled to go into effect this year. Given our fiscal climate, there is concern that there will not be enough bidders to hold the auction. This means that families accepting parent loans in their financial aid packages cannot complete the applications until the lenders are identified through the auction process. H.R. 1777 will delay the auction for another year, thereby ensuring that parents face no delay in the application process for PLUS Loans due to the uncertainty surrounding bids.

H.R. 1777 also makes two important changes to ensure that veterans get the full amount of educational assistance that Congress intended. This legislation clarifies that GI Bill benefits are to be exempted for consideration in calculating eligibility for student financial aid. Additionally, it ensures that this exemption is in place for the upcoming academic year.

Finally, H.R. 1777 will ensure that the Federal Government keeps its promise to borrowers who seek to rehabilitate their student loans. In the Higher Education Act, Congress provided an avenue for borrowers who have defaulted on their student loans to restore their credit and to rehabilitate their defaulted loans.

After nine on-time payments, a borrower in default may rehabilitate the loan and may clean up his credit rating. This policy is a win-win. It helps borrowers establish regular payment histories, and it restores their credit while helping the Federal Government collect unpaid student loans.

Guaranty agencies, such as the Texas Guaranty Student Loan Corporation in my own home State of Texas, have been working diligently with defaulted borrowers to help them restore their credit and to return their loans to good standing. Unfortunately, the last step in the rehabilitation process occurs when the guaranty agency sells the rehabilitated loan to a lender. Because of our financial crisis, there are no buyers for these loans. This means that, despite doing everything that was required of them, borrowers cannot get the benefit of rehabilitating their loans.

This legislation will fix that problem by allowing guaranty agencies to assign or to sell loans that meet the rehabilitation requirements to the Department of Education. This bill also ensures that the record of default is removed from the borrower's credit rating.

According to the Department of Education, without this change this year, approximately 160,000 borrowers will be denied the rehabilitation benefits that they have earned. Last month alone, Texas estimates that over 4,500 borrowers met the rehabilitation requirements but could not complete the process because of the lack of a lender. Today, 19 of the 35 guaranty agencies report having no lender willing or able to buy rehabilitation loans. These include our largest agencies that serve Texas, that serve California, New York, Florida, Illinois, and many other States.

We made a commitment to these borrowers, telling them that, if they stepped up and made the on-time payments, the Federal Government would help them restore their credit. We must keep that commitment by passing

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the gentleman from Kentucky if he has any further speakers.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the manager's amendment and the underlying bill, the GIVE Act, H.R. 1388. This legislation reauthorizes and strengthens our national service programs. I would like to thank my good friend, Carolyn McCarthy, chairwoman of the Healthy Families and Community Subcommittee, as well as the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Platts), Chairman Miller and Ranking Member McKeon for their bipartisan work on this fine legislation.

The spirit of service runs strong in our Nation. Many Americans-- young and old, rich and poor--look for ways to give back to their communities and to the Nation. During difficult times such as those we are facing today, we need to enable more people to answer the call to serve.

I am proud to have served on our Knapp Hospital board in Weslaco for nearly 10 years. Another great board where I served from 1984 to 1994 was the Boys and Girls Club board of directors. During those 10 years, I saw the need for helping young children get involved after school and on weekends, and saw how the programs that we developed on education and sports helped keep them out of trouble and helped raise them to be college-ready.

The GIVE Act is the first reauthorization of our national service programs in 16 years, and it is long overdue. With this legislation, we will set a national goal for volunteers of 250,000 by the year 2014. It addresses a wide range of community needs, from disaster relief to health care to education, nonprofits, and housing.

I am especially proud that the GIVE Act, through this manager's amendment, harnesses the power of service to promote and strengthen financial literacy. Our economic crisis has shed an unflattering light on the lack of financial and economic knowledge across the Nation, especially in the communities that can least afford it. The GIVE Act will put resources and volunteers into our communities to help turn this around.

The GIVE Act will make our great tradition of service even stronger. I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, over the years, Texas community banks have provided the loans and services to small businesses and others, which have helped me help my district. Together, the community banks, the credit unions, the chambers of commerce, the mayors, the Texas Senate and House, the Public Housing Authorities, the CDCs, and many more in the Rio Grande Valley helped me reduce the unemployment rate in my district from 23 percent when I first arrived in Congress all the way down to 6 percent, which has increased to 9 percent in January 2009.

I want to impress upon you the need for all of us on this Committee, the House of Representatives, the Congress in general and the Executive branch to keep in mind the importance of community banks. It is a small--but vital--sector in the overall health of our economy. Community banks foster economic growth and serve their communities, boost small businesses, and help increase individual savings, which is of particular importance to me as Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus.

While community banks are not the cause of the current crisis, they are feeling its effects. Commercial banks and savings institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) reported a net loss of $26.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2008.

However, more than two-thirds of all insured institutions were profitable in the fourth quarter of 2008, including community banks. ``Unfortunately, their earnings were outweighed by large losses at a number of big banks'', as stated by the FDIC in their Quarterly Banking Report.

Total deposits increased by $307.9 billion (3.5 percent), the largest percentage increase in 10 years, with deposits in domestic offices registering a $274.1 billion (3.8 percent) increase. And at year-end, nearly 98 percent of all insured institutions, representing almost 99 percent of industry assets, met or exceeded the highest regulatory capital standards.

I agree with a statement made by Chairman Sheila Bair that, and I quote, ``public confidence in the banking system and deposit insurance is demonstrated by the increase in domestic deposits during the fourth quarter. Clearly, people see an FDIC-insured account as a safe haven for their money in difficult times.''

Higher level of losses for actual and anticipated failures caused the FDIC Deposit Insurance Fund balance to decline during the fourth quarter of 2008 by $16 billion, to $19 billion (unaudited) at December 31. In addition to having $19 billion available in the fund, $22 billion has been set aside for estimated losses on failures anticipated in 2009. The fund reserve ratio declined from 0.76 percent at September 30, 2008, to 0.40 percent in the last quarter of 2008. The statutory ``targeted'' reserve ratio for the FDIC fund is 1.15 percent.

When the FDIC Board recently met to address DIF' s fund reserve ratio, they decided to increase deposit insurance assessment rates beginning in the second quarter of 2009 and to consider adopting enhancements to the risk-based premium system.

I must admit that I was surprised and concerned when I read the FDIC's press release announcing that the FDIC Board adopted an interim rule to impose a 20 basis point ``emergency special assessment'' on the industry on June 30, 2009. The assessment is to be collected on September 30, 2009. The interim rule would also permit the Board to impose an additional emergency special assessment after June 30, 2009, of up to 10 basis points if they deem it necessary to maintain public confidence in federal deposit insurance.

The FDIC merged the Bank Insurance Fund (BIF) and the Savings Association Insurance Fund (SAW) to form the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIE) on March 31, 2006 in accordance with the Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act of 2005. As a result of the merger of the BIF and SAW, all insured institutions are subject to the same assessment rate schedule, but not necessarily the same assessment rate.

What is key here is the amount each institution is assessed is based upon statutory factors that include the balance of insured deposits as well as the degree of risk the institution poses to the insurance fund. Community banks do not pose a risk to the solvency of the Deposit Insurance Fund and its Designated Reserve Ratio and were not a party to the activities that led to such a low DIF ratio to the best of my knowledge.

The FDIC has a $30 billion line of credit with the Treasury Department to meet its obligations. I am not opposed to the FDIC tapping that source. Our nation is in a severe economic crisis, and the FDIC plays a pivotal role in the financial system. We need to provide Chairman Bair and the Board with as much support as possible while simultaneously avoiding imposing unnecessary and unwarranted special assessments on financial institutions that had nothing to do with the current economic crisis or the condition of the overall banking industry.

The FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund currently has $19 billion available, $20 (you indicate $22B earlier) billion set-aside for estimated losses on failures anticipated in 2009, and a $30 billion line of credit with the Department of Treasury, bringing the total ``available'' to $69 billion.

Legislation that recently passed the House and is being considered in the Senate included a $70 billion increase in the FDIC's line of credit at Treasury to $100 billion, more than three-fold, and was intentionally capped at $100 billion during a markup, bringing the total dollar amount available for the Deposit Insurance Fund to $139($141?) billion, provided the legislation passes and is signed by the President.

Although very pleased to learn that Chairman Bair would cut the emergency special assessment in half, to 10 basis points, provided Congress increases the FDIC's borrowing authority to $100 billion, a quid pro quo, I remain

steadfast in my opposition to any special assessment that would be imposed on community banks.

Community banks did not cause the economic crisis. To the best of my knowledge, community banks do not pose a threat to the Deposit Insurance Fund or its Designated Reserve Ratio. Community banks did what they always do, they took care of their communities, small businesses, faith-based groups, community-based groups, nonprofits, Cesar Chavez entities and many, many others.

Under the restoration plan approved last October, the FDIC Board set a rate schedule to raise the DIF reserve ratio to 1.15 percent within five years. Recent actions taken by the FDIC extends the restoration plan horizon to seven years in recognition of the current significant strains on banks and the financial system and the likelihood of a severe recession.

I agree with FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair's statement in the release that, and I quote, ``Public confidence in the FDIC guarantee has helped assure a stable source of funding for banks in these troubled times.'' However, I am curious as to why community banks that played little to no role in the current financial crisis will have to pay a special assessment for something they did not do. I understand the argument that it's best to impose the assessment on all the insured institutions across the board. But, it is flawed. And, I'll ask one more time why should community banks that had little to nothing to do with the current crisis have to pay the special assessment?

They are small institutions that are well-capitalized whose funds are needed by local communities. Only thirteen out of 640 community banks in Texas have opted to participate in Treasury's Capital Purchase Program, and none of them are based out of my district.

As noted, the Full Committee and subsequently the House of Representatives passed legislation authorizing the FDIC to borrow up to $100 billion from Treasury. Recently, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd introduced legislation that would give the FDIC's Board of Directors, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the President, the power to increase the FDIC's borrowing authority above the $100 billion cap to an amount they deem necessary to maintain the stability and designated reserve ratio of the FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund, but not to exceed $500 billion. This borrowing authority would sunset on December 31, 2010.

I support Chairman Dodd's legislation--both its intent and its language--in large part due to the strict requirements it imposes on the FDIC, the Federal Reserve, and Treasury (in consultation with the President) prior to granting the authority for the FDIC to borrow beyond the proposed $100 billion threshold as capped in the House- passed version of the legislation. It is sound public policy.

At the same time, with all the funds the FDIC currently has available and the additional borrowing authority it likely will have soon, I don't believe it needs to tap the community banks in my district, in Texas and the United States.

I have the utmost respect and confidence in Chairman Bair. I laud her for her commitment to financial literacy, especially her efforts to bring the unbanked into the mainstream financial system and away from check cashers, and payday and predatory lenders. I acknowledge and commend her and the FDIC Board for all their efforts and success at addressing the current economic crisis, up to a point.

The FDIC's proposed emergency special assessment will not only negatively impact community banks, but it will not help me in my capacity as Co-Chair of the Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus. It will not help me as a member of the Financial Services Committee. It definitely will not help me, a representative of the poorest county in the country, to bring the unbanked into the mainstream financial system.

There are alternatives to what the FDIC is proposing. If the FDIC needs additional funds to meet the designated reserve ratio, it can easily change the assessment base from domestic deposits to all deposits. The FDIC could tap temporary funding from the Treasury, like Wall Street firms, to re-capitalize the insurance fund, giving Main Street banks time to strengthen their balance sheets and allow local lending activities to continue, and grow, to help our struggling economy recover, rather than constrict lending further by imposing a new debt obligation on already burdened balance sheets.

I cannot support a policy in which a federal agency takes funds from my district, which includes Hidalgo County--the poorest county in the country--and transfers them to the limited areas of the country in which the large banks and entities other than community banks or credit unions, with the help of certain regulators, created the current global economic crisis.

Madam Speaker, I hope that someone out there is listening.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the mighty Santa Rosa Warriors (30-6), who last Saturday represented the City of Santa Rosa and the entire Rio Grande Valley of South Texas in winning the Class 2A 2009 Region IV-2A championship game against Randolph, Texas. The Warriors won in dramatic fashion in overtime and will now take on Ponder, Texas in the state semifinals.

The Rio Grande Valley is a Texas region with a long tradition of great high school sports successes, with state titles in football

and soccer. In reaching the final four, the Warriors are now at the brink of adding a basketball state title to our impressive history of victories.

When any high school team approaches the pinnacle of high school sports--state championship glory--the entire region comes together to cheer on that team. That is the case as the Warriors advance forward one win at a time. On March 13, at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin all of Santa Rosa, all of Cameron County, all of the Rio Grande Valley, and all of South Texas will be rallying for the Warriors. All Valley high schools are united as Santa Rosa takes the court to face their next formidable opponent.

The Warriors have reminded all of us that with outstanding players, solid coaches, hard work, disciplined training, committed parents, and a supportive school, more state titles are in our future. Thank you, Warriors, for representing your school and the Rio Grande Valley so admirably for all the State of Texas to see.

As their Congressman, I am so proud of the Santa Rosa High School Warriors for their outstanding wins on the basketball court and for playing their heart out throughout the season in their fight for a state crown. Please join me in applauding the coaches and each and every one of the Warriors: Coach Johnny Cipriano; Assistant Coaches Omar Guerra and Juan Esparza; Dario Mendoza, Junior; Ruben Lopez, Sophomore; Jacob Garcia, Senior; Jesus Mosqueda, Sophomore; Chris Diaz, Sophomore; Danny Theys, Junior; Rick Cavazos, Junior; Aaron Ramirez, Freshman; Ivan Martinez, Senior; Mark Cordero, Sophomore; Nacho Serrato, Sophomore.

Again, congratulations to the Warriors and their families, Santa Rosa High School, the City of Santa Rosa, and the Rio Grande Valley.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), which is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year.

CAL was established in 1959 in Washington, DC by a grant from the Ford Foundation. At the close of the 1950s, issues of U.S. language capacity, interest in U.S. and international language policy, and the emergence of English as a world language created a demand for expertise in linguistics and language training. CAL's primary function was to serve as a liaison between the academic world of linguistics and the language-related concerns of the practical world. CAL was the first organization to focus on the identification of qualified personnel for language-related professions, professional development for language teachers and development of linguistically sound materials for English as a second language as well as foreign language instruction.

CAL's original mandate was to improve the teaching of English around the world; encourage the teaching and learning of less commonly taught languages; contribute new knowledge to the field by conducting language research; and serve as a clearinghouse for information collection, analysis, and dissemination and as a coordinating agency to bring together scholars and practitioners involved in language-related issues. This was accomplished by convening meetings and issuing papers that addressed crucial language and education issues; consulting with ministries of education of countries that were newly independent, particularly in East Africa and the Middle East; working on English language learning among Native American populations; and developing materials in the less commonly taught languages.

During the Cold War, CAL enabled Eastern European scholars to disseminate their work in linguistics. During the height of the civil rights movement, CAL developed the Urban Language Program and invested resources in American dialect work, beginning with African American varieties and expanding to other ethnic and regional dialects. When large numbers of refugees arrived from Southeast Asia, CAL responded with resources to support their orientation and resettlement. In the last several decades, attention to the education of child and adult immigrants has expanded significantly. Recently, the organization has addressed national security needs by expanding the availability of resources in critical languages, such as Arabic and Chinese.

From its inception, CAL has grown and evolved to meet the needs of a changing world by providing reliable and objective information and by making complex linguistic issues comprehensible to students, researchers, teachers, parents, policy makers, and the general public. Central to its work is its research and seminal publications that serve as the basis for assessment, language education, bilingual education, English as a foreign/second language, language policy, and second language acquisition. Details of CAL's current work can be found at its website www.cal.org.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 180) supporting the goals and ideals of the third annual America Saves Week.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.

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

I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 180, supporting the goals and ideals of the third annual America Saves Week, which runs from February 22 to March 1.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank Chairman Frank for his assistance in bringing this important and timely resolution to the House floor.

I also want to express my sincere appreciation for all that my friend, Congresswoman Judy Biggert, has done over the years to help improve the financial literacy rates for all the individuals across the United States at all stages of life. In 2004, she and I co-founded and currently co-chair the Financial Economic Literacy Caucus. Without Congresswoman Biggert, I don't think we would have gotten as far as we have promoting financial literacy and, hopefully, making a measurable difference. I must say that we definitely have let the financial literacy genie out of the bottle.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank Congresswoman Biggert's staff, Nicole Austin and Zachary Cikanek and all they are doing to help Judy and me to attain our goal.

Financial literacy is one of the most important issues for most Americans, whether it involves saving enough money for their children's college education, saving for an unforeseen emergency, a house, maybe a car, or their retirement.

The personal savings rate has been low, reaching a 12-month average of 0.6 percent in 2007 before rebounding to a 12-month average of 1.7 percent in 2008. The 2007 Federal Reserve Board's Survey of Consumer Finances found that only 44 percent of American families reported that they did not save in 2007. Furthermore, the survey found that less than half of the population has the following: number 1, a savings account; number 2, a month of savings or liquid assets; and number 3, the Federal Reserve Board's survey also found that those folks residing in the United States don't have 6 to 12 months worth of emergency savings they might need for an incident such as unexpected unemployment, a medical crisis, rent or a mortgage payment adjustment enabling them to avoid foreclosure.

Research has found that there are savers and there are spenders in all income classes, and almost all have the ability to build wealth through contributions to a workplace retirement program, building home equity and other savings.

Older Americans are more likely to live within 200 percent of poverty than any other age group, and more than 60 percent of the current elderly population relies on Social Security for three-fourths of their annual income. What I find even more alarming is that the average savings of retirees remain at $50,000, and the current financial crisis is draining those funds.

To shed light on all these shortcomings, as well as provide ways to address them, America Saves, managed by the Consumer Federation of America, was established 8 years ago as an annual nationwide campaign that encourages consumers, especially lower income households, to enroll as American savers and establish a personal savings goal in an effort to build personal wealth and to enhance financial security. America Saves now has 53 local, State and national campaigns working with over 500 mainstream financial institutions like banks, which provide no-fee or low-fee or low-opening-balance savings accounts that allow small savers to achieve success.

Government and non-government entities at the local, State and national levels organize America Saves campaigns to encourage individuals to open savings accounts, to participate in workplace retirement programs, and devise a savings plan. As a result of America Saves, over 1,000 local, State and national organizations have motivated more than 145,000 people to enroll as American savers.

The primary focus of this year's America Saves Week is establishing an automatic and habitual savings, a theme reflected in the work of the Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus, Federal agencies, non-profits, community-based groups, private sector organizations and the Employee Benefit Research Institutes and its America Savings Educational Council's Choose to Save Campaign. I personally have a 5 percent deduction made from my payroll check and have it placed into my savings account in the Federal Thrift Savings Program.

I want to acknowledge the tireless efforts of the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones to eliminate predatory lending, increase the Nation's savings rate, and to improve the overall economic situation of all those residing in the United States. I respected her personally, and want all those listening today, and for all those who will read today's Congressional Record far into the future, to know how much we respected her, that we miss her and honor her today for her relentless dedication to protecting consumers at a very difficult time. Through her efforts and hopefully, now those of the Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus, Congresswoman Biggert and I co-founded and now co- chair, we hope to protect our constituents and encourage savings.

I am very pleased that Federal agencies, States, localities, schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, other entities and the people of the United States are observing the third annual America Saves Week with a goal of increasing the savings rates for individuals of all ages and of all walks of life.

I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this important resolution.

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

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am quite surprised to hear the thoughts and ideas of my friend from Texas, and I am of the total opposite belief.

I say that saving at this time is the right thing for America, and that is why we saw such an increase in savings in 2008, because the American public has lost confidence, has lost hope in what happened to the stock market in 2008. So I say that Americans are correct in saving their money in ways that they know how and that they follow the ideas that this organization that Mrs. Biggert and I have been championing, because it is the right thing to do. I urge all Members of this Congress to vote in favor of this resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I regret that I was unavoidably detained yesterday evening. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 57, 58, and 59.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend my colleague Congressman John Dingell on his five decades of distinguished service to the people of Michigan and the United States.

Today we celebrate Congressman Dingell becoming the longest-serving Member of the United States House of Representatives in this body's history. As we recognize our colleague's longevity, we reserve our highest of praise for the exceptional record of service he has compiled over his years of service.

Our Nation owes a debt of gratitude for Mr. Dingell's career. If not for John Dingell, millions of children would not have received health care under the Children's Health Insurance Program. If not for John Dingell, hundreds of animal species would not have been saved from extinction by the Endangered Species Act. If not for John Dingell, our atmosphere would not have been protected by the effects of the Clean Air Act. If not for John Dingell, our Nation's workers, environment, children, and people would not enjoy so many of the protections they do today.

As we commemorate this historical milestone in Congressman Dingell's career, we must recognize his determination to continue advocating on behalf of all American citizens. Every Congress, Congressman Dingell introduces legislation creating a health care system guaranteeing coverage to every American. As this House honors its Dean with our words today, I hope that we may have the opportunity to honor him with our deeds by finally creating a long-overdue universal health care system before the end of this Congressional session.

I join my colleagues in applauding the career of Congressman Dingell and thank Mr. Dingell for his decades of service to our Nation.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 56, expressing support for National School Counseling Week.

I thank Congresswoman Linda Sanchez of California and Congressman Vern Ehlers of Michigan as well as Congressman David Loebsack for bringing this important resolution to Congress.

Madam Speaker, effective school counseling programs are critical to boosting academic achievement and eliminating achievement gaps in our Nation's schools. School counselors work with the whole child, providing guidance and support for their academic, personal, social and career development. And they can advise parents to invest in Children's Early Reading Plus Writing Equals Success in Education programs. RIF is a good example of reading literacy, and it is being used in my congressional district with great support from our school counselors.

For many first generation college students, the school counselor is their lifeline to information about preparing for, applying to, and paying for college. In many schools, the counselors office is the safe haven where students can turn for help with challenges at home or at school.

Our best counselors see themselves as student advocates. Unfortunately, school counselors are not always treated as mission- critical faculty or staff in our schools; they're often the first to be downsized in economic hard times. We can already see what's happening as local schools are forced to cut staff to make up for school budget shortfalls.

The American School Counselor Association recommends a student-to- counselor ratio of 250 to 1. Today, the national average is 475 to 1. In my own home State of Texas, the ratio is 437 to 1. And across the Nation, only four States meet the target ratio. Some States have ratios in the range of 1,000 students per counselor, and we must do better than that.

As we celebrate School Counseling Week, we should thank our school counselors for their work to prepare our next generation for success. We should also acknowledge our national failure to provide adequate counseling for our students. Most of all, we should also pledge to do something about it.

I urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support House Resolution 56, supporting National School Counseling Week.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 41) supporting the goals and ideals of National Mentoring Month 2009.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House Resolution 41 into the Record.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 41, which recognizes January as National Mentoring Month.

Today, we acknowledge and thank the millions of caring adults and students who are volunteering as mentors. I commend their generous efforts. National Mentoring Month also serves as a great opportunity to recruit additional mentor volunteers.

I would also like to recognize the tremendous leadership of the resolution's author, Congresswoman Susan Davis from California, on the issue of mentoring. She is a true champion and advocate for mentoring on the Education and Labor Committee. She reminds us that everyone can benefit from a mentoring relationship: young, old, students, teachers, and, yes, even Members of Congress and other public servants. Mentors can help us realize our full potential.

Mentors directly improve the lives of those who need a little extra guidance. Research consistently proves that mentors bolster academic achievement, self-esteem, social skills, and career development. In addition to these positive outcomes, mentoring reduces delinquency, substance abuse, and academic failure. Mentoring transcends the lives of our children. The importance of mentoring teaches young people that a better life is attainable through education.

Today, there are about 4,200 mentoring programs in communities all across this country. Some of these programs run out of national boys and girls clubs, YMCAs, Big Brother and Big Sister organizations, and hundreds of other nonprofit organizations. In my own congressional district, the VAMOS program and our local boys and girls clubs are exemplary programs which have provided thousands of youths with mentors. I am proud to celebrate their work during National Mentoring Month.

The mentoring programs throughout this Nation make a great difference in improving the lives of our youth. Through their efforts, 3 million young people report having quality mentor

relationships. This country, however, still needs nearly 15 million more positive mentors.

As a Nation, we must continue to encourage volunteers to invest their human capital in our youth. Through nonprofit, government, and private sector partnerships, we can expand mentorship. National Mentoring Month is a reminder to reinvest our energy towards mentoring relationships. By building awareness on this issue, I encourage more people to serve as mentors in our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I express my support for House Resolution 41, and I urge my colleagues to support me with this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I also do not have any further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 50) honoring the life of Claiborne Pell, distinguished former Senator from the State of Rhode Island.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House Resolution 50 into the Record.

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

I rise today to honor the life and numerous accomplishments of former Senator Claiborne Pell. As a six-term United States Senator from Rhode Island and the former chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, he was a strong voice in educational policy, international policy,

and the arts. Sadly, Senator Pell passed away on the first of this year at the age of 90.

Born in 1918, Senator Pell committed himself to public service throughout his life. He served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II and later in the Coast Guard Reserves.

Returning to civilian life, Senator Pell worked in the Foreign Service in Czechoslovakia, in Italy, and right here in Washington, DC. Elected to the United States Senate from the State of Rhode Island in 1960, Claiborne Pell quickly became a leading spokesman in both international and domestic policy.

Senator Pell campaigned ardently for human rights, speaking out against genocide occurring around the world. As a supporter of the issue of diplomacy and law over military force, he advocated against the use of nuclear weapons.

While in the Senate, Claiborne Pell sponsored the High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965, which helped create the Amtrak system that more than 25 million people ride each year. Senator Pell also sponsored legislation creating the National Endowment For the Arts and the National Endowment For the Humanities, entities which play a vital role in developing and supporting the arts and historical preservation.

Perhaps the accomplishment for which Claiborne Pell is best known is the creation of the Pell Grant. He was the architect of the 1972 Basic Education Opportunity grants, which were later renamed in his honor by the U.S. Congress.

Senator Pell often remarked that he had been inspired to help students pay for college by the provisions in the GI bill, which had meant a great deal to him as a veteran whose comrades were propelled to succeed by its educational provisions.

Pell Grants, which have helped more than 54 million low and middle income students attend college, have changed the face of American education, opening doors for millions of Americans, including a great number of our colleagues and friends and families and community members. Among all that he had accomplished during his time on Capitol Hill, Senator Pell often called these grants his greatest achievement.

A consummate gentleman renowned for his integrity, Claiborne Pell was respected and loved by his colleagues in Congress as well as his constituents at home in Rhode Island. On this day I would like to commemorate Senator Pell's empowering work and recognize his numerous accomplishments. He is an inspiration to us all and an example of how one person can make a difference.

Senator Pell had a profound understanding of what truly makes this Nation great. In Senator Pell's words, and I quote, ``The strength of the United States is not the gold at Fort Knox nor the weapons of mass destruction that we have, but the sum total of the education and the character of our people.''

His legacy left the United States stronger. His life's work opened the doors of educational opportunity wider than they had ever been opened before. He is an example of the great character of our people.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution honoring this great Senator who did so much to help Americans who might otherwise not be able to attend college, pursue higher education, and reach for new heights.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize a new Member of Congress who served on the staff of the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee where Claiborne Pell was Chair, and I wish to yield the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Gerry Connolly, up to 4 minutes.

I have no further speakers.

Mr. Speaker, I want to say that I am so happy to hear Congressman Dreier make those kind remarks. As I listened to him, it reminded me of 2 years ago when I was chosen by members of the Democratic Caucus to be the chairman of the Higher Education Committee, and one of the first things that I did was to invite presidents and chancellors of different universities throughout our land to come into our office and tell us about what they consider to be the priorities that they had on higher education.

I am pleased to say that the chancellor from California, Cal State system, came by to visit me. He pointed out that through the association of presidents and chancellors that there was no question that the highest priority that they had for the 110th Congress was that we do something about increasing the amount of Federal investment in Pell Grants.

I am pleased to say that we heard the message and we did something about it, and that we have, in this Congress, the 110th, and we pledge in the 111th Congress, to continue paying attention to the need for funding for Pell Grants. Because if we are to address the affordability and the accessibility of higher education for many of the children of working families, it requires that additional Federal investment as we now talk about the Pell Grants.

With that, I urge everyone to vote ``yes'' on this suspension bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 43) recognizing the efforts of those who serve their communities on Martin Luther King Day and promoting the holiday as a day of national service.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House Resolution 43 into the Record.

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

I rise today in support of the resolution before us, which recognizes the critical role of service and those who give of their time to give back to their communities.

This resolution also reminds us that Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a national day of service and encourages everyone to take part.

It is fitting that the day named in honor of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., is also a day for neighbors, for friends, young and old, to give back to their communities. Dr. King's leadership in the ministry and public service produced epic and societal change to this great nation. He set an example for all of us to follow.

His words offer us very simple directions. In his ``drum major instinct'' speech he said, ``You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.''

Over the last few years, the United States has endured and survived the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and hurricanes and floods that devastated families and communities. Without hesitation, volunteers across the Nation rallied together to help stabilize and to rebuild our devastated communities. And just as critical, during times of peace and calm in communities across this country, people hear the call of service and provide assistance in the classroom, in hospitals, in parks, and to children, the elderly, and to each other.

I want to thank the Service Caucus and my friend and colleague Representative Todd Platts of Pennsylvania for bringing this resolution forward and reminding us that our country was built on the idea of service. And while we set aside Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a day of service, there are opportunities to give back each and every day.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), who serves on the Rules Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from the State of Illinois (Mr. Davis), a gentleman who serves on the Ways and Means Committee and has served and distinguished himself on our Committee on Education and Labor.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the honorable gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) so that he can speak to this House resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1424, the Senate amendment to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. I will vote ``yes.''

No one wants to be voting on this legislation today because none of us want to be in the horrific economic situation in which our country finds itself. The greed and lack of regulatory oversight that got us into this mess should never have happened. However, today we have to deal with the practical economic reality. Inaction is not an option.

This bill is not about bailing out Wall Street.

It is about making sure that average Americans can continue to get credit for their basic needs like housing, students loans, and automobiles. It is about saving pensions for our retirees and making sure that the small businesses that are the engines of growth in my district can continue to get the credit they need to operate.

This bill is not perfect and doesn't have everything I would like. However, the changes that have been made to the original proposal by Secretary Paulson address many of the concerns of my constituents. The changes will protect taxpayers, keep people in their homes and rein in huge CEO salaries.

It will allow the American people to see where this money is being spent and what is being purchased. Many of the tax extenders that the Senate added are needed to keep our country competitive and bring tax relief to average Americans.

Pell Grant

The Continuing Resolution included $2.5 billion to address

shortfalls and projected cost increases in the Pell Grant

Program.

$750 million was for the FY 2007 Pell shortfall.

$1.8 billion was to cover anticipated cost increases for FY

2009.

Still needed are $2 billion to address the anticipated

shortfall for 2008. This has to be addressed by Fiscal Year

2010. Additionally, there another $1 billion may be needed

for 2009, which would have to be addressed by 2011.

Student Loans

The frozen credit markets have affected the ability of

student loans providers to raise capital to offer student

loans.

The Ensuring Continued Access to Federal Student Loans Act

(H.R. 5715) was extended through 2010. This legislation gives

the Secretary of Education the authority to purchase federal

student loans from lenders, thereby injecting liquidity into

the market.

The $700 billion rescue package gives the Secretary of

Treasury the authority to purchase troubled assets that the

Secretary determines necessary for the health of the economy.

Freeing up the credit markets will help lenders, including

student loan lenders, in accessing the capital necessary to

make college loans.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill today so that we can bring immediate stability to our markets, our credit system and the economy as a whole.