Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I would have voted as follows: On rollcall No. 669, S. 906, ``yea''; on rollcall No. 670, Previous Question, H.R. 1517, ``yea''; on rollcall No. 671, rule, H.R. 1517, ``aye.''

Madam Speaker, it is with deep and heartfelt sympathy that I join my colleagues today in conveying my sincere condolences on the death of my good friend, International Boundaries and Water Commissioner, Mr. Carlos Marin.

On September 17, 2008 aircraft wreckage located in the Sierra Madre mountain range was confirmed to be that of an airplane on which U.S. Commissioner Carlos Marin and Mexican Commissioner Arturo Herrera of the International Boundary and Water Commission were passengers.

At the time of this tragic accident, the Commissioners were traveling to assess Rio Grande flood conditions at Presidio, Texas-Ojinaga, Chihuahua and to coordinate joint response efforts.

Carlos Marin was a brilliant, enthusiastic, and devoted public servant. He played a lead role in the IBWC, overseeing flood control, sanitation, boundary demarcation, and mapping projects. It has been an immense pleasure to know and work with him over the course of my career. I have whole-heartedly enjoyed collaborating with him on innumerable projects along the U.S.-Mexico border. I have admired his ability to bring people together across borders and his dedication to and understanding of the U.S.-Mexican border region. We will all greatly miss his leadership and wisdom.

Above all, Carlos was an exceptional American. He will forever be remembered for his dedication to his country and for his tireless efforts to forge cooperation across borders in the name of the common good.

Madam Speaker, let me once again express my deep regret on learning of Carlos's death. I wish to portray my condolences to his wife, Rosa, his children, and family. All those whose lives he touched, directly or indirectly, mourn at his passing.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5422. I want to commend Chairwoman Maloney for introducing H.R. 5422, the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation which is supported by many organizations, including the National Council of La Raza, LULAC, MALDEF, and many others.

As chairman of the Subcommittee on Higher Education, I am concerned that thousands of students each year do not enroll in higher education institutions because of financial barriers. I am equally concerned about the amount of debt that students are incurring while attending institutions of higher education.

I have been working diligently with our Democratic leaders to make college more affordable and accessible. We are tackling that issue as well as trying to ensure that students graduate with the least amount of debt possible.

I am interested in the relationship between institutions of higher education and credit card companies. Many receive revenue from credit card deals. I want to know the nature of the deals, how much the credit card companies make from those deals, how they market those credit cards to students, and whether the institutions approach the credit card companies or vice versa. We need to address this issue and find out how widespread the practice is and whether it is national in scope.

This legislation will eliminate unfair and arbitrary interest rate increases, end unfair penalties to cardholders who pay on time, and require the fair allocation of consumer payments. Moreover, it will help college students reduce their debt.

Madam Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to again thank Chairwoman Maloney for introducing the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights legislation, and I support it.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 613, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6889) to extend the authority of the Secretary of Education to purchase guaranteed student loans for an additional year, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H.R. 6889 into the Record.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6889, legislation to extend the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act for an additional year.

We are all united in our commitment to provide every assurance to students and families that there will be no disruption in the Federal student loans program regardless of what is happening in the financial markets.

In May, the President signed the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act. This law is providing much-needed liquidity to the student loan marketplace by authorizing the Secretary on a temporary basis to purchase student loans so that lenders have the funds to make new loans.

As a result of our swift action, there has been no disruption in students' and families' access to loans for the 2008-2009 academic year.

The Department of Education, the lenders, secondary markets, guaranty agencies, and institutions of higher education are to be commended for their efforts to get new financing systems in place and operational for the start of this academic year.

Their cooperation has ensured continued access to college loans.

Come spring, students and families will be making their plans for the next academic year. Given the ongoing turmoil in our financial markets, it is critical that we extend the authority for the Secretary to purchase student loans to avoid any uncertainty about the access to this critical source of student financial aid. It would be a tragedy for a student to decide to forego or postpone college because of a fear of not being able to get a Federal student loan.

This legislation has no budgetary cost. It will simply extend the Secretary's authority under the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act for an additional year.

Mr. Speaker, students and families will be able to rest assured that we have the mechanisms in place to make sure that there is sufficient capital for student loans even if the current credit crisis continues or worsens.

This Congress has taken unprecedented steps to make college more accessible and more affordable. We enacted the largest increase in student aid with the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, a $20 billion investment in human capital. In August, the President signed the Higher Education Opportunity Act into law.

The legislation takes significant steps to improve our student aid delivery system, ensure the integrity of our student loan programs, and provide students and families with the tools that they need to make informed choices about which college to attend and how to finance it. These are complex issues, and on a bipartisan, bicameral basis, we came together with some practical solutions.

Today's legislation is another example of our bipartisan commitment to college access. I would like to thank our committee chairman, George Miller, and our senior Republicans on the full committee and the Higher Education Subcommittee, Representative Buck McKeon and Representative Ric Keller from Florida, for their leadership in quickly moving this legislation forward. We stand united in our goal of ensuring continued access to student loans.

I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 6889.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressman Bishop from the State of Utah for his support of this student loan extension, H.R. 6889. And let me reassure him that this week, if our friends and colleagues from the great State of Texas and the State of Louisiana are able to get back because of the devastation that occurred with Hurricane Ike, we will be able to address the energy bill that he was referring to. And I am sure that the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and others in leadership position are prepared to give us the opportunity to take care of this great need that we have throughout our country on the lack of energy.

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

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. 1372) celebrating the 100th anniversary of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and recognizing the partnership between the city of Omaha, its citizens, and the university to build a vibrant and dynamic community, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 1372 into the Record.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in full support of H.R. 1372, which celebrates the University of Nebraska at Omaha's 100 years of service and partnership between the City of Omaha and its citizens.

Founded in 1908, Omaha, Nebraska and Bellevue citizens worked together to create a nonsectarian university where local high school residents could receive a college education.

Starting with only 26 students in their first class, the University of Nebraska at Omaha has blossomed into an esteemed university. Today, the University enrolls almost 14,000 students and offers a diverse range of academic courses.

With only 71 undergraduate majors, 45 masters degree programs, 17 graduate certificates and six doctoral programs, UNO possesses a wide array of courses for its students. The school makes a tremendous social and financial impact on its students and city. Students receive a quality college education, and the school generates $350 million per year for the community.

UNO's unique history speaks to its accepting and inclusive culture. UNO started off as the University of Omaha. Due to financial difficulties and the high number of students who wanted to attend, in 1929 the board of trustees voted to establish a municipal university. The newly named Municipal University of Omaha prospered and relocated to its final location on 60th and Dodge Streets in the fall of 1936.

Later the university regents agreed to merge with the University of Nebraska. As a result, University of Nebraska at Omaha was born. That merger created a more sustainable and affordable college education, a principle the school lives by today.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I express my full support for the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers on this bill. But before I give up my time, I want to say to Congressman Lee Terry that there's no doubt in my mind that the University of Nebraska is certainly one to be reckoned with, and the University of Texas Longhorns always have to think very, very hard and be very well prepared to be able to take those Nebraska Cornhuskers.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 577 and 576, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on 577 and ``yea'' on 576.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 564, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the conference report for HR 4137, the Higher Education Opportunity Act.

We are near the end of our long journey to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. I would like to personally thank all of the members of the conference committee, especially our leaders, Chairman Ted Kennedy, Chairwoman Mikulski, Senator Enzi, Chairman George Miller, Representative Buck McKeon, and Representative Ric Keller, for their commitment to producing a bipartisan, forward-looking bill that will update our existing higher education programs and address emerging needs.

I thank all the committee staff members in both the majority and minority who worked with great commitment to getting the job done. They had a mindset that told me that they didn't know it couldn't be done, ``and that is why we did it.''

In the Higher Education Opportunity Act, we are taking significant steps to improve our student aid delivery system, ensure the integrity of our student loan programs, and provide students and families with the tools that they need to make informed choices about which college to attend and how to finance it. These are complex issues, and on a bipartisan, bicameral basis we have come together to offer some practical solutions. We couldn't have done it if we had not worked together.

I am particularly proud of the provisions that will help our veterans and active duty military have full access to the education benefits that are due to them. The provision to establish veterans' centers and veteran student support teams on college campuses will help our veterans get the full benefit of the GI bill expansion that we just enacted.

Finally, I would like to highlight the great progress we have made in strengthening minority serving institutions. After 10 years of waiting, Hispanic serving institutions will have support for graduate programs leading to masters and doctoral degrees. We are addressing the urgent needs for teachers and college faculty with an emphasis on building the capacity of minority serving institutions to meet this need. We will leverage minority serving institutions to engage more youth in science and technology. The Higher Education Opportunity Act represents real progress for our communities.

In closing, I would like to thank all of my colleagues for helping us reach this point. I hope we can get this legislation, which measures over one foot, with over 1,100 pages, to the President's desk as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the conference report for H.R. 4137, the Higher Education Opportunity Act.

We are near the end of our long journey to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. I would like to personally thank all of the members of the conference committee--especially our leaders Chairman Kennedy, Chairwoman Mikulski, Senator Enzi, Chairman Miller, Representative McKeon, and Representative Keller--for their commitment to producing a bipartisan, forward-looking bill that will update our existing higher education programs and address emerging needs.

This has been an enormous undertaking. The last reauthorization of the Higher Education act took place during my first term in Congress over 10 years ago.

We began this Congress with a series of hearings focused on the steps we needed to take to improve access and affordability in higher education and to position our Nation and our students too at the leading edge of the global economy. We asked the higher education community and all of our members to come forward with new ideas. This bill reflects the creativity and innovation that makes a U.S. college education sought after in all parts of the world.

Last fall, we enacted into law the largest increase in Federal student aid since the GI bill with the College Cost Reduction Act.

In the Higher Education Opportunity Act, we are taking significant steps to improve our student aid delivery system, ensure the integrity of our student loan programs, and provide students and families with the tools that they need to make informed choices about which college to attend and how to finance it. These are complex issues, and on a bipartisan, bicameral basis we have come together to offer some practical solutions.

I am particularly proud of the provisions that will help our veterans and active duty military have full access to the education benefits that are due to them. The provision to establish veterans' centers and veteran student support teams on college campuses will help our veterans get the full benefits of the GI bill expansion that we just enacted.

Finally, I would like to highlight the great progress we have made in strengthening minority-serving institutions. With over 40 percent of our public school children being racial or ethnic minorities and nearly half of all minority students attending minority-serving institutions, we are taking some very important steps in this legislation to build our capacity in this critical area. After 10 years of waiting, Hispanic-Serving Institutions will have support for graduate programs. We built on the foundation that we established in the College Cost Reduction and Access Act for Asian and Pacific Islander-serving institutions, predominantly Black Colleges and Universities, tribally- controlled colleges and universities, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. We are addressing the urgent need for teachers and college faculty with an emphasis on building the capacity of minority- serving institutions to meet this need. We will leverage minority- serving institutions to engage more youth in the sciences and technology. The Higher Education Opportunity Act represents real progress for our communities

In closing, I would like to thank all of my colleagues for helping us reach this point. I hope that we can get this legislation to the President's desk as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3221. The assistance provided to homeowners in this housing package is desperately needed by troubled borrowers, nationwide and in my district.

This housing rescue package is a win-win for the homeowners and the community in which they live, which will not deteriorate because of boarded-up homes left empty because of foreclosures. It's also a win for the investors, who will get paid because the homeowners will be making payments they can afford.

Mr. Speaker, I am particularly pleased that this legislation includes a provision for rural areas. I want to thank Chairman Rangel and Chairman Frank for working with me and the rural housing groups to include this language in the bill.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support this much-needed bill.

The assistance provided to homeowners in this housing package is desperately needed by troubled borrowers nationwide and in my district, particularly Hidalgo County, which is one of the poorest counties in the United States.

Where there are large concentrations of foreclosures, both families who have lost homes and their neighbors who remain behind, are suffering. Renters too may be in danger of losing their homes if their landlords go into foreclosure.

This housing rescue package is a win-win for the homeowner--who may be able to stay in their home, and the community in which they live-- which will not deteriorate because of boarded-up homes left empty because of foreclosures.

It is also a win for the investors--who might not get paid what was originally expected, but who will get paid because the homeowner, with a restructured mortgage, will be making payments they can afford.

Mr. Speaker, I am particularly pleased that this legislation includes a provision for rural areas, which will clarify that the low-income housing-tax-credit may be used with the USDA's rental housing program for farm workers. I want to thank Chairman Rangel and Chairman Frank for working with me and the rural housing groups to include this language in the bill.

The bill also includes the reform of governance of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks. These reforms and the new regulatory powers will help ensure that the GSEs continue to play a vital role in the overall mortgage market.

I encourage my colleagues to support this much-needed bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1311, a resolution to express support for the designation of a National GEAR UP Day.

I would like to commend the authors of this resolution, my good friend from Philadelphia, Representative Chaka Fattah, and my colleague on the Education and Labor Committee, Representative Mark Souder of Indiana. They're tremendous advocates for making the promise of GEAR UP a reality for all of our youth.

GEAR UP addresses the key factors necessary to successfully navigate the college process: The aspiration to go to college, the academic preparation, understanding the admissions and financial aid processes, and having the financial resources to pay for college. GEAR UP mobilizes the community to address these factors by using Federal resources to leverage State, local and private sector resources.

GEAR UP offers a simple but very powerful bargain. It tells students and families that if you stay in school and take the challenging classes, our community will guarantee that you have the financial aid and support you need to go to college.

We have seen the power of this new bargain in south Texas. With our first generation of GEAR UP partnerships, we have seen high school graduation rates and college preparedness soar. We have seen unprecedented growth in our college enrollment.

We are fortunate to have a second generation of GEAR UP programs in south Texas. Between the Region One Education Service Center and the University of Texas Pan American GEAR UP project, we will reach over 17,000 students and their families, over 95 percent Hispanic, nearly all economically disadvantaged and the first generation to go to college. Through GEAR UP, these students and families not only know that college is possible, but they also will know how to make it a reality, forever changing the aspirations and expectations of our entire region.

Today I had the tremendous honor of hosting a GEAR UP delegation of more than 100 parents, students and staff from Region 1 and the University of Texas Pan American. I would like to congratulate them for representing our area so well at the national GEAR UP gathering going on here in Washington.

I shared with them the Chaka Fattah story and how he introduced it and how I heard the story and told him I am committed, passionate about education, and I think this is the best thing that has come out since sliced bread, I told Chaka, and I worked hard to get the numbers we needed to pass this.

I say that Chaka Fattah is absolutely to be known here in Washington and in Congress for the great work he did in making GEAR UP the success story that it is.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution; and more importantly, to support the expansion of the GEAR UP program in their districts and across the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of an issue of great importance to both the Nation and my congressional district in south Texas.

As a life-long resident of the southern border region, America's relationship with Mexico is of great importance to me, to my constituents, our chambers of commerce and economic development corporations.

For far too long, our Nation has focused its attention upon far-away lands on the other side of the world while our relationship with our closest of neighbors has languished. While current and past administrations shoulder much of the blame for our history of inattention to Mexico, Congress has been complicit in this failure.

When our Nation has needed to show compassion and understanding for the Mexican people, this Congress has been unable to agree on a comprehensive immigration plan befitting our American heritage. When our Nation should be celebrating our partnership and common interests with a close geographic ally, this Congress has literally built a wall between ourselves and Mexico.

This is no way to treat a friend and neighbor and actually our second largest trading partner. Although not a solution to all of the deficiencies in our relationship with Mexico, the Merida Initiative is a step in the right direction. Border residents are keenly aware of the violence and dangers of the drug trade and the criminal networks that span our continent. While based within Mexico, these criminal cartels are an affliction of the entire continent and must be addressed through national partnerships and cooperation.

We were there in Monterrey yesterday with a large delegation of Members of Congress and the Senate and we heard from and had a great dialogue with the congressmen and senators of that country. They are the ones who are fighting this battle for us.

They are the ones who are at the forefront as Colombia and other countries are bringing their drugs through Mexico, and they are the ones who have to fight it. They are the ones who have given up their lives. They are the ones who are helping us fight the drug cartel.

I ask my colleagues to please join me in supporting this important initiative.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5524, the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act.

I would like to thank my two good friends, Representative John Yarmuth from Kentucky and Representative Judy Biggert from Illinois, for their strong leadership on this important legislation to my district in south Texas and to the whole Nation.

An estimated 2.8 million youth under the age of 17 experience a homeless situation each year. Many more young adults under the age of 24 find themselves without a place to call home.

Our Nation's homeless youth are exposed to some of the harshest elements imaginable. They are exposed to the harsh elements of hot and cold weather. These homeless youth are exposed to the harsh elements of crime, of abuse and exploitation on the street. They are vulnerable to illness and physical trauma.

These homeless youth are deprived of the protective and nurturing elements that come with a home and a strong supportive family. They are robbed of the supports necessary for a productive adulthood. The Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act will reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, which provides support to youth through basic centers and shelters, transitional living programs and street outreach. This is the only Federal law targeted solely to unaccompanied youth.

I am very proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation and would like to thank the authors for including many of the provisions to improve the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act from legislation I introduced last summer. H.R. 3409, the Place to Call Home Act, is included in this bill.

Homelessness among our Nation's youth will persist until all sectors of society, including the Congress, declare that a safe place to live and a connection to permanent and loving families and communities are basic needs we will ensure for all young people. This legislation is one significant step in that direction.

I strongly urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 5524, the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act.

Madam Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3021, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Act.

It is high time that we include public schools on the list of critical infrastructure that requires significant Federal investment and support.

I would like to commend Congressman Ben Chandler of Kentucky and Chairmen Miller and Kildee for their leadership on this vital legislation.

Our public schools educate roughly 90 percent of children in the United States.

We are counting on our public schools to prepare the leaders and workforce of tomorrow. Yet according to several estimates the need for school construction and renovation is in the hundreds of billions of dollars--as much as $322 billion according to analysis from the National Education Association.

Worse, the students in the areas where the need for school modernization is most acute are minority students who now represent 43 percent of the total student population. Improving school facilities is also about improving educational opportunities and equality.

I am especially pleased that the manager's substitute includes specific language regarding the renovation and improvement of science and engineering laboratories in our schools. 52 percent of school principals reported having no science laboratory facilities in a National Center for Education Statistics survey. Simply put, we can never succeed in our national imperative to improve our competitiveness in the STEM fields if our children do not have the opportunity to experience and practice science and engineering. I would like to thank Chairman Miller and Chairman Kildee for working with me and my colleague from Vermont, Congressman Peter Welch to include the important provision in the bill before us today.

I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3021.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 350 and 351, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on No. 350 and ``yea'' on No. 351.