Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise today in support of H.R. 3077, the International Studies in Higher Education Act.

International education is increasingly important in today's world. We are part of a global economy, and our fortunes are directly tied to the fortunes of other nations. As a global community, we must face many shared challenges: Protecting the earth's natural resources, meeting our energy needs, feeding the growing world population, eradicating diseases, protecting human rights, and ensuring that all people have the opportunity to reach their full potential through education and meaningful work.

We must build our Nation's capacity to operate in this global environment. As our challenges in Iraq demonstrate, lack of understanding of other people's culture and language can have deadly consequences. All of our young people, from elementary school through the university, must be exposed to the world at large. We must encourage and value multilingualism. That is why I am very pleased that we are considering H.R. 3077, which reauthorizes the International Studies Program in Higher Education Act.

I would like to thank our subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra), the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), and our ranking minority member, the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), for working to produce a bill that deserves bipartisan support.

This bill reauthorizes our international education programs, the international and foreign language studies programs, the business and international education programs, and also the International Institute for Public Policy. These are the core international education programs that have served our Nation very well for many years.

The legislation makes some needed improvements to these programs. It will ease the financial burdens that may discourage needy institutions, such as Hispanic-serving institutions, HSIs; it will benefit Historic Black Colleges and Universities, HBCUs; and it will also benefit tribally-controlled colleges and universities from participating in the programs by allowing the Secretary of Education to reduce the matching requirement on a case-by-case basis. It also encourages institutions to work in partnerships with minority-serving institutions in the international business programs.

Mr. Speaker, these are steps in the right direction. We must ensure that our national efforts in international education reflect the increasingly diverse population here at home in the United States.

Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for working with us to clarify the role and the responsibilities of the new advisory board. The International Advisory Board will make recommendations to improve the international education programs under title VI. It will not interfere with curriculum nor with academic freedom.

Mr. Speaker, our professional staff on the committee have once again done an excellent job in preparing this legislation for our consideration. I would like to recognize the efforts of Alison Ream for the majority and Mr. Ricardo Martinez on our side of the aisle. I urge my colleagues to support this education legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support for H.R. 2535, the Economic Development Administration Reauthorization. In my congressional district, under the leadership of Pedro Garza, the Austin regional director, EDA has been a strong partner in helping my rural and urban communities in a variety of ways.

EDA grants have helped my small rural towns build wastewater facilities and other infrastructure projects. With EDA grants, South Texas Community College has built an allied health center that is training hundreds of new nurses and health professionals. These students will have the opportunity to work in a high-paying career and alleviate the nursing shortage that is plaguing the entire State of Texas. EDA funding helped us complete a new pediatric speciality clinic in one of the poorest counties in the nation. An EDA planning grant is currently helping the Delta Region of Hidalgo County develop an economic development plan that will lead the region into a new era of economic growth. Whenever we have called on Mr. Garza, he has been there to help us to the best of his ability. I want to thank him for all he has done for the 15th Congressional District of Texas.

The EDA model of leveraging public and private sector investment is a proven success. Every $1 million in EDA investment helps rural and urban communities leverage $10.8 million in private-sector investments. We need to encourage this type of success in other Federal programs. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 2535 and allow EDA to continue its mission of helping our rural and urban communities grow.

Mr. Speaker, as the Hispanic Heritage Celebration--2003 draws to a close, I rise to pay tribute to Oyster Bilingual Elementary School, a pearl right here in the Nation's Capital. For over 30 years, Oyster School has proudly served the Hispanic community in Washington,

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend and colleague from the great State of Tennessee for yielding time.

Mr. Chairman, I wish to echo the accolades given to leaders on both sides of the aisle who made it possible to get H.R. 1474 to this point in the process. In particular I wish to acknowledge and thank the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Oxley) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank).

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support for the conference report to accompany H.R. 1474, the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act. I cosponsored virtually identical legislation last Congress, and I am glad to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 1474 this year and to support this conference report.

Under current law, a bank may clear checks electronically only if it has entered into an agreement with another bank. H.R. 1474 would facilitate the use of check truncation by removing this requirement. This legislation authorizes, but does not mandate, banks to create an electronic image of a check, which can then be sent to another bank, eliminating the physical transfer of the original check.

Recognizing that not all banks have the ability to send electronic transmission of a check, the conference report on H.R. 1474 authorizes the creation of substitute checks for payment. This substitute check would be used in place of the original paper check, and it would be a negotiable instrument. Banks that create an electronic check will be able to create a substitute check and use that for presentment to a bank that has not upgraded its system to accept electronic checks.

This conference report recognizes that there are several levels of consumer protections already. However, the bill would establish warranty and indemnification provisions to protect against any losses involved with the use of substitute checks. A consumer could make a written claim for recredit within 40 days of the date of receiving a periodic statement or the date the substitute check is made available to the customer, whichever date is later.

The customer could also submit a warranty claim on the substitute check if the production of the original check or better copy of the original check is necessary to determine the validity of a disputed claim.

To its credit, the conference report on H.R. 1474 would require banks to provide to existing customers and to new account holders a brief notice about the use of substitute checks and a description of the consumer's right to recredit for improper payment.

Mr. Speaker, there are many more provisions of this conference report that I support and could discuss, but will refrain from doing so at this time.

Mr. Speaker, in recognition of the National Book Festival sponsored by the Library of Congress and First Lady Laura Bush, I rise today to honor three distinguished Latino Writers.

Jose-Luis Orozco is in many respects a multi-cultural teacher and musician and is recognized across the country for his contributions to bilingual education and literacy. His recordings and books share and transmit Latin American traditions and culture to millions of children. As a children's author, songwriter, performing artist, he has recorded 13 volumes of Lirica Infantil, Latin American Children's Music. He has also written two award winning books, De Colores and Other Latin American Folks Songs for Children (Dutton 1994) and Diez Deditos, Ten Little Fingers. (Dutton 1997).

Mr. Orozco was born in Mexico City. At the age of ten he traveled the world with the Mexico City Boys Choir. In 1970 after graduating from Mexico City School of Music, he moved to the United States. Initially, on a two week visit, Orozco permanently stayed and completed his master's degree in Multi-cultural Education from the University of California, Berkeley.

Jose-Luis Orozco continues to perform for children around the country at concert halls, libraries, and schools. He is a recognized expert in children music is a featured speaker and presenter at numerous educational conferences for teachers, parents, and librarians. Mr. Orozco is a valued resource for all who seek to use music as a multi- cultural learning tool. His passion and dedication to multi cultural education through music has impacted countless of individuals throughout the country.

Pam Munoz Ryan is the author of the novel Esperanza Rising, winner of the Pura Belpre Medal, a the Jane Addams Peace Award, and the American Library Associations' Top Ten Books for Young Adults and the Americas Award. In addition, her novel Riding Freedom has also gained wide recognition winning the Willa Cather Award and the California Young Readers Medal. Pam Munoz Ryan is also recognized for her picture books for young and older readers, such as the award winning Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride and also her work, When Marian Sang, is a recipient of the American Library Association's Sibert Honor, including the National Council of Teachers in English's Orbits Pictus Award.

Pam Munoz Ryan was born and raised in California in the San Joaquin Valley. She is the oldest of three sisters. She grew up surrounded by her aunts, uncles, and grandparents. During her childhood many hours were spent at the local library where her love of literature was cultivated. After receiving her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from San Diego State University, she became a teacher, an administrator, and after the encouragement from a friend a writer. Through her life's passion, as writer Pam Munoz Ryan has touched many lives.

Judith Ortiz Cofer is an English and Creative Writing Franklin Professor at University of Georgia. A native of Puerto Rico, her lectures center on biculturalism and the creative processes. She is driven by a deep belief in freedom of expression and the necessity to disseminate the literature and art of the many people contributing to the culture of the United States.

Her literary work is respected through the country being awarded The Anisfield Wolf Award for The Latin Deli, a collection of essays, short fiction, and poetry. In addition, she was awarded the first Pura Belpre Medal by Reforma of the American Library Association (1996) for her book, An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio, which also garnered the American Library Association Best book of the Year 1995-96. She also is the author of Line in the Sun, a novel, a collection of personal essay and short stories, and her work Silent Dancing was awarded a PEN/Martha Albarnd Special citation for nonfiction.

Judith Ortiz Cofer has been awarded several fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and Witter Bynner Foundation For Poetry. In 1998 Judith Ortiz Cofer was awarded Paterson Book Prize for her work, The Year of Our Revolution: New and Selected Stories and Poems at Passaic County Community College; additionally, she was the recipient of Christ Janner Award in Creative Research from the University of Georgia. The Rockefeller Foundation also awarded her residency at the Bellagio, Italy Conference Center in 1999.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and The National Book Festival, I hope we take time to recognize the contributions of these and many other fine Hispanic authors. America's people come from rich and diverse cultural backgrounds. Literature is at the root of America's culture. These three authors have added tremendously to our diverse American cultural fabric

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor and pay tribute to a great American, my good friend, the late Dr. Milton Wilson from Houston, Texas. Dr. Wilson passed away on September 2, 2003. I hope my colleagues will join me in extending deepest sympathies to his family as they mourn this great loss. Although Dr. Wilson will be sorely missed, his family can take comfort in remembering his numerous accomplishments and the incredible legacy he left behind.

Dr. Milton Wilson was born July 20, 1915, in Paducah, Kentucky. His father was a Pullman car porter, and both his mother and grandmother were public school teachers. His parents instilled in him a strong work ethic and a love for education that stayed with him throughout his life.

After graduating from Lincoln High School in Paducah, Kentucky, Milton Wilson went on to earn a bachelor's degree from West Virginia State College and later earned a master's degree, as well as a doctorate degree in business administration from Indiana University at Bloomington. In later years, he returned to teach at Indiana University as a professor of accounting. His commitment to his students and his dedication to teaching earned him Indiana University's Distinguished Alumni Award.

Dr. Wilson continued his very distinguished career as head of the Department of Accounting at Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia, through 1944. At the request of President Dent of Dillard University, Dr. Wilson moved to New Orleans to head the university's business department until 1949.

Shortly thereafter, Dr. Wilson moved to my home State of Texas, and in 1952 became the first African American Certified Public Accountant in Texas. The President of Texas Southern University invited him to establish a Department of Business Administration, which later became the School of Business Administration, with Dr. Wilson serving as its first dean. Under Dean Wilson's leadership, TSU became the first school of business in Houston to gain accreditation by the American Assembly of College Schools of Business.

Because of trailblazing work, Dr. Wilson became nationally known as the dean of predominantly black business schools in this country. It was while he headed the TSU School of Business Administration that I first came to know Dr. Milton Wilson, his first wife Zelda, and his family. Mrs. Wilson, who passed away in 2001, was a beautiful, gracious and hospitable lady who always made me feel welcome in her home. I will always remember listening to her own stories and experiences, both challenging and rewarding.

His son, Milton Wilson, Jr., followed in his father's footsteps and has been honored many times in the Federal Government's Senior Executive Service, serving for the Small Business Administration. I am proud to recognize him as one of my best friends during the last 25 years.

Not content to rest on his laurels at TSU, Dr. Wilson also served as a visiting professor at both Harvard and the University of Chicago. He shared his expertise as a valued consultant for a number of Federal agencies. As adviser to the Ford Foundation, in conjunction with Indiana University, he led a project that resulted in the successful establishment of the Institute of Business Administration in Dacca, Pakistan.

Dr. Wilson remained at TSU until 1970, when President Cheek of Howard University called him and offered him a new opportunity. President Cheek requested that he establish the Howard University School of Business and Public Administration. Dr. Wilson accepted this challenge. Through his efforts, Howard University became the first school in the Washington area to gain AACSB accreditation, first for its bachelor degree program and, ultimately for its accounting program.

Madam Speaker, Dr. Wilson believed anything was possible. He never gave up and fought to make every institution of higher learning at which he served the best it could be. His students received the educational tools they needed to become prominent and successful business people, professionals and elected officials.

Throughout his life, Dr. Wilson received countless honors, awards and recognitions, including the Henry B. Gonzalez Latino Leadership Award, named in honor of our colleague, the late Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez. This citation for meritorious service is presented to those who have worked selflessly, often without recognition, and made contributions both in the Hispanic community and the broader society as well.

Dr. Wilson was chosen to receive this award because he embodied a giving, sharing spirit and made a lasting contribution to our nation through education. Upon retiring from TSU in 1990, Dr. Wilson was honored by the Texas House of Representatives for his distinguished serviced in his community, business, government and academia.

Dr. Wilson is survived by his second wife, Imelda Pradia Wilson and three children: Rhea Ann Fairley, Zelda Jefferson Young, and Milton Wilson, Jr.; his sister, Jessie W. Wilson; and five grand-children: Gladys Zelda Fairley, Paul Milton Fairley, Milton Wilson III, Marcus James Wilson, and Wendell Mosley.

Dr. Milton Wilson was a true American pioneer. His efforts and his accomplishments will long be remembered.

I ask all Members of Congress to join me in commending the late Dr. Milton Wilson for his exceptional career and contributions to our Nation and in extending our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis) for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, for 109 days now, we have demanded fairness for the 6.5 million families that were denied their equitable share of the child tax credit provisions in the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act. These families, headed by workers who pay taxes from their paychecks and on their purchases as well as paying property taxes and excise taxes, represent 12 million children. Those families include rural families. The 12 million children are more than half of the sons and daughters of rural farmers and farm workers. They are one out of every four children of nurses and nurses' aids. They are more than half of the children of janitors, maids, and cooks. The children left out are one in ten children of teachers and teachers' aids. More than 120,000 of these children are the dependents of active military personnel.

Just as we must not leave children behind in the classroom, we cannot ignore working families and their children when the Treasury Department mails out checks. We have said it again and again and again: Tax relief for families should be fair and equitable. We must come together and provide a refundable credit to demonstrate our commitments to all working families.

Mr. Speaker, I support the Davis motion to instruct, and I urge everyone else to vote in favor of this motion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of cancer patients in my district.

I would like the conferees working to craft a final Medicare prescription drug benefit to

know what the cancer community in the 15th District of Texas is saying.

Mr. Speaker, the cancer community is united in saying that the deep cancer care cuts, in the form of reductions in reimbursements to community-based clinics for cancer drugs, will catastrophically dismantle the cancer care delivery system we have built in this country.

If passed, the cancer community fears these cuts will turn back the clock on cancer care at least 30 years:

Community-based cancer centers nationwide, where 80 percent of patients receive treatment, will be forced to stop seeing Medicare patients or close their doors all together.

This will force cancer patients back into hospitals or large academic cancer clinics--and those institutions have said they cannot handle the influx of patients.

Patients in rural America--like in parts of my South Texas District-- will be severely burdened as they will have to travel great distances to receive care.

Family members and friends who would have to accompany a loved one on those long trips, would face the economic burden of missing work as well as the psychological hurdle of helping someone through treatment, if this bill passes in its current form.

These cancer cuts will not only affect today's treatments, but tomorrow's medical cures. That's because more than 60 percent of clinical trials of promising cancer treatments occur in the community- based setting. Without community treatment centers to provide care, patient access to clinical trials--and the hope they represent--would be significantly curtailed.

These cuts appeared at a critical time in the war against cancer. Just last month the National Cancer Institute reported that mortality rates from the four most common types of cancer--breast, colorectal, lung and prostate--appear to have declined. That marks eight years in a row that cancer deaths have declined. But even with that good news, we still face many challenges in the War on Cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, 1-in-2 men and 1-in-3 women will be diagnosed with cancer at some time in their lives.

And an estimated 60 percent of new cancer cases are predicted in people aged 65 years and older.

Prescription drug coverage is a noble cause, and one which I hope we can provide to seniors. But we cannot provide seniors drug coverage on the backs of cancer patients--many of whom are fighting for their lives.

Seniors deserve a Medicare prescription drug bill, not a $16 billion cancer care cut.

Mr. Speaker, I rise as an original cosponsor in strong support of H. Res. 368, introduced by the Committee on Small Business chairman, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo).

This legislation honors the Small Business Administration on the occasion of its 50th anniversary and designates this week as National Small Business Week.

In 1953, the SBA was created to champion the interests of the Nation's entrepreneurs for the benefit of all Americans. Our Nation's economy is built on and draws its strength from the creativity and entrepreneurship of its people.

Over 25 million small businesses employ more than half of all private sector employees. They pay 44.5 percent of the total United States private payroll. They generate 60 to 80 percent of all new jobs annually. Small businesses are, in fact, the engine of this Nation's economy, as was said earlier by the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez).

I worked with my father in south Texas to build a small business in my district that today employs over 300 people. The SBA played a key role in this company's development by assisting my family in growing this business during the last 54 years. Presently, Ms. Sylvia Zamponi, the district director for the SBA in the Lower Rio Grande Valley District, is providing similar assistance to my constituents. I want to commend her for all her efforts on behalf of the small business owners in my congressional district.

I also want to express my appreciation for all of the efforts of the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Manzullo) to support small businesses and to improve their situation, particularly the manufacturing sector in the United States that currently is in a crisis with the dramatic loss of manufacturing jobs.

To help address this crisis, the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Manzullo) organized the Congressional Manufacturing Caucus, which I have joined, to preserve manufacturing jobs in America. The caucus will not only educate Washington on the importance of manufacturing in America, but it will work to enact policies to stem job losses and to put people back to work, including in south Texas and throughout the country.

I also commend the ranking member, the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez), for taking appropriate actions to ensure that SBA continues to perform effectively the mission Congress gave it over 50 years ago.

Mr. Speaker, again, I congratulate the SBA on its 50th anniversary and hope that the current administration will continue to fully fund SBA so it may continue to assist entrepreneurs throughout this country.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 13, the Museum and Library Services Act of 2003. I would like to say to the over 117,000 libraries and to more than 16,000 museums nationwide, you have a real friend and champion in the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Select Education. I also commend the chairman and the ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) and the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) for their leadership in producing this bipartisan legislation. This bill not only has strong bipartisan support, it also has broad support from the library and the museum community throughout the country.

I am proud that with this bill we are reaffirming our national commitment to the institutions that provide access to information and technology for many in our community who would not otherwise have access to this wealth of information. Through this legislation, we are demonstrating to the Nation that we value the key institutions that preserve and promote our cultural heritage.

The Museum and Library Services Act strengthens the Federal support for museum and library programs. It reauthorizes the Library Services and Technology Act, raising the authorization level to $232 million and increasing the minimum State allotment to $680,000.

These grants can be used for expanding services, for learning and access to informational and educational resources in a variety of formats, for providing electronic and other linkages among and between all types of libraries and for targeting services to people of diverse geographic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.

This legislation also reauthorizes the Museum Services Act to encourage and support museums in carrying out their public service, educational and leadership roles as stewards of the cultural, historic, natural and scientific heritage of the United States of America. This part of the legislation increased the authorization of this important program to $38.6 million for fiscal year 2004.

Mr. Speaker, in my congressional district this program has provided invaluable support to the International Museum of Art and Sciences in my McAllen, as well as to the Donna Hooks Fletcher Historical Museum in Donna; and there are many others that have benefitted as well. As a result of this program these museums will strengthen their conservation programs and increase their base of support in their community.

Also, H.R. 13 incorporates the Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act introduced by my good friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum). This act increases the indemnity coverage to $600 million per exhibition. I thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota for her work on this important issue.

Finally, I would like to commend the committee staff for their excellent work on this bill. In particular, I commend Rich Stombres and Rebecca Hunt of the majority staff for their efforts on this bill. I also wish to applaud the hard work of our Democratic committee staff, Ricardo Martinez and Cheryl Johnson. This was a job well done.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, as we approach the end of this debate on H.R. 13, I wish to commend my friend and colleague, the chairman of our Subcommittee on Select Education of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra), for the work that we have been able to do in our committee in a bipartisan manner. I look forward to working on many other bills that he and I have discussed as we move along this year and go into the second half on the 108th Congress.

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

Mr. Speaker, today is Patriot Day, so designated by a law enacted by this Congress in October 2001, that calls on the people of the United States to observe a moment of silence in honor of those who lost their lives that terrible day. It is a day of national prayer and mourning, a day to honor memories of the 3,016 men, women, and children who perished on September 11, 2001.

In my south Texas congressional district, numerous cities, schools, and civic organizations are holding ceremonies today. I want to especially mention a few events like those being held at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School in Beeville VFW Post 9170, as well as in the Staff Sergeant Ernesto Garcia American Legion Post 633 in Mathis, Texas.

In that moment of silence, we remember all of those who perished and pray for their families and loved ones who endure the pain and loss of that tragic day. We honor especially the heroic sacrifices of our firefighters, police and rescue personnel, military servicemembers, and the courageous passengers on Flight 93 who saved hundreds of more lives by stopping that fourth plane which crashed in Pennsylvania. They are the true heroes and patriots. And so are the tens of millions of Americans who on that day answered their Nation's calls by contributing to relief efforts and helping those in need.

As we commemorate the terrorist attack on America 2 years ago, we also reaffirm our resolve as a Nation to fight the scourge of international terrorism, to destroy the abilities of al Qaeda to mount deadly attacks against innocent civilians in the United States, the Middle East, and beyond. Achieving that goal will require the concerted effort of all civilized nations. Even as we pay tribute to our troops defending our freedoms abroad, we applaud the President for turning to the United Nations to help in the major effort that lies ahead in rebuilding Iraq.

In the aftermath of the attacks on September 11, Congress responded with unprecedented unity and speed. We authorized the President to use all necessary force to destroy the al Qaeda network and the Taliban government that provided it safe harbor in Afghanistan. We enacted legislation to strengthen our homeland security. New laws overhauled our airport security system, fortified our boarders, and provided our intelligence and law enforcement agencies with new tools to track down terrorists at home and abroad. And we worked together with the President to establish the Department of Homeland Security. But much more remains to be done to secure our homeland to make Americans safer and more secure.

Providing for the common defense as set forth in the preamble to the Constitution is our first responsibility as Members of Congress. We need to improve the protection of our borders by hiring more border patrol agents and inspectors and by employing technology to monitor every mile of our borders around the clock. We also need more extensive security protections for our commercial ports, and we need to provide our first responders with the equipment and training they need to respond to another terrorist attack.

As we remember 9/11, we also recognize that some positive things have come out of this tragedy. All across America we see a renewed sense of community, a feeling of patriotism and greater appreciation for the freedoms and the liberty that make our country great.

In the aftermath of September 11, a Newsweek poll found that fully 78 percent of the public felt more patriotism and love of country.

It is estimated that more than half of American households proudly display the flag on their homes or automobiles compared to 15 percent before September 11.

A recent CNN-USA Today poll shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans, 70 percent, are extremely proud to be an American. They are proud of what our country stands for and proud to live in the greatest democracy in the history of the world.

Mr. Speaker, let us hope that this renewed sense of patriotism, of fellowship with our local communities, of compassion for those in need, and respect for those who protect and defend us will strengthen, comfort, and sustain us in the great struggle that lies ahead.

Mr. Chairman, I am an original cosponsor of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, and I support it strongly. H.R. 2622, known as the FACT Act, provides for a strong national credit system. It preserves consumers access to affordable credit, enhances consumer protections, and will ensure that Hispanics will continue to have access to credit.

From the beginning of this process, my new Democrat colleagues and I have been deeply involved in crafting this bipartisan bill, which passed the Committee on Financial Services by a 61 to 3 vote. The bill preserves the continuity of our credit system and includes comprehensive identity theft, dispute resolution, and credit report accuracy provisions that will increase and strengthen people's control over their own financial records.

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing white collar crimes in the United States, especially in my State of Texas. This legislation, H.R. 2622, will help reduce those crimes and help the victims of identity theft regain their identity and restore their credit. The FACT Act addresses all these important issues and more. It will benefit consumers in our economy, and it will help improve financial literacy in the United States.

I commend my Republican colleagues, especially the chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley), and the subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus), for working with us in a bipartisan manner to develop this legislation. I also applaud the ranking member, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), and another ranking member, the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), for guiding us through this process.

Finally, Mr. Chairman, I want to give special thanks to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hooley), the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore), and the other 10 new Democrats who worked so diligently to compromise and help us forge this bipartisan compromise. I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this important legislation, H.R. 2622.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the amendment offered by my colleague and friend from the District of Columbia, Mrs. Eleanor Holmes Norton. We must strike the voucher provisions from the D.C. Appropriations bill.

This body has held a number of votes on vouchers on a national level. We have rejected them every time because we know that vouchers for private schools for a few children will not fulfill our responsibility to provide a quality education for all children. This bill will only allow 2 percent of the children in the District to take advantage of the program. The other 98 percent will remain in the public school system, which will not be held harmless in funding if enrollments drop.

In this bill we are not really even helping a few children. The money available per student is far short of the average cost of private school tuition in the District of Columbia. That means the families who can already afford to send their children to private school will do so, but low-income children will be forced to remain in inadequately funded public schools.

In addition, private schools have no obligation to accept special needs or minority students, nor are they required to follow the guidelines of the No Child Left Behind Act or the Individuals With Disabilities Act.

It is the height of arrogance that this body would seek to impose on the District of Columbia something that we have rejected for the rest of the nation.

I urge my colleagues to reject any attempt to privatize public education in the District of Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this rule and urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so that the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) may offer his amendment to add $100 million for the AmeriCorps program.

The deep cuts this AmeriCorps program is facing will severely undermine the progress we have made in expanding opportunities for national service.

The program cuts will close 40 out of 90 centers that run the Teach for America program. These programs all over the country have already run out of money. Many of them will not recover.

In my own home State of Texas, we will lose at least 800 teaching volunteers, many who have committed to teach children in the Rio Grande Valley. We have an acute shortage of teachers, and we cannot afford the loss.

The Senate has stepped up and signaled its commitment to these programs, but the House has dragged its feet on restoring the funds for this critical program.

The AmeriCorps program has come to embody what is best in America, the desire to make a difference in local communities. All of this will be jeopardized if we do not find a way to provide the funding for our young teachers; men and women are only receiving a small stipend to help them pay their living expenses. Yes, our children throughout the country benefit from these AmeriCorps teachers.

Vote ``no'' to defeat the previous question so we can keep the spirit of service alive in America. Fight to restore the $100 million needed to keep the AmeriCorps program alive and working well. Do that today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this rule on H.R. 2210. The bill, which the majority has brought to the floor, is not a good-faith effort to reauthorize the Nation's premier early childhood education program, the only program that exists to serve some of the most deprived children. Instead, the majority has stifled serious debate on areas of need within the Head Start program. They have refused to significantly increase the funding resources for this vital program.

The majority say they are for improving the quality of Head Start and access to Head Start, but only, only if it does not cost money. Once again, poor children and families are left off of the majority's list of priorities.

Under this restrictive rule, the majority refuses to debate many of the critical amendments by Members on this side of the aisle. Because of the majority, we will not debate how to help Head Start teachers earn their B.A. degrees or how to increase their wages. We will not debate how to expand Head Start to all eligible children. We will not debate the appropriate use of assessments in the education of our youngest children.

I had offered an amendment to increase funding for Early Head Start and improve its services for limited-English-proficient families. The majority refused to allow me. Early Head Start currently reaches only 3 percent of the eligible families. Access to this program for Hispanic and limited-English-proficient families falls below these dismal national figures.

In the entire State of Texas, the second most populous State in the Nation, only 2,500 infants and toddlers are being served. The need is great, yet my proposed amendment will never get a vote on the House Floor.

I urge my colleagues to defeat this unfair rule.