Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, during rollcall vote No. 273, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 258, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 221, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, I regret that I had to return to my district because of the illness and subsequent death of my sister. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 95, 114 and 146 and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 93, 94, 96-113, 115-145, 147.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 66, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 2.

Over one-third of my constituents in the 15th Congressional District of Texas are currently uninsured. With passage of the Affordable Care Act, that number, which has risen year after year, is finally coming down. I project that the percentage of uninsured individuals could drop to only 10 percent.

Right now, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, children who are 26 and under can stay on their parents' policy as they finish school and search for a job. With the passage of health care reform in 2010, senior citizens who hit the doughnut hole are now going to receive rebates and small businesses have had their taxes cut, all the result of the Affordable Care Act. If the proposed health care act repeal were to pass, it will destroy this progress I have seen in my district and in my State.

The families and businesses in my district cannot afford more uncertainty. They cannot afford to go back to the old health care system that was not working for millions of Americans and whose spiraling costs were driving our Federal budget into the abyss.

Right now, the Affordable Care Act is extending affordable health care insurance to millions of Americans. However, here in Congress, the majority party is asking the House to repeal the law we passed without holding hearings and without offering a meaningful alternative to the American people who are working, who are presently without insurance, or who have preexisting medical conditions. Those Americans were struggling to pay for hefty premiums to insurers. If there are some things that need to be fixed in the present law, we can fix them, but throwing out all the progress we have made is not the answer.

The focus of this new Congress should be reducing the staggeringly high 9\1/2\ percent unemployment rate. Instead, we have a bill before us today that makes it harder for businesses to provide benefits to the employees that eliminate the hundreds of thousands of new jobs that were being created in the health and medical fields.

The Affordable Care Act doesn't reduce jobs; it saves lives. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 2.

Madam Speaker, I regret that I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 660 and 661.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the Senate amendment to H.R. 5116, the America COMPETES Act.

Chairman Bart Gordon and Congressman Ralph Hall, I commend you for bringing this legislation to the floor.

More than ever, our Nation must invest in the scientific and technological building blocks that bolster American competitiveness in a 21st century global economy. The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 achieves this and more by fostering innovation, supporting manufacturers and industry, preparing a STEM workforce, and creating jobs. This bill takes bold steps in broadening the participation of underrepresented minorities and women in the STEM fields.

I want to recognize Representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson, Ben Ray Lujan, Silvestre Reyes, the Diversity and Innovation Caucus, and other members of the Tri-Caucus for their outstanding leadership in championing diversity issues in the reauthorization of this act.

As Subcommittee chairman for Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness, I am pleased that America COMPETES will more fully integrate our Nation's minority-serving institutions into research partnerships and Federal programs and promote the inclusion and success of minorities in the STEM fields. Establishing strong regional university and industry partnerships in research and innovation at the National Science Foundation will spur economic growth and connect students to high-tech jobs.

This bill will expand undergraduate research opportunities

for women, minorities, and persons with disabilities at the National Science Foundation. Hands-on learning experiences are key to improving the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in the STEM fields and in preparing a new generation of scientists who will contribute to our Nation's technological innovation and competitiveness.

This bill complements our work on the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, known as SAFRA, enacted as part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, and our efforts to improve science and math literacy in our Nation's public schools.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support the Senate amendment to H.R. 5116.

Again, I compliment our chairman, Bart Gordon, for his tremendous leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly urge my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to vote for the American Dream Act. This legislation provides conditional nonimmigrant status to young individuals of college age who are eager to contribute to our nation's workforce, economy, and Armed Forces.

I personally want to thank the Coalition for Educational Opportunity at the University of Texas--Pan American, and the thousands of students, civil rights groups, and prominent education, business, and religious leaders who have fought tirelessly to pass the DREAM Act. In my congressional district, I want to recognize Alex Garrido and Dora Martinez, two courageous UTPA college students, who fasted for one week to express their support for the DREAM Act.

I am extremely grateful to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Carlos Gutierrez, former Secretary of Commerce, and many chancellors and many university presidents for underscoring the urgency of passing the DREAM Act.

As Subcommittee chairman for Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Competitiveness, I believe that our nation should encourage all students to succeed in school, particularly those students who are working hard and serving as role models to their peers. In the Rio Grande Valley of deep South Texas and across the country, DREAM act students are exceptional young men and women. Despite facing difficult circumstances, these students have excelled in school, and become valedictorians, AP scholars, and distinguished student leaders.

Our nation cannot afford to turn away these talented youth. In order to remain competitive in the global economy, our country must train a new generation of highly skilled STEM professionals--scientists, engineers, and mathematicians--to bolster scientific discovery and spur the technological innovation that our nation desperately needs. Above all, these students will help our nation meet its college completion goals.

Our Armed Forces need courageous service men and women to ensure our Nation's military readiness. Our schools need great teachers to help us close the achievement gap.

I urge my colleagues to vote for the DREAM Act and give these deserving students a chance to make meaningful contributions to our Nation's workforce, economy, military and civic life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote for the American DREAM Act. This legislation provides conditional nonimmigrant status to young individuals of college age who are eager to contribute to our Nation's workforce, economy, and Armed Forces.

I personally want to thank the Coalition for Educational Opportunity at the University of Texas-Pan American and the thousands of students, civil rights groups, and prominent education and business and religious leaders who have fought tirelessly to pass the DREAM Act. In my congressional district I want to recognize Alex Garrido and Dora Martinez, two courageous

UTPA college students, who fasted for 1 week to express their support for the DREAM Act.

I am extremely grateful to Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, and many chancellors and many university presidents who are underscoring the urgency of passing the DREAM Act.

Our Armed Forces need courageous servicemen and -women to encourage our Nation's military readiness.

I ask everyone to vote in favor of the DREAM Act.

Mr. Speaker, our Nation cannot afford to turn away these talented youths. In order to remain competitive in the global economy, our country must train a new generation of highly skilled STEM professionals--scientists, engineers, and mathematicians--to bolster the scientific discovery and to spur the technological innovation that our Nation desperately needs.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and support the DREAM Act.

I rise today to strongly urge my colleagues to vote for the DREAM Act . . . H.R. 5281.

Our students have been waiting for nearly a decade for Congress to act on this important legislation, and according to estimates by the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation, this bill will reduce deficits by about $2.2 billion during the period . . . 2011 to 2020.

It's time for Congress to pass the DREAM Act and do what is just and sensible and give these deserving students a chance to make meaningful contributions to our Nation's workforce, economy, military and civic life.

As Subcommittee chairman for Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Competitiveness, I believe that our Nation must encourage all students to succeed in school, particularly those students who are hardworking and serving as role models to their peers. This legislation supports our nation's high school and college completion goals and helps to reduce dropout rates.

In the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas and across the country, DREAM Act students are exceptional young men and women. Despite facing difficult circumstances, many of these students have excelled in school, and become valedictorians, AP scholars, and distinguished student leaders. There are at least 1,000 college students in my congressional district who would benefit from this legislation.

Our nation cannot afford to turn away these talented youth. In order to remain competitive in the global economy, our country must train a new generation of highly-skilled STEM professionals--scientists, engineers, and mathematicians--to bolster scientific discovery and spur the technological innovation that our Nation desperately needs.

These students are ready and willing to contribute to our country and do what is necessary to achieve their career goals and earn their citizenship.

DREAM Act students exemplify the American ideals of hard work, perseverance, a desire to succeed and contribute to this Nation--values that we in Congress extol and strive to instill in all students. Importantly, these young men and women are an integral part of our families and communities. Many of these students were brought here as children, and know America as their only home.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and support the DREAM Act . . .

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 3307, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, legislation that will reduce childhood hunger by increasing access to nutritious meals year round, improve the nutritional quality of meals children eat in and outside of school, and support school and community efforts to reduce childhood obesity.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, USDA, nearly one in four children in the United States is food insecure: that is more than 16 million children who face hunger each day.

In the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, approximately 85 percent of the students in our region are eligible for Free and Reduced Price Meals under the National School Lunch Program. In the State of Texas, 24.3 percent of children live in food insecure households--the second highest rate in the country--compared to 18.9 percent nationwide, according to 2006-2008 data from USDA and Feeding America.

Childhood obesity is also an issue of great concern for the State of Texas. This critically important issue has been linked to the lack of nutritious foods in our nation's schools and communities. According to a report issued by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2010, Texas ranked seventh in child obesity among the states. Approximately 20.4 percent of Texas children are obese.

In order to keep health care costs down, our nation must do more to prevent obesity and diabetes in our schools and communities. Reducing the prevalence of obesity and diabetes will have an enormous positive impact on my constituents' quality of life, while making their health care more affordable.

We know that children who are hungry or obese are more likely than their peers to suffer from hyperactivity, absenteeism, and low academic achievement. This bill will help improve child nutrition for millions of children,

particularly for low-income children who need to be healthy and ready to learn to succeed in school.

The passage of S. 3307 is the first step in addressing child nutrition. The second step is restoring cuts to future SNAP benefits.

I urge my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to vote for S. 3307, an investment of $4.5 billion over 10 years that supports our children in thriving physically and academically and in leading healthy lives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1638, a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National GEAR UP Day.

As subcommittee chairman for Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness, I want to thank my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), the father of the GEAR UP program, for his outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment to ensure that low-income students enter and succeed in postsecondary education as well as in life.

I am proud to have joined Congressman Fattah on the Education Committee back in 1998 to be an original cosponsor of this great GEAR UP program that he introduced.

In supporting the goals and ideals of National GEAR UP Day, it is important that we recognize national teachers and counselors and program staff for their tireless work on behalf of our neediest students. Throughout the year, these extraordinary individuals provide essential college preparatory services to over 670,000 students in over 5,000 schools across 46 States, as well as in the District of Columbia, and American Samoa, Micronesia, and Puerto Rico.

I am extremely proud of GEAR UP students in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas for setting ambitious career goals and for making their education a top priority. Our region serves approximately 18,000 students, and these young people are studying hard, taking rigorous courses, graduating from high school, and preparing themselves to earn a college degree.

In my congressional district, we are fortunate to have talented and committed individuals who have made GEAR UP a huge success. I personally want to thank Tina Atkins, the director of the Region 1 GEAR UP program, as well as Dr. Martha Cantu, director of the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg for their GEAR UP program, and business and community leaders in our region who have done a terrific job in educating and encouraging GEAR UP students and their families to reach for the stars.

On March 30, 2010, President Obama signed the Health Care Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 into law. With the enactment of this law, President Obama and Congress are taking bold steps to ensure accessibility and affordability in higher education.

These investments in education will undoubtedly provide thousands of GEAR UP students throughout the country with the financial aid and support they need to succeed in college.

As our Nation strives to build a world-class educational system, to increase graduation rates at all levels and to lead the world in the proportion of college graduates by the year 2020, it is critical that we continue to invest in successful Federal programs like GEAR UP.

Today, I urge my colleagues and our Nation to support H.R. 1638 and to encourage greater numbers of low-income students to pursue their dreams by supporting the goals and ideals of a National GEAR UP Day.

Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 2 o'clock and 35 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until Wednesday, September 22, 2010, at 2 p.m.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 22.