Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the Congressional Teacher Award Program Act, establishing the Congressional Teacher Award.

This is a moment for Congress to raise the level of respect for teaching across the nation. Although we cannot legislate that the nation respect teachers for all the hard work that they do day in and day out for the future of our nation, Congress can use its leadership to take a role in the cultural change required at this time.

This act creates a bi-partisan, bi-cameral Task Force to determine a nonprofit entity to establish and operate the Congressional Teacher Award. This award would be given each academic year to highly- qualified, hard-working teachers who change the lives of students in each congressional district of the United States, including the district of a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to Congress. As funds raised by the nonprofit entity allow, awardees would also receive a scholarship to attend a professional development opportunity of their choosing.

The teachers receiving the award must be certified, have been teaching for 5 consecutive years in a public or private school elementary or secondary school, and demonstrate a commitment of service to his or her school, maintain high standards for students, and incorporate multiculturalism, technology, interdisciplinary studies, student relevance, and current issues in lessons, classroom activities, and special presentations. An application with letters of recommendation would be required.

Each Member of Congress would get to celebrate a teacher in his or her district each year. This continued focus on excellent teaching will work to raise the level of respect for teaching in America. Henry Booker Adams said, ``A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.''

Congress does have influence; people and nations take their lead from us, and it is time that we lead the celebration of those who helped us reach this professional level--our teachers.

Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the Scholarship Database Act to create a one-stop Web portal of scholarships, grants, fellowships, and other forms of financial aid for the students wishing to study science, technology, engineering, or mathematics disciplines.

Yes, there are many websites in existence that inform students about federal financial aid or students pay for a service to locate other scholarship opportunities. However, none seems to meet the needs of a wide range of students across the country. We grapple with what to do for our nation's future in terms of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students, the least we can do is ease the burden of finding financial aid. In a time of fiscal responsibility, this is an affordable way to enable our workforce of tomorrow to be highly skilled and well educated.

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Scholarship Database would give a complete list of scholarships, fellowships, and other programs of financial assistance from all public and private sources for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics postsecondary and post-graduate level study.

First generation students would greatly benefit from such a database that would separate the information according to disciplines of study, level of study, and assistance based on gender, ethnicity, or other characteristics.

When one is the first person in your family to consider going to college one often has very little guidance on how to proceed with the entire college application process, of which financial aid is one piece. If a student does not immediately or easily find financial assistance they may at first see their dream of a college degree in a STEM field shattered. We can ease this with the one-stop Web portal of STEM financial aid.

As we move forward, this Web portal can expand to meet the needs of our nation, and it can serve as a model for other disciplines to follow suit.

Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the Accelerating the Creation of Teachers of Influence for Our Nation (ACTION) Act, a bill that creates highly qualified science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers for elementary and secondary classrooms across America.

The ACTION Act has two separate pieces. Through the scholarship portion we create teachers with a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics degree with teacher certification to raise scientific literacy and teach critical thinking, two necessary skills for our citizenry in the 21st century. Each student receiving this scholarship would have a teaching service requirement and if it is not fulfilled the scholarship reverts to a student loan. Students can also obtain their Masters in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or education.

The competitive renewal university grants encourage universities or a consortium of universities to create these programs, thus augmenting the pool of potential institutions for these scholarship recipients to attend.

Recently Maine declared that they are retiring more science and mathematics teachers than are being produced by colleges and universities. The National Science Board Science and Engineering Indicators 2006 states that ``out-of-field teaching (as measured by either lacking a certificate or a college major or minor in the assigned teaching) field is common. A maximum of twenty-eight percent of high school mathematics and science teachers lacked full certification in their teaching field in academic 2002.''

As the global economy of the 21st century unfolds, scientific and engineering occupations are expected to continue to grow more rapidly than occupations in general. Out future workforce must be literate and fluent in both the technical and the scientific arenas. The decisions facing our Nation will also require these skills, as we move into uncharted waters with such topics as STEM cell research, nanotechnology, high-tech manufacturing, aerospace engineering, and biotechnology. Right now our 15-year-old students score below the international average on the Program for International Student Assessment which measures students' abilities to apply scientific and mathematical concepts and skills.

It is time to take action and make changes necessary for the future of our Nation, and move the ACTION Act forward.

Mr. Speaker, a government such as ours, by the people, works only if the citizens believe it does. Yet, voting irregularities in polling places around the Nation have played an important role in eroding the trust of many Americans in Americans' ability to govern ourselves.

Most or even all of the problems can be addressed, and we should do that. Today, hundreds of citizens are coming to Washington from around the country to urge that we enact H.R. 550, to give every voter a system of voting that allows voter-verified paper audit trails.

Everything of value should be auditable, no less so votes, and every voter should be confident that his or her vote is recorded and counted as intended.

Passage of the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act will be a big step toward restoring confidence in our government.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, H.R. 3127.

This important bill would block the assets and deny visas and entry to any individual (and family member) responsible for acts of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity in Sudan. H.R. 3127 authorizes support for the African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur. It prohibits U.S. assistance to a country in violation of U.N. Security Council embargo on military assistance to Sudan. It also urges a Security Council resolution supporting expanding the African Union peacekeeping mission.

For too long the world community turned its back to the ongoing genocide in the Sudan. But the actions of students, religious leaders, and concerned citizens in the United States and around the globe raised awareness about the horrors occurring in Darfur. I want to thank all who shared with me their concern about Darfur in town hall meetings, letters, phone calls, and e-mails over the last three years.

Today the Congress is answering their calls for action. Passing this bill is an all important step to ending the genocide and beginning to hold those who are guilty accountable.

Yet, today there is great suffering in Darfur. The murders continue. The brutal violence still occurs. The rapes persist. People still live in fear. Since 2003, over 200,000 innocent civilians have been slaughtered. More than two million Sudanese civilians are displaced and many live in temporary refugee camps. More disturbing, over three million Sudanese are in need of humanitarian assistance.

The images are stark. The stories are horrifying and sickening. But each one is the picture or story of a single person: a fellow human. We need to remember that we are all bound together in a common existence and a member of the global community. Those who have been slaughtered and those who are suffering in Darfur are family. They are our brothers, they are our sisters. They share the same earth we do and we share a commitment to their safety and wellbeing. My faith, and the faith of many others, says that it is immoral to sit idly by.

Our commitment to end this conflict and to the people of the region must not begin and end today. We must remain focused and dedicated to ending the genocide and healing the wounds of a prolonged civil war. Justice must be served on those who perpetrated these heinous immoral crimes and we must help rebuild and restore the lives of the people who, through the grace of God, survive this hellish civil war.

We, here in Congress, have worked to end this civil war before. We went on record in September of 2004, declaring Darfur a genocide. Just recently, the House approved over $550 million to pay for additional peacekeepers, increased humanitarian assistance and resettlement of refugees. This money is essential to maintaining the current peacekeeping mission and ease the suffering of those who are displaced.

It is long past time for the United Nations to become involved in Sudan. The UN needs to deploy a robust and sizable international mission to end the genocide and then work to bring peace to the Sudan.

After the systematic genocide of the Holocaust, we said never again. After the horrors of Rwanda and the Kosovo we committed ourselves to preventing genocide before it surfaced elsewhere. Sadly, we are close to adding Darfur to this list.

I call on the President to continue to push this issue with world leaders and push in the United Nations to end the genocide in Darfur and to internationalize the response. I pray that the suffering will soon end, but that we will not soon forget our brothers and sisters in Africa.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 737, which would support the goals and ideals Financial Literacy Month, among them raising public awareness about the importance of financial literacy.

As many of my colleagues are aware, borrowing--particularly on credit--has increased dramatically in recent years, while private savings have fallen. At the end of 2004, Americans carried 657,000,000 bank credit cards, 228,000,000 debit cards, and 550,000,000 retail credit cards--that comes to 6.3 bank credit cards, 2.2 debit cards, and 6.4 retail credit cards per household. The household debt of United States citizens climbed to $11,000,000,000 by the close of the third quarter of 2005. Meanwhile, personal savings as a percentage of personal income have decreased from 7.5 percent in the early 1980s to negative 0.5 percent in 2005, the first year that the rate has been negative since the Great Depression.

My colleagues are familiar with these statistics and the problems that such trends create for our economy, among them our low current accounts balance and our oft-cited trade deficit.

Americans should be familiar with the financial tools and strategies that can reverse these trends--tools and strategies made available by programs like Financial Literacy Month. By working to improve the financial literacy of people from all ages and walks of life, we can

help high school and college students prepare themselves for more responsible adult lives, help parents continue to provide for their children, and help retirees create sustainable plans for their golden years. Greater financial literacy will reduce the number of Americans forced to file for bankruptcy, increase the nation's private savings, and empower more Americans to make informed decisions in an increasingly complex market. Altogether, it will spur growth in our nation's economy.

In New Jersey, our credit unions have come together with the Department of Banking and Insurance for initiatives like the New Jersey Financial Literacy Awareness Network (NJFLAN) to help New Jerseyans better understand and manage their finances. NJFLAN partners with community organizations, schools, corporations, and financial institutions to distribute multilingual educational materials. The New Jersey Credit Union also set up a grant-making foundation to back initiatives to improve financial literacy within our state. These are two examples of positive, practical efforts that can be made at the state and district levels to further the goals and ideals of Financial Literacy Month.

I am proud to cosponsor this resolution and urge my colleagues to pass this resolution today.

Mr. BACA, Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of Financial Literacy Month and in full support of H. Res. 737, which I have cosponsored. As a member of the Congressional Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus, I encourage all of my colleagues to use this time to raise awareness about the importance of financial education and to support efforts that prepare Americans with the skills and know-how they need to manage money, credit and debt.

I'd also like to take this time to call attention to an important consumer issue that is affecting millions of Americans all across the nation.

Among the most vital pieces of information that can prepare individuals to make informed financial decisions is a credit report. Understanding one's credit report plays a key role in home-ownership readiness, increasing financial literacy, and monitoring for identity theft and or/fraud.

In recognition of the important role a credit report plays in enhancing financial literacy and combating identity theft, Congress passed legislation that entitles all consumers to one free credit report each year.

However, since the law's passage in 2003 nearly 30 million Latinos within the United States including almost 3 million in Puerto Rico--who have limited English language skills, are being excluded from this new right. They cannot obtain access because the system to order free credit reports--a website and toll-free hotline--is only available in English. As a result, millions are denied this information, which is essential to making informed financial decisions and to guarding against identity theft.

Identity theft is a serious and pervasive crime that affects millions of American families. According to a recent study by the Department of Justice, an estimated 3.6 million U.S. households--or about 3 out of every 100--were victims of identity theft in 2004.

During last month's markup of the Financial Data Protection Act (H.R. 3997) in the House Financial Services Committee, I called on America's leading credit bureaus to implement new procedures and services to help Spanish speakers obtain copies of their free credit report, understand the financial information it contains and learn about ways they can guard against identity theft, detect it or take corrective action if they discover they have been victimized. The right to a free credit report is a right for all consumers. In order for tens of millions of Spanish speakers to gain access, the system for ordering free credit reports must be made available in Spanish.

Last week, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, of which I am First Vice Chair, met with executives from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to discuss this issue and to ask them to take additional steps to protect Latinos who have limited English language skills. The CHC will continue to monitor this issue to ensure their full compliance with the law. They must be held accountable.

I urge my colleagues to support the adoption of H. Res. 737 and encourage all members to support the ideals and goals of Financial Literacy Month.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the efforts of my colleagues Chris Shays and Marty Meehan to strengthen elections in this country. However, I oppose the measure they offer today because it seeks to address the wrong problem, and as a result, this proposal squelches participation by individuals and small donors in the electoral process. For that reason, and because there are First Amendment implications as well, I will vote against this measure.

On my first day as a Member of Congress in 1999, I joined the fight for campaign finance reform. I did so because we needed to curtail the influence of money in politics. The Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act (BCRA) was critical to that effort because it eliminated corporate money and capped the size of donations that could be made to political candidates and political parties. These steps made it less likely that elected officials will be beholden to large donors instead of to their constituents.

The critical distinction between BCRA and the proposal before us today is that BCRA limited the amount of money that could go toward political candidates and parties. Today's proposal limits donations to organizations that advocate for a policy or a point of view. That is a radically different approach. Let's remember something: Elected officials are supposed to hear from their constituents at election time. A group of citizens speaking loudly through the collective action of a 527 is a democracy behaving as it should.

Organizations that attain 527 status under the Internal Revenue Code are dedicated to specific ideals and legislative objectives that they believe are best for America. Some 527s want more investment in education. Some want lower taxes. Some support the right to choose. Others oppose it. None of these organizations, however, may be dedicated to a specific person or party. They may not advocate for or against a specific candidate, nor coordinate their activities with a candidate's campaign. By definition, their involvement is the stuff of political discourse.

As a strong, early, and vocal supporter of the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act, I agree with the ban on raising and spending unregulated ``soft'' money by candidates and political parties. BCRA helps prevent elected Members of Congress from developing a ``second constituency,'' one that is different from their actual constituency, which is the people they represent. However, BCRA did not intend to prohibit robust debate of political ideals, values, and proposals for the betterment of our country. Doing so not only stifles political discourse, it runs afoul of the First Amendment right to speak freely. In February of 2004, I joined several of my colleagues in writing to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) stating my view that while we need to break the link between unregulated contributions and federal officeholders, we need to protect, preserve, and even increase political involvement by ordinary citizens and independent associations.

If this bill passes, it's important to note who would be affected. According to the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet, 527 fundraising and spending increased fourfold between 2000 and 2004, while at the same time, voter turnout reached an unprecedented high of almost 126 million voters in 2004--15 million more than in 2000. This was largely a direct result of voter registration, education, and mobilization activities organized by 527s. Most importantly, although it has been widely reported that certain wealthy individuals made multi-million dollar contributions to 527s, the vast majority of 527 receipts were from individual donations of under $200. The liberal 527 organization ``America Coming Together,'' for example, raised $80 million in 2004, 80 percent of which was from donations of less than $200. Similarly, the conservative 527 organization ``Progress for America'' raised $45 million in 2004, 85 percent of which was from donations of less than $200.

These statistics are in stark contrast to much of the debate on this issue. Supporters of the proposal before us today have pointed to wealthy individuals who contributed large sums to 527s as evidence that 527s should be curtailed. My question is this: Even if this bill passes, what is to stop wealthy individuals from simply paying for the same television ads, mail pieces, and organizational efforts on their own, without 527s? If this bill passes, these same individuals will simply spend their money on their own. It is small donors--who, as I said already, are the majority of donors to 527s--who will be denied the benefit of collective action. Squelching 527s will not curb the involvement of wealthy individuals, it will simply make them towering figures on the playing field of public discourse. This is exactly the wrong outcome.

If we want to tighten issue advocacy, we should do so by enforcing the already existing requirement that 527s remain truly independent of political candidates and parties. Truly independent 527 organizations expand the political debate, increase the public's opportunity to hold elected officials accountable, and increase participation in the political process by ordinary Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim Mr. Dingell's time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join Mr. Ryan and Mr. Kucinich in calling attention to the personal stories and the national hardship that is created by these plans to strip workers of their pensions.

Last December Representative Miller conducted an on-line hearing so that General Motors and Delphi employees would have an opportunity to send to Congress their words about the meaning of these plans to strip them of their pensions and benefits. And the response was powerful.

Let me read from a few New Jersey constituents. Mr. Paluzzi from East Brunswick writes, ``I have worked for GM Delphi for 34 years. And during the

hiring process I was given a package of benefits that I was entitled to. This included a pension package that the company said they would control and have for me upon my retirement. As I worked for the company, and union contracts were renegotiated, the pension package was still included. Now it seems, Delphi wants to take back the pensions and the contracts that were signed in good faith, while I and thousands like me, worked to make huge profits for the company. I felt my pension and benefits were secure all those years that I worked here.''

Mr. Lauder of Somerset New Jersey wrote, ``I have lived in the same area all my life except for the 4 years I served my country in the U.S. Navy on a military leave of absence from GM. I have worked at this facility for 32 years, starting at age 18. The hazards of these plants are well known. The industrial atmosphere that we work in holds many perils, such as dangerous machinery, extreme temperatures, hazardous chemicals, asbestos, et cetera. We were not always aware of some of the hazards and the effect on our health, but over the years, the unions and more responsible government representatives fought for information and equipment to protect us.

These are the types of jobs the American blue collar workforce took to feed, clothe and educate our family in the hopes of creating a better world for them. The deal was that we would do our part to help the corporations rake in billions made off of our sweat and labor, and when our time was up we could look forward to a modest pension and medical benefits.''

``A living wage was also part of the deal so we could better the lives of our children so they could grow into healthy, educated, and productive individuals, to be contributors and not burdens on our society.

``That used to be the `American Way,' the basis for the betterment of our great country and the world. Now it seems the Robber Barons are back.''

You can hear the pride and the patriotism that comes through in this testimony from these workers.

Writes another worker: ``I've been on this job for 16 years and have been a loyal and dedicated employee from day one. Over the years there have been changes, but this kind of change is a harsh one to swallow. Delphi would like to take away our negotiated benefits and leave my family and me with nothing. I have a son who would like to start college next year. My wife and I have explained to him that this just may not happen right now because of the bankruptcy proceedings that are under way. Please imagine if this was the situation you were in, how would you feel and what would you do?''

Another, Mr. Hagopian from Somerset, New Jersey, writes: ``This whole bankruptcy was planned. If you let this happen,'' the Delphi deal, ``every other U.S. company will do the same thing . . . ''

You can hear the pride and patriotism. It comes through so clearly. Now, I ask will those who engineer the plans to strip these workers of their pensions and their benefits ever understand what these men and women are going through?

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor the memory of Erma Byrd, the wife of the senior Senator from West Virginia. We mourn the death of this great lady.

Here in this chamber it is important that we acknowledge the importance of the spouses of those who serve in the U.S. Congress. There is no more distinguished member of the legislative branch than the Senator from West Virginia, and certainly none who has served so effectively for so long. Surely, some of the credit for this distinguished service should go to Erma Byrd.

My family and I have known the Byrds for much longer than half a century. Senator Byrd and his wife have been devoted to each other for almost 69 years. She has been his closest companion and, I believe, his closest advisor. When they first married, he turned over to her his wallet and the family finances. He relied on her for everything domestic. For decades, in the evenings after his superb legislative and political work on Capitol Hill, when other members of Congress set off for receptions and social functions, Senator Byrd returned home to sit with Erma and read, often to each other.

Erma Byrd has been a dear friend of my mother. The daughter of a coal miner, Erma Byrd was a woman who showed great consideration for other people. She was a woman with a backbone and what we would call West Virginia gumption. The whole country of the United States knows Senator Byrd as a great legislator and great orator who can be counted on as the most adamant defender of our Constitution and a champion of the honor and traditions of the Congress, especially the U.S. Senate. What many Americans may not know is the man who has given devotion to and, until her death last week, received devotion from his honorable and capable wife. I join others here in expressing my sympathies to this great colleague.

Mr. Chairman, America's economic prosperity, security, and health are more dependent than ever on students' access to higher education opportunities. Unfortunately, the rising importance of college for individuals and our society has corresponded with skyrocketing tuition costs, causing students to take on massive amounts of loan debt--$17,000 on average; to work long hours that interfere with academic success; or to forgo college altogether.

H.R. 609 contains some positive provisions. I am pleased that the bill includes year round Pell grants for all colleges, including community colleges at least on a provisional basis. I am pleased that the bill includes up to $5,000 of student loan forgiveness if you are an elementary or secondary school teacher of a critical foreign language or a government employee who a critical foreign languages. The bill also authorizes Mathematics and Science Honors Scholarships to students pursuing a baccalaureate, masters, or doctoral degree, or a combination thereof, in physical, life, or computer sciences, mathematics, and engineering. The bill also creates Mathematics and Science Education Coordinating Councils, composed of education, business, and community leaders, which will implement State-based reform agendas that improve mathematics and science education; and support services that lead to better teacher recruitment and training, increased student academic achievement, and reduced need for remediation at all levels.

Unfortunately, H.R. 609 comes on the heels of the budget reconciliation bill, which cut $12.76 billion in Federal student financial aid by increasing interest rates, charging students more fees on their loans, and reducing subsidies to lenders. This was the largest cut in the history of Federal student financial assistance. The result will be nearly $8 billion in new charges that will raise the cost of college loans for millions of American students and families who borrow to pay for college. For the typical student borrower, already saddled with $17,000 in debt, these new fees and higher interest charges could cost up to $5,800. New Jersey students and families were hit hard--over 125,000 college students in New Jersey will be affected. H.R. 609 fails to reverse this raid on student aid.

Congress' recent policies with regard to student aid have abrogated the responsibility that the Federal Government accepted with the Higher Education Act. Supporting students and families who take out college loans is an investment in the American economy and our society at large. Congress should lower interest rates and provide additional benefits for student borrowers to encourage responsible repayment and support this educational borrowing. Instead, H.R. 609 fails to make loans more affordable. Rather than increasing opportunity, H.R. 609 freezes the authorized level of the maximum Pell grant scholarship--at just $200 above current levels--through 2013 well below the historic value of Pell grants.

H.R. 609 should be doing more to provide access to college. Pell grants should be doubled, not frozen at a level that will mean a reduction in value over time. Perkins loans should be increased, and work study should be increased. As currently written, H.R. 609 will not help us maintain our competitive edge in the global community.

Together we can do better.

Mr. Chairman, I ask to claim time in opposition.

No, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, indeed I am not opposing this amendment. In fact, I am joining the gentlewoman in this amendment and working with her, and I hope we will continue to work to perfect the amendment. It is particularly important that we do this.

The National Academy of Science's report, for example, ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm''; the Glenn Commission's report, ``Before It's Too Late''; and many others point out the need for greater content knowledge in the areas of math and science.

There are also reports that make it clear that we need greater content knowledge in foreign languages. Our national deficiency in foreign languages is affecting the ability of American businesses to compete overseas and really compromising our very national security.

I think we hardly need spend time arguing the need for content knowledge in math, science and foreign languages.

The question is, what are we going to do about it? Well, this amendment seeks to address that. It seeks to bring content specialists. In the amendment, we call them adjunct teachers. These are content specialists who will come to the classroom to make up for some of that deficiency that is all too real in schools across the country.

The amendment also establishes something that is in the legislation

that I had introduced separately known as a K-16 Critical Language Pipeline. It will provide for instruction in foreign languages from kindergarten through university, a course across the curriculum.

Having been a teacher, a science teacher myself, I am well aware that the knowledge of a subject is only one part of helping students learn. Being an effective teacher is much more than that. This bill, this amendment to the bill, intends to bring experts into the classroom, but it recognizes these are not yet full-fledged teachers.

An adjunct teacher cannot be pulled from the job and immediately placed into the classroom and expect to do as well as an experienced teacher. They will need supervision. They will need training, first of all, and then supervision by experienced teachers, but it will raise the level of achievement in the classroom. These content specialists, with appropriate training, appropriate supervision and preparation, will be, I think, an important way of addressing this content need.

I want to emphasize that the adjunct teacher core program is not about replacing teachers. Schools that are in need of applying for these grants will design their program to suit their local needs, and the applications require that stakeholders in education participate as well.

I look forward to working with the author of this bill and the Chair of the committee as this legislation moves through a process to perfect it.

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

Miss McMORRIS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) who, with me, comprises the Bipartisan Physicist Caucus.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time.

I thank the gentlewoman from Washington for working with me on this amendment. It does address an important need that you have heard over and over again. It hardly bears repeating that we have a need in the schools for content specialists in science, in mathematics, in foreign languages. This will go part way toward addressing this need. And I think it will be an important test of the K-16 Language Pipeline Program and I think it will be an important exercise in seeing how we can bring this expertise into the schools without disrupting the schools, without displacing the trained teachers. We will do it in a way so that the specialists will learn the pedagogy and will be drawn into the full system so that the students will benefit, not just in the subject matter but in the pedagogy.

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

Miss McMORRIS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of the time.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Mr. Holt for working with me on this amendment. It is an important issue that we are addressing in this country in a bipartisan fashion. I also want to recognize Mr. Ehlers and his work as the math-science expert in Congress and his tremendous leadership in this area.

We need to be working together to make sure that America remains competitive.

Miss McMORRIS. Mr. Chairman, I would like to enter the following letters from the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, the Business Roundtable, TechNet, the Information Technology Industry Council, and the American Chemical Society which state support for the McMorris- Holt-Dreier American Competitiveness Initiative, into today's Congressional Record.

Technet,

Washington, DC, March 29, 2006.

Hon. Cathy McMorris,

House of Representatives,

Washington DC.

Hon. Rush Holt,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Representatives McMorris and Holt: TechNet is proud to

lend its support to the ``American Competitiveness

Amendment'' you will offer to the College Access &

Opportunity Act, H.R. 609, this week. Maintaining our

competitive edge is largely dependent upon a highly educated

and skilled workforce, and your efforts to improve teaching

and learning in our Nation's classrooms will help prepare

today's students to be tomorrow's innovators.

As you know, TechNet is the bipartisan, political network

of chief executive officers promoting the growth of

technology and the innovation economy. TechNet's members

represent more than one million employees in the fields of

information technology, biotechnology, e-commerce and

finance. TechNet is committed to working with Congress and

the Administration to ensure the United States remains the

world leader in economic and technological innovation.

Today, we face the reality that the demand for the best and

brightest minds has become highly competitive and global in

scope. With Congress and the Administration offering numerous

proposals for tapping America's potential and maintaining our

competitive edge, your amendment to H.R. 609 is a timely and

critical supplement to private sector investments for

improving educational opportunities for students and

teachers.

The ``American Competitiveness Amendment'' to H.R. 609 not

only authorizes resources to improve teacher quality, it

helps address the long term challenge of encouraging more

young people here in the U.S. to pursue careers in science,

technology, engineering and math, STEM. In short, with so

many countries beginning to recognize their own economic

development potential, the United States can no longer take

its current leading position for granted.

We look forward to working with you and your staff to

advance our shared goals of ensuring our nation's economic

strength, growth and vitality.

Sincerely,

Lezlee Westine,

President & CEO.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great sadness in my heart. On Wednesday, March 22, 2006, ten of my constituents were killed in an accident that has left a tight knit community in New Jersey full of grief, and reflecting on fond memories of those who have departed.

Today my prayers are with those our community has lost: Marvin Bier and Shirley Bier, Hans Wilhelm O. Eggers and Maria Eggers, Arthur Kovar and Frieda Kovar, Robert Rubin and Barbara Rubin, Marion Diamond, and Carrole E. Ruchelman. Each of these people embraced life and we will miss them greatly.

In the wonderful years of retirement, these residents of the Ponds, in Monroe Township, New Jersey, sought out new parts of the world. Last week, they were on a cruise that took them to Chile, where they opted to take a bus to explore an enticing part of that country. In a horrible accident, the bus rolled off an embankment.

In addition to those killed, we must also pray for Bernard Diamond and Harold Ruchelman, who survived the terrible crash that took the lives of their wives. These two men will need the support of our community. We must give them our love and help them deal with the seemingly insurmountable sorrow they must feel.

My prayers are also with the family members, relatives, and neighbors of those affected by this accident. This week has reminded us of the preciousness of each moment, and how many of the unexpected events that change our lives remain out of our control. It reinforces the need to remain humble in the eyes of God and to take each day and live it as if a gift from God. This was the spirit in which each of these ten New Jersey residents traveled with B'nai B'rith on their South American cruise. They left the safety and comfort of the Ponds to explore a new part of the world. They are now on their final journey and safe in God's hands.

Today is a day for reflection and for contemplation. While we have pain and grief today, tomorrow we must work to find internal peace with the events of last week. As Psalm 23 reminds us, ``surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.'' It is not easy today, and it will not be easy tomorrow, but we need to embrace the grace that exists and make the most of our lives, building upon the memory of those we have lost. As Moses reminds us in Deuteronomy, ``be strong and of good courage. Fear not, for God will go with you. He will not fail you. He will not forsake you.''

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to oppose the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Hurricane Recovery, H.R. 4939. This supplemental bill, totaling $91.8 billion, is the largest that the House of Representatives has ever considered.

As I have said repeatedly on the House floor, I strongly oppose using so-called ``emergency supplementals'' to fund non-emergency, clearly foreseeable expenditures. This bill provides $72 billion for continued military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The fact that our troops are on the ground in these dangerous places is not a surprise. They have been in Iraq for almost three years. Their needs are well known to everyone, except, it seems, the President and his budget staff. Every year, the President fails to budget for the cost of military operations, and every year he pretends that the war is an unforeseen ``emergency''.

Funding our soldiers this way is dangerous because it leaves them ill-equipped and subject to last minute actions like this by Congress. If, by contrast, we funded military operations through the normal budget process, funding decisions would be made in the open and with the appropriate scrutiny they deserve. It would also allow for long term planning and more thoughtful budgeting. We have all read about the contracting waste and fraud that has occurred in Iraq. A number of no- bid and open ended contracts have wasted millions of taxpayer's dollars. This waste has made a few crooked businessmen wealthy and done nothing to protect our troops or help build a more stable democracy in Iraq.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I refuse to continue to fund a failed policy. I opposed this war because I did not think the President had made a convincing case for the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and I opposed his illegal doctrine of preemption. Since then I have only been heartbroken by the utter incompetence of which it has been planned. Our soldiers are doing outstanding work, and I salute their sacrifice. But the policy-makers in Washington have let them down and put them in an impossible situation. As I said in a letter to Secretary Rice last September, it is time to begin bringing our soldiers home. Spending good money after bad on a failed policy puts our soldiers, and our national security in even greater risk.

There are portions of this bill that should have been in the President's budget last year. For example, I fully support up-armoring HUMVEE's and tanks in Iraq. I also support investing $59 million to fund foreign language proficiency pay. I also support the $1.4 billion in the bill to fund family separation allowances, hardship duty, and combat pay.

Yet, all of these funds could have, and should have, been included in the regular budget process. But they were not.

Let me talk for a moment about the other good portions of this bill which were attached by the Majority in a cynical attempt to buy votes for the overall bill.

There is true emergency funding in this bill. But it is money for Sudan and the Gulf Coast, not Iraq.

This bill also contains money to help in the recovery of another emergency, one that struck our own shore. Just over six months ago, the Gulf Coast was struck by Hurricane Katrina. I have visited the Gulf Coast and found that the destruction was terrible, with hundreds of thousands uprooted only to return and discover their homes were obliterated. The debris is still being cleaned. The people of the Gulf Coast region are looking to rebuild and continue their lives, and this bill provides $19 billion in needed funds to assist in financing the rebuilding effort. This money helps us to keep faith with those who were failed by their government in the days and weeks following Hurricane Katrina. I am voting for an amendment that would increase by $2 billion community development funds available to assist local communities rebuild.

The genocide that continues to this day in Darfur, in the Sudan, is unconscionable. The President has said this, the Secretary of State has said this. Further, I have said a number of times that America needs to do everything it can to end the Darfur genocide. This bill contains $514 million for Sudan, with a large portion going to the Darfur region to fund the African Union peace keeping mission. I strongly support this funding. There is a true emergency in Sudan and I am glad that this money will be provided to end the genocide and provide humanitarian assistance to devastated people in the region. I am voting for the Capuano Amendment to add an additional $50 million to help fund extra peacekeepers in Darfur.

I am sorry that these true emergency funds were attached to the foreseeable spending for the ongoing operations in Iraq. I have voted for rebuilding the Gulf Coast and ending the genocide in Darfur in the past, and I will continue to do so. But I will not fund a failed policy in Iraq that is jeopardizing our soldiers needlessly, stoking the insurgency, draining our national resources, and doing nothing to protect Americans from terrorism at home.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose this bill that seeks to make much needed changes to the House approved PATRIOT Act Conference Report. What we are voting on today are ``Additional Reauthorizing amendments'' for the PATRIOT Act. Unfortunately, these proposed changes do not go far enough and they fail to strike the proper balance between freedom and security.

When the PATRIOT Act came before the House last year, I made clear that, as written, it failed to protect the civil liberties of the American people from the overzealous police powers of the state. That is why some United States Senators who shared my concern worked for months to draft new safeguards to prevent the abridgment of our constitutionally granted civil rights. While good-intentioned, the small concessions they were able to win do not address the vast majority of objectionable provisions in the bill and some even make it worse.

The sponsors of this legislation will say that it makes needed improvements to the PATRIOT Act. However, when read closely some of these so-called ``improvements'' actually make the PATRIOT Act worse. For example, one of these amendments actually creates a previously non- existent one year gag order on recipients of national security letters. Under this change, the records of library patrons are still subject to secret searches and investigators do not have to promptly inform the patron of the searches. And these changes make the PATRIOT Act worse by actually preventing librarians from challenging these searches in court for at least a full year. Currently, no period of time exists to delay judicial review of national security letters.

Robert Kennedy speaking in Georgia, a state at the center of the civil rights movement, said, ``we know that if one man's rights are denied, the rights of all are endangered.'' What Bobby Kennedy understood, but what too many of my colleagues forget, is that we are all bound together in our collective human existence. This means that the denial of our neighbor's rights puts our own rights in jeopardy. Yet, this bill does not sufficiently change the PATRIOT Act to ensure that the liberties and freedoms of all American's are protected.

For example, even with these amendments, it would still be legal under the PATRIOT Act for police or investigators to conduct so called ``sneak and peak'' searches of our homes or property without being notified until long after they are gone. One might expect to hear about this type of practice in state controlled or oppressive regimes around the globe. Yet, America was founded on the principle of individual liberty and freedom.

The PATRIOT Act legalizes what previously has been considered the violation of Americans civil rights. It is flawed and we can do better.

I urge my colleague to heed the words of one of our nation's founding fathers James Madison whom I quoted the first time this bill came to the House floor. Speaking in 1788 before the Virginia Convention (not all that far from where we are today) he explained what I believe is the unanswered problem with the Patriot Act. He said, ``I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.'' As Madison said over 200 years ago, the liberty and freedoms we as Americans cherish are being eroded today not at the barricade, but in our library and at our local doctor's office. Sadly, these so-called ``improvements'' are not enough, and the PATRIOT Act remains fatally flawed. It is for this reason that I urge my colleagues to vote no on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of National Engineer's Week and the fact that we are recognizing the importance of engineering in our lives. Too often we forget that engineering gives us our Blackberries, computers, cell phones, Ipods, pagers, high definition televisions, remote controls, and many other conveniences of modern living. For example, a Ford Taurus has 120 computer chips in it, giving the Ford Taurus more computing power than the Apollo lunar excursion modules.

I often speak of ``good old American know-how'', the ingenuity that created innovations which propelled our Nation to the superpower status we enjoy today. Yet, Mr. Speaker, we cannot grow complacent--innovation is slowing down, the innovation landscape is changing, and others are trying to take the gauntlet from us as I stand here now. We will not remain the leader of technological innovation in the world if we do not act. Resting on our laurels is not an option. We have done that long enough.

We must lead the Nation forward into the cultural shift required for our continued technological dominance. Every action that we take in this chamber sends a message to the world. Will we send the message that the United States understands the acceleration of technology through engineering and that these technologies will fundamentally change the structure of society and challenge the vision that we have of the future? Will we embrace the challenges that are before us as the global economy unfolds and we strive to find our role in it?

As we celebrate National Engineer's Week, we recognize the abilities that engineers have to translate scientific knowledge into innovative technologies which fulfill the needs and desires of society. By taking time on the floor of the House of Representatives to give commendation to engineering and National Engineer's Week, we are telling the Nation that engineering IS important to our future. However, celebrating engineering is not enough. We must focus resources and increase funding into research and development. Without a strong foundation in basic research and development, engineering loses the source of knowledge which feeds the engineering innovation pipeline.

Innovation spurs from creative thinking, and engineering benefits from the highly trained

workforce skilled in the creative endeavor of problem solving. The education of our engineering workforce must also be a focus of our work for the future of our Nation. We must more fervently welcome into the science and engineering workforce underrepresented groups, for their unique perspectives and diverse background enrich the problem solving environment. We must create an educational system that maintains high expectations and intellectually challenges each student to find their role in solving the problems that we will face as a Nation. This is about our future, our Nation's future, and we must act now.