Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2733, the Higher Education Extension Act of 2008.

While this is the first extension of the Higher Education Act for this year, we have passed over a dozen extensions of this law since it first expired.

S. 2733 will ensure that vital Federal college access and student aid programs continue to serve those students who depend upon them for an additional month. Earlier this year, the House passed H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2008, by a vote of 354-58. Unlike last year when the Senate failed to act when the House passed its bill, the Senate passed their Higher Education Act reauthorization bill as well. We are now the closest we have been in recent years to passing a reauthorization bill.

I stand in support of this extension of the Higher Education Act through April 30 of this year because I hope that we can move forward in developing a conference agreement in a bipartisan and thoughtful manner. If it takes 1 more month or 2 more months, I think others would agree that we would rather see a thoughtful product rather than something that was rushed through the process to meet an artificial deadline.

I join with my colleagues in fully supporting efforts to extend the Higher Education Act today and hope that we can work together to develop a conference agreement that will fundamentally reform the programs included in the Higher Education Act.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' in support of this extension.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

I reserve my time.

Madam Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to speak today, and I certainly rise also in support of H.R. 2857, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act. This program will certainly strengthen and finally reauthorize the Nation's national and community service programs. And after 15 years, this reauthorization is certainly long overdue.

I want to add my words of praise and thanks to my Chair, Chairwoman

McCarthy, as well as to the full committee Chair, Chairman Miller, and the ranking member, Buck McKeon, for their important leadership in moving this reauthorization forward of this very important program that promotes active involvement of citizens of all ages.

In 1973, Congress passed the Domestic Volunteer Service Act, DVSA, to foster and expand volunteer service in communities while helping vulnerable and disadvantaged populations such as the elderly and the poor. DVSA authorized the National Senior Volunteer Corps, made up of the Foster Grandparents Program, the Senior Companion Program, and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.

Seventeen years later, Congress passed the National and Community Service Act, NCSA, of 1990. NCSA aims to address unmet human, educational, environmental, and public safety needs, as well as to renew a sense of civic responsibility by encouraging citizens to participate in national service programs. Authorized under NCSA are Learn and Serve America, AmeriCorps State and national grants, and the National Civilian Community Corps.

Both DVSA and NCSA are administered by the Corporation for National Community Service, and both laws were most recently amended in 1993 by the National and Community Service Act. While authorization of appropriations for both laws expired at the end of fiscal year 2006, these programs have remained funded through annual appropriations measures.

I'm pleased to be a cosponsor of H.R. 2857, the GIVE Act, and believe that this bill makes commonsense improvements to our Nation's national service programs. Not only does it provide increased flexibility for States, but importantly, and as referenced by Ranking Member McKeon, it also increases accountability and efficiency within the administration of these programs.

H.R. 2857 strengthens existing community and national service programs by providing year-round service opportunities for students and elderly alike, and further encourages involvement of disadvantaged youth. This legislation also expands eligibility requirements for senior serving programs like Foster Grandparents and the Senior Companion Program, ensuring that individuals with an interest in serving have options available to them. Finally, the GIVE Act reauthorizes DVSA and NCSA through fiscal year 2013.

Recent natural disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as well as the wild fires in California, have showcased the important efforts of AmeriCorps and NCCC volunteers. I am proud to be part of this effort to strengthen national service programs and ensure that participants can continue to aid disadvantaged and needy populations. And I have seen firsthand in my district the great work of senior citizens in the Senior Companion Program and young citizens in AmeriCorps partnering with Habitat for Humanity to truly make a difference in Central Pennsylvania. And we know that these efforts are being replicated across the country.

So, Madam Chairman, I hope that all will join in supporting the GIVE Act and vote in favor of this legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I yield as much time as he consumes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra).

Madam Chairman, I certainly am pleased to be part of moving this legislation, the GIVE Act; but I do want to associate myself with the gentleman from Michigan, the ranking member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, on the importance of us moving the reauthorization of FISA; and, hopefully, we will get to that as quickly as possible and restore the tools to our intelligence community they need to protect our Nation and our citizens.

With that, I'd like to yield as much time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays).

Madam Chairman, I'd like to reserve the balance of my time at this point.

Mr. Chairman, I will continue to reserve my time.

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

Mr. Chairman, I want to again just thank my subcommittee chairman, Chairwoman McCarthy, for her leadership on this important legislation, as well as the full committee Chair, Mr. Miller, and the ranking member, Mr. McKeon.

As a number of speakers have talked about their own experience and the gentleman from Connecticut, through his work in the Peace Corps, these opportunities to participate in the programs that are funded and authorized under the National Community and Service Act impact not just those who receive the benefit of the work done, but those who actually participate. And with a family member who has participated in AmeriCorps, I have seen that impact on that individual and how they were a stronger person and better prepared for the rest of their adult years because of having been part of AmeriCorps.

So, again, I urge a ``yes'' vote for this legislation and look forward to it moving forward through the House and working with the Senate to get it to the President's desk.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition to the amendment although I am not opposed to the amendment.

I want to commend the ranking member for offering this manager's amendment which makes several very important changes to the GIVE Act.

Most importantly, this amendment includes the language that would allow the Corporation for National and Community Service to support individuals who fill national service positions in small organizations that do not receive AmeriCorps grants.

This language was originally proposed by Mr. Souder in committee, and the manager's amendment reflects the bipartisan approach and the bipartisan compromise that was reached to infuse more individual control and local flexibility into the national service programs.

Also, I would like to reference that this amendment injects fair competition into the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program by requiring all programs to be competitively reevaluated by fiscal year 2013. For too long, these programs have continued to receive funding without any effort to determine if those programs are successfully making a difference in their communities, and this amendment will ensure that this is no longer the case.

So, I urge a ``yes'' vote in support of the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition to the amendment although I am not opposed to it.

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

I rise in support of the amendment and commend the maker of the amendment for helping to want to bring more competition to the process of the grants being awarded and more cooperation between the national and the State organizations. I'm aware that the National Governors Association has indicated its support for this amendment and the end result will be a stronger program, a program that is really more about less administrative costs and more dollars flowing to the programs that are going to make a difference in our communities, whether it be national or State.

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

Mr. Chairman, I'd just like to associate myself with the remarks earlier from the gentleman from Connecticut, who spoke in favor of this amendment during his previous statement, and again to ask all Members to support this amendment when it is put before us for a vote.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I do plan on supporting this amendment and appreciate the intended maker of the amendment. And to make sure that we are being thorough in our approach to this important issue, I do want to express just some reservation that we don't duplicate the efforts of the subcommittee and the work of the subcommittee or the corporation itself in exploring the ideals of public service, but I will be supporting it and encourage a ``yes'' vote.

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

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment and would associate myself with the maker of the amendment's statements regarding the importance of helping those who are facing challenges because of the housing crisis. This amendment recognizes that communities that are particularly hard hit by this crisis may be in need of special national service efforts. I thus support the amendment and encourage a yes vote.

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

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I do rise in support of this amendment. This amendment is similar to a study and pilot program dealing with veterans that was authorized through an amendment that passed in the committee. While I hope that as this bill moves forward we do not end up with studies and pilot programs for so many different areas that we lose our focus on the bill's priorities, I do believe that it is appropriate activity for the corporation to undertake this effort.

In general, unemployment remains extremely low by historical standards, despite concerns about the economy. However, for those communities such as the maker of the amendment referenced in her home State of Ohio that are experiencing unusually high job losses, it would be wise to explore ways to target national service efforts towards addressing those concerns.

Therefore, I support the amendment, and encourage a yes vote.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. Chairman, while I certainly understand the focus and intent of this amendment, I rise in opposition and worry that this amendment will create more bureaucracy and administrative costs rather than focus on getting dollars out to the participants in the programs.

The focus of the GIVE Act is on streamlining our national service programs to make them more effective, efficient, and accountable. To do that, we have refocused a number of programs and added priorities to others to ensure that national service funds are being spent on initiatives that meet the most pressing needs.

We have accomplished that by working within the existing program structures rather than piling new programs on top of existing programs with similar purposes. I share the gentleman's concerns in the area of energy conservation. I believe a better approach to this issue would have been to work within existing structures. In fact, this bill already does that by addressing energy usage and conservation in a number of areas.

Learn and Service, a new Summer of Service program, includes a focus on energy conservation. And in the innovative program section of that program, energy conservation is specifically included as a type of program eligible for funding.

Under the National Civilian Community Corps, energy conservation was specifically added as a new purpose for that program. And under the programs of national significance authority within the Senior Corps, energy conservation and environmental stewardship were added as types of programs eligible for funding.

Obviously, infrastructure issues are found throughout the bill because we recognize that this is a priority in many locations. But establishing a new corps that will siphon away already scarce resources will only undermine the efforts of the amendment's sponsors to bring greater focus to these types of programs.

I understand this amendment authorizes $10 million for fiscal year 2009. Well, not within this specific act, but the Public Land Corps within the Department of the Interior already exists and is funded by the Federal Government at the amount of $2.5 million this year and it is authorized for $12 million. This program, the Public Land Corps, engages disadvantaged youth ages 16-24 in protecting public lands and the environment, including global warming and emissions reduction.

So my opposition is not to the focus of the effort, but I believe we are being duplicative and are going to waste hours on administrative costs in creating a new program rather than investing these dollars in existing programs that will better focus on energy conservation.

So I would encourage a ``no'' vote, and ask Members to vote ``no.''

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

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

I just want to again emphasize that the GIVE Act specifically includes ``energy conservation and stewardship as specified allowable uses of grant funds in programs already in place.'' So I would encourage a ``no'' vote.

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

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize the achievements of Major General David H. Huntoon, Jr., currently serving as the 46th Commandant of the United States Army War College, located in my Congressional District at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Gen. Huntoon became the 46th Commandant of the Army War College in August 2003. His service in this post will come to a close in January, when he will be reassigned to Fort Myers.

The resume of Gen. Huntoon is long and distinguished, fitting for the Commandant of an institution with a long and distinguished history. Gen. Huntoon was commissioned in 1973 from the Military Academy at West Point. He served thirteen years as an infantry officer; he served in the Directorate of Plans at Fort Bragg during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm and Operation Just Cause; and he has served as a National Security Fellow at the Hoover Institute, as an Executive Officer to the Chief of Staff of the Army, and as the Director of Strategy at the Pentagon.

As the Commandant of the Army War College, Gen. Huntoon has been dedicated to training strategic leaders in the war against terrorism. He speaks of the need to restore the peace shattered on 9/11. He speaks with reverence of both family and the military family. and he has worked to bring the community of Carlisle into the folds of his daily command.

It has been a privilege and an honor to get to know Gen. Huntoon and his family over the past few years. I want to thank him for his dedicated service to the mission of the United States Army War College and to the defense of our great Nation. I wish him and his family the best in their future endeavors.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2371, a bill providing for technical changes to the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. This bill includes two necessary clarifications and corrections to ensure that this act, a series of financial aid changes made through this year's budget reconciliation process, is implemented as Congress intended.

The bill before us today would make some, but not all, of the important technical amendments that are needed to ensure that the Department of Education is able to put this law into place in a manner consistent with congressional intent. The bill clarifies the untaxed income and benefit items that are to be included in the needs analysis formula for purposes of determining what a family can actually pay for their child's education. It also ensures that borrowers selecting the new income-based repayment plan will not face a penalty simply because they are married. Finally, the bill also provides technical amendments to the TEACH Grant program.

There are several other important technical corrections in a bill that the House passed prior to the Thanksgiving Day recess. The changes clarified that members of the Armed Forces Reserves are eligible for student loan deferments when they return home after serving abroad. The House-passed bill also encouraged families to adopt older children by permitting any student that was in foster care through the age of 13 to be treated as an independent student, even if the child was adopted after the age of 13. Unfortunately, most of these changes will not be enacted because our colleagues on the other side of the Capitol eliminated them from the bill, despite the bipartisan support shown for these important reforms here in the House.

These reforms are technical in nature, but their consequences will be far-reaching. Prior to the Thanksgiving Day recess, the Education and Labor Committee unanimously passed a bill to expand college access and affordability. Consistent with that goal, this package of technical corrections will improve our financial aid programs by clarifying the intent of the recently enacted College Cost Reduction and Access Act. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important measure.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2517, the Protecting Our Children Comes First Act of 2007, which will amend the Missing Children's Assistance Act to authorize appropriations and for other purposes, and I want to commend both the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson) and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy), the chairwoman, for their leadership on this issue at the committee level and with the sponsorship of the legislation. And also on my side of the aisle, I commend the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) who will be speaking shortly for her leadership on this very important issue.

Every year, thousands of children are abducted or go missing. In 1984, Congress recognized the need for greater coordination of local, State, and Federal efforts to recover these children, and established the Missing and Exploited Children's Program under the Missing Children's Assistance Act. This act addresses the needs of missing, abducted, and sexually exploited children. The program was created to coordinate and support various Federal missing children's programs through the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, OJJDP, and includes the authorization for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The National Center is a not-for-profit corporation mandated by Congress which works in partnership with the Department of Justice. The center is funded in part by Congress and in part by the private sector and serves as the national resource center and clearinghouse for information on missing and exploited children. The National Center carries out many of the objectives of the Missing Children's Assistance Act in collaboration with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The National Center provides assistance to families and law enforcement agencies in locating and recovering missing and exploited children, both nationally and internationally. While the National Center receives leads on abducted, runaway, and sexually exploited youth and disseminates this information to various investigative law enforcement units, the center

itself does not conduct the investigation of these cases.

The National Center's Federal funding supports specific operational functions mandated by Congress, including a national 24-hour toll-free hot line; a distribution system for missing child photos; a system of case management and technical assistance to law enforcement and families; training programs for Federal, State and local law enforcement; and programs designed to help stop the sexual exploitation of children.

Today, more missing children come home safely than ever before; however, there is still important work to be done. Hundreds of children still do not make it home each year, and many more continue to be victimized by acts of violence. In fact, children are the most victimized segment of our society and crimes committed against children of all ages are the most underreported of any victim category.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has worked with law enforcement on more than 133,000 missing child cases, and has played a role in reuniting more than 115,000 children with their families. With a 96.2 percent recovery rate, up from 62 percent in 1990, the National Center has analyzed more than 500,000 reports of crimes against children on the Internet and referred them to law enforcement, resulting in hundreds of arrests and successful prosecutions.

Today, law enforcement is responding more swiftly and effectively to reports of missing children. There is a national network in place, and parents are more alert, more aware, and talking to their children about their safety. With the changes made through this legislation, the Missing Children's Assistance Act and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children will continue their important efforts focused on protecting our vulnerable missing children.

Again, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson) for his sponsorship of this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield 4 minutes to the gentlelady from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), who as has been referenced has been a true champion for protecting our Nation's children.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite).

Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers. I will just urge a ``yes'' vote and again commend the Members and staff who have worked diligently on bringing this legislation to the floor, and look forward to its passage.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 1090, I was inadvertently absent from the floor at the time the Head Start for School Readiness Act [H.R. 1429] was voted. Had I been present, I would have vote in favor of said Act.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I rise here today to welcome as guest chaplain on the floor of the House of Representatives Rabbi Irwin N. Goldenberg, a constituent, friend, well-liked and well-respected religious leader in my home community. Rabbi Goldenberg has served at Temple Beth Israel in York, Pennsylvania, since 1973.

With Rabbi Goldenberg's retirement set for June 2008, numerous members of Temple Beth Israel approached my office and suggested he be invited as a guest chaplain. I was very pleased to have forwarded the request along to Father Coughlin and am grateful that Rabbi Goldenberg was able to give the opening prayer this morning.

Rabbi Goldenberg is a graduate of Rutgers University and Hebrew Union College. He is married to Joyce Meschmar and has two grown children, Rachel and Dahlia.

In addition to his general rabbinic duties, Rabbi Goldenberg has taught countless adults, children and teens at Temple Beth Israel and its religious school. He has also taught at York College and Gettysburg College, both located in the 19th Congressional District. Rabbi Goldenberg has also been extensively involved in his community, from being a member of the board of the York Jewish Community Center to teen pregnancy mentoring at the YWCA to serving on the task force on domestic violence.

It is a true honor to have Rabbi Goldenberg with us here today. I thank him for the prayer that he offered and I wish him the best for an enjoyable and relaxing retirement in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 895 (H.R. 1400), I missed the vote due to extenuating circumstances. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise to strongly support House Resolution 257. This resolution will to help increase awareness for pancreatic cancer, the deadliest of all cancers.

Mr. Speaker, few Americans may understand that pancreatic cancer is a horrific killer. This year alone, over 37,000 people will be diagnosed with this disease. Sadly, 99% of those diagnosed will lose their lives due to a lack of early detection tools.

Many Americans are not aware that pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all cancers; only 4 percent of patients will survive beyond 5 years after diagnosis. This is why it is a moral imperative for Congress to work to increase awareness of this deadly cancer.

I became aware of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (known as ``Pan CAN'') through a constituent of mine, Bob Hammen, who lost his wife to this terrible disease. Pan CAN is the only national advocacy organization which provides support for pancreatic cancer patients and their families.

In their efforts to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer, Pan CAN regards each November as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. H. Res. 257 supports Pan CAN's efforts to raise the awareness which is desperately needed to improve early detection methods and treatment for this disease.

Mr. Speaker, because all of our fellow citizens have family, friends, and neighbors who are regrettably vulnerable to this dreaded disease, I urge support from my distinguished colleagues for this resolution here today.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman yielding, and I certainly appreciate his leadership on this very important issue. I do appreciate the ranking member's issues he has raised and that perhaps this amendment doesn't go far enough in what it includes in the type of renewable energy that is acknowledged.

I would say that this is a starting point. If we support this amendment, if we get into conference, then we can build on this to look at other options. But we have to start somewhere. I think this is a good starting point.

So I rise in support of this amendment which would establish a National Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard of 15 percent by 2020. A 15 percent RPS is an important step that we can take to meet our growing energy needs in an environmentally friendly manner and decrease our dependence on foreign oil and create more jobs.

A study by Woods McKenzie found that a 15 percent RPS would decrease the price of natural gas by 15 to 20 percent, decrease wholesale electricity prices by 7 to 11 percent, for a savings of $240 billion to consumers and would avoid almost 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide by the year 2030.

In addition, a Federal RPS would create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. In fact, the top five States that have been hit hardest with the loss in their manufacturing economy over the past 6 years, California, Ohio, Texas, North Carolina, and my home State of Pennsylvania, would benefit most from the creation of new agricultural and manufacturing jobs because of the passage of this amendment. My home State of Pennsylvania has established an RPS of 18 percent by 2020.

Since its inception in 2004, the Renewable Energy Standard is associated with the creation of several thousand new jobs. Projections show that a national RPS would create an additional 7,000 jobs in my State alone. Momentum has been steadily growing for a national RPS. Currently, almost half of all States have implemented such an RPS standard.

Mr. Chairman, I believe a national RPS is an important step to make to reduce pollution and lessen addiction to foreign energy sources. I urge a yes vote, and I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I will quickly just say that I am honored to have joined with the gentleman from Connecticut in offering this amendment. I want to commend him for his leadership both in the State legislature and now here in Washington on issues important to our Nation's youth.

I also want to reference I am the ranking member of the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee of the Committee on Education. And our chairwoman, Chairwoman McCarthy, has been a great leader this year on issues dealing with juvenile justice and the needs of our youth. And I just appreciate the efforts here in trying to strengthen our juvenile justice system and our treatment programs so that our youth get the services, the treatments they need as well, as the appropriate imposition of justice based on their age and stage of development. And that is what this amendment sought to do.

I very much appreciate the chairman of the subcommittee and the ranking member for their efforts in addressing the funding needs of this area and their efforts to work with the gentleman from Connecticut and me and others as we go forward to strengthen the funding for these very important programs so we can do right by the youth of our Nation and help those who are troubled and get into difficulties with the law to be treated and be rehabilitated and, as the title of the underlying act, the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act, to prevent delinquency in the years to come.

So, again, I appreciate the gentleman from Connecticut's leadership on this issue.

Madam Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Madam Chairman, before I address my amendment I certainly want to commend Chairman Obey and the ranking member, Mr. Walsh, and their staffs for their dedicated work on this very important appropriations bill. I sincerely appreciate their efforts.

Madam Chairman, literacy skills are the cornerstone of our education system. I think that we can all agree that students who struggle with reading face challenges in all subject areas in school.

Unfortunately, children of parents who themselves have difficulty reading English are even more likely to perform at low literacy levels. For this reason, my predecessor, the Honorable Bill Goodling, former Republican chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee, established the Even Start Family Literacy Program.

Even Start is the only Federal education program that teaches literacy skills to both parents and their children. Through this program parents receive the necessary skills to become a teacher to their children and to improve their lives.

Even Start serves the most economically and educationally disadvantaged population in the country. According to a Department of Education report, 84 percent of Even Start's families are at or below the Federal poverty level. Nearly half of Even Start families have an annual household income of under $6,000, and 84 percent of Even Start adults do not have a high school diploma or GED.

Even Start is a program that provides disadvantaged families with an opportunity to provide a better life for their children. Parents enroll in Even Start to become better parents, to further their education, and to improve their children's chance of success in school.

At the Even Start centers in my hometown of York, Pennsylvania, I've witnessed firsthand the positive and significant impact that this program is having on parents and children alike.

The Even Start program has yielded successful results. A 2005 Texas A&M study has found that, on average, employment rates rise from 17 percent to 51 percent after program completion. In addition, wages increased by more than 25 percent.

Despite these positive results, and even with the Appropriations Committee's approximately $17 million proposed increase over the fiscal year 2007 funding level, the underlying bill's proposed funding level for the Even Start program is 60 percent less than the amount provided in 2002. Even Start centers struggled this past year to keep their doors open, and many had to close their doors permanently because of this drastic funding cut.

For these reasons, I've introduced this amendment to H.R. 3043. My amendment would increase the appropriations for the William F. Goodling Even Start Family Literacy Program by $50 million, bringing its total appropriation to $149 million. While this increase may seem significant, it's important to put the proposed level of $149 million into perspective. Even with the increased proposed in this amendment, the total level of funding for Even Start will still be 40 percent less than the funding levels provided in fiscal years 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 respectively. In fact, the underlying bill's funding level is less than what was provided even 13 fiscal years back, in 1995.

I certainly thank Chairman Obey for his support and advocacy of the Even Start program throughout many years. The Even Start program helps our most disadvantaged parents better their lives for themselves and their children.

I hope all Members will join me in supporting the Even Start program. I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Madam Chairman, I yield back my time.

Madam Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Offered By: Mr. Platts

Amendment No. 25: Page 24, line 22, after the dollar

amount, insert the following: ``(reduced by $27,995,000)''.

Page 25, line 22, after the first dollar amount, insert the

following: ``(reduced by $10,163,000)''.

Page 63, line 4, after the first dollar amount, insert the

following: ``(reduced by $10,942,000)''.

Page 77, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert the

following: ``(increased by $50,000,000)''.

Page 77, line 7, after the dollar amount, insert the

following: ``(increased by $50,000,000)''.

Page 92, line 17, after the dollar amount, insert the

following: ``(reduced by $900,000)''.

Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate Presbyterian Homes, Inc., located in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, for reaching its 80th anniversary.

Presbyterian Homes, Inc., (PHI), originated in 1927 when Mrs. Ellen Parker donated her farmhouse to care for 10 older women from Central Pennsylvania. Today, PHI is dedicated to providing high-quality, affordable healthcare, housing, and retirement services to older Americans in 19 communities.

More than 2,500 administrators, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare staff provide care to over 5,100 residents of PHI. Throughout its system of care, PHI provides independent living facilities, assisted living and personal care, skilled nursing care, specialized Alzheimer's and dementia care, rehabilitation therapy, adult day services, and operates a meals-on-wheels program.

Madam Speaker, please join with me congratulating Presbyterian Homes, Inc., on their 80th anniversary. I wish them luck as they begin their traveling exhibit which makes its debut in the Pennsylvania State Capitol building in May.