Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay my respects to a man who can be rightly described as a Michigan institution--George Weeks, who recently announced his retirement from his post as key political columnist for the Detroit News.

Since December 1983, George kept his readers well informed about federal, state and local political events in Michigan. Prior to that, George served the people of Michigan in his role as press secretary and, later, chief of staff to Governor William G. Milliken, beginning in 1969. During this time, he also worked as a consultant for the National Governors' Association. Before working for Governor Milliken, George had a successful 14-year career with United Press International, serving as a correspondent and bureau chief in Lansing, Detroit, Grand Rapids and Washington.

A native of Traverse City and a journalism graduate of Michigan State University, George is a very deserving 1996 inductee of the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.

I have known George Weeks professionally for many years, dating back to when I served in the Michigan Legislature in the 1980s and early 1990s. George is the only reporter that I ever dealt with who had a higher opinion of my ability than I did, and I greatly appreciate his superb insight. Seriously though, I have always found George to be eminently careful and thoughtful in his reporting and writing, and he is one of the finest journalists I have known.

I wish George all the best as he moves into this new phase of his career and life, but all of us who were his readers and the subjects of his writing will be the poorer for it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Rob von Gogh, Charlene Best, Ron Carrico, Chantel Greene, Matt Guilfoyle, and Tina Hanonu on their extraordinary achievements in the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, (CAO) supporting the United States House of Representatives and their receipt of the 2006 Achieving CAO Excellence (ACE) Awards. The 2006 CAO ACE Excellence Awards acknowledge the extraordinary efforts made by these members of the CAO team. These awards exemplify the goals, values, and mission of the organization. Considered to be among the highest honors awarded to CAO staff, at the heart of these awards are customer service, commitment to delivery solutions, and high standards of excellence.

Recipients of the 2006 CAO ACE Excellence Awards represent many areas of the CAO and perform a variety of jobs. Whether working directly with customers, supporting CAO internal operations, or ensuring the technical infrastructure is operational, each serves as an exemplary role model for the entire CAO community. Collectively and individually they delivered solutions that fulfilled the CAO customer experience, ensuring full satisfaction for their customers and colleagues.

Employees nominated for an award must be in full-time status, have received at least one PACE evaluation, and have a current performance rating of excelling. Nominations for the awards are submitted by managers, supervisors, deputies and associate administrators. The nominees are then reviewed by a committee comprised of the head of each CAO business unit, the deputy CAO for operations, the deputy CAO for strategy, the administrative counsel, and other members of the CAO team.

Rob von Gogh was selected for the ``CAO Excellence'' award. In his role directing the CAO client services team and serving on the CAO leadership group, he has been a role model CAO employee who lives the CAO mission, vision, values, and delivers the CAO customer experience to all his customers, colleagues and employees.

Charlene Best is the 2006 recipient of the ``Knowledge'' award for being an employee who is dependable and gets things done across the organization by leveraging a wide range of CAO resources. Her ability to set-up and establish office space for the new House Historian in a seamless manner demonstrates her unique understanding of the House community.

Ron Carrico was chosen for the ``Personalized Solutions'' award. He developed a product for the CAO that met current needs and incorporated the structure for future integrations with other enterprise system solutions that are being developed in the CAO for the House Community, specifically: MicroStrategy 8, Administrative Tools, Links and Solutions--Atlas, Lawson and the Customer Solution Delivery Model. This solution will provide the capability to report ``near real time'' performance measures. His consistently passionate customer service, effective communication, and problem solving enable customers to meet their professional and personal roles.

Chantel Greene was selected for the ``Dedicated'' award for exhibiting commitment to achieving the mission of the CAO. Through adversity, Chantel was able to lead others, build consensus and live the CAO customer experience. Her positive attitude is an inspiration to others and it is the key to her success.

Matt Guilfoyle is the recipient of the ``One Team'' award. He is relentless in his efforts and commitment to developing the CAO customer experience. The essence of his hard work and dedication to bring the CAO together was evidenced in the success of CAOne. He consistently and significantly contributes to the CAO team as a whole, bringing the CAO customer experience to life.

Tina Hanonu was chosen for the ``Simplify the Day'' award. Her ability to improve CAO client services procedures during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita enabled the CAO to provide reassurance and sustain service for district offices affected by the hurricanes. Tina's energy, drive, and enthusiasm enabled the House Recovery Operations Center to support and achieve results during such demanding times.

On behalf of the entire House community, I extend congratulations to Rob von Gogh, Charlene Best, Ron Carrico, Chantel Greene, Matt Guilfoyle, and Tina Hanonu for their tireless efforts and outstanding contributions to the U.S. House of Representatives. We wish them continued success in their job endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of his retirement in February 2006, I rise to thank Mr. Dan Hornak for 20 years of outstanding service to the United States House of Representatives.

Prior to his arrival in Washington, Dan graduated from Western Michigan University, taught elementary school, worked as a sheriffs deputy in Michigan, and was a television news cameraman. He joined the House Recording Studio staff in 1986 as a camera operator. Through the years he built a reputation as a team player dedicated to serving the Members of the House. He rose to the position of television director and enjoyed its challenges.

Dan has used his creativity to improve the Members' awareness of the Recording Studio services. His resourcefulness for completing special studio projects has become legendary. He has said that the greatest perk of his job has been working in the Capitol, learning its history and sharing it with others. Dan has made a point of knowing as many people working in the Capitol and in the House office buildings as possible, and he considers each of them to be his friend.

On behalf of the entire House community, I extend congratulations to Dan for his many years of dedication and outstanding contributions to the U.S. House of Representatives. We wish him many wonderful years in fulfilling his retirement dreams.

Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of her retirement in February 2006, I rise to thank Ms. Helga Brown for 23 years of outstanding service to the United States House of Representatives.

A native of Bad Reichenhall, Germany, Helga has served this great institution in mail processing, sales clerk, and payment processing positions within the offices of the Doorkeeper, Clerk, and the Chief Administrative Officer. She began her career at the House on February 24, 1983 in the Folding Room, where she assisted House offices with the preparation and packaging of mail. In 1988, after 5 years of hard work in the Folding Room, she transferred to the Office Supply store, where she started as a sales clerk. Helga's knowledge, enthusiasm and friendliness endeared her to her customers and coworkers. She always went the extra mile to assist House staffers and Office Supply Store visitors with their purchases or questions. Helga moved from the Office Supply sales floor to the payment processing department, where she quickly learned the new MCBA and FFS payment processing software. She proved to be an excellent worker in this area too, doing everything necessary to provide swift and correct payments to supply vendors. In addition to making prompt and accurate payments, Helga also assisted with the reconciliation of cash sales.

After 10 years in Office Supply, Helga briefly served as receptionist at Office Systems Management within House Support Services, again providing superior service to the House community. Her outstanding work prompted Office Supply to seek her out again, and she returned there to process payments. The Vendor Management department of House Support Services also recognized her abilities, and she finally transferred permanently there on August 1, 1999. Even years after her transition from the sales floor to the accounts payable section of Office Supply and Vendor Management, customers remembered how well she had helped them in the past, and would often seek her out for guidance, or just for a friendly chat. She has managed the processing of the majority of the countless payments for office supplies ordered by House Offices through Vendor Management. She painstakingly researched delivery documentation and invoices in order to ensure accuracy and swiftness of payments. Always a cheerful volunteer for special projects, Helga eagerly went above and beyond the call of duty. One of these special projects was a temporary detail back to her old position in Office Supply to assist with daily deposits and accounts. Her standard of excellence, dedication, professionalism, and pleasant disposition have earned her the admiration and respect of all of her customers and coworkers.

Helga will be greatly missed by the many friends and acquaintances that she has made throughout the entire House community over the years. We thank her for a job well done, and we wish her many happy years of retirement.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 602, the rule for consideration of the Pension Protection Act, H.R. 2830. Both the rule and the bill are excellent. I would especially like to commend Chairman Boehner and Chairman Thomas for their work on this very important pension bill.

In recent years low-interest rates, the stock market decline, and the increasing number of retirees have left many defined-benefit pension plans underfunded. As a result, companies from many industries claim that they will soon be unable to contribute the amount they are required to contribute under law. In particular, the aviation and manufacturing industries have been hard hit by these and other financial difficulties, and the penalties under the current pension law are creating tremendous financial burdens for already struggling employers, and in fact encouraging them to go into bankruptcy so they can get out from under the burdens of the current pension law.

The Pension Protection Act provides the long-term solution that is sorely needed to shore up pension benefits for millions of Americans. It makes the most comprehensive reforms to our Nation's traditional pension system in more than a generation.

The bill ensures that employers fund their pension promises to workers. It also keeps employers and unions from making pension promises that cannot be kept. I would note that the manager's amendment includes compromise language that will ensure that UAW retirees' pensions are protected, something very important in my district and, indeed, in all of Michigan.

I was surprised at the comments of the previous speaker, who has attacked the bill on that point. And certainly if the UAW believes it is a good bill, it cannot be as bad as the speaker claimed it is. In fact, I believe it is a very good bill, and it is designed to address the problems that he outlined.

The bill does not, however, ensure that airline workers' pensions receive needed additional protection. The Senate bill, the Pension Securities and Transparency Act of 2005, contains airline pension provisions. The Senate bill allows the airlines to pay their pension obligations over an extended period of time, ensuring that airlines can fund their pension obligation and helping to prevent the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation from becoming insolvent as a result of taking on the burden of the airline pensions.

I understand that Chairman Boehner intends to support airline pension provisions in the conference committee, and I strongly support him in his efforts to include airline pension provisions in the final version of the conference report.

I urge my colleagues to support this excellent rule and also encourage them later in the day to support the Pension Protection Act when it is considered.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate Sgt. Jeremy Kamphuis for being named the 2005 U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. Sgt. Kamphuis is a member of the 127th Military Police Company, stationed in Hanau, Germany. His hometown is Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the Third Congressional District of Michigan, which I represent, and where his parents, Don and Mary Kamphuis, also reside.

Sgt. Kamphuis, 23, enlisted with the U.S. Army Reserves in August 2000 shortly after graduating from Covenant Christian High School and signed up for active duty in October 2003. In April 2004, Sgt. Kamphuis was deployed with his fellow members of the 127th Military Police Company from their base in

Hanau, Germany, to Baghdad, where they were involved in the very important work of training Iraqi police.

Earlier this year, three weeks after returning from his Iraq deployment, Sgt. Kamphuis's commanding officer suggested that he participate in the Noncommissioned Officer competition. After winning four lower levels, beginning at battalion level and through his brigade and the Fifth Army Corps, Sgt. Kamphuis found himself at Fort Lee, Virginia, this September with nine other finalists, competing for 5 days and enduring stringent physical and mental challenges. The final challenge was a six-mile run in which Sgt. Kamphuis and his competitors each had to wear a full uniform, 40 pounds of body armor, a 40-pound pack and combat boots. Sgt. Kamphuis completed the course in one hour, 10 minutes.

As the Army's Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, Sgt. Kamphuis will represent the Army on key occasions, as well as continuing to do his job as a member of and trainer for the 127th Military Police Company.

On the occasion of Veterans Day, I want to commend Sgt. Jeremy Kamphuis and all his comrades for the jobs they do in protecting our country and our world each and every day. Thank you and congratulations to Sgt. Kamphuis on being named the U.S. Army's Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I commend him for his work on this report as well as on the original House bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the conference report of the Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2006. I want to recognize and pay tribute to the tremendous effort of Chairman Wolf and his staff, as well as the ranking member on the minority side and his staff, that they have exerted to meet the challenge of fairly balancing this bill.

Madam Speaker, their hard work is commendable, and I want to thank them for their tireless work.

I would like to speak in particular about one part of the bill, the National Science Foundation, better known as NSF. New to the subcommittee this year, NSF is the only Federal agency dedicated solely to supporting fundamental scientific research. While it represents a relatively small part of the overall budget, it is an extremely important part. NSF funding accounts for one-fifth of all Federal support for basic research and 40 percent of physical science research at academic institutions.

I am delighted that Chairman Wolf shares an appreciation for the critical role innovation has played in our economy and national security, as well as its unique tie to education and the work supported by the NSF.

In May of this year, 167 Members of Congress joined with me in signing a letter to support an increase for the budget of the National Science Foundation. Since the NSF was funded below the President's request last year, I am very grateful that the conferees saw fit to reverse this declining trend and return to sustaining the level of funding for NSF. The negotiated funding level for NSF in fiscal year 2006 of $5.65 billion reflects a strong commitment to NSF's job of developing our future skilled workforce and laying the foundation for innovative technologies in the fields of telecommunications, medicine and defense.

Furthermore, I want to acknowledge the committee's work to restore cuts endured by several programs within the Education Directorate at NSF. The Math and Science Partnership Program budget has been greatly diminished since 2002, when it was funded at $160 million. I am grateful that the conferees have signaled their recognition of the importance of this program by funding this program at $64 million, $4 million above the requested level.

We know that other countries are investing and outperforming the United States in the area of math and science education. We will not be able to compete successfully with the rest of the world if our workforce is not on the cutting edge of these fields, and we need to maintain these important programs that support math and science education.

Also within this bill, I want to briefly mention my appreciation that the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program, MEP, at the National Institute for Standards and Technology has been funded at $106 million. These funds will allow MEP centers across the country to continue their vital services for small- and medium-sized manufacturers that are not replicated by any other private or public organization.

Balancing many pressing national priorities within this tight budget climate is certainly a challenge. We must increase our funding of research and development because it is the foundation for increased innovation, economic vitality and national security. I look forward to continuing to work with Chairman Wolf and my colleagues to improve our support for NSF fundamental research and education programs in future years. I certainly encourage the administration and the President to increase their funding request for the National Science Foundation in the next budget that we will process next year.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the Senate concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 61) authorizing the remains of Rosa Parks to lie in honor in the rotunda of the Capitol, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 61, a resolution authorizing the remains of Rosa Parks to lie in honor in the rotunda of the Capitol.

Mr. Speaker, the Nation suffered a great loss on Monday with the passing of the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement, Mrs. Rosa Parks. She had no idea that on December 1, 1955, when she was jailed for refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, that she would inspire Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., to lead a 381-day boycott of that city's bus system, touching off the civil rights movement.

Due to the national publicity of the boycott and her active involvement in the NAACP, she had difficulty finding employment in Alabama. Therefore, she and her husband, Raymond Parks, moved north to Detroit in 1957. In 1965 my colleague, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), hired Mrs. Parks as a legislative aid. She worked for him until her retirement from congressional work in 1988 to focus all of her attention on the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute For Self Development. This nonprofit organization is committed to working with Detroit's youth to build leadership skills and inspire them to continue her work on civil and human rights.

I am especially pleased as a Representative from the State of Michigan to claim the honor of having her as a resident in our State, and also I am very pleased that we have a park in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, which is named for Rosa Parks and to signify her importance in our Nation.

She was a remarkable person. Her courage and her tenacity sparked the civil rights movements which led to the reversal of some very repressive laws in this country and brought this Nation to its feet in favor of civil rights for all individuals no matter what race, gender, or color. I am very proud to be here to speak as a native of Michigan on her behalf.

In 1999, the United States Congress honored Mrs. Parks in the rotunda of the Capitol by awarding her with the Congressional Gold Medal, our Nation's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is only fitting that we allow the Nation to pay its final respects to this great American by allowing her to lie in honor in the rotunda of the Capitol.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 758) to establish an interagency aerospace revitalization task force to develop a national strategy for aerospace workforce recruitment, training, and cultivation.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 758.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that today we are considering a bill that addresses the needs of the United States aerospace workforce.

The Aerospace Revitalization Act establishes a task force designed to develop a national strategy for aerospace workforce recruitment, training, and cultivation. It implements a key recommendation from the 2002 Bipartisan Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry Report to the President to counter what it termed ``the Nation's apathy toward developing a scientifically and technologically trained workforce.''

This bill creates an interagency task force to examine ways to partner within and beyond the Federal Government to strengthen our aerospace workforce. Led by the Department of Labor, membership on the task force spans nine agencies that participate in the development and deployment of the present and future aerospace workforce.

The goal is to develop a comprehensive strategy to increase the number of students and workers who choose science, engineering and other aerospace-related careers. To that end, the task force will also establish partnerships with industry, organized labor, academia and State governments to coordinate aerospace career education and training programs.

Each of the aerospace industry's three core segments, national defense, civil aviation and space systems, makes a unique contribution to sustaining the Nation's global political and technological leadership. The aerospace industry generates nearly 15 percent of the gross domestic product of the United States, supports approximately 11 million jobs in the United States, and leads the United States economy in net exports. Furthermore, aerospace contributes directly to the economic and national security of our country through military, space, air transport, and information technology applications.

If that is true, why do we need this bill? For a very simple reason. A large number of employees in the aerospace industry started shortly after the Apollo project of the 1960s. Many of them are now reaching retirement age, and that creates a huge problem because we do not have a workforce available to fill the vacuum created when these individuals leave.

In 2004, total employment in the aerospace industry fell to its lowest point in 50 years, and almost 30 percent of the aerospace manufacturing workforce will become eligible for retirement by 2008. Employers within the aerospace industry are concerned that U.S. students, who currently perform near the bottom of the leading industrialized countries of the world in math and science tests, lack the necessary training and skills to fulfill the anticipated workforce needs of the industry. Clearly, our country needs a national strategy for aerospace workforce recruitment, training and cultivation so that we will have a sufficient workforce, a trained workforce, to carry this program forward and sustain this important part of our economy in the years ahead.

At a time when we are expanding the boundaries of scientific discovery through space exploration and depend on a strong national defense to keep our citizens safe, the calculated coordination and training of our aerospace workforce is a critical need. I am grateful to all my colleagues for considering this bill, and I encourage them to support its passage.

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

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

I wish to thank the gentleman from Texas for his very fine statement and his encouragement on this issue. As we know, Texas is the center of a very important component of the aerospace industry, our space effort, and they have done very well in that.

I also appreciate the statement of the gentleman from Illinois who represents the leading aviation and aerospace company in the United States. That reflects very accurately what we are dealing with in the future if we simply do not produce the workforce that is required to maintain our lead in aerospace issues.

I have no further speakers at this time, but I do want to mention that several Members from California wish to speak on this bill. Unfortunately, they are currently en route here inside products of the aerospace industry, and I am sure they will submit statements for the Record later on.

I wish to thank the minority side for their support of this bill and thank my colleagues for their support. I urge everyone to continue their support, and I hope this bill will pass unanimously.

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

Mr. Speaker, today, I am pleased that we are considering this resolution recognizing the importance of chemistry in our everyday lives. This resolution supports the goals and ideals of National Chemistry Week. It recognizes the important contributions of chemical scientists and engineers to technological progress and the health of many industries. In addition, it encourages the people of the United States to observe National Chemistry Week, which, this year, is October 16-22.

Two weeks ago, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three organic chemists--one of them a former Michigan State University professor--for their work to reduce hazardous waste in forming new chemicals. Their method of organic synthesis, called ``metathesis'', allows carbon bonds to be broken and reformed to create new compounds. Their pioneering work has resulted in more efficient, safe and cleaner methods of synthesizing new materials and is appropriately classified as ``Green Chemistry.''

One of these three Nobel Prize winners, Richard Schrock of MIT, noted he became interested in chemistry when he was given a chemistry set as an 8-year-old, and at first liked to ``blow things up.'' His experience parallels the 2005 theme of National Chemistry Week, ``The Joy of Toys,'' which was chosen to highlight the valuable role curiosity plays in developing critical thinking.

I believe there are three main motivations for doing science: (1) The practical need to control, (2) the intellectual urge to understand, and (3) the aesthetic need to enjoy. I believe that the third of these motivations is the strongest, the one that drives the curiosity of young people and future chemists. That enjoyment is often stimulated by the process of playing: the simple action of enjoying a toy that does something fun or unexpected.

When a child plays with a toy, unexplainable behavior leads to questions about the underlying nature of a machine and drives a child to perhaps, like the Nobel Prize winner, deconstruct a toy in an effort to understand it. Getting to the bottom of how something works is, at its very nature, a scientific enterprise. Natural curiosity drives innovative thinking, improvements, and discovery. At a time when our workforce is in great need of increased scientific and mathematic literacy, it is important to stimulate children's interest in the chemical sciences so that they will consider careers in these fields and potentially discover the innovations of the future. What better way to stimulate interest than something fun?

Toys not only make us laugh, they give our minds a chance to view the world in a different way. Chemists provide the substance of toys through materials chemistry and ensure their safety for contact with our skin and in our children's mouths through analytical testing.

I commend the American Chemical Society for establishing National Chemistry Week in 1987. During this year's National Chemistry Week, volunteers from across the United States will engage children in understanding how toys work. Chemistry is used by the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agricultural and plastics industries to produce drugs, advanced plastics, herbicides, fuel additives and other substances. Chemistry supports our economic infrastructure and improves our lives-- and it is fun!

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution recognizing the goals and ideals of National Chemistry Week.

I thank the gentleman for yielding and I thank him for organizing this session.

I want to go very quickly through one item, and as we said we will continue later. I am a physicist. As a physicist, energy is tangible to me but to most people energy is intangible. You cannot touch it, see it, feel it, smell it or taste it. In other words, with our senses we cannot detect it. The only tangible aspect of energy for most people is the price at the gas pump and the utility bill at the end of the month.

But I have a wish and I wish it were true but my wish would be that energy would be purple. If energy would be purple it would be tangible. We could see it. And if you drive up to your house in the middle of the winter and saw the purple oozing through the walls and coming out in rivulets around the doors and windows where they are not sealed properly, you would say, oh, that is horrible. I am wasting all that energy. It is costing me money. So we would make sure that we would get the house sealed up.

Or if we were driving down the road and a Toyota Prius such as is owned by the gentleman from Maryland (Dr. Bartlett) or Honda Insight or some other hybrid vehicle went past us, there would be just a little bit of purple around the outside of it because it is very energy efficient. But if an SUV roared by there would be a huge cloud of purple. You could hardly see it. If people saw that they would say, why, that is foolish. Why would I want an SUV that is using all that energy? We are wasting energy. We are wasting money. Why do I not get a hybrid vehicle?

My point is simply because energy is intangible, it is very difficult for people to understand the problem and to deal with it. But if we can believe the experts who tell us about energy, it would be just as good if we saw it because energy is purple.

I am wearing a purple tie for a reason. First of all, I like it. But, secondly, its keeps reminding me if energy were purple, we would certainly change our energy use habits and we would do a much better job of conserving, as the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert) observed earlier about conservation. That is very important.

And I have to tell everyone in this Chamber and all of my colleagues, there is no faster, cheaper way to increase our oil supply than to conserve what we use. Because we can get the use of more energy at lower cost by doing that than by any oil exploration scheme and refinery-building scheme or anything else you wish to do. It costs less to conserve energy than it does to produce more. That is a very important principle to remember.

So I hope that everyone in this Nation and certainly everyone in this Congress recognizes the importance of energy efficiency. Conservation is just one part of energy efficiency, but we can certainly use our energy more efficiently than we have in the past. We can get more bang for the buck because we have the technological capability to do that today.

And it is absolutely essential to do that because, as you heard, we are being held hostage by other countries. Our energy costs are being used against us in various ways, and we simply have to start conserving energy, using it more efficiently, imagining that it is purple and keep trying to reduce the amount of purple that we produce by our use of energy. Then we have a chance of balancing our import-export balance, reducing the deficit of payments, and having a better economy at home because our money will be staying here rather than going abroad.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 66) supporting the goals and ideals of ``Lights on Afterschool!'', a national celebration of after-school programs.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.J. Res. 66.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.J. Resolution 66, offered by my colleague, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey). This resolution seeks to support the goals and ideals of ``Lights on Afterschool!'', a national celebration of after-school programs.

This year's Lights on Afterschool rally, taking place October 20, 2005, is expected to include more than 7,000 events in the United States and at military bases around the world. This event is aimed at bringing attention to the need for high-quality, after-school programs that keep kids safe, help working families, and improve academic achievement.

I support this resolution, because after-school programs are an important part of many American students' lives. High-quality after- school programs provide safe, challenging, and fun learning experiences that help children and youth develop their social, emotional, physical, cultural, and academic skills.

In my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, after-school programs have proven to be highly beneficial. For example, the LOOP after-school program has shown that students who participated 3 or more days a week did better academically and had better attendance in school than students who did not participate.

I am pleased we are able to bring attention to the critical importance of after-school programs in the lives of children, their families, and their communities. I commend the communities across the Nation that engage in innovative after-school programs and activities and ensure that the doors stay open and the lights stay on for all children after school.

This resolution is simple and straightforward. It supports the goals and ideals of ``Lights on Afterschool!'', a nationwide celebration of after-school programs. I commend my colleague, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), for her leadership in offering House Joint Resolution 66 and urge all my colleagues to support it.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I grew up in a small farming village in Minnesota. There was no need for after-school programs because after school, everyone went back home to the farms to milk the cows, feed the animals, and so forth. We live in a different world today, and it is absolutely essential that children have appropriate, meaningful, and useful activities after school in today's world.

This resolution commemorates a very good program, the ``Lights on Afterschool'' program, which has been invaluable in many communities, and I am pleased to join in this resolution to honor that effort and to recognize it.

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

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

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

This is a debate we have had before, particularly in the committee as we discussed this bill last year. And I have difficulty understanding the rationale for opposing this amendment because it has been established in law for some time that churches have the right to hire on the basis of religion and the activities they pursue.

I understand some of the arguments offered, but I would point out the difficulties that one can discover immediately. As an example, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) pointed out in the debate last year that one of his local churches operates a Head Start program, but they do not hire full-time people for that. They hire part-time people who also work for the church the rest of the day. Obviously, they should be allowed to hire on the basis of religion for the operations of the church. Why then prohibit that person from also teaching in the Head Start program?

I come from a city that is often called the City of Churches, Grand Rapids, Michigan, a great many churches often working together. And when the call came in after Hurricane Katrina, the Red Cross was asked to organize a relief effort, asked to provide emergency shelter and housing for 500 people. Their first call was to GRACE, the Grand Rapids area ecumenical group, which, through the churches, put together a shelter in a matter of 2 or 3 days. They could not have done that without that, but virtually every church in the city worked on it. Again, all of these workers were affiliated with churches and were hired partly on the basis of their religious faith. Why exclude such a potent social force from working with the government in cases of emergency or at any other time?

I think there is a basic misunderstanding here, something along the lines that we cannot have this because these people might try to proselytize some people and try to get them to join the church. That is not the motivation of the churches in Grand Rapids or across this country. They understand, based on their spiritual commitment, that they have a responsibility to their fellow human beings and that, in the name of God, they are to minister to others who are in need. And that is why they are an effective social force in meeting the needs of the poor, meeting the needs of those who are hurting, and that is the reason that they are an effective agency of the Federal Government to work with in terms of crisis, emergency, or simple pain and need on the part of certain people.

This amendment that is being offered will allow the continuation of that effort in the Head Start program; and, frankly, we should allow it in every program. Why should we rule out one of the most effective and one of the most potent social organizations in the Nation, that is, religious organizations, who are dedicated to doing good, who are seeking to do good, who are trying to honor their Lord by doing good, and they can be a very effective force? We should not exclude them in any way from their work and from their participation with the government as partners.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the rule to bring up H.R. 250, the Manufacturing Technology Competitiveness Act.

I believe this rule is fair and balanced. The main goal of H.R. 250 is to authorize manufacturing programs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology that help small- and medium-sized manufacturers innovate so that they can remain competitive in the global marketplace. One of these programs is a highly successful manufacturing extension partnership program, better known as the MEP program. This program has roughly 60 centers and 350 satellite offices throughout the country. These centers provide small manufacturers with tools and assistance on how to increase productivity and efficiency. They do many things. For example, they might help to redesign a factory floor or help to train workers on how to use the latest technology or equipment.

This legislation also creates a collaborative grant pilot program to support research partnerships between academia, industry, nonprofits, and other entities to develop innovative technologies and solutions to scientific problems in manufacturing.

To truly help the manufacturers, we must have a bill that can be passed into law. Therefore, I want to keep this legislation focused on these specific programs that have strong bipartisan support. However, others have wanted to add extraneous provisions that, while well intentioned, take away from the focus of the bill. This is why I oppose some of the amendments made in order, because I believe they will detract from the bill.

This rule largely helps ensure the debate will remain on the manufacturing programs at NIST. I think that is fair and is in the best interest of our manufacturing community.

I urge my colleagues to support this fair and balanced rule.

Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Tennessee raises a valid question.

I understand the gentleman's concern about the actions of the Committee on Rules; I have served in the minority at the State and Federal level myself. But I also want to tell the gentleman that members in the majority upon occasion are also disappointed by the decisions of the Committee on Rules. I recently jested, during the famous annual ice cream socials that committee has, that my ice cream was the first thing I had received from the Committee on Rules. But I must add that they have been very kind to me.

In response to the gentleman's question, the ATP program is, by and large, a good program. But it needs improvement. And I am willing to put in the time and energy to try to improve that program and to have it be accepted by all.

Madam Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I rise today in strong support of H.R. 250, the Manufacturing Technology Competitiveness Act.

This bill is essentially the same bill that I authored and which the House passed in July 2004. Unfortunately, the Senate did not take up the legislation because of a dispute involving the ATP program, so the bill died in the Senate. I am hopeful that this time the bill will make it all the way through the process and be signed into law by the President.

The goal of my legislation is simple: It is to help small- and medium-sized manufacturers be more competitive in the global marketplace. However, my passion for this issue is not related or restricted just to manufacturing. For some 20 years, I have been speaking out about the need for a better technology transfer system in this country, and repeatedly throughout that time I have used an existing system as a model; that existing program is the cooperative extension service in the Department of Agriculture.

I was amazed, when I was in the State legislature in Michigan, to learn that a new discovery made in the labs of Michigan State University one year was used by the farmers in the field the next year. That is a model of tech transfer that is worth copying. That is partly what this bill attempts to do, to strengthen a manufacturing extension service. I believe it is absolutely essential for us to do this. It is even more essential for us to fund it appropriately.

For those who have objected to the money authorized in this bill, I would simply remind them that every year, without the blink of an eye or a single question, this Congress appropriates over $400 million for the agricultural extension service, which serves an industry which is very, very important but employs less than 2 percent of the people in this country. In view of that, I have always been troubled why it is so difficult for us to find $100 million to help a manufacturing industry that employs 14 to 15 percent of the workers in this country.

Grand Rapids, Michigan, my hometown, like other communities all over the U.S., has been struggling with multiple threats to its industries. Globalization is rapidly changing the way business is done, and our small-and medium-sized firms in particular are at the mercy of this process and the exposure to the increased competition that it brings. As the Congressman from Grand Rapids, I wanted to do what I could to help these small but important firms.

In talking to manufacturers in my district, one thing was clear: They said that the MEP program was a tremendously important program in helping them remain competitive. MEP has over 350 manufacturing extension offices located in all 50 States and Puerto Rico. These centers provide small manufacturers with tools and assistance in how to increase productivity and efficiency.

For example, the Michigan MEP center in Grand Rapids, known as the Right Place program, helped a struggling company, Wolverine Coil Spring, to develop more efficient packaging and auditing systems, and in this case turned it into a very successful company.

In the fiscal year 2004 appropriation, Congress cut funding from $106 million in fiscal year 2003 to $39 million in 2004. This limited funding caused many centers to lay off people and cut back their services. Fortunately, Congress has now restored their funding in the current fiscal year and the program has recovered. I am pleased that this year both House and Senate Appropriation Committees are recommending appropriate funding.

Another major concern that has been raised is the increasing technological advances being made by other countries. For our firms to compete today and in the future, we need more research and development into how to manufacture things better, faster, and cheaper, and that is also handled in this bill.

With all these thoughts in mind, I developed this bill, which will specifically:

Authorize the MEP program at $110 million to ensure all centers remain open and provide additional ways for MEP to help small- and medium-sized manufacturers by establishing a competitive grant program for the centers;

Ensure that Federal agencies will coordinate their programs related to manufacturing R&D and target them on concerns that matter most to industry; help industry improve their manufacturing processes and technology by establishing a pilot grant program that would fund joint efforts by universities and industry to solve problems in manufacturing technology;

Authorize the laboratory programs at the National Institute for Standards and Technology, better known as NIST, which provide critical research and standards for most of our industries;

And train more students and senior researchers in the manufacturing sciences, and provide technology training programs for future manufacturing workers by establishing postdoctoral and senior research fellowships at

NIST. It will also increase support for the Advanced Technological Education program (ATE) at the National Science Foundation.

This legislation has received widespread and bipartisan support. I note that the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Small Manufacturers Coalition, and the National Coalition for Advanced Manufacturing, just to name a few, all support this legislation.

I also want to thank my colleagues on the Committee on Appropriations, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg), for their help in providing the program with $106 million in the next fiscal year budget.

As I said from the beginning, my goal was to develop legislation that would help our small manufacturers better compete in the global marketplace, and H.R. 250 does just that.

I want to conclude by thanking the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu), the ranking member of my subcommittee, and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon), the ranking member of the full committee, for their help and input throughout this process; and especially I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Chairman Boehlert) for his unwavering commitment to help move this legislation through Congress and get it signed into law.

I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support their small and medium-sized manufacturers by supporting this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I would simply like to observe a few things. First of all, the original version of this bill, which I introduced last year, did establish an Under Secretary position, as the Larson amendment did.

The administration took the hint and created the present position of an Assistant Secretary. And furthermore, I would like to comment in spite of the comments made that there is no funding and no authority, this person does have authority, this person does have funding, this person does have staff.

In addition, he has formed a council of manufacturers. It is a good committee that is actively working. They held one meeting in my district, which I attended. And things are rolling. I think it would be inappropriate at this time to pull the rug out from under that operation and start fresh with a new position.

Let us give these folks and this individual a chance to perform and then make our judgment after we have seen how their performance ranks.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose the amendment.

I have to say there are very few Members of this Congress who have worked harder to improve NSF funding than I have. I have spent many, many hours at it and we are grateful to get a few percent increase every year.

In this bill that is before us now, we have given a greater than 20 percent increase to this particular item. If that ends up being appropriated, it will be the largest increase for any part of NSF that they have received for many years, and yet the amendment would increase it even more. It would result in a huge increase; much, much greater. We simply cannot afford that in NSF.

We have a great deal of research to do to keep this Nation moving. We have to improve our math and science education programs in this Nation in order to meet competition from abroad and to have a better-educated electorate. We simply cannot afford to pour all that money into this one particular item without causing detriment to the rest of the National Science Foundation. I simply do not want to see that happen. I urge a rejection of this amendment.