have helped me. my husband is unemployed. i became unable to work. i have a history of a lot of health problems. i am not able to go back to work. i have been denied disability. i take care of grandchildren. i can do a lot of things, however, i cannot work as a medical assistant as i did for years. i had my first payroll job at age 16. i'm now 57. two years ago, i could working pitt i raised three children practically on my own. i have worked hard and given a lot. i swallowed a lot of pride. i cannot work and do what i've always done. i am left now without insurance.

i have uncontrollable hypertension. i've already had a stroke. i have a tumor on a kidney. i have three herniated disks in my back. i could go on and on. i've taken care of people in the health-care field all my life. i cannot even go see a specialist. i've been referred to by the clinic. guest: the question is, are you medicaid eligible? in the state you are in, there should be ways for you to be cared for in the system. from your description, you certainly have certain medical issues that should be dealt with in a productive way. -- in a pro-active way. you will be eligible in the

future for medicare. unfortunately, you are in this window of time to do need to find out if you can get medicaid benefits. host: we'll have to leave it there. thank you for joining us. that's our show for today. we will be back tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. eastern time you can check out senator max baucus's priz the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room,

washington, d.c., september 16, 2009. i hereby appoint the honorable barbara lee to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the prayer will be offered by the guest chaplain, reverend try robinson, christian fellowship church, boise, idaho. the chaplain: good morning. it's a privilege to be here. at a time like this, i didn't want to rely on my own wisdom to pray for you this morning or with you this morning, so i'd like to pray the words of the apostle paul as he addressed the flipians. dear lord, as the apostle paul once praised, today we echo not only his words but the heart from which there were spoken. we pray that if we have any encouragement from belonging to god, any comfort from his love, any fellowship together in his

spirit, then let our hearts be tender and compassionate, agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another and working together with one mind and one purpose. we pray, as paul prayed, for pure motives, for selflessness, not trying to impress others but being humble thinking of others as more important than ourselves. we pray that we wouldn't look out for our own interests but represent the interest of those that were called to serve. we pray that we might have the same attitude as that of christ. as he willingly and purposefully became a servant, literally laying down his life for the benefit of all mankind. we pray these things over this place, this house today in jesus name. amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house her approval thereof.

pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from new jersey, congressman lance. mr. lance: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from idaho, congressman minnick, is recognized for one minute. mr. minnick: madam speaker, i rise this morning to welcome to this agust chamber, the reverend try robinson, the founder and leader of the vineyard christian fellowship, one of the largest and most rapidly growing churches in my

hometown of boise, idaho. try has devotion to prayer and generous service to all in need. try and his parishioners feed the hungry, house the homeless, engage or educate our youth, and work hard to protect the places we love in the west. he is an educator, author and idaho cowboy who has become a pioneer of environmental stewardship for the evangelical churches all over america. as his representative in congress, i welcome try robinson to this house and i thank him for his moving spiritual guidance. madam chair, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to 15 further one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. the gentleman from florida. >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore:

without objection. mr. klein: i rise today to congratulate the broward county school district, one of the finalists for urban education. broad prize is known as the nobel prize for public education and is awarded to districts that show strong reading and math skills among low income and minority students. as the finalist for the second consecutive year, broward schools made great strides toward closing the gap in education and has set a standard of excellence for all students. the school will take home $1 million in student scholarships and all finalists will receive $250,000, a critical boost during these difficult economic times. i congratulate superintendent, the chair as well as the students, parents and teachers in the broward school system for a job well done. keep up the good work. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? mr. wilson: madam speaker, i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to

revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. wilson: madam speaker, i am humbled and grateful for the overwhelming encouragement by the people of south carolina. house republicans have been developing commonsense reforms for our health care system. the republican study committee, led by dr. tom price of georgia, has introduced h.r. 3400, a bill to make health insurance accessible, affordable and portable. the bill gives small businesses the tools to provide coverage for their employees. it covers pre-existing conditions, promotes wellness and healthy lifestyle. the republican plan does not impose taxes on individuals and small businesses which will cost jobs. it does not add billions more to our nation's debt. the american people have spoken , and their voices must not be ignored. we can work together for health insurance reform. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut rise?

>> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, good morning. the great debates in this chamber often center around the question of whether and how much government can do to address a particular problem. there's one thing we can all agree on which is that if our families act more responsibly on just about everything, education, energy, health, we're all much better off. mr. speaker, september is mrning preparedness month, and as a member of the homeland security, nothing is more true than we think about our health and our security. our families can do some simple things to make them safer and healthier. have a plan in the event of an emergency, have a place to meet, know how to contact each other. as we face the h-1-n-1 threat this winter, we can wash our hands often, we can stay home if we feel ill. if we do these small, small things, we can take what is potentially a large problem and make it much, much smaller. thank you very much, madam

speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, wednesday and thursday marked the anniversary of hurricane floyd. the damage from floyd was estimated at $250 million in new jersey, including close to $100 million in benbrook and melville in my congressional district where more than 13 inches of rain fell and flooded rivers into homes, businesses and streets forever changing the streets of both communities. 10 years later they have implemented important flood control efforts in preparation for the next floyd. complex food control system of walls and levees is being built. manville fire and police now have boats and sirens to alert and assist assistants. they have a management team of 25 members that communicates

with the community if a flood is coming. on thursday i hope to join them in the celebration of the reopening of the theater, a century-old venue severely damaged by the flood. the brook theater reopening is a symbol of triumph of the town. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from northern mariana islands rise? mr. sablan: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sablan: madam speaker, last time i spoke i pointed out that the health care reform bills currently being debated in the house and senate do not include the united states territories. today, i'd like to discuss why this reform is needed just as much or more in my district as in any other part of the united states. there are only 80,000 people in my district in the northern mariana islands, but the health care infrastructure there is

struggling. there is only one surgeon for all three of the populated islands. common equipment that is used to save lives every day across the nation, like a hyperbaric chamber or heart catheterization lab is not available. the only hospital is so strained that often payment is required before patients even see a doctor. my constituents are proud americans who honor and serve their country. so how can i explain to them that this sweeping reform they have heard so much about will only leave them behind? and i thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? mr. gingrey: madam speaker, to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. gingrey: madam speaker, experts have predicted that meaningful liability reform can save our health care system $126 billion annually. what does $126 billion in annual savings mean? we would not have to cut $500 billion from our seniors' medicare program over the next

10 years. we would not have to levy $800 billion in job-killing taxes on our economy. we would not have to ask every american to give up their liberty because of a government -- to purchase government insurance that they may not be able to afford. my colleagues, meaningful liability reform is the silver bullet in this debate. it can stop the practice of defensive medicine, it can save our health care system over $100 billion a year and protect the american people from the occasional greedy lawyer seeking a windfall. as an ob-gyn who practiced medicine over 30 years, i know how dire the consequences are if we continue our failure to act. it's time to put partisan politics aside, stand up for the american people. meaningful liability change cannot wait. it must be included in any health care reform bill. and i yield back, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> request permission to

address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. wilson: madam speaker, i rise today to give my support to the student aid and fiscal responsibility act, a bill which will make historic investments in our nation's higher education. this legislation covers a broad array of initiatives to make colleges more affordable and accessible for everyone, and i'm particularly glad to see that it does much to strengthen community colleges. in this challenging economy, community colleges offer a crucial opportunity for students to fully prepare for the work force. in 2007, there were over 156,000 students enrolled in ohio's community colleges. i was pleased to see that this legislation provided the attention and funding that community colleges deserve. the bill will create a new program that improves the resources, instruction and community colleges emphasizes the partnerships between

colleges and local employers. in addition, it invests in the renovation, modernization of aging facilities. in an area where many students can't afford a four-year degree -- i yield back the balance of my time, madam speaker. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to speak for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. fleming: thank you, madam speaker. as we debate health care reform, little attention has been paid to the impact that our nation's broken medical liability system has on rising medical cost. there are 125,000 lawsuits against physicians at any given time. 75% of the suits are closed without payment to the plaintiff. and in 83% of the cases, going to trial physicians are cleared. this means there's very little correlation between lawsuits and actual malpractice. more than that, the current system pushes doctors to overtest and overtreat to avoid

being hauled into the courtroom costing americans billions of dollars in taxes and higher premiums. in the few cases in which there is a judgment,. of the money goes to pay lawyers not the aggrieved patient. furthermore, the current system is driving physicians out of needed specialties. recent studies show one in seven obstetricians no longer delivers babies. and 49% of american counties don't even have an o.b. largely because of high malpractice cost. if the president and democrats are serious about controlling high health care costs, they must call on trial lawyers to share in the sacrifice and reform the medical liability system. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from pennsylvania rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. dahlkemper: i rise today out of concern that the health care reform legislation this body is considering lacks an important component, an incentive for healthy living.

encouraging a healthy population is one of the best ways we can reduce our nation's health care costs over time and improve our country's livelihood and prosperity. a healthy life stale makes workers more productive, helps people live longer, making smart choice abouts diet, exercise, and tobacco use, helps prevent not treat chronic diseases. madam speaker, successful health care reform must include an incentive for americans to live healthy lives. it is the surest way to decrease our consumption of health care over time, thus lowering costs. my legislation, h.r. 3472, will do just that. my bill provides for health insurance coverage premium discounts up to 20% for healthy behavior and improvements towards healthy behavior. this means that americans would have a tangible incentive to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, heart rates, body mass indexes which are vital indicators of a person's overall health and wellness. madam speaker, it is good public policy to help americans live well. it is good public policy to create positive incentives for wellness and help people make healthy decisions in their

everyday lives. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3472 and create health care reform that actually encourages wellness. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from nebraska rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker, the natural resources committee has the responsibility not only to take steps to encourage more solar, hydropower and wind energy but also domestic production of oil and gas. it will lead to lower energy costs and more jobs for american citizens while also serving to make our country safer. later today the natural resources committee will be holding a hearing on h.r. 3534, a bill which will simply erect more obstacles to job creation and energy production. this bill creates new levels of bureaucracy which inevitably will slow new development of american sources of energy. now is not the time to further delay the advancement of american energy. madam speaker, it is simple, more roadblocks to energy development means less energy for americans.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from maine rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker, i rise today to recognize the state of maine for its efficient implementation of the recovery act funding for transportation infrastructure projects. we in maine have worked together to accomplish what this bill was intended to do, to create jobs and put americans back to work. a recent report on the recovery act shows that maine is ranked number sixth in the country having put 00% of the highway and bridge recovery projects out to bed. according to the state of maine, 1,926 mainers are now working and will be put back to work because of this recovery act funding. while we still have a long ways to go, i'd like to thank those in maine who continue to contribute to our state's economy. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks.

address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. bilirakis: madam speaker, i rise today to share my outrage about corruption at acorn. illegal activities at acorn offices in baltimore, washington, d.c., and miami show that corruption is not isolated. already under suspicion for disturbing activities such as voter fraud and in the 2008 elections, acorn employers encourage prostitution, tax fraud, and human trafficking. this culture of corruption must stop. madam speaker, i for one will not sit idle and allow my taxpayer constituents to be swinled by an organization that receives -- swindled by an organization that receives millions in federal funds. yesterday i signed a letter to president obama asking him to disclose and terminate all taxpayer funding of acorn. in addition, i have co-sponsored a bill which would stop federal funding of this reprehensiblent prize. i call on speaker pelosi to bring this legislation to the floor for a vote so that we can

stop subsidizing this outrageous and illegal activity. we owe it to our constituents. i yield back the balance of my time. thank you very much. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the the gentlewoman from maryland rise? ms. edwards: to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. edwards: madam speaker, i rise today to urge my colleagues to continue our hard work in enacting real health care reform. and not bough to the powerful insurance lobby, the loud voices of opposition, or the claims of the misinformed. while we are aware of the work in the other body, that is not the work of this house. we know what our choices are and as president obama has said, it's time to make them. if we do nothing, health care costs for employers will rise 166% over the next decade. a recent keyser family foundation survey showed an estimated 8% of employers will drop their coverage altogether if the current trend continues. we need real reform with a

robust public option based on the existing medicare provider network and payment system, not illusory proposals meant to appease those who have no real intention to change the status quo or vote for reform. let's hold our goals of lower costs, competition, and accountability. i yield back, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> rise to address the house for one minute. ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. olson: madam speaker, yesterday we heard from norm augustine, the chairman of the refew of the u.s. human space flight plans committee on the recently released options they have provided the obama administration regarding the future of our nation's human space flight program. but as we debate the future of human space flight, we must not overlook the present. last week was a wildly

successful one in america's space agency. on friday, the space shuttle discovery and the crew of sts-128 returned home after successful, a very successful mission to the international space station. last week nasa released new and frankly stunning images from the recently serviced hubble telescope. and finally, nasa completed a successful test of the first stage rocket motor. this is another milestone in the constellation program. our next generation vehicle to take us back to the moon. all of these were amazing accomplishments, but it was just another week at nasa. the american people have invested in space exploration for over 50 years. we continue to reap the benefits of that investment. madam speaker, i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the the gentlewoman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection. >> madam speaker, opponents of the health care reform bill are trying to confuse and scare the american people. they are trying to prey on fear of the unknown. opponents claim that the average american will fair worse under this bill because health care will be rationed by some faceless bureaucrat in washington, d.c. but they clearly have not traveled to my district in california or they would know that rationing is already happening to people of every age and background. insurance companies are already denying coverage if you are sick, have a pre-existing condition, or are not independently wealthy. in my district a healthy middle class father's care was rationed when he was told he could not have insurance when his wife was pregnant because he had asthma as a child. a hardworking man was told that despite working 30 years in a factory, he wasn't wealthy enough to deserve the cancer treatment that he desperately needed. health care reform will prohibit

the kind of rationing that my constituents struggle with every day. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from tennessee rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. blackburn: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in honoring grammy winner and country music recording artist, gretchen wilson, she's receiving the 2009 national coalition for literacy leadership award. this multiplatinum, acclaimed singer-songwriter was one of millions of americans who had not finished their high school education. gretchen left high school to pursue her music career and has since had three number one albums. and she realized as a mother it was important for her to lead by example and to demonstrate to her daughter just how important it is to have an education. so last year at the age of 34

gretchen earned her g.e.d. she is teaming up with the dollar general literacy foundation to honor g.e.d. graduates and organizations dedicated to the achievement of literacy. i congratulate gretchen on her hard work, her resilience, and her many notable achievements and ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing her dedication and contributions to adult education and literacy awareness. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the the gentlewoman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, yesterday both warren buffett and fed chairman ben bernanke said the recession is very likely over. while most americans are still months away from experiencing any sign of recovery firsthand, we can take heart in the fact that as a nation we have just managed to avoid the economic

precipice we faced just one year ago. just 200 days since the passage of the stimulus bill, 30,000 construction projects have begun, jobs of 5,000 police officers and nurses, and 135,000 teachers have been saved and all across our great country americans are working to rebuild the economy. from veterans going to college on the g.i. bill to entrepreneurs developing innovative technologies for clean energy, to the work we are doing here in congress to reform our financial regulations and ensure that all americans have access to quality medical care, our job has just begun. it is still too early to celebrate success, but it is time to encourage those policies that work and have the courage to change those that are in need of reform. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? mr. kirk: rise to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. kirk: thank you. the administration is preparing

to establish guidelines for the review and potential release of taliban and al qaeda terrorists held at the bagrum theater internment facility in afghanistan. this facility holds over 500 of the most dangerous taliban and al qaeda terrorists captured on the afghan battlefield. according to the "washington post" and "new york times," each detainee will be given a counselor to grant rights and review their potential release procedures. the press reports that the new guidelines were approved with a brief and limited congressional review. we know over 50 detainees released from guantanamo bay had jihad against americans. the release of terrorists from the bagrum facility will form a clear and present danger to americans serving in afghanistan. i urge members to sign our letter to secretary gates asking him to delay the release of

these guidelines until congress holds hearing and especially all of our soldiers in afghanistan are briefed on this potential danger. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota rise? mr. ellison: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. ellison: thank you, madam speaker. in america today more than 60% of all bankruptcies are related to medical bills. insurance premiums have gone up three times faster than the money people take home every year. hundreds of thousands of americans are denied the health care they need by insurance company bureaucrats and millions more are holding on by the skin of their teeth to keep what insurance coverage they do have. yet there are still those who say that there is no problem and nothing that is wrong. i don't know who they have been listening to. maybe the insurance company c.e.o.'s who rake in millions of dollars every year in bonuses alone or maybe the insurance industry lobbyists who have

flooded washington with millions of dollars spent on ensuring that health care reform does not happen. americans want progress. they want a system that delivers quality affordable health care for them and their families and by giving them a public option to choose from, we could keep insurance companies honest through competition and provide our nation's families with quality health care they deserve. i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise? mr. boustany: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak to the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. boustany: madam speaker, last week the president and congressional democrats began yet another drive to enact their sweeping overhauls of american health care, h.r. 3200. following the president's address to congress, i urged the president to work with republicans to lower the cost of health care for american families and small business. commonsense solutions -- commonsense solutions and common fwround do exist. let me be -- ground do exist.

let me be clear, we can lower the cost of health care, but a new government-run bureaucracy is not the answer. the president last week suggested reducing the growing number of frivolous lawsuits against doctors as one way to lower costs. thus far, the congressional democrats' plan still fails to mention medical liability reform. right now h.r. 3200 fails to meet the president's requirements and it fails to meet the american people's requirements too. if the president and congressional democrats are serious about working together, we need to start over. we need to start over and scrap h.r. 3200. working together we can achieve real results to lower the cost of health care and increase access to a doctor for millions of americans. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado rise? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. polis: thank you, madam

speaker. small businesses are the backbone of our country providing the job creation engine that we need to lift us out of this recession, and yet today small businesses across our country are at a disadvantage to their larger corporate competitor because of the higher cost of providing health care for their employees because of smaller risk pools and smaller purchasing power. by creating public exchanges which this health bill proposes as well as preventing price discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, we give small businesses access to low-cost options to provide health care benefits to their employees, increasing the competitiveness of american companies to helping lift us out of this recession. by helping small businesses succeed at what they do best, focusing on their businesses, on innovation, on job growth and helping to make them more competitive by reducing the cost of their health insurance we can -- we can lift america out of this. i yield back. thank you, madam speaker.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. pitts: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pitts: madam speaker, american dairy farmers are struggling. and expanding markets around the world could help them greatly. the president is placing a 35% tariff import on chinese tires is likely to start a trade war. this time of recession is no time to shut down rural trade or spark wider trade wars. instead, we should look for opportunities to open up new markets for american products. we have three free trade agreements currently sitting on the table, south korea, panama and colombia, which the administration has ignored since the president took office. combined, this will represent 100 million new customers. new markets could go a long way in saving family farms that have operated for generations. i believe american agriculture and industry can compete

worldwide, but we need to break down pairiers, not create new ones. i yield back. -- down barriers, not create new ones. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. braley: madam speaker, now is not the time for silence, now is not the time for doubt, and now is not the time for fear. recent census data shows that the average american family spends over $13,000 a year for health care coverage. and if we don't change what we're doing right now in 10 years the average american family will be spending over $25,000 a year on health care coverage. that's why the time to act is now, and h.r. 3200 does that by expanding access to affordable coverage and bringing true health care reform to the american people. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman

from texas rise? >> perm -- permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, the president of the united states came to this house last wednesday night and talked about health care. at the end of his speech he talked about perhaps we could consider some at least a look at medical liability reform. and i encouraged the president to do that. look at what's happened in texas since 2003. texas has become a magnet for doctors. since the reforms passed in the state of texas in 2003, charity care, rendered by texas hospitals, has risen 24%. texas has licensed almost 15,000 new physicians, which is a 36% increase from prereform. 33 rural counties have seen a net gain in emergency room doctors, including 26 counties which previously had no emergency room doctors. after years of decline, the ranks of medical specialists are growing in texas in my field of obstetrics.

we've seen the loss of them since the two years of reform. since the reform passed, we had a net gain of 192 obstetricians in the state of texas, 26 counties have added an obstetrician, including 29 counties where none was present before. we have a great story to tell in texas. i ask the president to look at the sensible reforms passed in texas in 2003. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? mr. pallone: to address the house for one minute, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pallone: madam speaker, health care reform in the congress took a major step forward today with the announcement of the senate finance committee proposal. there may be differences between that proposal and the bills that we passed in the house, but the bottom line is that we are moving forward in trying to pass crucial health care reform. if you look at the senate finance proposal, it basically has the health exchange in an effort to try to provide choice and competition and provide affordability for those

americans who either do not have health insurance now or are afraid that they may lose their health insurance because the costs continue to go up. the kaiser foundation came out yesterday with an analysis that showed that more and more employers now are passing off the costs of health insurance to their employees, either through higher costs that they have to pay or cost sharing or deductibility or co-pays. so we need -- something has to be done. it's not a question of those who is uninsured. it's a question of those who have health insurance now who may lose it because their employer will not provide it or the costs continue to climb. we need to move forward and we are taking a major step today. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina rise? ms. foxx: i ask permission to address the house for one minute, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. during a time of high unemployment, democrats in washington propose a government takeover of health care that

will lead to even more job losses and a weaker economy. for months, the american people have looked to washington for policies that will do no harm to our economy and help put workers back to work. unfortunately, all we've seen from the president and democrat-led congress are record spending, record deficits and record debt. the american people are looking for real solutions to the challenges we face, not another excuse to spend money and increase the reach of big government. republicans have real solutions. but the people in charge of congress and the president are ignoring them. it's time for the president and the democrat-controlled congress to start over on health care, work to get our economy back on track and accept real solution. i yield -- real solutions. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? mr. dreier: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. dreier: madam speaker, last week we got the troubling news that the venezuelan president hugo chavez was recognizing

territories of georgia as independent countries. this is very troubling. the international community recognizes the territorial integrity of georgia, and now we have to wonder was chavez move -- what other countries might join him in this effort. it's absolutely essential that we stand with our ally georgia in doing everything we can to strengthen democracy, the rule of the law and the institutions that exists there. senator kerry and i have joined in introducing a resolution calling for the establishment of a u.s.-georgia free trade agreement. the actions of chavez make that even more important today than ever. we need to do all that we can to help strengthen and bolster our economy and their economy as well. let's pass this resolution and ensure that the free people of georgia are able to succeed. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas rise? >> madam speaker, i ask

permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. moran: madam speaker, thank you. we're just days away from president obama's deadline to iran that accept his offer of meaningful talks about that country's nuclear program. and although the u.s. and other world powers will meet in iran on october 1, iran has said the discussions of its nuclear program are finished. any discussion that does not include iran's nuclear program significantly delutz any benefits of -- delutes any benefits of such talks. for eight months, iran has had an opportunity to discuss its nuclear program. now days before the deadline they remain unwilling to engage on the most important issue. the president needs to rally the international support through the u.n. and through g-20 summit this month for sanctions against iran to ensure that they have great impact. at the same time, congress should move forward with legislation that has been introduced to put pressure on iran. specifically, we should pass h.r. 2194, the iran petroleum sanctions act.

the more difficult it becomes to deal with iran and the world becomes a more dangerous place. hope -- hoping that iran changes course is not a strategy we can live with. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado rise? mr. polis: madam speaker, by the direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 746 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 108, house resolution 746. resolved, that at any time after the adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill h.r. 3221, to amend the higher education act of 1965, and for other purposes. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all points of order against

consideration of the bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule 21. general debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on education and labor. after general debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. it shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on education and labor now printed in the bill. the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. all points of order against the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute are waived except those arising under clause 10 of rule 21. notwithstanding clause 11 of rule 18, no amendment to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution. each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be

offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the house or in the committee of the whole. all points of order against such amendments are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule 21. at the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment the committee shall rise and report the bill to the house with such amendments as may have been adopted. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions. section 2. the chair may entertain a motion that the committee rise only if offered by the chair of the committee on education and labor or his designee. the chair may not entertain a motion to strike out the

enacting words of the bill as described in clause 9 of rule 18. mr. polis: madam speaker, for the purpose of debate only, i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from virginia, dr. virginia foxx. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. polis: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized for one hour. mr. polis: madam speaker, house resolution 746 provides for a structured rule of house resolution 3221, the student aid and fiscal responsibility act of 2009. each amendment is debatable for 10 minutes except the manager's amendment and the klein substitute which are each debatable for 20 minutes. it provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. madam speaker, i rise today in strong support of house

resolution 746 and the underlying bill, the student aid and fiscal responsibility act of 2009, which was passed by the house education and labor committee with bipartisan support. i thank chairman miller as well as my colleagues on the committee on both sides of the aisle for their leadership and this historic legislation that puts america's students and their families first. education is the key to progress and prosperity, both for individuals as well as collectively as a nation. every day we hear from our constituents about their inability to afford college or their excessive student loan debt that burdens their families. just yesterday i talked to a young woman who attends a university in my district, university of colorado at boulder and she's graduating with $50,000 in debt. this student aid and financial responsibility act tackles this problem head on by making the single largest investment in higher education in history without costing taxpayers any more. . following the reinvestment act which increased funding, this

landmark legislation will transform the way our student loan programs operate and generate $87 billion in savings over the next 10 years that will be used to help increase pell grant scholarships, keep interest rates low on federal loans, and create a more reliable and effective financial aid system for families at no cost to taxpayers. converting all new federal student lending to the reliable, effective, and cost efficient direct loan program enables these critical investments to make our economy strong and competitive while reducing the deficit and bringing college in reach for countless american families. i strongly believe in president obama's goal that the united states become the world leader in the proportion of college graduates by 2020. like the rest of the country lower income students in my home state of colorado are too often left behind because their families can't afford to pay for college. over the next 10 years this bill invests more than $589 million in colorado alone to increase

the faction pellgrant scholarships to $5,550 in 2010 and $6,900 in 2019. starting in 2011 the value will be preserved by indexing it to inflation plus 1%. under this bill students in my district could see a dramatic increase in their pell grant awards. an estimated 1.5 million college students who likely were eligible to receive pell grants didn't even apply for financial aid because they found the free application for federal student aid document too confusing to fill out. this bold legislation makes it easier for families to apply for financial aid through a stream line form that is simpler and shorter by reducing the number of questions and allowing applicants to use the information from their tax returns. in addition, the student aid and fiscal responsibility act strengthents an expands the perkins loan program that provides low-cost federal loans to every u.s. college campus and

keeps interest rates low on subsidized federal student loans by making them vareable beginning in 2012. these interest rates are currently set to jump from 3.4% to 6.8% in 2012. for the 5.5 million borrowers across the nation who take out subsidized student loans every year, these changes mean real savings and offer much needed relief, more money that can go into textbooks, living expenses, and paying additional college tuition above the student loan amount. we also know that too many students enroll in college but drop out and don't graduate. college access should lead to college success. however, only half of students who enroll end up with a bachelor's degree. this has enormous economic implications for college dropouts and our economy as a whole because workers with bachelor's degrees earn 54% more on average than those who attended some college but don't finish. this legislation invests $3 billion to bolster college access and completion through

innovative programs that focus on financial literacy and help retain graduate and undergraduate students, as well as a $2.5 million investment in historically black colleges and universities and minorities serving institutions to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds stay in school and complete their studies. colorado is an example where we see at least $10.5 million over the next five years from the increased funding for the college access challenge grant program. in recognition of our troops, heroic service to our country h.r. 3221 gives service members more freedom to attend the college of their choice under the g.i. bill, and also helps our troops afford an education by providing loan forgiveness for members of the military who are called up to duty in the middle of an academic year. we know how disruppive that can be and help them complete school and get their degree is an important element of this bill. as a member of the community college caucus, i'm thrilled that this legislation recognizes the critical role that these

open door institutions play in our communities, both as gateways to higher education as well as providers of highly skilled work force to fulfill the needs of our local economies and prepare kids for the growth sectors of our economy and for jobs in the ever changing and evolving economic sectors. community colleges are essential component of america's work force development and that is recognized by this bill. in my district in colorado, and the colorado mountain college are effectively addressing the needs of both students and employers and represent an essential component for economic development as well as a source of community pride. by encouraging historic partnerships and inknow -- innovative reforms, this legislation helps prepare colorado's 117,000 community college students with the real world experiences and skills they need to be ready for 21st century jobs, or to transfer to four-year colleges or universities to complete their bachelor's degree. enroll n-our community colleges

is up 20% this fall compared to last year. so this funding will help our existing system and infrastructure meet that demand. colorado ranks third nationally in expected growth in jobs that will require post secondary training and we need to dramatically increase the number of degrees, certificates, and credentials awarded. these new investments will help community colleges establish articulation agreements, expand academic training programs in high demand industries like health care and improve student support services. we will also build an enhance links through dual enrollment through our k-12 system to give kids who might be first generation college goers support as they attend college through the k-12 system and take their first college course to show yes they can achieve the college level. through our bolstering community college, we can also strengthen their labor market responsiveness and competitiveness. to ensure that community college students learn and thrive in modern, updated state-of-the-art

facilities, colorado would receive $28.7 million under capital if a sits which would leverage additional funds to prepare prepare and construck community college facilities. the impact of savings realized from cutting the middle man between students and lenders goes beyond higher education. it will also help ensure the next generation of children enters kindergarten with the skills needed to succeed in school by increasing access from birth to five early learning programs for children from low-income families. the early learning challenge fund would award $1 billion each year in competitive grants to states that raise the bar of early education standards, show a state commitment to meeting the needs of birth to five students and practice through comprehensive reform and build an effective early childhood work force, improve the school readiness outcomes of young children, and promote parental and family involvement. investing in high quality earl will i education is not only the right thing to do but it is the smart thing to do since it yields a high return savings

taxpayers up to $14 for every dollar we spend. yesterday i had the opportunity to meet with a group of early childhood advocates from across the country, economists, business leaders, bankers, if i lan throw pists, child development experts who agree that smart investment in early education is critical if we want to close the achievement gap, prevent the achievement gap from aridesing before kids enter kindergarten rather than trying to play catch up. we can close the achievement gap and ensure children from all economic and social and ethnic backgrounds are prepared to thrive in school as well as in life. madam speaker, i'd like to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank my colleague from colorado for yielding us time to discuss this bill. during the month of august

people all over this country spoke out against the government takeover of our health care system. they are fedup with increased spending, increased long-term deficits and debt, and want to reduce the role of government in our lives. this bill does just the opposite of that. i complimented my colleague from california, mr. miller, yesterday in kind of a backhanded way by saying that he has come up with very, very good titles for the bills that he's been handling in this session. the titles do just exactly the opposite of what the bills do. this bill is called student aid and fiscal responsibility act of 2009, and to a person who hasn't spent time reading it or thinking about it, that sounds

like a good thing to do. however this bill and of course the rule which we are debating today aren't fiscally responsible and this is not the way we should be going. as i listened to my colleagues speak today, i was impressed by the paternalistic attitude that is represented by this bill and by the comments being made by our colleagues. it's going to give more freedom to people. it's going to ensure that community colleges do such and such. it's going to close the achievement gap. would that the government had that kind of power. would that money alone would do that kind of thing. that's not what this bill is going to do. and this rule needs to be voted

down. what this bill was passed out of the house committee on education and labor by a vote of 30-17. it eliminates the federal family education loan program and shifts all student loans to a government-run system under the direct loan program. in addition, the bill creates nine new programs and increases the federal government takeover of early education, higher education, school construction, and more. it is an insidious intrusion into education at all levels by the federal government. and it doesn't deserve to be passed by this house. with that, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: i'd like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from california, the chairman of the committee on education and labor, mr. miller. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. miller: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. i thank the rules committee for reporting this legislation to the floor with the amendments that have been made in order. i want to thank the gentleman from colorado for his strong support for this legislation not only in the rules committee but in our committee on the education and labor committee where he led a number of efforts to improve this legislation. this legislation will allow -- this rule will allow for the proper input and amendments from members on both sides of the aisle of the legislation that will be transformative for our students, families, and taxpayers. the student aid and fiscal responsibility act will allow us to invest $87 billion to make college more affordable, to build a world class community college system, and improve the opportunities to help our youngest students succeed. this represents a single largest investment in federal college aid in history. we will be able to do this at absolutely no cost to the taxpayers by undertaking long overdue student loan reforms. the student aid and fiscal

responsibility act is a win, it's a win-win, it's a win for students, they'll have a dependable access to federal college aid and make these programs more effective and efficient for families and taxpayers. it will help rebuild our economy that is cutting-edge, innovative, and help regain our global leadership in both competitiveness and college graduation rates. and in this point i would like to especially make clear that this bill is in fact fiscally responsible not only will we be be able to take and substitute the subsidy that is we now pay out for institutions to loan the government's money to the students for the government to buy back, we'll take those subsidies and we'll invest that money on behalf of students and their families and institutions to improve the education that they will receive, to improve the access, to try and improve the retention rates of students that in fact take out and borrow money and end up with a degree

and not a dropout and with a lot of debt. we'll also return about $10 billion to the treasury to help reduce deficit spending. every aspect of this bill speaks to the future. the future of our economy, to the future strength of our families, to the future needs of students who seek to acquire and are fully qualified to benefit from a college education. again i want to thank the rules committee and i urge my colleagues to support this legislation when we debate it on the floor later today and tomorrow. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. i now yield such time as he may consume to our distinguished colleague from california, the ranking member of the rules committee, mr. dreier. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. dreier: thank you very much. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. dreier: madam speaker, i

thank my friend for yielding. let me say that we are here talking about the issue of education and how we are going to pay for it. i think that there is clearly a bipartisan agreement that improving the quality of education in the united states of america is essential. . not only for people to be successful here in the united states, but as i regularly point out, if we are in this global economy going to see the kind of success that we all want, it is essential that we have the best educated, most talented young people who are ready to enter the job market. and that's why making sure that they can pursue higher education is a very high priority. and so there's no disagreement on that whatsoever. the reason that we're here right now, mr. speaker, is -- madam speaker, is to address the issue is to how we pay for it. now, i was just in a discussion

with the very distinguished new ranking minority member of the committee on education and labor, mr. kline, our friend from minnesota. we were talking about the size of the federal deficit. it's $1.6 trillion. i reminded him that that's larger than the entire federal budget was just 10 years ago. and we have more than a few plans before us that dramatically expand that. health care is just one of them. we have the multibillion dollar $787 billion stimulus package. we have many, many, many plans that expand rather than reduce the reach of government. and unfortunately, we have before us one more of those. now, we have sort of the -- what i have seen as the battle of the congressional -- within the congressional budget office. we have a lot of different figures that have been thrown forward to us which create some

conflict. i think one of the most interesting was a letter that i just saw that was sent from doug elmendorf, the director of the congressional budget office to the distinguished ranking member of the senate budget committee, our colleague, mr. greg. and in it he references -- he refers to the fact that as we go down the line we are going to obviously see what is going to be a tremendous increase in expenditures. i listened to my friend, the gentleman, the gentleman from the education and labor committee that we'll have $10 billion in savings. based on what i've seen from that c.b.o. number, not only will we have savings but we'll have a dramatic increase in spending. we know that pursuing private markets is the right way for us to go, but we've had disruptions in the private markets over the past couple of years. unfortunately, the measure before us prevents us from

being able to rely on private credit markets in the future. now, one of the reasons that's so important is private capital is what i believe we should be relying on as much as possible. i'm not saying there should be no role for government, but this measure before us usurps even a modicum of private sector involvement. and where do we as taxpayers look? as my friend and i were just discussing, the distinguished ranking member, mr. kline, we will be looking to china as we continue to go further and further into debt. and that's unfortunately exactly what this legislation will do, we'll be paying a rate of return on that money that the taxpayer is borrowing and again we'll be ignoring the private markets as they

re-emerge. madam speaker, this is one more indication, as all the attention is focused on health care, of another $50 billion to $100 billion expansion of the burden that is imposed on our taxpayers, and i don't believe it will do nearly as well as the private sector would in trying to look to the sources of credit so that we can ensure that the plerlism we have in education, -- plerlism we have in education. and so i ask my colleagues to vote no on this rule and make sure we do have the kinds of improvements that i believe the gentleman from minnesota wants us very much to implement. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: thank you, madam speaker.

in response to the gentleman from california, i had the opportunity to talk to a student, haley koehler, who goes to the university of colorado yesterday. she's graduating with $50,000 in debt, $30,000 of that is privately borrowed capital. $20,000 is her student loans. the interest rate that she pays on the money that she access outside the federally backed student loans is 15% to 18%. that's the interest rate on $30,000 of her debt. the interest rate on the first $20,000 -- and this is the cost of a college education. $50,000, tuition, books, room, board, that's actually very reasonable compared to what it costs at some colleges. she's paying 10% less. what a difference her life would be if she would have a lower rate. when we talk about government borrowing money, the government is borrowing 3%, 4% a year. if we can turn that around and loan that out at 6%, 7%, it sounds like a pretty good business for the government to

be in. mr. dreier: will the gentleman yield? mr. polis: i know the gentleman has experience in business. do you think that sounds right? mr. dreier: the lowest rate is what we all want to pursue. i believe if we create an opportunity to move into the private markets, creating more competition will play a role in bringing those rates down. and that's what we should be doing. the debt burden that is going to continue to be imposed on the u.s. taxpayer is something we also need to address as well. i thank my friend for yielding. mr. polis: yeah, reclaiming my time. i'd simply submit it's better for students and for the system to -- debts to be at 3%, 5%, 6% a year rather than 15% to 18% a year, which is onerous for anyone who has that debt loan. i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. doggett. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. doggett: the troubling legacy of eight years of bush-cheney mismanagement includes many types much deficits.

we all know of the soaring budget deficit, but every bit is real is the opportunity deficit. despite our success earlier this year in creating a new higher education tax credit and expanding pell grants, too many young americans find themselves unable to go to college because of financial barriers. and as the gentleman from colorado just mentioned, too many others leave college with such a mountain of debt. they're unable to pursue some of the professional objectives that they would like to do so. when our youth cannot get their full god-given potential because of financial barriers, our entire country suffers an opportunity deficit. now, with families struggling and a difficult economy, with this bill we bridge the opportunity gap and ensure that more students can obtain a college degree. this bill really corrects two deficits left over from the bush administration by eliminating the waste and

inefficiency in the operation of the federal student financial assistance program. it is truly an investment in america's future by eliminating the unnecessary middle man role of private financial institutions, eliminating the red tape and lending directly to the students, the federal government will have more money for them and more resources left over to apply to reducing our national debt. with the approval of this bill, just in my central texas congressional district alone over the next decade, college students attending houston tillitson, u.t., st. edwards, a.c.c. will receive more aid, 15,000 more students will be able to apply through the simplified financial application form, cutting through the red tape. and we will have 15 million more dollars to help young people prepare to go to college

to get the education they need. who could oppose such a winning combination of helping our students and reducing the national debt? does the gentleman have another 30 seconds? mr. polis: oh, i yield the gentleman from texas an additional 130ekds. mr. doggett: who could oppose this winning combination? well, the banks who pocketed well, the banks who pocketed the w enacting with

bipartisan support the ensuring continued access to student loans act.

apparently democrats are pursuing a partisan goal they have harbored within a decade. if democrats wanted to pursue a thoughtful, careful, bipartisan support to stabilizing the student loan programs and reducing our deficit, they would support the republican alternative which we plan to offer later in the debate. that's one amendment that was made in order under this rule, and i'm certainly glad it was. our amendment offers a commonsense solution that allows us to slow down and carefully consider what is best for students, schools and taxpayers. shifting to 100% direct lending will radcally alter the way that students pay for college. it will cause upheaval at colleges and universities from coast to coast as schools scramble to make the personnel and infrastructure changes necessary to administer a program that is run by the federal government. this is a serious issue that deserves a serious debate. and what are we doing about it? we're giving it a few hours

this afternoon and tomorrow morning before casting our votes and turning our attention to the next thing. students deserve better. families deserve better. the tens of thousands of americans who stand to lose their jobs deserve better. and taxpayers who will ultimately foot the bill for this measure, this massive expansion of government deserve better. we've had discussion already this morning about the cost of this bill. and they are certainly confusing and debatable. proponents say and have said it will save billions and reduce the deficit. others say it will add tens of billions of dollars to the deficit. as mr. dreier was addressing earlier. in fact -- let me get my glasses for this -- i was looking at a story from a newspaper coming out of kansas city discussing an independent analysis of this program and it says, quote, changes in the loan program will, quote, save a big chunk of money, said mark

goldwine from the committee of responsible federal budget, a watchdog group. will it be the right amount to offset the new spending? the obvious answer is, we don't know. . the squout look will be particularly uncertain because it will depend on economy related factors such as default rates, need-based aid and other factors. that's why the congressional budget office in looking at this bill has amended although not officially by the rules of of this house, its estimate. in the letter that mr. dreier talked about addressed to senator gregg, they said if we had used market-risk based analysis like we did in the tarp program, this bill wouldn't "save $7 billion "it would be less. if we counted over discretionary spending he, over $13 billion, it would cost more. and if we look at the real cost of pell grants t. would cost another $11.5 billion more.

i think those that say that this is going to impact the deficit, increase the deficit have the arguments in their favor. i understand it's debatable. but what is certainly clear, what is not confusing, is that this bill is an expansion of the government with new programs and new spending. it is a government takeover and it will result in a loss of jobs. i wanted to address just a couple of comments that have already been made today in this debate. i felt the pain when my colleague from colorado talked about the student that was paying some 15 1/2% interest. that's not a pell program. that interest rate is capped. we want to make sure that such a program exists. and people aren't paying those kinds of interest rates. then i'm always struck when one of my colleagues says, well, we are trying to eliminate waste and inefficiency.

by going to a government program. my colleagues, that just defies history. to find a government program that reduces waste and inefficiency. the stories are rampant. we know in every department huge amounts of waste and inefesh -- inefficiency whether it's a $600 hammer in defense acquisition or money wasted in trailers sitting on feels after hurricane recovery efforts. the federal government does not reduce waste and inefficiency. that defies history. i urge a no vote on the rule and underlying bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: thank you, madam speaker. i'd like to yield two minutes to my colleague on the education and labor committee, the gentleman from new york, mr. bishop. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. bishop: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i want to make three quick points but first i want to say that i rise in support of this

rule and more importantly in support of the underlying legislation. three quick points. the ranking member of the rules committee spoke with great reverence for private markets, and talked about how we are eliminating any private role in the student aid program. student loan program. the truth is that were it not for the intervention of the federal government this year, there would be virtually no private student loan market. we passed last year a piece of legislation called the ensuring continuing access to student loans, and we did so so that students could continue to borrow because of a lack of liquidity in the student loan market. had we not acted, the private student loan market would have been severely diminished if not nonexistent. if not 60% of the $85 billion that students are borrowing this year, they are borrowing as a result of the intervention of the federal government.

so we can't rely on the private loan market. and one of the reasons we are taking this action is because students need to have a source of funding that they can rely upon. so it's very important that we pass this legislation to address the issue of the lack of liquidity in the student loan market and to give students a source of financing that they can rely upon. second point, we talk constantly in this chamber about waste, fraud, and abuse, and the simple fact is that we are supporting a private loan program, the ffel program, that wastes $8 billion to $9 billion a year in taxpayer dollars. and we are making the judgment that those taxpayer dollars would be much better spent if we took that $ billion or $9 billion and used it to help students attend college, to improve community colleges, to expand other student aid programs, to help students graduate, something that's very, very important. so we are attacking the waste,

fraud, and abuse that exists. if i could have -- mr. polis: additional 30 seconds. mr. bishop: we are atalking the waste, fraud, and abuse that exists. and lastly my friend from minnesota, the ranking member of the education committee, just said that we are pursuing a partisan goal. i would take issue with that and say what we are pursuing is a very practical goal. the practical goal we are pursuing is to help young people go to college. we are not going to be able to compete as a nation in an increasingly competitive global marketplace unless we have an educated work force, higher education is the key to that educated work force, and so from a very practical perspective, not partisan perspective, we need to pass this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. i would like to share with the members some concerns that have been shared with me by the

university of north carolina system. and i will quote. u.n.c. is concerned about the committee's attempt to divert federal funding away from higher education to k-12 construction and early childhood education. while k-12 construction and early childhood education may be worthwhile federal priorities, they should not be funded at the expense of higher education. another point that they have made is that they are very concerned about a provision in the miller reconciliation bill that would eliminate the in school interest exemption for graduate and professional student borrowers. while we are talking about how we want people to continue their education and how important an education is to our country, putting graduate students in the position of having to pay interest while they are in school is not a very smart thing

for us to be doing. i want to talk a little bit about other changes that are coming to the federal financial aid program through this bill. it's going to eliminate restriction that is prevent individuals convicted of drug possession from receiving taxpayer funded financial aid. it's going to change the need analysis formula which is going to fail to do enough to fundamentally simplify our system of financial aid programs. and there's a move to variable interest rates for subsidized stafford loans which keeps the system unnecessarily complex for borrowers and-n an effort to cover a broken political promise -- in an effort to cover a broken political promise which were made last year and dedunked i thought then. with that, i will reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from colorado.

mr. polis: thank you, madam speaker. i would like to inform the gentlelady from north carolina i was just given this information by staff that some of the remarks that she made were with regard to a previous version of the bill. the version that is being put forth in this rule does allow grad students to be eligible for in-school interest subsidies for -- through the stafford loans. in this -- there were -- the changes she refers to were discussed and there was initially some discussion that it could come down a different way. this bill being put forward does allow graduate students to participate in that. i would like to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from florida, a former member of the rules committee, ms. castor. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman investigated for two minutes. -- is recognized for two minutes. ms. castor: i rise in strong support ofer h.r. 3221, the student aid and fiscal responsibility act and this rule. i rise in support of every

student who hopes to attend college but is grappling with rising costs. for millions of students across america, we are going to make the cost of attending college more affordable. in florida, my home state, hundreds of thousands of students and families will find the cost of attending college more affordable through a significant increase in the pell grant and expanded student loans. i co-sponsored this landmark investment in our students and higher education because over the next 10 years we will invest over $2.2 billion in florida students, including over $100 million for students in the tampa bay area through increases in the pell grant. that means direct aid to half a million florida students, including over 24,000 students in my district alone. at no new cost to taxpayers. we all understand that in this economy families are being

squeezed by the rising cost of tuition and living expenses and with the price of college steadily increasing, too many students are forced to make tough choices when trying to figure out how to pay for college. but due to our efforts and support from president obama, a college education in america will be more affordable. a college education is always -- has always been critical. people with college degrees earn more. and a college degree today is even more valuable as the fabric of our work force changes and we prepare students for 21st century jobs. thank you to chairman george miller and the great education and labor committee for standing up once again for students, families, and america's colleges and universities. madam speaker, this bill provides our students with the tools they need to be successful. i urge support. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, madam

speaker. madam speaker, i want to say that i appreciate the fact that we did have several amendments made in order by the rules committee and we are very grateful for that because it gives us an opportunity to debate those amendments on the floor, and we have certainly talked a lot about that in the past, especially with the appropriations process. but i want to say that we were very disappointed that given the financial situation in our country and the concern that people have that's being expressed every day by our constituents on the fact that we continue to have massive job losses in this country, despite the fact that the president promised with the passage of the stimulus bill that we would not go above an 8% unemployment rate. that ever since the president came into office, job losses have skyrocketed. and the fact that our deficit is

the largest it's ever been in the history of this country, there were two amendments that we think we should have had made in order so that we could discuss the financial situation and the impact that this bill, the underlying bill, is going to have. one of those amendments by congressman tom price of georgia provided that the act would fail to take effect if the secretary of education in consultation with the secretaries of labor and the treasury, all of those positions of course controlled by the president, that would determine that the provisions of section 201, which would end the ffel program, would result in more than 5,000 job losses. we are very concerned that this bill is going to increase job losses. furthermore, the amendment by the distinguished gentleman from illinois, mr. roskam, was -- would have prohibited using

federal funds to carry out titles 3 through 5 of h.r. 3221 until the national deficit is under $1 trillion. we believe that in a time again when our economy is suffering tremendously from actions, wrong actions taken and appropriate actions not taken, that we should not be adding to the problems of our citizens by increasing unemployment and increasing the deficit. so i want to express our concern that those amendments were not made in order, but express my appreciation for those that were made in order, including one from me. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: thank you, madam speaker. i would like to yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from connecticut, ms. delauro. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for three minutes. ms. delauro: i appreciate the

gentleman yielding time and i rise in support of this rule. i think it's clear from the debate and the discussion that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would rather put their support with banks, maintain banks as the middle men in this effort, and banks making money hand over fist and enormous profits and cast their lot with banks versus casting their lot with students and their families. education is the cornerstone of our republic. it is only by offering and delivering quality education for all of our citizens from the earliest years to college years that we can live up to our most noble democratic principles and ensure freedom and equality. that we make opportunity real for each and every america and that we continue to lead the world to economic security and lasting prosperity. as president obama said last week and i quote, countries that outeducate us today will out

compete us tomorrow. . but today, as we struggle from a debalance tating recession, students are struggle. states are passing massive budget shortfalls thus forced to decrease resources to education. meanwhile, many schools are raising tuition, cutting financial aid and cutting classrooms. that's why this bill is the right bill at the right time. by restructuring our federal financing of student loans to enhance the direct loan program, we can realize significant savings throughout the system. this money will be applied to other areas of critical education funding increasing -- including increasing pell grants, keeping investment rates low, simplifying student aid forms. the legislation keeps the door of opportunity afforded by a college education open to all.

without costing the american taxpayers an extra time. equally important to the savings realized by this bill is the creation of the state challenge grants which will allow states to invest in early childhood infrastructure. this will mark a historic collaboration between the department of education, health and human services where the expertise on these programs has traditionally resided. each day over 11 million children under the age of 5 spend time outside the care of their parents. we need to make sure they are spending this cognitive time in a quality setting. as with any endeavor, early investments in education produce tremendous dividends down the road, for both the student and society. cognitive science, countless studies tell us the same thing, early childhood education helps students achieve more throughout their lives. there is arguely no better way to -- arguably no better way to

spend this money than in these programs. in closing, i am proud of the bill that chairman miller has brought to this rules committee, and i urge my colleagues to support this rule. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i think i may be the only member of congress who has been a community college president. so i've had a good bit of experience. i was a professor and an assistant dean at a university. i served on a school board for 12 years. so i have extensive education -- experience in the field of education. i'm a product of public education. i grew up extraordinarily poor. i doubt there's anybody in the congress who grew up as poor as i did. and i know that much of the success that i have had has

been the result of the opportunities i had in education. i give credit to the people who taught me and who guided me throughout my educational career. it took me seven years to get my undergraduate degree but i graduated without a dime of debt because i worked and went to school. i know that it is possible to do that. and i know that a person does not have to borrow $50,000 a year to get an education in this country. we are blessed that we have extraordinarily high-quality, low-cost education programs all over this country. we have excellent community colleges. we have excellent public education -- higher education, and we have excellent private education. we have more choice in this country than any other place in the world.

so as i said, i have extensive background in this area. as a community college president, i had the opportunity to work with the work force investment program. as a member of the state legislature, i had an opportunity to understand these programs and work with them at some length. and so i am not unfamiliar with this area. what i see when i read this bill, particularly as it talks about giving money to community colleges, is basically setting up a welfare program for states and for community colleges. we already have the kind of accountability, i believe, that we need in community colleges in this country. yesterday, again, my distinguished colleague from california said that the bill has for the first time ever accountability in it. i have read this bill.

there is no accountability in here. they're benchmarks. benchmarks established somewhere out in the future. they are not even discussed in the bill. there's talk about serving underserved groups of people. there's really no accountability in here. and i'm wondering if our colleagues are going to consider men an underserved group. it's my understanding -- and, again, i'm not up-to-date on the literature that approximately 65% of the people now in higher education are women. so women have certainly found the opportunities there. so i have great number of concerns about this bill. not just what it's going to do to the student loan programs, but to the other areas. it's going to get into elementary education, preschool education. we just don't need the federal

government injecting itself here. it's -- the bill is going to limit choices for parents and students seeking educational loans. and i think decrease the quality of service historically promoted by private lender. the flee programs served more than six million students and parents at 7,000 postsecondary institutions lending a total of $3.25 billion or 78% of all new student loorns. in addition, postsecondary institutions have had their loans through the private flee program so they can have high-quality customer service, education, outreach and loan default prevention. and, again, what this is in my opinion is another takeover by the federal government of a segment of our society that we don't need taken over. and i would like to quote from

an article from "the weekly standard" entitled "need a student loan? boy, does uncle sam have a teal for you," and i'd like to have it inserted in the record, madam speaker? the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. foxx: and here's the quote. whatever lending accomplishes it will greatly expand the number of young people who find themselves intangled with and ultimately beholden to the vast systems of rewards and rebukes that the federal government has in hand. more than 65% of college students borrow money to go to college. that's a lot of guinea pigs. we already have a foreshadowing of the possibilities. congressmen are tinkerers and they have been tinkering with federally backed student loans for years. the most interesting of their areas was -- ideas was signed into law by president bush. this shouldn't be a surprise since by his second term bush

had proved a pretty ambitious tinkerer himself. the public service loan forgiveness program of the college cost reduction and access act of 2007, such big titles you have, grandma, was designed to let college students know what they should do once they got out of school. student borrowers can have their federal loans forgiven after 25 years on the condition they make a single minimum payment every 360 days. this is already a significant inducement to acquire federal rather than a private loan. but the public service loan forgiveness program goes a step further. you can have your loan forgiven after 10 years, vastly reducing the amount of money to blow $5,000 in some cases on three conditions. number one, your loan has to be handled directly by the federal government with no contan tam nation from private lender -- contamination from private lenders. upon graduation you have to get

the right kind of job. the right kind of job is called public service. in the common discourse, public service is already an elastic term used as a form of self-flatterly but has the euphemism stretched quite so far in bush's bill. work for a government such as a diplomat, teacher, social worker, forklift driver and you qualify for the loan forgiveness. you qualify, too, if you take a job with any 501-c-3 private organization, the wilderness society, u.s. public interest research group, the rainbow coalition, the transgender law, and even theoretically the heritage foundation. it doesn't mean if you're an agitator, lobbyist, pavement founder and signing petitions for greenpeace. the important thing is you can't be helping anyone turn a profit. madam speaker, this bill is another government takeover of parts of our lives, and this rule should be voted down along

with the bill. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: thank you, madam speaker. i'd like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, my colleague on the committee on education and labor, mr. holt. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. holt: madam speaker, i thank the respected gentleman from colorado, and i rise in strong support of the student aid and fiscal responsibility act which would make college more affordable and accessible with a landmark investment in college aid. this will not cost taxpayers a dime. by improving the way that our student loan programs operate. in fact, it's -- we can expect a $10 billion savings for taxpayers. our experience with the direct loan program has lasted two decades now and it is a great success. students like it, colleges like it, taxpayers like it. let's expand it. this legislation makes available $40 billion to

increase the maximum pell grant scholarship from its current $5,500, a long way from the $4,000 where it was mired for a number of years. now to $6,900 by later in the decade. it would in effect double the number of students who receive pell grants in my home state of new jersey. further, by converting all new federal loans to the stable and cost effect direct loan program, the bill will help keep interest rates low on need based federal student loans. i'm pleased that the bill provides billions to modernize and make our elementary and secondary schools more energy efficient, including a number of provisions that i'm pleased to have written. finally, i strongly support the early learning challenge fund, the community college reforms and the simplifications of forms that are also included in this bill. and i want to thank chairman miller for working with me to protect the graduate stafford

program in this bill. this is a good bill. millions of students and parents support the goals of the bill. let's answer their pleas for help, make colleges more affordable. no one can argue reasonably that now is not the time to improve accessibility and affordability of college. i urge support of this rule and the underlying bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. as proposed in president obama's f.y. 2010 budget, h.r. 3221 eliminates the flee student loan program has been the overwhelming choice of students and families for more than 40 years, replacing it with a government-run program. while democrats continue to use government takeovers as a panacea to all economic problems converting all student loans to government subsidized loans, it's just another way the democrats are killing jobs,

increasing government intrusion and eroding the rights of the consumer. i will urge my colleagues to vote no on the rule and no on the underlying bill. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: thank you, madam speaker. i'd like to inquire if my colleague has any additional speakers on her side of the aisle? ms. foxx: we do not. mr. polis: ok. i'd like to reserve the balance of my time for my closing. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. i'll yield the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields the balance of her time. mr. polis: thank you, madam speaker. overcrowded and crumbling schools threatening the safety and achievement of america's students and they're an embarrassment to our education system. our schools are short of being in good condition by an estimated $255 billion. in my home state of colorado, the backlog of school construction and maintenance

needs is estimated between $5.7 billion and $10 billion. that's why this bill has repair projects that will create healthier, safer and more energy efficient teaching and learning climates. colorado will receive more than $42 million over the next two years under this bill. in 2006, i could he chaired a successful -- i co-chaired a successful campaign for a bond issue for the boulder valley school district in my district to address the needs of our schools. they don't have the capacity to finance the school upgrades. that's why i'm particularly pleased that this legislation addresses income disparities by allocating funds to states and districts based on their share of students from low-income families. most importantly, this legislation is fiscally responsible because it pays for itself. by ending subsidies currently given to banks and private lenders, this bill saves taxpayers $87 billion over 10 years, according to the congressional budget office, and in addition to investing in their the education system, this bill directs $10 billion in savings back to the u.s.

treasury to help pay down the deficit and boost the fiscal health of our country our children will inherit. . this is another step in building the early childhood education system for our next generation of students for a lifetime of success. each and every studentp who is ready and wants to go to college shouldn't give up because of the cost barriers in their way. this is landmark legislation's historic investment in college scholarships provides increased educational opportunities to americans across the board. i talked to another student from the university of colorado yesterday, alexis, who talked about her family's story. she grew number family with a small business in the denver area, their family earns between $40,000 and $60,000 a year. like a lot of the families they fall above the need-based scholarship programs and below the colleges affordable. alexis is graduating college with $25,000 in debt, including

credit card. she would not have been able to go to college without help from pell grants as well as stafford loans and she and her father is currently working 10 hours a day, seven days a week at age 63 to help afford to put her and her brother through college. these are the kind of sacrifices that americans are willing to make. the federal government is here as a partner. by passing this bill we will be able to improve the student loan program, create savings so we can pass back along to students in the form of increased availability of student loans as well as grants. that's why i strongly support this rule and the underlying legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. without objection, the previous question is ordered. the question is on the adoption of the resolution. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the resolution is agreed to -- ms. foxx: madam speaker. on that i request the yeas and nays.

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rise? mr. poll cloins by direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 745 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 107, house resolution 745,

resolved that at any time after the adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the student for consideration -- on the state of the union for consideration of the bill h.r. 3246, to provide for a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application in vehicle technologies at the department of energy. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule 21. general debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on science and technology. after general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. it shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule the amendment in the nature of a substitute

recommended by the committee on science and technology now printed in the bill. the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. all points of order against the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute are waived except those arising under clause 10 of rule 21. notwithstanding clause 11 of rule 18, no amendment to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution. each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the house or in the committee of the whole. all points of order against such amendments are waived except those arising under clause 9 or

10 of rule 21. at the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment, the committee shall rise and report the bill to the house with such amendments as may have been adopted. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions. section 2, the chair may entertain a motion that the committee rise only if offered by the chair of the committee on science and technology or his designee. the chair may not entertain a motion to strike out the enacting words of the bill as described in clause 9 of rule 18. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized for one hour. mr. polis: thank you, madam speaker. for the purposes of debate only i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from florida, mr. diaz-balart. all time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material into

the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. polis: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. polis: madam speaker, house resolution 745 provides for a structured rule for consideration of h.r. 3246, the advanced vehicle technology act of 2009. this rule makes in order all three of the republican amendments submitted to the rules committee for consideration as part of this bipartisan bill. the advanced vehicle technology act of 2009 is an important part of this congress' commitment to clean energy, job creation, and reducing our country's dependence on foreign oil. it recognizes what many of us know to be true. we need a significant boost in research and development of innovative vehicle technologies in order to become energy independent. to reduce the greenhouse gas emission that is threaten our planet, and ensure the american automobile industry remains viable. to that end h.r. 3246 authorizes $2.85 billion over the next five

years to strengthen and support advanced vehicle technology research at the department of energy. while through other measures we laid the foundation to increase the accessibility of public transportation and another critical component of reducing energy warming gases, even this bill will reduce the cost of producing and operating these public transportation vehicles, in many parts of the country it's necessary that the primary mode of transit is the double. -- automobile. the expanse of rural america and suburban and ex-urban america simply require personal vehicles for work and pleasure. the good news is in this bill we'll be be able to capitalize on a movement that already exists. one need only look to the biodiesel folks of iowa where folks can buy clean domestically produced fuel at costs lower an the petroleum option. or a company based in boulder, colorado, in my district. they recycle waste vegetable

oil. oil that would otherwise find its way to a land phil -- landfill but instead is used to operate vehicles. it will be opening a new facility in fort morgan, colorado, in the district of my colleague and friend, betsy marky. this will able this firm to produce enough fuel to continue to provide to their agricultural clients while expanding to mass transit and passenger vehicle biodiesel. across the country the biofuels industry is gearing up to buy the clean domestic fuel of america's future while providing good-paying jobs today. we need to help these companies grow and we can do this by ensuring vehicles made right here in america are prepared to use our domestically produced fuel. america has a long love affair with the automobile. and vehicles are continually becoming more efficient, more comfortable, and easier to own, easier to maintain. this by right should continue. through this legislation will make the investments required to ensure the great tradition of the family summer road trip is

available to future generations. madam speaker, our domestic auto industry has had its difficulties these last few years. i speak not only of the big three detroit auto makers so identify connick of the industry and that grab many of the headlines, but also of the many companies such as delphi and many others that create components for the vehicles and employ hundreds of thousands of americans. it's these smaller companies that have proud significant innovation. however due to the economic crisis, rising operational cost, including health care for their employees, many of these companies have had to slow or shutter their research and development operations in order to afford to stay in business and keep their asemilines running. in order to navigate out of this recession back to manufacturing and leadership we need to have a compass of innovation. this bill ensures that the best technologies from electric drive trains to clean diesel are made available and the vehicles driven in the united states are the cleanest and most efficient in the world.

we can further the technologies that are sponsored through this competitive process and will ensure that our dependence on foreign oil will be decreased and will increase demand for domestically produced renewable energy creating jobs. this bill is as good for the air and urban america as it is for the economy of rural america. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. diaz-balart: madam speaker, i'd like to thank my friend, the gentleman from colorado, mr. polis, for the time. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. diaz-balart: the transportation sector of our economy accounts for a considerable portion of u.s. energy use and oil consumption. our economy is extremely dependent on foreign sources of oil. we are subject to the extreme volatility of the gasoline market, not to mention the whims of dictators like chavez.

that is why last year members on this side of the aisle pushed for greater energy independence by advocating for new domestic energy sources as well as investments in the clean technologies of the future. unfortunately our efforts were ignored or shut down by the majority. although the majority decided to ignore and shut down our efforts to promote domestic energy sources, i believe we have to continue to work on this important issue. congress must continue to make investments in alternative energy and promote its development and implementation. we need to have a diverse energy portfolio to sustain our economic growth. we must encourage the development of vehicles that run on electric, natural gas, and

other alternative fuels. we can move away from our dependence on foreign oil as a primary source of energy. doing this is in our national interest. in terms of security as well as environmental interest. for over two decades the department of energy has funded various clean energy research activities on passenger vehicles and heavy duty trucks. while those programs have produced mixed results, i believe that federal vehicle technology research and development programs will only be effective through robust partnerships with a wide variety of vehicle technology developers and manufacturers. madam speaker, i have met with various experts in the energy field to discuss the development of sustainable transportation in the united states. in my conversations with those

experts, including this last weekend with michael granularoff -- granoff, i was educated regarding the efforts by our friends, the israelis, to completely replace oil as an energy source. . israel's efforts to replace oil are serious. and extraordinary. we have to listen to experts like mr. ralph. we have to implement policies immediately that will lead to the development of electric automobiles. massively throughout our economy . it needs to be done and it needs to be done now.

unfortunately communist china is well advanced in the practical application and development of electric automobile technology. we are about to be overtaken by a dangerous competitor in a major technology of the future which may very well decide if we are able to remain an economic superpower. this is not something that we can take lightly. it's serious and it deserves our urgent attention. the underlying legislation being brought to the floor today, h.r. 3246, the advanced vehicle technology act, takes a small step in the right direction. it reiterates the importance of the federal government's role in funding and coordinating research activities and disseminating research findings in order to bring clean technology to passenger vehicles and heavy trucks, to reduce our nation's defense pence on petroleum, thus reducing emissions. the legislation authorizes

approximately $3 billion over the next five years for the department of energy to create research programs to help develop technologies that will substantially reduce or eliminate petroleum use in the nation's vehicles. as part of this new program, the department of energy is required to collaborate with numerous sectors of the automotive industry. now during yesterday's hearing in the rules committee we heard testimony from both sides of the aisle on the underlying legislation. it was clear from the testimony that this legislation has great bipartisan support yet the majority on the rules committee felt it was necessary to offer a restrictive rule. i really don't know why. i know that the rule allows both of the minority amendments that were submitted to the rules committee but unfortunately forbids the consideration of three amendments submitted by members of the majority party. i believe we should have allowed those amendments. we should have considered this

legislation under an open rule, a rule that allows for a truly free and full debate. majority blocked our attempts to have such an open debate. and really i think it's a shame that the majority has once again blocked an open debate. since this majority took over, madam speaker, in 2007, they have had one open rule on a nonappropriations bill. unfortunately it is standard operating procedure for this majority to block open debate on the house floor. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: thank you, madam speaker. i, again, this rule that we're proposing allows all three republican amendments that were proposed to be made in order. i certainly appreciate the concern from the gentleman from florida with regard to our democratic amendments and the fact that we should have had

more in the bill. we do have several that have been allowed as well. i'd like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from florida, mr. klein. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. klein: i thank the speaker and i thank the gentleman from colorado. i rise in strong support of this radio radio -- rule and the underlying bill, advanced vehicle technology act of 2009. this legislation which is supported by a bipartisan majority of this body on behalf of the american people makes an excellent and a smart investment in research that will catapult american ingenuity into new levels of competitiveness. i know for years many people have said, why haven't our car companies kept up? and there were a lot of decisions along the way and a lot of reasons, but i think what we're doing today is taking a very, very important step that many of us have been advocating for many, many years. many people said, well, the technology just must not be being utilized. what's happening now is something that many of us have been advocating for. on december 5, 2008, in the

financial services committee where american automakers testified before congress on their dire financial state, i personally had the opportunity to ask the automakers about whether they would support a process by which we could bring the best together to really leap frog. i don't -- i am -- i'm a firm believe that are american ingenuity is at the top, that's one of the strengths we have in our country. those car leaders at the time said yes. this bill takes that moment and that effort and takes financial resources and does what the gentleman from florida said, it allows us to have a stake and a participation in advancing research. whether it's medical science or the automobile business, i think this is a role that we can play. the new democratic coalition which i participate in followed up with a letter to the administration stressing the themes of allowing there to be some resource commitment to this new electric and hybrid technology. and i awith many of my

colleagues and many americans believe that our country's researchers and engineers can and will develop the engine technology that will leap frog automakers from all over the world and speedily deploy an electric car of the future. the legislation today that we are considering accomplishes these goals by investing in a program that brings together these stakeholders from across the industry to develop this vehicle technology of tomorrow right here in the united states. and i'm confident that this technology and this program will provide automakers with the tools that they need to lead the auto industry and to -- into a new generation of innovation. let me point out that section 101 contains language to ensure that grants do not fund duplicative efforts. this is essential to our commitment to fiscal responsibility. it saves taxpayer money because grant recipients will not be reinventing the wheel separately but will be coming together efficiently. i'd like to commend my colleague, congressman gary peters, for introducing this

legislation and chairman bart gordon for bringing this to the floor today. i urge passage of this rule and the underlying bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida. mr. diaz-balart: i would ask my friend if he has any additional speakers? mr. polis: we have no additional speakers. mr. diaz-balart: neither do we, madam speaker, so i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from florida. excuse me, colorado. mr. polis: thank you, madam speaker. the question is, how do we create and perfect a nonpetroleum technology that the market wants and the advanced vehicle technology act is part of the answer. by jump starting vehicle research technology, this bill puts american ingenuity to work, cleaning up our transportation sector and protecting the planet. electrifying vehicle systems is just one of the many innovative technologies that this bill will support. at the same time we know we need to take action today to fight global warming and create jobs here in america.

for that reason this legislation before us emphasizes public-private partnerships that will help create jobs in private industry, not just in government offices. there's a reason why this bill is supported by ford motor company, caterpillar, g.m., united auto workers. h.r. 3246 means good jobs today developing the technologies of tomorrow. when we can create jobs and cut our petroleum dependence at the same time it's clear that we're making good policy, madam speaker. by this measure the advanced vehicle technology act is the clear and most straight forward kind of good policy. with this in mind i urge my colleagues to support this very fair rule and the underlying legislation. i'd like to thank representative peters, representative biggert and chairman gordon as well as my colleagues on the rules committee and the committee staff in science and technology committee for crafting this legislation that will increase the efficiency of our nation's vehicle fleet while reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

i would like to yield back and move the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the previous question is ordered. the question is on the adoption of the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on questions previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order. adopting house resolution 746 and suspending the rules and adopting house resolution 260. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. the remaining electronic vote will bed as a five-minute vote

-- will be conducted as a five-minute vote. the unfinished business is vote on adoption of house resolution 746 on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 108, house resolution 746, resolution providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 3221 to amend the higher education act of 1965 and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on adoption of the resolution. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 241, the nays are 179. the resolution is adopted. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohen, to suspend the rules and agree to h.res. 260 as amended on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title

of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 260, resolution supporting efforts to reduce infant mortality in the united states. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 415, the nays are zero. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and

without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from oklahoma rise? >> madam speaker, i'd like to ask unanimous consent to remove my name as a co-sponsor for h.r. 3251. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise?

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? mr. gordon: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill h.r. 3246. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. pursuant to house resolution 745 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of

the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of h.r. 3246. the chair appoints the gentleman from puerto rico, mr. pier lucy -- mr. pierluisi to pre the speak pro tempore: over the committee of the whole. the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 3246 which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: bill to provide for a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application is vehicle technologies at the department of energy. the chair: pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as read the first time. the gentleman from tennessee, mr. gordon, and the gentleman from texas, mr. hall, each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee. mr. gordon: mr. chairman, i yield myself such time as i may

consume. and also point out that the house is not in order. the chair: the gentleman will be recognized. the committee will be in order. mr. gordon: h.r. 3246, the advanced vehicle technology act of 2009, is authored by the gentleman from michigan, mr. gary peters, and co-sponsored by our colleague from illinois, miss judy biggert. this legislation provides a comprehensive authorization for long-term sustained funding of public-private vehicle research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities in the department of energy vehicle technologies program. from passenger cars to heavy duty long haul trucks, we are all aware of the economic, environmental, and strategic importance of diverse filing our nation's vehicle sector through the innovation in cleaner and more effective technologies. however, the current economic situation has made it all the

more difficult for companies to invest in research and development and technology to get us there. department of of energy programs play an invaluable role in filling this critical gap. this bill provides a critical foundation of support to ensure u.s. leadership in developing and producing the next generation of advanced vehicle technologies. the bill instructs the secretary to include support for long-term, higher-risk technologies such as hydrogen while recognizing the importance of research in areas that can deliver significant improvements in the near term such as vehicle electrification. it also makes important investments in areas such as vehicle manufacturing and medium to heavy duty vehicles research. it accomplishes this goal through continued partnerships with the industry and strengthen d.o.e. coordination with other federal research agencies. this is a bipartisan bill reported from the sigh yention technology committee which

incorporated a number of our republican colleagues' suggestions. it follows on recommendations of the national academies of science and the diverse group of stakeholders and others alike have endorsed this bill. including the alliance of automobile manufacturers, g.m., ford, chrysler, the u.a.w., motor and equipment manufacturers association, the national association of manufacturers, and the u.s. chamber of commerce among many others. after a very productive and bipartisan process in the committee, i'm looking forward to a constructive floor debate and passage of this very important bill. mr. chairman, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. hall: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise today in support of of h.r. 3246, advanced vehicle technology act of 2009.

it has the stated objective to develop technologies that improve efficiency and emissions of vehicles, reduces reliance on petroleum, support vehicle manufacturing in the united states, among other things it develops cost-effective vehicle technologies for wide scale utilization, enhanced commercial and passenger vehicle performance, allows for greater consumer choice, shortens technology penetration times, endures balance and diversity in federal r&d investment, and strengthens public-private r&d partnership. probably many other things. i'd like to thank congressman peters for good job with working with us and working with the science committee on this bill and for incorporating our suggestions and suggestions of our chairman and his manager's amendment for ways to improve the bill during the full committee markup, including a provision in title 1 that

requires the secretary to ensure that activities do not duplicate those of other programs within the department of energy or other relevant research agencies. in our country's tough financial situation, we want to ensure that the taxpayer dollars are being used efficiency -- efficiently and responsibly and not being wasted. the manager's amendment applied to and certainly agreed to at full committee included bipartisan language supportive of allied and also applied in basic research and development of hydrogen and natural gas vehicle technologies. congressman teague offered an amendment that seemed to reiterate the spirit of comity but it was unfortunately not made in part by a party-line vote at the rules committee hearing yesterday. as i said during the full committee markup, the cost of the bill gives me some pause, but i understand the cost associated with the level,

degree, and scope of the bill which deals with research and deals with research development, deals with demonstration in commercial application activities on materials technologies and processes of not only passenger vehicles but also medium to heavy duty commercial and transit vehicles, including long haul class 8 truck and trailer platforms. with that said, i plan to vote for an amendment that will be offered by representative broun of georgia to reduce the authorization amount in the bill by $650 million. mr. speaker, the transportation sector uses 67.9% of the petroleum used in our country, and if we want to reduce or wean our dependence on foreign sources of oil, we are going to need technological advances in the vehicles that americans drive to help us reach that goal. the bill before us today will certainly help to achieve these advances. with that, i reserve the balance of my time.

the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. gordon: mr. chairman, i yield three minutes to the author of this excellent piece of legislation, mr. gary peters from michigan, and concur with mr. hall in saying he did a terrific job in reaching out to all parties to make this a bipartisan bill that has great support both here in congress, as well as throughout industry. i yield three minutes to mr. peters. the chair: the gentleman from michigan, mr. peters, is recognized for three minutes. mr. peters: thank you, mr. chairman. thank you, chairman gordon, for those kind words. it is no secret that the global economic crisis has had an absolutely devastating impact on the automobile industry. automobile and truck manufacturers and part suppliers around the globe are struggling to deal with substantially decreased demand in vehicle sales. at the same time we are in the midst of a transformation to a more energy independent economy which will require the production of new vehicle

technologies that will increase fuel efficiency and reduce harmful emissions. development of advanced technologies for both heavy duty trucks and passenger vehicles is of vital national interest and requires a coordinated effort at the federal level. that is why i am proud to have worked with chairman gordon to introduce the advanced vehicles technology act of 2009. this legislation will build upon the current research efforts of the department of energy and the private sector by providing an increased federal investment in passenger and heavy duty vehicle research and development. by directing the department of energy to partner with industry stakeholders and agencies across the federal government, the bill will ensure that our energy and our investment leverages the maximum amount of talent and innovation. and leads to faster development in new technologies that will help us meet our energy challenges and promote american

innovation in the advanced vehicle technologies field. there is intense global competition right now to determine which countries will produce the cars and trucks of the future. there is no doubt that in the years ahead more americans will be driving hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles, and cars and trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells. the only question is whether these new technologies will be researched, developed, and manufactured here in the united states creating american jobs or whether this technology will be built overseas. the advanced vehicle technology act will help ensure that the american automobile industry will continue to be globally competitive and that we as a nation will not trade our dependence on foreign oil for a dependence on foreign batteries and other emerging technology. this legislation has strong support from industry. it has been endorsed by the united states chamber of

commerce and by the national association of manufacturers who understand how important it is for our nation to maintain its competitiveness in research and development and emerging technology in order to preserve our manufacturing base. h.r. 3246 has been endorsed by the alliance of automobile manufacturers and by individual auto makers -- automakers like chrysler, general motors, and dime letter, it is strongly supported by the motor manufacturers association, the industry trade group representing auto suppliers as well as key suppliers based in my congressional district. i'm also proud to report that this bill has the support of organized labor, including my good friends at the united auto workers and from environmental, the community as well. including such organizations as the league of conservation voters, the natural resources defense council, and the sierra club.

mr. chairman, another 30 seconds. mr. gordon: i yield additional 30 seconds to him. the chair: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. peters: thank you. this builds broad support includes the steel industry which is excite bide the opportunities this legislation will create for them to partner with the federal government on research projects that will continue to make steel lighter and stronger. high mileage cars will need to reduce weight while keeping passengers safe and the steel industry can and must play an important role in helping us achieve that goal. i want to thank chairman gordon and his staff for their leadership on this legislation and for their helpfulness to both myself and my staff. i would also like to thank my republican colleagues on the science committee, especially mrs. biggert, for working with me to improve this important bill. i'd also like to thank democratic leadership and in particular majority leader hoyer for working on this bill. the advanced vehicle technology act will help reduce our nation's dependence on foreign

oil and preserve and create manufacturing jobs in michigan and across the country. i encourage my colleagues to support h.r. 3246. the chair: the gentleman from texas. mr. hall: i yield to the gentleman from indiana, mr. souder, five minutes. the chair: the gentleman from indiana is recognized for five minutes. mr. souder: i want to thank my friend from texas. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the chair: without objection. mr. souder: i strongly support this bill but i do so with some reservations. i would like to discuss some of what the pressures that the government has put on a region like mine, my district is number one in manufacturing jobs, and number one in percent in manufacturing. it actually gained slightly over number two last year because we lost fewer jobs than other areas of the country in manufacturing. without core value added industries, our country is in deep trouble. i grew up in retailing. retailing and service industries

and so on circulate the money among themselves. to add value to our country it can be in software, manufacturing, or agriculture but it has to be something that has a more value added addition to the economy. now, the challenge we have in our country is for a variety of reasons to improve our environment, to improve the safety of our workers, to make sure we have pensions, to make sure we have health care our costs have soared compared to our international competition because government has put additional pressures because we as a society felt they should be there. but that means as the companies in my district go to make a product, they start with costs that are higher than other countries start in their costs. that we then watch china cheat on the currency anywhere from 20% to 80% and we expect our manufacturers who are already disadvantaged in price competition to compete with countries that don't even play