that is a good thing, and the direction we will go. caller: i would like to bernie sanders for speaking his mind, and the fact that almost anyone in any part of the political spectrum can back this. i was wondering, if it does fail, what will happen to the democratic party as far as the poll numbers? if it does pass, what will be the next step? if we can see this huge detriment and everything just crashing down around us, what can we do to actually fix it and rebuild it? guest: donald, yes, the first is a political question. i work with the president, support him, and disappointed that the obama administration is in opposition to this. you just heard that chairman dodd is working against this amendment. i just don't think you have people who understand. billions of people support the democrats and wonder why they're not standing up to wall street

aggressively. from a public policy point of view and from a political point of view is wrong not to stand up to these guys. if we pass this today, it is still not over. we have to go to conference. if we pass it today, you have a strong victory in the senate, a strong victory in the house, and we will get something substantive. host: if you do not pass it today, because it is still in the house version, there will still be another opportunity before the final legislation is done? guest: yes, and we have a very good website, sanders.senate.gov. host: that is it for today, the house will be in shortly and we have live coverage. the senate will be on c-span2. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national

cable satellite corp. 2010] into starting on c-span3 the attorney general is testifying concerning the times square lot. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., may 6, 2010. i hereby appoint the honorable charles a. wilson 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 the speaker pro tempore: the prayer will be offered by our guest chaplain. the chaplain: o god, the floods have moved the houses off their

foundation. comfort and sustain us. as the waters recede, let our energies rise as we work together. o god, from this place, a young man, bradley, 21 just yesterday from our church was sent to war. today in his country's service, bradley moves in harm's way. give him courage, grant his leader's wisdom, bring him home safe and home. o god, bless his parents, angie and david. bless his grandparents. grant them a measure of peace even as he's in danger. as words have weight, even much more do the names of our sons and daughters.

have precious worth. many sons and daughters who bear our names have been sent from this place. you know their names, o god, and ours. grant all who command them to be aware of them and of their families and of their names. grant that leadership is ever tender to people with names. in this i pray in the name of your son, jesus, amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved.

the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentlewoman from california, congresswoman capps. mrs. capps: 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 tennessee, congressman cooper, is recognized for one minute. mr. cooper: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. mr. speaker, we're honored to have here today minister tim alexander from nashville, tennessee, to offer our prayer for nashville and for this house. minister alexander is a remarkable man. his wife and he, poly, have been married 26 years and have two children. and he has ministered since 1984. he does much good work outside

the church for victims of child sexual abuse and victims of crime in general. so we're honored to have tim alexander here with us today. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will receive a message. the messenger: madam speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed s. 3111, an act to establish the commission on the freedom of information act in which the concurrence of the house has requested. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to five requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. gutierrez: thank you. madam speaker, the old joke around congress is that the senate is washington's legislative's hospice, a place

where good bills go and die a slow death. i hope this joke will be proven wrong. unfortunately, many of the reforms passed in the wall street reform and consumer protection act of 2009, including strong consumer protection and much-needed reform to the industry are being watered-down. the latest victim of this appeasement and most egregious example of the appeasement example on the other side for wall street lobbyists is here, the removal this week of the dissolution fund. i hoped it would act like your car insurance, by discouraging risky behavior. let's say like a bank like goldman sachs drove a new ferrari down the road with little regard for traffic or public safety. it would then be assessed more in fees to drive safety and look at all the posted signals. goldman can drive its ferrari

anyway it wants and when it crashes the american public has to pay. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana rise? mr. pence: ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. pence: today is the 59th celebration of the national day of prayer. like most americans, i believe that the effective and federal reservent prayer of a righteous man avail as much. america has been a nation of prayer. pilgrims relied on prayer during the first and darkest winter. our founder fathers prayed in that continental congress in 1776. and president truman named the national day of prayer in 1952. sadly, voluntary prayer has been under attack as of late, driven from our public schools and our graduation ceremonies by activist courts and just

last month, a federal court declared this national day of prayer to be unconstitutional. that ruling ignored our history, our traditions and should be overturned. during these days of challenge for american families at home and abroad, on this national day of prayer, let it be said now more than ever we're a nation of prayer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. wilson: madam speaker, this week i introduced the appalachian veterans outreach improvement act to improve access to services and benefits for veterans in aplashea. my legislation would authorize a cooperation agreement between the secretary of the v.a. and the appalachian region commission, or the a.r.c. in rural districts like mine, veterans often lack access and

resources necessary to receive the benefits and services that they have earned. veterans in appalachian encounter difficult obstacles like traveling great distances to get services. this would highlight a.r.c.'s unique understanding of the appalachian region and allow the v.a. to work with the a.r.c. to provide technical assurance to our veterans. i urge my colleagues to join me in standing up for rural veterans act. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. poe: madam speaker, brazil has become a haven for stolen children from the united states. there are over 50 kidnapped children in brazil. fox news 26 in houston, texas, first brought attention to the story of one little girl stolen from her father, my friend and constituent, marty pate. marty lives in crosby, texas,

and has not seen his daughter, nicole, in four years. her mother, monica, is a native of brazil and took nicole on a trip in 2006 and never came back. legal documents from texas give marty joint custody and international law requires brazil to return nicole to america. marty wants to see her daughter and have her visit her family in the united states, but officials in brazil are still stonewalling and ignoring their legal duty. our state department must pressure brazil to follow its international treaty obligations, and brazil must stop sanctioning the kidnapping of american children. marty has the right to be reunited with his kidnapped daughter, nicole, and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? mrs. capps: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mrs. capps: madam speaker, it's painfully clear that b.p.'s gulf oil spill could dwarf any

environmental disaster in our history. they contaminated the water with millions of gallons of oil. it's impacting the livelihood of all who make their living from the gulf's resources, but this disaster will be all the more tragic if we fail to learn from it. the first steps, of course, are to stop the leaks, contain the spill and attend to the devastating consequences of the explosion and its aftermath. the obama administration quickly responded to the b.p. disaster from day one. it mobilized the government's resource to minimize the harm on the health of the economy and the environment on the coast. now it's time to ensure complete scrutiny of this horrible environmental disaster. today i'm introducing legislation to establish an independent commission to examine the causes of the b.p. disaster and make recommendations to prevent future tragedies. i urge my colleagues to join me in this effort, to make sure that disasters like this never happens again. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? mr. wolf: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. wolf: sudan, genocide, killing, many of the household names that moved on to the next cause while the refrain never again echos faintly. but the desperation in darfur's camps is still a reality. and which ended the 20-year war with the south were 2.1 million, mainly christians, have died and hangs in the balance against this backdrop. this administration's policy is languishing. there's an immediate need for renewed principle leadership on sudan at the highest levels. leadership must be clear about the war criminal at the helm in khartoum. these are the people that gave safe haven to osama bin laden for -- from 1991 to 1996. president obama must empower secretary clinton and ambassador wright to take control of this faltering

policy. time is running out. lives hang in the balance. a stalemate policy in sudan is not an option. president obama must act. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. arcuri: thank you, madam speaker. improving our rail infrastructure isn't just about getting people and goods here from there faster and more efficiently. it's the heart of regional economic development, connecting communities, businesses, consumers and producers to foster the kind of economic growth and job creation we as a nation need. our short line railroads are just at the center of this, but because the tax extenders act of 2009 has not been enacted into law, they have been unable to plan vital maintenance work this construction season. section 45-g short line railroad tax credit, included in this bill, generates 6.9

million workhours of rail maintenance on the way each year. the equivalent of more than 3,300 full-time jobs nationwide. not to mention the tens of thousands of jobs in america, steel and timber industries, that make railroad ties. it is too important to our economic recovery to ignore them any longer. it's time for the house and the senate to come to an agreement so we can keep our railroads operating. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. smith: unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. smith: madam speaker, after days of the national media pounding the new arizona immigration law and highlighting demonstrations against it, guess what? the number of americans who describe illegal immigration as a serious problem actually increased. and 78% feel that the federal government should do more to stop illegal immigration, according to a "new york times"

poll. another recent poll found that 84% of americans are concerned that illegal immigrants burden schools, hospitals and government services. 77% say that illegal immigration drives down wages. and 89%, 89% feel it is important to halt the flow of illegal immigrants, a "u.s.a. -- "usa today" poll found a few days ago. the american people still overwhelmingly want to secure the border, save jobs for those in the country legally, and reduce the burden of illegal immigration. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? without objection, so ordered. mr. quigley: madam speaker, the secretary of the defense has asked congress not to repeal don't-ask, don't-tell until the pentagon has another year to review the policy. with all due respect, we have been reviewing the policy since

its implementation in 1993. to paraphrase the words of dr. martin luther king, here are some reasons why we can't wait. another year of dismissals will add to the 13,500 who have already been fired under the law since 1994. another year will reduce the ranks of mission critical troops and ling wists harm -- linguists harming our national security. another year will mean we will continue to allow young patriots to lose their lives for us but not allow them to live the lives they choose. our troops agree, our allies agree, and most in our nation agree. we must repeal this policy now. dr. king wrote the time is always right to do what is right. madam speaker, that is why we can't wait. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise?

mr. wilson: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. wilson: madam speaker, while they are courageously serving our great nation overseas, america's brave men and women in uniform are receiving sweet treats from south carolina's ms. jeanette cram, the cookie lady. a hilton head island res. department has organized treats for troops, a baking prom to send delicious cookies to troops in harm's way. she doesn't act alone in this endeavor. her friends, also known as crumbs, help her prepare the packages and batter, baking over two million cookies for our troops, janet -- jeanette and her crumbs started this process in 1990 during the gulf war. america is in a new era in which our soldiers work around the world protecting american families at home by preventing additional acts of terrorism. it is uplifting to know that individuals like jeanette and her crumbs are doing her part to help our troops and sweeten their days. in conclusion, god bless our

troops, we'll never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. congratulations on the success of the national day of prayer. welcome, franklin graham, to capitol hill. the speaker pro tempore: the the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? ms. matsui: madam speaker, by direction of the committee on rules i call up house resolution 1329 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the

resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 192, house resolution 1329, 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. 5019, to provide for the establishment of the home star retrofit rebate program 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 energy and commerce. 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 energy and commerce 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. 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 energy and commerce 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 gentlewoman from california is recognized for one hour. ms. matsui: thank you, madam speaker. for the purpose of debate only i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. sessions. 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, so ordered. ms. matsui: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. matsui: madam speaker, house resolution 1329 provides a structured rule for consideration of h.r. 5019, the home star energy retrofit act. the rule waives all points of order against consideration of the bill except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule 21. and provides that the bill be considered as read. the rule waives all points of order against the bill itself. the rule makes in order the eight amendments printed in the rules committee report and waives all points of order against those amendments except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule 21. the rule provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. the rule provides that the chair may entertain a motion that the committee rise only if offered by the chair of the committee on energy and commerce or a designee. the chair may not entertain a motion to strike out the

enacting words of the bill. madam speaker, i rise this morning in strong support of the rule for the home energy retrofit act and the underlying bipartisan legislation. i'd like to applaud chairman waxman, representative welch, representative ehlers, and myself, colleagues on the energy and commerce committee for their hard work on bringing this important bill to the floor today. madam speaker, as our nation moves toward a more energy efficient economy, it is critical that we adopt policies that enable us to become the world leader in promoting smart energy use and manufacturing energy efficiency products. as our nation continues its economic recovery, we must continue to focus on job creation. by increasing energy efficiency, we will not only create jobs and incentivize the emerging clean technology industry, but also reduce carbon pollution and cut

costs to customers. h.r. 5019 would increase residential energy efficiency and create almost 170,000 jobs nationwide thereby reducing the current 25% unemployment rate in the construction sector. specifically, it would authorize a silver star rebate program which would allow homeowners to buy and install more affordable energy efficiency products. the bill would do this by providing rebates of up to $1,500 for the installation for energy efficiency improvements, including upgraded insulation, duct ceiling rereplacement, and energy saving doors. this legislation would also authorize the gold star rebate program which would provide rebates of up to $3,000 to those who make their entire home at least 20% more energy efficient. as a result, the bill will have a meaningful long-term impact on

energy use in communities across our country. recent estimates indicate that more than three million families would participate in a program like this. such a participation rate would save these families $9.2 billion on their energy bills over the next 10 years. or the power equivalent of 6.8 million gallons of heating oil. madam speaker, my hometown of sacramento is poised to be a national leader in clean task and energy efficiency. sacramento has received over $200 million in energy efficiency and clean technology grants through the recovery act. h.r. 5019 was billed under rulely $11.8 million recovery act investments that have already been delivered to sacramento to support energy audits and energy efficiency retrofits in residential and commercial buildings. these allocations include $7.8

million in weatherization assistance program funding, $19.9 million to the sacramento municipal utility district, $16.6 million in municipal financing to sacramento county. madam speaker, it is clear that the home star bill is in keeping with our nation's commitment to improving the quality of our air, reduce our carbon footprint, and create green jobs. these are all goals that my district has embraced. like many areas of the country, sacramento has demonstrated great leadership on energy efficiency and clean technology. i have been organizing an effort in the sacramento region to ensure coordination and to advance the energy efficiency and clean task industry. it is imperative that we make energy efficiency products a brand that more and more americans will purchase. we are lagging behind china and germany in producing and exporting clean energy products

and that is simply unacceptable. that is why i recently introduced h.r. 5616, legislation to boost clean technology exports from the united states. the home star energy retrofit act would further expand the market for energy efficiency products. madam speaker, i again applaud chairman waxman's efforts to bring this bill before the full house today. as our economic recovery continues, it is important that we continue to support the home star program and other job creation proposals. h.r. 5019 does not represent the end of our work but reflects another critical step forward for the american people and for our environment. i thereby urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying legislation. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise?

mr. sessions: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. sessions: thank you very much, madam speaker. i want to thank the gentlewoman from california for the extension of the time. my friend from the rules committee who i enjoy working with very much. madam speaker, i rise in opposition to this rule and the underlying bill. yesterday in the rules committee the democrat majority once again shut out good republican ideas while rolling 15 democratic amendments into the manager's amendment. these were 15 democrat requests to add into the bill and the rules committee saw fit to get that done. for those members of the democratic party. this is not the way to have an open, honest congress as our speaker, nancy pelosi, promised in 2007. madam speaker, what republicans are going to talk about today is a number of issues but perhaps key among them is the priority

items that are on this floor today. there's about more spending, more deficit spending, and against the ideas that this speaker and the democratic majority have talked about about paying for bills. i think what we are going to learn today and as we move forward is, the democratic party is having problems making a decision about how they will pay for these bills because we have had so much massive spending, so many new programs that this majority is incapable of setting any priorities. in other words, if you want something else, the public was told that the democrats would be opened to taking it from somewhere else and constantly making prioritization. in fact that's not true. what it's all about is just adding in more spending and more

debt without regard for making tough decisions. . i disagree with that. i think it's a bad policy. i think you should if you say you are going to require bills to be paid for under pay-go you should do that, and that once again today, we see that is not true with another bill on the floor that is about spending more money, 100% deficit spending in this bill. today, i'm also going to discuss other issues, and the really about the bill. this bill is too costly, it raises serious questions about the department of energy's ability to effectively implement this program, and it will allow the federal government to pick winners and losers in the private sector while all of these companies are trying to take care of --

making us more efficient but then picking the winners and losers. h.r. 5019 would authorize $6.6 billion for what i'm going to call a cash for cockers program. $6.6 billion of new deficit spending. this bill would provide tax rebates to participating contractors and vendors who would perform qualifying energy-saving measures that meet efficiency and insulation targets in federal standards. it's a whole lot of words for a federal program that in essence is too expensive, unnecessary, and i believe a waste of taxpayer dollars, especially at a time when growing deficits are causing this country to have failing markets and confidence in this government. republicans strongly support

legislation that promoments effective energy efficiency, -- promotes effective energy efficiency, but 150,000 jobs for $6.6 billion on the back of the american taxpayer is not a good deal. it's not a fair trade. and to that point, the democrats in the rules committee all voted against allowing my colleague, mr. latta, the gentleman from ohio, from even offering his amendment on the house floor today which would have suspended the provisions of this bill if it added to the federal deficit. this majority doesn't even want to have a conversation about controlling spending. and that's why they will continue to shut out republican members as they come to the rules committee with whies, prudent and conservative ideas. this two-year program will be

administered through the department of energy which has already proven to being a terrible manager of the $4.7 billion from the economic stimulus weatherization program , which only 30,297 homes have been weatherized, about 5% of the stated overall kroll goal of more than 600,000. these are all, i'm sure, great ideas and lofty goals, but it's taxpayer spending, taxpayer money and more deficit spending. the home star energy retrofit program will undoubtedly spornse the same administrative problems, implementation problems, and oversight problems for the department of energy. what a shame we just didn't give it directly to consumers rather than creating a program

that then must be administered following federal standards, federal rules and more and more and more participation from washington, d.c. allowing the federal government to get bigger and bloated and to control this process is not an efficient way to run this government or spend the american people's tax dollars. additionally, this legislation is not technology neutral. it is not the role i believe of the federal government to pick winners and losers in the private sector, yet, that's exactly what this bill does. this legislation lists 13 energy-saving measures that qualify for rebates of varying dollar amounts. that's right, we're going to tell people exactly how to do this and what qualifies. there were many energy products that were left off the list or

will not qualify because of what are considered technical requirements. these are so numerous that we simply cannot effectively have a good program. it should be about effectiveness, saving energy and allowing a consumer to be engaged in making these decisions so that we assure that the real cost and the delivery of that product was known and understood by the consumer, not just ordering something that came from the federal government. having somebody showed up at your door and then reimbursed by the federal government with the consumer being left out in the cold rather than a demand about what they were after and knowing what their needs are. over a year ago, speaker pelosi and the president promised that unemployment would not reach 8% or above. since that time four million americans have lost their job,

and that was a promise. we've now reached a 10.2 record unemployment rate and continue to hoffer well over that promised 8% -- hover well over that promised 8% figure. madam speaker, i believe the american people understands what this change has metropolitan. it's meant a bigger federal government, record spending and incredibly high deficits for as far as the eye can see. and over the horizon. this is another example of the kind of political agenda that adds to that of the speaker and the president that will, if all implemented, net lose over 10 million american jobs. losing 10 million american jobs from a political agenda is a problem to the republican party.

we believe that the ability to make progress and work here in congress for the best effort of the american people in the creation of jobs, not net loss of 10 million jobs, should be what this congress should be focused on. you see, madam speaker, we think that america should be the employer nation. we believe that america has always led the way, the leader in the world to making sure we are competitive and to make sure that we have a smaller, more efficient federal government with unlimited opportunity for freedom, -- for freedom for citizens back home. this bill takes the citizenry, the consumer out of the equation and puts the federal government central, not only in people's lives, but central in paying the bill. we should work with the investor and the free enterprise system, and that is

what has made us the global leader for our grandparents, our parents and this current generation. we only have unemployment and this horrible high debt because of the political considerations of the democratic party and their agenda. and the republican party is on record again today to saying enough is enough. the national debt continues to grow rapidly towards $13 trillion, yet our democrat majority friends are spending billions of more dollars again today on excessive programs that sets burdensome technical requirements, picks private sector winners and losers, and hands the reins over to the department of energy to dole out the funds as it sees fits. our responsibility, not allowing the amendments in the

rules committee for commonsense legislation, rolling 15 democrat amendments into the manager's amendment, and a $6.6 billion cost that will come directly from deficit spending which means we have to go borrow and once again go to the world of the chinese or others to say, please help us, is a bad way to run this business. madam speaker, it is obvious to me that the political agenda is more that the democrats want than the commonsense atributes of saying enough is enough -- attributes of saying enough is enough. so i am going to urge a no vote, i am going to urge a no vote on the rule and a no vote on the underlying legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise?

ms. matsui: madam speaker, before i yield to my next speaker, i just want to say that the bill before us today is a strict authorization bill. there is no direct spending contained in it. c.b.o. has said that it will not add to the deficit because any money that is spent under the home star program will have to be appropriated through separate legislation. this is regular order in the purest sense of the term, authorize first, appropriate later. madam speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from ohio, a member of the energy and commerce committee, ms. sutton. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from ohio is recognized for three minutes. ms. sutton: thank you, madam speaker. and i thank representative matsui for the time and for her leadership. i rise today in strong support of the underlying bill, h.r. 5019, the home star energy retrofit act, and i want to congratulate and thank representative peter welch for his leadership in bringing us to this place. this is a timely, smart, commonsense bill that will achieve multiple goals. home star will help our

workers, help our economy and our environment. and make no mistake, madam speaker, this is a jobs bill, and jobs are the highest of high priorities. it's estimated that the home star program will create 168,000 good-paying construction, manufacturing and retail jobs. and these are jobs that cannot be shipped overseas. home star will help kick-start the construction industry which has been one of the hardest hit industries during this economic recession. today, more than one in four construction workers remain unemployed, and today those in this chamber have the chance to vote to change that. home star will also stimulate domestic manufacturing and grow jobs which will strengthen our economy and strengthen our nation. these are sustainable -- there are sustainable building solution companies in my

district and across this country that are ready and waiting for the home star initiative. employers who are ready to ramp up production, ready to put people back to work, and the positive ripple effect will be felt throughout the retail and distribution sectors. home star will also help millions of families lower energy bills. improving energy efficiency is one of the most easy, cost-effective ways for homeowners to reduce energy waste. and home star will improve our environment, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and enhance our national security. energy efficiency improvements will create jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. household energy accounts for more than 1/5 of u.s. carbon emissions, and as we moved with the bipartisan -- let me stress bipartisan and successful cash for clunkers program, it doesn't have to be jobs or the environment.

it can be jobs and the environment. home star enjoys broad national support from business leaders, environmental and energy efficiency groups, labor unions, manufacturers, retailers and construction contractors. for these reasons i urge a yes vote on the rule and the underlying bill because this is a jobs bill and we need to make jobs the highest priority. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. sessions: thank you, madam speaker. you know, jobs are the issue and so is debt and taking debt of $6.8 billion to add to this deficit that we've got to pay for should be our priority spending, five or six generations worth of money in a year an a half is not a good way to pass on a better america. madam speaker, at this time i'd like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from bowling

green, ohio, the gentleman, mr. latta. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. latta: i thank the gentleman for yielding. madam speaker, i rise to speak against the rule for h.r. 5019. i offered an amendment in full committee markup. i withdrew that amendment due to an exchange i had with the chairman, mr. waxman, where he told me we would continue to work on this amendment so we could pay for this bill before it was brought to the house floor. i do thank the chair for meeting with me. there has no paperwork secured and therefore i offered an amendment in the rules committee. therefore we are not able to have open debate on the house floor. it's frustrating that the majority leader refuses to have debate. very simply, my amendment stated that the provision of this act, including the amendments made by this act shall be suspended and shall not apply if it has an effect

on the national budget or the deficit death. eye' concerned that the majority could not give any assurance that this bill will indeed be paid for. i'm very concerned about the $6.8 billion price tag of this legislation. at a time when there is a national deficit crisis, it's not appropriate to add spending to the deficit. as a congress, we must stop this excessive spending. president obama sent a 2011 budget proposal to the record breaking cost of $3.8 trillion. . it projects record deficits. this proposal will double our nation's debt in five years and triple in 10 from levels fiscal year 2008. c.b.o. stated that under current spending levels by 2020 american taxpayers will be paying $2 billion per day in interest on the national debt. it also estimates that the debt will be $20 trillion by that year. our nation's economic future requires that this congress and the administration exercise

serious fiscal restraint. there will be devastating effects on the economy due to the recently passed health care bill. the captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- health care expenditures will increase by $311 billion. this analysis also shows that the recently passed health care bill increased cost care to 21% of the g.d.p. by 2019. following c.b.o. released figures showing that the doc fix will now cost $275.8 billion by 2020. this is a 33% increase from the initial figure of $207 billion. i'm against this rule and disappointed my amendment was not approved by the rules committee for consideration today on the floor. i yield. >> madam speaker, i would like to congratulate my friend from ohio for his very thoughtful remarks and pursuing as diligently as he did the effort to try and make in order his amendment which would have ensured that this $6.6 billion as mr. sessions has pointed out

is in fact paid for. time and time again we hear from our friends on the other side of the aisle that the sinny quo none is to ensure -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. sessions: an additional three minutes. mr. latta: i yield. mr. dreier: i thank my friend for yielding. let me just say we continually hear that the penultimate, the highest priority is to ensure everything we have before us is paid for. to his credit the chairman of the energy and commerce committee, mr. waxman, proceeded to engage as mr. latta has just said in the goal of trying to come to some kind of agreement. now, the thing that i found very troubling, and again the american people for the first time in a long period of time are focusing on process. and what took place in the rules committee last night is once again an indication of the arrogance that we continue to

see from the leadership of the rules committee and of the democratic majority here in the house. let me say that mr. waxman, again to his credit, came before the rules committee and said the following. he, referring to mr. latta, said he has submitted to you an amendment he wishes to offer. these again are mr. waxman's words. i would like to express to the rules committee that i support his right to offer that amendment. i'm sorry we weren't able to work it out to put it into the manager's amendment, but i just wanted to express that opinion to you. mr. waxman was making a request to the rules committee. i understand that a committee chairman does not in any way dictate the action of the rules committee, but clearly since the chairman of the authorizing committee indicated that he wanted to have mr. latta's amendment made in order, i find it very troubling when i asked the distinguished chairwoman of the rules committee whether or not we would see the latta

amendment, they chose not to make it in order, and i asked why not? i brought up mr. waxman's words about his interest, his desire to see us consider the latta amendment here on the house floor, and she responded to me by simply saying she wanted mr. latta -- mr. waxman simply wanted mr. latta to have the right to testify before the rules committee on behalf of this. madam speaker, every member of this house knows that every single member who chooses to come before the rules committee to make their case on an amendment has the right to do that. and so again the arrogance, the arrogance to deny a member who simply wants to take on the issue of fiscal responsibility and say we've got a $6.6 billion package before us, after we have only expended $368 million of the $4.7 billion that was included in the stimulus bill for weatherization, we are going into this entire new program and mr. latta is saying, at least if

we are going to do this, let's pay for it. very sadly, madam speaker, we have gotten to a point where the negotiations between chairman waxman and mr. latta broke down and mr. waxman at least said let's have a vote on the house floor about this on this amendment. and again the arrogance of the committee led, led the committee to conclude that in fact, it could not be considered and it's just plain wrong. i thank my friend for yielding. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? ms. matsui: madam speaker, i just want to comment. it's not just the democrats on the rules committee that say that the latta amendment is unnecessary. the congressional budget office has said so as well. allow me to read directly from the c.b.o. letter on the home star bill. enacting the bill will not affect direct spending or revenues. therefore pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. instead any actual funding for the program in the bill would have to be appropriated

separately by congress. the amendment esentencely is attempting to offset funds that are not spent. with that, mr. speaker, i would like to yield three minutes to the principal sponsor of the bill, the gentleman from vermont, a member of the committee on energy and commerce, mr. welch. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from vermont is recognized for three minutes. mr. welch: i thank the gentlelady from california, appreciate her leadership in the committee and also on the rules committee. i want to thank chairman markey and chairman waxman for their leadership. let me talk a little bit about why home star makes sense. this is a partnership. government is putting up some money, but homeowners are going to make decisions about refitting their homes and insulating it. businesses are going to make decisions about taking on those jobs. our local retail outlets are going to sell the product. in 1980 -- 90% of the product they sell is manufactured in america. it's creating jobs here.

it does the three things that need to be done, helps us with economic recovery, putting 170,000 folks to work, helps homeowners save money, and it helps us move towards energy independence. a confidence nation doesn't shrink from the challenge it face, it attacks them directly. energy independence, job creation, cleaning our air, those are all very important. this is bipartisan, too. i want to acknowledge the extraordinary work that was done by verne ehlers and co-sponsoring this legislation. i want to thank the former governor of michigan who is an outstanding advocate for this program. and i also want to thank mr. barton in the -- and the members of the energy and commerce committee who made a good bill better by their contributions. mr. barton insisted that we engage in this bill. he made positive suggestions that we included. mr. shadegg suggested. we added electric tankless hot water heerts, mr. shimkus suggested to you heat pumps.

we included it. mr. buyer included an important study to verify this works, he woo did it. mr. whitfield and mr. murphy both supported this in committee. and i want to say that i appreciate the constructive engagement by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. there's been a concern expressed and a valid concern about spending. there's wise spending and wasteful spending. if we have a family that's on a tight budget and they blow what money they have to go on a vacation they can't afford, that's wasteful. but if that family forgoes vacation and puts that money into renovating and insulating their home so they can save cash not just this year but next year and the year after, that's wise spending. this bill will be paid for. this is authorization only. the next step will require that we have a pay-for. the pledge is and the requirement on us will be would make certain that happens. so this will be paid for but this is in the category very

much of wise investment and solid investment. i urge support for home star because it is the concrete step that's simple partnership between the government with the right hand providing a incentive, a point of sale rebate that will give the up-front money to homeowners that aren't buying new homes but save money by refitting and insulating the homes they have. it puts the local contractors to work, the local hardware stores make the sales. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. sessions: thank you, madam speaker. happy birthday to the gentleman. i know it was the other day, but happy birthday. 40 again. madam speaker, i'd like to yield 2 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from texas, the ranking member on the energy and commerce, mr. barton. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 2 1/2 minutes. mr. barton: i thank my friend from dallas.

i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. barton: i thank the gentlelady from houston. it embarrasses me when my colleague from vermont says nice things about me since i'm opposing this bill. i will say before i list some of my concerns that there was a lot of input asked for and received by republicans both in the committee and outside of the committee. this is not a terribly bad bill, but it has one fatal flaw. it is not paid for. it in my opinion authorizes, and if the authorization is actually appropriated, spends more money than we need to be spending in an era of $1.5 trillion per year budget deficit the -- defendants. mr. latta of ohio offered an amendment that simply said -- this bill must not increase the deficit.

there was some discussion, mr. latta was asked to withdraw, the chairman, mr. waxman said he would work with mr. latta, there were kind of conversations at the staff level until yesterday after the mark up of another bill which at that time chairman waxman did sit down with congressman latta and myself. there were fairly serious discussions yesterday afternoon. those discussions were not satisfactory to either side. the end result was that mr. latta went to the rules committee and offered his original amendment that he had withdrawn in committee and in its infinite wisdom the rules committee chose not to make the most important amendment, in my opinion, requested in order. they made an amendment in order by myself which is a -- an ok amendment. i thank congresswoman matsui and the other democrats on the rules committee for accepting that

amendment, but the crux of it in an era with $1.5 trillion annual deficits, any new program, no matter how good, we should pay for it. if it's an authorization bill, we should put in the authorization bill that it should be paid for. that it will be paid for. now, the argument against the latta amendment was that this is an authorization bill, doesn't cost anything, you don't need a pay-for. why not set the precedent, let's make it a point in this congress if we really are concerned about the deficit, let's say if we start a new program, we'll pay for it and tell the appropriations committee and budget committee we want this paid for. now, the republicans want to pay for it by reducing wasteful spending. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. barton: i thank the gentlelady and ask for a no vote on the rule. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? ms. matsui: madam speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from maine, a member of the rules committee, ms. pingree. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady is recognized for three minutes. ms. pingree: thank you very much, madam speaker. thank you to my colleague, representative matsui, for yielding the time. and my colleague, peter welch, for doing a great job on this bill. i want to talk a little bit about how this affects my home state of maine. madam speaker, with long cold winters some of the oldest housing stock in the country and the highest reliance on oil heat in the country, paying heating bills can be a real struggle for many families in my state of maine. recently i heard from a family with three kids who live in a 100-year-old home. from the street their house looks like every other house in the neighborhood. it not only looks like every other house in the neighborhood, it pretty much is just like every other house in the neighborhood. old, leaky, and hard to heat. by mid december of last year, they had already gone through two tanks of oil to heat their 1,200 square-foot home and they were wearing wool hats on the inside. facing high heating costs and a new mortgage, they are forced to make tough decision abouts improvement. but energy efficiency improvements can make a world of difference.

another maine family told me by removing inefficient fiberglass insulation and replacing it, they turned a drafty $200-year-old house into a snug and comfortable home. and winterizing homes isn't just good for the homeowners it's good for the economy. for example a company called warmtech in maine is a strong supporter of this bill. the creation of the program they expect to increase their staff by at least 30% and purchase additional equipment. thankfully my state has taken the lead on helping families save money by making their homes energy efficient. maine has undertaken an aggressive campaign to weatherize every home in the state and half of all businesses by 2030. and with the help of the recovery funding which i was proud to support, my state has create add program to provide rebates of up to $3,000 for energy efficiency improvements and is in the process of setting up a revolving loan fund that will make it easier to finance those improvements and pay them off more quickly.

improving our nation's energy efficiency benefits our economy, national security, and environment. but much remains to be done. in this bill the home start energy retrofit act of 2010 is one more tep in the right direction. by creating rebates and incentives that will make it more affordable to weatherize your home, this proposal will help families start saving money on their heating bills right away and at the same time will create good paying jobs that can't be exported. when people are able to invest in making their homes more energy efficient, that creates good business for contractors, energy audits or and building supply stores. it sthrace the economy, and reduces our dependence on oil this. bill will allow three million families to save over $9 billion on their energy bills over the next decade. and create 168,000 of those good-paying jobs right here at home. . madam speaker, sometimes i think the word investment gets a little overused around here,

but the home star program is in the truest sense of the word an investment and it is an investment that will begin paying dividends immediately by creating jobs, saving working families money and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. i urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. sessions: thank you, madam speaker. at this time i'd like to yield 2 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from auburn, washington, the gentleman, mr. reichert. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 2 1/2 minutes. mr. reichert: thank you for yielding. i guess i'm glad that there's some bipartisanship here. i think that the american people really want us to work together. i mean, that's the bottom line here. we all want to create jobs, we all want to be more energy efficient, and especially in this economy, i think people want to lower their energy

costs so they have more money in their pockets. i think our focus, therefore, is in the right place, but there's a more effective way to achieve this rather than a rebate check that's before us today. and that's why the house, i think, should instead take up a bipartisan package of tax incentives that i authored. again, this is a bipartisan effort by ron kind, geoff davis, earl blumenauer, chris lee and tom pierriello. it expands the building efficiency expansion act. it puts incentives directly in the hands of the consumers through the tax code. it gives the people more choices to meet their needs. it's easier to administer. tax incentives avoids the

complicated middle man structure used to give rebate checks. when i was sheriff we would apply for grants, and i know that some of the grants were from the federal government and as they passed through the state government they would cost 20% in administrative fees that would result in lower money in the hands of the police chiefs across the cup. i know thed a minute straightive costs in this bill -- administrative costs in this bill includes commercial property as well as home retrofits. 40% is in buildings like office towers, shopping malls. if we're committed to saving money, let's tackle the problem head-on, not just a piece of the problem. madam speaker, i'm quite

disappointed that the rules committee didn't make in order our amendment to consider this bipartisan tax bill, and i ask my colleagues to provide the house with an opportunity to do so. and i yield back. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? ms. matsui: madam speaker, i just want to reiterate this again, what my colleagues on the other side of the aisle fail to recognize or refuse to admit that the home star retrofit act is an authorizing measure. it does not include any appropriated funds. moreover, there are no earmarks included in this legislation. the congressional budget office has said that enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues. therefore, pay-go procedures would not apply. this process is not anything new. and the republicans routinely approve proposals that authorized programs when they controlled this chamber and the administration. and with that, madam speaker, i

yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. bean. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. ms. bean: i thank the gentlelady for yielding. madam speaker, i rise in strong support of the manager's amendment and the home start energy retrofit act of 2010. i want to commend chairman waxman and particularly congressman peter welch for their leadership, making energy efficiency more affordable for american families in my constituents in the eighth district and across the nation. welcomed signs of economic recovery and competitiveness is directly related to the opportunities emerging as businesses become cleaner and meaner -- cleaner and leaner. the same philosophy holds true for american households. investments in better building materials and technologies can pay for themselves in the form of energy savings and then some. at the same time, home star is a jobs measure. it will provide timely and targeted employment to the skilled trades industry which is still reeling from the housing bust and economic

recession. two amendments i authored, included in the manager's amendment, will enhance the job creation potential of home star. states will be directed to engage with community colleges to implement the retrofit program. these community colleges are excellent resources for job training, certification and they collaborate with employers to meet work force needs. the role of community colleges and our clean energy economy will only continue to grow in significance. i also authored a provision with our colleague, mr. driehaus, to expand rebate eligibility to replacement storm windows and doors which will particularly help historic homes, to improve energy efficiency and maintain the historic integrity of the house , a homeowner may prefer to install new windows and doors. h.r. 5019 is a well-crafted measure that will create jobs and boost domestic

manufacturing while saving families money and reducing energy consumption. i urge my colleagues to support the manager's amendment and this important underlying bill. thank you. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. sessions: i yield to the gentleman from new york, mr. lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lee: i believe this is the wrong approach. it's another government boondoggle, costing taxpayers over $6.5 billion. even more frustrating is the fact at last year's so-called stimulus, we haven't used up the billions of dollars that were allocated for the energy efficiency programs. so, again, let's just keep spending money that we do not have in this country. americans can agree on one issue. that is that we're facing an energy crisis that demands our

attention and that part of the solution means improving the efficiency of our energy intake. today, we have an important choice in how we get this done. energy efficiency improvements are best achieved through the use of voluntary market-based programs through tax incentives which are provided directly to the consumer. i've had the pleasure to work with representatives from both sides of the aisle on introducing h.r. 4226, a comprehensive, bipartisan package of energy efficiency incentives that will reduce our energy costs, save energy and create long-term energy jobs. for this reason, my colleagues and i offered an amendment in the nature of a substitute to provide a choice in how we move forward. while the underlying bill and this substitute amendment both seek to make it easier to retrofit an existing home to achieve energy savings, only one of these bills will allow families and businesses to plan for future retrofit expenses and to make more effective home

improvements. the alternative legislation my colleagues and i supported is more effective in creating jobs and saving energy costs. it includes a redefined five-year extension of proven successful tax incentives, not another government handout. our alternative will make sure that affordable -- make this affordable for homeowners to retrofit all -- anything on their existing home. furthermore, h.r. 4226 includes commercial retrofits, something the underlying bill does not provide. commercial buildings are in much need, if not greater need, that many residential buildings. h.r. 4226 would allow small businesses to save more and would allow them to invest in themselves and create jobs, something that cannot be said about the bill before us today. h.r. 4226 is an important step towards energy conservation, and it does so in a responsible and meaningful way.

contrast that with the underlying bill before us today, which amounts to a rushed cash handout to the tune of $6.6 billion that just forces burdensome mandates on taxpayers already struggling to make ends meet. unfortunately, today's rule does not allow my colleagues the opportunity to vote on this approach. i encourage all of you to reject this rule and the underlying bill and to support h.r. 4226, which will increase energy efficiency in both domestic and commercial structures in a much more effective, fiscally responsible market-based approach. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlelady from california. ms. matsui: madam speaker, i just want to say that before i yield to my next speaker that this bill has been strongly endorsed by a broad range of business, labor, environmental and consumer groups. in fact, the u.s. chamber of commerce, the national association of manufacturers, and the national association of home builders have formally

endorsed this bill. the national lumber and building material dealers association on behalf of the 6,000 membered customers nationwide also endorsed this bill. this bill is a perfect example of industry, consumer, labor and environmental groups all working together to move our nation toward a more energy efficient economy. and with that, madam speaker, i yield one minute to the gentlewoman from california, ms. lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. lee: thank you very much. i want to thank the gentlelady for yielding and for your leadership and making sure this very good bill moves to the floor. and i support the rule and i want to thank chairman waxman, representative welch, the committee staff, representative markey for all of their hard work in getting this bill to us today. it's more about -- this bill -- excuse me -- is more about home improvements. it's about reducing energy demands by expanding the use of

cost-effective energy efficient technologies of which my district in the state of california have long been a leader. this bill is about healthier homes and healthier communities, and it's critically important that we recognize that this bill is about the creation of good-paying, high-quality green jobs. i'm pleased this legislation will incentivize targeted job training and financial assistance to low-income communities and the chronically unemployed, as well as the recruitment of minority-owned and women-owned businesses. i want to thank the congressional black caucus, especially congressman rush. we will serve and empower those -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. lee: thank you very much. let me acknowledge the role of the congressional black caucus in this and thank our leadership for working with us to make sure that these provisions were included. because these provisions will ensure that we serve and that we empower and include those

hardest hit by the economic recession that no one is left behind in this bill and really look at how to achieve and rectify historical environmental injustices. i strongly ask my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying legislation. i yield back the balance of my time and thank you for your leadership, representative matsui. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. sessions: i'd like to inquire, if i can, of the time remaining on both sides. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas has 4 1/4. and the gentlelady from california has 9 1/2 minutes remaining. mr. sessions: i thank the speaker. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california. ms. matsui: i yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from new york, mrs. mccarthy. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. mrs. mccarthy: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank my colleague from california for allowing me to speak on this. i want to thank chairman waxman

and mr. welch for the work they've done on the committee. h.r. 5019 would make important advancements towards the goals of improving our country's energy efficiency and adding jobs to our economy. the energy efficient measures that are covered under this bill will help to bring down energy costs for our families, reduce overall energy consumption and reduce our nation's dependence on foreign energy sources. another important fact of this bill, however, is the quality of life for our constituents. when quality of life -- one quality of life issue that this bill will address is noise. it can reduce noise levels. the amendment i have submitted would require the secretary of energy to study what effect the energy efficient measures installed in this bill have on noise reduction. my district is located in long

island, new york, a densely populated area adjacent to j.f.k. airport and several train lines. due to the proximity of j.f.k., many communities in my district are severely affected by noise from the airplanes and landings and taking off at j.f.k. airplane noise can be heard at all hours of the day and the night. we also have a lot of noise coming from the trains that run through my district. also, at all times. in this densely populated area of the country, railroad tracks are very close to homes, schools and businesses. this issue affect thousands of my constituents on a daily basis. noise significantly affects our quality of life. . airplane noise can have effects on otherwise healthy individuals. the exposure to loud noise levels not only affects the hearing of adults and children but also linked to increase in blood pressure. the noise prevents individuals

from getting a full sleep. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. ms. matsui: i yield an additional minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. mccarthy: the noise prevents people from getting a good night's sleep which also affects their health. airplane noise has also been found to have an effect on children's education. children who are exposed to prolonged periods of airplane noise learn to read at a slower pace than those exposed to the noise. it affects individuals with certain health conditions and we need to be very sensitive to the needs of them in future policies we do pursue. i am drafting legislation that would provide tax considered as read to the people to soundproof their homes and schools due to plane nies. many of the uses, doors and windows, are the same types of investments this bill provides for. therefore the study included in this bill will help inform us of the best ways to move ahead with

noise abatement activities and where we can double our value by achieving energy efficiency and decreased energy cost for consumers. by taking action on this bill anti-legislation, i am drafting we will do a lot to improve the quality of life for our constituents. once again i thank the committee and i encourage everyone to vote for the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve. the gentlelady from california. ms. matsui: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york, mr. israel. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. israel: i thank my friend. madam speaker, 30 years ago president carter declared the moral equivalent of the war on foreign oil. we have done two things in those 30 years. we slashed federal investments in research and development for energy efficiency renewables by 85%. and we have doubled our imports of oil. in the past two years we have corrected our top-down

investments. we are addressing more in energy efficiency, but we have missed the most critical three words in the date, return on investment. we need to find ways to make it easier for people to purchase energy efficient windows, retrofit their homes. that's what this bill does. it gives consumers rebates of up to $3,000. it lowers utility bills and creates jobs. it creates jobs by allowing people to go to their stores to buy those indos, to buy that equipment. that means somebody's going to need to manufacture that equipment, install that equipment. this is a way of creating jobs. it is a way of enhancing our energy security. it is a way of reducing our dependence on foreign oil. this is a critically important bill from a national security perspective and economic security perspective. i support it wholeheartedly and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you very

much, madam speaker. it's my understanding the gentlewoman is through with her speakers and would choose to close so i'm going to go ahead and consume my time. ms. matsui: you're right. absolutely. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for such time he might consume. mr. sessions: thank you very much. madam speaker, the facts of the case are on the table today. the federal government is going to run this program. it will determine the winners and losers. it will decide which of the technologies will be reimbursed. it will decide how this program's going to work. we in essence take the consumer out of the equation. the taxpayer of this country as the bill's written will have $6.6 billion worth of new deficit. and debt that will be on the future of this country, our children and grandchildren. we'll continue to have less ability to effectively have jobs in this country as a result of the continuing debt. we have heard this story before. we heard about how great the

stimulus was. well, the stimulus, which was called the jobs bill, was about anything but jobs. it was about big government and diminishing the size of the free enterprise system. the health care bill. it's all about jobs. we found out just days after that was passed, whoops, you better add another $600 billion to what the real costs will be because it was not included despite the debate and all the time on the floor. health care bill was about as much about health care as the stimulus was about jobs. here we are adding another promise from the democrat majority, huh, it's about jobs? but what this party fails to talk about is, ok, 150,000 jobs for $6.5 billion worth of spending, new debt not paid for, not at quitly -- not adequately enumerating the things that will really happen in the marketplace.

we already talked about the promise that is were made during the stimulus. of that only 5% has materialized out of the department of energy. the reason why is because people don't have money. people do not have money because they do not have jobs. we do not have jobs in this country because of the democratic majority who has made a decision that their political agenda to diminish the size of the free enterprise system is just fine for them. the three largest political agenda items of this democratic party, the speaker and president, net lose 10 million american jobs. that's why people do not end up having jobs and why people will not be able to buy into this plan, either. because people are unemployed. they are hurting, they are concerned about how they are going to take care of themself, and quite honestly, madam speaker, this country is afraid. they are afraid of the massive debt we are going to pile on another $6.5 billion today.

we talked about how and when the democrats took control of this congress. they promised little job loss, lower deficits, and we have only seen the opposite. additionally, little to no progress is made -- been made by the american people in providing real solutions to the high unemployment rate. 150,000 jobs won't cut it. we are getting ready to lose 300,000 more teachers' jobs because communities can't afford to have the teachers. they can't pay for them. and we are here today to vote on another $6.6 billion of spending spree for the federal government to manage and pick the winners and losers in the energy saving sector. bad policy. where are the jobs? where is the ability of people to make decisions? no, we are going to let the federal government decide this. madam speaker, congress, the democratic party believes we could just spend our way out of this economic crisis.

we need reforms, we need to work together. we need america to be employer nation again. the old days with republicans. all that debt they caused. not a drop in the bucket compared to what this four years of democrat control has done. i once again stand up for my party and say, no, we are not going to participate in this. we k-n-o-w exactly what this democrat majority is all about. one-party rule is bad for this country. not accepting amendments from the other party is not good. i encourage a no vote on the rule and the underlying legislation. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized. ms. matsui: madam speaker, it is important that we not realize history -- rewrite history today. the previous administration had the worst fiscal record in american history. when president bush was inaugurated in 2001, he inherited from president clinton a budget surplus projected to be

$5.6 trillion over the next 10 years. but over his two terms through fiscally reckless policies, president bush squandered that sur police and gave the country eight years of deficits instead. we have had to take evasive action to stave off a long-term economic disaster and no one on my side of the aisle will apologize for boldly confronting one of the worst fiscal and economic crises in our country's history. -- -- history. madam speaker, creating jobs is our top priority. to put more americans back to work even truly turn our economy around. there is no doubt that the home star program will boost our domestic energy efficiency industry and further move our nation toward a clean energy economy. by increasing energy efficiency, we will not only incentivize the emerging clean technology industry, but also reduce carbon pollution and cut costs for

customers, consumers. the legislation before us will create nearly 170,000 new jobs in this country. this bill will create three separate energy efficiency rebate programs to encourage home energy efficiency, cut down on the use of fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increase energy security and independence. as a result, the bill will have a meaningful, long-term impact on energy savings. together with the ongoing investment by the recovery act, the home star program will substantially invest in our clean energy economy and spur job creation and economic growth in this country. this congress must continue to invest wisely and proposals that will train our workers, create new good-paying jobs, grow our economy, and rebuild the middle class. this legislation does just that.

this bill has been strongly endorsed by a broad range of business, labor, environmental, and consumer groups. in fact, the u.s. chamber of commerce, the national association of manufacturers, the national association of home builders have formally endorsed this bill. it is a perfect example of industry, consumers, labor, and environmental groups all working together to move our nation towards a more energy efficient economy. madam speaker, this is an important bill that will create jobs and move our nation towards a clean energy economy. with that in mind, i urge a yes vote on the previous question and on the rule. i yield back the balance of my time, and i move the previous question on the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: all time having expired and yielded back, 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. mr. sessions: madam speaker.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has asked for a recorded vote. the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. pursuant to clause 8 and clause 9 of rule 20, this 15-minute vote on adoption of house resolution 1329 will be followed by five-minute votes on the motion to suspend the rules on house resolution 1295 and the motion to suspend the rules on h.r. 1722. 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 prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] @ ttpphvh

the speaker pro tempore: house resolution 1295. resolution celebrating the role of mothers in the united states and supporting the goals and ideals of mother's day. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution. 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.] j

2/3 being the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 417, the nays are zero. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1722 as amended, on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 17 22, a bill -- 1722, a bill to require the head of each executive agency to establish and implement a policy under which employees shall be throrsed -- authorized to telework and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. bill as ct$)h hi'v'o'i't$o'o'$su

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 268, the nays are 147. 2/3 not being in the affirmative, the rules are not suspended and the bill is not passed.

the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, madam, i hereby resign my appointment to the house armed services committee so i might accept the appointment to the house committee on appropriations. it's been my distinct honor to serve on the house armed services committee for the past three years and i feel privileged to have served under the honorable chairman, ike skeleton. however i must -- skelton. however i must resign my committee membership immediately to begin work on the appropriations committee.

signed, sincerely, patrick j. murphy, congress. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resignation is accepted. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? >> madam chair, ski unanimous consent that all members have fife legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> i ask unanimous consent to insert letters regarding the spill between the government and oversight reform and the committee on energy and commerce. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> i thank the chair and i now recognize the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from california -- the speaker pro tempore: the the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 329 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 5019. the chair appoints the gentlewoman from maryland, ms. edwards to preside over the committee of the whole. the chair: the committee will be in order.

the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 5019, which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bill to provide for the establishment of the home star retrofit rebate program and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the first time. the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. markey, and the gentleman from texas, mr. barton, each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. markey: thank you, madam chair. . i yield three mince to mr. waxman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. waxman: madam chair, i rise in strong support of h.r. 5019, the home star energy retrofit act of 2010. this legislation more than anything is about jobs. when enacted and funded, home

star will create 168,000 new jobs here in the united states. these are jobs that won't be outsourced overseas. they are construction jobs in our neighborhoods and our communities. and they are manufacturing jobs for workers in factories in america. nearly one in four workers in the home construction and services industry has been laid off. passing home star says, help is on the way. home star would accomplish this by establishing a rebate program for the installation of energy efficient home upgrades. these rebates would encourage homeowners to hire contractors who install new efficient heating and air conditioning to insulate their homes and to replace drafty windows and doors. it's an approach that can benefit every contractor in this country from small independent businesses to contractors associated with large home improvement store chains.

this legislation also saves consumers money and it cuts pollution. when it is fully funded home star will allow three million families to retrofit their homes to be more energy efficient. homes in america account for over 20% of the nation's carbon pollution. existing technologies and practices can cut home energy use by up to 40%. that would slash carbon pollution by millions of tons. this is a bipartisan bill. it was introduced by representatives welch and ehlers. the legislation was reported favorably from the energy and commerce committee last month in a bipartisan vote of 30-17. representative welch and subcommittee chairman markey deserve special recognition for their hard work in pushing this legislation to become a reality. the bill also has support from a

remarkably broad coalition that ranges from local contractors to environmentalists to organizations like the national association of manufacturers and the chamber of commerce. these groups all support home star because it's a commonsense program that's good for the country. one question that was raised when the rule was being debated is whether this will affect our deficit. this is a complete red herring. the legislation we are considering today is an authorization. it does not spend a dollar of taxpayers' funds. that's why the nonpartisan c.b.o. said enacting this bill would not affect direct spending of revenues. once we pass this legislation we'll need to pass another bill that provides the funds to carry it out. we'll do that in a fiscally responsible way. i urge members to vote for jobs, for consumers, and the

environment. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. barton: i thank the gentlelady. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: without objection. mr. barton: i thank the gentlelady. madam speaker, the bill before us today is not a bad piece of legislation. mr. ehlers, for example, in michigan is one of the republican co-sponsors of it. mr. welch of vermont sought assistance across the aisle. mr. markey, mr. waxman, the full committee and subcommittee chairmen have taken a number of amendments in subcommittee and full committee and i think generally worked in good faith. having said that, here we go again. it's thursday, this is the only bill this week that we are going to have a rule on. this is an authorization bill, as chairman waxman just said. but it authorizes $6.6 billion to be spent over a two-year period and makes no attempt to

find a way to pay for it. so it's another new program with all the right feel good intentions but it's all hat and no cattle as we would say down in texas. in committee chairman waxman to his credit did say that the bill should be paid for. he did encourage congressman latta of ohio, who offered a pay-for amendment, that the bill would be paid for if he would withdraw it we would work with him. and yesterday we did have some discussions with the chairman on how to pay for it. those discussions did not provide satisfactory conclusion to either side. mr. latta went to the rules committee and asked his amendment be made in order. eight amendments were made in order, but his amendment was not, madam speaker. chairman waxman is correct when he says this is an authorization bill. so you don't have to have a pay for.

that is true in a technical sense. but i think it's time for this congress and certainly our committee, the energy and commerce committee, to show the american people if we want to create new programs we don't want to increase the deficit, borrow money to pay for them, we should be able to find a pay-for. just as it's true it's not technically necessary because this is an authorization bill, it's also true that we could set a precedent and set a practice at least in our committee, the energy and commerce committee, saying if we are going to create new programs we are going to show where the money should come from. there's not a real need for this program at this point in time in the so-called stimulus package earlier in this congress, the last congress, we authorized and i think even appropriated $5 billion in weatherization funds in grants for the department of energy. that program operates a little differently than the program in this bill would operate if enacted into law, but we can't

tell the department of energy, madam speaker, has spent any of that money that's already been authorized and appropriated. that's $5 billion. why haven't another $6.6 billion program when you haven't successfully implemented the current $5 billion program? again, that weatherization program is somewhat different in the way it's structured than the pending bill. but the goals of it are very, very similar to this bill. the definition, insanity, madam speaker, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. that appears to be what we are doing here today with the energy home star retrofit act. it's another chapter in saying one thing, trying to put something out that looks good, feels good, but doesn't really have the substance to back it up. so i have great respect for the authors of the legislation,

great respect for the leadership of my committee on the majority side, but i don't believe we should authorize the $6 billion program without a pay for or indication how we intend to pay for it. i think that's too much and i think it's bad public policy with a deficit of $1.5 trillion. we will support some of the amendments, madam speaker. there are eight amendments. as the ranking member of the full committee i believe i'm going to recommend a yes vote on six of the eight, maybe seven. but on final passage i will recommend a no vote. with that i would request unanimous consent that mr. upton of michigan control the balance of the time on the minority side. the chair: without objection. the gentleman will be recognized. mr. barton: thank you. the chair: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. markey: i thank the chair lady. i yield myself one minute at this time. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

mr. markey: thank you, madam chair. this is really a tremendous piece of legislation. it's a win-win-win. it will ultimately wind up with $9.2 billion worth of energy savings for american consumers. because of the installation of these work smarter not harder technologies that we will be helping consumers to purchase. it will create 168,000 new jobs, especially in the construction sector, which has upwards of 25% of unemployment. and it will increase our energy independence by backing up that boil that we import into our country, moving us closer into this energy independence which should be the goal of our country.

using new energy technology that make it possible for every consumer to participate in this revolution. this is an excellent piece of legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman is recognized. mr. up ton: i yield to the gentleman from florida, a member of the committee, three minutes. the chair: the gentleman from florida is recognized for three minutes. mr. stearns: i thank the distinguished chairman, mr. upton from michigan. here we go again, my colleagues. we are going to spend a lot of money and here we have a huge $1.5 trillion deficit. i'm a member of the renewable energy and efficiency caucus. i strongly support obviously providing property owners with the education, incentives for them, and resources to voluntarily improve their homes and save energy. but i have a number of significant concerns with this legislation, including the total cost. also questions about the u.s. department of energy, their

ability to effectively implement this program and the fact that the federal government will be the one picking technology winners and losers and not the free market is also a concern of mine. my colleagues, at a time when we have an increasing national deficit, it's simply irresponsible to add an additional almost $7 billion in spending. billion. this spend something in addition to the more than $10 billion already spent by the american taxpayers to implement a weather zagse program. -- weatherization program. there are also significant concerns regarding the department of energy's abled to implement this program -- ability to implement this program, especially under the tight deadlines required in this legislation. in fact, my colleagues, the department of energy inspector general recently issued a report concluding that, as of february, 2010, of the roughly $4.7 billion d.o.e., department of energy, has awarded in grants to

states under the recovery act, weatherization program, only $368 million, less than 10%, have been used by states for this purpose and only 30,000 homes have actually been weatherized. this legislation also comes on the heels of the energy star fraud that was exposed earlier this month, countless stories and mainstream newspapers reported the lack standards by which the environmental protection agency approves, "energy efficient devices" allowing 15 phony products to pass inspection. among those products approved were a gasoline powered alarm glock. -- alarm clock. and air purifier which is nothing more than an upright fan with a feather duster taped to the top. those are the things the department of energy approved. you are going to give them almost $7 billion to go and

institute this bill? h.r. 1519 is simply another multibillion dollar government scheme that picks winners and losers through cash handouts. mostly in this case unionized labor. at a time when the federal government is already running a $1.5 trillion annual deficit. so, my colleagues, look at this carefully. we don't need to spend more money to do this. there's a lot of fraud that exists at the department of energy. they are lax. i urge a no vote. the chair: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. markey: i yield one minute to the gentleman from illinois, mr. rush. the chair: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. mr. rush: thank you, madam speaker. i also want to thank chairman waxman and chairman markey and their very capable staffs for working with my office to ensure that we include tangible benefits in the home star

program for all constituents, including those in the lower-income communities such as the one i represent on the south side of chicago. i also must thank my friend and colleague, barbara lee, and her great staff, as well as the home star coalition who collaborated with my office and the energy and commerce committee to strengthen this outstanding, remarkable home star program legislation. madam speaker, i am pleased to point to several provisions within the bill that would directly benefit my constituents , including the quality assurance framework which targets training and employment opportunities for low-income families and workers. and outreach and financial assistance for our most vulnerable in the community. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back the balance of my

time. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. upton: madam speaker, i would yield five minutes to the distinguished gentleman from the great state of michigan, mr. ehlers. the chair: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for five minutes. mr. ehlers: i thank the gentleman for yielding me a generous amount of time. and i rise to speak since i am the principal republican, in fact perhaps the only republican, co-sponsor of the bill, but it's a very worthy bill and i believe we should present that side of it as well. . i share the concerns about the cost and where the money will come from to pay for it, but i think the value of the bill is so much greater than many of the other bill we was passed, i'm certain we can find the funds for it if we need to. let me comment as a physicist

which is what i am, and say something about energy. energy is the most basic resource we have. there is very little we can do without energy. if you look back through history, you find that the great changes in the history of our planet and the people living here arose with new developments in energy. for example, agriculture never really succeeded until they discovered they could hitch the plow to an oxen or horse or something and use animal energy to supplement human energy. later on, the investor -- industrial revolution took place. why did that take place? people in developed countries discovered they could use energy in other forms to perform the work people had been doing. i'm talking about hydropower, getting energy from water running over mill wheels and so forth. but also other types of energy were developed about that time,

burning coal to ex-pract energy from it. or generating -- to extract energy from it. or generating elick triss to -- electricity for the power needed in the mills and factories at that time. we are now in an era of multiple uses and multiple sources of energy but with the energy we are using is in the -- but the energy we are using is not that abundant. we are se de-pleating splifes fossil fuel, particularly oil and coal, also natural gas, even though we found some new sources recently, it still -- you look at the numbers and can calculate very precisely when we're going to run out. the cheapest way to find new sources of energy is by conserving the energy we use now. i'm just going to say that again because it's so important. if we simply use our energy efficiently, we conserve energy

when we can, we can solve most of our energy shortage problems for the next 30 to 40 years. that's why i think this bill is very important because it stimulates the use of our ingenuity to reduce the amount of energy we need to use. and i -- i've had personal experience with this. some years ago, i got tired of paying the exorbitant gas bills to keep our home warm, i did the things that this bill advocates, in other words, proper insulation, doing exactly what you can to prevent loss of energy, etc. and it worked. since then, my gas bill for heating my house is down about 1/3 of what it was before. that's a lot of money we're talking about. every american would love to save that amount on their utility bill every year.

that's what this bill will provide. it also helps educate or train the people who will be administering the energy savings -- energy-saving technology in individuals' homes or in factories, plants, and so forth. and this does work. the e.p.a. did that some years ago, the green lights program. the e.p.a. went around to all the businesses, business buildings in this country whether it was factories or stores or whatever, did an analysis of the energy that was used to provide lighting for the buildings and they discovered that they could save a tremendous amount of money. they also calculated what the payback time would be if the owner of the factory or store implemented their recommendations. the average payback time was on the order of two to three years. you show a businessman how he can save money and in the process get a payback time for his investment of only a few

years, they're going to do it. that program was exceedingly successful. i always felt the department of energy should have done it. they should have thought of it first. but e.p.a. did and it worked. that's exactly the type of model we're dealing with here. soy urge the passage of the bill. i hope it is successful. i hope we can resolve the issue where the money is going to come from. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has ex-peered. -- expired. mr. ehlers: with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expire. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. markey: thank you, madam chair. we just heard from the republican sponsor of the bill. now we hear from the principal democratic sponsor, the gentleman from vermont who has been giving us leadership on this issue for the past three years. i yield him three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes.

mr. welch: madam speaker a great nation does not shrink from its challenges but faces them directly. we face serious challenges to create jobs in a tough economy, move away from the dirty fuels of the 19th century into the cleaner fuels of the 21st, and using less fuel rather than more is is a solid step that's going to help us accomplish that. we need to create manufacturing jobs in this country. we're losing them by the day. home star does all three. it's going to put contractors back to work. there's a 25% unemployment rate. it's going to allow us to use less fuel rather than more. vermontors are cheap they like that. -- vermonters are cheap, they like that and it's going to be 90% reproduced, all the things used in home star, 90% are

manufactured in the -- manufactured in the united states of america. it will help with a point of sale rebate and our retailers, our home builders, and our manufacturers. so we're going to be putting america back to work and addressing the challenges of creating jobs in clean energy. if we're going to be successful in this challenge and others, we should be doing them on a bipartisan basis. this is a way of showing how it can be done. with the leadership of mr. ehlers, we have bipartisan support. but we have others, mr. barton in the committee made very constructive suggestions on how to improve this bill and they were incorporated in it, a specific number, about how much we're going to spend, not open-ended. a sunset so we can kick the tires after a few years and see how the program is working. former michigan governor, republican, john engler, strong endorser. former secretary of energy in the bush administration,

spencer abraham, fully endorsing this. why? it's practical, common sense, it's a partnership between the public and private sector. there's been a concern raised about spending, and rightly so. this bill must be paid for. all of us who support this legislation acknowledge that and we will have to vote on how exactly we're going to have this paid for and we will. but let's keep in mind that there is a difference between a wise investment and wasteful spending. when off bill that's going to put our 25% unemployment rate folks back to work and it's going to allow homeowners to save money, not just this year but next year and the year after and the year after that, that's a wise expenditure of money, where we have homeowners putting some of their money down and having taxpayer help to get the job done. home star is that solid investment that's going to achieve the hat trick of energy savings for the homeowner, of moving toward a cleaner

environment, and of creating jobs here at home. i yield back. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. upton: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. mcclintock: i rise in opposition to this measure which they call cash for caulkers because it's based on the cash for clunkers program. maybe someone needs to ask, how did that last one work out? economists at edmunds.com did that they discovered of the cars sold -- 696,000 cars sold under cash for clunkers, 597,000 would have happened anyway. that means taxpayers ended up paying $595,000 for each car

that would have been purchased anyway. it only enticed people to move up car buying by a few months which meant the next few months were lower. we have a car bubble. now we're going to create a $6.6 billion home improvement bubble. we can replace our honk if you're making my car payments bumper stickers with, honk if you're pay for my home remodeling. what is this going to plirn? a lot of fraud. the home energy star program approved 15 big probblingts submitted to them, including gasoline-powered alarm clocks. it's going to pay for a lot of remodeling that would have been done anyway. and third it's going to be

paying for remodeling that makes no economic sense except for the rebate. after all, when remodeling actually saves money, people do it on their own. congressman ehlers just pointed that out. if it doesn't save money, why should taxpayers be forced to pay for it in the first place? benjamin franklin observed that experience keeps a dear school but fools will learn in no other. mr. upton: i yield 30 seconds to the gentleman. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. mcclintock: benjamin franklin pointed out that experience keep ats dear school but fools will learn from no other. but as a corollary, some people don't even learn from experience we call them congressmen. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. markey: i yield one minute to mr. stupak. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman -- the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. stupak: i raised concerns that home star funding may have the same problems we've seen with the aara. since committee markup, i worked with chairman waxman and chairman rahall to ensure that no review is required for home star rebates. i have a letter from the advisory council on historic preservation that this would not trigger review under the national historic preservation act. i ask unanimous consent that this be submitted to the record. the speaker pro tempore: the -- the chair: the gentleman's request is covered by general leave. mr. stupak: we do not want delays in improvements that will benefit consumers and

contractors. i also want to thank chairman waxman for working with me to include energy efficient wood products in the manager's amendment. this strengthens the underlying bill and will help one of the hardest-hit sectors of our economy. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. upton: i yield four minutes to the gentleman from ohio. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. mr. latta: i rise today to speak against h.r. 5019. as -- 1519. i have serious concerns about how we're paying for this legislation. in exchange for withdrawing my neutrality amendment at the full committee markup, chairman waxman said he'd work with me in trying to find a way to pay for the piece of legislation. i thank the chairman for meeting with me on this matter. unfortunately, we were unable to find a pay-for in our negotiation.

though this is an authorization legislation and not an appropriation, i feel that if this program is important enough to authorize, it should be important enough for us to find a way to pay for it. i'm unhappy that the majority couldn't assure it would be paid for. we are not able to have an open debate on this issue on the house floor. as frustrating as the majority shutting down the opportunity to have debate, and the addition it will be to the federal deficit. the majority is claiming that this bill does not need to have a pay-for since it's an authorizing bill. however, i believe the issue of the budget deficit should at least be able to be debated. while i support the incentives to help provide energy efficiency as well as programs to promote job growth, i'm very concerned about the $6.6 billion price tag of this legislation.

in addition, this is duplicative of an existing government program that's not been fully implemented. just a little bit ago, the gentleman from florida stated, but i think it's really important to reiterate, that the department of energy recently issued a report concluding that as of february, 2010, of the $4.7 billion d.o.e. has award in grants to states under the weatherization program, only $368 million, less than 10%, has been used by the state for weatherization programs, and only 237,000 homes have been weatherized of the 10 states reviving the -- receiving the most money for the weatherization under the recovery act, only two had weatherized more than 2% of the homes covered by the fleasm other eight states authorized fewer than 400 homes each. . because it was incredibly so,

there are concerns about how the $6.6 billion home star energy retrofit program. this is not the right time for a new program. ohio currently has an unemployment right of 11 -- rate of 11%. individuals in my district are asking where the jobs are. these same individuals are asking how can congress continue to spend more money for more government programs than cut spending to ensure a better future. they are very concerned about the debt and deficits this congress is amassing. that is why i offered the amendment to the legislation regarding the national deficit and why i wanted to have a debate on this amendment on the house floor in regards to the legislation. unfortunately i cannot support another government-run program that will do nothing to help the constituents of my district. i urge a no vote on the bill. i yield back. thank you. the chair: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. markey: i yield one minute to the gentleman from new york, mr. engel. the chair: the gentleman from new york is recognized for one

minute. mr. engel: i thank the gentleman from massachusetts. i second what he said about this bill being waiting for oil. i'm sorry there is so much negativity on the other side of the aisle about this bill. this bill takes care of our energy needs and at the same time creates a bold effort to create jobs and improve the economy. we cannot rest. too many americans are unemployed. and in particular middle class americans are still hurting. we must remain focused on revitalizing our economy and it still helps to do that. a smart and effective way to generate jobs is through home retrofits. we can incentivize consumers to weatherize their homes and put our idle contractors and construction workers to work. in turn many households would save substantial meny -- money by weatherizing their homes. this program is a good one. i encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation. stop with the negativity. let's move on together. i urge my colleagues to support the bill. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from michigan is

recognized. mr. upton: how much time is left on both sides? the chair: the gentleman from michigan has 11 1/2 minutes remaining. and the gentleman from massachusetts has 20. mr. upton: i would just say to the gentleman from massachusetts, i am not aware of further speakers on our side. we may have some but at this point we'll let you run the clock a little bit. we may have more but at this point -- the chair: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. markey: i thank the gentleman from michigan. let me as a result yield one minute to the gentlelady from california, mrs. capps. the chair: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for one minute. mrs. capps: thank you, my colleague. madam speaker, i rise to express my strong support for the home star energy retrofit act. as the unfolding tragedy in the gulf teaches us any lesson, it's to use less energy and get the energy we need from cleaner

sources. this bill is one of several steps taken by this congress and this administration to achieve these goals are so important to our economy, to our environment, to our national security. the fast acting home star program will create hundreds of thousands of jobs in hard hit industries like construction and manufacturing. will reduce energy use in millions of homes. and it will save homeowners billions in energy bills for years to come. it will do this by providing homeowners up front rebates for energy saving investments like new appliances, efficient windows, and insulation. madam speaker, our communities desperately need jobs and home star will help create them. it's a critical step toward building the kind of clean energy economy we need to lift up our communities, spur on sustainable growth, and end our addiction to dirty fossil fuel. i applaud the bipartisan efforts that have brought the home star to the floor of the house. i urge my colleagues to vote for its passage. the chair: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from massachusetts -- the gentleman from michigan

continues to reserve. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. markey: i yield one minute to the gentleman from washington state, mr. inslee. the chair: the gentleman from washington state is recognized for one minute. mr. inslee: madam speaker, scientists have made an amazing discovery. that is we are the saudi arabia of energy. we have the ability to power the growth of our economy by finding efficiency right in the walls and windows and doors ever our homes. -- of our homes. this bill will unlock that incredible source of energy that is clean. if americans want to know what we can do to avoid the problem we are seeing in the gulf of mexico, it's to take advantage of this bill and make our homes more efficient. some of our republicans don't want to help us on this bill, but they sure had no problem giving $1 billion of subsidies to the oil companies that are responsible for the disaster in the gulf of mexico. if they want to help us in finding a way to pay for this bill, which we are going to

find, i hope they'll co-sponsor our bill to raise the limit of liability the companies that are responsible for this to $10 billion so that they pay for this cost. they'll need to abandon their friends in the oil industry, but help the american taxpayer and we'll get the efficiency we deserve. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan continues to reserve. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. markey: i yield one minute to the gentleman from utah. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. matheson: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 5019. i want to commend congressman welch for his extremely productive efforts on pursuing this issue. this home star program will help support jobs in the construction home retrofitting sectors which have been among the hardest hit during this economic recession. in my home state of utah will help home owners make the improvements necessary which will help them save money. in my state of utah well over half of an individual's

residential energy bill goes to home heating and air conditioning. we have all felt the impact of incrossed -- increased home energy costs on our budgets. we know savings from energy efishen upgrades are among the best ways homeowners can keep their costs low. this bill is supported by over 1,200 companies and organizations nationwide including the u.s. chamber of commerce and national association of manufacturers and in my home state, the utah clean energy coalition and utah green homes.com. i encourage my colleagues to support this bill and i hope it can be signed into law soon. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan continues to reserve. the gentleman from massachusetts virginia tech. mr. markey: i yield one minute to the gentleman from north carolina, mr. butterfield. the chair: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized for one minute. mr. butterfield: thank you very much, chairman markey, for your leadership. and thank you for bringing this important job creating bill to the floor today. let me just highlight a section of the bill that i worked on to guarantee that all data processing jobs created will be american jobs.

because of this bill companies and nonprofits will be aggregating data to provide rebates for thousands of energy efficiency projects created by the act. we have ensured that the work is done right here in the u.s. the offshoring of data services which is commonplace in the corporate world not only kills american jobs but also presents a security concern. as government data could be flowing to parts unknown. the language in this bill ensures that the work remain on american soil with the american worker doing the job. i'm proud to support the home star act. i thank the chairman for his leadership. this bill will create jobs and continue to put us on the path to a more sustainable future. thank you. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. upton: i would yield at this point one minute to the minority leader of the house, mr. boehner from ohio. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. boehner: let me thank my colleague for yielding. remind my colleagues that once again we are debating the cash

for caulkers bill. where we are going to weatherize homes around america and we are going to put americans back to work once again. the only problem is is that we spent about almost $5 billion in the stimulus bill, 15 months ago, the states are awash in weatherization funds, and a lot of the money that has been spent have gone to crooked contractors , shoddy work, and there are investigations going on all over the country. but in spite of all of the evidence that this plan's not really working, we are going to authorize $6.6 billion of money that we don't have so that we can caulk homes. i think it's a good idea to caulk your home, to weatherize your home, to make our homes more energy efficient. but we have to remember something, 43 cents of every dollar the federal government

spends this year, we are going to borrow. guess who gets to pay that money back? it's going to be our kids and grandkids. so the gentleman from massachusetts is suggesting we ought to pass this bill, continue this cash for caulkers program, and then send the bill to our kids and grandkids. count me out. the chair: the gentleman from ohio yields. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. markey: i yield myself one minute. the chair: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for one minute. mr. markey: i thank the chair. the point here is that what the united states over the years has done is to not properly focus upon the things that we can do in order to avoid ever having to import oil from saudi arabia, from opec. and the smartest way to do that

is to put in place programs that have the most efficient air conditioners, the most efficient heating systems, the most efficient windows, the most efficient devices that consumers can use in order to reduce their energy bills, reduce the need for us to import energy from overseas, to improve our own american self-sufficiency, and to pass on the -- to the next generation a country that is using our technological genius. that's who we are. the united states only has 2% of the oil reserves in the world. that's our achilles heel. our strength is we are a technological giant. when we apply our technological genius we solve problems. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. upton: madam speaker, i at this time point i still have myself to finish.

do you have any remaining speakers? i'll let you continue. the chair: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. markey: i yield one minute to the gentleman from the state of california, mr. mcnerney. the chair: the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. mr. mcnerney: thank you, mr. chairman. madam speaker, i rise today as a proud co-sponsor of h.r. 5019, the home star energy retrofit act of 2010. and i want to offer one con-- the congratulations for my good friend and colleague, peter welch, who's shown a tremendous amount of leadership on this issue. basically what h.r. 5019 does is provide incentives for consumers to invest in energy efficientcy upgrades to their homes. this is going to create many, many jobs. it's going to create new businesses. it's going to save greenhouse gas emissions. it's going to help homeowners on their energy bill. i'm pleased that the amendment i

offered in the committee to h.r. 5019 was accepted. basically what that does is it allows the business community to have confidence that they will get their reimbursement within 30 days, that the d.o.e. will handle that reimbursement within 10 days. i urge my colleagues to support the home star bill and i yield the balance of my time. the chair: does the gentleman from michigan continue to reserve? the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. markey: i yield one minute to the gentleman from vermont, mr. welch. mr. welch: thank you, mr. markey. two things, one the concern about weatherization versus this program. this is different. it is a direct engagement by the homeowner. they make the decision. then they go to the existing infrastructure of retailers and contractors. so there is not layers of government. this is something that governor engeler of michigan said made this program very practical and

user friendly. i want to remind folks of the broad bases of support from unusual allies. the national association of manufacturers. a key vote. u.s. chamber of commerce, key vote. national lumber and building materials association, that's 6,000 retail businesses. national association of home builders, 175,000 members. the alliance to save energy, the home star coalition, and the retail industry leaders association. this has broad support because it's practical and addresses a real world problem by creating jobs and letting folks save money on their energy bill. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from michigan continues to reserve. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. markey: i yield myself one minute. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. markey: thank you. mr. welch has just gone down the litany of organizations from the national association of manufacturers to the chamber o