we just came back as we all know from this five-week district work period of august and we had the first meeting of the rules committee. in that meeting, we began with the chairman of the education and work force committee, mr. kline, and the ranking member of that committee, mr. miller, and the chairman of the permanent select committee on intelligence, mr. rogers, and the ranking member mr., ruppersberger, come before the rules committee and offer bipartisan proposals on both charter schools for the education committee, obviously, and the authorization bill from the intelligence committee. in fact, i quipped at one point in the rules committee that maybe we should have a five-week break between each rules committee meeting so we can in fact come together in a bipartisan way and deal with these critically important issues. .

i have toe say, mr. speaker, it is a great day especially as we prepare in just a little less than seven hours to hear from the president of the united states on an issue the democrats and republicans alike say needs to be addressed. we all know from having been in our states over the past five weeks that job creation and economic growth are the top priorities for the american people. we all represents constituents who are hurting. i have friends who lost their homes, businesses, their jobs, and we want to make sure we get our economy back on track. it's my hope that the example that we are going to have today as we begin consideration of the charter schools bill and then tomorrow as we deal with the intelligence bill, and obviously the bill we are going to be considering today because of the president's speech tonight we'll have to carry on into next week so we'll have this continued bipartisan spirit on the issue of charter schools next week, i believe, mr. speaker, we are in a position where we can use

these two as a model to address this issue of job creation and economic growth. now, there's recognition that there are a wide range of views on the issue of job creation and economic growth, but i think that we are reminded by the senate minority leader just today that the proverbial einstein directive, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again, and expecting a different outcome. i think that many of us, most all republicans, some democrats, have come to the conclusion this notion of dramatically increasing spending, which is what we went through with the stimulus bill and several other issues, is not in fact the panacea that we have. frankly, i don't believe there is an absolute silver bullet. there is not an absolute panacea, but i do believe that we need to try to put into place an effort that will reduce the

regulatory burden imposed on those who are seeking to create jobs. in this country. that's one of the proposals that we have. again i hope that we can work with the president on that issue. there's also been recognition that since the japanese reduced their top rate on job creators, we in the united states of america have the highest tax rate on job creators, the corporate tax rate, of any country in the world. and i realize that obviously we know there are corporations that through the tax structure that we have today don't pay that 35% rate, but i think that we need to make sure that we close loopholes and reduce that top rate. i'm not the only one who has spoken in support of that. former president bill clinton has spoken in support of that idea. president barack obama has spoken in support of that idea. i know as i look at my friends on the other side of the aisle at this moment i'm looking at

one who shares my view. i'm not going to name names, mr. speaker, but i'm looking at one who does share my view and another who might share my view as well on this issue. so there is a bipartisan consensus that if we can reduce that top rate on job creators, we have the potential to create jobs and also, and i know my friends on both sides of the aisle share this notion, generate an increase in the flow of revenues to the federal treasury thereby dealing with this tremendous fiscal problem that we have. and we've got our joint select committee that is going to be dealing with the issue of deficit reduction. we know that economic growth would be the single best way to generate the revenues that we need to pay down the debt and deal with the overall fiscal challenges we have and have the resources necessary for the priorities that are out there. and another issue that building on what was said by my friend

from worcester earlier, he mentioned the issue of colombia. i happen to believe that if we look at the pending trade agreements that have been unfortunately languishing for four years, we need to make sure that we bring those forward. i'm very encouraged, i'm very encouraged by the fact that the president of the united states has indicated his willingness to do that. i also want to congratulate speaker boehner and leader cantor for the letter they sent to the president saying we want to find these areas of agreement. the trade issue is one of them. i don't speak for every single republican, but i speak for most all republicans who believe very, very strongly that the notion of opening up new markets around the world for job creation and economic growth here in the united states, creating union and nonunion jobs , union and nonunion jobs, is something that would take place if we were to pass the korea, colombia, and panama agreements.

mr. speaker, there are many people who believe that somehow passing these agreements will open up a flood of foreign products coming into the united states. creating -- undermining the ability to create jobs here in the united states, when in fact the opposite will be the case. because korea, colombia and panama today have by and large, by and large free access to the u.s. consumer market. that's a good thing. it's a good thing because it allows that single mother who is trying to make ends meet going to wal-mart or kmart or target or wherever to buy products that are affordable. that's a positive thing. that's a good thing for our economy. what we need to do is we need to recognize that now we need to open up those markets so that -- well, things come in from korea and colombia, especially, and we need to do what we can to get into their markets. the 40 million consumers in

colombia and manufacturing jobs will be created here. catter pillar, john deere, whirlpool, other great manufacturing companies here in the united states will have access to those markets, and on the korea deal, mr. speaker, it will be the single largest bilateral free trade agreement in the history of the world. in the history of the world. allowing us to have the ability to sell our automobiles and other products into the korean market. and so this is an area where i believe that, again, recognizing that union and nonunion jobs will be created here in the united states, this can be an area of bipartisan agreement. i know that the president will clearly talk about the imperative of these in the address he'll be giving right behind me in the -- early this evening. so what we are dealing with today, mr. speaker, is a very positive thing. on the issue of charter schools. i laud my friend from colorado

who has done such a great job in starting charter schools and improving charter schools. i also want to comment on the statement that was made in the rules committee yesterday by the former chairman and now the ranking member of the education committee, mr. miller, who said that for many years he was a strong opponent of charter schools, and now for many years he's been a strong proponent of charter schools, recognizing that we can go through a learning process here. i quip that one of our former colleagues said that ours is one business where you can never admit to having learned anything. because obviously if you admit to having learned anything, you've flip-flopped, and the fact is we all are learning and we should be proud of the fact that we have learned. i congratulate -- i probably will hurt my friend, mr. miller, by praising him here, but i will say that the process he's gone through on this issue of charter schools is something i believe

is very, very good and positive thing. it's something that we all need to learn from, that experience that he had on the issue of charter schools to be willing to listen to our colleagues on both sides of the aisle on a wide range of issues. so that's why i think this rule, enjoying bipartisan support, we have allowed many more democratic amendments than republican amendments in the rule itself. we are going to have a free flowing debate on this issue. of course the very important intelligence authorization bill. and then tonight, tonight i hope we can have, again, these areas of agreement so that we can get our fellow americans who have been losing their homes, their businesses, and their jobs back on track. so with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back his time of the the gentlewoman from north carolina reserves. the gentleman from colorado, mr. polis, is recognized. mr. polis: i yield myself 30 seconds to respond before i further yield. thank you, mr. speaker. the gentleman from california laid down an excellent framework for the potential of the joint

select committee on deficit reduction to accomplish their mandate. namely bringing down tax rates by eliminating loopholes in a way that effectively eliminates expenditures in the tax code. whether something is a subsidy or tax credit, it is very much an expenditure. with that, mr. speaker, i yield 2 1/2 minutes to the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman texas ms. jackson lee is recognized for 2 1/2 minutes. ms. jackson lee: i want to join with my colleague, first of all, to wish the president and to work together in a bipartisan manner to put americans back to work, put them to work now and keep them working. i am both supportive of the intelligence authorization bill for a number of reasons, dealing with the issue of investing in new positions and select high priority needs, f.b.i. surveillance, increasing the personnel. i'm concerned about the cuts in personnel, the languages where

appropriate in these days as we celebrate 9/11 i'm concerned about what is appropriate. i'm also interested in moving forward on diversity. we should ensure that our intelligence community reflects a diversity of america from african-americans to arabans, latinos, muslims, people speaking different languages to be effective to protect this country. the d.n.i. will review to determine if security implications of moving intelligence systems, i think that is important. i think it is important as well to collect information about drug trafficking. and i certainly think it's important to, again, as i said, talk about the question of the work force. i am concerned about the request that i understand may be in the bill on information on guantanamo bay detainees, information that could undermine our security. i am questioning the value of making the director of the national security agency a senate conferee. but i am glad, and i thank mr.

polis for his leadership on charter schools, i'm proud to say i have been to the victory charter school in texas, in houston, the harmony charter school, the kipp carter school, and a school district, public school system that i am working with and i love public schools, i am a product of public schools, and our independent school district is finding its way to embrace and coalesce with charter schools. what is the call for that? it is the education of our children with the most important level of education ever, excellence. it is our for children to pass tests, but it is for our children to think and create and invent. i think we can work with charter schools in particular who are focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math where there are young people who are actually doing medical center level research. cured by middle schoolers and high schoolers. i hope we'll deal with the intelligence bill. i associate myself with the gentleman from massachusetts. i'm concerned about the human rights violations in colombia. the moneys that may be going

there and the killing of trade unionists. it's all right to be a neighbor but it is horrible to take intelligence funds and be part of the killing of trade unions. i yield back. i hope we can change that. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i will reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield 2 1/2 minutes to the whip, the gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for 2 1/2 minutes. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i thank the gentlelady as well. while i would prefer us to be addressing a re-authorization of no child left behind, today's legislation reflects bipartisan support for innovation and public schools and improving educational opportunities for students who still lack access to a high quality education. i know this rule that we are dealing with deals with both bills. i'm for the rule. i think it's a rule that provides for two pieces of legislation that enjoy bipartisan support.

the chesapeake public charter school, k-8 school, located in my district, has developed a year-round school model which invents the art and environmental studies throughout its curriculum. this school hopes to one day expand its successful model through its existing charter with our local school system and will be able to do so with fund interesting this bill. as we consider this bill today, it's unfortunate that after nine months in session, however, we have still not -- are not bringing a jobs bill to this floor. so today and throughout the fall democrats will offer make it in america amendments at every opportunity to highlight ways we can create jobs and strengthen our economy. today democrats are proposing to make it in -- two make it in american amendments. i would say parenthetically mr. garamendi had an excellent amendment. wasn't made in order. he's going to ask we get to it by the previous question.

congressman lujan's amendment, however, focuses on sharing best practices in instruction and professional development in the stem subjects to develop a more competitive and highly skilled work force. america needs that. and congressman davis' amendment reminds us the primary objective of this bill is to use the noinvation of charter schools to improve educational outcomes so all students can make it in america. . the jobs of the future require high quality elementary and secondary education. we need to make sure we are preparing students for the diversity of jobs that await them, the jobs that will bring home good wages, the jobs that will improve our economy in the long term. i believe charter schools can play a valuable role in that objective, which is why i urge my colleagues to support this leg.

-- this legislation. i'd be glad to yold whatever time i have left. >> i appreciate that. we've got a great charter school in california. mr. polis: 30 seconds. mr. lewis: we have a fabulous school, it's creating opportunities for jobs, i like your idea, i may very well join you in some of those amendments but at least join you in supporting this bill. mr. hoyer: reclaiming my time, when i speak about make it in america, there's not a person on this floor, the most conservative, the most liberal, and everybody in between who is not for our young people and all of our people making it in america. i'm hopeful we can forge a bipartisan coalition to promote legislation make it in america. mr. lewis: i would be the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm happy to yield the gentleman from california 30 seconds. mr. lewis: presuming that, this is a good idea if we can get the teachers' unions to join us in sponsoring of charter schools then i'd really get excited about it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from north carolina reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: thank you, mr. speaker. if we defeat the previous question, i will offer an amendment to the rule to make mr. garamendi's -- mr. mare men dee of california's amendment in order. he joins us, i would like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. garamendi. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. garamendi: mr. speaker, yesterday i proposed to the rules committee an amendment about making it in america. one more way we can build jobs

here in this country by using our own tax money. in the charter schools legislation, there's some $300 million a year authorized for the construction of charter schools, the enhancement and improvement of those schools. now where will the material come from? where will the heating and air-conditioning systems be manufactured? where will the limb burr and concrete and other materials, the high tech equipment come from? will it be american made or will it be made over in china and imported into the united states? it seems we're about to use $300 million of our tax money, that is the american taxpayers' money, bill some schools or to improve some charter schools. all well and good. but why don't we create some jobs in addition to that? why don't we put into this bill an amendment that simply says that the secretary of education in prioritizing the grants

shall give higher priority to those proposals that would use american-made equipment. american made squobs. we can and i thank my colleague from california, mr. lewis, for agreing that we ought to be making it in america this amendment was rejected for reasons unknown by the rules -- unknown to me, by the rules committee. perhaps known to them. and if mr. dreier were here or maybe i should ask ms. foxx, why would this objected to? why was it not made possible to put this amendment on the floor so we can create american jobs? i would note that we're 247 days into this session and not one bill has been put forward by the republican minority -- majority to advance jobs. here's a little chance for us to do it. with that, i reserve the plans of my time. i have two colleagues -- i

would yield my remaining time to my colleague -- i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentlewoman from north carolina is reck naysed. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd only say to the gentleman from california that republicans have passed many, many bills in this session that would help create jobs in this country. i did a little research this morning on what has happened with bills that have gone over to the senate. total of 28 bills have passed the house and the senate and been sent to the president for his signature. of those, only six were substantive bills. one of those was the 1099, one was the continuing resolution,

one was d.o.d. appropriations, a couple of bills were bills that came from here, one on lead for toys. i think the gentleman from california needs to look to the other body to see what is happening to the bills that are passing out of the house that would create hundreds of thousands of jobs for americans. the problem is not in the house. the problem is in the senate that as one headline said, one senator said, the senate is moribund and i believe that's where the problem lies. it is not with republicans in the house. with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. andrews. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two

minutes. mr. andrews: mr. speaker, thank you. the urgent priority of this country and should be of this congress is to get americans back to work. there's not a corner of this country that's not been severely afflicted by the unemployment crisis in this country. mr. garamendi proposes that we take a simple idea and put it into this bill and i think he's absolutely right. here's the idea. if we spend a significant amount of money, i think it's $300 million, for the pup of retrofitting and maybe building schools around the country, let's give a preference to schools that use american-made products and american-made goods over those that do not. i think that's a very common sense idea. so if a school is going to put in solar panels to become more energy efficient and they can either by the solar panels from a company here in the united states or one in asia, let's favor the school that buys the solar panels from the united states to create jobs here.

this is a simple and good idea. it should be on the floor so we can debate it. the dialogue i just heard was, it's the senate's fault or this one's fault. with all due respect to all our colleagues, mr. speaker, the days of whose fault it is are over. long since over. and the time is long since past for us to get to work passing common sense legislation that puts the american people back to work. mr. garamendi proposed just such a common sense piece of legislation. i urge people to vote no on the previous question so we can consider mr. gare men tee's amendment. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the gentleman from colorado has 6 1/2 minutes remaining. the gentlewoman from north carolina has 14.5 minutes remaining. the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield two minutes to the joment from illinois,

ms. schakowsky. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. ms. schakowsky: thank you. i thank the gentleman for yielding and rise also to support the effort of my colleague, mr. garamendi, to require that materials made in america be used to construct and renovate the charter schools that we're talking about in this legislation. you know, we have a serious issue in this country in case the republicans haven't noticed that we need to create as many jobs as we can. and if anybody has made a speech about job creation these days, talking about making it in america is a definite applause line. i would just like to recommend that. that making it in america is something that really has resonated with people all around this country. why would we take taxpayer

dollars, when we could spend it on products made right here, including the building materials that we need to upgrade to create more schools in the country, and buy products that are made overseas and support jobs that are outside of our country. you know, the issue in this bill of creating more schools is so important and the united states schools on average are 40 years old and in need of an estimated $500 billion in repairs and upgrades. i'm actually introducing a piece of legislation next week that would provide $100 billion to repair, renovate, modernize america's schools and would create 400,000 construction and 250,000 maintenance jobs alone. but in addition, what we should be doing is rejecting this

previous question that's up before us so that we can make a good bill even better. this is a bipartisan effort. we've heard from the other side of the aisle that these are good ideas. let's make it better. vote no and let's add the garamendi amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx spick continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: i would like to inquire if my colleague has remaining speakers? ms. foxx: we do not have any remaining speakers, i am prepared to close at any time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: very good, i'm prepared to close, and i yield myself the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. polis: thank you, mr. speaker. the intelligence authorization act is not perfect.

there are some provisions that already received a veto threat from the president. thankfully, the president and ranking member worked together to submit a manager's amendment that would do just that. it's vital that it pass. the first would make the director of the national security agency a senate-confirmed position. this would unnecessarily politicize one of our most critical intelligence needs. traditionally this position has been indirectly subject to confirmation through the senate confirmation of military officers promoted into the position. we can't afford to damage the management of the intelligence community in this manner. the second provision would modify the reporting requirements regarding guantanamo detainees. while effective oversight is an essential role of congress we must not interfere with the ability of the state department to conduct diplomatic negotiations therefore i call on my colleagues to support the manager's amendment and the amened version of the understood lying bill.

i want to thank my colleagues for their manager's amendment for the charter school bill. it would allow states that authorize charters to be their own food providers. assuring that kids have choice and choice is head more meaningful because families who can't transport their kids to school can still have good schools. this manager's amendment shows what the house can do to support a good education and good student outcome. i agree with mr. hoyer who said this is a start. while many of us would rather see a full re-authorization to e.s.c.a., this is a very good

start. one of the most important goals of this congress as well as necessary to improve the economy in the long run. unfortunately, one of the amendments left out is one that i proposed to help charter schools in obtaining grant funding by allowing priority for states that allow charter schools to be l.e.a.'s. it would have reduced pain everywork and overhead if the school district and charter schools agree, the charter schools could function as their own fiscal agent for federal purposes and compete for federal grants. what happens now and it works in most cases, nine out of 10 times, unfortunately, it's the cases where it doesn't work out that caused the difficulty. charter schools have to go through their authorizing institute or school district to apply for grants. that's another set of bureaucrats' eyes to see the proposal, it can lead to delays

and missing deadlines if they're submitted to districts and not turned around in enough time to meet the federal deadline for grant funding. it would be nice to continue to work on this with the committee and i think that many of us would like to see charter schools recognized as l.e.a.'s for purposes of federal funding. i'm proud to say that in my home state of colorado, we were able to get this fixed in the last legislative session and now charter schools are recognized as l.e.a.'s. about half the states allow them to be l.e.a.'s. a key goal is to have equitable funding as well. if we defeat this i will make in order an amendment offered by mr. garamendi to allow for discussion and vote by the house on that amendment. . mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to incertificate the text of the amendment into the

record along with extraordinary immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. polis: mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to vote no and defeat the previous question so we can help american workers and allow this house to deliver on an amendment that deserves debate in this body. i urge a no vote on the rule as well having left off several amendments that would otherwise improve these bipartisan bills. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado yields back his time. the the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to vote for the rule. i yield back the balance of my time and i move the previous question on the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back her time. the question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: on that i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: 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 9 of rule 20, the chair will reduce to five minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote on the question of adoption. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 226, the nays are 176. the previous question is ordered.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. mr. polis: i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having risen a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 237. the noes are 163. the resolution is adopted. without objection, a the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

the house will come to order. the house will be in order. the house will be in order. the house will be in order. for what purpose does the

gentleman from minnesota rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 2218. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. pursuant to house resolution 392 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of h.r. 2218. the chair appoints the gentleman from arkansas, mr. womack, to preside over the committee of the whole.

the chair: the thousands is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 2218 which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bill to amend the charter school program under the elementary and secondary education act of 1965. the chair: the house will be in order. members please take your conversations from the floor. clear the aisles. pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as read the first time of the the gentleman from minnesota, will klein -- mr. klein, and the gentleman from california, mr. george miller, each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: i thank the chairman. mr. chairman, the house is not in order. the chair: the gentleman is

correct. the house is not in order. the committee will be in order. members are asked to take their conversations from the floor. and clear the aisles. the gentleman may proceed. mr. kline: i thank the chairman. mr. chairman, i rise today in support of h.r. 2218 and yield myself as much time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kline: mr. chairman, the house is still not in order. >> mr. chairman, the house is not in order. the chair: the committee will come to order.

the chair respectfully requests that members take their conversations from the floor and to clear the aisles. the gentleman is recognized. mr. kline: thank you, mr. chairman. the empowering parents for quality charter schools act is a key component of our efforts to reform the nation's education system and ensure more students have access to a quality learning experience. mr. chairman, could we have order in the house, please.

the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kline: thank you, mr. chairman. i join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have been strong preopponents of charter schools for the breadth of opportunities they offer students and parents. these innovative institutions empower parents to play a more active role in their child's education and offer students the priceless opportunity to escape underperforming schools. they also open doors for educators to experiment with the fresh teaching methods uniquely geared to meet the needs of their individual students. the stories of charter schools' success are impressive. students who previously had little hope have been inspired by excellent teachers to reach new heights. the tales of groundbreaking programs and initiatives that local charter schools have motivated surrounding public schools to improve. parents have witnessed children of all backgrounds transition from struggling to exselling as a result of their charter school education. unfortunately, there are not

enough charter schools to meet demand. and hundreds of thousands of students remain on wait lists each year. the legislation we consider today takes important steps to encourage and support the establishment of more high quality charter schools in communities across the united states. the bipartisan empowering parents of quality charter schools act will consolidate funding under the federal charter school program into the existing state grant program. this will allow state educational agencies, state charter school boards, and governors the freedom to award subgrants to support new charter schools as well as represently kate or expand high quality -- replicate or expand high quality charter schools, to facilitate the growth of charter schools, this act will give funding priority to those that lift arbitrary caps on the number of charter schools permitted in the state. they provide priority to states to take additional steps to encourage charter school growth, such as allowing more than one

state or local agency to authorize charter schools or promoting charters as a solution to improve struggling public schools. as we work to increase the presence of charter schools in the united states, we must also protect limited taxpayer funds and make sure every dollar is well spent. it has been said that charter schools are the epitome of performance-based education. in exchange for increased flexibility and autonomy, these schools are held accountable for results. the empowering parents through quality charter schools act will ensure charter schools continue to be held accountable by supporting an evaluation of schools' impact on students, families, and communities while also encouraging shared best practices between charter and traditional public schools. charter schools are a vital part of our efforts to improve the education of our children. this legislation does not represent the whole solution. all of us recognize that additional measures must be enacted to support excellence

and innovation in the american education system. however, this act takes an important step in the right direction. i'm very pleased that members of the education and work force committee have put their differences aside and worked through a very bipartisan process to develop an exceptional piece of legislation. i'd like to thank members and their staffs for these efforts and i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join with us in supporting this positive legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman's time is reserved. the gentleman from california. mr. miller: i yield myself five minutes. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. miller: i rise today in support of the empowering parents through quality charter schools act and i want to thank the chairman of the committee, mr. kline, and subcommittee chair, mr. hunter, for all of their cooperation, support in working with the minority on this side of the aisle on this legislation. both sides of the aisle have strong proponents of this legislation and of the charter

school movement in this country. this legislation because of that cooperation is the first bipartisan piece of re-authorization of the elementary, secondary education act. it passed the education committee with bipartisan support and i'm hopeful it will receive similar support from the full congress. this country is facing a severe education crises. our schools are not meeting the educational needs of our students and threat to our global competitiveness and economic security. charter schools began 20 years as a laboratory for innovation to help tackle the stagnant education system at that time and to give options to parents who felt helpless. these schools have often become the myth busters of what's possible for a democrat graving of children that have all too off been written off. currently they serve about 4% of all public school students. in urban areas that number is higher. charter schools are not a silver bullet and won't solve all of the educational challenges. they have become an important part of the education system and

we need to update the law to reflect the reality. the empowering parents through quality charter schools acts encourages effective reforms that will help transform schools and communities. first this bill makes significant improvements in existing charter school program and addresses issues that we have heard from education advocates across the country. it rightfully returns charter schools to the original purpose, public schools that identify and share innovative practices and lead to improvements in academic achievement for all public schools. it requires they brought back into the traditional public school system as opposed to running in a parallel system. it requires them to serve all superintendent populations and provide more parents with real choices. it prioritizes accountability. it puts student achievement first and it's greater increases in accountability and charter school authorizers and greater oversight by state education authorities. third, the bill addresses recurring problem in charter schools which a lack of services

due to disabilities and english language learners. this bill we dramatically improve the access for underserved populations. we require better recruitment in enrollment practices for underserved populations. lastly, the bill rightly focuses on our students and what they need to succeed. in many states high performing schools are a great option for some students. they are closing the achievement gap. charter schools have been on the forefront of bold ideas and innovation and education. they have shown if given the right tools all students can achieve at high levels. we are learning from great charter schools what works for students and what students need to be able toe compete in the global economy. replicating this success will help our students, our communities, and our economy. with this legislation we can help ensure that the positive reforms happening in some charter schools will happen at all charter schools and we can help ensure the best practices are shared throughout that school district. but this legislation is only one piece of education reform

puzzle. unfortunately we are not taking up the whole elementary-secondary education act but just one part. this country is in the midst of the most dynamic education reform atmosphere i have seen in my 10 years in congress. the re-authorization of the elementary, secondary education act presents an opportunity to take hold of that momentum and bring it to our education system for the future. the bill before us today is good but we need to do much more. it will be a tremendous disservice for our children and our country if we do not provide relief for schools who are struggling under the outdated law. this relief should come in the form of full comprehensive re-authorization of e.s.e.a. to do that we must take on all the real issues facing our schools not just charters. we need to address accountable, data, assessments, and college and career ready standards and modernizing the teaching profession. . true to the reason we need to ensure equal opportunity of every student to

have access to great education. we know what it will take to fix our schools. it isn't a mystery. it takes real political will to overcome the ideology and to stay focus on what's best for kids. i hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this legislation and hopefully we can get much more comprehensive re-authorization of esca and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: thank you, mr. chairman. at this time i'm very pleased to yield five minutes to the gentleman from california, the chair of the k-12 subcommittee, mr. hunter. the chair: the gentleman from california is recognized for five minutes. mr. hunter: thank you, mr. chairman. i also want to extend my appreciation to chairman kline for his leadership and tireless work toward improving the quality of education for america's children as well as ranking member kildee, my colleague on the subcommittee and full committee, ranking member miller, as well as jared polis from colorado who's not even on this full committee but

was very supportive of this legislation. the empowering parents through quality charter schools act is a bill that will have a direct impact on our nation's children. expanding access to high performance charter schools has the potential to make a world of difference for students across the nation. simply adding a much-needed layer of choice of competition that is good for the entire school system, not just charters. unlike public schools, the charter school is not limit bid a one-size-fits-all approach. instead, these institutions have greater accountability. also, the flexibility afforded to charter schools allows teachers and school administers to adjust class schedules and schoolwork to help disadvantaged kids. for example, a la louisiana charter school established in the wake of hurricane katrina enrolled students who had fallen significant low behind students their age after the disaster forced them to miss a

full year school. in speist these difficult circumstances, dedicated teachers had groundbreaking schoolwork to help these students achieve. they are the third most successful high school in new orleans. improved academic achievement is one reason why charter schools are in such high demand. with more than 400,000 students on wait lists. even so many states have caps on charter schools permitted as well as the total number of students allowed to attend these scoofments these provisions keep students trapped in low-performing schools. charter schools also have difficulty of securing adequate funding. current law awards funding for the establishment of new charter schools but does not support schools for updates or improvements. as a result, charter schools with a proven record of high student achievement may not secure funding to replicate its educational model in a new community. the empowering parents to high

quality charter schools act will streamline and modernizing the federal charter schools program. it will if a -- facilitate the schools through the simplification of the federal grant program. additionly, the legislation incentivizes charter school advancement to provide states that remove arbitrary cap on charter school growth. charter schools will help students help them in their formative years instead of being stuck in low-performing classrooms. i strongly encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to unite and support a better future for the nation's students and vote yes on the empowering parties through -- parents through the quality charter schools act. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from colorado. mr. miller: i yield two minutes to mr. hinojosa.

the chair: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. hinojosa: mr. speaker, i rise today to express my support for h.r. 2218, the empowering parents through quality charter schools act. this bill strengthens our nation's charter schools by making much-needed improvements through current law. i congratulate chairman kline and ranking member george miller for the education and work force committee for their leadership on this issue. as ranking member of subcommittee on higher education, i want to help k-12 schools to give us college-ready high school graduates and to send them to colleges or four-year universities. that's why i support 2218. in regard to accessibility, this bill will help english language learners and students with disabilities have an opportunity to excell in charter school high schools. under this proposal, charter

schools -- charter school authorizers must ensure that charter schools comply with the civil rights as well as individuals with disabilities act and the rehabilitation act and monitor the schools in recruiting, enrolling and meeting the needs of students with disabilities and english language learners. i am pleased that the manager's amendment to h.r. 2218 requires authorizers to ensure that charter schools solicit and consider input from parents and community members on the implementation and operation of charter schools. this bill prioritizes high-quality charter schools by adding a new definition for high-quality charter schools in providing priorities consideration for states with high-quality charter schools. this bill encourages states to set higher expectations for our nation's charter schools. this legislation improves charter, authorizing 2218 will ensure authorizers in the

states require charter schools to conduct and publicly report financial audits. in my congressional district, the idea of public schools may have -- may i have 30 more seconds? mr. miller: i yield the gentleman 30 seconds. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. hinojosa: the idea of public high schools, a network of high-quality public charter schools have done a terrific job of preparing minorities, english language learners and students with disabilities for college and careers. currently, they operate 20 schools in 10 communities in the rio graunda valley. this -- grande valley. this is the highest district rating by the texas education agency and one has been recognized as the very best high schools in the nation. in fact, 100% of public school graduates are enrolled in a community college or

university. i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support h.r. 2218. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: thank you, mr. chairman. at this time i yield four minutes to the gentleman from tennessee, a member of the committee, the chairman of the health subcommittee, mr. roe. the chair: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized for four minutes. mr. roe: i thank the chairman. mr. chairman, i rise in strong support of the empowering parents through quality charter schools act. it is heartening to see strong bipartisan support for a bill that will do a lot of good for america's children. a high-quality education should be the birthright of every american child. as a society we must ensure that they have the tools needed to chase their dreams, to succeed in an increasingly compettve global marketplace. a child growing up in cobb county, tennessee, will somehow compete with jobs with young people in china and around the world. it's our responsibility to

support them. sadly, we are failing in this responsibility. others leaves students falling through the cracks. that's why an increasing number of parents are turning to charter schools to educate their children. but the supply has been unable to keep up with the demand. an estimated 420,000 students are on the waiting list to be admitted to charter schools. it's heartbreaking to know the trajectory of these children's lives will be in no small part be determined by a lottery. we must and can do better. h.r. 2218 will help more students gain access to a quality education, facilitating the construction high-performing charter schools. it provides startup grants to help charter schools to open the doors, buy classroom materials and teach new students. the bill also encourages states to improve the expansion of charter schools while ensuring quality and innovation.

the best educational system is one in which parents, teachers and local school boards collaborate to set the agenda, not washington, d.c. this bill puts more power in the hands of those who know our children best and their needs best. charter schools are not a silver bullet but they offer a way out to students who otherwise will be trapped in a failing school. every charter school that is supported through this program is one more choice a parent will have to ensure their children's future success. i thank my colleagues for their bipartisan support, and i urge my colleagues to vote yes, and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. miller: i yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from california, ms. woolsey, a member of the committee. the chair: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for three minutes. woolwools -- ms. woolsey: mr. speaker, i rise to speak on h.r. 2218, the empowering parents through quality charter schools act. during my first visit to a

charter school years ago when charter schools were first on the horizon, i was so impressed. i was impressed with the small class sizes. i was impressed with the level of parental involvement and the individualized learning programs. in fact, when i left the school i was actually teary. i mean, i was overcome because i wanted every single child in the united states of america to have this same rich educational experience. alternative schools aren't quite that successful, and all public schools aren't failing, but charter schools were created to develop best practices and innovative learning methods. and that is -- they were successful. those methods could be brought back and used in all public schools.

while some charter schools have found new academic achievements, public schools have yet to benefit in other public -- and other public schools have yet to benefit from this investment. this bill will return charter schools to their original mission, by helping improve the public school system and ensuring that charters no longer operate in isolation without strict accountability. for many years i've been concerned that charter schools using taxpayer dollars would function at the expense of public schools instead of complementing them. for instance, without reform, the most talented and motivated students could simply go to the charter schools while public schools -- especially students with disabilities, students with english learning -- language learners and students who come from broken homes and are having a hard time just keeping up in general.

and that was totally contrary to the intent of the charter schools movement. it would weaken rather than strengthen our public school system. so to address this problem, this bill, set up in a very bipartisan way our committee put together a bill that we have here on the house nor that requires charter schools to adopt practices, that promote inclusion, that allows for increased enrollment of students with disabilities and limited english skills and provide an information-sharing system regarding systems programs. there are many other necessary reforms included in h.r. 2218, and they will all ensure charter schools will have their original purpose. with these reforms charter schools will may the constructive role in our educational system that they were designed to play. and i thank you.

i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: thank you, mr. chairman. at this time i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from michigan, the chair of the work force protection subcommittee, mr. wahlberg. the chair: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for three minutes. mr. walberg: i urge support of my colleagues. the same language in that ordinance as well what was put in our state constitutions, it says religion, morality and knowledge be necessary to the good government and happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. i believe this bill does just that. it's a simple bill. it promotes a charter school program that accomplishes three goals. those being, one, to provide parents greater options for the

children's education. two, consolidating education programs and reducing the authorization level. and three, supporting the development of high quality charter schools. that's what we are about in education. that's what we ought to be concerned with. this bill accomplished our goal of modernizing and streamlining the program by consolidating the current programs to one program and one authorization line. the results in savings still affords the taxpayer the parent, and the educator with even more opportunity for growth of protch charter school models and new innovative charter schools. the bill ensures that charter schools and charter school authorizers reach out to parents to serve students who can benefit from these schools. the legislation supports quality initiatives in the authorizing world without putting any new mandates on the schools. the legislation has broad support, including a community that includes the u.s. chamber of commerce, business round table, national alliance of

public charter schools, texas charter school association, chiefs for change, the national association of state directors of special education, just to name a few. charter schools were created in michigan, my state, 15 years ago. and since that time nothing but proven educational success has taken place. with children in tough school districts before, now receiving education that is promoting success for them and their future posterity in an education opportunity that expands in the real world experience. for that reason and many others, i urge the support of h.r. 2218 as a proposal that does exactly what our northwest ordinance says, it encourages schools and means of education for quality students and future people that will work in our system. i thank the speaker. the chair: the gentleman from california. mr. miller: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from new jersey. the chair: the gentleman from

new jersey is recognized for three minutes. mr. andrews: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the chair: without objection. mr. andrews: i thank my friend for yielding. in the earliest days of our republic, our prosperity came from our abundant natural resources. many later days our prosperity came from the fact that we were bordered by two vast oceans into our east and west which gave us an isolated domestic market. in the days after the second world war, our prosperity was grounded on the fact that we were the sole remaining industrial power untouched by the second world war, relatively speaking. all of those advantages relatively speaking are gone. and the way we are going to be prosperous today and in the future is by having the best educated, best motivated work force anywhere in the world. we are not going to have that best educated and best motivated work force without a high quality education for every child in america. i see this bill as a step in that direction by enriching and making more accountable the

charter school movement in our country. make no mistake about it, all charter schools are not perfect. many charter schools, frankly, are very troubled. but the charter school movement has been a positive step forward for our country. this bill adds accountability to that movement and adds new resources i think are welcomed. i would echo the words of ranking member miller and note that 90% of children in america's schools are in public schools. and the principal legislative action we have on those public schools is the elementary and secondary education act. i know that the chairman of the committees worked very diligently to prepare the committee for the work we could do on that. i'm hopeful that we can have the same kind of cooperative effort for the esea authorization as we have for this charter school bill. there is much more to do, but today is a good first step. i urge a yes vote and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: thank you, mr.

chairman. at this time i yield three minutes to the gentleman from indiana, dr. brew chard. the chair: the gentleman from indiana is recognized for three minutes. mr. bucshon: first let me thank representative hunter and chairman kleine and ranking member miller and others for their hard work and leadership on this legislation. i rise today as a co-sponsor of h.r. 2218, the empowering patients through quality charter schools act. where american education was once a world leader over the past few decades we are losing our advantage. the empowering patients to quality charter schools act will facilitate the development and replication of high performing charter schools that will help america regain its stature as a leader in educating its citizens. charter schools are created through a contract of local education providers that allow flexibility and innovation in educating our children while maintaining the same

requirements and accountability of traditional public schools. charter schools are able to bring innovation and special programming into the curriculum that is uniquely taylored -- tailored to the needs of the specific student population. this not only allows choice for parents whose children may be better suited for this kind of flexibility, but can inspire progress in traditional schools by raising the bar and creating greater transparency. by increasing funding opportunities for the replication of successful charter schools and facilities assistance, h.r. 2218 encourages states to invest in charter schools. further, h.r. 2218 supports the evaluation of the impact of charter schools on their students, faculty, parents, and communities to ensure the high quality education is available for every child and parents can choose the correct venue for their child's education. in my district in evansville, indiana, signature school was ranked the top high school in

the midwest and the number three charter school in the country by "the washington post." these rankings were based on data that indicate how well a school prepares its students for college based on advanced placement tests or an international back lar rhett completions. signature school is an example of a high performing charter school that this legislation aims to replicate. replicating schools like signature school that have a proven history for effectively preparing our children for college is not only in the best interest of students and parents, but also notice best interest of the economy. by increasing the number of students that are college ready, we build more education--and a more educated generation more prepared to take on the complex jobs in health care, engineering, science, technology, and others that future industries will demand. with an unemployment rate near 9%, educating our students is critical. by increasing our students' access to high quality charter schools, h.r. 2218 will prepare our children for the high-tech

jobs of the future. this is essential if we are to maintain our competitiveness in a global economy. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the gentleman from california. mr. miller: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. polis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized for two minutes. mr. miller: the intellectual architect of all this. mr. polis: i thank the gentleman from california and the gentleman from minnesota. there's a lot of good in public education today. when we look across our country, just as we see examples of what doesn't work, dropout factory, schools where kids are falling further and further behind each year, schools that have -- are unsafe, just as we have that, we also have examples of what works. what works with our most at-risk populations in this country, showing that every student in this country can learn and can achieve given the right opportunity and the right school environment. charter schools aren't the

solution, but they are a tool. a tool in the arsenal of school districts and states to address the learning needs of all students. nationally, there's over 5,000 charter schools representing just over 5% of all public schools in the country. many of those charter schools couldn't have gotten off the ground without the federal start-up grants that this bill re-authorizes. importantly again because we have examples of what this works, this bill for the first time allows states to use the money to expand and replicate learning models that work. i point to one in colorado, 93% free and reduced lunch, 86% english language learners, yet they scored far above the state average on the past three years, 95% to 100% proficient in math and about 20% higher than the state average, state average score that includes wealthy suburban districts as well.

yes, these students can learn. and schools like the academy will now under this new authorization have access to expansion and replication money. when models work, whether that's a model like kipp nabblely that successfully serves some of our most at-risk communities or whether it's grassroots efforts across our country, they will be able to access resources to serve more students and grow or to open up additional branches at the same school. national, state, and local research consistently show that yes, not all charter schools work. some underperform public schools. some perform at the same level and some do better. what we do with this bill is we provide for best practices nationally. we have learned a lot in the last 10 years with regard to charter schools. we now have best practices in this bill like removing caps on the number of charter schools in districts through the manager's amendment ensuring that charter schools can participate in food services as well as transportation services. i want to point out the importance of transportation because to make choice

meaningful, to add the emphasis to choice, you have to have transportation options to get the most at-risk kids to school otherwise choice is simply an empty promise. by focusing federal investments as h.r. 2218 does, it ensures that we maximize the impact of our limited federal resources on improving student achievement and reducing the learning gap across the country. to succeed as a nation we need to do a better job with our human capital, preparing the next generation ever americans for the next generation of jobs -- of americans for the next generation of jobs, and this bill will be an important tool in that arsenal. i strongly support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: mr. chairman, could i inquire to the time remaining on each side? the chair: the gentleman from minnesota has remaining 16 minutes. the gentleman from california has remaining 15 minutes. 8 mr. cloin: it's my

understanding the gentleman from california has several more speakers? mr. miller: they are here in spirit. they are not here in person, unfortunately. mr. kline: i'm prepared to reserve and let you call on speakers. if not -- mr. miller: i thank the gentleman. i had one or two other speakers. we have put out a call to them but they have not responded. i'll see if we can fit them in on the manager's amendment if they want to speak because i'll be very brief on the manager's amendment on this side. let me just close by again thanking everyone on the committee for their support. i certainly want to thank the staff on both side of the aisle, but particularly the staff on side of the aisle for helping me with this legislation and members of our committee. i want to recognize jamie and ruth, cara, and laura, daniel,

megan, and adam. for all of the contributions to this successful bipartisan effort. and finally i'd just like to say this is -- as many speakers have said, all charter schools aren't perfect. this isn't the silver bullet. but what we hope to be able to do is to really continue to grow the entrepreneurial spirit of people, young people, across the board looking at our education system, thinking how it can be done better. what are the best practices, what are the indicators of successful schools, successful learning environment, successful teaching environments for teachers, for students, and focusing on the academic achievement and the benefits to the students. and then to be able to share those models across the charter school spectrum, across the

traditional public school spectrum so that all of us can learn and benefit from that. and most importantly so we can create those environments where america's children will have the opportunity to have access to a first class education that will serve them the rest of their lives. i believe that that effort is facilitated by the charter school movement. i believe that this legislation is a substantial improvement on the original authorization for charter schools to participate in this area. and i look forward to the passage of this legislation. with that i danced as long as i can, i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: thank you, mr. chairman. i yield myself the remainder of my time. you want to add my thanks to those of ranking member miller to the staff on both sides, to the members of the committee on both sides, and to our colleagues not on the committee like mr. polis, for their input and help in this legislation. all of us were elected to

congress with the promise to enact laws that will make this country a better place for our children and our grandchildren. and this starts with ensuring that every child has access to a quality education. for many students and their parents, charter schools are a beacon of hope and in some cases the only beacon of hope. they symbolize opportunity, choice, and educational excellence and it is past time to ensure more families and communities across the united states have access to these groundbreaking institutions. by improving the empowering parents charter schools act today, we can help put more students on a path to a successful future, i urge my colleagues to put differences aside and join together in supporting this legislation for the sake of those students trapped in underperforming schools across america. i yield back the balance of my time. . the chair: all time for general debate has expired. pursuant to the rule, the amendment in the nature of a

substitute shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule and shall be considered as read. no amendment to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in part a of house report 112-200. 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 yes. it is now in order to consider amendment number 1 printed in part a of house report 112-200. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? mr. kline: mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 1 printed in part a of house report 112-200 offered by mr. kline of minnesota. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 392, the gentleman from minnesota, mr. kline, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes.

the chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in support of this manager's amendment offered by myself and mr. miller. in all our goals for an improved education system, one stands above the rest, ensuring students have access to quality education. my colleagues and i firmly believe supporting the growth of high-performing charter schools will help us reach that goal. charter schools epitomize choice and flexibility in education and represent an efficient way school districts can transform an underperforming traditional public school into a dynamic learning institution. thanks to the additional autonomy afforded to these institutions, charter schools have become renowned to effectively meet the needs of a unique student population. a great case study adaptability of charters is locke high school, located in the south central area of los angeles. students in this area face a multitude of challenges from gang violence to poverty to troubled homes.

locke high school has some of the lowest test scores and highest dropout rates in the country, only roughly 5% of the students went on to four-year colleges and universities. in 2007 the l.a. unified school district agreed to transform locke high school into a charter school. charter schools officials instituted broad cheanings to the schools such as new teachers, uniforms and strict disciplinary measures and as a result attendance rates have increased to 90%. a real success story. stories of charter schools inspire success in students no matter the circumstance exist beyond locke high school. these institutions have benefited children and communities and cities across the united states. unfortunately, charter schools are not growing as they should. this act will facilitate the development of high-performing charter schools by consolidating funding streams and support the development and expansion of these institutions and evaluating the benefits these schools offer to students and their families.

however, as my colleagues and i continue to work to govern this legislation we realize more can be done to help charter. including those at risk. like locke high school, those should be encouraged and supported. that's why we developed language in the manager's amendment that would offer incentives to states to use charter schools to reach out to special populations such as at-risk students. additionally, members on both sides of the aisle decided steps must be taken to help federal charter school program grants remain on a sustainable path. the manner's amendment directs the secretary of education to undertake proper planning efforts to ensure sufficient new grants can be awarded annually to the best applicants. as we work to ensure all students have access to quality education, this act is a step in the right direction. mr. chairman, the manager's amendment makes commonsense adjustments to improve the underlying legislation, and i urge my colleagues to lend their support. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman

reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. miller: mr. speaker, i ask to claim the time in opposition although i am not in opposition to the manager's amendment. the chair: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. miller: i thank the gentleman. i'll be brief here because i want to yield to mr. polis, but i want to point out the manager's amendment again was a lot of hard work by the staff to put together the various ideas from the members of the committee on both sides of the aisle but i think they did a -- done a spectacular job and the chairman and myself both support this legislation. i'm very supportive of the efforts in the manager's amendment to make sure that parent and community input is a priority in the implementation of the charter school improvement -- in the operation of those charter schools. and we require that -- as you consider the beginning of a charter school that you take into consideration and the states take into consideration

the input of parents and the community. i think this is very important. we know there are many, many parents who want to be involved in creating charter schools, to stay in a charter school, thinking about what they want to do with the schools in their neighborhood. i think this is an important component that i hope to see in the re-authorization of the s.c.a. more is given to have parents' skin in the game, so they have a stake in the outcome of that. and the manager's amendment also requires these charter schools and the state make publicly available information on the educational programs, teachers and annual performance and the enrollment data for all students by their subgroups. it strengthens the application process that includes application and description of how schools will consider the transportation needs of their students and also how -- on how schools will support diverse

models including those serving rural areas. with that i would like to yield to mr. polis about the high quality of charters. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. polis: this process really demonstrates really strong bipartisan leadership and a commitment to our nation's children from both chairman kline and ranking member miller as well as all the members of the committee and their staff. and i express not only my deep appreciation but i'm sure the deep appreciation of the many millions of children that this bill will help provide additional opportunities to them both. this manager's amendment makes a good bill even better including allowing priority for states that allow charters to have autonomous food services. they are allowed to have food services. many lack cafeteria space in some facilities and this amendment will prioritize states that allow for that. we know how important nutrition is for success. transportation to and from charter schools is also

critical. the bill also allows for the expansion for the very first time, the replication of charter school models. again, deferring to states in that regard. previously these moneys were only eligible for the establishment of innovative new charter schools. they were the goal and one that's preserved under this bill as well, but we are now 10 years later down the road. we know a little bit about what works and what doesn't work. based on that the bill, the manager's amendment a, ups the ante in terms of being good authorizers and, b, allowing some of the funds to be used to expand and replicate proven success as well as preserving some for the continued innovation which is also necessary to drive our education system forward. this manager's amendment supports dropout prevention and recovery and rural needs, figuring out how charter schools can fit in rural and smaller school districts is a learning curve in the last 10

years and this bill and the manager's amendment makes sure states have plans to ensure that charter schools can also benefit rural areas. this bipartisan amendment exemplifies the great work of the committee leadership overall in the bill and truly does improve upon the base bill. i'm very proud to be strongly supportive of the manager's amendment as well as the underlying bill. i yb. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: mr. chairman, i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california. mr. miller: i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from california yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from minnesota. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 2 printed in part a of house report 112-200. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? mrs. davis: thank you, mr. speaker.

i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 2 printed in part a of house report 112-200 offered by mrs. davis of california. the chair: prupet to house resolution 392, the gentlewoman from california, mrs. davis, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california, mrs. davis. mrs. davis: this amendment finds innovative ways to improve the education. given the state of the economy we need to encourage economic and job growth wherever possible. the best way to compete to stay on the cutting edge is to build a work force that can compete against the best and the brightest in the world. we need schools to find new and innovative ways to teach our students. particularly in the key subjects of math, science and engineering. one example of an innovative school is the high tech charter school in san diego which has a

goal of bringing highly skilled employees into the work force. with the support of technology companies such as qualcomm and microsoft, high tech high has taken innovation in its curriculum to a new level. since 2003, the results is that 100% of high tech high's graduates have gone on to attend college at such universities as n.y.u., m.i.t. and yale. high tech high has successfully found innovative ways to teach innovation and what does innovation and education mean? it means teachers and principals who find ways to inspire and get students excited to learn. it can mean teaching students and children how to think, how to work together, how to think across disciplines and most importantly how to act on their knowledge. it will take innovation to meet these goals to consistently improve instruction in the

classroom. steve jobs led apple to one of the most successful technology companies in history it led to such products such as ipod, the mac computer and most recently the ipad. apple's success is not just about how much money it invests in research and development. it's about the people and creative vision. it's about the people you have, how you're led and how much you get it, mr. jobs told "fortune" magazine in 1998. people, mr. speaker, people is the key word, with better and more innovative schools we will have more creative people entering our work force. unfortunately, the world economic forum just announced that the united states dropped to fifth place in the world's most competitive economies beyond nations -- behind

nations such as switzerland and singapore. well, mr. speaker, that's the wrong direction and we need to turn it around. if america is going to reach its potential, we need schools that cultivate entrepreneurs and visionaries. we need more companies such as apple that can compete globally. breeze join me in stressing -- please join me in stressing the need for innovation, beginning with the approach to education. i applaud the effort of our bipartisan team here that's worked so hard on this underlying bill and the amendments. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the chair: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: mr. chairman, i rise to claim time in opposition to the amendment though i do not intend to oppose it. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. kline: thank you, mr. chairman. this amendment is entirely consistent with the underlying purpose of the charter school movement. it improves the bill. i support the amendment and yield back my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. miller: mr. chairman, i rise in support of this legislation.

i think one of the intents of this bill and hopefully in our reforms of the elementary-secondary education act is to keep our eye on global competition and understand we must prepare today's students for tomorrow's global economy and the global competition that that suggests, and i strongly support and have had long conversations with the gentlewoman on this amendment and agree to it. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from california. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number three printed in house report 112-300. for what purpose does the gentleman seek reck fission? >> i have an amendment at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment number three, offered by mr. paulsen of minnesota. the speaker pro tempore:

pursuant to house resolution 392, the gentleman from minnesota, mr. paulsen, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman. mr. paulsen: i rise in support of this bill and offer this amendment that will give america's students for opportunities to succeed. my amendment will make it easier for charter schools to replicate and expand in a timely manner. by giving them an opportunity to expand after three years, rather than the current five years, they will be able to offer educational choices to more students in a shorter period of time. this amendment will strengthen the pill by continuing to break down barriers to help quality charter schools grow to meet their staggering demand. currently, an estimated 420,000 students are being kept on waiting lists to attend the charter school of their choice. we should be giving these

students more opportunities to aten and learn and be successful. my home state of minnesota has seen tremendous success because we've been a pioneer in expanding educational options and choice. in 1991, we were the first place in non expand the charter cool law. today 40 states and the district of columbia have established charter schools of their own. i support this bill. it streamlines funds to reduce admillionthive burdens and improve the operation of successful charter schools and facilities assistance. it also supports the evaluation of a school's impact on children, families and communities while encouraging the best practices ideas between charter and public schools. there's no doubt that they're a prime example where innovative

mets are at work and this will give our schools the ability to do more for our children. they rank as top performers among the blue ribbon schools in multiple national ranks of the best high schools in america. it's no surprise that the public support and demand for the charter schools is steadily increasing. the legislation recognizes that this is ethe opportunity to enhance the empowerment of parents should go forward i allowing them to play an active role in their child's education this amendment will give the most successful schools to offer more education opportunities to parents and children. i want to thank chairman kline for his leadership, the ranking member for his leadership and i want to thank representative polis for his support of this and his advocacy for school choice across the country. i reserve my time.

the chair: the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: i rise to claim time in opposition though i'm not opposed to the amendment. the chair: the gentleman is reck nighed. mr. polis: i'm proud to bring forward this amendment with bipartisan support. to delay the expansion of a successful charter school for five years and keeping states from expanding the funding only consigns more students to failure. one year could be an aberration, two careers of proven success could be lucky but three years of success is hard to dispute. when they have three years of proven success to make it wait five full years before it's eligible to expand with federal money, only consigns all of those students who would have been served who otherwise reside on the waiting list and

are forced to attend schools that provide less educational opportunity. we're only young once in life and that's why with regard to education and improving the quality of public schools, we all feel the fierce urgency of now. when a charter school starts out, it's not possible to predict whether it will be successful or not. starting out new chaferter schools, without this amendment, charter schools that have proven success could be forced to wait five years to expand, a wait our nation can't afford and most of all those kids on the waiting list can't afford this provision is especially immediated for charter schools that don't use the grants for planning, which is another year before the chart er school starts. so it could be one year and then three or four years, but if they don't use the year for planning year, it's a full five-year wait before the school had access to expansion

and replication resources without this amendment. i'm glad of mr. paulsen's effort to bring this forward. the national activities section of the bill already reflects this. the national activities section provides funding after three years of demonstrated success but that's only 2.5% of the bill. most of the funds are pushed to the states and allowed for the dual purpose of expansion and replication this reflects the national abblingtivities language. the states have the discretion, they're allowed to require five years of demonstrated success, i wouldn't encourage them to do that, but they have the flexibility to do it with three years of success, to ensure that proven opportunities for kids can reach more kids, sooner, under this amendment, which is why i'm proud to lend it my support and i yealed back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from minnesota.

mr. paulsen: i ask for adoption of this bipartisan amendment and yield back the bhns of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back his time. the question son the amendment offered by the gentleman from minnesota. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number four printed in house report 112-200. for what purpose does the gentleman from new mexico seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number four, printed in house report 112-2,, the gentleman -- offered by the gentleman from new mexico, mr. lujan. the chair: the chair recognizes the gentleman from new mexico. mr. lujan: the united states has the best research facilities and educational institutions in the world. we continue to be a leader in developing cutting edge

technology in fields from research to medicine. but our schools need to better equip our students to succeed in the future. we have all agreed our nation must do better to compete and excel globally in science, math , engineering, stem subjects. this would show how best to share best practice between charter schools and public schools including in stem education. this supporting the finding of best practices and includes funds for teacher training and mentoring in stem. u.s. high school seniors recently tested below the international average for 21 countries in mathematics and science. this is simply not acceptable. we must make a commitment to

restore science and innovation as keys to a new american economy. we must ensure that america's students are trained to be innovators, critical thinkers, problem solvers and prepared to become part of the work force for the 21st semplingry. >> does the gentleman yield? mr. lujan: i yield. mr. miller: i thank the elt for offering this amendment. the chair: the gentleman mr. minnesota. mr. kline: i rise to claim time in opposition. the speaker pro tempore: the -- the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kline: it's recognized that there's a growing cap we -- gap we need to fill in stem education by underscoring the importance of stem education, this is helpful to the bill and i encourage my colleagues to support it. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields

back. the question is on the amendment offered by the yement from new mexico. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed. to it is now in order to consider amendment number five printed in part a of house report 112-200. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? mr. polis: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment number five, printed in house report 112-200. offered by the gentleman from colorado, mr. polis. the chair: the gentleman from colorado, mr. polis, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: one of the best practices we've learned is having alternative authorizing agencies. p 2 states have created alternative authorizing

authority. it may be mayors, university board of regents or state boards of education as alternative authorizers. it ensures that both ideas for charter schools brought forth by parents and others are more likely to be considered if there's an alternative authorizer instead of what's already in the bill, which should be present, which is an appeals process. that sets up a kind of adversarial relationship. we have that as well in colorado, when i served on the state brd of education, we heard appeals processes. if a district turned down a charter school, we heard their evidence. what has fruvene work better is having an alternative authorizer in addition to the appeals possess so districts that don't want to be in the charter authorizing business or

refuse to frant any chart eschools or don't have an application process for them can allow another entity to provide the quality oversight needed for a charter school in the district. one of the great evolutions in the last 10 years has been the responsibility of charter school authorizers. it's not simply a charter school that needs to reform. it's the authorizer, the public ebtity, that needs to hold the charter school responsible for the performance of its student. our charter school institute approved 22 institutes in the six years we had it that's 22 out of about 120 charter schools that exist in the state. the state university of new york, the university of indiana in michigan have also approve some of those states' most successful charter schools. local school boards look at things in a different way. they consider their district's own financial situation when volting on charter school bus that focus sometimes interferes with the view of the greater

good, quality, viable public school choices for parents and students that address the needs of their district. unreasonable denials by school districts can be appealed and that's one they have provisions of this. from my own experience on the state board of education, i know the appeal prosssess is less desirable for a numb of reasons. it's only reactive and only addresses whether a denial was valid or not. it's not proactive in developing innovative learning models. two, appeals can address cool district delays in approving charter schools. there's a way of killing by delays, burying under paperwork, unreasonable request after unreasonable request from the school district to the founds of the charter school that lead to the aban tonment of the idea. appeals are also a drain on state resources, state board of education members, department of education staff time, state

attorney general's time, while they have their role it's really should be a last resort and shouldn't be prioritized as a best practice. that's why i'm proposing to add a priority for multiple authorizers. states will be able to determine the best form that should take. this is important for rural areas and small districts. it is very, very difficult if not impossible, for a school district to be a quality officer. many times they recognize that and would rather not be. in colorado, most of the districts that welcomed the state authorizer and said for local schools to apply to them instead of the district know they can't everoversee that process. you allow some scale to being an thrser a scale that smaller school districts lack. we can empower community members in those districts with the power of school choice an

charters by ensuring there's a multiple authorizer. this amendment is supported by the national alliance for public charter schools as well as a very important entity, the national association for charter school authorizers, composed of districts and state authorizing agency, both of whom have endorsed this amendment. it simply establishes this as a priority for funding, ensuring that the best practice we've come to learn over the last decade can better be reflect fed. hopefully states have a chance to look at a way to create an alterptive authorizing agency will be able to learn from other states to ensure that charter schools get a fair hear, prevent the adversarial outcome and ensure choice is given meaning in rural and small school districts. i urge support of my amendment and yield back my time. the chair: the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: i claim time in

opposition, although i do not intend to oppose the amendment. the chair: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. kline: the gentleman from colorado has very succinctly, clearly, even eloquently explained a problem in the authorizing business and charter schools and offered a very, very good solution. this is a good amendment. it improves the bill. i support it. i yield back. the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from colorado. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 6 printed in house report 112-200. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from wisconsin seek recognition? ms. moore: mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 6 printed in part a of house report 112-200 offered by ms. moore of wisconsin. the chair: pursuant to house

resolution 392, the gentlewoman from wisconsin, ms. moore, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from wisconsin. ms. moore: thank you, mr. chair. i rise today to encourage my colleagues to support my ealt to h.r. 2218 which would strike a provision that allows governors to apply and receive direct grants from the federal government and preempts state education agencies from their oversight and operational responsibility. let me say before i defend this amendment that i think that h.r. 2218 makes very critical changes to the charter school program that are long overdue and moves it in the right direction in terms of being more inclusive of students, including students that have had limited access to charters, such as students with disability and english language

learners. i believe that my amendment will secure and protect these improvements of the expansion of the charter schools programs. i really question the wisdom of putting governors' offices in the business of overseeing charter programs and implementing these extremely complex programs. we do know that governors' offices do not have the infrastructure, expertise or staff to do a job, a job which includes close monitoring of schools, holding authorities accountability and much more. these are intory indicate programs with multiple moving parts that require time, labor-intensive administration. i do believe that in my own state of wisconsin, for example, we have constitutionally elected superintendents of public instruction, and it should remain within their purview to oversee and administer this program.

certainly we all want governors to be involved, but i think that my amendment makes it really clear that the ultimate responsibility should stay with those state public instruction agencies. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise to claim time in opposition and i oppose the amendment. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kline: thank you, mr. chairman. all across the country we've seen governors and other state and local officials stand up and support important educational reform efforts that put the interests of children first. the underlying legislation before us today expands the state entities, allowing governors to act on their support for charter schools. today, there are more than

420,000 students on charter school wait lists. and we've all seen the recent documentries, "waiting for superman" and "the lottery." it has schools trapped in failing schools desperate for better educational opportunities. instead of helping states meet this truly incredible demand for more high-quality charter schools, unfortunately this amendment would actually stifle charter school growth by limiting the governors' ability to help these institutions. at the core of this bill is our desire to see more quality charter schools available for more students, more choice, more opportunity, less waiting for supermen, and so i oppose this amendment because it works in opposition to what the underlying bill is trying to do and what we're trying to do and that's give the states more

opportunities to create and replicate more quality charter schools. i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. mr. kline: happy to yield. mr. miller: i know ms. moore has reserved her time. she can respond to this. i think we tried to work this out in this legislation in the fashion that a governor must do this -- if a governor makes application, must do this in conjunction with the s.e.a. whether the fworchor would do this on his own or whatever, we would force that working together because as you point out, not every governor's office would have the internal capacity to carry out the responsibilities under the grant. but to take -- to deny the governor the opportunity seems to me doesn't make sense when it's required that the s.e.a. be involved. i just say i know why you're offering the amendment and i'm

obviously reluctant to oppose it. but i think we addressed this concern in the legislation. i thank the gentleman for yielding. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from wisconsin. ms. moore: thank you so much, and i want to thank the gentleman for responding even though they are opposed. let me say that i am old enough to have gone through several gubernatorial races and governors run for offices based on crime prevention and crime control, economic development, lowering taxes, environmental protection and even welfare reform. and so the public in many states have elected to elect separate constitutional officers that deal solely with educational opportunity. and by not adopting this amendment we are literally cutting off the legs of these

statewide constitutional offers to do only duty for which they are elected and that is for educational purposes. and transferring those duties to a governor whose agenda may have nothing to do with education at all. with respect to the notion that the governor has to work with the local -- with the statewide public superintendent of instruction, under current law right now superintendents do work with the governor and so i am sad that this is being opposed by both the majority and the minority on this committee because i do think that rather than expanding opportunities for these 420,000 charter school students it is going to really put them all under the purview of some ideology of some governor,

democrat, republican, independent shes whatever -- independent, whatever. they are going to be consumed by ideology instead of under the purview of a publicly elected state public instruction superintendent, and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in opposition to this amendment. i believe the underlying legislation, as ranking member miller said, alluded to, has language in it that strongly encourages at the very least governors to work with their s.e.a.'s. i would underscore states are different. some states are set up with different relationships between the different elected offices. they are not all elected the same way maybe they are in wisconsin or something. our underlying purpose here is to expand access to quality charter schools, and i believe this amendment gets in the way of that. so i oppose the amendment, and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is on the amendment offered by the

gentlewoman from wisconsin. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 7 printed in part a of house report 112-200. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. holt: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 7 printed in part a of house report 112-200 offered by mr. holt of new jersey. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 392, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. holt, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. holt: mr. chairman, i thank chairman kline and ranking member miller and their staffs for their work to produce this re-authorization bill that makes a good deal of progress from the existing law. i share many of the concerns of our colleagues who want to see

even more improvement in the accountability, equity and transparency of charter schools as we continue to move the bill forward. i have a simple amendment today which re- -- it encourages the secretary of education to reward a priority for green school building practices, to ensure that any investment of charter school facilities would improve the energy efficiency and environmental advantages of those schools. energy bills are the second highest operating expenditure for schools after personnel costs. energy bills are the second highest operating expenditures. so we must do all we can to help schools implement green building practices and reduce their energy costs. my amendment will help ensure that schools spend educational resources on educating students rather than heating and cooling inefficient buildings.

according to the environmental protection agency, 30% of energy consumed in buildings is used unnecessarily or inefficiently. by using green building techniques to eliminate areas where energy is used unwisely and is wasted, a school's operating cost can be reduced significantly. a dollar wasted on cooling and heating is a dollar needed. a dollar invested in a child will pay dividend forever. the u.s. green build council supports this amendment, and in a letter to me they wrote, "on average green schools save $200,000 per year enough to hire new teachers or buy hundreds of computers or purchase thousands of books." they go on to note that green schools don't cost more but in fact can be built at or below regional cost and operated within existing facilities' budget and save money.

now, i'm disappointed that the bill we're considering today only re-authorizes charter school programs. we should be considering full re-authorization of the elementary and secondary educational act and be considering a public school construction bill, assisting local school districts with construction and modernization will help rebuild and update local schools and create jobs. but i do want to see this amendment included in the bill. it will help schools all across america. it will save energy. it will create jobs. it will improve education. i urge its passage, and i reserve the balance of my time. i'd be happy to yield -- may i ask the time remaining, please. the chair: the gentleman is recognized -- the gentleman has two minutes remaining. mr. miller: i want to rise in support of this legislation. i think it's very important for all the reasons the gentleman from new jersey cited. in terms of the saving, we're

seeing more and more schools taking economic liabilities, if you will, such as parking lots and vacant land around the school, turning them into economic assets and saving the kind of money. it's been recorded now a number of years the money it's actually saved in these design practices in the schools that free up those resources for our educational purposes. i want to thank the gentleman for offering the amendment. mr. holt: i'd like to yield one minute to the gentleman from colorado, mr. polis. the chair: the gentleman from colorado is recognized for one minute. mr. polis: thank you. i think the gentleman from new jersey has good language that not only should be included in this bill but in other relevant construction bills. it encourages the secretary to give priority to states that encourage green building practices and certification. again, that could be a semblance as a state making sure options are available. other states have tax credits or other methods of incentivizing green school development.

we're talking about our national energy policy, talking about how frustrated our constituents are with gas prices. we are talking about our national security and energy security. i think for this congress to ensure every bill large and small we encourage, again, without any mandate to school districts, without any requirement but encourage the secretary to give priority to states that have at least some system for encouraging green school building development. i think this is a good thing to start right now in a smart way in a bill that will turn around the energy future of our country and on its own have the potential drive green technology without compromising educational outcomes. again, i think this is an appropriate addition to the bill and will hopefully lead to improved energy sufficiency across the country. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from minnesota. does the gentleman reserve? mr. holt: i reserve.

the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise to claim time in opposition to this amendment and oppose the amendment. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kline: the underlying bill maintains and strengthens federal support to assist charter schools in accessing credit for facilities construction. as has in the past and will in this. but it doesn't get into the details of school construction. it doesn't take another step towards getting the federal government involved in school construction. i understand there's a great excitement in some areas about putting green in any construction or in anything for that matter. if it's green it's apparently better. this amendment, i'm afraid, will weaken efforts at the state level to fupped school construction. it will dramatically increase the cost of building elementary

and secondary charter schools where there's already limited funds available, since state schools and charter cools will be forced to use union workers to build charter schools and comply with the needs of green schools. instead, we should promote state and local efforts to promote academic achievement. this is not an appropriate role for the federal government. i urge opposition to the amendment. i reserve my time. the chair: the gentleman from new jersey? mr. holt: i think the gentleman reads too much into this amendment. it says, in awarding grants, the secretary is encouraged to give preference to those areas that use green construction. in other words if it will save energy and thereby save the school district money, it should be encouraged. what in the world could be wrong with that?

i would urge my chair to reconsider after he has read this amendment and support us in the passage of this antidepressant. i thank you. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. kline: thank you, mr. chairman. i am, at the suggestion of my colleague, the gentleman from new jersey, indeed, rereading the amendment. it says, priority in awarding grants under this subsection, the secretary is encouraged, we've got to figure out what encouraged means, to give priority, i think we know what priority means, to states that encurming, we're encouraging again, green cool building practices and certification. again, i think this language will make it more difficult for states to build charter schools. we're trying to expand charter schools here and improve academic opportunities for schools, not get into a

semantics battle over encouraging and green, which which is necessarily going to lead to. again, i oppose the amendment. is there time remaining? the chair: does the gentleman -- no time remaining. mr. kline: i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields pack. all time for debate has expired. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from new jersey. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. mr. kline: -- mr. holt: i -- mr. kline: i request a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 18 of rule 6 further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from new jersey will be postponed. it is no now in order to consider amendment number eight printed in part a of house report 112-200. for what purpose does the gentleman rise? mr. king: i have an amendment at the deffing.

the chair: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: amendment number eight offered by mr. king of iowa. the chair: the gentleman from iowa, mr. king, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from iowa, mr. king. mr. king: thank you, mr. chairman. the gentleman from iowa is happy to be recognized. addressing this issue, in particular, the intent of this bill is a good intent, i support it, providing extra incentive for high quality charter schools. it rewards those high quality charter schools with an opportunity to receive grants that are rewards for that excellence that's there. i certainly support the initiative and the philosophy behind that. it also identifies high quality charter schools as those who have achieved strong act tellic results, student safety, statutory and regulatory compliance and demonstrated significantly increasing student academic achievement for all students. i emphasize all students. when i read the bill, then it

says, also has demonstrated success in increasing student academic achievement for the subgroups of students described in. that's where a lot of people stop reading the bill. when you go back and look at the record, it's messing up so it requires not just that the school be open and available to students that meet these categories, four categories, mr. chairman, economic disadvantaged students, students from major racial and ethnic groups, students with disabilities and students with limited english proficiency but in fact the language of the bill requires that all four categories must be met in order to qualify for these grants. i know there's misinformation out there. this language has been something we drilled through and through for days. my amendment strikes that requirement that they meet all four requirements. they have to show academic achievement for all students. that's what i hope to achieve with this amendment. we go back to all students,

which automatically includes the redundant list that is, i think, unnecessarily in the build. -- in the bill. if the king amendment doesn't go on, then we'll have high quality charter schools that will have to meet forestandards. those four standards of minorities and disabilities, economically disadvantaged and limited english proficiencies but for example, an inner city school that might have all african-american students with no limited english proficiencies might qualify in the other three categories but be disqualified because they must meet all four. i urge its adoption and reserve the mans of my time. the chair: the gentleman's time is reserved. the gentleman from california. >> i claim time in opposition. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. miller: i rise in opposition to the amendment offered by mr. king of yea. we should be very clear about what this amendment would do and how it would be detrimental to our schools and country.

this would require students who have disabilities and -- would be considered. so those parents would know how those children were doing. we use to have had a day asking how the students were doing and all we got were averages. this is to assure that we understand how those children who have access to these schools, how in fact they're individually doing. these are title i public schools. they happen to be charter schools. the point of that is to make sure that poor and minority children, english learners, students with disabilities have full access to an appropriate education. and to go back to a time when

we start to hide those results or we don't hold schools accountable for that is to rip away the fabric of accountability that parents and communities and taxpayers are asking for from those schools. the idea that you would be held accountable for english learn fers you had no english learners in your school is hokum. this is what the law says. this would be a disservice to parents, to the students, and to our communities. and it takes us back to the time prior to no child left behind when schools were participating in hiding, hiding their failures and champion what they were trying to present to the community as their successes. that's why we have the charter school movement. that's why we have accountability now that we never had before. that's why this amendment is opposed by so many people who are involved in the promotion of the educational

opportunities for these populations. the national alliance for public charter schools. the center for american progress, the children's defense fund and many others on the list that i would ask to be put into the record. the national council of lara sa and the national disability rights and i yield one minute to the gentleman of the committee. >> i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. kline: i reluctantly rise in opposition to the gentleman's amendment, it's an unusual place for me to be on the floor of the house but i believe the gentleman from california has correctly outlined the problem. one of the strengths of an other seriously flawed law in na'il nilede was the dising a gation of data allowing parents and in this case authorizers and governors an school boards to look in and make sure there was no element in in a school body being left behind. it is important since we're trying to replicate high quality schools that that

information be available. i'm afraid the gentleman from iowa's amendment would enup masking that information and depriving those who need to make decisions of the kind of information they need in order to make sure we're replicating high quality charter schools. i yield back. mr. lewis -- mr. miller: may i ask how much time i have remaining? the chair: the gentleman has one and a half minutes remaining. mr. miller: i yield to the gentleman, mr. scott, for one and a half minutes. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: i rise in opposition to this amendment. the point of no child left behind was to ensure that all children were provided a quality education. though the original legislation was not perfect and needs improvement, it has helped shed light on achievement gaps facing certain groups of students being left behind by the current system. we are aware of this deficiency and its enorm my because we

collect data by subgroups and can begin to fix the problem through educational reform this bill is limited to charter schools. h.r. 2218 includes a definition of high quality charter schools as a school that's demonstrated success in increasing student achievement for subgroups student december scribed in e.s.a., economically disadvantaged students, students of racial and ethnic minorities and students with limited english proficiency. unfortunately, this amendment would strip away the efforts to identify students who are not performing and covering up the fact that some groups of students are in fact being left mine. any school leaving groups of students behind should not be considered high quality. i think we ought to be collecting this data for all the schools, not just those trying to achieve high quality but we need to hold all schools

accountable for the sess success of all students. this amendment goes in the opposite direction and therefore ought to be defeated. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman's request to insert materials will be over co--- covered ush general leave. the gentleman from iowa. mr. king: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. king: i appreciate the tone and tenor of this debate and i'm convinced that all parties want to accomplish the same thing to provide for an opportunity for all young people in america to achieve to the extent of their ability. that's the purpose of this legislation that's before us, high quality charter schools. it's the intent of mr. miller and mr. scott and mr. kline and everyone else that likely will vote for this bill. it's also my intent. and i strongly want to see people reach the highest level of their achievement. we need to be in the business in this congress and aware of it on a daily basis of seeking

to increase the average annual productivity of our people. we can do that one at a time out of 1/306 millionth of us. every day we increase our productivity, helps the whole. every class or generation of people that improves the balance. i want that. i think that's the intent of the bill. the gentleman from california says it's not what the law says, that i have somehow misunderstood this, i will tell you i think it has been misrepresented by some analysts behind the scenes, not on this floor and i will read this into the record a short rergs, i will compress it and give you the quote. high quality charter schools means that a school, a charter school that, a, shows strong academic results, b, shows significant issue that -- that has no significant issues in terms of student safety,

regulatory management, c has demonstrated success in student academic acheevel for all students. we want that. but d says increasing for groups as described. one, economically disadvantaged. students with disabilities. perhaps but not always. are we going to ask them to recruit students with disabilities in order to qualify as a high academic achievement cool, high quality charter school? and the fourth one is students with limbed proficiency that doesn't exist in every rein america where there's a need for a charter school. this sets up a requirement that all four categories be met. if we wanted reporting as

chairman of the committee has suggested, i would say let's ask for a report rather than write this all in as a requirement that can't be met because there only can be two results of this. either we follow the law, if it becomes law, in which many cases will be disenfran sized -- chiesed and unable to become charter schools, or we ignore the law. i don't want to do that. i urge the adoption of the amendment and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the question son the amendment offered by the gentleman iowa. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the noes have it, the amendment is not agreed to. mr. king: i ask for a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman iowa will be postponed. for what purpose does the

gentleman from minnesota rise? mr. kline: i move that the committee do now rise. the chair: the question is on the motion that the committee rise. all those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, the committee rises. mr. speaker, the committee of the whole house on the state of the union having had under consideration h.r. 2218 has come to no resolution thereon. the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration h.r. 2218 and has come to no resolution thereon. after consultation among the speaker and the majority and minority leaders and with their consent the chair announces that when the two houses meet tonight in joint session to hear an address by the president of the united states only the doors immediately opposite the speaker and those immediately to the left and right will be open. no one will be allowed on the floor of the house who does not

have the privilege of the floor of the house. due to the large attendance that is anticipated, the rule regarding the privilege of the floor must be strictly enforced. children of members will not be permitted on the floor. the cooperation of all members is requested. the practice of reserving seats prior to the joint session by the place card will not be allowed. members may reserve their seat only by physical presence following the security sweep of the chamber. the chair lays before the house the personal -- the following personal request. the clerk: leaves of absence requested for mr. culberson of texas for today and mr. moreno of pennsylvania for today and the balance of the week. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the requests are granted. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until approximately 6:35 p.m. for the purpose of receiving in joint session the

we will follow the president's address your phone calls here, on c-span. earlier today, the joint deficit reduction committee held its first meeting. the 12-member panel made up of six democrats and six republicans have been instructed to come up with $1.20 trillion in deficit cuts by thanksgiving. if today's meeting focused on jobs, the tax cut, and entitlement programs. it is a little bit more than an hour. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

>> to serve on the committee. today's inaugural meeting is for the purpose of organizing the committee. there are two items on the agenda. each member will have an opportunity to make an opening statement, and then the committee will take up consideration of its rules, after which we will adjourn. the joint committee has noticed its intention to hold its first hearing next week on september 13, entitled "the history and drivers of our nation's debt, and it's threats turco the director of the congressional -- threats." the director of the congressional budget office will be our only witness. my co-chair, senator murray and

i, have agreed to alternate power meetings by some criteria, which i am not aware. it was decided i would share the first meeting. before the chair heels to himself, the chair wishes to remind all of our guests that any manifestation of approval or disapproval, including the use of signs or placards is a violation of the rules of the house. the chair wishes to thank our guests in advance for their cooperation in maintaining order and decorum. the chair will now yield to himself for an opening statement. the late spanish philosopher famously wrote "those that can not remember the past are condemned to facility. call -- fill it.

call in 2009, -- and so still it." the world paints a tragic mosaic of high unemployment, currency debasement, civil unrest, lost economic growth, and in extreme cases, the collapse of the nation. this is a path that we in america do not want to fulfil. unfortunately, when it comes to our own debt crises, the needle on the gauge has entered the red zone. our debt threatens our jobs. speak to any fortune 500 ceo or any small business -- it is clear that our debt hangs with the sword of damocles over their hiring decisions. as one person in my district put it, i know, somehow, someday, i'm going to have to pay for all of this debt, so now is not the

time i'm going to take this risk of buying a bunch of new equipment or hiring a bunch of folks. as his elected representative, how can i possibly ignore such sentiment, especially when i hear it everywhere, and i know it is shared by thousands and thousands of job creators from coast to coast. i hope they would be obvious to all the deficit reduction and a path to fiscal sustainability are themselves a jobs program. secondly, our debt threatens our national defense. no less an authority than the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, mike mullen has said a call the single biggest threat to our national security is all -- "the single biggest threat to our national security is our nation's debt." in interest rates alone, we are enabling china to buy two jetfighters a week. is it not our public duty to respond to this warning that would be summoned to defeat any

other threat to our nation? finally, our debt threatens our children's future. spending has grown from its historic norm of 20% of our economy, to 24%, and it is on a path to grow to 40% and beyond in they course of a generation. financed through borrowing, interest rates alone would crush our economy. financed through taxes, the tax burden would more than half to double, a burden never dreamed up by the american people and businesses that employ them. should we let this happen, i fear we would be the first generation in america's history to leave the next with less freedom, few opportunities, and a lower standard of living. i will not sit idly by and watched the american dream disappear from my nine-year-old daughter, and my seven-year-old son, and i believe that is a sentiment shared by all my colleagues. so, what exactly is driving our

debt? president obama has said "the major driver of all long-term liabilities -- everybody knows it -- is medicare, medicaid, and our health care spending. nothing comes close kirkcaldy, i agree. the president has also said "-- close." i agree. the president has also said we will run out of money, and we will not be able to sustain that program no matter how much taxes go up. it is not an option to sit by and do nothing. again, i agree. the statements and deficit reduction -- "i had many hopes, i hope we were able to bring about pro-growth tax reform to bring up our revenue, able to prioritize spending, as businesses and families do every day. i hope we are able to reform

many different programs in order to make them efficient and effective, but in order to succeed, i know this committee must be primarily about the business of saving and reforming social safety net programs that are not only failing many beneficiaries, but growing broke -- going broke at the same time." i approach our task with a profound sense of some urgency. our task to achieve $1.5 billion a bipartisan deficit reduction will the be easy, but it is essential. as we proceed, like any other committee in congress, there will be public hearings, ample opportunities for the public to have their opinion heard. like in any other committee of congress, there will be some discussion of members that will not be public, however no public -- no final product will be adopted without ample public notice and a public vote

according to the rules. whatever this committee may achieve, i hope we can at least degree it is past time to keep spending money that we do not have, keep darling 42 cents on the dollar, much from the chinese, and sending the bill to our kids and grandkids. i do not believe this committee alone will solve our nation's debt crisis, but a bipartisan, negotiated a reduction in the growth of our nation's debt would be a wonderful, needed, hopeful step in the right direction. beyond this committee and this congress, when day this generation will be judged. will history record that we wrote the first chapter of america's decline, or will history record that we kept faith with the founding fathers and previous generations and left the next generation with greater blessings of liberty and vaults of limitless opportunities? the choice is ours. but the work begin.

-- let the work begin. the co-chair now yields to the gentle lady from washington, senator murray. >> thank you for agreeing to co- chair this committee, and all of the work you have put into it so far, and of the commitment we have in the coming weeks to put together this challenge in front of us. i want to thank all of our committee members as well. like all of us, i have spent a lot of time this past month traveling around my home state and talking to struggling families. i heard from people from all walks of life, with different challenges, hopes, and ideas, about where we need to go as a nation, but the one question i got from so many of them was what is going on in washington, d.c.? they are worried. many are scared about what the future holds. they are frustrated. if they want this country to works, and they know it can. many are worried the government is broken, and at times it is

easy to show their fear. this committee has the opportunity to show the american people we can still come together, put politics aside, and solve a problem that is plaguing our country. we each got into politics for a different reason, but i am quite certain none of us came here to engage in the kind of petty bickering that has dominated the discourse in washington, d.c., recently. we might not all agree on the solutions to our problems, or even what the biggest problems are, but i know that everyone of us understand our great nation faces serious challenges. i hear from so many families about the jobs crisis that is devastating the middle-class that we need to work together on as a nation to address. if i hear from businesses that are struggling, especially small businesses that are having a tough time creating the jobs and millions of americans are desperate to fill, and because of this sluggish economy, as well as for structural and

policy region -- reasons, our federal government is facing deep short and long-term deficit, and a growing national debt that if left unchecked would be an overwhelming burden handed down to ourgrandchildren there is no doubt our country faces deep and serious charges, but i'm confident we can face them together and come out stronger because we have done it before. as serious as the problems we face now our, our serious -- our country has faced greater. our people and political system has always on the way to meet our challenges, move beyond them, and flourish. that's why i agreed to co-chair the joint select committee on deficit reduction and i am proud to get to work with all of our committee members who have shown they are also serious about the challenge in front of us. not because i believe this committee is going to solve every one of the problems our country faces, and certainly not

because i believe the task we are charged with is going to be easy or pain free. it is because i believe we owe it to the families we represent to finally come together, put their needs first, and work together to find a solution that will put our nation on a solid path forward. this committee is made up of six democrats and six republicans. we each come to this task with their own strong scent of principles, believes, and priorities for the country that we love. while none of us will set aside or betray our principles, we must keep in mind there is much more that binds us as americans than divides us and we must all be open to compromise and to the ideas and viewpoints and others. that's why i have been so glad that as we have gotten this process off the ground over the last few weeks, committee members have refrained from dried -- from drawing lines in the sand. i hope we will not allow

ourselves to be boxed in or pigeonholed by special-interest groups or partisans, the media or pundits and we are allowed the room to come to a balanced agreement. there is broad understanding among us that economic growth and job creations are the best way to reduce the deficit and debt, though we have differences on how to achieve it. if we want to get our country back on track, we must come together around a balanced plan that can pass through this committee with bipartisan support, pass through both chambers of congress, get signed into law, and we can be proud to take to the american people. a successful final product from this committee will not be won any of us would have written on our own. it would have to include compromises on all sides. we have not been given much time to accomplish this, but thankfully we are not starting from scratch. far from it. together, we cam build on the

work of many on both sides of the aisle who have worked hard on deficit reduction proposals. now, families across america are looking to this committee to take those last few steps and get this done. the same families that sat at their own kitchen tables, making tough choices about their fiscal future. this will not be easy, but we can do it and i am looking forward to getting to work with my colleagues on this critical and serious task. today, we will be discussing a set of proposed rules for this committee on which i have worked closely and i want to echo what the cochair said about them. i'm confident it will give this committee to structure it needs to conduct our business transparently, get input from experts and members of the public, and work together to pass a bipartisan plan that works for the american people. i believe the american people deserve to have full access to committee business, the way they do it every committee in

congress, and i believe these rules will allow us to do exactly that. as my colleague from texas said, we look at how house and senate committees operate and we worked together that this committee met publicly and had the ability to be just beyond -- just members. as this committee works to bring its final product forward, let me make it clear that product and process will be public. my colleagues and the american people will know what the committeeas put together. thank you, mr. chairman, and i look forward to working with you. >> i recognize the gentleman from ohio, center portman. >> thank you. -- senator portman. >> thank you. i appreciate the way you have laid out a critical task before us. the truth is, this extraordinary committee exists because nothing else has worked to address the serious fiscal crisis before us and one that threatens to sink

an already weak economy. the signs are all around us -- a bond rating downgraded for the first time in our great country, a faltering economy and this budget problem that was talked about earlier are linked. an economy burdened by excessive government spending and borrowing does not create jobs. it creates uncertainty and caution. an economy failing to create jobs threatens the government resources further and fails to create revenue needed to close the gap. how to fix the problems and grow the economy are the twin challenges of our time. both must be addressed together. this committee has been tasked with reducing the deficit by $ 125 trillion over the decade. it's a significant tax at -- significant task and reductions like this have never did -- have never been done before. cutting $1.5 trillion can be achieved and must be achieved. think about it this way --

cutting $1.5 trillion means cutting just 3.5% of projected spending of the next decade. think of how many families and businesses we represent who have had to do much more in the past few years. some have asked why we should not be doing more. based on the more realistic so- called current policy baseline, over the next 10 years, the debt is likely to increase by $13 trillion. our goal of $1.5 trillion would reduce the increase in the debt by only 12%. we should aim higher and aim to do it's necessary to bring long- term sustainability to the federal budget. the american people want this. the financial markets and credit agencies are looking for this, and future generations will be inheriting this debt and they deserve this. but let the at least hit our

$1.5 trillion target. reaching the 10-year target is not enough. the quality of reforms matter more than the quantity over the next 10 years. tweaks and one time savings could add up to $1.5 trillion over 10 years, yet to leave in place soaring future deficit caused by unreformed entitlements. i am sure that it will be a spirited debate over tax policy, but let's keep in mind that the long-term deficits projected are caused by long-term spending not declining revenues. even if we were to keep the tax rates where we are today, meaning the laws have to be changed to extend all the tax cuts to patch the alternative minimum tax, the congressional budget office shows revenues would exceed that the historical average over the last 50 years over the next decade. spending has jumped from its historic average of 20% to 24%

of gdp and in future decades, without reform, it's projected to soar to will be on that to 50% of gdp. we should aim for structural reforms that preserve and strengthen the entitlement programs and ensure that benefits are there for those in need, but also reining in cost that threaten to bankrupt these programs for our children and grandchildren. this does not mean we should ignore taxes. we should try to fix our anti- growth tax code. common sense reforms -- they can be applied to more tax rates to encourage savings and investment and jobs which would create economic growth and generate more income. i look for to working with my colleagues on this urgent task before us. the american people are counting on us and we cannot let them down. >> the co-chair recognizes the

gentleman from california. >> i would like to begin by acknowledging our cochairs of my colleagues for their acceptance of this challenge to serve the american people in this difficult task. we face at the defining challenge -- will we embraces opportunity to put our economy back on track or will we let the cynics and naysayers carry the day? we should start this project without preconditions or limitations. it is precisely because of its difficult nature we need to step up and knocked hour from the challenge before us. i'm confident each of my colleagues would agree that we must live and breed believing failure is not an option. we can prove to the american people that their country, their representative democracy, is still alive and well. we can do that by simply listening to them. they have been telling us time and time again to put on the

same uniform and work not as democrats and republicans, but as americans. to treat everyone on the team fairly, not favoring powerful interests as we look to spread the pain and the game. a of said to was loud and clear, tackle the biggest deficit, the jobs deficit, as we restore fiscal responsibility to our budget. not long ago, our country saw record budget surpluses that we experience the best decade of job creation in a generation. times have changed. this committee must be open with the american people about what drove us here at how plan to solve the fiscal challenge it should be transparent and identify drivers of the deficit, point up the waste, fraud and abuse and shine light through any loopholes. the taxpayers deserve nothing less than complete accountability. these are tough times of the sad reality as 40 million american workers are out of a job through no fault of their own. these are honest folks right now

looking for an honest day's work and they would be happy to be paying taxes again instead of drawing an unemployment check. that's the best way to reduce the deficit -- put millions of americans back to work and get the economy growing. america works when americans are working. we should set out to ensure any plan we proposed is not get in the way american willing to work from getting a job, but that is only part of the solution. we must only achieve -- we must achieve balance. by listening to the american people and allowing them to learn about the causes of these deficits through numerous and robust hearings, we can lead our country to find a sound solution to our deep fiscal troubles. i look forward to working with each and everyone of our colleagues with an -- for a solution to this challenge. i yield back my time. >> the chair now recognizes the gentleman from michigan.

>> thank you, chairman and fellow members of the joint select committee on deficit- reduction. the problem we face is obvious -- there is too much government spending and too much federal debt which are impeding our economy's ability to grow. as a result, too few private sector jobs are being created. we know it and the american people know it. a quick look at the facts show this committee has its work cut out for it. there were zero net jobs created in the month of august, roughly 40 million americans remain out of work as the unemployment rate -- 14 million americans remain out of work and the total debt for fiscal 2010 reached 93.1% of gross domestic product and it's growing at an astronomical and unsustainable rate. by the end of this fiscal year, our debt will exceed our gdp.

according to expert testimony before that commission, this current debt to gdp ratio of over 90% have cost us a million jobs. these problems have been decades in the making and happened on both parties watch. frankly, both parties have refused to enact many of the necessary and well known solutions. simply put, washington has overpromise and underperformed. as a result, this committee must make and our colleagues will concur hopefully with the tough decisions needed to find $1.5 trillion in production and take another step to get washington's spending under control so our economy can get back on track. as i stated what is named to this committee, the final product must be looked at through the prism of job creation. what -- will the recommendations we make hurt or help job creation now or in the future?

>> did gentleman will suspend until the disturbances taken care of. -- did gentleman will suspend. >> [inaudible] >> if the staff would shut the doors. >> [unintelligible]

[unintelligible chanting]

>> if the staff would, to the best of their ability, shut the door. we will continue our proceedings. the chair believes the american people want to see this committee succeed, so if members

could perhaps speak a little more loudly. >> i will try to do that. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. >> i did not mean that for my remarks to empty the room, but i'm from a big family. by reducing the burden placed on fat -- placed on families and taxpayers, we can help get the country back on track and americans back to work. comprehensive tax reform would spur economic growth and job creation and should be part of our discussions. the task before us is daunting and is not one that lends itself to quick fixes. i urge my colleagues to be bold and focus on both short-term and long-term impacts of our recommendations. while i am not by eve, i am optimistic we can succeed and i look forward to working with you on the committee. -- while i am not nighties, i am

optimistic. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from montana. >> we could not hear rep camp. >> i will make sure you get a copy of my remarks. [laughter] >> if that gentleman would yield, we call this room and formally the big house and we're getting ready for the game against notre dame. >> we will attempt to gain order again. i don't know when the disturbance in the hallway will be taken care of. i would like to go ahead and proceed in the certainly the american people can hear our statements. >> i will begin, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, the first part of august, when i was in montana, i was climbing mt., at 10,005

rendered feet high on the mountain. it was a leader read asking me if i wanted to be on this committee. -- it was leader reid and he asked me if i wanted to be on the committee. i started talking to people in montana and i have never experienced in such a short time some people saying exactly the same thing to me with such enthusiasm. basically, we are sure glad you are on that committee, but we feel sorry for you. it is a big task you've got a head of the. we wish you the very best because it's something that has to be accomplished. i think that expresses a lot of wisdom of the american people. we have a huge problem ahead of us and the american people want us to solve it. it's pretty simple. i have a couple of basic points. number one, i think we should aim higher rather than lower. we are charged with reducing the deficit by $1.5 trillion.

i think we should try to do more. if we can do more, we will be able to get our fiscal house in order much more quickly than we abies want -- we otherwise might. we are also at a real crossroads here. the country is looking at us. business is looking at us. consumers are looking at us. there is a lot of uncertainty in the country today and a lot of uncertainty in the world today. if we can get our act together as a country and get our fiscal house in order, that will address a lot of the uncertainty that exists today and is causing us to slip back into recession or at least causing as not to create the jobs we want to create. we have to be balanced, clearly. we have to be fair. we have to include revenues. it's not just spending, its revenues. many groups have done a lot of

work and that covered a lot of ground. lots of proposals out there. people worked extraordinarily hard and put a lot of energy into trying to solve the problem. we clearly should take advantage of their work because it is good work done by good people. jobs -- clearly, since the statute was passed creating this commission, there has been a greater cry for jobs. more jobs. clearly, efforts we undertake must find a way to get more jobs. more jobs means more growth. more growth means more revenue. more revenue means we can solve this problem more easily. i ask my colleagues as we work together, lyndon johnson once said thousands of times, one cannot solve much by oneself, rather it takes cooperation and

working together. we will only do with the american people want us to do if we work together, keep our eye on the ball, not get distracted by a lot of stuff, and dig down deep. it is going to take digging down deep to get this thing solved. thank you. >> the co-chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i think several of my colleagues have addressed the magnitude of this problem. we all understand it is huge. my hope is our response will be commensurate. the fiscal mess we're in now threatens our livelihoods, our prosperity, opportunity, and even national security. but we have an extraordinary opportunity to do something about it. to begin to put our government on a sustainable fiscal path and do it in a way that will encourage economic growth and the job creation we all know we badly need.

i think the challenge calls for a bold response. we could use to just nibble around the edges of this problem and look for redundant programs and obsolete programs. we need to do that. we need to find them. they are out there. they might even add up to $1.5 trillion, which is our statutory goal. but that is all we do, i would suggest that we would not really be doing all that is necessary to put us on a pro-growth, sustainable path. if we're going to truly meet the challenge we face, we need to address the big entitlement programs we all know are driving this fiscal problem. we all know that is not easy. it's not easy for any of us. we all have many constituents who rely on these programs. it means we would have to make real changes. but we can do it in a way to protect the vulnerable members of our society we want to protect and still put these programs i viable and stable

path we can only do it if we do it in a bipartisan fashion. that's a big opportunity. the other thing we have to do is maximize economic growth and job creation. if we can find a way to create policies that will encourage annual growth to expand just 1% per year faster than it otherwise would, that generates 3 trillion dollars -- $3 trillion of additional revenue and millions of additional jobs, if we can foster stronger economic growth. how'd we do that? cutting spending and reducing the deficit is pro-growth because it removes the chilling effects that excessive deficits have on job creators and investment. the other big opportunity is tax reform. a simpler, fairer system with lower marginal rates would encourage economic growth and go along way to helping the

problem. our tax code is a national embarrassment. both parties are guilty of getting it to the point where it is now. examples abound. we have ethanol credits that are bad economic, bad agriculture, bad tax policies. we use the tax code to force americans to pay for an efficient sources of electricity. when huge iconic corporations can pay little or no taxes, that's indefensible. we ought to wipe out special interest favors that have commensurately lower rates and encourage the economic growth that will generate more revenue, more jobs -- mr. chairman, it is a big challenge we face and i hope we will rise to the occasion. >> thank you. the co-chair recognizes the gentleman from south carolina, congressman cliburn. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. it is a real pleasure for me and

i am very humbled to join you and my colleagues on this joint select committee. as i mentioned in my op-ed piece published in the "washington post" earlier this week, the enthusiastic reaction from my constituents and others has caused me to reflect on having grown up in a [inaudible] despite expectations of us, we're not the chosen 12. i enter this with a clear vision, an open mind, and a willingness to find common ground. i have always said if the distance between me and an opponent is five steps, i don't mind taking three of them. i am hopeful we will not allow our political differences to get in the way of economic common sense and duties to god and country. getting people back to work is the quickest way to restore

confidence in us as an elective body and us -- and our country as the land of opportunity. last month, held a town hall meeting on the campus of worries college in south carolina. the county has an unemployment rate of 17.5%. the three neighboring counties have jobless rates ranging from 17% to 19.8%. people not want to hear a lot of fancy washington talk about debt and deficits. they want to hear about jobs, restoring the dignity of work. they want to work. they want their government to work. we need to make smart and compassionate budget cuts, targeting waste, fraud and abuse. eliminating unnecessary and duplicative spending and ending military adventurism need not be a colonnaded by slashing

essential services like public education and shredding the safety nets and earned benefits like social security, medicare and medicaid. any solution to our debt problem must be fair. it is just plain wrong to put all the burden of debt and deficit reduction on the elderly, the middle-class, and the poor. recent studies indicate that there's a growing wealth gap in this country that is squeezing the middle-class and pushing millions into poverty. we need to work together to address these urgent priorities. economic fairness and common sense call for reducing inequities in our tax code, closing unfair loopholes, and eliminating outdated and unnecessary tax subsidies. debt and deficit reduction should be twined into a strong code of job creation, budget cuts and tax reform.

picking -- taken individually, neither will sufficiently restore consumer confidence, regain domestic tranquillity, and maintain our national security. the american people are counting on us to work together and get the job done. thank you, mr. chairman. i yield back. >> the cochaired now recognizes the gentleman from michigan, congressman upton. >> thank you, mr. chair. i would like to thank that to chairs in their leadership since this panel was named. i spoke through both of you -- as spoke to both the new crop august and i appreciate quick action to develop a staff and develop the rules package we will consider today and take the logistical steps to allow us to the ground running today. i spent virtually all last month at home in michigan meeting with constituents and doing all the things we do, forums, county fairs, etc. michigan is a great state. it's a place where folks were

drawn to as they built their own american dream. our state produced some of the greatest inventions and industries and was an economic hub. now it's on the front lines of an economic downturn. we have endured 32 consecutive months of double-digit unemployment. manufacturing jobs have disappeared and more jobs are at risk because of regulatory burdens and economic uncertainty. i don't think any state has more at stake and my constituents know it. they know this committee was created to make the tough but necessary choice is to cut spending and make reforms to put aside morses' -- more stable, long-term fiscal footing. removing economic uncertainty and demonstrating we can reverse our long-term debt and deficitss will help spur job growth. if i heard one thing it was the american people want us to succeed. they know the job of this committee and this country --

congress. the 12 of us here and everyone of our colleagues were sent to do what is right for the nation, and they are rooting for us. the american people know how high the stakes are, but let me read you something from this week's "national journal." revenues are up about 8% over last year and spending has risen less than 3%. revenue from income and payroll taxes grew although congress cut payroll taxes. the good news ends there. economic growth slowed to a crawl in the first half of the year. analysts predicted the economy will grow less than 2% in 2012, half as fast as many had thought previously. if the gloomy new outlook turns out to be right, the deficit over the next decade will be hundreds of billions of dollars

higher than either cbo or omb forecasts. if we did not succeed we risk further damage to our credit rating and ebert erosion in confidence, both of which will worsen the cycle. my goal is to begin by seeking common ground. surely there are areas we can agree on, we can identify areas where we are not spending taxpayer dollars wisely and where we can do better. every taxpayer dollar we spend, every program on the books can be viewed to the lens of job creation and his responsibility. are we spending the money wisely? are we supporting job growth in economic uncertainty? those of the questions i look forward to find the right solutions. i yield back. >> that could chair now

recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts, senator kerry. >> to take on this job about the mission, they said we shall produce recommendations and legislation to significantly affect the short-term and long- term fiscal imbalance of the federal government, reducing the federal debt, by at least $1.50 trillion. the critical words "at least $1.50 trillion" and " significantly affect the long- term balance." sending the message that congress is clear and serious and prepared to make the hard choices. the real mission of this committee comes from the american people who wonder if we still can and desperately want us to sit down like adults, make

the congress work so that our economy can work again for the american people. yes, we're here to examine the numbers, but we are also here to examine our consciences and look beyond their reconsideration of party or ideology to address the broader needs of our nation. our national debt is $14.7 trillion. we cannot fix the budget without fixing jobs and cannot fix jobs without fixing our budget. we have to restore confidence and we need to do it in a hurry. the world is watching, and our strength at home determines our strength in the world. only a few days ago russian prime minister putin said you only need to deal with five countries, and america was one of the. none of us was sent here to accept a future where the united

states does not make the list. here at home americans are watching. in less than 13 years if we do not take significant steps, our government will only be able to fund medicaid, medicare, social security, and the interest on our debt. everything else would have to be deficit funded. by any measure, today's fiscal pat is unsustainable. as we face this challenge we need to remember america jurors as a basic set of values. we believe in caring for the sick, bringing the elderly and disabled out of the shadows, and that every young person deserves opportunity and a future, and we believe americans must always prepare for that, as we engage in this effort. we cannot eat america's feed corn. some of us were here for gramm- rudman hollings when we make tough decisions and committed ourselves to never increasing poverty or inequality basket as a sacrifice on the altar of

deficit reduction. in the 1990 house, we saw how we balance the budget in a balanced way. we can do it again. three bipartisan groups have spent thousands of hours working to find common ground. they have all built a foundation. we do not agree with every proposal, and neither did they, but they are road maps. we do not need to reinvent the wheel here, but we have to put our shoulder to the wheel and find political willpower to get this done. none of us sitting here are so poor or so permanent that we can ignore the demands of history or the demands of the moment. we have to find not just common ground, but higher ground. some of the most fiercely independent plain talking and determined partisans in american history has have sat at desks and tables and chairs that we will sit in and have tackle the toughest issues throughout our

history, and they found common ground. with people they disagreed with on near everything else. now it is our turn. i believe, i am convinced there is a bipartisan consensus just waiting. if the 12 of us are willing to sit down and forge it and make it real. that is our mission, and that is our charge, and i look forward to getting to work. >> thank you. the could chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona, senator john kyle. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and i am struck and i suspect most of the people are, too, by the commonality of views expressed here and by the very strong united commitment to succeed. we are hearing the same things from hours constituents back home. this is the -- there is a strong connection. everyone has acknowledged this between our challenge of reducing the deficit and job

creation. i sense an optimism that we can succeed, expressed by all of my colleagues. this is coupled with the hope that we can do more. starting with the goal of $1.50 trillion deficit reduction, but hopefully moving beyond that, to things like tax reform and entitlement reform that we acknowledge would help in the ultimate goal of job creation and economic growth. i would like to also and with a challenge to my colleagues and an admonition to those who think this will be easy. i have been involved in three different levels of these discussions, starting last december. my colleague chris van hollen met in the biden talks, adding james clyburn and max baucus and a weaker 10 days of discussions at the white house, and having seen how the cult is to reach an agreement, i think a dose of realism is called for here.

this is tedious, time-consuming work, and will require going through a lot of budget numbers line by line. we already had hearings in both house and senate. it is time i think for us to get down to the hard decisions that are required to go through this line by line items. as chairman murray put it out, the time is short, which complicates our job. not only must we act by november, but we have to have anything that we would make public 48 hours in advance. the cbo must score everything and that may take weeks, based upon some of the complicated things we must do. the reality is we have to act by sometime -- by the end of october, realistically. this means we have essentials six weeks to construct our package. it is a long way of saying we are only going to succeed if we can avoid partisanship, i would

say, and try to limit the demands on the committee as well as the staff so we can collectively work to achieve this goal. ward demands made on the committee and its membership, the more challenging it will be. it is true, as one of my colleagues said, the american people want us to succeed. i am going to do everything within my power to succeed in this challenge that the american people and our colleagues have laid before us. the future of our country is at stake. >> thank you. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland, congressman van hollen. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i ask unanimous consent to give our colleague, mr. kemp, a brief opportunity to complete his remarks. -- mr. camp, a brief opportunity to complete his remarks. >> i appreciate his sentiment

and will yield back. >> i join my colleagues in recognizing we have a big responsibility to the american people, a responsibility to meet the twin challenges of doing everything in our power to put americans back to work and put america on a steady, predictable path to deficit and debt reduction. these are not competing goals. the overlap. every day the economy is stalled is another day the american people are hurting at another date that the deficit is growing. the quickest, most effective way to reduce the deficit in the short term is to help grow jobs. indeed, the nonpartisan congressional budget office has rejected for each 1/10 of 1%, we reduce the deficit. the biggest obstacle to economic growth is weak consumer demand.

it is simple, businesses are not going to hire employees unless they have customers for their goods and services. i know the american people are looking for to the president's plan tonight. i hope we will work in a bipartisan fashion to do just that. getting the economy moving again is part of the solution. it will not in itself reduce the deficit. it must be coupled with a credible deficit reduction plan. the good news, as my colleague from massachusetts said, we do not have to start from scratch . we fromtwo recent commission slapped her private a framework for the approach we should take. i do not agree with every proposal, and none of us do, but they do provide some overall scaffolding and a framework for serious deficit reduction plans.

the bipartisan commission's have several things in common. n against anything that will harm the economy, and second, the attack the long-term deficit challenge for with spending and revenue side of the question. they take a balanced approach. the recognize we need to modify and certain programs, and also simplify the tax cut by cutting the poor and the subsidies and of many special interests. we have just 77 days left to complete our work. the clock is ticking. there are plenty of ideas out there for reducing the deficit that have been debated and we have a menu of options. i think all of us would agree that if the committee were to fail, and i am confident it will not, it would not be for lack of ideas, but for a lack of political will.

there are some who believe that the next election will somehow bring about a huge new political alignment that will either allow republicans or democrats to get 100% of what they want in the way they wanted. it is a dangerous illusion that will put the long-term economic health at risk. it is time for both sides to bite the bullet, get the economy moving, and implement a long- term reduction plan. i stand ready to reach a compromise for the good of the country. compromise is not a dirty word. in fact, it is the difference between a divided government that works and a dysfunctional government that does not. this sunday, we all know marks the 10th anniversary of the awful day when our nation was attacked. in the aftermath of that awful september day, our nation showed its true character, as we rally together to meet a common challenge. we must unite now to put america

back to work to get our fiscal house in order, and to ensure a brighter future for our children and our country. thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you. the chair now calls of the rules of the joint committee and asks the clerk to report. >> proposed rules of the joint committee on deficit reduction. >> out objection, the first reading un rules is dispensed with. they will be open for amendment at any point, so the order of the chair recognizes in itself, and as all members know, these rules negotiated on a bicameral, bipartisan basis. they are designed to comport the roles of the standing committee of the house with those of the senate to assure that this body can operate as closely as possible to any standing

committee of either body. i urge their adoption, and i yield back. is there any other discussion of the proposed joint committee rules? the chair recognizes the cochair. >> i want to enter into a colloquy to discuss the meaning of the term -- this provides for meetings of the transaction of business which includes markups of legislation reports. the house and senate rules provide similar transparency requirements to those meetings that we have proposed in the joint committee. i want to clarify that the use of the term "meeting" as the same meeting and is not include less formal caucuses that would not be covered by house or senate rules.

>> the gentle lady will yield, the distinguished co-chair is correct. that reflects our understanding as we have been working on this particular rules package. is there any other discussion of the rules package? >> mr. chairman. , the gentleman from maryland is recognized. >> would this be the purply time to inquire about the hearing schedule? thank you. i know we have our first hearing scheduled for next week. it is an important kickoff hearing from mr. edelman door elemmendorf. i know the cochairs are involved in trying to decide the hearing schedule, and i want to underscore a point that a couple of us made. a number of us reference on both

sides referenced the work of bipartisan commissions. as i said, i doubt any of us subscribes to all of the proposals they made, but given the short amount of time that we have got, 77 days democrats i would suggest and hope it is appropriate that we get their input as we go along and do it as quickly as possible because they spent lot longer than we actually have to address some of these issues, and at least they can provide a menu of options. we can take them or leave them. i would inquire of the cochairs what the status of putting together the hearing schedule is. >> if the chairman would yield. i think you for your question. the co-chair and i have been working through a series of

decisions, including the number of proposals we have received on the subject and times for the hearings, and we hope to have our proposal to all of our members quickly. when will be working through that. we are very conscious of the need to get this done quickly, the 7 day notice puts intense pressure on us, and we will be working through that and intend to get all of our committee members as quickly as possible our proposal for hearings. >> would associate myself with my co-chair's remarks. does the gentleman yield? is there further discussion on the rules package? if there is no further the discussion, the question occurs on reporting the rules. all in favor saying aye. as opposed -- those opposed no. the ayes have it.

so ordered, the joint committee now stands adjourned. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

>> this was the first meeting of the committee. the second plot meeting is planned for next tuesday. the panel is made up of six democrats and six republicans and had been instructed to come up with $1.20 trillion in deficit cuts by thanksgiving. president obama delivers his jobs plan to a joint session of congress this evening. the speech will start at 7:00 p.m. eastern, live on c-span. covers picks up before that around 6:15 as members of the house and senate their way to the fore. after the speech we will take your phone calls and comments. until then more about the president's upcoming speech and goals of the joint deficit reduction committee. it is from this morning's " washington journal." the democrats' leadership team,

tears the democratic caucus. thanks for being here this morning, john. guest: thank you. host: representative larson has introduced legislation that would require the super -- guest: the main premise is quite simple and very germane. we know from day cbo score that if we reduce unemployment to solve the 7%, that we can reduce the deficit by more than 25%.

and so, it seems very common sense and straight forward to me that what we want to do as part of the start of the committee to reduce the debt by $1.50 trillion, if we can get a quarter of that down by putting people back to work, the primary goal of the american public, why not? any economist that you have talked to said they have to have an approach that will deal with the huge unemployment question. this is a path forward. the national journal came out in august with 11 ways to put people back to work without increasing the deficit. there's no shortage of plans. certainly the president will lay out on this evening. democrats have laid out under what we call our kids in america agenda. that's focused primarily on infrastructure improvements and putting people back to work in the aftermath of these horrific

storms that we have experienced in the northeast and the devastation that its cost, having a community recovering co -- core. putting people back to work especially young people that are out of jobs and can help in the rebuilding and dealing with some of these communities whose very character has been changed. in vermont and new york and parts of connecticut, by the storm. so that is the goal. it is rather straightforward. i am pleased with the bipartisan support that i believe it can garner. >host: the stock little about the president's speech. do you think it makes good sense for the president to ask for a joint session of congress to lay out a jobs plan? guest: i do. i think anytime that you have an issue as pressing as the unemployment crisis that we are facing in this country, it is

incumbent upon the president to address the people and at the same time addressed the body that will have to implement any of his ideas. so without congressional support, it's going to be very difficult for the president to get through any of his proposals. i don't know what they are all going to be, but we have a strong indication that he feels very strongly about extending the tax cuts that people have received. otherwise they will experience tax hikes in this economy probably cannot be sustained. and also an infrastructure program that will focus on not only the roads and bridges, but rebuilding schools, and thereby help us on two fronts. making sure we are putting people back to work but also making sure that we are keeping our schools competitive in this global economy. host: let me ask your thoughts on the extension of the payroll tax deduction?

% is the roll back, i believe. -- 2%. it did not have the desired effect of people spending more money to stimulate the economy. guest: most people did not realize they got it. that is the common concern you hear from a number of members. i believe it did have a stimulative effect. i think without it, it would be felt immediately by those who recognize all of a sudden their taxes just went up. a long-term concern for me. we want to make sure that in a system of social security, that we continue to pay into that system to make it solvent and secure well into the future as it is now. host: on the issue of whether congress can work together, last night's eric cantor sent last night's eric cantor sent out a series of