John Boehner

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H. Res. 600, congratulating charter schools and their students, parents, teachers, and administrators across the United States for their ongoing contributions to education. This week is the fifth annual National Charter School Week and provides a great opportunity for Congress to recognize and honor charter schools and those involved for the role they play in reforming and improving our nation's public education system. Charter schools are public schools that agree to improved academic achievement and accountability in financial and other operations, in exchange for increased flexibility and independence. The greater autonomy allows charter schools to focus on increasing academic achievement in each student, rather than bureaucratic paperwork. Charter schools must meet all the same No Child Left Behind achievement goals as other public schools. Charter schools are adept at meeting the specific needs of the local community in which they are located, especially in low-income communities. Nationwide, almost half of charter schools serve students considered at-risk or who have previously dropped out of school. Charter school students share similar demographic characteristics with students in all public schools, and serve significant numbers of students from low income families, minority students, and students with disabilities. This being the case, charter schools allow many parents and students freedom of choice that otherwise would not be available, enabling them to improve their lives with a quality education. In addition, increased flexibility allows charter schools to use varied educational methods and techniques while still remaining accountable for results. Charter schools have benefited from a strong degree of bipartisan support from the local, state, and national levels. This is evidenced by the efforts of both Republicans and Democrats in Congress when they expanded access to charter schools through the No Child Left Behind legislation. In the two years since the enactment of that legislation, Congress and the President have provided at least $200 million dollars annually to assist in the financing of new charter schools and to provide additional aid to existing schools. It is important for Congress to recognize, through this resolution honoring National Charter Schools Week, the benefits charter schools and those involved have brought to our education system and to our nation at large. I thank my colleague from Nevada, Mr. Porter, for introducing this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 598 offered by the gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Hayes. House Resolution 598 recognizes the valuable contributions of the teachers, administrators, and staff who work hard everyday to educate the children of military families. It's fitting that we are considering this resolution today, as this week marks National Teacher Appreciation Week. This resolution reflects our strong belief that every child in America, regardless of their military connection, deserves the opportunity to receive a quality education, and that every child should be taught by a highly qualified teacher. The success of education reform efforts is increasingly seen as directly dependent on the quality of classroom instruction, and ensuring the quality of America's 3.2 million teachers is an essential part of providing an excellent education to all our children. A growing number of studies provide conclusive evidence that teacher quality is the primary school-related factor affecting student achievement. Students who are taught by effective and competent teachers excel quickly, while those who are assigned to the least effective teachers lag behind and often never catch up. House Resolution 598 focuses on schools that serve our military children. These schools understand the importance of providing a normal learning environment and regular routine for children whose parents serve in the military so that they are able to learn in stressful situations, especially in times of conflict. They can also provide students with a sense of safety and reassurance while their parents are defending our freedom. Schools serving military installations can offer increased counseling for military children when family members are deployed, and teachers and counselors working in such schools are trained to work with military children and their classmates when there is a service-related incident or death. These schools can also offer additional counseling for staff, many of whom are spouses, parents, brothers, and sisters of deployed members of the Armed Forces. I would particularly like to thank the schools serving the children of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in my district. The Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is the only active military base in Ohio and focuses on aviation research and development. I would like to thank them for their commitment to serving the needs of our military families. Mr. Speaker, the teachers, administrators and staff of all our schools are the true heroes of our communities. Every child deserves an excellent education in order to gain the skills needed to continue on to higher learning, compete in the marketplace, contribute to society, and lead a fulfilling life. This resolution rightly recognizes the contributions of the teachers, administrators, and staff of military impacted schools, and Department of Defense Education Activity schools world-wide and we praise the teachers in military impacted communities who work on the front lines at home to educate students during times of peace and times of conflict. I would like to thank Mr. Hayes for his leadership in bringing this bipartisan resolution forward and urge my colleagues to vote in support of this resolution.

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday April 7, 2004.

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 additional minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas).

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House of April 1, 2004, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 3108) to amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to temporarily replace the 30-year Treasury rate with a rate based on long-term corporate bonds for certain pension plan funding requirements, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3108.

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 15 minutes of this time be controlled by the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, when H.R. 3108 was brought to the floor, it was brought to the floor and developed in total agreement between myself, the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel). We came to an agreement on what the bill would be, and that is why it was brought up the way it was.

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the pension security measure that we have before us is of great urgency for American workers and their employers, and that is because the 30-year Treasury bond that is used to calculate the contributions and obligations for employers for single-employer defined benefit systems are so low that it is causing companies to have to take money that they would invest in their business, that they would invest in more jobs, and put it into their pension plans when, in reality, they do not need to put that money there. Mr. Speaker, this issue of what we do with defined benefit pension plans is a very difficult path that we must follow. On one hand, we want to protect the obligations and the rights of employees who have been offered these plans and to maintain the retirement security that they have been promised and that they are expecting. At the same time, we need to find a way to make these plans work more smoothly so that employers do not continue to leave these plans in droves, as they have over the last 15 years. That is why the bill we have before us today was intended to fix this discount rate for single-employer defined benefit plans, and we go from a 30-year Treasury bond to a blend of corporate bond indexes that we believe more appropriately reflects the marketplace in terms of what the discount rate should be as they calculate these obligations. Yesterday, the House and Senate reached an agreement on a short-term bill that is good for the economy, it is good for American workers and the overall health of the Nation's pension system. I should say temporary. This is a 2-year bill. As the gentleman from New Jersey pointed out, the people who are opposed to this bill do not have funding obligation problems for 5, 6, 7 years; and for those multi- employer plans who do have problems here in the short term, over the next 3 years they will in fact, by and large, get the relief that they need. The measure that was adopted by the conferees yesterday, I think, is a fair and responsible proposal that meets all of the goals that the conferees started with when we had the conference. The most critical urgent measure is the 30- year Treasury bond fix. It also includes limited relief from deficit reduction contributions for airlines and integrated steel companies, and it targets funding relief for multi-employer pension plans that we believe are most in need. It is also a bill that the President of the United States has agreed he will sign into law. It is important to note that the interest rate provision really is the sole reason that we are here. Last fall, when we passed this measure on a 397 to 2 vote, everyone voted for this bill except two Members from the other side of the aisle. There was never any discussion about multi-employer relief, and we worked with our Senate and Republican colleagues on both sides of the aisle, both sides of the Capitol. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, for his willingness to work closely with us, and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman) on our side, along with the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Tiberi), the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson), and the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon), and I guess that would be it on our side; along with the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews) and the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel). We worked together very closely in an open and bipartisan process that I think speaks well of how we should legislate here in the House. I think we have come an awful long way, and we need to get this bill finished, and we need to get it finished today. These funding obligations for employers are due on April 15, and if this conference report is not passed by the House and Senate and signed into law before then, companies will be making contributions that they really are not required, we believe, to make. Beyond thanking all of the Members who have worked on this, I want to take a moment to thank all of our staff. As we all know, Members are only as good as the staff we have around us, and we have staff on both sides of the aisle who have done really an awful lot of hard work to get us here today. From my own staff, I want to thank Paula Nowakowski, Ed Gilroy, Stacey Dion, Jo-Marie St. Martin, David Connolly, Jeff Dobrozsi, Kevin Smith, Greg Maurer, Dave Schnittger, Linda Stevens, Kevin Frank, and Deborah Samantar. I would also like to thank Shahira Knight and Lisa Schultz from the staff of the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas); Kathleen Black from the staff of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson); Kurt Courtney from the staff of the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon); Angela Klemack from the staff of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Tiberi); and Barbara Pate from the staff of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman) for all her work on this as well. I would also like to thank John Lawrence, Michelle Varnhagen and Mark Zuckerman from the staff of the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), and Jody Calemine from the staff of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews), and Mildeen Worrell from the staff of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) for an awful lot of really long, long nights in getting us here. I also want to thank Wade Ballou and Larry Johnston of the House Office of Legislative Counsel. They were under a great deal of pressure yesterday to get this bill drafted so we could get it filed. Now there are some groups out there opposing the bill we have before us today, but there are also a lot of people supporting the bill we have before us today: the Airline Pilots Association, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the United Auto Workers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Motor Freight Carriers Association, Delta Airlines, the Business Round Table, New York Life, United Parcel Service, Northwest Airlines, Ford Motor Company, Daimler Chrysler, General Motors, and the Financial Services Roundtable. If you want to see a broad bipartisan nonideological coalition of people supporting the bill, I think the list I have just read does in fact do that. I would urge all of my colleagues today to reject the motion to commit and to vote ``yes'' on final passage of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As we said before, this is a short-term, 2-year temporary effort to help with the Nation's ailing pension system. There is not an issue that is in the bill that any of the conferees disagreed with. There are more things that people would like to add to the bill; but the bill that is before us, everybody agrees to, other than some people have been disappointed because they want more. We all want more, but the gentleman himself said that the multi-employer relief that is not included in the bill is for firms and plans that have a problem 5 or 6 years from now. Trust me, we will be back here within the next 2 years with a broad overhaul of our Nation's pension laws, which is greatly needed. This is a broad bipartisan bill. I think it will be supported in a broad bipartisan way here today. The motion to recommit is nothing more than a way to kill the bill. We do not want that to happen. It would be bad for American workers and their employers. I urge my colleagues to vote against the motion to recommit and to vote for final passage.

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

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6, 2004, unless it sooner has received a message from the Senate transmitting its concurrence in House Concurrent Resolution 404, in which case the House shall stand adjourned pursuant to that concurrent resolution.

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday, April 21, 2004.

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary have until midnight tonight to file a report on the bill H.R. 3866.

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this measure, which shows our Nation's unwavering commitment to both higher education and providing a strong national defense. At no time in recent memory has the United States placed more responsibility on our men and women in uniform. We are fighting a war on terrorism on multiple fronts, in Afghanistan and Iraq, and it is essential, if we are to be victorious in defending our freedom and protecting our homeland, that we promote military service as an option to college students across the U.S. It is important to acknowledge that when this Congress passed, and President Bush signed into law, the No Child Left Behind Act, the bill made it easier for military recruiters to inform America's high school students about their options to serve their country, while also giving parents a choice about whether or not they want their sons and daughters to be contacted individually by military recruiters. Now, in the ROTC and Military Recruiter Equal Access to Campus Act, again we are giving choices to institutions of higher education. The Solomon Act, passed in 1996, grants the Secretary of Defense power to deny federal funding to institutions of higher learning if they prohibit or prevent ROTC or military recruitment on campus. This law recognizes the importance of having a capable, educated and well- prepared military--one that is ready to defend American liberties such as freedom of speech and higher education. As the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Isakson) and I wrote in a letter to colleagues last year, if we deny armed forces recruiters the opportunity to actively recruit in schools, we not only disrespect the sacrifices of military men and women who have made our freedom possible--we also rob our students of the valuable opportunities that military service to our Nation can provide. There is no reason to not allow our Nation's armed forces to make their best case to college students and to do so in the same fashion as many of the private sector employers colleges and universities seem to relish having on campus with equivocation. Denial of access and equality to ROTC chapters and military recruiters by colleges that receive federal funds is an insult to the taxpayers in our 50 states who help subsidize higher education in this country. Many nations have mandatory military service for their citizens. We don't. The very core of our system of homeland security and national defense depends on young men and women deciding, on their own volition, that they wish to serve their country. Successful recruitment of the best officers in our military relies heavily on the Reserve Officer Training Corps. In 2003, ROTC produced 70 percent of the newly-commissioned officers who entered the U.S. Army, allowing military recruiters to be barred from federally-funded campuses could have direct consequences for our national security. As the UCLAW Veterans Society said in a recent legal brief: ``A shortage of military lawyers would affect military commanders' ability to train their soldiers on the law of war,'' and ``a lack of military lawyers could increase the likelihood of law of war violations soldiers and unacceptable civilian collateral damage during military operations.'' This measure should not be politicized. It is straight-forward and benefits both our students and armed forces. H.R. 3966 does not violate a college's Constitutional rights to free speech or protest. Congress doesn't force colleges and universities to accept federal funding. If an institution of higher-learning wishes to bar ROTC chapters from forming or military recruiters from recruiting, it is free to do so-- but it should not expect that decision to be endorsed and subsidized by the taxpayers of the United States. This legislation reaffirms our commitment to that principle. I commend the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers) for offering it, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 2231, but I am discouraged that we find ourselves needing to pass this legislation. The bill before us today will extend the Federal welfare law, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, or TANF, for another 3 months. This is the sixth time we have come to the floor to extend this program since its authorization expired in September 2002. The 1996 welfare reform law is one of the most successful social policy initiatives in recent memory. However, we know there is more work to be done. A majority of TANF recipients--approximately 60 percent--still are not working for benefits. To put even more Americans on the path to self-sufficiency and independence, the House passed H.R. 4 in February 2003. H.R. 4 strengthens current work requirements by asking welfare recipients to engage in work-related activities for 40 hours a week--16 of which could be in education, job training, or other constructive activities as defined by States. The House-passed bill would ensure that no needy family would fall through the cracks. H.R. 4 creates a policy of universal engagement so that all families receiving welfare benefits must be in work or other activities leading to self-sufficiency. The House reauthorization measure also gradually increases to 70 percent the work participation rate required by States. Moreover, the House reauthorization bill makes significant improvements to the Child Care and Development Block Grant. It adds $1 billion in discretionary funding to the program over 5 years and requires States to devote more money to improving child care quality. These provisions will ensure that low-income parents have access to safe, quality child care as they move into work. This week the other body is considering full welfare reauthorization. I am encouraged that the other body may soon pass its welfare reauthorization bill, and hope we will be able to resolve our differences quickly in a conference committee. The millions of Americans still seeking to move off of the welfare rolls deserve no less. Those continuing to struggle to attain self- sufficiency need the assistance that H.R. 4 would provide. While I hope this will be the last extension of current law we must pass, I urge my colleagues to support the bill before us today.

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2241, which extends the authorization for the expiring portions of federal child nutrition programs for an additional three months. The child nutrition programs include the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (or WIC); the Child and Adult Care Food Program; the After School Snack Program; and the Summer Food Service Program. These invaluable programs--which are responsible for providing nutritious meals to millions of children and adults every day--are due for reauthorization this year. I am pleased to note that the House acted decisively last week to approve comprehensive reauthorization legislation, showing overwhelming support for a bill that includes positive reforms to improve program integrity and ensure services for eligible children. Unfortunately we have not had the opportunity to complete the reauthorization process with our friends on the other side of the Capitol, and for that reason, we are here today seeking to extend the current authorization an additional three months. This bill contains one provision of particular importance to our Nation's soldiers, sailors and airmen. If this legislation is not approved, the children of Armed Forces members who live in privatized military housing and who are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch will lose their school meal subsidies. This would be an insult to these parents who work every day to secure our Nation's freedom. In addition, this legislation contains a provision that allows for- profit child care centers to continue to participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and to continue to provide meals and snacks to centers where at least 25 percent of the children enrolled meet the income eligibility requirements for free and reduced-price lunch. Parents will always bear primary responsibility for their children's health and nutrition, but this bill provides assistance for those who are having trouble making ends meet. The overall goal of all of the child nutrition programs is to make sure that low-income children and families have access to low-cost meals and snacks that are safe and nutritious. The Child Nutrition Improvement & Integrity Act approved by the House last week includes important steps to ensure effective and efficient use of federal resources dedicated to child nutrition programs. The bipartisan bill, authored by Representative Mike Castle (R-DE), would significantly enhance integrity in how the child nutrition programs are administered, and would ensure vulnerable children and families have improved access to nutritional services. I am eager to move forward with the Child Nutrition Improvement & Integrity Act, and I believe the extension before us will allow the Congress to complete a thorough and comprehensive reauthorization process that includes the positive reforms approved by the House last week. This bipartisan bill is a simple, straightforward tool to make sure we are serving the millions of low-income children who depend upon the programs contained in the Child Nutrition and Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Acts. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the bill before us today and I encourage the House to act once again in a bipartisan show of support for federal child nutrition programs by voting ``yes'' on S. 2241.

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3873) to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to provide children with access to food and nutrition assistance, to simplify program operations, to improve children's nutritional health, and to restore the integrity of child nutrition programs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure, which represents months of hard work and commitment to bipartisan cooperation. In that spirit, we have before us a bill that will extend the life of the Federal child nutrition programs while strengthening program integrity, ensuring effective use of Federal resources, and providing continued nutrition services for millions of American children. First and foremost, I would like to thank the author of this bill and those who have worked closely with him to reach our shared goal of strengthening Federal child nutrition programs. The chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Education Reform, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey), deserve a great deal of credit for their hard work and cooperation that have brought this bill before us today. I would also like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), the ranking member of the committee, for his continued commitment to a bipartisan, cooperative process. The Federal child nutrition programs ensure millions of needy children have access to healthy and nutritious meals. The investment in these programs is considerable, and so is our obligation to ensure our Federal resources are being used effectively and efficiently. Children and families depend on the Federal child nutrition programs, and they depend on us to ensure that these programs are being administered with integrity. The Child Nutrition Improvement and Integrity Act reauthorizes the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs, Child and Adult Care Food program, After-School Snack program, the Summer Food Service program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. Taken together, the reforms in this bill will help ensure we are making the most of Federal child nutrition resources, while being mindful of program quality and integrity. The bill before us strikes, I think, an important balance between our desire to promote healthy nutritional choices and physical activity among children, and the need to preserve local control for schools, communities, and States. The gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), the author of this bill, has been a leader in our efforts to reduce the epidemic of child obesity by promoting a comprehensive approach that includes nutrition education and physical activity. In particular, the establishment of local wellness policies, written at the local level to reflect local needs, marks significant progress that will promote nutrition education and increase physical activity in schools while maintaining local control. To improve program integrity within the Federal child nutrition programs and ensure access for eligible children, the legislation makes a number of positive reforms. The bill allows children whose parents are in the Armed Forces and living in privatized military housing to continue to receive free or reduced-price meals in school if they meet the eligibility requirements. It also helps the parents by allowing them to submit a single application for multiple children and ensures enrollment of eligible children through the use of direct certification of school lunch eligibility for those children in families receiving food stamps. Importantly, the Child Nutrition Improvement and Integrity Act also takes steps to reduce paperwork by allowing school lunch certifications to be valid for one full year, preventing situations in which schools are forced to repeatedly certify children within a single school year. The bill also includes a provision originally proposed by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Keller) to help reduce the stigma amongst children receiving free and reduced-price lunches by helping schools make technological improvements such as automated meal card systems that keep students' financial status confidential. That, in fact, will also increase the efficiency of program operations. These are just a few of the numerous reforms that will ensure eligible children and families access to services and Federal resources that are being effectively leveraged to serve children in need. I would also like to recognize the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) for their commitment to encouraging partnerships that allow fresh and local produce to go from farms to schools. In recognizing the success and popularity of the fruit and vegetable pilot program, which provides free fresh and dried fruits and fresh vegetables to children in 25 schools in each of four States and on one Indian reservation, I am pleased that the bill before us authorizes the continuation and expansion of this valuable program. The act before us will prevent important nutritional programs from expiring, while ensuring that they continue to operate effectively and efficiently. I am pleased to support this measure and encourage my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' and ensuring the availability of nutritional services for millions of vulnerable children and their families. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger).

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

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of our time. As we have seen during the debate today, this has been a very cooperative process, very bipartisan process, both sides of the aisle coming together to do what we can do to improve the nutrition services and nutrition programs that the Federal Government operates for millions of American children. There is a lot more that a lot of people would want to do in the bill that we have before us, many things, unfortunately, that we cannot afford under the current budget to do, but I think it has been demonstrated that there is broad bipartisan support for this bill, and I would encourage Members to not let the perfect become the enemy of the good. We have a good, sound bill before us that will, in fact, ensure that millions of needy children are served either through the school lunch program, the WIC program or the breakfast program. For many of these children, it may be the only meal that they get all day. Mr. Speaker, I would ask Members to support the bill. I also thank all of the staff, including Kate Houston on my staff, Stephanie Milburn, Krisann Pearce, Cindy Herrle, Julian Baer, Tyson Redpath who works in my personal office, and Sarah Rittling who works with the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), and all of our staff, Denise and others on the Democrat side for all of their hard work because they went through months and months of discussions and negotiations. I also thank all of the groups, the outside groups from the food service administrators to all of those involved in helping us forge this bipartisan agreement. This was not a very easy bill, but it did become easy because there was good cooperation between both sides of the aisle, good understanding of the issues of what we could and could not do. And in the end, bipartisanship does work when Members put their minds together and try to come up with a product that is in the best interest of American children. I would encourage Members to vote for the bill.

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