Melissa Bean

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate National Day of Serbia, which observes the anniversary of the adoption of Serbia's first modern constitution in 1835. In addition, this year marks Serbia's first National Day as an independent nation-state. February 15th is also Armed Forces Day in Serbia which commemorates the beginning of the first Serbian uprising against the Ottoman Empire in 1804. On this day over 200 years ago, Serbians began the arduous effort to gain independence after nearly 300 years of Ottoman rule. Finally, this year marks 125 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Serbia. A strong democratic Serbia is crucial to the future of the former Yugoslav republics, the Balkans, and the rest of eastern Europe. Strong ties with the United States are necessary as Serbia looks to encourage international investment, expand its economy and move forward into the future. Madam Speaker, please join me, Serbian-Americans and the citizens of Serbia in remembering such an important date in their history.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. I thank the gentleman from New York for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 976, the Small Business Tax Relief Act. America's small and medium businesses are our Nation's stimulative engine, employing roughly 80 percent of our domestic workforce. Too often, our Tax Code is weighted in support of our large lobbying interests, without consideration of those small businesses who are the backbone of our communities and have vital economic impact there. I am proud to join Chairwoman Velazquez, Chairman Rangel and other colleagues in support of the Small Business Tax Relief Act, which provides needed tax relief to our Nation's small businesses in support of their growth and profitability. In particular, the Small Business Tax Relief Act will provide incentives to businesses in my district and around our country to continue to invest in the infrastructure important to their growth. In addition to extending deductions in plant material investments, this bill also extends the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. This credit has been successful in helping people move from welfare to work and gain on-the-job experience by incentivizing employers to hire disadvantaged workers, including returning veterans and the disabled. As Chair of the Small Business Tax and Finance Subcommittee, I will continue to champion initiatives that help our Nation's small businesses prosper. I urge my colleagues to support the Small Business Tax Relief Act as part of that effort. As our small businesses grow stronger, so do the communities in which they reside and the workers they employ.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from Massachusetts, for yielding. I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 63 and in opposition to the proposed troop surge in Iraq. When I visited Iraq in 2005, like the soldiers I met there, I was hopeful that democratic elections would allow Iraq to move forward as a unified sovereign nation. While the elections demonstrated a commitment from the Iraqi people to do that, the situation on the ground has instead worsened, sectarian violence has increased, and the escalating death toll for American and Allied troops and the Iraqi people demand serious scrutiny of our strategy in Iraq. When I met with the President's military and national security advisers last month to learn about their new plan, I anticipated that a new course would be proposed. Regrettably, this surge does not constitute a new course. We have tried multiple troop surges. After the most recent surge last summer, conducted in Baghdad, the U.S. military declared that it had ``not met our overall expectations of sustaining a reduction in levels of violence.'' In fact, attacks increased by 22 percent, and already after 20 percent of the current surge has been deployed, violence has not decreased. Instead of sending more troops, our military mission in Iraq must shift from attempting to secure Iraq to better equipping and training the Iraqi Security Forces so they can secure their own country. Like most Americans, I have supported the President's objective that we will stand down as the Iraqis stand up. We have already trained nearly 325,000 Iraqi Security Forces toward that end. For 4 years Americans have seen the brave men and women of our Armed Forces perform their duty courageously. We have seen over 3,100 American husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters make the ultimate sacrifice, including 116 servicemen and women from my State of Illinois. We have seen $400 billion in hard-earned tax dollars invested in this effort to support those fighting. What we haven't seen is real accountability for results. That is why I have joined my colleagues in the Blue Dog Coalition to introduce the Iraq War Cost Accountability Resolution. This resolution requires accountability in four ways: spending accountability; contractual accountability; budget accountability; and, importantly, Iraqi accountability. To ensure spending accountability, this resolution requires the Department of Defense Inspector General to provide an accounting of all military and reconstruction spending and to report to Congress every 90 days, including how and where our tax dollars are being spent, transparency in contracting and procurement methods, and levels of participation from other countries, additional funding required, and, importantly, sanctions applied for fraud, abuse, and war profiteering. To enforce contractual accountability, a select committee akin to the Truman Committee would be created to investigate the awarding of contracts and their execution to protect our tax dollars. To provide budget accountability, this resolution requires funding requests for the war in Iraq in fiscal 2008 and beyond must come through the regular appropriations process, not continued emergency supplementals. And to demand Iraqi accountability, the administration should firmly condition further American financial and military support upon steady and measurable improvement in Iraqi progress towards principal responsibility for internal security in Iraq. Mr. Speaker, increasing the number of troops without increasing the level of accountability perpetuates the same policy that has led to this crisis in Iraq. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support both of these resolutions. Instead of sending more troops, let us provide the high degree of accountability that the American people demand and that our valiant men and women serving in Iraq deserve.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. It is always a pleasure to join my Blue Dog colleagues on the House floor. The Blue Dogs were formed with the intention of always demanding accountability and oversight, particularly relative to our national budget. We are out here pretty regularly talking about the $8 trillion national debt. You have the number right next to you, Mr. Ross. That has really ballooned out of control. We talk about PAYGO budget rules, which we were glad to lead our caucus into passing through the House so we can start to bring some fiscal sense back to this Congress in the same way that our taxpayers and constituents have to bring to their home budgets and their business budgets. They deserve the same level of accountability with their tax dollars and the way we spend them here. That applies to the entire budget. There is no more important priority than ensuring the safety of our troops and our Nation. So it is almost incomprehensible that billions of dollars of the roughly $400 billion that has been spent on the war in Iraq goes unaccounted for. Congressman Murphy just spoke to that. He talked about it is not just dollars unaccounted for, but weapons as well. So there is a serious safety issue for our troops. Therefore, I was proud to join my Blue Dog colleagues as a cosponsor of this Iraq war cost accountability resolution that I believe we are introducing on the floor tomorrow. Before I talk about the resolution itself, I just wanted to mention another one of our colleagues who is not with us today, Congresswoman Jane Harman, who recently had an op-ed piece that she entitled ``Stop Conducting the War Off the Books.'' She talked about how the emergency supplemental that the President has said he will be bringing to this Congress will be the sixth emergency supplemental for this war. She also talks about how our own last year's budget resolution defined ``emergency'' as only spending that is ``sudden, unforeseen or temporary.'' While certainly supporting our troops is urgent and important, it is not sudden, when we are almost 4 years and $400 billion into this war. I think she makes a good case that we all support, who are on this resolution, getting these requests into the budget, and that one of the reasons they have been called emergencies when they haven't been unforeseen or sudden is that doing so exempts the President from spending caps and from counting the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been spent on the war in Iraq in our deficit. What that really is, it is dishonest accounting. We are not asking all Americans to join Congress in making the hard decisions about what the cost of this war should mean relative to a shared sacrifice. So by doing it off the books, we are not engaging in the dialogue we really should be having. This resolution that we are introducing tomorrow will require four things: first, accountability and oversight, not only for our own spending, but also what we are doing to urge other countries and allies to participate and what their spending would be. It will talk about dollars already spent and how they have been spent and whether we have accomplished what we set out to do. Also important is it will include sanctions for contractors that have engaged in fraud, abuse or war profiteering. The second thing it will do, as Congressman Murphy alluded to, is create committees akin to the Truman Committee that will, again, look at all contracts awarded and also the method of how those contracts are awarded to ensure we are getting the best return on our tax dollars. Third, it will require, as I just alluded to, the on-budget accounting of the war. No more emergency supplementals. But it will require that the war in Iraq, starting in fiscal 2008 and beyond, any requests for funding must come through the regular appropriations process, with the oversight and accountability that goes along with that. The fourth thing that this resolution does is it states how important it is for Iraq to be moving forward in assuming the principal responsibility for their own internal security. It will require that the administration should condition further American financial or military support upon steady improvement in Iraqi progress toward that end. I am very proud to join my colleagues on this resolution. I think the American public should expect no less from this Congress. I am hopeful that we are going to have bipartisan support on this resolution, as we have on some of the things we have been introducing in the first 100 hours in our new majority. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for letting me join him.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support H.R. 4, The Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act. I strongly believe Medicare should ensure seniors have access to the drugs and treatments that they need. In response to that need, Congress passed H.R. 1, The Medicare Modernization Act, in 2003. Today, H.R. 4 will take a step further by allowing the Secretary of Health and Human Services the ability to negotiate with pharmaceutical manufactures for drugs covered under Medicare Part D. By removing the noninterference provision of the Medicare Modernization Act, we are providing another tool to help lower drug prices and make medicine more affordable for seniors. This bill would require the HHS Secretary to submit a report on the negotiations this June, and every six months thereafter. It does not call for a national formulary, stifle competition, or limit consumer choice. When members of the 108th Congress wrote The Medicare Modernization Act, they did so with the intention of using market competition to contain drug prices. In fact, in its first year, Medicare Part D has witnessed bids that are ten percent lower in 2007 than 2006. The market is working, and we should not remove competition that helps lower drug prices and reduces consumer options. Innovation and R&D into future medications, vaccines, and treatments require profitable, healthy drug companies that are able to navigate through the arduous approval process. So we must balance cost savings with continuing to encourage the creation of innovative new drugs. Therefore, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 4 but to avoid additional proposals that could be unduly harmful to future, life- saving discoveries.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Thank you for yielding, Mr. Ross from Arkansas. It is such a pleasure to be part of the Blue Dog Coalition. And our 12-point plan for budget reform is so important to get this country back on the right fiscal track. Fiscal responsibility is what our constituents, as taxpayers, expect from us and particularly what our children and our grandchildren expect from us as well. Their future depends on our making better decisions than we have been making. I know just to the right of Mr. Ross there is a little chart that he has probably already referred to before I joined him here on the floor. Have you already put up the actual total of the national debt? That is an important chart to look at because it is a staggering reality, as we have added trillions of dollars in recent years to our national debt. And when I meet with children in my district, when I go to elementary schools, middle schools and high schools, and I talk to kids a little bit about financial literacy and fiscal responsibility, I am embarrassed to admit that we haven't been demonstrating much of it here at a congressional level. And I share with these kids that their share of the national debt is, as you can see, over $29,000. We are approaching $30,000, each individual American's share of the national debt. It is just a gross irresponsibility that we have demonstrated, and we need to rectify that. So I am proud of the leadership that the Blue Dogs has brought to our caucus and to this Congress to get back to pay-as-you-go budget rules because pay-as-you-go budget rules have worked in the past on a bipartisan basis to force fiscal discipline amongst a body that includes 435 Members with different interests. It forces us to make the tough decisions so we can stay within our budget and work back towards a balanced budget. Our 12-point plan includes, number one, requiring a balanced budget; number two, not allowing Congress to buy on credit; number three, putting a lid on spending; number four, requiring agencies to put their fiscal houses in order. Too many of our agencies, according to the GAO, 16 of the 23 major Federal agencies, can't even issue a simple audit of their books, and that is just unacceptable. You can't run a business that way. We can't run our personal household finances that way. How can we allow agencies to continue to not demonstrate exactly how they are spending our tax dollars? Number five, make Congress tell taxpayers how much they are spending. Create a greater degree of transparency. Number six, set aside a rainy day fund. Number seven, do not hide your votes to raise the debt limit. There has been too much of that dishonesty in what we say we are doing and what we are really doing as far as how it shakes out in the overall national debt. Number eight, justify spending for pet projects. We have just moved forward on that in what we introduced recently in our rules to require Members to list any projects that they have put into a bill for their districts and to justify that on the merits of those expenditures.

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, it is very exciting to see us move forward on part of the 12-point plan, and I know we are going to continue to work hard to get even more. And our next one I know we are also including is ensuring that Congress has an opportunity to read the bills that they are voting on, and we have also changed in our rules where things are getting rammed through and people didn't have X amount of hours to look at those bills so they knew what they were voting on. That is number nine.

Ms. BEAN. Absolutely. Number 10 is requiring an honest cost estimate for every bill that Congress votes on as well. The Congressional Budget Office can and should be providing that prior to voting on any expenditure so we know exactly what the long-term ramifications of that expenditure are going to be at least from an estimate perspective. Number 11 is making sure that the new bills do fit within the budget. And number 12 is making Congress do a better job of keeping tabs on government programs and creating a higher degree of accountability and reports back to Congress on whether we are actually accomplishing what we say we are supposed to be accomplishing with those programs.

Ms. BEAN. Thank you so much, Mr. Ross. It is a pleasure to be here with my colleagues. Colloquy is always a fun way to communicate on things that we have common concerns about. I thought Mr. Scott led this conversation so well when he talked about Jefferson's quote about our responsibility to future generations. He knew that as a founder of this great Nation, and we still have that responsibility to future generations. We teach our children that if they make a mess, they ought to clean it up. Yet we have made a mess of this Nation's finances, and we need to start now, and we have started in this first 100 hours in the Democratic majority to address that mess and clean it up. The expression is ``pass the buck,'' but what we have instead been doing is passing the debt. We should not be passing trillions of dollars to future generations with ``borrow and spend.'' Instead, we should pay as we go.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the House rules package, and especially title IV which reinstalls PAYGO budget rules. One of the reasons I came to Congress was to bring real world business perspective to government. In the business world, accountability and results matter. To get our fiscal house in order, Congress must do what every business does: Balance its books. If it is worth doing, it is worth paying for. We must pay as we go. It is a simple concept with a proven track record. I am pleased Congress is returning from the recent borrow-and-spend irresponsibility to fiscal soundness and the accountability our constituents expect. I want to thank the Blue Dog Coalition and my colleagues for their leadership on this issue. Today's vote is a result of their steadfast guidance of our Democratic Caucus and Congress on the importance of fiscal responsibility. I urge my colleagues to follow the Blue Dog's lead and support reinstituting pay-as-you-go budget rules. Now accountability in government will be more than just a catch phrase.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, every one of us in this chamber mourns the murder of the nearly 3,000 innocent people on September 11th. We all want to take the fight to the terrorists and protect America from those bent on harming us. Each of us wants to commemorate the deaths of the innocent and reaffirm our creed to never forget with an honest, humble, nonpartisan Resolution. We have shared goals, and we can come together and write a Resolution we can all support and of which the American people can be proud. I am saddened today that partisan politics have entered into the debate of this Resolution today, and that language was deliberately used in this Resolution which is divisive and unnecessary. Mr. Speaker, I will vote for this Resolution, but I regret that it could not have been more unifying, and I regret that the debate in the House could not have risen above the political fray for just one day.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and thank Raymond C. Borgia for his exemplary service at the Glenwood School for Boys and Girls located in Glenwood, IL. A student himself at Glenwood from 1938 to 1949, Mr. Borgia excelled as a student leader serving as a battalion commander from 1947 through 1949. Mr. Borgia was awarded an officer's saber in 1947 and awarded the prestigious Glenwood Schools' Wilfred Sykes Award in 1949. After attending Northern Illinois University in 1949 to 1950, Mr. Borgia served as a combat infantryman in the Korean war from 1950 to 1953. To honor his heroic service to our country, he was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. After leaving active duty in 1953, Mr. Borgia went on to serve in the U.S. Army Reserves for 17 years. Upon his return to Illinois, Mr. Borgia enrolled at the Chicago Technical College where he obtained a degree in industrial engineering in 1955. In January 1957, he began as an instructor at the Glenwood School for Boys and Girls. During his distinguished career at Glenwood, Mr. Borgia served as a camp director, military instructor, football coach, baseball coach, dean and vice president of the school. Over the last half century, Mr. Borgia has committed his life to being a mentor and role model to generations of young men and women. On December 31, 2006, Raymond Borgia will retire after 50 years of service at the Glenwood School for Boys and Girls. To commemorate his many contributions to Glenwood, the school named a military award as well as the dining hall at Glenwood's Wisconsin camp after Mr. Borgia. He celebrates his retirement with his wife of 45 years, Manuela, his three sons and their wives, six grandchildren and generations of Glenwood students and friends. Although Mr. Borgia is leaving Glenwood School for Boys and Girls, his impact on the thousands of students he has instructed will last for many years to come.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois, Congresswoman Biggert. As a member of the Illinois delegation, I am proud to join my distinguished colleague today in support of H.R. 2808, the Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act. This bill celebrates the many contributions of our 16th President and one of Illinois' favorite sons, Abraham Lincoln, by directing the Treasury to mint a coin in commemoration of the bicentennial of his birth. Born to humble roots in 1809, Abraham Lincoln and his family moved to Illinois in 1830. Lincoln would go on to serve in the Illinois House of Representatives, represent Illinois in the 30th Congress and run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate. In addition, he practiced law and later served as a judge. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President in the midst of a Nation dissolving from within. By the time of his first inaugural address in March, seven States had already seceded from the Union. Yet, committed to doing everything in his power to prevent civil war, President Lincoln used his inaugural address to make a stirring appeal for the preservation of the Union, ending his address by saying: ``I am loathe to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.'' Nevertheless, in April, Fort Sumter was attacked, and the war began. For 4 years, Lincoln was consumed with winning the war and salvaging the Union, and as the war finally neared its end in March 1865, Lincoln focused on healing and reuniting a ravaged Nation. Instead of rebuking or punishing the Confederacy, Lincoln chose instead to offer a united vision of a healed country. During his last inaugural address, he said: ``With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the Nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.'' Unfortunately, he would not live to see the end of the Civil War. In April of 1865, just blocks from where we stand today, Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre. Abraham Lincoln's service to Illinois alone warrants our remembrance and recognition, but his stewardship and vision led our Nation through the darkest and most dangerous time in our history; and for that, all Americans today and all those to come, are forever indebted to him. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Stoddard of the U.S. Army who is the Program Manager for Crew Served Weapons. Col. Stoddard has set a standard of excellence for himself and his office, constantly striving to ensure that our troops are issued the best equipment possible during the Global War on Terrorism. Though he has had many great achievements, Col. Stoddard should be recognized for his contributions to the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, or CROWS project. Col. Stoddard has had the individual responsibility for ushering this innovative piece of technology out of development and into the hands of our Soldiers. His steadfast commitment to protecting the force has ensured that today's standard for Humvee convoys in Iraq and Afghanistan is a soldier operating CROWS from behind life saving armor, protected from lethal IEDs and gun fire. Col. Stoddard used fIrsthand feedback from Soldiers to lead his program office and partner contractors in ensuring that the CROWS developed today is the technology soldiers want and need. His high standards of leadership and commitment to program excellence brought him to Iraq where he personally observed CROWS in combat to prove his concept and vision. Indeed, Col. Stoddard is personally responsible for saving the lives of many Soldiers currently deployed overseas. Mr. Speaker, Col. Stoddard and CROWS have truly been a force protection success story for the Army and our soldiers. He embodies the highest tenants of leadership, acquisition reform, and the Army's innovative rapid fielding initiative and is worthy of our commendation today.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this Smith- McMorris amendment to establish a 2-year health IT demonstration project for Medicaid patients with chronic diseases. This bill is a step in the right direction, but the Smith-McMorris amendment would actually speed the implementation of health IT in a crucial and tangible way. It will not only improve efficiency and quality, but will also help control the growing costs for Medicaid patients with chronic health conditions. Mr. Chairman, these patients often have complex medical conditions, relying on multiple doctors and numerous medications. This amendment would put patients in better control of their medical information, provide improved access and more information for caregivers, and create a Web-based resource to promote best practices for chronic care management. Mr. Chairman, the need for health IT is well established and will both save lives and billions of dollars. This body talks often about the need to improve quality of care and reduce inefficient spending under Medicaid. The Smith-McMorris amendment promises us an opportunity to move beyond rhetoric and actually better care and more responsible return on our tax dollars.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. I thank my colleague, Mr. Ross, from Arkansas, for allowing me to join him in what I hope will be a colloquy with some of our other Blue Dog members. Congressmen Boyd and Davis and Tanner, I think, are going to join us, as well, and we can talk about some of the issues that are so important to all of us that are part of the Blue Dog Coalition. One of the things I would like to lead on is the PAYGO budget rules that we all feel are so important to restore honesty in government and with our taxpayers, so they understand how we are spending their tax dollars better. One of the other things I want to do before we even go there is, I would like to ask Mr. Tanner to talk a little about his bill that he has introduced to create better auditing of those Federal agencies where we know there is a lack of controls.

Ms. BEAN. Well, I am honored to have cosponsored that legislation. And to your point, I think it is basic fiscal common sense. The taxpayers deserve better than what they are getting from this Congress. I can't imagine anyone who would call themselves a fiscal conservative and not support this commonsense legislation or any leadership that wouldn't bring such legislation forward.

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I think Congressman Davis makes a fine point because I think it is one of the reasons so many of our constituents feel disconnected from Washington. They cannot relate to what is going on on the Hill. Most of us come from a real-world background. We have run businesses, and we have certainly run our personal finances in such a way that you could never manage the way we are mismanaging our Federal dollars. We are now borrowing $26 billion per month. That is an outrageous figure, and it is highly irresponsible. As a result, we are spending $15 billion per month just on interest payments alone. There are so many good works we could be doing in government if we were not being so fiscally irresponsible. This is reckless borrow and spend profligacy. To go back to what Congressman Ross mentioned, those mobile homes were well-intended to help people who needed temporary housing in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Are those being utilized? No. We don't as a Congress historically look back. We are not using legislation like Congressman Tanner's to audit and use performance measurement criteria, to see that if we are going to make the investment in those mobile homes, someone is actually going to live in them. The concept of return on investment, something in the business world that we live by, is just absent from this Congress. The American public expects us to do a better job in that regard.

Ms. BEAN. That is exactly right.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for agreeing to engage in a colloquy on Internet safety. Mr. Chairman, many of our constituents enjoy access to the valuable resources available on the Internet, and yet many are growingly feeling under siege from the increasing dangers lurking on the Internet. Cyber criminals use spyware, phishing schemes, sales schemes, and on-line identity theft, wreaking havoc on American lives each year. These threats include a growing number of predators exploiting popular networking Web sites in search of young victims. Unfortunately, despite intense media attention, many parents and children are unaware of these risks or how best to protect themselves. The FTC estimates that its Bureau of Consumer Protection devotes at least 10 percent and likely more of its resources to these Internet safety and security initiatives. As the role of the Internet continues to grow even more in the daily lives of Americans, more crimes are moving to the net. The FTC expects that, as these trends continue, it will need to devote a growing share of its resources to preventing and pursuing cyber crimes under its jurisdiction. I respectfully request of the chairman that the committee continue to work with the FTC to ensure that these efforts receive the resources they need to vigorously promote Internet safety public awareness and make prevention of cyber crimes a national priority.

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman from West Virginia will continue to yield, I want to offer my sincere thanks to the chairman for his leadership on the issue of Internet safety and look forward to working with him in the future in our efforts to protect American families. Amendment Offered by Mr. Flake

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Chairman, as a former small business owner, I am a strong advocate for providing entrepreneurs and small business owners access to affordable capital. For that reason, I rise to speak in support of Representative Velazquez's amendment to restore funding for the Small Business Administration's 7(a) Small Business Loan Program. Small businesses are the economic drivers of our country, providing the stimulus our communities need. Oftentimes, small business owners are unable to obtain reasonably priced financing and instead turn to higher priced forms of capital, such as credit cards. In an effort to fill this financing gap, the SBA's 7(a) loan program was created. The program works as a public-private partnership that combines financial institutions' knowledge of their communities and the government's ability to mitigate risk. The SBA's current business loan portfolio of roughly 219,000 loans worth more than $45 billion makes it the largest single financial resource of U.S. businesses in the Nation. During the 108th Congress, legislation was passed that terminated funding for the 7(a) program. As a result, small businesses and lenders were forced to pay the full cost of the program. This has led to a sharp rise in loan fees, with borrower fees doubling in 2 years and lender fees rising by 118 percent. For smaller loans, roughly $150,000 loans, fees have doubled, translating into nearly $1,500 to $3,000 more in up-front closing costs for entrepreneurs and innovators. For a larger loan, say $70,000, fees have been raised by approximately $3,000, and for some loans by as much as $50,000. Last year the House voted and passed a similar amendment during consideration of the SSJC appropriations bill to restore $79 million in funding for the Small Business Administration's program. Unfortunately, that amendment was later removed in conference. In the FY 2007 budget proposal, no funding has been requested again for the program, and a new set of fees has been proposed for participants, making the program even less accessible and more costly for small businesses. It is time that Congress steps forward to support the small business community through access to affordable capital. The Velazquez amendment would reduce fees to small business owners. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.