Kathy Castor

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, we are done with speakers on our side. I would like to submit for the Record a copy of a letter from the Republican Governor from the State of Florida, Charlie Crist, who writes: ``I am writing to you in the last days of the 110th Congress to reiterate my support for congressional action regarding the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage,'' the Medicaid portion of this bill. Office of the Governor, Tallahassee, FL, September 25, 2008. Hon. Alcee Hastings, House of Representatives, 2353 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC. Hon. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, House of Representatives, 2244 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Congressmen Hastings and Diaz-Balart: I am writing to you in the last days of the 110th Congress to reiterate my support for Congressional action regarding the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP). As you will recall, the impact of seven hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 and subsequent reconstruction has disproportionately affected Florida's FMAP allotment, resulting in $213.5 million in additional state expenditures in federal fiscal year 2009. Furthermore, continued decline is expected in 2010. For every percentage point reduction in federal support for Florida, our state loses approximately $150 million and makes it increasingly more difficult to serve residents who need care. This reduction in the federal share of Medicaid funding has placed additional pressure on the state during these economic times. Our goal is to continue to provide quality services to those currently receiving benefits, and those who just now find themselves in need of assistance. Florida continues to seek a temporary increase in its FMAP and hopes to work with you on a longer term solution to address natural disaster implications to the FMAP allotment. As Congress considers providing relief for states, I ask for your support in ensuring FMAP relief in a manner that will best enable Florida to serve the most residents in need. I appreciate your willingness to work on this issue as well as other matters impacting our great state. Sincerely, Charlie Crist. Mr. Speaker, I will reserve until my colleague from the Rules Committee has made his closing statement.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hall).

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, House Resolution 1441 provides for consideration of H.R. 3036, the No Child Left Inside Act of 2008, under a structured rule. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate controlled by the Committee on Education and Labor. The rule makes in order five amendments printed in the Rules Committee report. The rule also provides for one motion to recommit with or without instructions. Madam Speaker, it is important that elementary and secondary schools across America continue to offer curriculum that is aligned with the needs of our children and the interests of our great country. That is why the Congress will move today to extend the National Environmental Education Act under an initiative offered by the gentleman from Maryland, Mr. John Sarbanes, entitled the No Child Left Inside Act. This national environmental education bill was reported by the Committee on Education and Labor by a strong bipartisan vote. Under the leadership of the Education and Labor Committee chairman, George Miller, our Nation's students have been well served by this Congress with numerous landmark reforms and investments. I thought we would take the time just to name a few. This Congress has passed the College Cost Reduction Act that was signed into law last year. It provides the single largest increase in college aid since the GI Bill, roughly $20 billion over the next 5 years. But it does so at no new cost to taxpayers. Under the law, 6.8 million students who take out need-based Federal student loans each year will see the interest rates on their loans halved over the next 5 years, saving the typical borrower over $4,000 during the life of the loan once that is implemented. That College Cost Reduction Act also boosts the maximum Pell Grant scholarship to $5,400 over the next 5 years. That's up from about $4,000 in 2006. In a part of that bill that has not received a lot of attention, that new law provides loan forgiveness for public service members like nurses, police officers, firefighters and first responders and makes those loan repayments more manageable and gives up-front tuition to students who commit to teaching in the high-need public schools. This Congress has also passed, and it has been signed into law, the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans for American Families. There is nothing more important during this credit crunch than that affordable student loans and access to college remains available for our young students that would like to attend college. That Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans for American Families Act provides new protections, in addition to those already in current law, to ensure that families continue to have timely, uninterrupted access to Federal college loans in the event that distress in the credit markets leads to a significant number of lenders in the federally guaranteed student loan programs to substantially reduce their lending activity. The Congress has also passed, and it was signed into law just last month, the expanding college access for students and families law. It passed the House here by a vote of 380-49. The legislation addresses the rising price of college by encouraging colleges to rein in price increases, clean up corrupt practices in student loan programs and streamline the Federal financial aid application process. The bill also addresses textbook costs and increases college aid and support programs for veterans and military families. Madam Speaker, this is another bill before us today that continues the new direction, Congress' commitment to higher education, and to improving elementary and secondary education for students across America. Today we will focus on improvement to environmental education for America's schools, the best kind, where Washington doesn't dictate the parameters or curriculum to local schools, but gives schools the tools they need to decide themselves how to modernize curriculum. Today, it is our challenge, and the challenge of our children, to build a more sustainable energy efficient world, and sometimes you have to get outside the classroom and learn by doing and exploring your environment. Many children, including my 9-year-old daughter, learn more effectively this way. I know many of you love to visit classrooms and talk with students, like I do. Students today are particularly interested in energy conservation, climate change, clean air and clean water. Students, teachers and schools are clamoring for more knowledge and understanding of our natural environment. Unfortunately, many schools and school districts simply do not have the resources to teach beyond the basics these days. Since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act, we have seen a narrowing of school curriculum with schools being forced to spend more and more learning time preparing for high-stakes testing. Well, like other science courses, this grant program, under the national environmental education program, the environmental education instructs students in critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, obtaining and analyzing data, communication and learning by doing. These skills are critical for success in the 21st century, and environmental education helps students by learning how to conserve, how to conserve energy, how to ensure safe products are on the shelves, which eventually strengthens our Nation's economy and makes it a much safer world. Our environmental actions here at home have an impact on the global economy and on our energy security, and energy security is national security. Having a solid understanding of natural environment and our global interdependency is critical to keeping this Nation safe. The modest but important resources we will send to local schools under this National Environmental Education Act is particularly helpful now. Helping our kids to learn about the natural environment in an active learning setting will motivate students and propel them towards success. It will pull kids away from the TV sets and the video games and the video screens and bring them outdoors. The bill supports local efforts to expand and enhance environmental education and also provides teachers with important professional development opportunities. Under this legislation, our Nation's teachers will become better equipped to teach students about the environment and encourage students to be knowledgeable about environmental issues and how they affect all of us. When environmental education is integrated into the classrooms, students and teachers are better able to use current, local environmental issues to increase their understanding of math, science, history and other academic subjects. Environmental education is a powerful tool to help motivate students to help take care of the environment and help improve their academic achievement. This bill also strengthens environmental literacy plans. According to the Campaign for Environmental Literacy, Americans still widely lack the environmental knowledge that will enable them to safeguard the public health, protect natural resources, support energy conservation efforts and engage in the movement towards a more sustainable future. So this is a win-win proposition for our local schools, for teachers and for the future of our great country. This legislation will modernize environmental education for the 21st century by emphasizing environmental literacy. I urge passage of the rule and this underlying bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance my time.

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, we do not have any additional speakers, so I will reserve the balance of my time until the gentleman from Florida has made his closing statement.

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, over the past year and a half, this new direction Congress has been solely focused on growing and strengthening America's middle class. Despite the protestations from my friend from the other side of the aisle, it was just this week that we passed the most comprehensive, balanced energy legislation that has been considered in the past decade. That Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act proved that there are real differences between the two sides of the aisle here because our energy bill was focused on lowering prices for consumers and protecting taxpayers. Yes, it expanded domestic drilling offshore and on land, but it also added a huge expansion of renewable sources of energy. It increases our security by freeing America from the grip of foreign oil. And it finally requires Big Oil to pay what it owes the American taxpayers. Is it fair that Big Oil continues to receive taxpayer subsidies at a time when they are making huge record profits? No, it doesn't, so we end the subsidies to the big oil companies. And a lot of this new emphasis on clean, green, renewable energy will have the extra added benefit of creating good-paying jobs here in America. Besides energy, we have also been focused on landmark education reform. Indeed, as I highlighted at the beginning of consideration of this bill, we've passed truly landmark historic investments in education for America's students. First was the single largest increase in college aid since the GI bill, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. Under that law, 6.8 million students who take out need- based Federal loans each year will see the interest rates on their loans cut in half. We increased Pell Grants by over $1,000. We have also passed and it was signed into law by President Bush the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans For American Families Act. That is so vital during this turmoil in the financial markets. It is absolutely vital that American families can still get those low-cost student loans. That new law provides new protections to ensure that families have timely, uninterrupted access to Federal college loans in the event that distress in the credit markets leads to a significant number of lenders not being liquid and being able to lend to families. We also expanded college access for students and families, we cleaned up the corrupt practices going on on some campuses in student loan programs, addressed student textbook costs and increased college aid and support programs for veterans and military families. And one that I didn't mention but I think we can all celebrate, the hugely bipartisan and popular new GI bill for the 21st century that will provide 4-year scholarships to the brave men and women who have served in the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. We truly have been on the side of American families and the middle class. This modest bill today also renews our commitment to the No Child Left Inside Act. Doesn't that really bring all of this together as we focus on energy policy and improving our public education and higher education in this country, a modest but important commitment to students at home who are interested in environmental sustainability and energy conservation. We will provide additional resources to our schools and our students so they can get outside the classroom, get away from the TV set and the video games and learn by doing, learn in an active setting, learn out in the natural environment how to conserve energy and to address global climate change. Studies shows that environmental education boosts student achievement, it builds students' critical thinking and social skills, it improves student behavior, and it can enhance teaching. So we are going to help schools and States expand and enhance environmental education. We are going to focus on qualified expert teachers in the Nation's classrooms, and strengthen and develop environmental literacy plans. For a long time there was another group in charge here in Washington, and it oftentimes seems like over the past decades it has been the Democrats who have had to come in and clean up the mess of past administrations. Well, I think we are proving again that we are on track to do that again. We are all in this together and we need to pass this bill. I urge a unanimous ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule. The material previously referred to by Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida is as follows: Amendment to H. Res. 1441 Offered by Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida At the end of the resolution add the following new section: Sec. 3. It shall not be in order in the House to consider a concurrent resolution providing for an adjournment of either House of Congress until comprehensive energy legislation has been enacted into law that includes provisions designed to-- (A) allow states to expand the exploration and extraction of natural resources along the Outer Continental Shelf; (B) open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and oil shale reserves to environmentally prudent exploration and extraction; (C) extend expiring renewable energy incentives; (D) encourage the streamlined approval of new refining capacity and nuclear power facilities; (E) encourage advanced research and development of clean coal, coal-to-liquid, and carbon sequestration technologies; and (F) minimize drawn out legal challenges that unreasonably delay or prevent actual domestic energy production.

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1441 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. I yield myself such time as I might consume. I also ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 1441.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. I thank the distinguished chairwoman from the Rules Committee. I rise in support of the landmark Comprehensive Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act and this rule. This represents the culmination of years of debate over energy policy. And it does contain numerous measures that have already been adopted by this body in a bipartisan fashion, but most importantly, this compromise energy bill represents fundamental change in the country's energy future and a significant break with White House policies that give little priority to ending the Nation's dependence on foreign oil. Instead, this is the kind of comprehensive and balanced energy initiative that the American people have been calling for because it diversifies our Nation's energy portfolio and invests in new technologies and innovation. For example, we are going to make historic new investments in renewable energy through incentives for solar power and wind power that will have an additional benefit of producing thousands of new jobs across America. We have the technology to save energy and to save consumers significant money. And this bill strengthens energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings and promotes conservation as well. And American families could use a little cost savings right now. This energy bill also dramatically expands domestic supply and oil drilling because we realize that excessive entanglements in the Middle East do not serve our national security interests. The contrast between the policies of the past and our forward-looking bill could not be more clear. There are real differences. Remember just 7 years ago the administration's Energy Task Force met behind closed doors. It consisted of oil company executives. And the administration fought tooth and nail to keep those meetings secret. Renewable sources of energy were not a priority, and a balanced comprehensive approach was not a priority. So here is the question: Do the American people continue to subsidize big oil companies while they are making record profits, or do we shift our investment to cleaner, renewable fuels? I know it has been difficult for some to stand up to the White House and the big oil companies. But the American people are demanding it. We must make this transition and set new innovative priorities for this country when it comes to energy. Our ground-breaking effort, our reform and our new policy set this country on a path toward energy independence, particularly from the Middle East. So today we will cast aside the policies of the past and start down a path based upon the right energy priorities for America. I congratulate Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her leadership in crafting this compromise future-oriented bill, and I thank my colleagues and the American people for their commitment to a new energy future for America. I urge adoption of this landmark energy bill and this rule.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of a great Floridian and American, James Byron ``Jim'' Krog. The State of Florida suffered a great loss on September 4, 2008, when he passed away. Mr. Krog devoted a large part of his professional career to public service. Krog served as chief of staff for the Honorable Lawton Chiles, Governor of Florida, with a landmark new commitment to children's healthcare. He also worked as a top aide to Governor Reubin Askew. He started in government relations in Tallahassee, which he returned to after working for Governor Chiles. As a founding member of the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists, he recognized the importance of improving the public image of his profession. Known for being a congenial man with a great sense of humor, Mr. Krog would battle against a political rival in the Capitol and then meet him or her afterwards to laugh it off. A Tampa native and graduate of the University of South Florida, Mr. Krog made time each semester to return to his alma mater to offer advice and encouragement to students interested in beginning a career in government or politics. After students graduated and came to Tallahassee to start jobs, he would mentor them. Now hundreds of USF students are working in government and public policy. They are a living legacy of his dedication to public service. Madam Speaker, Jim Krog will be greatly missed by the State of Florida. My thoughts are with his wife, Louella, and his son, Christopher.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the 60th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9981, in which President Truman ordered the racial integration of the Armed Forces, declaring that, ``there be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the Armed Services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.'' While it is fitting that we celebrate the official 60-year anniversary, we should also recognize that African Americans have been fighting on behalf of our Nation from the American Revolutionary War to the current Global War on Terror. The sacrifices made and service given by African American soldiers to our country, even when our country failed to live up to its own promise of equality and justice for all, is a testament to their belief that hard work and faith would eventually allow them to become full partners in every facet of society, including our Armed Forces. The celebration of this anniversary also gives me an opportunity to recognize a trailblazing African American woman from my hometown who was among the first five African American women in Tampa to join the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps back in 1942, six years prior to the signing of the Executive Order. Mrs. Willie Mae Williams, who celebrated her 95th birthday this past November, proudly served her nation paving the way for others from her community, and women in particular, to follow in her steps. In her recent interview with the Women Veterans Historical Project for the Library of Congress, Mrs. Williams gave a very candid and informative look at the experience she had in the military as a woman of color. At that time, women were not allowed to face combat, instead serving as cooks and laundry workers, who often had to go together in groups to take showers to ensure their safety, and who endured taunts from officers who opposed their participation, either on the basis of their gender or color, and in some instances both. While Mrs. Williams acknowledged that life in the service for women of color was ``rough'', she certainly views herself and others as role models for the women who came after. She observed, ``We were good pioneers.'' Indeed, the service of Mrs. Williams and other women like her has led to the growth in service of African American women and men throughout the years. Currently, 20 percent of the more than 1,754,900 service members who have fought in support of the ongoing Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom are minorities, evidence that the United States could not maintain an all-volunteer force without the service of and critical role played by minorities, including women. Our Armed Forces have been served by some of the most brilliant African American leaders from Benjamin O. Davis Senior and Junior to Colin Powell as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Today, minorities serve in senior leadership positions throughout the Armed Forces, as commissioned, warrant and non-commissioned officers. The advancement of these men and women is evidence that the integration of the Armed Forces not only enhanced the combat effectiveness of the military 60 years ago, but continues still to ensure that America has a diverse array of its best and brightest working to defend it. I am pleased to commemorate this historic event, and salute all our brave men and women who have served us so well through the years.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. I thank the chairwoman for yielding time and thank her for her career of championing nondiscrimination and equal rights for women in the workplace. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today in strong support of the Paycheck Fairness Act and this rule and take another important step towards equality for all Americans. During the 230 plus-year history of our great Nation, the march towards equality under the law for all of our citizens has sometimes been slow, but it has been steady. Over time, the Congress has outlawed discrimination in the workplace based upon a person's race, gender, age, national origin, religion, and disability, because when it comes to employment and hiring and firing and promotion and compensation, decisions are rightly based upon a person's qualifications and job performance. These are the values we share as Americans; that if someone works hard and plays by the rules, and if they share the same job, duties and responsibilities, no matter that they are a man or a woman, they will receive equal pay for equal work. Unfortunately, that does not always happen, and sometimes women are paid less just because they are women and the boss can get away with it. The wage disparity over time can cost women over $400,000 to $2 million in lost wages. This Paycheck Fairness Act addresses that disparity by providing more effective remedies for gender-based wage discrimination and ensuring that if a case goes all the way to a jury, that the arbitrary and outdated caps on damages will be addressed. Thank you to Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. She introduced this legislation 11 years ago, but she never gave up. Congresswoman DeLauro, we are not going to give up just because the President has threatened to veto the measure. I'd also like to thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairman George Miller, and Chairwoman Louise Slaughter for their leadership and commitment to equality under the law for all Americans. Passing this historic Paycheck Fairness Act will bring our Nation closer to our promise of equality for all Americans. It is a hopeful day for working women and families, and I urge a ``yes'' vote on their behalf.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I also ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 1384.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1384 provides an open rule with a preprinting requirement. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate, equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the bill except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. The rule waives points of order against provisions of the bill for failure to comply with clause 2 of rule XXI. The rule provides that any amendment to the bill must be printed in the Congressional Record by July 30. Each amendment so printed may be offered only by the Member who caused it to be printed or his designee and shall be considered as read. The rule provides one motion to recommit, with or without instructions. Finally, the rule provides that the Chair may postpone further consideration of the bill to a time designated by the Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to stand with my colleagues in support of H.R. 6599, the 2009 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act and this rule. Mr. Speaker, the New Direction Congress has made the lives of America's veterans one of our top priorities. Years from now, history will reflect that it was this Democratically led 110th Congress, in the middle of two wars, that renewed the country's commitment to veterans and their health. Our commitment simply is a reflection of the pride and appreciation the American people have for the service of their brave men and women in uniform, who have served so greatly in recent conflicts and wars. Now, just weeks ago, after months of perseverance in the face of opposition from the White House, this Congress, in a bipartisan way, adopted the new 21st century GI Bill that provides a full 4-year college tuition to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The new GI Bill for our veterans was adopted by a vote here in the House of 256-156. Last year, we adopted the largest reform and investment in veterans' health care in the history of the Veterans Administration. And just yesterday, Mr. Speaker, the Congress adopted additional reforms to the Veterans Administration process that will improve the lives of veterans across this country. Congressman Cazayoux from Louisiana brought H.R. 6445, that prohibits the collection by the Department of Veterans Affairs of copayments or other fees for hospital or nursing home care when they are catastrophically disabled. Congressman Paul Hodes of New Hampshire also brought H.R. 2192, that establishes in the Department of Veterans Affairs an Office of the Ombudsman to act as a liaison to veterans and their families with respect to VA health care and their benefits. I also salute my colleague, Congressman John Hall of New York. We adopted his bill yesterday, H.R. 5892, the Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act, that directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to modernize the disability benefits claims processing system to ensure that our veterans are served in a timely and accurate way. Now, in this appropriations bill that is before the House today, the American people, through the actions of this Congress, will provide the necessary resources for veterans and facilities and the infrastructure for the Armed Forces. This includes training facilities, housing, and equipment for our troops in their ongoing fight to defend our great Nation here and overseas. While our brave servicemembers are overseas, most military families remain at home on bases, and we are committed to an excellent standard of living for them and quality of life. That includes convenient child care, and a safe and affordable place to live. I know this because I have conversations with the men and women who serve on the MacDill Air Force Base in my hometown of Tampa, Florida. They tell me that they feel much more safe and secure knowing that their families are well taken care of and well served back home on the base. So Members should be proud that we have gone above and beyond the White House's initial budget offering. We provide nearly $4 billion more than the President in additional resources, particularly for our veterans health care programs. Just last week, a panel testified before the Congress that returning soldiers still are not receiving the health care they deserve at Walter Reed and across the country, and this is unacceptable. And that is why in this appropriations bill we fund the VA health care system to try to get it back on track because we've asked everything of these great men and women, the ultimate sacrifice, and the least we can do as their government is support them when they return and ensure that they have the health care they need. When our troops go off to fight valiantly for our country, we're going to ensure that they have the best health care when they return. Now, the signature injuries of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Oftentimes, these injuries will require a lifetime of continuing medical care. In fact, the Veterans Health Administration estimates that just next year, in 2009, they will treat more than 5.8 million patients. I'm very fortunate, Mr. Speaker, that in my hometown of Tampa, we have an outstanding VA hospital, the James Haley VA Center. It is known as the busiest VA hospital in the country. We are also fortunate to have one of only four polytrauma units there that serve the most critically wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. So I've seen directly how oftentimes medical staff is overworked, they don't have the facilities that they need. That's why we provide above and beyond the President's request and reject his $38 million cut for medical and prosthetic research. We will continue to invest in medical military construction to improve the aging and outdated medical treatment facilities so they have access to the best medical care. Now, to help the VA get a head start on helping those hundreds of thousands of new patients in the VA system, we're going to ask that they bring on additional VA claims processors because there is a terrible backlog in this country, and that's the last thing that our veterans should have to face after their service. Currently, in my State, there are over 25,000 pending cases, and nearly 19 percent of those have been in a holding pattern for over 180 days. We can and we must do better for our veterans. We also oppose, through this appropriations bill, the Bush administration's squeeze on veterans' wallets. The Bush administration has proposed increases in enrollment fees and doubling of prescription drug copayments. How sensible is it to add to the already large number of uninsured in America by making it harder for those who have sacrificed in service to this Nation to get the care they need? Well, this New Direction Congress can and will do better for our veterans. Mr. Speaker, I want to particularly applaud the leadership of Chairman Chet Edwards, who held numerous hearings in an open, bipartisan process that gave Members and the many military families and veterans groups an opportunity to review and weigh in, in a thoughtful and responsible way, to ensure that our current and past military troops and their families get the much-needed funding for various programs that they have earned by way of their service. Mr. Speaker, I know the American people will appreciate that this is a bipartisan effort for our country's sons and daughters, who put their lives on the line for us every day. We will fulfill our promise to help them lead whole and healthy lives in honor of their sacrifice. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, I am fairly new in this Congress. I was proud to be part of a class that ushered in the strongest ethics reform since Watergate, and it seems to me that it is entirely fair and proper for Members to be able to offer an amendment to this bill, this very important bill, but it's also important that it is done in a responsible way so that there are no ambushes. And I would like to point out that the Republican member from the Appropriations Committee that came to the Rules Committee did state, and I took notes that afternoon, that Chairman Edwards did a great job. We've had 18 hearings. This has been an open and bipartisan process, a very open process. It has served as a model of bipartisanship. With that, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR. I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Ms. CASTOR. I would also like to join with my colleague from Florida (Mr. Keller) in saluting Chairman Obey and the other members of the Appropriations Committee and the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Subcommittee because as that new VA hospital goes to Orlando, it will relieve a great deal of pressure in Tampa, in my hometown, at the Haley VA Center, the busiest VA Center in the country, and the Bay Pines Medical Center in St. Petersburg. So I thank the gentleman for expressing his opinion on this, and I join with him. With that, I will reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 4 minutes to the distinguished Chair of the Appropriations Committee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1384 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. CASTOR. I would be happy to yield.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close after the gentleman from Washington has made his closing statement.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time until my colleague from Washington has made his closing statement.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, the American people will be pleased today that the House of Representatives will move and pass, hopefully on a bipartisan basis, like it was in the Appropriations Committee, a bipartisan bill that provides so much for the servicemen and -women and their families who are being asked to sacrifice so much after many years of war. This bill is a fitting salute and tribute to the men and women who are on the front lines, who are on the battlefield and those in the military and VA hospitals across this country and the outpatient clinics fighting a different kind of war, to help those who return maintain a dignified quality of life for them and their families. We will also assist veterans of wars past and demonstrate our appreciation for their service by ensuring that their claims will be processed in a timely fashion and that they have access to the range of health care options available to them and every American. Mr. Speaker, this ``New Direction'' Congress has pledged to put our troops and veterans first. By restoring GI veterans education benefits, improving veterans health care, rebuilding our military and strengthening other benefits for our troops and military families, we are working to keep our promises to our courageous and faithful men and women in uniform. For too long, officials in Washington have neglected our troops and veterans in a time of war. On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind, and, as a nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we leave no veteran behind. Mr. Speaker, with that, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule.