Jim Davis

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I would like to respond to some of the statements that were made. Let us go back to the facts. Nobody has questioned the statement of the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough) that this is 17 miles from the coast of Florida. Let us be perfectly clear. This is drilling for oil, crude oil, as well as gas; and there are 21 days of crude oil in Sale 181. If we raise fuel efficiency standards by 16 miles per hour, that achieves 10 times more result than proceeding with Sale 181. Mr. Chairman, with the exception of the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), every Member of Congress that told Florida that we should put our coastline at risk is from an oil-producing State, and they do not have to apologize for protecting jobs in their States. But our tourists do not wash up on their beaches, and we do not want their oil washing up on ours. Let me just further say, with respect to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), if being against the risk of oil spills in Florida makes us radical by Texas' environmental standards, then we proudly wear that label. The point is, as the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer) said, we need a balance here; and we support solutions to our energy problem. But let us have a thoughtful debate. Let us not engage in quick fixes at the expense of Floridians. We have suffered oil spills before. I saw one when I was a small child in Tampa Bay. I do not want my children or grandchildren to see that again. This is in Florida's waters. This is something we are entitled to protect. We can do better. Let us adopt this amendment. Let us slow this down for 6 months and find a balanced solution to the energy challenges that face our country and not do so at the expense of Florida and its coastline.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Chairman, for the last several months I have gotten an earful from parents, students, and teachers in Florida who are concerned that standardized educational testing has run amuck there. Today, on behalf of hundreds of thousands of school children in Florida, I rise in support of this amendment. I am not opposed to testing students every year, but I believe the principal purpose of testing should be diagnostic. Testing should determine where my third grader is at the beginning of the year and what he needs to do to get to where he needs to be at the end of the school year. Testing should tell my child, my wife and I, and the teacher, what my child's needs are and how to help meet those needs. I also support accountability. I want to know how my child's schools are doing in relation to other schools. In the Florida legislature, I chaired a subcommittee that wrote our accountability law. But unfortunately, through the FCAT standardized test in Florida, the governor and the legislature have turned that law on its head and are using testing as a public relations tool. Florida already tests reading and math in the third through the tenth grades. However, teachers, principals, and students receive no information that helps them identify the needs of children and what they need to help those children learn. Teachers and students in Florida are not stupid. They have figured out this testing system does nothing to help teachers teach and children learn. They have figured out this is testing designed by the politicians for the politicians. Teachers set aside their lesson plans and teach the test to help their schools earn the financial reward and to avoid the stigma of being graded as a failing school. Last week, Florida reached a new inevitable low in testing run amuck. Two Hernando County middle schools bribed their students by offering up to $150 each for a high standardized test score. As one of the principals pointed out, the State is using this same form of bribery with the schools that the schools are now using with the children. One of the student recipients of this financial reward said, it may be a small bribe, but at least it is something for going through the test. I disagree completely with Florida's Commissioner of Education who says that he does not have a problem with this form of bribery. I think it is wrong, and needs to be stopped now. The standardized testing situation in Florida is a growing disgrace. Mr. Chairman, let me close by saying I have repeated these concerns to the Secretary of Education. This bill should be written to clearly state the principal purpose of testing should be diagnostic. Until it does, I urge adoption of the amendment.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Chairman, for the last several months, I have been getting an earful from parents, teachers and students who are concerned that standardized educational testing in Florida has run amuck. Today, on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Florida public school students subjected to these tests, I rise in support of the Hoekstra/Frank amendment. I am not opposed to testing our students every year, but I believe the principle purpose of testing should be diagnostic. Testing should determine where my child is at the beginning of the school year and what he needs to work on to get where he should be at the end of that school year. Testing should tell my child, his teacher, my wife and me what we need to know to help him improve as a student. I also support accountability. I want to know how my child's school is doing in comparison to other schools. In fact, while I served in the Florida House of Representatives, I chaired the Subcommittee that wrote Florida's Accountability law. Unfortunately, the Governor has turned that initial law on its head and is now using testing as a public relations tool rather than a true measure of students' academic abilities. As many of you know, Florida is already testing students in grades three through eight in reading and math. The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, FCAT, also tests writing in grades four, eight and ten. Unfortunately, as I stated above, the purpose of the FCAT is to grade our schools and implement high stakes penalties or rewards based on their scores, NOT to see where our students need help to boost their performance. That's right. Under the FCAT, teachers, principals, parents and students get no information from the test identifying the needs of individual students and how to help them improve. Teachers and students in Florida aren't stupid. They have figured out this testing system does not help teachers teach or students learn. It is, instead, testing by the politicians, for the politicians with an end result of pitting school against school. In response, teachers set aside their lesson plans and teach to the test to help their school earn a high test score in hopes of earning financial rewards and avoiding the stigma of being labeled a failing school. As a result, last week in Florida, we reached the inevitable new low in testing run amuck. In Hernando County, Florida, two middle schools are paying kids for good scores on the FCAT. That's right. These schools are bribing their students with up to $150 for high scores on the reading, math or writing portions of the FCAT. Again, the FCAT is not designed to help students. Because the test does not motivate students to learn, these schools feel they have no alternative but to use financial rewards to encourage students to do well on the FCATs. The Principal of one of these middle schools pointed out that the State is using this same type of bribe to help the schools perform better on the tests, and the school has merely passed that bribe on to its students. As this Principal asked the Governor, ``What's the difference?'' One of the student recipients of a monetary reward said the following, ``I thought it was pretty good. It's a little bribe. That way, it's not just a pain-in-the-butt test, you actually have something.'' The reaction of Florida's Commissioner of Education to the bribe was, ``. . . I don't have a problem with it. . . . It's legal, it's not unethical. . . .'' Well, I disagree completely with the Commissioner. The last time I checked, bribery was illegal. This is wrong, and it should be halted now. The standardized testing situation in Florida is a growing disgrace. If we allow it to continue and spread to other states, it will be a national disgrace for which this Congress will be responsible. Worse yet, by allowing standardized testing to run amuck, we will only aggravate the increasing teacher shortage that is currently plaguing our schools. Over the next decade our nation's schools will lose more than 65 percent of their teaching faculty. This percentage can only increase if we do not address these testing problems. I have repeatedly expressed my concerns that the principal purpose of testing should be diagnostic to the Secretary of Education and the President's Chief Advisor on his education proposal. Both of them told me that they agreed with me. This bill must be rewritten to clearly state that the principal purpose of standardized testing should be diagnostic--to help teachers teach and children learn. Because this bill is silent on this point, I urge my colleagues to support the Hoekstra/Frank Amendment.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is terribly important that we debate the facts here, and the fact which has been stated over and over again, which has not been rebutted, is that the House is adopting today a budget that is $21 billion less than what the President proposed for education. What does that say about our priorities? In my home State of Florida and in many growth States throughout the country that leaves us high and dry in dealing with the growing problem of school construction. We need that to reduce class size so we can return control of the classroom back to our teachers. We are left with having to raise property taxes or raise sales taxes that are much too high in Florida and many other States. There is a solution at hand if we will get our priorities straight. It is the Johnson-Rangel bill that provides tax credits to school districts to fix crumbling schools, to build new schools the right size the first time, where we can provide Federal funding to fix that problem. We are missing a golden opportunity. If we simply will return to where the President was, at least $21 billion higher, we can pay down the debt, we can have a tax cut, but we can get our priorities straight and begin in Florida and other States to fix crumbling classrooms and reduce class size.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Ensign Richard J. Bensing, a member of the U.S. Navy EP-3 aircraft crew who was detained on the island of Hainan, China, last month following their harrowing collision with a Chinese F-8 fighter. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of joining more than 200 people in welcoming Ensign Bensing back to his alma mater, Brandon High School, in my hometown of Hillsborough County, Florida. The crowd packed in the school's auditorium was evidence of the impact that last month's incident had on citizens across America. The ordeal that Ensign Bensing endured may have occurred halfway around the world, but it captured the minds and hearts of the entire nation. The flight, and the eleven long days following, reminded us of the great risk that our men and women in uniform take every day to keep our nation free. Our service men and women, wherever they are stationed, represent the best of our country--they are our nation's sons and daughters. We can never take their sacrifice for granted, and in this case, we should be extremely grateful that Richard and the entire crew returned home safely. I would like to commend Richard Bensing and all of his fellow crew members for the extraordinary dedication and professionalism they demonstrated throughout their ordeal. By your example, you have made us proud to be Americans. We are glad to have you home.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to pay tribute to Jack L. Romano, a great leader in the Tampa Bay community, who recently lost his valiant battle with cancer at age 62. Jack was known in Tampa for his selfless and tireless efforts on behalf of countless local charities and community organizations. Jack Romano lived his life to the fullest, always looking for ways to give back to his home. Whether he was volunteering as president of the Southwest Florida Blood Bank, or on the board of the Gulf Ridge Council of Boy Scouts, the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla or the Tampa Museum of Art, Jack gave 110 percent. Jack didn't know the meaning of ``halfway.'' His talent and dedication touched virtually every facet of our community and his limitless good deeds will continue to inspire others to follow his example. Jack's character was equally inspiring. His kindness was always evident in his broad smile and his welcoming handshake. He never came upon a stranger, and he treated everyone he encountered with respect and appreciation. Jack Romano was truly a gentleman in the finest sense of the word. In business, family and community, Jack was loved and respected. Today, I would like to thank Jack Romano for dedicating his life to making Tampa and Hillsborough County a better place to live and work, and extend heartfelt sympathies on behalf of our entire community to the Romano family for their loss. Jack's departure is very much our loss too.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the resolution. This conference report which we are going to debate tonight has some fundamental flaws in it which should lead us to go back to the drawing board. I want to highlight what I think is the most egregious problem. We have actually shortchanged education below what the President has proposed. Many of us applauded the President during his campaign for talking about leaving no child behind and doing more to help our schools reduce class size, attract qualified teachers and build safe and clean, modern schools. He proposed an increase in education spending which many of us thought was simply a beginning, simply a start. Now, here in the House of Representatives tonight, we are going to adopt a conference report that is $21 billion less than what the President has proposed. Nobody has had the courage to stand on the floor of the House tonight and say why we should do less than the President of the United States has proposed for what we all agree should be our Nation's highest priority. In Tampa, Florida, my district, this is our highest priority, and people I represent want us to pay down the debt and see a fair tax cut that benefits all Americans, but they want us to do something about education. We ought to have the courage to stand up to where the President has started the debate in terms of leaving no child behind. Instead, this House is breaking from the President, is repudiating this position, is funding education at $21 billion less than what the President has proposed. How can we go forward debating the Elementary and Secondary Authorization Act we were supposed to take up last week, and we are putting all of the money into a tax cut instead.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak in support of the motion to instruct conferees with respect to the education increase that has been proposed. The Senate has finally started to take us in the direction we need to go, an additional $300 billion increase, supported by Democrats and Republicans, to begin to put our money where our mouth is. I applaud the chairman of the House Committee on the Budget putting emphasis on increased funding for special education. But most of what we have said about doing that are promises. This is a chance for us today to put that into action and to begin to move in the direction of more funding for both special education and general education. We know what works. We know what we need to do: we need to fix up some of our crumbling schools. We need to fix our schools that are overcrowded. We have a class-reduction program at the Federal level that has paid huge dividends. In my community in Florida, in the Tampa Bay area, in Hillsboro County, $8 million has gone into reducing class size in some of our most struggling schools. It has given control of the classroom back to the teacher to reach those kids in the back row like me that needed some special attention to get engaged in learning. As the teaching shortage begins to grow, we are going to have to pay more attention to attracting qualified teachers. The Senate recognized these things when they increased education spending on a bipartisan basis. There is no reason why we should not do the same thing here today. We are about to debate finally the President's proposal to provide more accountability and more resources to education. Many of us applauded him during the campaign for taking that position, both on the accountability and on the spending. Guess what: unless we take the step today of adopting this motion to recommit conferees, those are hollow words, because this is the spending blueprint. This is the way we begin to back up with actions the words of the President, the words of the Congress, that we all want to do more for education. So I would urge adoption of the motion to instruct conferees with respect to education as well as the other points that have been made today.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Yes, he did.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I think the incredibly meager increase in the Pell grants cited by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) is really a pitiful example of how little we are doing and how much more we can do. I would urge that we adopt this motion to recommit conferees today. Let us begin to put our actions where our words have been. Mr. Speaker, let us start to live up to what we know are the Chair's intentions to do more for special education in Congress. Let us lay the floor for the groundwork that is going to be done in the House and Congress in the next several years to do more for our schools and to let them make their decisions at home, let them reduce class size, fix up the schools, hire qualified teachers, and make sure we leave no children behind.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Chairman, the last two speakers on the other side have made a very important point, and that is there is universal acknowledgment that in this upcoming fiscal year, there will be a spending increase for agriculture, and, more significantly, in defense. But we are not prepared today to confront those facts in terms of how much it is going to cost, and it is one reason why the contingency fund is not an appropriate way for us to be having this debate. We ought to be honest with the American people on how much is the President going to propose for defense. Many of us are prepared to support a large percentage of that. How does that affect our ability to choose between the size of the tax cut and our ability to pay down the debt. Mr. Chairman, one of the other things I want to highlight that you have heard a lot of discussion about in support of the Democratic alternative is why paying down the debt, taking one-third of the surplus and paying down the debt, or, as the Blue Dogs would propose, half of the surplus, will help Medicare and Social Security. Mr. Chairman, as the baby boomers start to retire in 2012, this is going to put enormous strain on both Medicare and Social Security. There will be no easy choices. Raising the retirement age, nobody in this Chamber is going to advocate an increase in the payroll taxes. In fact, a lot of us would like to reduce the payroll tax. Mr. Chairman, one of the few things available to us to soften the pain associated with these choices is to use more general revenue. We already put general revenue into Medicare. It is something that we have to consider doing with Social Security as part of the solution to preserve Social Security and Medicare for the retirement of the baby boomers, not to mention the cost of a prescription drug plan, which we all have to acknowledge will not be inexpensive. How can we do that? Mr. Chairman, by paying down the debt, we preserve our ability to use general revenue to be part of the solution to preserve the solvency of Social Security and Medicare. The State of Florida, and every State in this Nation, has a tremendous amount at stake if we do not do this right. We need to plan now. Mr. Chairman, the only prudent thing to do is to use the lion's share of the projected surplus to pay down the debt and begin to prepare Medicare and Social Security for the retirement of the baby boomers.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Madam Chairman, our debate tonight is in part a disagreement as to the size of a tax cut and what our priorities as a Nation should be. Here are the facts: The Congressional Budget Office projects a $5.6 trillion Federal surplus over the next 10 years. Democrats and Republicans have agreed that we should set aside $3 trillion of that projected surplus that is in the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds. That leaves a projected surplus of about $2.5 trillion. This projection was made in January of this year based on an assumption that the economy would enjoy a substantial growth rate in excess of 3 percent annually for the next 10 years. That assumption is increasingly questionable. Over a majority of States now are experiencing their own financial difficulties, and last week two major national financial institutions, Wells Fargo and Merrill Lynch, significantly lowered their projections as to our surplus. In fact, Wells Fargo suggested that the projection for this year will be 20 percent lower than what the CBO had projected. Based on what we believe is a more conservative approach, the Democratic budget alternative calls for a tax cut of approximately $737 billion, roughly one-third of the projected surplus. This $737 billion tax cut allows us to direct $3.7 trillion to pay down the massive Federal debt, to help keep interest rates low, and to protect Social Security and Medicare for the retirement of the baby boomers. Our $737 billion tax cut, in contrast to the Republican tax cut, targets tax cuts to those taxpayers at the bottom and the middle who are struggling the most to make ends meet. The Democratic budget plan provides marriage penalty relief by providing a standard deduction for married couples equal to twice the standard deduction for individuals. We provide relief from estate taxes by increasing the estate tax exclusion to $4 million per married couple; that is, $2 million per individual immediately, gradually increasing that exemption to $5 million. Our estate tax reform would repeal the estate tax for over two-thirds of the estates that pay the tax currently. Our $737 billion tax cut would also allow tax cuts to be focused on what Democrats and Republicans ought to agree is a priority, and that is bolstering worker productivity. Let us invest in the education and training of our citizens, and research and development of technology, which is increasingly a powerful tool in the hands of our skilled workers. Our tax cut can be used for a permanent research and development tax credit, interest-free bonds for school construction, and providing greater deductibility to small- and medium-sized businesses to purchase information technology to enjoy more productivity in their own businesses. In closing, let me caution my colleagues, both Republican and Democrat, to be careful with these surplus projections. If these projected surpluses do not materialize and we have enacted a massive tax cut, I fear we will once again be saddled with a massive Federal debt, and interest rates will begin to climb again. Let us get our priorities straight, and let us pass a responsible tax cut with relief for all Americans.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, we are approaching an education crisis in our country. Over the next decade, school districts throughout the country will need to hire over 2 million new teachers. Four months after the school year started, my school district, Hillsborough County, Florida, still needs to hire over 150 new teachers. Over the next decade, our school district will need more than 7,000 new teachers. To meet this need and address this critical shortage of teachers that our school districts are facing, talented Americans of all ages should be recruited to become successful, qualified teachers. That's why I, along with Representative Tim Roemer, introduced the Transition to Teaching Act. I am pleased to stand here today in support of the provisions in this Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which will provide $34 million over the next fiscal year to help us recruit quality teachers through the Transition to Teaching program. This money will allow us to begin to develop this program to train mid-career professionals who want to become teachers. Our bill is intended to help people get the training they need to become teachers. The funding in this bill will help us move people from the boardroom to the classroom, from the firehouse to the schoolhouse or from the police station on Main Street to the classroom on Main Street. Under this program, we will encourage professional associations, business and trade groups, unions and other organizations to follow the military's example and encourage their retiring employees to become teachers. Under the bill before us tonight, these groups, along with institutions of higher learning, would be awarded grants to design a program, modeled after Troops to Teachers, to train these targeted individuals to teach our children. The institutions of higher learning would tailor the program to meet the particular needs of the professionals who are leaving their previous career to become teachers. In addition, to help the individuals with the educational cost of becoming a qualified teacher, the bill provides a stipend of up to $5,000 per participant. In exchange for the stipend, the individuals must agree to teach in a high-need school district for at least three years. In closing, I would like to thank Mr. Obey, the Ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, Chairman Young, and Chairman Porter for their help in funding this important program. The time is now for us to do more to encourage additional talented people to consider the call of the classroom. I encourage my colleagues to support the bill before us.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would like to rise and to thank Julian Dixon on behalf of myself and the community I represent in Tampa, Florida, and also to provide a further glimpse as to this really remarkable man that so many of us served with. I got to know Julian as really a relatively new Member here. He did not really know me from Adam, and I came to him with a very serious national security issue, and he treated me like someone that he had known for years and who had earned his respect, which I had not. I will never forget that. That is rare around here. It is rare most everywhere. I got a chance to watch him in action working with the Attorney General and working with Republicans and Democrats and members of the senior executive branch around here, and it was like a knife through butter. He had earned respect. He knew how to talk to people. He had earned the trust of so many people that depended upon him for his honest judgment. It is so easy to be cynical today in this particular time as we work through a very difficult presidential election and we begin to work through a very difficult political environment up here, but I think if the people I represent could see people like Julian Dixon in action here, making the difficult choices for the right reasons, I think it would reaffirm their faith in this institution and the mere people that serve here. I am proud to have known Julian Dixon and to have served with him. We will not talk about Julian Dixon in the past tense for a long time, because he will remind us, and I hope many people who watch us, of the great things we can all do as people and the fine things about this institution we are so privileged to serve in. Thank you again, Julian.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the commitment that this bill represents today to a partnership that started many, many years ago in the State of Florida, the commitment to begin to return the Everglades to its natural splendor. Amid all the rancor and strife that has overwhelmed this House the last few days, I think it is important to stop and appreciate how we got to where we are in the Everglades. This is the product of years of cooperation between not just Republicans and Democrats but Floridians. Our Senator Bob Graham, then Governor, started this effort. He and Connie Mack have represented a wonderful bipartisan commitment to get this done. And now the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Shaw) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutsch) in the House together with our delegation as Floridians have worked together to produce this product. This is an excellent example of the partnership, and it is an excellent example of what happens when we come together as Floridians and now as Americans to protect a national treasure and begin a very difficult and long-term commitment towards restoring the splendor of the Everglades. This is an important issue not just as far as preserving a natural resource, it is also a very important issue to Florida as far as water quality. The southern part of our State heavily depends upon the Everglades as an important source of drinking water and public health, and the country has come together to help us preserve that. We are very grateful.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Johnson- Rangel bill. It is a bipartisan bill that provides a tax credit to deal with the school districts we have been discussing this morning and the school construction problem. It is a bill that preserves local control to school districts to decide how to spend the money. Now, we all say we are for aid with school construction, with money which is the subject of the motion to instruct, and the tax credit. But we need to get serious about this because the devil is now in the details. What I want to highlight to my colleagues is the fear I have that, in the final appropriations bill, there either will be nothing on school construction for tax credits, or there will be the language that we voted on the other day, which I find extremely unacceptable because it does two things that I think insult the intelligence of anyone that supports school construction aid. The first thing is the arbitrage issue, which says to a school district that, if they borrow money to build schools and they hold that money for 3 or 4 years, they get a benefit in a tax credit. No school district is going to borrow money to build schools and let it sit there 3 or 4 years. The second is, we have created a brand-new program called Private Activity Bonds for School Districts. In my district, building schools is a public responsibility, not a private activity. We need to do it the right way through the Johnson-Rangel bill.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, tonight I would like to pay tribute to Congresswoman Tillie Fowler. Tillie's record of service has made the 4th Congressional District of Florida and the entire state proud. Not long ago, a close friend of mine, who is also one of Congresswoman Fowler's constituents, told me a story about Tillie that captures her character perfectly. He said that he was shopping in the grocery store one day and recognized his Congresswoman in one of the aisles. Taking a chance, he walked up to Tillie and introduced himself. Soon, my friend discovered that even in the midst of grocery shopping, his Member of Congress is kind, compassionate and down-to-earth and treats her constituents with the respect and attention they deserve. Those in Congress who have had the privilege to get to know Tillie recognize that she has as much respect for this institution as she does for the people she represents. She is thoughtful in her actions and independent in her decisionmaking. Tillie's integrity and dedication to her work stands as an example for her colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Finally, on behalf of all the citizens of Florida, I would like to thank Tillie for her service to our great state. Tillie's efforts on behalf of all Floridians is evidence of her love for our great state. I know I speak for everyone in sending her my best wishes for all her future endeavors.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. I think it is important to emphasize exactly what the problem or challenge our Nation faces. Over the next decade, we are going to have to hire over 2.2 million new schoolteachers in this country. It is a result of demographics, as many of our very fine teachers begin to reach retirement age, and also the terrific growth we are experiencing in all levels of grades today. In Hillsborough County in Tampa we are going to have to hire 7,000 new teachers over the next 10 years, and we are still struggling to find teachers to fill classes that started several weeks ago. So how do we go about meeting this demand and treating this as not just a challenge as far as quantity but also quality? What can we do to really ensure that we attract the very best people to our classrooms to teach our children? The Federal Government has sponsored a program known as Troops to Teachers, which was started by Senator John McCain and others, which has encouraged military retirees to move from the military into the classroom. Over 3,000 men and women have done this, about 270 in the State of Florida; and there have been some very good results. A lot of these men and women are there because they want to be there, they bring their life experience into the classroom, and they really have done a lot of great things. In my hometown, I know of one Vietnam veteran who started a course on the Vietnam War, as a social studies class in high school; something the school district never could have provided otherwise. So building on that success, the bill that my colleague, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer), and I have introduced, along with other Democrats and Republicans, and that Senator Bob Graham has introduced with other Senators in the Senate, would expand the program to anybody. It could be a retired fire fighter, a retired policeman, a retired businessman or businesswoman, or lawyer. We are trying to move people from the fire house or the police station on Main Street to the schoolhouse on Main Street, from the board room to the classroom. Increasingly we are hearing from lots of people who have said this is something I am willing to do. I want to give something back to the community. I feel my life experience qualifies me to be a teacher. I am not afraid to meet those same high standards that every other teacher has to meet. Because we do not change those standards. We are simply trying to encourage people to make that transition into teaching. Our bill provides up to $5,000 as a grant to cover tuition and fees for someone who wants to go back to school to be a teacher and to pass the certification in their State. Our bill, also very importantly, provides funds that are available to any group that wants to encourage people to consider teaching as a second profession. It could be a chamber of commerce, it could be a university, it could be a labor union, it could be a not-for-profit organization. There are a lot of people out there that want to do this, and there is no reason why Congress should not take the lead and step up and call attention to this and facilitate people who really, on an individual basis or on behalf of a group, want to step up and help deal with this challenge. So I simply cite this as one example of what we can do, among many others, if Democrats and Republicans will come together in the closing days of this session of Congress and deal with things that will really help our school children at home.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. I have, and I have talked to men and women who have said to me, I want to make the transition; but before I start my job and earn a salary, I need a little help paying my tuition. That is one of the purposes of the bill, to provide up to a $5,000 grant. And in return, and this is important to taxpayers, in return for receiving this grant, that teacher will have to spend at least 3 years teaching in a school that has a high need for teachers. Many of these are our most challenging schools. Many of the teacher positions that go unfilled are in math and science and special education, and there are people who have excelled in math and science who want to give something back who will make terrific teachers. There is no reason we should not get this done. We have a perfect opportunity to be a part of the solution. The President has proposed $25 million to fund this. Senator Mike DeWine in the Senate is a strong supporter of this proposition. We need to get it done in this session of Congress, and we need to be part of the solution in dealing with the increasing shortage of teachers.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. The most recent example of this, if the gentleman will yield, is the New York City School District. The chancellor of the New York City School District, Mr. Hal Levy, has instituted a program he calls the New York Teaching Fellows; and he is succeeding in inspiring men and women to leave their jobs and go into teaching. We need to be a part of that solution by having financial aid programs that are tailored to help people pay their bills while they are making the transition into teaching.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, we are squandering a golden opportunity here today to preserve this surplus, to protect Social Security and Medicare, and pay down the debt. As has been mentioned earlier, when one adds up all the spending and tax cuts this House is passing, we have already used up the entire surplus. That is why the argument that general revenues replacing this tax cut protect Medicare simply does not fly on the facts. Now, what does the motion to recommit represent? It represents an honest statement that there should be a legitimate debate about the extent to which seniors should contribute to the cost of Medicare in the years that go forward. Yes, I say to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Shaw), I think one can make some legitimate points about reducing this tax once we have the general revenue in place for Medicare. But that should be part of a broader debate on Medicare reform. We should not be doing Medicare reform ala carte. We ought to be having an honest and open debate about what fairness represents in terms of the share of the baby boomers like myself are going to pay, what share seniors are going to pay, how we are going to structure prescription drugs we all agree upon. Those are the facts. That is why we should defeat this bill and adopt the motion to recommit.

Mr. DAVIS of Florida

Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Brady, for his leadership and hard work on this important legislation. I, myself, am a strong co-sponsor of this legislation. H.R. 4002, the Famine Prevention and Freedom from Hunger Improvement Act is long overdue. This bill would update Title XII of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, a title which is vitally important to our universities. Title XII was enacted in 1975 with the goal of increasing world food production and identifying solutions to food and nutrition problems in developing countries. Although the goal to increase world food production has been met, we all know that food and nutrition problems continue to plague much of the developing world. Since Title XII was enacted, both our agriculture industry and international development efforts have significantly changed. This bill addresses those changes by updating the language under Title XII to reflect a more modern industry and expands the ability of participants to be eligible to participate in Title XII programs, so that the valuable resources of our universities will be better utilized. Specifically, by expanding the number of eligible participants in Title XII programs, our universities will be able to increase their number of partnerships and play a more significant role in our international agriculture efforts. Madam Speaker, I would also like to mention that improved agricultural production is essential if the U.S. is to continue fostering democratization around the world, which is one of many important objectives of U.S. foreign assistance. I believe H.R. 4002 addresses this issue. H.R. 4002 is a win-win for everyone. Internationally, these changes will result in better partnerships with the Agency for International Development (AID), which will improve service to developing countries. Domestically, our country will reap greater trade and research benefits. Moreover, lessons learned through agricultural programs in developing countries will benefit our own agriculture industry. Madam Speaker, I look forward to seeing this bill become law. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4002.