Susan Davis

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support today of this important Democratic substitute. Mr. Speaker, as both a former social worker and a former legislator in the California State Assembly, I understand firsthand the importance and the significance of State flexibility in program implementation. In particular, I would like to emphasize the importance of increasing access to educational and training opportunities for welfare recipients. We have heard a lot today about the need for State flexibility, and I can tell you from my personal experience serving in the State legislature that when the 1996 welfare reform law went into effect, that allowing State and localities the room to tailor programs in their regions and communities is absolutely vital to the overall success of the program. Under the TANF structure that was implemented in 1996, California was permitted creativity in program design and implementation to best meet the needs of our welfare recipients. The State legislature took advantage of this flexibility by creating a structure that rewarded work, included more opportunities for education and allowed counties to adapt the program to local economic needs and realities. Please, a one-size-fits-all agenda does not fit for all of Californians or all Michiganites or Pennsylvanians. We need more flexibility.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Sanchez-Harman amendment to H.R. 4546, which would simply lift the current ban on privately funded abortions at U.S. military facilities overseas. Mr. Chairman, our service men and women take an oath of office like our oath of office to support and defend the Constitution. Yet, they are denied their constitutional right to privacy and to a safe and legal, accessible abortion under Roe v. Wade. I have an opportunity to visit bases in my district very regularly, and I actually have been surprised, but I should not be, that I have been approached by servicemen and women about this issue, and by the men whose wives serving our country have to return home from their overseas station because of an unwanted and unexpected pregnancy. This is a fairness issue. For those protecting our freedom overseas, we need to allow them the same rights to access abortions as women in the United States. Mr. Chairman, I urge Members to support this amendment.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution as one symbol of my solidarity with the nation of Israel as well as all those engaged in a momentous struggle against terrorism. Simply put, Israel has a right to defensible borders and a right to live in peace with its neighbors. Thus, the United States has a moral imperative to assist Israel in its defense. In its 54 years of existence, Israel has been fighting an ongoing war against terrorists who sought to destroy her. These terrorists do not understand human mercy and kill indiscriminately men, women and children in service of a political cause that is the destruction of the Jewish state. We were all heartened by President Clinton's attempt to create peace between Israelis and Palestinians beginning in 1993. But, unfortunately the Palestinians could not surrender their goal of eliminating Israel and pushing her citizens into the sea. Almost 10 years after the Oslo process began we are facing the nightmare scenario for Israel. Attacked by terrorists inside her borders and from surrounding countries Israel has found little peace. Much like our own war against terrorism, this effort pits a democratic society against a leader that uses murder as a regular type of statecraft. This resolution is important for the message that it sends to our embattled ally Israel, to her citizens, and to all our democratic friends around the world. America stands by fellow democracies who share our values and our way of life. And, strong U.S. leadership is the best hope for bringing about a political process that can eventually pave the way for security and peace. Knowing that we must do something to stop the violence, I call out to all peace-loving people throughout the region, especially those in Arab countries, who seek a better life for their children and grandchildren, a vibrant economy, and meaningful commerce and exchange, to join us in our quest for peace. Mr. Speaker, this resolution is important because the message it sends will ring throughout the world wherever democracies are fighting terrorists and I urge its immediate passage.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am proud today to introduce the National Board-Certified Teacher in Low-Performing Schools Act of 2002. Helping low-achieving students improve their academic performance has been called the most vital need for our country's future. How do we make this happen? Many studies have shown that the single most critical component for a child is the quality of each teacher. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, H.R. 1, known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, calls for making sure that a well- qualified, credentialed teacher is in every classroom. This is a sentiment that has universal agreement, but making it happen will require a wide spectrum of approaches and strong federal support for a variety of strategies. I applaud the portions of that bill that add support to programs like the Troops-to-Teachers program, which seeks to recruit mid-career individuals particularly with expertise in science, math, and technology. This program, as an example, provides monetary support for a fast-track into the classroom with some professional development support and with a rapid time-line for giving these new teachers the teaching skills to become credentialed. But whether one is considering a troop recruit or a teacher recruited straight out of university, most of them end up as new, untested teachers in low-income, low-performing schools. Yet, these are the very schools where we need to assign our most skilled and experienced teachers. While new teachers may develop the skills to become experts, each needs the coaching and modeling of experienced professionals. I am happy to report that in California we instituted a peer-coaching program for teachers in their probationary years. But we also recognized the need to identify and reward our most accomplished teachers and encourage them to request assignments in our lowest performing schools. To accomplish this we did two things. One was to identify that an independent evaluation system for teacher quality is the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. It uses a rigorous, standards- based classroom teaching evaluation and testing program carried out over a year of teaching through which teachers can become certified. It is so challenging that only about half of all candidates receive certification in the first year. Because we could identify these as exceptionally accomplished teachers, in California we reward each successful candidate with a $10,000 merit award. One result of this recognition has been that in each successive year the number of California candidates has doubled. In addition, the state gives an annual $5,000 pay incentive for four years to each National Board Certified Teacher who will seek assignment to a low-performing school. I propose to build on this method of providing incentives to urge these highly accomplished teachers to provide not only their fine teaching skills but also their availability as peers for the many new teachers assigned to these schools. I believe that both beginning teachers and experienced teachers grow in their teaching skills and can be inspired to accept the challenge of the certification process if they have the opportunity to work as a peer with a National Board Certified Teacher. Many teachers who have become certified report that the process itself improves their skills, as they must prepare standards-based, self-reflective portfolios of their teaching practices to submit for evaluation. Therefore, I propose a pilot program for five years to pay up to 100 National Board Certified Teachers, each of whom is teaching in a low- income, low-performing school, $5,000 per year to act as a resident facilitator to introduce the members of the faculty to the National Board evaluation program. As a teacher must have taught for three years before applying for Board certification, the five-year period is needed to allow time for new teachers to be exposed to the process through the outreach program initiated by the facilitator. The responsibilities of the facilitator would be to promote peer teacher participation and to work with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to recommend ways to encourage teachers to aspire to Board certification. The facilitator would also receive a $1,000 bonus stipend for each teacher who completes the process for becoming Board-certified at the school for which the recipient is the resident facilitator. I believe that this pilot program can be a triple winner. The children of the low performing school have another teacher who has been certified as being a highly accomplished teacher. The faculty of that school has a peer teacher with identifiable teaching skills as a resource. And the school may grow its own new crop of National Board Certified Teachers thus changing the image of being a low-performing school to having pride in being a school with a highly-skilled faculty.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the Girl Scouts in San Diego and Imperial Counties for their successful completion of Operation Thin Mint. Operation Thin Mint was created and implemented by our local Girls Scouts as a way to show support for our military personnel serving in Operation Enduring Freedom. San Diego and Imperial County residents participated in Operation Thin Mint by ordering extra boxes of cookies. Between January 26 and March 17 of this year, the girls sold over 104,330 boxes of cookies for our troops overseas. In addition, Girl Scouts and local residents wrote a note to attach to each box expressing our gratitude for the sacrifices our service men and women are making for our country. On April 9, the first shipment of cookies began their journey overseas. The Navy worked closely with the Girl Scouts to develop a plan to distribute the cookies, and together they have a goal of delivering one box to every U.S. service member deployed afloat in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. As many of my colleagues know, this year marks the 90th anniversary of Girl Scouting. In this anniversary year, I can think of no better way to commemorate the role this important organization has played in the lives of young women than to highlight their work on Operation Thin Mint. The success of Operation Thin Mint clearly demonstrates that the 33,000 Girl Scouts in San Diego and Imperial Counties are fulfilling the Girl Scout mission of helping all girls grow strong. There is no doubt that this invaluable organization will continue to help girls develop to their full potential, relate positively to others, develop values that provide the foundation for sound decisionmaking, and contribute to society.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3839, the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act. In particular I would like to talk about an important provision in this legislation that was added to the bill through the bipartisan efforts of my colleagues on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. H.R. 3839 includes language to encourage agencies and organizations that receive CAPTA funds to provide materials and services to families and children with limited English proficiency in an appropriate language other than in English. This need for language-appropriate materials and services was brought to my attention by the committed social workers of Children's Services in San Diego. One of the greatest frustrations that they encounter is the lack of services available for limited English proficiency families. In some instances this lack of language-appropriate services is actually compromising how families comply with court orders. For example, the court often orders perpetrators of domestic violence to attend education and counseling sessions as a condition of allowing their children to return home. A Children's Services social worker is assigned to the case to help the parents get into a treatment program and to monitor the child. The average wait for admittance into a Spanish language domestic violence program is 6 to 8 months. Parents have a year to complete that treatment but they may spend up to 8 months waiting to get in. In many instances the children are separated from their parents until treatment is completed. This situation is keeping families apart. Participating in an English treatment program may fulfill the court's requirement, but it does not benefit the parents if they do not speak English. As a diverse Nation, we must work harder to address the multilingual needs of our communities and encourage the availability of services in appropriate languages. Every month, San Diego County's Children Services makes referrals in Spanish, in Vietnamese, Arabic, Cambodian, Farsi and other languages. The language included in this bill before us today expresses the sense of Congress that all agencies and organizations that receive CAPTA funds must recognize and meet the needs of these communities by providing appropriate materials and services. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that we have added that language to the bill. I want to thank my colleagues for their invaluable help with this provision.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the dangerous implications of H.R. 476. While we wish that every family engaged in open communication, we must recognize that the Federal Government is unable to mandate it. Studies show, and several speakers have mentioned this, well over 60 percent of young women do seek their parents' advice when making an abortion decision. But in situations where young women do not have supportive home environments or for whatever reason they are unable to approach their parents, they do often turn to another trusted adult figure, such as a relative or a teacher, for assistance. H.R. 476 would make this illegal. If enacted, this legislation will require a young woman's State laws to travel with her wherever she goes. These laws would be her only companion during this stressful time. H.R. 476 may actually harm young women by compromising their access to health care services since providers would face the burden of determining their patient's State of residence and associated laws. Instead of ordering parental involvement, we should provide comprehensive reproductive health education to enable young people to make these good decisions.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, today I have the pleasure to introduce the Hospitalized Veterans Financial Assistance Act of 2002 and thank my Veterans Affairs Committee colleagues, Committee Ranking Member Lane Evans, Benefits Subcommittee Ranking Member Silvestre Reyes, and fellow Benefits Subcommittee member Corrine Brown who have joined me on this important legislation. I would also like to thank the authors of the Independent Budget who brought this critical issue to our attention. In short, current law subjects many hospitalized veterans to a financial hardship. Let me explain further. An inequity exists in current law controlling the beginning date for payment of increased compensation based on periods of incapacity due to hospitalization or convalescence. Hospitalization in excess of 21 days for a service-connected disability entitles the veteran to a temporary total disability rating. This rating is effective the first day of hospitalization and continues to the last day of the month of hospital discharge. Similarly, where surgery for a service-connected disability necessitates at least I month's convalescence or causes complications, or where immobilization of a major joint by cast is necessary, a temporary total rating is awarded effective the date of hospital admission or outpatient visit. While the effective date of the temporary total disability rating corresponds to the beginning date of hospitalization or treatment, under current law (38 U.S.C. Sec. 5111) the effective date for payment purposes is delayed until the first day of the month following the effective date of the increased rating. This provision deprives veterans of any increase in compensation to offset the total disability during the first month in which temporary total disability occurs. This deprivation and consequent delay in the payment of increased compensation often jeopardizes disabled veterans' financial security and unfairly causes them hardships. The Hospitalized Veterans Financial Assistance Act of 2002 would allow for payment of benefits in all hospitalization and convalescent claims to begin effective the first day of the month in which hospitalization or treatment begins. Mr. Chairman, once again the nation's soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines are on foreign soil either engaged directly with an enemy or on alert to respond as necessary to assure our citizens' right to live in freedom. Let us in Congress assure these dedicated men and women that we will provide for those who bear today's and tomorrow's battles and not force them to endure a financial hardship. President Abraham Lincoln said it best, ``. . . what is fairly due from us here, in the dispensing of patronage, towards the men who, by fighting our battles, bear the chief burthen of saving our country . . . is that, other claims and qualifications being equal, they have the better right; and this is especially applicable to the disabled soldier.''

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an historic event in San Diego, the renaming of Crosby Street in Barrio Logan to Caesar E. Chavez Parkway. Guided by local leaders Councilman Ralph Inzunza, Rachel Ortiz, Luis Natividad, Sam Duran, Carlos and Linda Legerrette, and pushed along by the San Diego Cesar Chavez Commemoration Committee, the Parkway paves the way for the renaissance of Barrio Logan. Chavez's commitment to fair wages, better working conditions, decent housing and quality education is still alive and well in San Diego. I am proud of my constituents and the efforts of local leaders to honor this humble yet great man. Cesar Chavez deserves to be honored as a great American hero. His dedication to human rights and justice warrants his birthday being seriously considered a national holiday. I hope my colleagues will join me in giving Chavez his rightful place in American history.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this budget. The budget before us today reflects a failure to meet the promises made to members of the House Education and the Workforce Committee as we worked to make the compromises needed to create a bipartisan education reauthorization bill known as The No Child Left Behind Act. One of the key issues was that if we voted to require extensive testing by all schools in the country in order to achieve accountability, we would also supply funding to support the improved teaching that may be needed to help school districts achieve their required goals and avoid expensive penalties. However, this budget cuts The No Child Left Behind Act by $90 million. It is unconscionable that programs have been cut that were integral to members agreeing to the compromises that led to passage of the Act. Yet, forty programs would be terminated. These include such critical support for children as funding for elementary and secondary school counseling. A second area of support called for in the Act is to place qualified teachers in every classroom; however, the budget eliminates teacher technology training. The list of terminated programs includes the National Writing Project, which gives teachers experience in improving their writing and models best practices. It also cuts funding for another program that sets the standard for identifying accomplished teaching, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, which administers a highly lauded national process for identifying the highest quality teachers. I have selected just these few examples of eliminated programs that would improve teaching quality so that indeed no child would be left behind. But this budget decreases resources for teachers by 4 percent and eliminates high-quality training for 18,000 teachers. Many members of the House wanted the opportunity to vote to provide funding for a much older federal mandate which has been shamelessly under-supported since 1975, special education. Yet, we have not even been allowed to show our support for phasing in this commitment over a period of years. The modest increase in funding contained in this budget is only a third of the amount that real commitment would offer. Although the Education and Workforce Committee will be working on the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in the next Congress, there is no justification for holding this funding commitment hostage in order to implement whatever needed reforms may be agreed to by Congress at that time. The list of other gaping holes in this budget for education is long-- freezing funding rather than providing the $500 million called for in the No Child Left Behind Act to support the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which provide safe, healthy places for children to learn after school. While the bill is targeted at the lowest income, lowest performing children, the key portions of that effort contained in Title I are woefully under-funded while the number of poor children mushrooms. There are no funds to subsidize interest on school modernization bonds needed to address the $127 billion backlog in school repairs, again a program that many members supported. Finally, high quality child care must be available to enable more children to be ready to learn when they reach kindergarten. Yet, this budget freezes child care funding. What will be the value in reauthorizing the child care block grant this year, when we are told in advance that long overdue reforms cannot be made because there are no additional funds? As members should be aware, virtually every national education support organization--such as the Parent Teachers Association, the National School Boards Association, and the 100-member consortium of education organizations called the Committee for Education Funding-- have expressed their outrage at the inadequate funding for education in this budget. Is this what our constituents want? Clearly not. A study released yesterday, conducted by the Ipsos-Reid polling and research organization, reported that education was, by a wide margin, the highest national priority for spending on non-military or homeland security programs. An astonishing 85 percent agreed that a good reason to increase federal spending on education was that ``our national security depends on our ability to successfully equip our children with the skills and knowledge they will need to function in today's increasing complex world.'' The public supports a substantial increase in spending. Their commitment to our children must start with this budget so that no longer will so many be left behind.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about an important issue facing our community: the affordability of long-term care. People today are living longer and healthier lives than ever before. When the Declaration of Independence was signed, the average life expectancy was 23. In the United States today, life expectancy at birth is 80 years. While this increased life expectancy is allowing us to live fuller lives, it is also presenting us with serious financial challenges. Half of all older Americans who live alone will ``spend'' themselves into poverty after only 13 weeks in a nursing home. My own family had to make difficult emotional and financial decisions when my father needed care. My dad was a pediatrician, and always lived a full life. When he needed care, my sisters and I struggled to find the perfect place for him to live. We wanted to make sure he was happy and received high quality medical care. We searched for months to find the right place for our dad and we learned very quickly how expensive long-term care is. Fortunately, we had the financial resources to take care of him, but many families do not. My experience with my dad renewed my commitment to improve our long- term care system. I took on this mission in Congress and I am pleased today to introduce the Long Term Care Support and Incentive Act. This much needed legislation will make a real difference for San Diegans carrying for older family members. First, the bill will give a $4,000 tax credit for seniors with long- term care needs and their caregivers. We know how many sacrifices families make to take care of their loved ones. They miss work, or in some cases are forced to give up their jobs. They pay for expensive medical supplies and equipment, and bare the burden of enormous medical bills. This tax credit will help ease their financial burden. The second section of my legislation will establish a tax deduction for long-term care insurance premiums. As the long-term care needs in our community increase, we must face the reality that many seniors do not have family or friends to take care of them full time. This is particularly important to women. Women live longer than men. Often times, women are the primary caregivers for their husbands. After their husbands pass away, there is often no one around to take care of them. Long-term care insurance can help fill this gap, but premiums can be expensive. My legislation will make long-term care insurance more affordable by allowing individuals over 65 to deduct 75 percent of the cost of their premiums and individuals under 65 to deduct 50 percent of the cost of their premiums. In addition, I have included several important consumer protections in the bill to ensure that people are purchasing responsible insurance plans that will adequately meet their long-term care needs. The bill requires plans to include: Mandatory inflation protection; A lifetime deductible requirement that ensures policy holders must only pay their deductible one time in their lifetime; Mandatory interchangeability so that individuals can determine where their benefits are spent; A care coordination program that ensures seniors receive assistance in planning and securing the services they need. By encouraging people to plan ahead for the future and purchase long- term care insurance, we can ensure that seniors live dignified and independent lives. I urge all of my colleagues in Congress to work with me to pass it quickly into law.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this rule and the Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform bill. Unlimited contributions are polluting our democratic process. By passing the Shays-Meehan bill, we will even the playing field. We will ensure that people of limited means can come together and send powerful policy messages to their elected officials. The Shays-Meehan will also make our campaign system more transparent. In my last election a group called Citizens for Better Medicare ran hundreds of TV ads on prescription drug coverage. The problem was that no one knew that these Citizens for Better Medicare were actually pharmaceutical companies. Once Shays-Meehan is signed into law, corporations and large donors will not be able to hide behind these misleading shell groups. I urge all of my colleagues in this House to vote for real campaign finance reform and pass Shays-Meehan into law.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) for this opportunity to join him in support of National Mentoring Month. Hundreds of thousands of children each year have an opportunity to grow into stronger young people and adults because of the caring attention of an older person. This relationship can move a child's life in important directions; but we need not just hundreds of thousands, but millions, of volunteers to address the lives of those young people who would benefit from this personal attention. The gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) expressed the dimensions of the need. It is our hope that National Mentoring Month will focus many more people on this opportunity. I would like to take a few minutes to share my own experiences with a variety of mentoring programs. As a school board member in San Diego, we approved programs which encouraged older students to act as mentors to younger ones. For example, a fifth grade student might meet regularly with a first grader to read with her. Eighth grade students might write stories in their creative writing class and present them to third graders. These can be quality learning experiences for each pair of young people. There are programs like Rolling Readers that coordinate regular pairing of children and volunteer adults to coach reading skills. These volunteers may be retired or working, but can be flexible in their hours; and I am proud that one of my staff members, Carla Meyers, has been a lunchtime volunteer, meeting once a week, to read with a student in a Capitol Hill elementary school. In San Diego we have an award winning school, the Monarch School, which brings homeless children who often have not been in school into an educational setting. The Downtown Rotary Club recruits its members on one-on-one mentors to spend regular time with these needy young people, often in after-school hours. Coming from San Diego with its large military population, I took the opportunity to sponsor an amendment to the Juvenile Justice Bill to encourage one-on-one mentoring programs for at-risk juveniles with the Department of Defense personnel. There are several military mentoring programs which are making a real difference. For example, the Department of Military Affairs and the Florida National Guard, in conjunction with the State of Florida, has designed a program called About Face, which brings low-income, at-risk kids into National Guard armory facilities to increase their functional life skills, to improve their basic skills, teach computer literacy, and help them with their homework. More importantly, they teach kids that someone cares about them and their future. Personally, I had the wonderful opportunity to be the first executive director of the Aaron Price Fellows program. I developed an educational enrichment program focused on civic responsibility with a group of 40 young people of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds drawn from several local high schools each year. Each student was involved in the program for 3 years, and what they learned from one another and the people with whom they met throughout the city gave them lifelong learning skills. One of the favorite trips for each class was coming to Washington, D.C., where the students saw for themselves this political process. Did it make a difference in students lives? As they continued to keep in touch with me, I see young people, many of whom came from lower- economic circumstances, whose aspirations and educational achievement have led them to become teachers and bankers, social workers, international relief workers and even a town mayor. I am honored to have two former fellows working on my staff. Jennette Lawrence is a valued legislative assistant here. Todd Gloria, a field representative in the district, earned a Truman Fellowship to go to graduate school, but wanted first to be part of our political process. After being an intern in my office and then graduating from UCSD, Arzo Mansury chose to work resettling new Afghan refugees, people from her birth country, and now hopes to be part of the rehabilitation process of that country. The stories are legion, but I would like to close with the memory of a very special young man, Willie Jones. Living in a low-income area punctuated by gangs and drugs, Willie became a model citizen, a fine student, and a neighborhood leader in urging others to leave gangs. Unfortunately, as he prepared to leave for a 4-year scholarship at Cornell, where he would study to be a doctor, Willie was gunned down in a drive-by shooting. Rather than focus on his death, I like to think that my mentoring helped Willie become the outstanding young man that he was; and in his own short years, his mentoring had led other young people to stronger adult lives. When I meet successful adults from challenging backgrounds and ask them what made the difference in their lives, it is always an adult, usually not a family member, who saw something special in them and mentored them. Everyone can be that life-changing influence in a young person's future. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it has been a pleasure to be here today and to speak in support of the National Mentoring Month. I want to thank my colleague the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) for his distinguished career in working with young people. We really appreciate that. The gentleman has been a great role model. In closing, as we remember Martin Luther King, Jr. this week, I recall that he said, ``Everyone can be a drum major for peace.'' Paraphrasing him, everyone can be a drum major for mentoring. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mrs. DAVIS of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to support the rule and the report today. We have heard today the results of months of work by the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House and the Senate Education Committee, and following that, by the conference committee, and I honor those Members who have struggled so diligently to reach this goal. As a Member of the California Assembly, I worked to establish similar accountability measures for California schools, programs which began 2 years ago. I applaud the committees for bringing this reform to all of the States. It will not be easy, nor will it be troublefree. However, requiring testing and accountability reporting which tracks the progress of distinct groups of children also encompasses the need for local schools and states to identify curriculum goals and academic standards. This is a good foundation for improving the focus of teaching. And, most important, as stated earlier by my colleagues, the critical aspect of our testing should be diagnostic. I am pleased that this is clearly stated in our rationale and implementation support. Important parts of this program are those that will enable teachers to improve their teaching skills. High quality teachers are the most critical predictor of student achievement. I am particularly pleased that the bill will continue to support programs like the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Credential Program that provide the opportunity for teachers to demonstrate high standards of their actual teaching accomplishment over a year of classroom performance. Like many of my colleagues and a majority of the Senate conferees, I am disappointed that as we are mandating programs to local school districts and have expressed our intent to fund them adequately, while we have done that, we have failed to phase in funding to meet the commitment Congress made 26 years ago to fund special education. It is particularly ironic that as we have rightly focused H.R. 1 on the needs of the poorest children through Title I, we have failed to recognize that two-thirds of all children with disabilities are also eligible for Title I funds. We must work forcibly next year to meet this promise. There is much hope in H.R. 1, and I am happy to support this new focus on the importance of teaching all of our children.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank my distinguished colleague from Texas. I know he has worked tirelessly on this issue. I appreciate all of that and so do the children in our school districts. Madam Speaker, this is important bipartisan legislation that improves the quality of life of our service members, many of whom are deployed overseas in the face of danger, and removes a handicap to education faced by school districts across the Nation. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill which will correct an unintended consequence of an important program. First, I would like to thank the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) for introducing this legislation. I also thank the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce for their consideration of this measure. I raised this issue in the spring of this year, and I am happy to see that we have come to a reasonable conclusion. In an effort to leverage its limited quality life and resources, the Armed Services are privatizing military family housing. Such privatization of military family housing is a welcomed solution to a difficult problem in my district and across the Nation. However, as my colleague from Delaware mentioned, one of the unintended consequences of a well-intentioned program is the loss of income to school districts resulting from reduced eligibility for free and reduced school lunch programs. Compounding this problem, numerous State and Federal education, nutrition and technology programs are contingent on the number of children eligible for the free and reduced meal program; and this program we all know well as title I. The program affects only a small number of military children today, but it will affect tens of thousands of military families and the schools their children attend as the military housing privatization program expands. Many children and listed personnel living in the privatized housing are disqualified for eligibility for free and reduced price lunch. This is because the servicemember living in the privatized house has the basic allowance for earnings included on their earnings statement, although the money flows directly through the member to the private housing developer. This added income, which is not reported for members living in traditional on-base housing, causes many servicemembers' children to lose eligibility for free and reduced price meals because under Department of Agriculture rules, this amount is included as income in determining eligibility for free and reduced price school lunches. The Department of Defense adds the allowance to the pay statement to assist in accounting, but the servicemember loses. Madam Speaker, let me explain. On a Sunday, a housing community is owned and operated by the military. And on Monday, the housing community is operated by a private company still on Federal land, but the servicemember, who never moved, is impacted by all this. Earlier this year, the superintendent of the Coronado school district, Dr. Marilyn Wheeler, first made me aware of this problem. She contacted me when she learned that as a result of the privatization of the Silver Strand housing area, her small district could lose more than $90,000 in title I Federal funds which she already budgeted for in the 2001 and 2002 school year. Title I funds have been utilized to improve school achievement at the Silver Strand School. Student achievement has steadily improved for the entire student body, and those identified as title I eligible have made significant gains in closing the achievement gap. This year's funding would have hired a full-time certificated teacher to work with small groups of students below grade level in reading, language arts and math; and a half-time reading specialist to work one on one with students below the grade level in reading, and certificated staff to work with small groups of students before or after school in reading and math. With all of our hard work on education, it would really be a travesty to leave this problem unresolved. Madam Speaker, I know that others around the country were facing similar circumstances, and I contacted the Department of Defense, the Department of Agriculture and the Social Security Administration. Initially, the Department of Defense did not believe it was feasible to eliminate the housing allowance from the military leave and earnings statement because of the negative impact it would have on the entire housing privatization program. However, the Department now believes it is possible, although the change will take at least 16 months. This bill will give DOD the time it needs to adjust its practices; and short of this effort, will correct the problem until it can be permanently fixed in the 2003 National School Lunch Reauthorization. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support our schools and our military and vote ``yes'' on this legislation. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Stanley E. Foster, who passed away in San Diego this week. Stan Foster was a giant in our community and a dear friend to all who knew him. As one of his many friends, I mourn his passing, but I also want to take a moment to celebrate his life and share with my colleagues the inspiring story of this great American. Stan was born in Portland, Oregon, the son of an immigrant from the Ukraine. After graduating from the University of Washington, he went into the furniture business in Portland. He moved to San Diego in 1954 and joined his in-laws' family business. He later bought a small sportswear company known as Hang Ten, which he turned into a wildly successful business and a major label known around the world. After doing so well, Stan spent most of his life doing good. He was one of San Diego's leading philanthropists and civic leaders, involved in every aspect of our community's civic, cultural, and spiritual life. His causes were many, his influence and his impact, profound. I had the pleasure of getting to know Stan through our shared involvement in three of his great passions: gun safety, interfaith and intercultural understanding, and the arts. In the midst of a busy life, Stan made a long and concerted effort to stem gun violence, first as the founder of San Diegans Against Handgun Violence, and later as National Vice Chairman of Handgun Control. As a member of the California legislature, I worked closely with Stan to increase gun safety in California. He was a tireless advocate, who knew how to bring people together and how to get things done. Stan and I also served together on the Board of the National Conference for Community and Justice, an interfaith organization dedicated to community peace and understanding. We traveled together to ``Anytown,'' NCCJ's youth camp, which brings together young people from diverse backgrounds for an intense session of training in tolerance. In traveling to ``Anytown'' with Stan and sharing his experience, I saw how deeply he cared not only about the big issues, but also about individuals. I was always impressed by the way that this very successful businessman spent countless hours with young people, encouraging them to engage in understanding one another and the world around them. As a long-time supporter of San Diego's Museum of Contemporary Arts, I am grateful to Stan and his wife Pauline for their Herculean efforts to establish this museum as a major cultural institution. Stan recently stated that he had not missed a MoCA fund-raiser in 25 years, and I am sure that this year's event, chaired by his wife Pauline, will be remembered as a sterling tribute to his memory. Stan Foster will be dearly missed by his devoted family and by thousands of others whose lives he touched and enriched.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of this effort to strengthen the airport security. Our current airport security system is woefully inadequate. As we witnessed on September 11th and in the weeks since, our airport screeners are not catching critical threat objects such as knifes or guns. A man boarded a Southwest Airlines plane on October 23rd with a gun in his briefcase. Screeners at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport did not catch the gun when the briefcase was put through a security checkpoint X-ray machine. A man at Dulles International Airport was arrested by an FAA inspector after the inspector saw the man pass through security with a knife in his shoe. The knife did not set-off the metal detectors. In almost every instance, these breaches of security occur because local screeners are under-trained and underpaid. In order to meet their bottom line in a tight market, airlines have entered into low-bid contracts with security screening companies. As is usually the case, you get what you pay for. Most screening companies pay their workforce the minimum wage. As a result, the average turnover rate for screeners is 126 percent a year nationwide. Ninety percent of all screeners at any given checkpoint have less than six-months experience. This is simply unacceptable. Passenger and baggage screeners are the front lines of defense against terrorism in the sky. The safety of our family and friends are in their hands. This is why I support federalizing our national airport security system. By federalizing the system, we will ensure that airport security screeners are: paid a salary that more accurately reflects the skill level of their job; have opportunities for career advancement within the federal government; and pass a federal background check before they are hired or trained. Higher pay and an opportunity for career advancement will attract and retain a higher caliber of individuals into this important profession. As we begin to develop this new model for airport security, we must include local airport authorities in the process. Earlier this week, I met with several representatives of the San Diego Port Authority, which operates the Lindbergh Field Airport in San Diego. They gave me a tour of our local airport security system. We also discussed the practical implications of federalizing screening personnel. It was very clear that these experts know the strengths and weaknesses of their airport better than anyone else. Rather than reinventing the wheel, the federal government should use this local expertise. As partners, the new federal Transportation Safety Administration and local airport authorities can develop strong, standardized safety procedures that meet the specific logistical needs of every airport. In doing so, the bottom line in airline security shifts from dollars and cents to safety and security. In just a few short weeks, Americans will travel to be with their families for the holidays. They are counting on us to make the skies safe. We must not let them down. We must act now to remedy the dangerous inconsistencies in our national airport security system. I urge this Congress to pass a strong airport security bill into law.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, prior to the Soviet occupation in 1979 Afghanistan was a country on the path to modernization. Afghan women were doctors, lawyers, judges, civil servants, in short, they were a vital aspect of Afghan society. Women were active members of society. They attended universities. They had the right to vote. They participated in many sectors of the work force. However, decades of war, drought, famine, and oppression have taken a hefty toll on the entire population, and women in particular. In a country where women were once equal and respected members of society, they are now shrouded into silence. Life for women in Afghanistan no longer exists. They live in seclusion, unable to interact with others. In 1996, a now notorious regime known as the Taliban moved into the capital city of Kabul and began imposing their strict moral code. The Afghan people awoke one morning to find that their lives had been changed overnight. The Taliban announced the imposition of their new rules over Afghanistan's national radio. Women were no longer allowed to work or attend school. Women were no longer permitted to leave their homes without a male relative. If they were caught outside without the accompaniment they were lashed with whips. Women were no longer allowed to wear nail polish. If they did, their fingernails would be pulled out. Making excessive noise when walking was also grounds for punishment. Afghan women have lived under this magnitude of oppression for five years now, and it has taken its' toll. Depression and suicide rates in Afghanistan have dramatically increased. Previously, suicide was virtually unheard of, now many women see it as the only means to end their suffering. Some women are choosing to end their lives by drinking a caustic soda, a solution that causes severe pain and takes three days to take effect. I know of one Afghan woman named ``Rozia'' who managed to escape Kabul and find refuge in America. She left Afghanistan after her husband was taken away and subsequently killed by the Taliban. His only crime was that he did not subscribe to the Taliban mentality. She was forced to flee her homeland with her four young children, eventually making her way to San Diego. She is one of the lucky few that has managed to escape. However, even in America she is frightened to speak out against the Taliban in fear that they will punish her remaining family members in Kabul. The plight of the Afghan women under the oppressive hand of the Taliban has been going on for over five years. These egregious violations of human rights must end. In addition, the women of Afghanistan--freed from this oppression--must have an opportunity to play a role in the rebuilding of a more open society. Only then will Afghan children grow up believing life holds something besides being a freedom fighter or a terrorist.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Mink amendment. I am a strong supporter of extending educational opportunities for nontraditional students through distance learning. Academic institutions that meet current requirements are dramatically extending their options, and that is a good thing, and I strongly support that. So why am I rising on this amendment? Well, it is really a question of consumer protection. We need to make sure that the students who are paying tuition are getting a quality academic program, because when they do not, when they do not get that quality academic program, they default on their education loans; and we have a responsibility to guarantee academic integrity so that we limit those defaults. We must avoid fraud, and it has been mentioned here there are some ways that the bill is dealing with that. But we need to avoid that fraud. Right now we do not really have any definition of what that is. We need to avoid abuse by reducing the requirement to one log-on a week, and we have to develop a consensus on how we change this standard. I would suggest that that standard is really not in play today. The whole issue of whether or not the military and the extension programs provided for the military are in jeopardy here, I would submit to you they are not. The Army and Navy have long had academic programs under the present distance learning rules with quality programs and institutions; and I just am delighted to see the way in which those programs have developed. I know many, many individuals from San Diego serving on ships take advantage of those programs today. Extension of these programs is not jeopardized by this amendment. We should be more concerned about assuring the quality of education for our military and continue to support quality programs such as they have today. They will not be jeopardized by this amendment. The 50 percent rule has served as a filter to developing businesses that are primarily profit-centered rather than extensions of opportunity for valid economic experience. We do not want to allow marketing with bounties. The pilot project that we have been talking about should be honored in the next 2 years, so we can really consider its results when the reauthorization of higher education occurs. That is what they were instituted for, and that is how we need to look at them. Congress has the responsibility to assure high-quality education and the expansion of distance learning programs. That is what we are all about today. I appreciate all the hard work that has been put into this bill. Programs that are academically reviewed by their accredited institutions assure comparable quality to on-campus programs. They provide the standards that students expect when they pay federally funded tuition.