Vernon Ehlers

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a truly outstanding woman who did so much in our community to help those who are less fortunate. If only there were more people like Mattie M. Holliman; then this world would be a better place. I am saddened to report that Mattie passed away on March 9 after a brief illness. This lady, known as ``Mother Holliman'' in our community, leaves behind an outstanding legacy. During her 79 years, Mattie was a tireless worker who looked out for others who were homeless, hungry or unemployed. Sitting still was a concept that was unknown to Mattie. If there was a community issue to be addressed then Mattie would organize a community meeting with local officials to discuss the issues. She had a special way of bringing people together to solve problems. She was an organizer with an empathetic soul, and she was as much at home with her Mayor or Senator as she was with the homeless person sleeping under the freeway. For 16 years she worked as a certified social worker at the Sheldon Complex. But her work didn't stop when she turned off the lights and closed the door at the office. Mattie was always doing something to help somebody or some cause. In addition to her job at the Sheldon Complex, she was the founder of two grassroots organizations, Community Volunteers Agency and the Men's Supportive Task Force. Mattie's dedication and work did not go unnoticed in our community, which is evident by the numerous awards she received for her efforts in community service. Among her many honors were the United Way's Volunteer of the Year Award, YWCA Tribute, Giants Award, NAACP Award, and in 1993 she was recognized by President Clinton for being the first inductee into the Creative Communications Centres Women's Hall of Fame. All of us who knew Mattie Holliman are thankful for the opportunity to have shared in her life. Her leadership, thoughtfulness, and caring ways will be missed by those who had the privilege of knowing her. She was a remarkable woman with a heart of gold who did so much for so many during her lifetime.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in recognizing the birthday of the Camp Fire Boys and Girls' Absolutely Incredible Kid Day. Each year, on the third Thursday in March, the day is set aside to help adults communicate better with kids. As part of the celebration, adults are encouraged to send letters of love and appreciation to young people in their lives to show them how much they mean to them. Now in its fifth year, more than 450 million people have been touched by Absolutely Incredible Kid Day. Absolutely Incredible Kid Day can make a positive impact that will last a lifetime. The campaign has received the critical acclaim of child and family care experts, award winning authors, noted psychologists, and adults and kids everywhere. Celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Jim Carrey and Cindy Crawford have also given their support to Absolutely Incredible Kid Day. In my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan the Campfire Boys and Girls West Michigan Council has put an enormous amount of time and effort into this celebration. In addition to having adults write letters to kids they know, the organization is also encouraging adults to write letters for distribution to at-risk youths throughout Grand Rapids. The Council has also organized an extensive public awareness program complete with posters, stickers and stationary to spread the word about this special and important day. I applaud them for making this day a top priority. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues, moms and dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles, teachers, mentors and other adults alike take time out of their day today to let a young person know how much they appreciate them. Let them know you care and help make a positive difference in their lives today and everyday by writing a letter of love and support. You'll be glad you did and so will the reader of the letter!

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, today I give recognition to St. Isidore School in Grand Rapids, Michigan for its 100 years of service to the Grand Rapids community. Founded by Polish immigrants, the school opened its doors to 144 students on January 2, 1901, in a northeastside building that served as a combination school, church, and convent. Since the ringing of the first bell in 1901, the school has served as an excellent example of families committed to providing their children with a positive Catholic school experience. St. Isidore School, originally the city's East Side Polish parish school, has been through many changes over the years and has grown into a cosmopolitan school. The current facility on Spring Avenue was built in 1926 and in recent years has housed an average of 140 students in grades K-8. The record year was 1927 when the pupil count swelled to 920 students. During a 20 year period from 1927 thru 1947 St. Isidore's also opened its doors to ninth grade students. During its 100 year existence, St. Isidore's has served as the starting point for numerous young men and women who have gone on to very challenging and successful careers. Graduates of the school have become priests, sisters, doctors, nurses, attorneys, engineers, accountants, teachers, administrators, elected officials, and good loyal employees of the many industries in the West Michigan area. Mr. Speaker, I am extremely delighted to take this time to pay tribute to this superb school that has played a vital role in our city's history. I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting the efforts and commitment of the staff and students who have called St. Isidore home over the past 100 years. Their dedication to learning and excellence is a model for others to follow. Congratulations! May God also bless you for your next 100 years!

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I welcome the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Barcia) to the ranking member position on the Subcommittee on Environment, Technology and Standards; and I look forward to working with him. We have been friends for many years, first in the Michigan House, then the Michigan Senate, and now in the Congress, and especially on this particular subcommittee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 524, the Electronic Commerce Enhancement Act of 2001. Small manufacturers play a vital role in our society. Each and every day we all rely on the many goods they produce to help sustain and improve our lives. Small manufacturers are an integral part of our communities, employing hundreds of our friends and neighbors and acting as anchors that help to foster growth and prosperity in many small towns across our Nation. In our inner cities, it is often small manufacturers that have helped to spur urban renewal and act as the industrial foundation in our metropolitan areas. Recently I visited a factory in my district. It is a classic example of what I just described here. A gentleman purchased a faltering plant which was on the verge of bankruptcy. It had 50 employees. He reinvigorated it; and through good management and advanced techniques of manufacturing, including communication, he became a supplier of parts for the Chrysler Corporation, now the Daimler Chrysler Corporation. At the time I visited, he had 250 employees and he said he had work for 500, if he could only find qualified individuals to work there. He also showed me a machine that was producing parts for the Chrysler minivan. He had produced 2 million of those parts for the Chrysler Corporation, without one single rejection by them for defects. He was very proud of his record. That is the type of thing small manufacturers do so well. The future success and growth of many small manufacturers such as that will increasingly rely on their ability to adapt to the ever- changing electronic business environment. In a recent survey, nearly 80 percent of small manufacturers reported having a Web page, which is good; but only 25 percent indicated they used the Internet for direct sales. This means that most small manufacturers are missing out on an estimated $3.2 trillion in e-commerce sales over the next 2 years. They are also missing out on the opportunity the Internet offers to spur new product development and markets while at the same time streamlining and improving their daily business operations. There are many obstacles preventing small manufacturing from fully engaging in the new electronic-driven business environment. Costs associated with integrating even the most basic e-commerce initiatives, coupled with the uncertainty and the fast-paced changes in technology, often hinder small manufacturers' attempts to venture into the electronic world. Just as an example, encryption is a very important part of business commerce. Very few small manufacturers have the expertise to deal with encryption problems and ensure the security, privacy, and integrity of their transmissions. In addition to that, we need standardization of protocols between large manufacturers and their suppliers. We have to have enterprise integration and interoperability. If the smaller manufacturers are going to be able to communicate with the large number of manufacturers that they supply, they should not have to be required to put in different systems for every manufacturer they deal with. In addition to this, a lack of qualified trained technology workers in the marketplace today makes it difficult to successfully integrate technology into the workplace in a meaningful way. Over half the small manufacturers surveyed revealed that human resource shortages were a major problem when trying to implement their e-commerce plans. I would add parenthetically here that I have introduced legislation to improve K-12 math-science education, which would go a long way toward solving the problems that are indicated in the previous paragraph and that I also mentioned earlier for the manufacturer in my district who could not find the employees he needed. H.R. 524 is an important piece of legislation because it will help us get a better picture of all of the barriers preventing small manufacturers from successfully implementing electronic commerce strategies by having both government and private-sector representatives take a closer look at the problem. In addition, the limited pilot program created by H.R. 524 will tell us what is and what is not working in the workplace. NIST's Manufacturing Extension Partnership program, or MEP, working in conjunction with the Small Business Administration, is uniquely suited to assist small manufacturers in this endeavor. The hundreds of MEP centers all across the country have a proven track record in effectively providing small manufacturers with the advice and expertise they need in order to succeed. I am pleased to join the chairman of the Committee on Science, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert), and the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Environment, Technology and Standards, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Barcia), as an original cosponsor of H.R. 524. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in support of the Electronic Commerce Enhancement Act of 2001.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join in this discussion. I have not known the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Moakley) as well as many of the previous speakers, but I have to say that when I first appeared before the Committee on Rules a few years ago as a trembling freshman and presented my case on an amendment, it was interesting to watch the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Moakley). He initially was shuffling papers, then he began listening to me, and then he turned to the person next to him and I could see him say, ``Who is this guy?'' And after I made the presentation, he made some complimentary comments and took the trouble after the meeting to come and speak to me about my proposal and explain how it could be improved. That was the beginning of a friendship. And even though I cannot claim the close friendship that some of the old-timers here have, it has always been a good relationship. We joke with each other, we talk with each other, we always greet each other in the hallways. He always strikes me as what a longstanding Member of Congress should be, a kindly older gentleman who is helping and aiding those around him and always cheerful, always helpful, and always trying to help us do our best for the country. We need more Members like that. And the other comments about his civility, I believe, are well taken. He is a very civil person in every sense of the word and truly a gentleman who deserves the honor that he is being given today. We cannot say enough good about him.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I just want to take a moment at this time of year to recognize that we do have a major holiday approaching. I wore a Christmas tie today for that purpose. This is just an effort to first of all remind my colleagues and our Nation about the great blessings we enjoy in this Nation, that we are true to our religious heritage as individuals, that we recognize the major holiday which is of extreme importance to the majority of our population, and also in a slightly humorous way to remind my colleagues that we really are past the time of adjournment, that we should be at home meeting with our constituents, reminding them of all that we have done, and also to make certain that we spend some time with our families and enjoy our Christmas holiday together.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana (Chairman Tauzin) for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I simply want to thank the members of the Committee on Commerce, especially the gentleman from Louisiana (Chairman Tauzin), who has been very helpful in this, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Wynn), and the ranking member (Mr. Dingell), and, of course, the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Bliley), who has also been involved in this. I appreciate their help in all aspects of this bill.

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) for yielding the time to me. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in support of this legislation. It has taken a considerable amount of work over several years to reach this point. It initially arose when a constituent contacted me; he was extremely frustrated, because they were unable to use their radios, television sets, and their cordless telephones, because a neighbor near them was blasting away at 100 watts of CB power when the legal limit is only 5 watts. He had illegally attached a high power amplifier to his CB system. This person, my constituent, had contacted the police. They were unable to help. They simply said, we do not have jurisdiction. He had contacted State agencies. They also could not help. In both cases, he was told to contact the Federal Communications Commission. When he did so, they said, yes, this person is breaking the law, but we do not have the personnel to go everywhere in the country to take care of this matter. As a result of this situation I have introduced this bill. Mr. Speaker, I initially thought this constituent's problem was a rather isolated incident. Once I introduced the bill, I heard from individuals and organizations across the country that were encountering the same problem. Since I had apparently hit a hot nerve with a number of members of the public, I decided this bill was worth pursuing. The Senate has made minor changes to the bill which clarify it and which take care of some concerns of the truckers who, as my colleagues know, use CBs very heavily. They were worried about perhaps being harassed by improper use of this law, but we have taken care of that. I believe it is now in very, very good shape and will serve the purpose for which it was intended. There will not be any further complications with it; therefore, I urge the Members of the House to concur in the Senate amendments and pass this bill.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to be here this evening. This is an historic event. We have never met this late in our legislative season since World War II. But perhaps this is not all bad. We are fighting a battle here, too; and that battle is to keep the budget down. Over the past few years, when we approached this point, the President demanded more spending. In order to wrap up this session and get home for elections, we capitulated. This year we are not going to do that. The President is trying to shanghai us by saying, we will only let you go for 24 hours. You have to be here every day, even though there is nothing to do, because they are not negotiating. I think it is rather unique. But we are here. We are willing to work. We are eager to work. Unfortunately, the President has been out on the West Coast raising money. But as soon as he gets back and as soon as he is willing to negotiate with us, we are ready and willing to negotiate. But we are not going to give the ship away. We are going to restrain the budget and do the best we can to keep the budget balanced.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 572, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 573, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay''.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I have been in this House approximately 7 years now, and as we approach the end of this session, it is time for a retrospective. When I arrived in this House, we had a deficit of $300 billion. And, in addition to that, we spent every cent, every single penny of the money that came in for Social Security, and it was spent on behalf of general government projects rather than on behalf of the people who contributed it. Today we have a surplus of over $100 billion, plus we are not taking one cent of the Social Security money that is coming in. What a difference in 7 years! If you want to know what that difference means for the average taxpayer, it is more than $2,200 for each and every taxpayer in this country. What a change! What an accomplishment! I am very proud to have been part of the House during this transition, from a time of immense deficit spending, stealing Social Security money, and now not touching the Social Security money and saving the money, having a surplus.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Let me just try to respond. This provision is, first of all, a grant to the school, not to the teacher, so it is not even as far along as the list that the chairman gave a moment ago. It is a grant to the school and not to the teacher. Secondly, you have to recognize teachers move from one school to another. Just yesterday I spoke in a school, and there was a teacher in the public school who had previously taught in a religious school in my community. If you educate or train a teacher, are you going to say once we have trained them with Federal money, they cannot teach in a private school anymore, even if they were trained with Federal money while they were in the public school?

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, we have a major national problem. We have a booming economy which arose out of developments in science and technology, and we are all enjoying the fruits of that economic boom. At the same time, we do not have the workforce to manage the boom and to keep it going. There are several evidences of that. Number one, compared to other developed countries, we are at the bottom or near to the bottom in terms of the mathematics and science education student achievements of our high school graduates. The second point: if my colleagues would visit the graduate schools of science and engineering in this Nation, they will find that over half of the graduate students are from other countries, because our students cannot compete with those students from other countries. Another factor is that every year the science and technology industry comes to us and says, will you please allow more immigrants into our Nation with the scientific and technological capability to fill the need that we have. And just 2 weeks ago we approved a bill to allow another 200,000 immigrants into this Nation to fill that need. We have 365,000 open scientific and technical jobs in the United States, and we do not have people qualified to fill those jobs. We must either allow those from other countries in, or employers will move the jobs offshore to take advantage of the people there. We have to address this problem. If we want to continue to enjoy the fruits of this economic boom, we have to produce students and adults who are educated in science and math. And I am not talking just about scientists and engineers. Today they need to know high school physics and algebra in order to get a job as a mechanic in a major auto service shop. And this applies to most jobs in society today. We must have better training in science and technology for our students. This bill is an attempt to do that. The need for this was demonstrated in the Science Policy Statement that I developed with the help of the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) 2 years ago and which was adopted by the Committee on Science and by the full House. We have conducted further hearings during the past 2 years to examine this educational need, consider solutions, and arrive at a bill that would actually meet and solve the problem. In addition to that, the Glenn Commission, which was appointed by the Secretary of Education, has been meeting for 2 years, and just a few weeks ago released its report. Its recommendations parallel almost exactly what we are trying to do in this bill and some companion bills that have been introduced. We must have a knowledgeable and well-prepared teacher in every classroom. That is the effort of this bill, to provide training for those teachers already in the classroom who have not received adequate math and science training in their college or university work, and bill will provide opportunities to educate them. Let me make it clear, I am not faulting the teachers for the problem. In every classroom I visited, and I have been in many in my lifetime, teachers are eager to teach math and science properly; but they have not been given the proper training or background, and they desperately want it. Through this bill, we have provided ways for them to have that training. In addition, this bill provides for a master teacher program, under which grants would be given to schools. These schools could use those funds to hire teachers who would have, in addition to their teaching responsibilities which are assigned by the school, other responsibilities to deal with equipment maintenance, instruction of teachers, in-service training of teachers, maintenance of equipment, outlining curricula, perhaps developing curricula and acquainting the teachers with all of the ramifications of it. This master teacher program is a key part of the bill. It has been the most widely applauded portion of the bill. In addition to that, the bill contains a teacher scholarship program so that teachers will be able to go elsewhere and benefit from work experience or scientific research in laboratories, in businesses or in other ways. They are professionals, and they need the opportunity to follow their professional programs and ideals. We have also included some other bills that were introduced and referred to the Committee on Science. For example, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) had introduced an excellent bill, which provides a pilot program to encourage private sector contributions and involvement in information technology programs in the neediest high schools. It is an excellent bill, and I was pleased to incorporate that bill in this one. In addition, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Barcia) introduced a bill which authorizes an educational technology extension service based in intermediate school districts, which will allow the schools to benefit from the expertise of the centralized agencies and personnel. This bill was reported out of the Committee on Science with a unanimous vote and has received bipartisan support from the beginning. I am pleased that we have received support from members of the Committee on Science, from the members of the Committee on Appropriations, Committee on Education and the Workforce and from Members of leadership. There are currently 118 cosponsors for this bill. It has widespread support in this Congress. Eighteen of those cosponsors are from the committee on education; 36 from the Committee on Science. Teachers will be positively affected by this bill. Our Nation's teachers and students will be one step closer to receiving the support they so deserve with this effort. I want to close this by thanking the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) for the tremendous support he has given me in the effort on this bill, and also the help the House leadership has provided. I urge the House to approve this bill.

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, let me clarify this issue. First of all, this is typical language that we have incorporated in this bill. We are not breaking new ground. The National Science Foundation at present does give grants to private schools. Let me also clarify that private schools does not mean rich preparatory schools, as many people think, and does not necessarily mean religious schools. In my city in Grand Rapids, we have a private school that serves students in the inner city, and survives through my extensive fund-raising. It operates on a poverty shoestring. Most of its students are from minority groups. So private schools can include many different types. Be that as it may, note that the letter that has been circulated saying that this program may raise a constitutional question, is based on a 1971 Supreme Court decision which has been superseded by several other decisions, and I think this issue deserves considerable study before one could conclude that there is a constitutional problem. Secondly, if we read the bill carefully we note the grants provide for development or implementation of science, mathematics, engineering or technical curricula in classroom assistance; authority over hands-on inquiry materials, equipment and supplies; mentoring other teachers or fulfilling any leadership role and professional development, including training other master teachers or other teachers or developing or implementing professional development programs. Nowhere in here does it say that they will be teaching children.

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, there is a host of questions that have been raised here at the last minute, and a considerable surprise to me, because on this bill we have held hearings for over a year, and the bill has been out for almost 2 years.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the Senate concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 141) to authorize the printing of copies of the publication entitled ``The United States Capitol'' as a Senate document, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to rise today to speak on behalf of this bill. We have struggled mightily with it in the Committee on Education and the Workforce. We have had substantial disagreements, but I am very pleased we have been able to resolve those disagreements and get this bill to the floor. I continually hear from constituents about the importance of this bill and the activities that are carried out under the bill. It is something that they regard as very necessary, particularly for those who need assistance with meals. So I am very pleased that the bill is here. I join with my colleagues who have spoken before. There is no need to repeat their words, but let me say that I associate myself with their comments, and I urge that we soon bring this bill to a vote and that we do pass this bill. I hope the Senate will do likewise.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Madam Speaker, I just rise to very briefly thank him and the members of the committee for their work on this bill. It is a very important piece of work which will benefit many, many people in our Nation. I particularly wanted to thank him and the Members of the committee, particularly the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) for their work on a provision to correct an injustice which was done to one of the manufacturers in my district. The Customs Service had made a mistake and decision on tariffs. In the process, either through misunderstanding or mistake, some money was set aside which was then ruled to belong to the United States Government. This bill will clarify that, correct it. I appreciate the efforts of the committee and particularly the chairman in resolving this difficulty satisfactorily, and I hope satisfactorily to all parties.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the Senate concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 130) establishing a special task force to recommend an appropriate recognition for the slave laborers who worked on the construction of the United States Capitol, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, Monday evening I spoke to a college government class in my community, and a young woman commented during the question period. She asked, I just turned 18, I will be voting for the first time, can you tell me why I should vote? What difference does the government make in my life? I gave her two quick examples, and I thought everyone listening to this might be interested in these examples. I said, first of all that, when I was elected in 1994, we had deficits of $300 billion per year. The Republicans took over. We now have a surplus of over $100 billion per year. That is a $400 billion per year difference, and that computes to $2,200 for every single taxpayer in this Nation. That does make a difference to you. You should vote this year. The second example I gave is that the interest on the debt is going to cost her $185,000 during her lifetime, even if we do not add another cent to the debt. This is equivalent to the cost of a nice house in my district. It does make a difference who is in control; we have started to pay off the debt. It does make a difference, and people should vote accordingly. I am very proud of what we have accomplished, and how we have put money back in the hands of the people, including this young 18-year-old lady. I hope that she does vote, and I hope that she does vote for the good of this country.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to follow up on the comments made by the gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Smith, and also related to comments I made a few moments ago about the importance of improving math and science education in this country. As I mentioned in my previous comments, we are enjoying an immense economic boom at this time, much of which is due to the results of science and technology. In particular, it is due to the research which has been done over the past 50 years. That is why the work of the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith) is so important, because if we wish to maintain a good economy, if we wish to have our children have a good economy, we must make the same investment in scientific research today that our parents and grandparents made 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago, and which we are enjoying the fruits of today. It is extremely important that we continue that research effort to improve the health, the lives, and the freedoms not only in our Nation, but of peoples throughout the entire planet. I commend the gentleman from Michigan for his work. I hope this Congress will continue to show a willingness to fund scientific research and maintain our leadership among the nations of this planet.

Mr. EHLERS

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) for yielding. I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this important topic. I am in agreement with much of what I have heard today, but we have to recognize, as the previous speaker, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton), commented, this is a long-term problem. It is also something that I have been involved in since 1967 when I was a physics professor and became very concerned with what was called at that time scientific illiteracy. It was clear the Nation had a major problem, so I dedicated myself as a professor of physics, first at Berkeley, then at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to trying to eradicate scientific illiteracy in the areas in which I dealt. I taught special courses designed for students who were not scientists, so they would begin to understand science and comprehend it. That interest has continued, and I agree with the previous speaker, that this is a long-term problem that we have to address. I have developed three bills which I introduced this past year. We have over 110 cosponsors of those bills, and I had hoped that we could act on them this year, but due to various circumstances, that did not happen, although one of the bills was reported out of the Committee on Science. It is essential that we continue this. I have a brochure which I have handed out to many Members, and I will be happy to make available to any other Members. The key point to recognize, first of all, we have a very serious problem in this country, but we also have a real blessing going on right now. The blessing is the tremendous economic boom we have enjoyed for almost a decade, which, according to Alan Greenspan and many other experts, is grounded entirely in the science and math developments of the recent past. The research we have done has paid off, but we have not produced the manpower to keep the boom going, so we are forced to import scientifically, technically trained people from other countries. That is why we need the H-1B visas. But that is a short-term solution. We need to do a better job of educating our citizens in math, science, engineering, technology, from pre-school through graduate school, if we want to continue to be competitive as a nation. It is absolutely essential that we do that. The best place to start is our weakest link, K through 12 education. For a series of reasons, we are not doing a good job there. Evidence of that, of course, is the H-1B visa problem. Another evidence is that in any graduate school of science and engineering in this country, we will find over half of the students are from other nations. Our students cannot compete with students from other nations. Another example of this is that we have 365,000 jobs open in this country unfilled because we do not have qualified people to fill those jobs. So in an attempt to solve that, I have introduced these three bills. I hope next year we can get this through. I hope we will be able to use some of the funding from the H-1B visa fee to propagate this and actually get at and solve the problem. The previous speaker referred to the effort after the Russians reached space first. I have given a number of speeches entitled, ``Where is Sputnik when we need it,'' because we need another Sputnik now to reenergize our people, to reenergize our Congress, and get this in, address this problem. It can be addressed, and it is not all that expensive. We simply have to set our minds to it and do it, and do it right, so that we can produce a workforce that is technically trained, scientifically trained, and able to deal with the economy we have now, and keep this economic boom going so that we will all continue to enjoy a better life in the future.