Steny Hoyer

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Battle Creek Nature Education Society. The Battle Creek Nature Education Society received a 2003 Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Grant for a project designed to enhance the Flag Ponds Nature Park and King's Landing Park in Calvert County, Maryland. The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, which includes more than 120 museums, state parks, wildlife refugees and other sites in five states and the District of Columbia, was created to enhance the experience of visitors to the Chesapeake Bay and its many roads, rivers and trails. Authorized by the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998, the Gateway Network is coordinated by the National Park Service in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Program. During the past four years, Gateways Network Grants have funded new maps, improved signs, and expanded trails that have made visits to parks, wildlife refuges and water trails even more exciting and enjoyable than they had previously been. These grants help enhance the public's ability to learn and enjoy the Chesapeake's stories and significance, explore its natural and cultural resources, and become involved in helping conserve and restore the Bay and its watershed. Through these projects and other Gateways Network efforts more and more people recognize the Chesapeake as a true national treasure. In 2003, the National Park Service is awarding $1,387,309 in grant funding, matched by over $2 million in partner contributions. Thirty- two grants are being made to Gateways throughout the Bay watershed in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Battle Creek Nature Education Society is receiving a grant of $32,050 and $62,762 in partner contributions. The project proposed by the Battle Creek Nature Education Society will create an overall plan for guiding interpretation at Flag Ponds Nature Park and King's Landing Park, as well as an extensive series of outdoor exhibits at each park. Up to twenty way-side panels will be developed to help visitors enjoy and learn about these two sites and their relationship to the Chesapeake Bay watershed. A short sampling of anticipated stories to be told includes: the geology behind the ever- changing sand bars that shape habitats at Flag Ponds; early 20th century uses of the area; and the importance of the swamps and freshwater pond habitats that have been naturally formed over hundreds of years. Mr. Speaker, it is with the assistance and vision of organizations such as the Battle Creek Nature Education Society that the Chesapeake Bay and the entire region has become the treasure that we know it to be today. Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the Battle Creek Nature Education Society on receiving this grant and wishing them the best of luck in completing their project.

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Sotterley Foundation. The Sotterley Foundation received a 2003 Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Grant to enhance exhibits at the historic Sotterley Plantation. The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, which includes more than 120 museums, state parks, wildlife refugees and other sites in five states and the District of Columbia, was created to enhance the experience of visitors to the Chesapeake Bay and its many roads, rivers and trails. Authorized by the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998, the Gateways Network is coordinated by the National Park Service in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Program. During the past four years, Gateways Network Grants have funded new maps, improved signs, and expanded trails that have made visits to parks, wildlife refuges and water trails even more exciting and enjoyable than they had previously been. These grants help enhance the public's ability to learn and enjoy the Chesapeake's stories and significance, explore its natural and cultural resources, and become involved in helping conserve and restore the Bay and its watershed. Through these projects and other Gateways Network efforts more and more people recognize the Chesapeake as a true national treasure. In 2003, the National Park Service is awarding $1,387,309 in grant funding, matched by over $2 million in partner contributions. Thirty- two grants are being made to Gateways throughout the Bay watershed in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Sotterley Foundation is receiving a grant of $28,000 and $28,000 in partner contributions. The project proposed by the Sotterley Foundation will restore, display and interpret a Chesapeake Bay log canoe discovered in nearby Sotterley Creek. Visitors exploring this historic plantation along the Patuxent River will have the opportunity to examine and learn about a workboat that once plied the waters off the site. The log canoe will be protected under a shelter, and interpreted through several exhibit panels. Mr. Speaker, it is with the assistance and vision of organizations such as the Sotterley Foundation that the Chesapeake Bay and the entire region has become the treasure that we know it to be today. Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the Sotterley Foundation on receiving this grant and wishing them the best of luck in completing their project.

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker I rise today to recognize Point Lookout State Park and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Point Lookout State Park received a 2003 Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Grant for a project designed to enhance key sites and resources at the park. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will match the grant. The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, which includes more than 120 museums, State parks, wildlife refuges and other sites in five States and the District of Columbia, was created to enhance the experience of visitors to the Chesapeake Bay and its many roads, rivers and trails. Authorized by the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998, the Gateways Network is coordinated by the National Park Service in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Program. During the past four years, Gateways Network Grants have funded new maps, improved signs, and expanded trails that have made visits to parks, wildlife refuges and water trails even more exciting and enjoyable than they had previously been. These grants help enhance the public's ability to learn and enjoy the Chesapeake's stories and significance, explore its natural and cultural resources, and become involved in helping conserve and restore the Bay and its watershed. Through these projects and other Gateways Network efforts more and more people recognize the Chesapeake as a true national treasure. In 2003, the National Park Service is awarding $1,387,309 in grant funding, matched by over $2 million in partner contributions. Thirty- two grants are being made to Gateways throughout the Bay watershed in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Point Lookout State Park is receiving a grant of $39,320 and $39,415 in partner contributions. The project proposed by Point Lookout State Park and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources will develop a series of up to 14 outdoor interpretive exhibits, or waysides, highlighting key sites and resources at the park. A number of exhibits will focus on Civil War era stories showing how the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River played important roles in the war. Additional exhibits will highlight the Point Lookout lighthouse and the lives of lighthouse keepers. With nearly a half million visitors annually, Point Lookout provides a real Bay experience for many people. The new exhibits will greatly expand interpretive information for visitors and share more of the Bay story. Mr. Speaker, it is with the assistance and vision of organizations such as Point Lookout State Park and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources that the Chesapeake Bay and the entire region has become the treasure that we know it to be today. Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Point Lookout State Park and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources on receiving this grant and wishing them the best of luck in completing their project.

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Friends of the Patuxent Research Refuge. Friends of the Patuxent Research Refuge received a 2003 Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Grant to construct a pilot demonstration Schoolyard Habitat site at Patuxent Research Refuge's National Wildlife Visitor Center. The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, which includes more than 120 museums, state parks, wildlife refuges and other sites in five States and the District of Columbia, was created to enhance the experience of visitors to the Chesapeake Bay and its many roads, rivers and trails. Authorized by the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998, the Gateways Network is coordinated by the National Park Service in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Program. During the past four years, Gateways Network Grants have funded new maps, improved signs, and expanded trails that have made visits to parks, wildlife refuges and water trails even more exciting and enjoyable than they had previously been. These grants help enhance the public's ability to learn and enjoy the Chesapeake's stories and significance, explore its natural and cultural resources, and become involved in helping conserve and restore the Bay and its watershed. Through these projects and other Gateways Network efforts more and more people recognize the Chesapeake as a true national treasure. In 2003, the National Park Service is awarding $1,387,309 in grant funding, matched by over $2 million in partner contributions. Thirty- two grants are being made to Gateways throughout the Bay watershed in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Friends of the Patuxent Research Refuge is receiving a grant of $14,457 and $14,795 in partner contributions. The project proposed by the Friends of the Patuxent Research Refuge will serve the dual purpose of improving the habitat quality surrounding the National Wildlife Visitor Center and educating the community on BayScaping techniques and Schoolyard Habitats. Volunteers and visitors will help create the project, involving themselves in a direct habitat restoration effort that can stimulate further involvement later. Watershed signs, a walking path, an outdoor classroom, and an indoor kiosk will be used to interpret the habitat site and how it and similar efforts contribute to the Chesapeake Bay's health. Mr. Speaker, it is with the assistance and vision of organizations such as the Friends of the Patuxent Research Refuge that the Chesapeake Bay and the entire region has become the treasure that we know it to be today. Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the Friends of the Patuxent Research Refuge on receiving this grant and wishing them the best of luck in completing their project.

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker I rise today to recognize the Potomac Trail Council. The Potomac Trail Council received a 2003 Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Grant for a project designed to improve access and interpretation along a one mile section of trail in Piscataway Park and Fort Washington Park in Accokeek, Maryland. The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, which includes more than 120 museums, state parks, wildlife refuges and other sites in five states and the District of Columbia, was created to enhance the experience of visitors to the Chesapeake Bay and its many roads, rivers and trails. Authorized by the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998, the Gateways Network is coordinated by the National Park Service in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Program. During the past four years, Gateways Network Grants have funded new maps, improved signs, and expanded trails that have made visits to parks, wildlife refuges and water trails even more exciting and enjoyable than they had previously been. These grants help enhance the public's ability to learn and enjoy the Chesapeake's stories and significance, explore its natural and cultural resources, and become involved in helping conserve and restore the Bay and its watershed, Through these projects and other Gateways Network efforts more and more people recognize the Chesapeake as a true national treasure. In 2003, the National Park Service is awarding $1,387,309 in grant funding, matched by over $2 million in partner contributions. Thirty- two grants are being made to Gateways throughout the Bay watershed in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Potomac Trail Council is receiving a grant of $40,500 and $45,300 in partner contributions. The project proposed by the Potomac Trail Council will make significant improvements to access and interpretation along a one mile section of trail in Piscataway Park. The route, which parallels Piscataway Creek (a tributary of the Potomac River) will be improved through several measures to control erosion and puddling, including the addition of permeable surface materials, french drains, and culverts. Six interpretive waysides and other signs will also be developed to provide trail users with key information and interpret features along the route. The Potomac Trail Council will coordinate work on the project in collaboration with park staff. Mr. Speaker, it is with the assistance and vision of organizations such as the Potomac Trail Council that the Chesapeake Bay and the entire region has become the treasure that we know it to be today. Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the Potomac Trail Council on receiving this grant and wishing them the best of luck in completing their project.

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Calvert County Board of Commissioners. The Calvert County Board of Commissioners received a 2003 Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Grant to makeover exhibits at a Gateways Network regional information center. The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, which includes more than 120 museums, state parks, wildlife refugees and other sites in five States and the District of Columbia, was created to enhance the experience of visitors to the Chesapeake Bay and its many roads, rivers and trails. Authorized by the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998, the Gateways Network is coordinated by the National Park Service in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Program. During the past four years, Gateways Network Grants have funded new maps, improved signs, and expanded trails that have made visits to parks, wildlife refuges and water trails even more exciting and enjoyable than they had previously been. These grants help enhance the public's ability to learn and enjoy the Chesapeake's stories and significance, explore its natural and cultural resources, and become involved in helping conserve and restore the Bay and its watershed. Through these projects and other Gateways Network efforts more and more people recognize the Chesapeake as a true national treasure. In 2003, the National Park Service is awarding $1,387,309 in grant funding, matched by over $2 million in partner contributions. Thirty- two grants are being made to Gateways throughout the Bay watershed in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Calvert County Board of Commissioners is receiving a grant of $24,520 and $32,289 in partner contributions. The project proposed by the Calvert County Board of Commissioners will bring about a complete makeover of exhibits at the Solomons Island Visitor Center, a Gateways Network regional information center. Calvert County will design, produce and install a series of interpretive displays on both the inside and outside of the building. Presently the building presents basic information on visitor sites in Southern Maryland. The new elements will enable the center to orient people to particular Gateway sites in the region and introduce visitors to Bay themes and resources in Southern Maryland. Calvert County will contribute labor and funding to match the Gateways grant. Mr. Speaker, it is with the assistance and vision of organizations such as the Calvert County Board of Commissioners that the Chesapeake Bay and the entire region has become the treasure that we know it to be today. Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the Calvert County Board of Commissioners on receiving this grant and wishing them the best of luck in completing their project.

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Eve, I want to rise with my colleagues. I was here at 3 o'clock when David Dreier gave that short, but very heartfelt thanks to you. I did not join him at that point in time; I thought that at 3 a.m. you might want to go home. But I do want to rise at this point in time. Mr. Speaker, the Members of the House, the House as an institution, and this country are all blessed by having some extraordinarily dedicated, extraordinarily able people serving this body. Other than our terrific reading clerks, few of them get on camera, at least in terms of being identified. But without them, this House would not run nearly as well as it does. And to the extent that it does not run well, it is not for any lack of ability or dedication on their part but because the Members sometimes get out of hand. But the staff that serves this House of Representatives, the people's House, is an extraordinary one. Each time we lose one of them by retirement or for any other reason, we are a lesser place. We will be a lesser place for some period of time because one cannot replace the 20 years of experience that Eve takes with her. But she takes with her the thanks and gratitude of all of us who are Members of this body. Whether brought in by the majority or the minority, Democrats or Republicans, matters not to any of our desk personnel or our Parliamentarian or our timekeepers or whatever their particular designation. They serve us well and they serve this country well. Eve, I wish you and Tom the very best. You are still a very young person and you will have many years to enjoy service to church, service to God, but I know that you will continue in many ways to serve your country. I know you will take with you the deep affection and respect for this institution that you have served so well. Godspeed.

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Jack Witten, a man with a distinguished record of military and private sector service. Mr. Witten's career has spanned decades and encompassed a number of notable accomplishments in the field of aeronautical engineering. Mr. Witten has also had an accomplished personal life that I am sure his seven Eagle Scout grandchildren can attest to. It was Charles Lindbergh's 1927 flight over the Atlantic Ocean that initially sparked Mr. Witten's interest in aviation. After that historic flight, Mr. Witten began spending much of his time observing local airport hangars and taking in Army air shows and national air races in his boyhood home of Illinois. He spent many a Saturday afternoon hitchhiking to the hangars and air shows with his cousin Tom. In 1938, Mr. Witten quit his steeple-jacking job and joined the Navy Reserve. He was put on active duty at the Wright Reynolds Airport in Glenville, Illinois almost immediately. There, he and his fellow reservists maintained a fleet of 26 aircraft and trained a reserve squadron of 400 men. During the course of his service in the Navy Reserve, Mr. Witten instructed, developed, and reorganized training programs in aircraft maintenance and engineering for both pilots and ex-GI's. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Witten has also spent much of his career serving our area through his work for the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics at the Pax River Naval Air Station. Mr. Witten first came to Pax River in 1943, just six days after the air station was commissioned. He was able to realize his dream of both working and living on the Atlantic Coast when he and his family later moved to St. Mary's County. During his time at Pax River, Mr. Witten helped to establish aeronautical maintenance engineering as both a term and function. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Witten has had a number of other notable accomplishments throughout his distinguished career. He created the Aircraft Maintenance Officer category of military service, established the annual meeting of the Depot Aeronautical Engineering Superintendents, revised contract requirements for military hardware design changes, and conducted materials review of new aircraft designs. Mr. Witten also instituted the use of improved aircraft testing techniques and devices, such as the spectrographic analysis of engine oil to detect failing engines, now in worldwide use by all militaries, and the use of high visibility paint to prevent collisions. Additionally, Mr. Witten made major revisions to the standard design specifications for naval aircraft to increase safety and reliability and to reduce maintenance man-hours. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Witten's lifetime of achievement and service deserves recognition. I know the members of the House will join me in thanking Mr. Witten for over 60 years of service to the military and to our local area. I rise now to congratulate him on this tremendous record of achievement.

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize two faculty members of the College of Southern Maryland who have been honored by the Association of Community College Trustees. Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Elaine Ryan, is the recipient of the 2003 Chief Executive Officer Award and Professor Bill Morton is the recipient of the 2003 Faculty Member Award. Mr. Speaker, the ACCT awards program is very competitive at a national level. This program annually recognizes the contributions made by trustees, chief executives and faculty members. The association is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees. Being selected the recipient of the 2003 Chief Executive Officer award is a great honor and privilege. Dr. Ryan has devoted over thirty years to the College of Southern Maryland and in 1998, was appointed the college's third president. She is the first female to hold such responsibility at this college. Under her leadership, the community college has become a regional institution serving three counties with four campuses. According to the 2003 Maryland Higher Education Commission Report on Retention, Transfer and Graduation Rates, the College of Southern Maryland ranked first in the State for the highest four-year graduation and transfer rates among Maryland community colleges for its first-time, full-time entering freshman class of 1998. This is a significant achievement for the college. Dr. Ryan, as CEO, no doubt has had a very active part in making the college as successful as it is today. She is admired and respected for her administrative ability, intellect, and love of her community. She is very active in her community serving on the Governor's Information Technology Board, the Southern Maryland Workforce Investment Board, the Charles County's Vision in Teamwork and Leadership organization and the Board of Directors for the Maryland Mentoring Partnerships, as well as many other community organizations. She is a role model for many young people in the community and has been nationally recognized for her efforts in education. No college can be successful without the intelligent and caring men and women who strive everyday to make a difference in the lives of today's youth. Having professors who love to teach students is what makes a college the best that it can be. Professor Bill Morton has been recognized by the ACCT for his innovative instruction in accounting, economics and management. He is a pioneer in his field, utilizing distance learning through broadcast and video-based telecourses, interactive television, online courses, and cooperative education. He has devoted thirteen years to educating youth at the College of Southern Maryland. He believes that the only way to teach students is to reach students. Morton integrates his own life lessons into his teachings by drawing on his fifteen years of military and private sector experience. In 2000, the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (Region 2) awarded Morton the Teaching Excellence Award. For the past two years, the faculty at CSM selected the professor to receive the Faculty Excellence Award. Morton's expertise in his subject, positive attitude toward his students, and passion for teaching draw admiration from his peers and pupils alike. On this day, I would like to recognize these individuals for their achievements in the field of education. Teaching is one of the most important professions in our Nation today and it is important to recognize those outstanding teachers for educating our Nation's youth and inspiring them to succeed in life. Dr. Elaine Ryan and Professor Bill Morton have worked hard to achieve this outstanding award presented by the ACCT. Their dedicated service to the College of Southern Maryland, to their profession and to their community has benefited and enriched the lives of so many. Southern Maryland is fortunate to have such committed professionals and we all thank and congratulate them for a job well done.

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, let us be clear about what we are doing here. We are asking this body to begin, in my opinion, to dismantle Head Start, one of the most successful programs in American history. Head Start serves more than 900,000 3- to 5-year-olds in every State in this Nation every single year. Head Start teaches reading, writing, mathematics and language skills. Head Start, as well, provides comprehensive services that increase school readiness: health and mental health screenings and services, nutrition, dental and vision services, and extensive parent involvement in education, a critical component of this program. And Head Start combines local control with strong Federal quality standards. That is the key. In fact, Head Start is one of our most evaluated education programs. Over the last 30 years, it has helped millions of children do better in school. But now, through H.R. 2210, the sponsors are trying, in my opinion, to unravel Head Start. The Republican initiative initially was to block-grant all of Head Start. That did not fly. They are now down to eight States. This bill, however, would create a new block grant program for eight States without requiring any of the Federal Head Start program performance standards. What does that really mean to parents and their children? It means, I think, that States could run Head Start programs with lower educational standards, minimal comprehensive services and less oversight and accountability. That is not good for our children or their parents. In looking at this bill, we should look at the intent. The intent of this bill directly contradicts, I believe, our bipartisan recognition that no child should be left behind, that the Federal Government needed to establish high educational standards and tough accountability for the educational achievement of low-income children because the States had not done so. In essence, this bill proposes that we turn our 3- to 5-year-olds in Head Start over to the States even though the premise of the No Child Left Behind Act is that States are not currently serving low-income children as well as they should. As the Los Angeles Times stated recently: ``Now, when States are in precarious financial shape, is hardly the time to dismantle the program's, Head Start's, Federal management.'' Let me close by saying, despite our best efforts in Head Start, we still are not doing enough for low-income children. There are some 1.5 million children eligible. There are 900,000 participating, 600,000 being left behind. Now is not the time to start to dismantle Head Start. Mr. Speaker, let's be clear about what the Republican majority is proposing today: They are asking this body to begin to dismantle Head Start, one of the most successful Government programs in American history. Head Start serves more than 90,000 three- to five-year-olds in every State in this Nation every single year. My Democratic colleagues and I are not standing here today just reflexively defending Head Start because Lyndon Johnson signed it into law in 1964. No, we are here defending Head Start--and to expose the GOP's bill that is designed to dismantle it--Because Head Start Works! Head Start teaches reading, writing, mathematics, and language skills. Head Start provides comprehensive services that increase school readiness--health and mental health screenings and services; nutrition, dental and vision services; and extensive parent involvement and education. And Head Start combines local control with strong Federal quality standards. In fact, Head Start is one of our most evaluated education programs-- and over the last 30 years it has helped millions of children do better in school and achieve more in life. But now, House Republicans, through H.R. 2210--the misnamed ``School Readiness Act''--are trying to unravel Head Start. They want to end it. They would like nothing more than to see 50 State programs run by 50 State Governors. This bill would create a new block grant program for eight States without requiring any of the Federal Head Start program performance standards. What's that really mean to parents and their children? It means that States could run Head Start programs with lower educational standards, minimal comprehensive services, and less oversight and accountability. Now, doesn't that strike any of you as odd? It should, because the intent of this bill directly contradicts our bipartisan recognition in the No Child Left Behind Act--that the Federal Government needed to establish high educational standards and tough accountability for the educational achievement of low-income children because the States had not done so. In essence, the Republicans are proposing that we turn our 3- to 5- year-olds in Head Start over to the States even though the premise of the No-Child Left Behind act is that States are not currently serving low-income children. And as the Los Angeles Times stated recently: ``Now, when States are in precarious financial shape, is hardly the time to dismantle the Program's--Head Start's--Federal Management. Let me close by saying, despite our best efforts in Head Start, we still are not doing enough for low-income children. Right now, Head Start is only serving 6 out of every 10 eligible preschool children because of inadequate funding. That's 600,000 American children left behind. And it's simply unconscionable. It's unconscionable in the greatest Nation on the face of the Earth. And it's unconscionable when Republicans talk about leaving no child behind, but then propose a budget for fiscal year 2004 for Head Start that barely covers inflation. I urge my colleagues to vote for the Democratic plan offered by the gentleman from California Mr. Miller.

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I know the Members of the House are concerned about the schedule that we have been on and the schedule we are going to be on. And in the interest of apprising Members of what they might expect for the balance of this evening and tomorrow, I yield to the distinguished majority leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay).

Mr. HOYER. I yield to the majority leader.

Mr. HOYER. Reclaiming my time, my question did not include it, so you did not say it, but just to clarify it for Members, on the motions to instruct on the child tax, the vote will be tomorrow, as well, after debate, or at least shortly after the debate. It may not be immediately, but it will be tomorrow; am I correct?

Mr. HOYER. I thank the leader and I thank the ranking member as well as the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations for helping us arrive at this schedule which will be defined, and Members can, I think, pretty well know when they are going to be voting on issues from here on in.

Mr. HOYER. Reclaiming my time, if I might, Mr. Leader, it is my understanding that the first thing that will be considered tomorrow will be the Solis motion to instruct on the Child Tax Credit. We would have an hour of debate on that. Am I correct, sir?

Mr. HOYER. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I rise as a member of the Committee on Appropriations that raised the issue of Egypt last year. I have no amendment to offer, nor will I do so; but as the Committee on Appropriations notes in its report accompanying the bill: ``Continued military cooperation between Egypt and the United States remains in the national security interest of both countries.'' I agree with that statement. Egypt, however, has one of the largest and most modern militaries of the Middle East, with approximately $4 billion in annual defense spending. Nearly one-quarter, however, of Egypt's people live in poverty, and the country has per capita income of just $700 per year. Yet a quarter of their defense budget we pay for. Half of Egypt's adults are illiterate, and official unemployment figures for 2001 were 12 percent, although unofficial estimates are as high as 15 percent. Only 3 percent of Egypt's land is arable, making the country unable to feed itself and forcing it to import roughly two- thirds of its food. In this context, I am concerned about the mix of funding for Egypt, $1.3 billion in foreign military sales, approximately a third of that in economic assistance. Mr. Chairman, I am also concerned by the fact that in Egypt, which is a controlled government, some of the most virulent anti-Christian, anti-American, anti-Semitic information and anti-Christian, -U.S. and - Semitic education occurs in the schools of Egypt, the madrasas. I believe Egypt has been an important ally of ours in trying to reach peace in the Middle East; but I also say, Mr. Chairman, as I did last year, that there needs to be significant focus on the issue of Egypt's participation in furthering anti-American, anti-Semitic, anti-Christian rhetoric and education within the confines of that country and also in failing to appropriately assist its population in dire need of a focus on economic assistance. I thank the chairman of the full committee for his tolerance, and I thank the gentlewoman from New York for yielding for me to make this point. I hope my colleagues will continue to focus on it.

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise to urge all of my colleagues to support this very important amendment being offered today by the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Kilpatrick). It increases funding for the global HIV/AIDS program by $300 million. Mr. Chairman, just 6 months ago in his State of the Union Address, the President committed to $15 billion in foreign assistance, spending over 5 years to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. On May 1 this House authorized this funding level by an overwhelming margin, 375 to 41. And then during his recent trip to Africa, the President repeatedly stressed his commitment to fight the disease on that continent and elsewhere around the world. Regrettably, the amount provided in this bill falls far short of the $3 billion necessary to begin making good on our President's commitment, on our commitment, 375 to 41. Mr. Chairman, the problem of HIV/AIDS is especially acute on the continent of Africa, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly 30 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. Let me repeat that, 30 million people. Is there any doubt that if 30 million people in America were suffering, were at risk of losing their lives, were posing the incredible economic impact on our country that HIV/AIDS sufferers pose to America, is there any doubt that we would pass at least this $300 million? Put another way, while the African continent accounts for only about 10 percent of the world's population, more than 70 percent of the worldwide total of infected people reside in Africa. And there are 11,000 new infections in Africa every single day, 11,000 additional infected people every day. Mr. Chairman, recently I had the opportunity to travel to South Africa and saw firsthand the extent of this pandemic, the challenges facing African countries as they battle this scourge, and the dire need for assistance to implement prevention programs and to provide treatment for those already infected. We are at a critical stage in the global war against HIV/AIDS. The human toll is difficult to fathom. The number of deaths worldwide is expected to double from last year's estimate of over just 5 million people, double-plus to nearly 12 million next year. In one year, an additional 7 million people. We ignore the political implications, Mr. Chairman, at our own peril. Without doubt this is a national security issue because this scourge only foments instability and unrest. As Secretary of State Colin Powell has stated, ``No war on the face of the Earth,'' Colin Powell said, ``is more destructive than the AIDS pandemic.'' He went on to say, ``I was a soldier but I know of no enemy in war more insidious or vicious than AIDS. Will history record a fateful moment in our time, on our watch, when action came too late?'' Today, Mr. Chairman, we must answer that question with an emphatic no and heed the urgent call to action. We can answer that question with an emphatic no by an emphatic yes on this amendment. I urge my colleagues, not just for the people of Africa, not just for the people of the developing world who are more at risk for more health trauma than we are here, but for those of us here and our children and their children as we so dramatically learned in the SARS challenge. There are no national borders. There are no oceans wide enough to protect us, to insulate us. It is only in curing those who are afflicted that we can save ourselves. Vote yes on the Kilpatrick amendment.

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, we are a Nation of laws. This House was established to make those laws. We have a manual. It is called Jefferson's Manual. It has in it the Constitution of the United States of America. It has as well the rules that Jefferson put forward. At page 123 it says, ``the weaker party can only be protected from those irregularities and abuses which these forms were intended to check, and which the wantonness of power is but too often apt to suggest to large and successful majorities.'' Mr. Speaker, I have great respect for you, and you run this House fairly. But this is another instance, not an isolated incidence, not a unique incidence of the arbitrary use of power. The Committee on Rules shuts us down. It does not give us amendments. It does not give us time to debate. It does not adequately give us substitutes. It shuts down the majority. It shuts down the minority. This is not what Jefferson had in mind nor, I suggest to you, our Founding Fathers. This is indeed not an isolated incident. The police were called. There is a dispute of facts as to why the police were called. But there seems to be no dispute that they did not go to the committee room. They went to the library, presumably because that is where they were told to go. They know the difference, believe me, to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. McCrery), they know the difference. This is not an isolated or unique incidence. The police were called by the Speaker of the Texas House to go arrest 55 members of the Texas House because they would not go along with the majority. Let me read from page 18 of the transcript of the proceedings. ``Mr. Yin, as you go through, would you periodically indicate which page you are on.'' They are reading the bill. ``We are going to be going through the titles, and if it lengthens out, it gets more complicated.'' Mr. Thomas is speaking. ``I know you have just begun on page 3 in doing that.'' Under the rules, the reading of the bill, what is the next thing that is said? ``And, without objection, it is considered as read. ``Mr. Stark: I object. ``Mr. Thomas: The gentleman was too late.'' Absent was a request for objection. That, my friends, is the gravamen of this case. You are trampling on the rights of the minority. You are trampling on the rules of this institution. This is America. This is not American.

Mr. HOYER. * * *

Mr. HOYER. The minority leader is speaking, Mr. Speaker. point of order

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this Amendment, which would provide much needed funding increases for the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities. These organizations provide national recognition and support to projects of cultural significance and education that preserve and enhance our Nation's heritage. The importance of supporting and sustaining the arts is especially critical for our young people, who perform much better in school when their academic programs are combined with music, dance, drama or the visual arts. In fact, the No Child Left Behind Act specifically lists the arts as one of the core subjects that all schools should teach. But ensuring adequate support for the arts is not simply about providing cultural enrichment or enhancing educational opportunities. It is also about ensuring the economic well-being of our communities. The nonprofit arts industry alone generates $134 billion annually in economic activity and $10.5 billion in federal tax revenue. The National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities are worthwhile investments of our federal tax dollars, and I strongly support the Slaughter-Dicks amendment to increase their funding by $15 million.

Mr. HOYER

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I understand the School Readiness Act or the Head Start Reauthorization bill will be on the floor. Let me ask if you expect to have an open rule on that bill? Specifically, while you are getting information, we want to be assured hopefully that we will be allowed to offer such amendments as we deem to be appropriate and that we will be allowed to have a substitute for the majority's bill.

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I would urge the gentleman, and I know he may not have control over this, but urge him to urge his leadership, of which he is a member, as well as the Committee on Rules, to give us an open rule so that this bill, which is an extraordinarily important bill to our country, be fully debated and the alternatives that Members would like to offer can be considered. I would hope that he can work in that vein. The Medicare prescription drug legislation, when does the gentleman expect the conferees will have a substantive meeting to seriously start resolving their differences, and might we see a conference report prior to the August recess?