Baron Hill

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Thank you, Mr. Leader. Let me try to put it in perspective, then. If I am in southern Indiana and I am driving from New Albany to Seymour, the direct route is on I-65, but if I go to Bloomington to Seymour, it is a longer route, but I still get to Seymour.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, today, I had the opportunity to introduce, I think, a very important bill. And for those who are listening in your offices, I hope other Members of Congress who have not gone home yet will take the opportunity to review this bill and join me as a co- author of the bill. During the campaign last year, there were many issues that we talked about: energy independence, health care, the Nation's budget. But one that emerged as a very, very important issue was the issue of ethics in the House of Representatives. People were very disturbed at all the scandals that were going on in this great body, and they told me over and over and over again that Congress needed to clean up its act. And they are right. We did. And we do. It pains me that the American public does not have a whole lot of faith in this institution because I love the House of Representatives. It is indeed an honor and privilege for me to serve in this great Chamber. In spite of all the arguments that we have here, democracy works. I remember, Mr. Speaker, that Dick Gephardt once told me that the arguments that we have here in this great body is a replacement for war. And that, in fact, is the case. This system, even while it gets ugly at times, is a great system that we have in this great country. We love our country and we love our government because the government is here to serve the people. And when it doesn't act right, we need to do something about it. We need to restore the confidence of the House of Representatives back to the people of the United States. And in that I introduced a bill to try to restore that confidence again by the American people. This bill that I have introduced will replace the present Ethics Committee as we know it today. Right now, the Ethics Committee consists of sitting Members of Congress, and it is very difficult for colleagues to investigate fellow colleagues. It is just naturally very difficult. This bill will replace that committee system with former Members of Congress who are not lobbyists, giving people like, let's say, Lee Hamilton an opportunity to serve in this capacity, who can kind of take a step away from the Members and do the investigations that have to be done so that we can restore honor and integrity to this great body. I think it is a good idea. I have talked to several Members and already have several Members who have become co-authors with me on this important piece of legislation. There will be six members appointed by the Speaker on the Democratic side and six members appointed by the Republicans, by the majority leader, on their side. They will serve for no longer than three terms. But they will have the opportunity to do the job that sitting Members cannot do. So I think it is a very important piece of legislation. We need to make sure that the people who are on this committee have institutional knowledge of this great body. And as former Members who are not lobbyists, they have that institutional knowledge to do the work that has to be done, which is so difficult to be done now. So I hope those who are listening on their television sets and their offices here in Washington, DC will take the opportunity to call my office to get on this bill and start the process of restoring confidence and integrity to the House of Representatives.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, the stay-the-course strategy in Iraq has failed. The war in Iraq is entering its fifth year, longer than U.S. involvement in World War I and World War II. It is time to stop the open-ended commitment there. It is time for the Government of Iraq to take responsibility for their own security. It is time to start the process of bringing our troops home. It is time to refocus our military efforts to combat terrorism. It is time to send a clear message that Congress will no longer provide a blank check to fund this war. It is time to pass the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health, and Iraq Accountability Act. Supporting this bill supports the troops before, during, and after they are deployed. This bill enforces the Department of Defense's current standards for military readiness and provides $2.5 billion in additional funding to ensure that our troops are properly equipped and trained; it provides $1.7 billion in additional funding for health care for our troops, and another $1.7 billion to ensure our veterans receive the care they need and that they deserve. We must support our troops in the theater and when they come home. This bill is tough on terrorism, tougher than the President's current plan that pays little attention to the war in Afghanistan. It adds $1 billion to the Department of Defense efforts there. We have lost our focus in the war on terror. We must redirect our military efforts on thwarting terrorism in Afghanistan and eliminating al Qaeda. This bill does that. The current strategy has not worked largely because the Iraqi leadership has no real motivation to make it work. This bill holds both the President and the Iraqi Government accountable by ensuring that real progress is made. It is time to turn over the control of Iraq to their people. Our troops have done their part, and they have done it magnificently. The American people have done their part as well by giving us their sons and daughters who ousted Saddam Hussein. With the cost of this war approaching one-half trillion dollars, it is time for the people of Iraq to spend their dollars, supply their troops, and setting their differences. The destiny of Iraq is now in Iraqi hands.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, this week the House Budget Committee will mark up its fiscal year 2008 budget. After 6 years of fiscal recklessness, the Democratic budget will actually aim to balance in 2012, something that Republican budgets have been unable to achieve over the last 6 years. It is important that the American people remember how we got to where we are today. In 2001, President Bush inherited a $5.6 trillion surplus, but over the next 6 years, with help from Congress, the President turned that surplus into a $2.8 trillion deficit. Congress has been so fiscally irresponsible that President Bush has borrowed more money from other nations than all 42 of his predecessors combined. This is not a fiscal record to be proud of. The President's attempt to finesse his budget has been uncovered by a nonpartisan CBO that concludes the President's budget does not reach balance in 5 years. Madam Speaker, Democrats have a different set of priorities, and ours begin with actually aiming to balance the budget for the first time in 6 years.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this legislation as well. I applaud the authors and the coauthors for introducing it. Southern Indiana has the same problem that all communities across the country are having with sewer repairs, and it is good to see that this bipartisan piece of legislation is probably going to pass. You know, the last time I was home, I was talking to a fellow in one town in southern Indiana that actually had to wear boots in order to mow his lawn in the summertime because of the sewage that was bubbling up. The city of New Albany, which is right along the Ohio River, is probably going to spend half of its budget revenue on fixing their sewers. The Environmental Protection Agency approximates that each year combined sewer overflows discharge about 850 billion gallons of wastewater and storm water containing untreated wastes, toxic debris and other pollutants. Not only New Albany, but other towns in southern Indiana, like Huntingburg, Rockport and Milltown in southern Indiana are having trouble paying for their higher sewer rates; and although they depend on sewer maintenance and repair for economic growth, not to mention basic sanitation issues, rural communities like these sometimes have difficulty with funding these types of projects because they are so small. Mr. Chairman, in 2005, there were nearly 400 documented sewer overthrows throughout Indiana's Ninth District. I think we can do a lot better than that. That is why I am happy that the House is addressing this issue today. It is time to step up and assist communities in need. The Water Quality Investment Act would greatly assist communities all over America and in my district to improve water quality and control sewer overflow by authorizing $1.5 billion in grants to communities over the next 5 years. These communities can use these funds to construct treatment facilities and update aging sewers to deal with the sewer overflows. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and rise in bipartisan support. Hopefully, it will pass.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, our brave men and women in Iraq have answered every call, accomplished every task, won every battle. Our brave men and women in Iraq have fought valiantly. They have executed their mission with quiet dignity and with honor that is worthy of our praise. In looking back at all that our military has done, there has been no task that these brave men and women have not accomplished. They have risen to every occasion. However, we are not here today just to applaud our troops' performance. We are here today to ask if the surge direction that the President is taking us is the right direction for these brave troops. Is it the right direction for our country, and is it the right direction for the people of Iraq? The answer is unequivocally ``no.'' For the last 4 years of this conflict, the President has relied on the judgment of his military to execute this war and to follow their advice. Now at this critical hour, he has chosen to ignore their expertise and advice. The Joint Chiefs have unanimously disagreed with the surge. General James Conway, commander of the Marine Corps, is quoted as saying, ``We do not believe that just adding numbers for the sake of adding numbers, just thickening the mix, is necessarily the way to go.'' General John Abizaid has met with every divisional commander and asked, ``If we were to bring more American troops now, does it add considerably to our ability to achieve success?'' They all said ``no.'' General Colin Powell has said the surge will not work. General Wesley Clark, Ambassador Holbrooke, Oliver North, Michael Vicker, Lawrence Corb, Richard Haas, have all said the surge will not work. And the list goes on and on and on. Why does the President, Mr. Speaker, choose to ignore expert after expert, soldier after soldier, who say the surge will not work? Even General Petraeus has said, and I quote, ``The way ahead will be neither quick nor easy, and undoubtedly there will be tough days. We have a determined, adaptive barbaric enemy. He will try to wait us out. Any such endeavor is a test of wills and there are no guarantees.'' Mr. Speaker, former Secretary of State James Baker has said, ``There is no magic bullet to solve the problem of Iraq. No single answer. No quick fix.'' From this microphone over the last 2 days, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have tried to frame this debate about success and failure in Iraq. That debate is for another day. Today and tomorrow, the debate is about the wisdom or the lack of wisdom for the surge. The President and the members of his party today need to listen to the experts who they have relied upon in the past. To do otherwise, casts doubts about who the President is listening to. Mr. Speaker, I firmly believe that this surge in the troops is the wrong policy at the wrong time, in the wrong war. The actions that need to be taken to help the Iraqi people and ultimately bring our brave men and women home safely is not as simple as rushing more troops to the front lines. Mr. Speaker, a while ago I heard my good friend and colleague from Indiana speak about how the Iraq Study Group actually said that a surge is something that probably is necessary. But there is more to the story than just a military surge. They also recommended that there has to be economic surge, and diplomatic surges, not just military. I talked to one of the Iraq study members just yesterday, who told me that a military surge by itself will not work. The military has done all it can do, and they have done it very well. Now is the time to move in a different direction, Mr. Speaker. Vote for this resolution. Vote ``no'' to the surge.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, the President's budget serves as a blueprint as to what his priorities will be for the upcoming year. At a time when our economy is becoming increasingly competitive, it is essential that we fully fund education programs across the board. Unfortunately, education is not prioritized in the President's budget. Funding for No Child Left Behind remains about $15 billion below the level promised when the bill was first signed into law in 2001. How can we hold our schools accountable when the President refuses to provide the funds needed to improve many of these schools? The President finally makes good on a 6-year-old promise to increase the amount of money given to low-income students through the Pell Grant program, but it comes at a price. The President proposes recalling all Perkins loans and eliminating nine other higher education assistance programs. At a time when college is becoming more out of reach for many Americans, we should be looking to strengthen all college assistance programs so more high school seniors have a chance to attend. Mr. Speaker, Democrats, this one included, will once again make education a priority for our Nation's students.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Gordon for introducing this important piece of legislation, the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act. In my home State of Indiana and throughout our country, meth labs are a growing problem, and we all know this. In Jackson County, Indiana, where I grew up and raised my family, 64 meth labs were found there in 2003. That was the fourth highest total in the State. These meth labs pose a serious threat to the safety and physical well-being of communities and particularly our Nation's children. This bill will provide States with specific guidelines and advice on the most effective way to decontaminate a meth lab. In addition, this bill will also help keep our local law enforcement safe during a meth lab cleanup. I would like to thank our law enforcement agents who I have had many, many conversations with about this growing problem in America and Indiana. I want to thank them for working to dramatically lower the number of meth labs in Indiana to fewer than 1,000 for the first time since 2002. We need to continue to support our local law enforcement and give them the knowledge and tools they need to make sure our communities stay safe.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I was in my office just a few minutes ago watching, doing my work in my office, but I caught my colleagues talking about the victorious Indianapolis Colts, and I couldn't resist coming down here. I don't have any prepared remarks, but I want to come to the floor today to also extend my congratulations to the Indianapolis Colts. My wife and my three daughters had the opportunity to see the Colts win the AFC championship at Indianapolis. And at the time, I thought it was good enough that we just made it to the Super Bowl. But that wasn't good enough for Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison and the rest of the Colts and Tony Dungy. They wanted the ring. And they stepped up to the plate and took it to another level. And I watched in amazement how they held steady when the chips were down, especially when they were playing against the Patriots, and how they held steady when the Chicago Bears scored that touchdown right off the bat. They didn't panic. They showed true leadership, and I am so proud of the Colts, and I am proud of the fact that I had the opportunity to extend congratulations to them. I think Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning are the best one-two punch in the history of the NFL. These two players are magnificent athletes, but they are also magnificent human beings in who they are and how they lead. And I couldn't be more happy. I also have to say something about the Chicago Bears. They are a great football team. We beat a great football team. And Rex Grossman, who is the quarterback of that team, has caught a lot of heat recently for what he did. But he took the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl, and that is a feat in itself. And I single him out because I believe it was his dad or his uncle that I actually played football against in Bloomington, Indiana, where Rex Grossman actually is. So I consider him a constituent. Bloomington is in my district. It is great to applaud him for his accomplishments. I applaud the Chicago Bears, and I applaud the Indianapolis Colts for all the good things that they have done for the State of Indiana.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate St. Bartholomew Catholic School in Columbus, Indiana for receiving the Department of Education's 2006 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School Award. St. Bartholomew Catholic School is among only 250 schools in the Nation to receive the Blue Ribbon School Award, and 1 of 14 schools in Indiana honored with the award. The award recognizes the high academic achievements of the students. The Blue Ribbon School Award is a testament to the hard work and dedication demonstrated by the students, parents, teachers, and administrators of St. Bartholomew Catholic School, including its Principal Kathy Schubel. This school has become a model for other Indiana schools for its academic excellence. It is my honor and privilege to recognize St. Bartholomew Catholic School for its outstanding achievement in preparing our Hoosier children for their future opportunities. I urge St. Bartholomew Catholic School to continue to be a shining example of superior leadership, and continue its commitment to excellence in education.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee for this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6. When I was campaigning last year back in Indiana, people found it incredible that while they were paying $3 a gallon for gasoline Congress was giving the oil companies a tax cut. They wanted change because of those kinds of things that Congress was doing. Well, today, they are going to get their change. Instead of giving tax cuts to oil companies we are going to pour those resources into renewable energy. My home State of Indiana boasts two premier research universities, Indiana University and Purdue University. Both of these schools have renowned research labs that study a wide range of topics, including alternative energy creation and use. Indiana has a lot to contribute to the field of alternative energy. My constituents are very involved in biodiesel oil production. It is important to remember this source of alternative energy, as well as ethanol and hydrogen when deciding what types of initiatives to support with the new clean energy fund. I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill that will help make the United States truly energy independent.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I thank you for waiting for 12 years to sit in the Speaker's chair. I also thank you for the opportunity to speak on an issue that I think is one of the most important actions we can take for the American people. I am a proud member of the Blue Dog Coalition. I have been advocating, along with my colleagues in the Blue Dogs for years that the House implement rules that ensure that the Federal Government's expenditures equal its revenues, otherwise known as PAYGO. PAYGO rules will not only help us rein in out-of-control spending that has led to record deficits, but they will also help us clearly outline our country's priorities. Including PAYGO rules as part of the House rules package is a great first step. And I, along with my Blue Dog colleagues, will work with leadership to ensure that they are followed. However, it is a first step. We must also work together to enact statutory rules for PAYGO as well as discretionary spending limits. Madam Speaker, thank you again for this opportunity for the House and the country to get its spending in check.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, Alexander Hamilton once said, ``Here, sir, the people govern.'' These words grace the entrance to the House of Representatives to remind us of the promise of our representative democracy. The Founders of this nation understood that a free society must rely on the knowledge, skills, and virtue of its citizens and those serving in public office on their behalf. That is why civic education in our schools is so important. In my state of Indiana, and throughout the nation, I am pleased to learn that a proactive effort has recently been initiated to improve civic learning and instruction. On September 20-22 of last year the First Annual Congressional Conference on Civic Education was launched. The conference was sponsored by the Alliance for Representative Democracy and co-hosted by the four leaders of the U.S. Congress. One of the very positive outcomes of the congressional conference was the establishment of state delegations that would return to the state to enact specific policies designed to restore the civic mission of our schools. I would like to recognize John J. Patrick, the facilitator of the Indiana delegation, for leadership in working to design an action plan to improve civic education in our state. These state activities include: (1) organizing conferences for professors of Indiana colleges and universities to emphasize civic education in the preparation of teachers; (2) producing reports about exemplary practices of civic education; (3) supporting programs to improve teaching and learning about the United States Constitution in schools, and (4) building a network of organizations and individuals to promote civic education in Indiana. Mr. Speaker. I look forward to the success of the Indiana civic education delegation and their participation at the Second Annual Congressional Conference on Civic Education on December 4-6 of this year.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to instruct.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today I am here to introduce a simple, but important, motion before us. My motion calls on Congress to extend expiring middle- and low-income tax cuts set to expire at the end of this year without increasing the deficit. We have seen broad and bipartisan support for extending the middle-class tax cuts. We have also seen bipartisan support for the concept of pay-as-you-go to avoid further increasing the ballooning budget deficits facing our Nation. The motion before us asks the conferees to be sure that Congress achieves both of these goals. We have already seen a bipartisan proposal from the Senate extending for a year middle-class tax cuts without increasing the deficit. And the Blue Dogs have offered a corresponding bill in the House. There are some simple solutions to making these cuts budget neutral, and I would suggest that they are relatively noncontroversial, such as closing various tax shelters that are being abused. Mr. Speaker, we ought to be creating economic stimulus and tax relief while maintaining our long-term economic security. Economists have estimated that the current debt limit will be reached very soon, either this month or in October. This means that the limit on the national debt will have to be raised for the third time in 4 years to more than $8 trillion, effectively forcing our children and our grandchildren to pay our Nation's bills. Tragically, Social Security becomes the victim program of this irresponsible behavior because its surpluses are used to fund the debt. The Congressional Budget Office has announced that the 2004 deficit will be $422 billion. When the Social Security surplus is excluded, the deficit for 2004 is $574 billion. And we have got projected deficits as far as the eye can see if Congress continues down the path it is on. So for starters, I think a budget paired with budget enforcement rules would help get us on the right track. Alan Greenspan and many others have called for these deficits to be reined in through pay-as- you-go budget discipline. So if we are going to cut taxes in this fiscal climate, we ought to be doing it either with offsets or spending cuts. I could not in good conscience add more burden to the backs of our children and grandchildren, and this Congress should not have that kind of a conscience as well. Families are spending thousands of dollars each year in debt taxes because the Federal Government has not balanced its books. As deficits grow, so does the burden on taxpayers. Not only is the deficit spending irresponsible, but it is immoral, passing on a legacy of debt to be paid off by our children and our grandchildren. One of our highest priorities should be to act fiscally responsible with the people's tax dollars. If we are to be responsible and honest with the people, we must honestly confront the cause of these deficits. We cannot continue down the path of increased spending and tax cutting at the same time. This Congress is doing both, and it is burying its head in the sand by expecting no consequences. Soon the debt will be so enormous that it will begin to affect ``the long-term health of our economy,'' not my words but the words of Alan Greenspan. When that day comes, we can be sure that the middle class will shoulder the heaviest burden. So let us give the middle class some relief from taxes today without making them pay for it in the end. Lastly, I want to make clear that this motion calls for the extension, not the expiration, of middle-class tax cuts. But there is no free lunch here. These tax cuts will be paid for somehow, whether it is with an offset upfront like we want to do it today or whether it is offset with borrowed money tomorrow. As the Concord Coalition has noted, if we must borrow the money, the cost will even be greater because we have to pay interest on the borrowed money. That is equal to a tax increase on the American people. All it takes is a couple of hands reaching across the aisle, and we can make a real difference in the lives of the middle- and lower-income families of America. Both Congress and the administration ought to sit down, put everything on the table, and get our economic house in order, not mortgage our future to pay for today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Apparently the gentleman from Arizona, my good friend, has not read our motion to instruct. We want to do the same things about rejuvenating the economic machine that he does. We want to extend the tax cuts. We just want to pay for it. And so I fail to understand the point that he was trying to make. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm).

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I think most Americans listening to this debate tonight would agree that tax cuts are not appropriate when you have to borrow the money to offer the tax cuts, so this motion that we are offering here tonight prevents that from happening. It simply says we have got to find a way to pay for it, and we are not going to go out and borrow the money. I think everybody at their kitchen table tonight would agree with that philosophy. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Boyd).

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm).

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, how much is remaining?

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore).

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I will say that when this side of the aisle at one time subscribed to spending caps and pay-as-you-go, now they have abandoned that idea for some reason; but when we did have them in place, we actually went into a surplus. Now that we have abandoned that discipline, we are looking at deficits as far as the eye can see. Mr. Greenspan, his name was evoked tonight, and it was evoked because he believes in pay-as-you-go and spending caps. We have to get real with our budget deficits. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Berry).

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Ross).

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, we have one more speaker, but that speaker will be making the closing remarks.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This debate is about to close. In response to my friend from Pennsylvania's comments about the specifics, I would simply say that the Blue Dogs did offer a specific plan. I will not go into that specific plan now for the sake of time, but we put it on the line and asked the House to do it exactly like we have asked them to do it. So we would make the tough choices, and in our budget proposal we made those tough choices. In many ways I am a little saddened by the debate tonight because I heard my good friend from Pennsylvania talk about the fact that he is not as concerned about the deficit. It did not used to be that way on the other side of the aisle. This side of the aisle used to be very concerned about the budget deficit. Now it seems like it is less concerned about the budget deficit. All we are asking for here is to make sure that we pay for these tax cuts as we extend them. That is all we are asking. This side used to believe that. Now they do not. I think they ought to revisit their philosophy because it did produce budget surpluses. Finally, I would say to the American people who might be listening tonight that I do not think anybody at their kitchen table would ask Congress to borrow the money for tax cuts, and that is what this motion to instruct prevents us from doing. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), my good friend.