Joe Knollenberg

Mr. KNOLLENBERG

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, we accept the amendment.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, this amendment provides an additional $38 million for tax enforcement efforts at IRS. These funds will significantly enhance our ability to close the tax gap by more than $400 million over 3 years. Further, this amendment restores $67.5 million to CDBG. Some of these funds may need to be used to provide some funding for the YouthBuild program if the program is not authorized under the Department of Labor by the time of final passage of the appropriations act. The program, for the moment, has been left in suspension because the administration has not yet submitted the needed legislation, but I am assured that the legislation will be submitted very soon. I want to thank the ranking member, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver), for his diligence on these issues and for working with us. Mr. Chairman, I urge the adoption of the Knollenberg-Olver amendment.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner) for working with me on CDBG and for his efforts to help fund this program. Restoring the funds for CDBG was our highest priority after funding assistance for the neediest families in our society. Funding for CDBG remains one of our highest priorities, and I will do everything to return the program as close to the 2005 enacted level as possible. That was my intent during the development of this bill, and it remains my intent as we continue to final passage of this appropriation act for 2006.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I am just inquiring about the amount of time for each side.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman raises a very important issue. I acknowledge that series-type hybrid systems have the same goals and encourage the Federal Transit Administration to increase the procurement of buses utilizing both types of systems.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri).

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill through page 47, line 19, be considered as read, printed in the Record, and open to amendment at any point.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Regula), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. (Mr. REGULA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Sweeney), the vice chair of the subcommittee.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, as the gentleman knows, we had included funding in last year's bill to study flight attendant fatigue. I understand the study was due to Congress on June 1, 2005, and I will be happy to work with the gentleman from California to determine the status of CAMI's current study and expedite its completion, if possible.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. It is my understanding that the chairman intends to work with us to incorporate this provision into future legislation that the House will consider. Is that correct?

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica).

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. If the gentlewoman will yield, I will indeed.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis).

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I reserve my time.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the remaining time. I want to say that the gentleman from Nebraska's (Mr. Osborne) presentation was startling, and it is one that makes us think about how can we help. I must say, this amendment will significantly impact all of GSA's owned and leased buildings, the tenants in those buildings and the visiting public. Already, today, this afternoon, we have taken over $1 billion out of GSA. We cannot go back to the same pool over and over. With this amendment, GSA will not be able to make all of its lease payments for property it is leasing on behalf of government agencies. These reductions to the building operations account cannot be absorbed without a corresponding negative impact on the operating programs within the Federal Buildings Fund. Funding for this account is GSA's highest priority. So let me note that many of these costs are fixed, for example, like fuels, cleaning, maintenance and utilities, and for that reason, I ask for a ``no'' vote. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I am opposed to this amendment because it does not significantly increase HIDTA, but would reduce the White House agency by more than 10 percent, and HIDTA is fully funded. We brought it up to its full funding level. Given that HIDTA was fully funded in this bill, clearly such a trade- off is not merited. A $9 million increase to HIDTA would be useful no doubt, but this is not the right offset; and clearly the White House will not stand for this amendment. So I would strongly urge defeat of this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Just briefly, the reason everybody is going to GSA is that is about the only place they can go for money. There is not any out there. So I, again, would ask strongly for a ``no'' vote on this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I oppose any amendment to continue the section 108 loan program which is recommended for elimination as part of a broad sweep of lower-priority programs. We must reduce or eliminate these programs in order to free up the funds for the highest priorities in HUD: assistance to extremely low-income families and restoring funds for community development. There are many good reasons for terminating the program which the administration has proposed to do for the last 4 years. This program has been rated as ineffective, underutilized, and lacks accountability. First and foremost, this program duplicates several others that, relatively speaking, have a long history of success. CDBG economic development loans and grants average about $500 million annually. New markets tax credits, $15 billion in subsidy over 5 years. Empowerment Zones, enterprise and renewal community tax credits and SBA loans are part as well of this successful side. Mr. Chairman, I want to state further that section 108 loans are among the most expensive forms of financing relative to tax-exempt State and local borrowing. The program is contrary to the Department of Treasury rules and principles in effect today for all loan programs. The program is already in decline. Last year, only 74 took out section 108 loans, 74 out of 4,000 eligible communities. Finally, the program will not end in 2006 even if there are no funds in 2006. Ample funds from prior years will carry the program forward for at least the next 2 years. Over $13 million is still available to guarantee over 550 million in new loans, even if no new funds are provided. So I would urge my colleagues to vote against restoring this program. I know the gentlewoman wants it very badly, but we really do not have a need for it; and we want to preserve HUD's highest-priority programs instead. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder).

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the gentlewoman's amendment.

Mr. KNOLLENBERG

Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3058 and that I may include tabular material on the same.