John Kline

Mr. KLINE

Mr. KLINE. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson), a member of the committee.

Mr. KLINE. I now yield 1 minute to a member of the committee, the gentleman from Tennessee, Dr. DesJarlais.

Mr. KLINE. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1911, the Smarter Solutions for Students Act. We're here today to address a crisis of Washington's own making. Several years ago, Congress decided politicians, not the free market, were better equipped to set student loan interest rates. Politicians set a fixed rate of 6.8 percent for all loans and then decided to advance legislation based on a campaign promise that would temporarily phase this rate for subsidized Stafford loans down to 3.4 percent. Last summer, with the expiration of the lower rate scheduled for July 1, 2012, debate about student loans reached a fever pitch. The President began touring college campuses, calling on Congress to prevent the increase that his own party set in motion back in 2007. As I said at the time, no one wanted to see interest rates double-- particularly at a time when one out of every two college graduates was struggling to find a full-time job. But we need to move away from a system that allows Washington politicians to use student loan interest rates as bargaining chips, creating uncertainty and confusion for borrowers. When Congress approved legislation to temporarily stave off the Stafford loan interest rate increase, my colleagues and I lent our support with the promise that we would use this time to work toward a long-term solution that better aligns interest rates with the free market. The Smarter Solutions for Students Act accomplishes this goal by simply moving all Federal students loans, except Perkins loans, to a market-based interest rate system. This responsible legislation builds upon a proposal that was actually put forth by the President earlier this year. The Smarter Solutions for Students Act is a narrow piece of legislation that will provide a lasting solution to the problem facing the Federal student loan program. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, some critics would rather kick the can down the road and simply extend the current arbitrary rates at a taxpayer cost of roughly $8 billion. They want to continue the failed status quo and leave politicians in charge of setting rates. Earlier this week, The Washington Post called it a ``weird fact'' that student loan interest rates: Aren't pegged to anything real, just to the whims of Congress, which inevitably uses student loans as political playthings. Students deserve better. They shouldn't have to watch as Washington holds their interest rates hostage each election year. They shouldn't have to deal with the uncertainty that comes with waiting for politicians to cobble together another temporary fix to keep interest rates in line with the market. We have an opportunity today to get politicians out of the business of setting student loan interest rates. We have an opportunity to provide students with more stability in the long run by putting an end to quick fixes and campaign promises, and we have an opportunity to build upon common ground with the administration and advance a bipartisan solution that's a win for both students and taxpayers. I urge my colleagues to support the Smarter Solutions for Students Act. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1911.

Mr. KLINE. I yield the gentleman 1 minute.

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to yield 3 minutes to another member of the committee, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Messer).

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the chairman of the Workforce Protection Subcommittee, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Dr. Roe), the chairman of the Health Subcommittee.

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, in order to balance the speakers, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KLINE. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I'm now pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri), the vice chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee.

Mr. KLINE

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 45, the legislation that will repeal the President's job-destroying health care law, and yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, our Nation is mired in a jobs crisis, and the President's health care law is making it worse. Since ObamaCare was first enacted in 2010, Federal bureaucrats have written nearly 20,000 pages of new regulations--20,000 pages. Colleagues on the other side of the aisle have talked about how many times we've tried to get rid of this menace and what's changed. Well, as we know, very famously, we had to pass the bill to find out what was in it, but even then we didn't know what was in it. We're now at 20,000 pages of regulations and still counting. Meanwhile, America's job creators are struggling to manage the full effects of the law in their workplaces. Ed Tubel has owned and operated Sonny's Real Pit Barbecue for more than 30 years. At a recent hearing in North Carolina, Mr. Tubel outlined the difficult choices he now faces, including higher prices for customers and fewer hours for workers. Brett Parker, vice chairman of Bowlmor Lanes of New York, testified in 2011 that his business may also have to shift workers to part-time hours in order to ``protect existing jobs.'' As chief human resources officer with Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Tina Haynes stated the college must consider cutting the number of courses offered to students. She also described the health care law as a ``massive administrative burden that comes with unanticipated costs.'' And Gail Johnson, president and CEO of an early childhood learning center, warned in 2011 that ObamaCare would ``force entrepreneurs to invest less into growing their business'' and slow the growth of small businesses. These men and women live each day with the consequences of the health care law. No doubt, others across the country have similar stories to tell. There are a number of good reasons why Congress should repeal the government takeover of health care. It is driving up the cost of care, and millions will lose the health care coverage they have and like. Yes, Mr. Speaker, if you like your coverage, you may not be able to keep it. According to CBO, at least 7 million people fall into that trap. But for many Americans, one reason stands above the rest: jobs. Our Nation's workers and employers cannot afford the Democrats' job- destroying health care law. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 45. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Tennessee, Dr. Roe, and ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to control that time.

Mr. KLINE

Mr. KLINE. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's interesting math. I'm now pleased to yield 2 minutes to a friend and colleague, the gentlelady from North Carolina (Mrs. Ellmers).

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I need to inquire again as to the time remaining because as I listened to my colleagues come down for unanimous consent requests, it seems to me I heard the Speaker saying that the gentleman's time was going to be charged. How did that add up?

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I am now pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Indiana, a member of the committee, Mrs. Brooks.

Mr. KLINE. May I inquire as to the time remaining on our side.

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I'm now very pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly).

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the majority leader, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor).

Mr. KLINE. I want to thank my colleagues on the other side. It was an excellent show. It expanded the lexicon in the thesaurus. I now yield 2 minutes to a member of the committee, a subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe).

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I'm very, very pleased right now to yield 3 minutes to the author of this terrific piece of legislation, a member of the committee, the gentlewoman from Alabama (Mrs. Roby).

Mr. KLINE. I yield the gentlewoman 1 additional minute.