Jerry Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. I appreciate very much the colloquy and agree with the gentleman.

Mr. LEWIS of California. That is the strong position of the chairman.

Mr. LEWIS of California. I do not only acknowledge but state flatly that this is an unauthorized program, and I want my colleague to know that I intend to make certain when we go to conference that both the House and Senate are very clear on this matter.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I am very well aware of your concerns; and if you recall, I shared them with the administration on several instances during the past year. It is not my intent that the report language be a base for funding.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. I concur with the gentleman from New York that the Emergency Food and Shelter Program is a well-administered, effective program. The program is a model of public-private partnership with local boards distributing funds quickly and efficiently to the neediest areas of the country with minimal but accountable reporting. I also recognize that there are growing requests for emergency assistance from charitable organizations that have made it increasingly difficult to meet all the requests for food assistance.

Mr. LEWIS of California. If I know the gentleman from California (Mr. Horn), he will see that we try.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, my colleague is raising a very, very important point; and this issue is one that has been around for a while and yet it needs some serious oversight and review. It is a problem that I would like to continue to explore with my colleagues, especially the gentleman from California (Mr. Horn) and I appreciate his bringing this to our attention further.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. The gentlewoman probably does not know this, but my first grandchild, being born some years ago, the kids named her Katelyn Rose, and since that time I have been in the gardening business. So I want the gentlewoman to know that not only do I appreciate her making this effort, we will try to do everything we can to move the item along and we will be glad to be cooperative with her.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the gentleman from New York for his work on this important issue. The committee encourages EPA, States, and localities to work together in finding better solutions to protect our environment. I would encourage EPA to work together with the gentleman and the Committee on Commerce over the next year in resolving the problems facing the gentleman's district and the Nation. Presently, the Committee on Commerce is considering the proposal, and I will work with that committee and the gentleman from New York as we move toward conference and over the next year.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will yield, I would be pleased to enter into a colloquy with the gentleman from New York. My sense-of-the-Congress amendment supports expanding the ability of States and localities to recommend alternative methods to filtration for meeting EPA water standards, by applying to the Federal Government the filtration avoidance based on information, technology, or evidence not available prior to an EPA determination that the State or locality had to adopt filtration. Under my proposal, if the EPA determines that the States or localities' alternatives do not comply with Federal standards, the EPA can still reject the State alternatives. I do not believe my amendment is controversial, and I have received support from the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton) and a number of Members from both sides of the aisle who have gone on record in their willingness to work with me in a bipartisan manner on this important issue. I hope that I can work with the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley), and the EPA as we go to conference and over the next year to resolve this very important issue.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, first, let me say to my colleague, who is a member of the subcommittee, that I absolutely do intend to continue working with the gentleman. The gentleman's effort to make sure that we are on target in connection with this issue has been very, very helpful. We want to provide clarity on the legality of lender paid mortgage broker fees and will do so in the conference report. Between now and then, I know the gentleman will make sure that I pay attention.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will yield, I would be happy to join in a colloquy with the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from Illinois, for bringing this matter to our attention. I certainly agree that the EPA should move forward in this matter and we will work closely with our Senate counterparts in conference to see that the Agency does so.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Davis) and would like to offer my assurance that should EPA not work to resolve this issue prior to conference, that I will work with the gentleman on language addressing this issue at that time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, it is our understanding that the GAO intends to issue its report by September 1 of this year.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) yielding to me. I asked him to yield to respond in part to the comments made by the gentleman from California (Mr. Miller). Mr. Chairman, I must say that my colleague knows very well of my involvement, my personal involvement, in environmental matters over the years I have been involved in public affairs. I wrote the law that created the toughest air quality management district in the country that others are trying to replicate--the South Coast Air Quality Management District. To suggest that we are not concerned about air and about these other matters, to say the least, extremism. I further object to the gentleman from California suggesting that we would design these report language items in order to bring people before our committee and beat them over the head or otherwise. I do not know how the gentleman ran his committee when he was Chair, but we do not bring people in to beat them over the head. We are in the business of responsibly developing public policy direction here, and to have that kind of frontal attack is not helpful, acceptable, or appreciated by this Member.