Buck McKeon

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. I am interested in saving energy. I just think that this bill costs too much, borrows too much, and controls too much. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. McKEON. This amendment will require the GAO to keep a list of projects that were funded through the bill and look at who has access to these projects. The underlying bill already contains lengthy reporting requirements that include much of this information, making this amendment largely unnecessary. I do agree it will create jobs. There will be people hired that will have to fill out these reports and there will be people hired that will have to read these reports. However, if the gentleman is interested in getting additional information on the sort of projects funded under this act, we have no objection to having the GAO provide it, other than the fact it is going to cause government to grow even more. I urge support of the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I will not oppose the amendment.

Mr. McKEON. I continue to urge our colleagues to support this amendment. I appreciate the gentleman offering it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, would the gentleman yield?

Mr. McKEON. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, again, Federal dollars are not free. They don't appear out of nowhere. They come from either taxing or borrowing. While, in all due respect, I understand what the gentleman is saying, but it probably is cheaper for his constituents to pass the hat or to have bake sales to raise the money than to pay for it out of their Federal tax dollars that get siphoned through Washington to get back to New Mexico. Mr. Chair, we do not need to spend Federal dollars on upgrading swimming pools when this Nation is drowning in debt. Our deficit is soaring higher every day. Proposals like this send it even higher. Recreational structures and physical education facilities are worthy tools that can promote good health among our children, but are they worthy of taxpayer dollars intended to improve academic achievement? I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would allow school districts to use sustainable domestic hardwood for projects approved under this program and would require districts to report when they have used renewable resources. Schools should be able to use the products that work best for their projects, and domestic hardwood should be no exception. While I am supporting the amendment, I do not believe an additional reporting requirement is necessary. The underlying bill already has several reporting requirements, and we're debating an amendment for an additional GAO report later today as well. Each report adds costs to the district and the government, which means that is less money for the actual project. I support knowing what our Federal dollars are being used for, but I do not think we need a mandate to report for every step in the process. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. I yield myself the balance of my time. I ask my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment. Federal interference in school facility maintenance is troubling enough, but at least there is some semblance of an academic focus in the underlying bill. But I cannot justify expanding that spending to recreation and physical education. I urge a ``no'' vote. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of the time. You know, as I listen to some of this debate, it's like by the Federal Government providing money for the local government, it's free to the local people. The Federal Government only gets the money from two places, taxing and borrowing, and it all comes eventually from the same people across the country. I think that the Federal Government has been steadily consuming more taxpayer dollars and slowly taking control--actually not slowly, it's been quite rapidly in the last few months--over what used to be State or local decisions. Adding an advisory council for green schools does not help. In fact, it makes the problems worse. Once again, I urge a no vote to help keep Federal growth under control. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. McKEON. As the designee of Mr. Flake, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to this amendment, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chair, I rise to claim time in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, let me remind the Chamber of a few numbers. A million seconds is 12 days. A billion seconds is 36 years. And a trillion seconds is over 36,000 years. While we have been talking on this bill, our national debt has gone up $300 million. A few other numbers. Forty billion dollars; $1.84 trillion; $11 trillion. That's the cost of this bill--the $40 billion; this year's deficit currently--$1.84 trillion; and our national debt--$11 trillion. Every time we debate a new use of funds, we should think about these numbers. Now I'm sure that many schools would enjoy a greenhouse or a nice garden or some new landscaping on their grounds. But when it comes to education, the job of the Federal Government is to help educate. If there's an educational purpose for a greenhouse on school grounds, this bill already allows one to be built. But if these greenhouses and gardens are not academically needed, I do not believe the Federal Government ought to be building them--especially not with deficit spending. I'm not asking my grandchildren to finance a greenhouse with no academic purpose, and I hope none of you will either. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, creating an advisory council to the Secretary of Education on green high-performing schools makes the government even bigger than it already is. Such a council would expand the Federal Government's role in school construction to unprecedented levels. The Federal Government is big enough, thank you very much. Creating a new council dedicated to this purpose will only serve to expand and cement Federal interference in how school facilities are maintained. The council also would help determine a key concept in successful education policy. The States and the local districts take the lead. The Federal Government offers limited but helpful support. For these reasons, I oppose this amendment and urge my colleagues to vote ``no.'' I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, this amendment will prevent any funds appropriated under this act from being targeted to congressional earmarks. This is a commonsense amendment that surely we can all agree on. Members should not see this program as a new pot of money for earmark projects in their district. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time we have left.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. I want to thank the gentleman, Mr. Kildee, for his support of the amendment. I think it makes the bill better. And I also ask all of our colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, this is a commonsense amendment that ensures our Federal dollars are not authorizing pet projects for our colleagues. I appreciate the gentleman from Arizona's offering it, and I urge its support. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment made in order under the rule.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the subcommittee ranking member, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle).

Mr. McKEON. Maybe he could use up a little more of his time. I will reserve my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, while there's debate on whether funding school construction is a proper role of the Federal Government, it's difficult to argue that any such program should not contain an educational component. I commend the gentlewoman for her amendment, and I would support that amendment and ask my colleagues to support that amendment. Mr. Chairman, we are moving along a little quicker than we thought, and that's why Mr. Flake wasn't able to get here for his amendment, but he has arrived, and at this time I yield him such time as he may consume.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I'm happy at this time to yield 3 minutes to a member of the committee, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe).