Buck McKeon

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of the point of order.

Mr. McKEON. I continue to reserve that point of order. Mr. Speaker, I now yield such time as he may consume to our subcommittee chairman of the Employee-Employer Relations Subcommittee, the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson).

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let us be clear this motion to construct is nothing less than an attempt to undermine bipartisan efforts on the pension reform. The Democrat motion to instruct is hypocrisy at the highest level. They want these plans to be well funded, as we all do, yet want to mask the health of pension plans and make them look better funded than they really are. The result will be status quo. Plans will continue to freeze or terminate, and employees will continue to lose their hard- earned benefits. I would like to point to a colloquy between the majority leader and the gentleman from Georgia, (Mr. Price) on the floor on December 15 of 2005. During the colloquy, the majority leader pledged to work on a responsible and appropriate solution to addressing the airline pension issue in conference, which is what we plan on doing. The time has arrived, and we are about to debate the Senate airlines provision on the merits. The Democrat motion to instruct is an attempt to undermine the conference process and should be seen as nothing more than an effort to weaken and, in fact, derail pension reform. Again, an examination of legacy airline relief is appropriate in conference, which we will do. Examining the process is the Democrats' attempt to end run around the rules for their benefit. I urge you to reject the motion to instruct and let us get our work done. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 2830) to amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to reform the pension funding rules, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers either. You know, it has been decades since we have had real, meaningful pension reform. And we could sit here and we could talk. It kind of reminds me of fiddling while Rome burned. I think the time to move is now. We passed the bill with 294 Members of our House voting for it. Now it is time to go to conference, meet with the other body, get this resolved so we can help all of these people that we are all talking about. I would ask that my colleagues reject this motion to instruct, and we get on with the business of the conference. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas). (Mr. THOMAS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve all points of order against the motion.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the subcommittee chairman of Select Revenue from the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp).

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the University of California at Los Angeles' (UCLA) Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) for their work in helping to improve education performance. For more than 30 years, the UCLA Center for the Study of Evaluation (CSE) and, more recently, CRESST, have been on the forefront of efforts to improve the quality of education, training, and learning in America. Located within UCLA's Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, CSE/CRESST has pioneered the development of scientifically based evaluation and testing techniques, vigorously promoting the accurate use of data, test scores, and technology for improved accountability and decision making. Their work has been used in both civilian and military learning sectors. CRESST has created products used by schools serving millions of students and adopted force wide by the Armed Services. They are also an internationally recognized leader in education assessment and evaluation. UCLA/CRESST is truly a center of excellence for educational research, development, and evaluation. I look forward to their being able to continually serve our great country and to assisting the numerous federal agencies that need effective and objective education and training research, development, and evaluation techniques.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2830, and I thank Chairmen Boehner and Thomas and Johnson for their great work in getting us to this point. This bill represents a responsible approach that will protect the retirement benefits of millions of American workers and help ensure that their pension benefits will be there when they retire. In recent years, our important retirement security system has come under strain from the increased aging of the workforce and from dishonest employers who made promises they could not keep. Many workers and retirees have been misled into believing that they will have a secure retirement only to see their pension plan terminated due to plan underfunding. This bill includes reforms to ensure employers more accurately measure and fund their short-term and long-term pension promises. It includes tough new funding requirements to ensure plans are adequately and consistently funded, and it provides meaningful disclosure provisions about the financial status of pension benefits. In addition, this bill is important to protect taxpayers from a multibillion dollar bail-out of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. When the PBGC cannot pay benefit for plans where they have assumed planned liabilities, taxpayers are on the hook for the difference. In fact, in November the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation reported a long-term liability deficit of $22.8 billion. That is billion with a B. The Pension Protection Act will reasonably increase employer-paid premiums to help shore up the PBGC and protect taxpayers from this potentially large liability. This bill contains commonsense reforms that will help protect the pensions of millions of Americans; and this bill is supported by a broad array of unions, employers, and other organizations. Passage of the Pension Protection Act is important to the retirement security of millions of Americans, and it is important to help protect taxpayers from an expensive bail-out. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on and offer my strong support for HR 953, legislation I introduced earlier this year to remove restrictions on 25 acres of land patented to the Mammoth County Water District. Prior to 1987, the District occupied this land through a special use permit with the Forest Service. Of these 25 acres, 12 acres were used for the storage of materials, and prior to 1987, for oxidation ponds, which had become obsolete by that year. After that time, Congress passed Public Law 97-465 that allowed these lands to be transferred directly to the District. While the law allowed for acquisition of these lands, it also directed that they could only be used for those purposes prior to the time of the conveyance. Today, however, these 12 acres are no longer needed for the storage of materials and the community would like to utilize this land in a more economically viable manner. This area is a popular ski destination for many tourists during the winter months and, every year, the town experiences more and more visitors. The town sits in the middle of the Forest Service land and contains limited private land for expanded commercial activities. As such, passage of this legislation would allow the town to accommodate for the growing economic needs of the region. This legislation has the support of both the local community and the Forest Service and passed through the Committee on Resources without any objection. I would like to express my deep appreciation to Chairman Pombo for bringing this legislation to the floor and ask my colleagues to support its passage here today.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, the end of 2005 will mark the conclusion of E.G. ``Jerry'' Gladbach's term as President of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA). His tenure has been marked by several successes on behalf of ACWA and the California water community. A resident of Valencia together with his wife Donna, Jerry has served as president of ACWA since January of 2004, after having served as ACWA Vice-President since January of 2002. He has served as a director of Castaic Lake Water Agency in Santa Clarita since 1985, and has served as President of Castaic Lake's Board of Directors and is currently the Chair of the Water Resources Committee of that Agency. Mr. Gladbach has been involved in water and energy issues for the past forty-two years and active with ACWA since 1973. As President of ACWA, Jerry has led the association in fighting to maintain water quality, protect communities from disastrous floods, and ensure that California has the water needed for people, agriculture and the environment. He appointed the task force that created No Time to Waste: A Blueprint for California Water, a policy document that serves as a common vision for the many diverse interests of California's water community, and has drawn headlines statewide. Mr. Gladbach served as a manager with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and retired after 35 years of service. At LADWP he provided critical leadership on developing alternative energy supplies, environmental and governmental affairs, and design of hydroelectric power plants and transmission lines. Jerry is first vice-chair of the Los Angeles Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) and is on the Executive Board of the California Association of LAFCOs. He was recently granted lifetime membership with the American Society of Professional Engineers. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri at Colombia in 1961, and returned in 1963, earning his Master's degree at the same institution in 1964. Our thanks to Jerry for a lifetime of continuing service to California.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support for Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act, TESRA. This legislation is needed to make important changes to the Endangered Species Act, ESA, which, after 30 years of implementation, has been unable to return endangered species to healthy and sustainable populations and has caused turmoil for landowners and local communities across the country, especially in my district in California. As you know, recent U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, FWS, studies indicate that ESA has successfully recovered less than 1 percent of species listed in the original law. Frankly, this is far from being an exemplary model of effective legislation. TESRA offers a new emphasis on recovery, which will require the identification of lands important to the conservation and resurgence of species. The bill provides numerous tools to promote preservation on private lands without further increasing the size of the federal estate. TESRA also lists specific difference to distinguish between endangered and threatened species. TESRA requires rules, which will regulate that threatened species be disseminated on a case by case basis rather than by some overarching rule for all threatened species. By these requirements, TESRA provides a flexibility that can be central to effectively promoting conservation. I would like to commend Chairman Pombo for his efforts in this legislation and would like to express my full support for the underlying bill.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Dr. Kerry Clegg, a school board member for the Sulphur Springs Union Elementary School District in my district, for his service as the 2004-2005 President of the California School Boards Association. As a sixteen year member of the Sulphur Springs Union Elementary School District board of trustees, Dr. Clegg served three terms as president. In addition, Dr. Clegg served as president and secretary- treasurer for the Santa Clarita Valley School Trustees Association. His contributions to the California School Boards Association have distinguished him as instrumental in answering the needs of California schools. In addition to his role as president this past year, Dr. Clegg served as a representative in CSBA's Delegate Assembly and as an active member of CSBA's Board of Directors for four years. Among Dr. Clegg's further contributions to the CSBA are his roles on CSBA's Budget Committee, Nominating Committee, Policy Platform Committee, Federal Issues Council, K-Higher Education Remediation Task Force, and as a site validator for CSBA's Golden Bell Awards. In 2004, Dr. Clegg also chaired CSBA's Legislative Committee, and this year, he is chairing the Joint Task Force on Science, the Education Legal Alliance Steering Committee, and the Superintendents Council. His contributions are currently reaching a national level as he serves as a delegate to the National School Boards Association. Dr. Kerry Clegg graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a doctorate in Biology. Outside of his California School Boards Association duties, Dr. Clegg is a biological research manager for Sepulveda Research Corporation, and is also the CEO of a local Federal Credit Union. He and his wife, Rosanna, have five children. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Dr. Kerry Clegg for his service to the Sulphur Springs Union Elementary School District and for his service as president of the California School Boards Association.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker: Whereas, the American League of Lobbyists and Men's Wearhouse, have created the annual Capitol PurSuit Drive and through their efforts to help citizens in Washington D.C. and nationwide to obtain employment; and Whereas, The 2nd Annual Capitol PurSuit Drive event will be held on October 5 from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. in the Rayburn Foyer; and Whereas, the American League of Lobbyists and Men's Wearhouse, should be commended for their excellence in service to the local community for their unwavering dedication to helping individuals acquire the necessary skills and attire to pursue a career; and Whereas the First Annual Capitol Pursuit Drive successfully collected over 7,000 suits as tax deductible donations in under four hours on Capitol Hill and the recent events in the affected Gulf Coast region have created an additional need by displaced residents. Therefore, I join with Members of Congress and their staff in honoring and congratulating the Capitol PurSuit Drive for its outstanding mission and efforts.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2123, the School Readiness Act, which will strengthen the Head Start program by closing the readiness gap that exists between low and upper income children. I want to thank my good friends, Chairman Boehner and Congressman Castle, for their hard work on this important piece of legislation. Created in 1965 and located in every community in the country, Head Start has been a valuable part of our nation in preparing lower-income children for elementary school. However, in spite of the good efforts of the program, there are still shortcomings that need to be addressed. We can do more to ensure that the disadvantaged children in this country are better prepared for school. A readiness gap still exists between children in Head Start and their more affluent peers. The bill before us today will improve the Head Start program to help close the readiness gap by strengthening academic standards. The bill emphasizes cognitive development and the use of scientifically-based research in topics critical to a child's school readiness. This bill also seeks to protect parents and taxpayers from financial mismanagement in the Head Start program. The federal government invests nearly $7 billion in the program, but sadly, dozens of media stories and an independent investigation by the Government Accountability Office revealed problems in the financial management of some Head Start grantees. We should do all that we can to ensure that Head Start dollars are going to meet the needs of the students and are not wasted due to a few bad grantees. The School Readiness Act strengthens safeguards to protect against financial abuse. Mr. Chairman, this bill received unanimous support in committee, and I hope that it will also receive the full support of the whole House. H.R. 2123 is a good bill that will improve the lives and educational needs of our nation's most vulnerable children. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 3169, the Pell Grant Hurricane and Disaster Relief Act, and H.R. 3668, the Student Grant Hurricane and Disaster Relief Act, introduced by my colleagues, Congressmen Keller and Jindal, respectively. H.R. 3169 would waive Pell grant repayment requirements for students that were impacted by natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Keller, who serves with me on the 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee on Education and the Workforce, has been advocating for this change in the law since his State of Florida was hit by four hurricanes last year, and he saw how students' lives were impacted by the devastation wrought by the hurricanes. The Pell Grant Hurricane and Disaster Relief Act will ensure that Hurricane Katrina does not derail the educational dreams of our neediest students. I am pleased to co-sponsor this bill and appreciate its speedy consideration by our leadership. H.R. 3668 complements Mr. Keller's bill by waiving repayment requirements for other Federal student grant aid programs that were affected by a natural disaster. I know that this is a difficult time for Mr. Jindal, his family, and his constituents whose homes have been destroyed and their families scattered across the country. I applaud Congressman Jindal for his leadership on this bill, and for his ongoing courage and strength throughout this difficult time. This legislation is the right thing to do because it helps increase assistance and flexibility for students and families impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Students affected by this devastating natural disaster will be able to focus on rebuilding their lives without an additional burden on their backs. In the coming days and weeks, I will continue to work with my colleagues and with the administration and governmental agencies to examine the areas that have been impacted by this terrible tragedy and what additional flexibility and assistance we may be able to provide to help restore normalcy to students and their families. I thank Mr. Keller and Mr. Jindal for their leadership on these bills, and I gladly support their efforts.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, over the past couple of weeks, I have heard from all sides of this very impassioned debate regarding the issue of stem cell research. There are many arguments on both sides which resonate with compassionate people, and I have taken a great deal of time and reflection to reach my current position in favor of stem cell research as provided under H.R. 810. As a Member of Congress, I have been a very consistent supporter of the value of human life in all of its stages. I have had personal experiences with diseases that hold the greatest hope of being treated with the help of research on stem cells including diabetes and Parkinson's disease, and I believe that our respect for human life should compel us to strive to treat diseases which are currently untreatable. Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is important to closely consider what is in this bill and what is not in this bill. This bill would allow researchers to apply for federal grant money to perform research on tissue which would otherwise be discarded as medical waste. I have heard some of my colleagues say that they are against the creation of embryos for the purpose of scientific research, and I agree. This bill would not allow research on any lines of stem cells unless they had been created for reproductive purposes and if the people involved grant their consent. I do not believe that this bill would encourage the creation of more embryos because the bill would not allow funding to be used if the donating parties had received any compensation for the donation of tissue for research. It is important that we recognize that stem cell research is a reality in our time, and what is uncertain are the parameters through which it will be pursued. I would prefer that this type of research is done at home rather than abroad where it can be pursued with the oversight of the United States Congress and where we can be certain of the moral restraint of American values. When the President issued his guidelines for acceptable research on stem cells in August 2001, he acknowledged that federal funding could be appropriate, provided that it was done so in a moral way. In his judgment, a moral way included research with the informed consent of the donors involving excess embryos created solely for reproductive purposes; and that it was done without any financial inducements to the donors. I believe that H.R. 810 respects human life in the way that we should by allowing scientists to use human tissue which would otherwise be discarded as medical waste, and I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this legislation and commend the gentleman from California (Chairman Hunter) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), the ranking member, for their leadership. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1815, the National Defense Authorization Act. Mr. Chairman, our nation is entering its fifth year in the global war on terrorism. Since the tragic events of 9/11, thanks to the heroic efforts of our men and women of the armed services, the United States has had important victories around the world. Just in the past few months alone, we have witnessed democratically elected governments taking power in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we have captured some of al Qaeda's top leadership, including the third most senior member of that evil organization. Mr. Chairman, these outstanding developments will only carry forward if we provide our men and women of uniform with the tools and resources they need to do their jobs. This legislation includes the necessary funding to pay for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, whether it's for protective gear, clothing, fuel, parts, or maintenance of equipment. It also includes funding to take care of the families of our troops, who make so many sacrifices for our freedom. Mr. Chairman, this legislation will undoubtedly strengthen and enhance our military, and help us root our terror around the world. I applaud Chairman Duncan Hunter and ranking member Ike Skelton for their bipartisan work on this important bill and urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to reclaim the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 27 and thank the gentleman from Ohio for his leadership in bringing this bill to the floor, the Job Training Improvement Act of 2005, which I introduced to strengthen and reauthorize the Nation's job training system as well as adult education and vocational rehabilitation programs. Job training programs must be responsive to the needs of the workforce and improving them is critical. In today's knowledge-based economy, we need to equip Americans with the skills they need to find a new or better job and quickly return to the workforce. One of the hallmarks of WIA is that in order to encourage the development of comprehensive systems that improve services to both employers and job seekers, local services are provided through a one- stop delivery system. The one-stop centers serve as the front line in helping job seekers return to the workforce. At the one-stop centers, assistance ranges from core services such as job search and placement assistance, access to job listings and an initial assessment of skills and needs, to intensive services such as comprehensive assessments and case management and, if needed, occupational skills training. Over the last 3 years, I have met with local workforce development leaders, businesses, the administration, researchers, and others to examine how we can improve our Federal job training system. While the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 made dramatic reforms to the Nation's workforce system, I learned that further refinements were necessary to ensure State and local officials have the flexibility they need to effectively target resources toward the unique needs of their communities. The Job Training Improvement Act builds upon WIA to make it more demand-driven and flexible while reducing unnecessary duplication and inefficiency. H.R. 27 will help strengthen and improve the Nation's locally driven, business-led workforce investment system to help States and localities ensure workers get the training they need to find good jobs. For example, the bill streamlines the current WIA funding in order to provide more efficient and results-oriented services and programs by combining the adult, dislocated, and employment service funding streams into one funding stream. This will eliminate duplication in service delivery and administrative functions that remain in the system, improving services for individuals. The bill also ensures the financial contribution of the mandatory partners in the one-stop centers while at the same time it increases the service integration among the partner programs. This will improve access to services through the one-stop delivery system for special populations, such as individuals with disabilities. In order to ensure greater responsiveness to local area needs and strengthen the private sector's role, the bill simplifies the local and State governance processes. One-stop partner programs will no longer be required to have a seat on the local boards. This will provide for greater representation and influence by local business representatives. Currently, they are frequently frustrated that they are not able to connect with or access resources from the local boards. Mr. Chairman, I had a couple of my good friends, constituents in my district, that lost their jobs in the defense industry. They came up and thanked me for the help they received from WIA. They were able to get vouchers. One of them went on to become a school teacher, one a worker in the computer industry. This bill works. The new bill that we are passing today will make it better, more efficient and help the people to really get the services they need so we can continue to have the job growth that we have been enjoying the last few months here in the country. I support this strongly.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), a member of the committee.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Regula). (Mr. REGULA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Porter), a member of the committee, vice chairman of the subcommittee.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I am happy to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Price), a new member of the committee. (Mr. PRICE of Georgia asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)