Buck McKeon

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds to answer the gentleman's question why we are here today. I think that we did pass these bills before, but they have not been acted upon by the other body. So I do not think it will hurt to have further discussion here, again voting on these issues and showing how important our teachers are, showing how important economic stability comes from education. We think that it is very important to discuss these issues; and, frankly, I do not think it is a waste of time any time we can talk about helping the education of our country. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns), a strong member of our committee.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4409) to reauthorize title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. Mr. Speaker, to respond to the refrain from the other side, my good friend, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), has heard this hymn before. I have heard the song that we just heard before. I would say in the last 3 years we have increased Pell grants $1 billion a year. And in the last 8 years we have almost doubled the amount of money going into Pell grants and doubled the amount of young people in our country that are receiving Pell grants. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey), the author of my bill, my friend and colleague.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), who comes from an experience as a teacher, as professor, as a coach.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I am happy that we are here today working on something to help better our teachers and better education for our young people. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns), a strong member of the committee, a person who was a college professor for 20 years and knows what he is speaking about.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I ask that my colleagues support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. 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. 4409.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4409, the Teacher Training Enhancement Act, a bipartisan bill that seeks to meet the call of the No Child Left Behind Act to place a highly qualified teacher in every classroom. It makes improvements to title II of the Higher Education Act to help ensure teacher-training programs are producing well-prepared teachers to meet the needs of America's students. I commend my colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey), for his leadership and commitment to this important issue for our teachers. There is widespread awareness that the subject matter knowledge and teaching skills of teachers play a central role in the success of elementary and secondary education reform. More than half of the 2.2 million teachers that America's schools will need to hire over the next 10 years will be first-time teachers, and they will need to be well prepared for the challenges of today's classrooms. For these reasons, the Nation's attention is increasingly focused on the role that institutions of higher education and States play in ensuring that new teachers have the content knowledge and teaching skills they need to ensure that all students are held to higher standards. Accordingly, building on current law, the Teacher Training Enhancement Act authorizes three types of teacher training grants that each play a unique, yet critical, role in the education of tomorrow's teachers. State grant funds must be used to reform teacher preparation requirements and ensure that current and future teachers are highly qualified. Partnership grants allow effective partners to join together combining strengths and resources to train highly qualified teachers and achieve success where it matters most, in the classroom. Teacher recruitment grants help bring high-quality individuals into teacher programs and ultimately put more highly qualified teachers in the classrooms. H.R. 4409 includes a new program to authorize grants for the creation of teacher preparation programs at minority-serving institutions around the country. This new Centers of Excellence program will help to increase teacher recruitment and make institutional improvements to teacher preparation programs at minority-serving institutions. This legislation also includes activities authorized under the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology program, which is part B of title II of the Higher Education Act. This program was updated and transferred to the Higher Education Act during consideration of the No Child Left Behind Act during the 107th Congress. The purpose of this program is to prepare prospective teachers to use advanced technology to prepare all students to meet challenging State and local academic content and student academic achievement standards. In general, the Teacher Training Enhancement Act focuses on three key objectives: accountability, flexibility, and effectiveness to improve the quality of teacher preparation. The bill bolsters accountability requirements in current law to ensure States, schools, and prospective teachers have access to accurate and reliable data about the quality of teacher-training programs. The bill also recognizes the need for flexibility in methods used for training highly qualified teachers and for that reason allows funds to be used for innovative methods in teacher-preparation programs which can provide an alternative gateway for teachers to become highly qualified. Pioneering programs such as charter colleges of education would also implement systems to gauge the true measure of teacher effectiveness, the academic achievement of students. In addition to strengthening accountability measures, the Teacher Training Enhancement Act increases the effectiveness and quality in teacher training programs by including provisions to focus training on the skills and knowledge needed to prepare highly qualified teachers. The bill places a renewed emphasis on a broad range of skills required for effective teaching, such as the use of advanced technology in the classroom, rigorous academic content knowledge, scientifically based research, and challenging State student academic content standards. Teacher-preparation programs have a great deal of responsibility in contributing to the preparation of our Nation's teachers, and this bill will make sure they are meeting their responsibilities. We owe our teachers the opportunities they are seeking to become highly qualified and ready to teach. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' We stand in solidarity and support of America's school teachers. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3908) to provide for the conveyance of the real property located at 1081 West Main Street in Ravenna, Ohio.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill H.R. 3908.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3908, a bill sponsored by my good friend from across the aisle, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan), to convey all Federal rights to a property in Ravenna, Ohio, to Portage County, Ohio. This particular building has been used as an employment services office by the State of Ohio since its construction in 1972. However, as the State of Ohio has transitioned to locally operated one-stop career centers, as authorized under the Workforce Investment Act, the State no longer needs this separate facility. As envisioned under the Workforce Investment Act, the State now provides employment services through the one-stop career centers as one of numerous partner programs making reemployment and training services available through this seamless delivery system. On an interim basis, Portage County, located in northeast Ohio, has been using the facility rent free for its one-stop career center. However, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, which still controls the building, does not want to be a permanent landlord. The State should not shoulder the responsibility of maintaining the building, as the State represents one of several tenants offering programs at the one-stop center. While the State has the option to sell the building under a sealed- bid process, the county cannot afford to pay the appraised value of $184,000. Therefore, the State desires to transfer the property to Portage County. This cannot be done without Federal legislation relinquishing Federal rights to the building. The Federal Government holds just over 88 percent of the equity in the property, since it was acquired with Federal funds. Passage of this bill should result in improved services to job seekers in the local area served by the one-stop center. Now the local workforce investment board and county commissioners will be free to focus solely on job counseling, workforce preparation, and training for individuals seeking new or better jobs. In addition, they will continue to serve businesses seeking qualified employees. During this time of sustained job growth in our growing economy, we need to ensure that local workforce investment areas are ready to provide needed assistance. By finalizing the location of the county's one-stop center, H.R. 3908 will do just that. I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) for bringing this bill to the floor, and I encourage my colleagues to support the bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I again would like to commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) for representing his district and taking care of this important situation. I think it will be very good to extend the work services provided through the one-stop shop to be able to really carry out the purpose of that Workforce Investment Act, to reach out and help people in these tough times. I think they are doing a good job, and I commend them for the job they are doing. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 413) honoring the contributions of women, symbolized by ``Rosie the Riveter'', who served on the homefront during World War II, and for other purposes.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Con. Res. 413.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 413 and urge each of my colleagues to support this important resolution. Mr. Speaker, this weekend in Washington, DC, President Bush dedicated the World War II Memorial, the first national memorial dedicated to all who served during the Second World War. As it should, this memorial honors all military veterans of the war, the citizens on the homefront, the Nation at large, and the high moral purpose and idealism that motivated the Nation's call to arms. Today, we pause to recognize in particular the contributions to those who may not have faced enemy fire but were no less a part of our decisive victory in those dark times: the millions of Americans who across the Nation heeded a call to serve when their country needed them. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the young men of America poured out of the factories and offices to line up at the recruiting offices. The young women of America lined up at the factories and arsenals to fill jobs left vacant by those who went off to fight. These women, symbolized by Rosie the Riveter, wore hard hats and coveralls and pulled the same load as many of the men they replaced. They operated heavy cranes, milling machines and countless other heavy tools that most women had never heard of before the war. They bagged gunpowder, made weapons, crated ammunition and did whatever else was asked of them so that their fathers, husbands, sons and sweethearts could win the war and come back home again. Indeed, the Rosie the Riveter movement is credited with helping push the number of working women to 20 million during the 4 years of war, a 57 percent jump from 1940. The image of Rosie the Riveter has become familiar to all of us and symbolizes the contribution of those millions of mothers, daughters and sisters who, as their loved ones were sent overseas to fight the Axis, picked up the work vital to our Nation's productivity and security. At a time when sacrifice was asked of every American, both at home and abroad, these brave young women rose to the call and served their country with honor and pride. As we honor the contribution of each American to the World War II effort, so today do we properly honor our ``Rosies.'' Mr. Speaker, I had an Aunt Lil who was a Rosie the Riveter in World War II. She is not with us today, but I wish she could be to see this honor presented to her and other women who filled the call and served as Rosie the Riveter. I urge each of my colleagues to support this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) and that she may control the time for the majority.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4200, the National Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2005. First, I would like to commend the gentleman from California (Chairman Hunter) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), for their leadership in bringing this good bill to the floor. The gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) was referred to this morning in our conference as the troop's chairman, and I think that is exactly what he is; and he has brought a bill that is great for the troops. Mr. Chairman, hundreds of thousands of brave American soldiers, including mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers, are fighting to protect our freedom and liberty throughout the world; and we owe it to them and to their families to pass this bill today. The cornerstone of H.R. 4200 is the $2 billion plan to equip our troops with the latest and most state-of-the-art safety equipment, including body armor, armored Humvees, and armor add-on kits for thin- skinned vehicles. Many times the best and most innovative of these technologies are developed by our Nation's small businesses who are able to produce cutting-edge military equipment at a lower cost. That is why we have included language in the bill to encourage the Department of Defense to provide greater consideration to the advantages and innovations offered by small business. The bill also directs the Department to award more contracts to small businesses through broader utilization of phase 3 of the Small Business Innovative Research Program. I thank the gentleman from California (Chairman Hunter), the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Chairman Weldon), and the committee staff for working with me to include this language in the bill. I cannot overstate the strong impact that small businesses have on the Department of Defense. Our country's small businesses are the engines of American technological innovation, and they will significantly enhance the ability of the American war fighter and help save many lives. Mr. Chairman, H.R. 4200 is a solid bill which focuses on protecting our troops on the battlefield and strengthening our support for them at home. It contains several other provisions that I support, including a solid pay raise for our troops, increases in their hardship pay, and elimination of their out-of-pocket expenses for housing, among other things. This package is the least we could do for our brave men and women of the Armed Forces who risk their lives every day to protect America and our freedoms around the world. I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 4200.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4281, the Small Business Health Fairness Act, which will allow small business to join together to better provide their hardworking employees with health care coverage. This important legislation will solve the serious problem with the growing number of uninsured American workers. It is reported that as many as 60 percent of America's 43.6 million uninsured are employed in small businesses throughout the country. Over the last few years, small business employers have become unable to provide their workers with affordable health care as a result of the rapid and unjust rise in the cost of health insurance. As a former small business owner, I understand the plight felt by employers, who want nothing more than to provide employees and their families with quality health care. The Small Business Health Fairness Act will afford these smaller businesses the same rights that large corporations and unions have and enable their representative associations to form Association Health Plans (AHPs), which will offer health care nationwide to member businesses. AHPs will be crucial in closing the gap the small business community is facing with the increase of uninsured American workers. It is imperative that we act now by passing this legislation so that our nation's small business employees can immediately begin receiving health care for their families. Last year, the House passed a virtually identical bill with strong bipartisan support, but it unfortunately never saw the light of day in the Senate. I am hopeful that this body will pass this measure today, and quickly send it to the Senate for consideration. We can no longer allow these dedicated employees to live and work without health insurance. I thank the Chairman for giving me time to talk about my strong support of H.R. 4281.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Improving Access to Assistive Technology for Individuals with Disabilities Act. This legislation improves the Assistive Technology Act to ensure that individuals with disabilities have access to assistive technology services and equipment throughout their lives. I would like to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the Chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for his assistance in bringing this bill to this point. Since 1988, the federal government has played an important role in helping states develop systems to provide access to assistive technology devices and services for individuals with disabilities. The original intent of this program was to provide seed money for states to establish state-wide systems to help individuals with disabilities. Since then all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the outlying areas have established systems of some design and scope. In the original legislation, we wisely put in a sunset provision that caused us to reexamine the role and scope of the original program. For the past 2 years, my subcommittee has been investigating this program; we have held a hearing on this important program, visited assistive technology centers, and discussed the benefits and drawbacks of the existing program. We have sought broad input from our friends across the aisle, from the disability community, and from the state programs to gain valuable insight into this program. As we go through the legislative process we will continue to seek input from our friends on the other side of the aisle as well as our friends in the disability community to make this a strong bill. In the bill we are introducing today, we are shifting the focus of the program to individuals with disabilities. Our goal is to help states get more pieces of assistive technology into the hands of individuals with disabilities. This new focus will expand the reach of the state programs by moving away from support of administrative activities toward emphasizing the importance of getting the technology itself to the individuals with disabilities that need it. Although we are refocusing the program, we certainly recognize the importance of state flexibility, and our bill maintains that important element of the program. We direct states to focus their efforts of putting technology into the hands of individuals with disabilities. We ask that States develop alternative financing methods to enhance the ability of individuals with disabilities to access assistive technology devices and services through low interest loans, interest buy-down programs, revolving loan funds, loan guarantee, or other mechanisms of the State's choice. Additionally, we allow States to choose to develop: Assistive technology device loan programs to support short-term loan programs of assistive technology devices to individuals with disabilities; assistive technology device reutilization programs (i.e., recycling) to use assistive technology devices multiple times with multiple individuals; or assistive technology device demonstration programs to teach people with disabilities about the variety of available assistive technology devices and how to use them. These are important and necessary activities and I am confident that states will continue to work with stakeholders in their communities to enhance or develop comprehensive programs that will provide tremendous benefit to individuals with disabilities. In fact, we require that states do just that, so we are ensuring that individuals with disabilities will continue to have important input in this program. I deeply appreciate the importance of assistive technology devices and services for individuals with disabilities. These devices can make a major difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities. Assistive technology can help individuals meet the challenges they face every day, and through the use of assistive technology, an individual with a disability can overcome almost any obstacle he or she faces. I look forward to working with the members of the Committee, other members of Congress, and other stakeholders as we craft legislation that will build upon and improve previous reforms. These steps to strengthen assistive technology programs will also complement our ongoing effort to ensure that children with disabilities receive a quality education. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of the Improving Access to Assistive Technology for Individuals with Disabilities Act.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers) for yielding time and for his great leadership in bringing this important bill to the floor. Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that military service is the greatest form of duty and sacrifice that any American can have for their country. The brave men and women of our Armed Forces selflessly fight day in and day out to protect America from terror and tyranny from every corner of this world. Military service is more than just a job. It is a duty bound calling and every American should have the opportunity to serve their country in this way if they so choose. That is why it is so important to pass H.R. 3966 today. This bill will give military and ROTC recruiters the opportunity to have the same unencumbered recruitment ability as other prospective employers on college campuses. For too long, military recruiters have been treated like second-class citizens on some college campuses and have been subjected to undue obstacles that no other recruiters have had to endure. Some colleges and universities, for example, have required military recruiters to set up their recruitment tables off campus, while allowing other employers to recruit on campus. On other college campuses, ROTC recruiters were only given the option of using remote and inaccessible rooms for their recruitment, significantly reducing their ability to reach students. Shockingly, at one of the most prestigious colleges in this country, New York University, potential recruits were harassed and detained by protestors; and their pictures were displayed throughout the school on a poster entitled ``Face of Complicity.'' This is absolutely unacceptable, and that kind of behavior cannot happen again. Mr. Speaker, our Nation is involved in a global war on terror, and we must have the best and the brightest working on our side to win. Our college campuses are filled with the next Norman Schwarzkopfs and Colin Powells, and we must give them the chance to fulfill their full potential as Americans. I urge my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 3966.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I thank our great chairman for yielding me the time. And, Mr. Speaker, if my colleagues in this Chamber have any doubt about the necessity of our war against the sadistic and despotic regime of Saddam Hussein, I urge them to look at this photo that I took with Iraqi girls during a congressional trip that some of my colleagues and I went on last December. If my colleagues take a close look at this picture, they will see bright, sunny faces of happy girls who look like they could live in my district or any of their districts around this country, but the sad reality is that a little over a year ago, these young girls were living under the ugly regime of a murderous dictator who would not hesitate to take their lives or the lives of their friends and family. In fact, from 1983 to 1988 Saddam Hussein wiped out 60 villages and murdered more than 30,000 Iraqi citizens with weapons of mass destruction. Human rights organizations continually received reports from women who said that rape was routinely used by Iraqi officials as weapons of torture, intimidation, and blackmail. Mr. Speaker, I do not know what would have happened to these girls if the United States had not acted against Saddam Hussein's ruthless Baathist regime, but I do know this much. Since the liberation of Iraq, more than 5.5 million children went back to school this year; 2,300 schools which fell into disarray under Saddam's regime have been rehabilitated. School children have books, shoulder bags, notebooks, pencils, papers and desks to use for their studies; but, most importantly, they are now living free from Saddam's repressive regime, and they never have to worry again about being harmed by their tyrannical government, thanks to the strong leadership of President Bush and the heroic efforts of our men and women of the armed services. I cannot say enough about our troops who risk life and limb every day to bring freedom to these girls and to the other people of Iraq. I urge strong support of this resolution endorsing our troops.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National Peace Corps Week, which gives us the opportunity to honor and commemorate the 43rd anniversary of the Peace Corps. During this week, celebratory and educational events take place across the country to pay tribute to the Peace Corps' influence on communities in the United States and abroad. Thousands of Peace Corps volunteers speak in classrooms, Governors issue proclamations, and former and current Peace Corps staff honor the lasting legacy of the Peace Corps with their service. I would like to join these individuals in their tribute. Since its inception in 1961, over 170,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in 137 countries to promote the Peace Corps' mission of world peace and friendship. Currently, over 7,500 Volunteers are serving in 71 countries around the world--the highest number of volunteers in the field in 28 years. In 2003 alone, the number of individuals applying to serve in the Peace Corps rose by 10 percent. With continued interest from both Americans and host countries, the Peace Corps is well-positioned to continue to expand its ranks for many years to come. The work of the Peace Corps has never been more relevant than it is today. Americans are interested in humanitarian service, and host countries are eager for our volunteers. Peace Corps volunteers share their time and talents by serving as teachers, business advisors, information technology consultants, health and HIV/AIDS educators, and youth and agriculture workers. These volunteers transfer life-changing knowledge and skills that are valued by the people of other nations. In its tenure this institution has become vital to the well-being of our country and to the international community. During this week, we salute the men and women of this nation who selflessly serve abroad as Peace Corps Volunteers. Recently, I had the opportunity to honor Sergeant Shiver, the organizer and first director of the Peace Corps. His lifelong service is only one shinning example of the quality of individuals the Peace Corps recruits. He, as well as many other members of the Peace Corps, has shown that one dedicated individual can create positive change in the world. Mr. Speaker, I would like to Join my colleagues in support of National Peace Corps Week and honor past and present volunteers who carry out the Peace Corps' goals and who continue to empower people in developing and developed countries through their efforts.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that in the engrossment of the bill, H.R. 3030, the Clerk be authorized to make technical corrections and conforming changes to the bill.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House of February 3, 2004, and as the designee of the majority leader, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 511) recognizing the accomplishments of the University of Southern California's football, women's volleyball, and men's water polo teams, and ask for its immediate consideration.