Buck McKeon

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 94) expressing the sense of the Congress that community inclusion and enhanced lives for individuals with mental retardation or other development disabilities is at serious risk because of the crisis in recruiting and retaining direct support professionals, which impedes the availability of a stable, quality direct support workforce, as amended.

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. 94.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 94, which expresses the sense of the Congress that community inclusion and enhanced lives for individuals with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities is at serious risk because of the crisis of recruiting and retaining direct support professionals. I want to congratulate and thank my friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions), for introducing this resolution to highlight a very serious problem facing this country and the disability community. As the resolution states, it is vitally important that our Nation increase its attention on recruiting and retaining these support personnel who work directly with individuals with disabilities and help them to become a contributing member of society. From developing the skills of existing personnel to preparing new leaders and researchers to replace those who are leaving or retiring from the field, we must expand our capacity to recruit new and retain existing personnel. Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services announced five new demonstration grants aimed at helping recruit, train, and retain direct service workers to aid those who need help with eating, bathing, dressing, and other activities of daily living. These grants will also test offering health insurance benefits to workers to determine if that helps keep workers on the job. These grants were offered through the President's New Freedom Initiative which promotes the goal of removing barriers to community living for people with disabilities. Under this initiative, 10 Federal agencies have collaborated to remove barriers to community living for people with disabilities. Secretary Thompson and others who have championed the New Freedom Initiative should be commended for their hard work to improving the lives of individuals with special needs. But we all know that much more needs to be done. As a Nation, we have a commitment to improve the opportunities available for all of our citizens, especially individuals with disabilities. Over the past 30 years, we have made important strides in enhancing the lives of individuals with disabilities. The Workforce Investment Act, the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, and the Assistive Technology Act are a short list of the important laws that the Congress has passed since 1998 to better the lives of our fellow citizens with disabilities. We know that those individuals with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities face significant challenges and obstacles in participating in their community and in the workforce. But every day, every week, and every year we continue to make more progress. I am particularly pleased with the improvements we have made to support individuals with disabilities through the Workforce Reinvestment and Adult Education Act of 2003 which passed the House in May. In this legislation, State workforce investment boards and local workforce investment areas must develop strategies to address the employment needs of individuals with disabilities consistent with the goal of community integration. In addition, by increasing the coordination among employment and training programs in the one-stop centers created under the Workforce Investment Act, this reauthorization legislation seeks to ensure appropriate services are available to all job seekers, including those with disabilities. Through this legislation, we will give individuals with disabilities the opportunity to participate more fully in the workforce by enhancing their ability to receive training, and we have increased the emphasis on serving individuals with disabilities. Next year, I hope to work with my colleagues to improve the Assistive Technology Act so that we can provide greater access to technology that improves the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. We will work to ensure that the program is focused on the needs of individuals to secure technology for them so that they can participate in their community and at work. I am pleased to support this important resolution to improve the opportunity for individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities to participate more fully in society, and I ask my colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. McKEON

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

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey), an outstanding new member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 378) recognizing Independent 529 Plan for launching a prepaid tuition plan that will benefit our Nation's families who want to send their children to private colleges and universities, as amended.

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. Res. 378.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H. Res. 378 which recognizes independent colleges and universities that participate in prepaid tuition planning. I want to thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger) for sponsoring this resolution that highlights the benefits of prepaid college tuition plans and the independent colleges and universities that participate in such plans. Mr. Speaker, everyone in this Chamber clearly understands the benefits of a postsecondary education and that it expands career opportunities and increases earnings potential. As the resolution states, in 2001 a person with a bachelor's degree earned almost 90 percent more than a person with only a high school diploma. This resolution recognizes those that make completion of a postsecondary education and its benefits a bit more attainable. This Congress, the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness, which I chair, is focused on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. One of my primary concerns throughout the process is to ensure that the dream of a college education is available and indeed affordable to all those who strive for it. This is why I am pleased to support H. Res. 378, a measure that recognizes those colleges and universities that participate in programs that can help put college within reach. H. Res. 378 draws attention to prepaid tuition plans, which allow families to prepare for the cost of a postsecondary education. These plans originated in 1996 and were expanded in 2001 to allow for independent education institutions to establish their own prepaid tuition plans. During this time, both public and private institutions have begun participating in these prepaid tuition plans. While the specifics of these plans vary, at the heart of the plans is the ability of families to pay for academic periods or course units at current prices for a child who will attend college in the future. I hear so often from constituents that college costs are increasing tremendously and parents are concerned that they will not be able to afford a postsecondary education for their children. We must work together to prevent students and families from being priced out of the higher education market and being priced out of their dreams. I believe that prepaid tuition plans offer parents important options for dealing with the college cost crisis, and we must encourage efforts to make college affordable and attainable. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution that recognizes the schools that participate in these plans. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. We are here today to discuss H. Res. 378, but my good friend on the other side of the aisle has brought up some points of a bill that I introduced a week ago, and I would like to just correct a couple of things on the record. HBCs and HSIs are not addressed in the bill. Any funding cuts based on colleges continuing to raise their tuition and fees at better than twice the rate of inflation would only have an effect on title IV funding. Also, he referred to cost controls. I lived through cost controls. I was a retailer in the 1970s when President Nixon imposed price controls. Let me explain the way price controls work. One day we were able to sell jeans at a certain price. When price controls took effect, we no longer could sell those jeans at any other price other than what the government set. The only way that we could ever increase our prices at a retail or wholesale level was if we went before a bureaucratic board set up by the government and explained our costs and they finally maybe granted us the ability to increase our prices. That is not what I propose in my bill. What I propose in the bill is encouragement for the schools to keep their tuition and fees down. For the last 20 years, they have been raising them at four times the rate of people's ability to pay those college costs. We tell the schools, if they want to keep charging more, they can; but we do not have to keep giving them some of that $65 billion of Federal aid that goes to the schools, not to the students. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), the author of the resolution that is before us, H. Res. 378.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, according to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, cost factors, with the rate of tuition and fee increases over the last 20 years, show that 48 percent of our lower-income young people that that graduate from high school prepared for college are not able to go to a college or university of their choice, and 22 percent of them cannot even go to a community college. I think anything we can do to make it possible for these young people to attend school is vitally important. I have 25 grandchildren and one on the way. When I saw that picture of the grandson of the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), Logan, that was a great selling tool, and I really appreciate what she is doing to help young people and help their families to put money aside to send them to school. I urge all of us to support this bill.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong support for the Affordability in Higher Education Act, legislation I authored to address the college cost crisis that is facing our Nation. This bill moves beyond the rhetoric, and offers real solutions that will hold colleges accountable and empower consumers as we all work together to keep higher education affordable. For decades, the cost of higher education has been rising dramatically. Tuition increases have far outpaced increases in the rate of inflation and the growth in family incomes, and these skyrocketing costs are having a devastating impact on American students and families. This is not a new problem. Over half a decade ago I stood here and voiced these same concerns. And several years before that, Senator Frank Lautenberg was leading a similar charge to keep college affordable. Yet in all that time, we have been unable to find solutions, and the cost of college just keeps going up. According to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, cost factors are preventing 48 percent of college-qualified low-income students from attending a four-year institution, and 22 percent from having access to any college at all. At the rate we are going, by the end of the decade 2 million students will lose out on the chance to achieve the dream of a college education. This is unacceptable, and I believe we can no longer stand idly by while our Nation's students, the future of our country, are being priced out of the promise of higher education. The Affordability in Higher Education Act is simple in its purpose, but monumental in its potential to help struggling students and families. The bill proposes to empower the consumers of higher education--students and parents--with significant information on higher education, and hold colleges and universities accountable for the dramatic cost increases that are hampering our Nation's ability to make the dream of higher education a reality for needy students. The bill establishes a ``College Affordability Index,'' a standard measure by which the consumers of higher education can understand and compare tuition increases in real terms. Using data already being reported by colleges and universities, the U.S. Department of Education will make information about college costs, including the College Affordability Index, publicly available through a user friendly website. The bill provides colleges and universities with ample time to meet the challenge of affordability, and beginning in 2008, schools will begin to be held accountable for their cost increases. Using the College Affordability Index, schools that increase their tuition and fees by more than twice the rate of inflation over a three year period will be required to provide more information and undertake actions to improve affordability. I believe one of the most important factors in addressing the college cost crisis is the need to empower consumers. Parents and students simply do not have access to adequate information necessary to make informed decisions in the higher education marketplace. And as we empower consumers and encourage accountability, we must also embrace innovation. That's why the Affordability in Higher Education Act includes a demonstration program that will encourage schools to look for innovative strategies to hold down costs without sacrificing quality. The bill would grant waivers to schools which apply and are chosen to participate--allowing these institutions to have the freedom to find new ways to improve affordability and ultimately, increase access. The face of higher education has changed significantly in recent years, and while college costs are a formidable barrier, the fact is, today's students face other obstacles as they work to reach their higher education goals. One of the most needless and often frustrating obstacles is an inability to transfer credits among institutions. Recent data from the Department of Education tells us that over half of the nation's postsecondary education students attend more than one college or university. Yet many of these students struggle to transfer their credits, and as a result must retake coursework which costs both time and money. The bill recognizes that students deserve to have freedom and flexibility, and would make it easier for students to transfer credits. Let me be clear--the bill does not mandate coursework, nor does it require that particular credits be accepted to or from particular institutions. It simply makes it clear that credits cannot be denied based solely on what organization accredited the institution, so long as it is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Such territorial or political practices are harming students, and must not continue. As colleges and universities strive to meet the challenge of affordability, I also believe we must also do our part at the Federal level to make that possible. Schools often tell us that they are burdened by voluminous and often unnecessary regulations and paperwork requirements. We must ease that burden by eliminating such cumbersome requirements. Last year, through the FED UP initiative, we made great strides in reducing red tape and eliminating unnecessary and costly regulations. The bill I'm offering today will continue that effort, and help institutions as they work to increase affordability. Taken together, the reforms in this bill will make a real difference to the millions of students and families who are counting on us. The future of our Nation--today more than ever--depends on our ability to educate our students. We cannot allow the continued explosion of college costs to go unchecked. The time has come to find solutions, and today, I believe we are taking a step in the right direction. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this important measure, Mr. Speaker; and I look forward to a higher education system that is accessible to every single American student who strives for it, regardless of financial circumstances. Our students, and our Nation, deserve nothing less.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3108, the Pension Funding Equity Act. Two years ago, the benchmark interest rate used to determine various pension calculations--the 30 year Treasury Bond rate--was discontinued, but some employers have continued to use it to fund their defined benefit pension plans. The problem is that after the rate was discontinued, it reached historic lows and now no longer correlates with the rates on other long-term bonds, thereby artificially inflating its funding liability. This has justifiably left many employees concerned about the certainty and security of their defined benefit programs, which many Americans depend on for their retirement. Last year, my colleagues and I passed a temporary fix by allowing employers to use a higher rate to calculate their pension liabilities, but because this fix expires at the end of 2003, employers, unions, and workers are once again concerned that defined benefit pension plans are going to be jeopardized. Mr. Speaker, this is unacceptable. The lack of a long-term solution to the 30-year interest rate is putting worker and retiree benefits at risk. Taking no action now could jeopardize employers' willingness to continue their defined benefit programs that provide a stable and secure pension benefit to workers during retirement. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3108 is by no means a permanent solution but it will provide a short-term replacement to ensure certainty and security for workers and employers while committing Congress to immediately proceed with efforts to identify a permanent long-term solution. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this common sense legislation and voting in favor of the Pension Funding Equity Act.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2309, designating the J. Stephen Horn Post Office Building in Signal Hill, California. I cannot think of a better tribute to our former colleague and my friend for his dedication and commitment to his community and his country. As my colleagues will agree, former Representative Stephen Horn served the people of his district as one of the hardest-working Members during his ten years in Congress. He played a key role in obtaining funds for the Alameda Corridor, the underground rail and freeway connection from the port to the main-east-west links, and secured $25 million in 2000 to clean up contamination of the underground water supply that extends to South Bay. Mr. Horn's former constituents may remember him most for securing a single ZIP code for the City of Signal Hill, California. Often considered a part of Long Beach, California, residents of Signal Hill were neglected by the Postal Service. For years, the city and its 9000 residents had higher insurance rates, misreported sales taxes and misapplied utility taxes by long distance companies. Upon his election to Congress in 1992, Congressman Horn made acquiring a single ZIP code for the city one of his top priorities. Despite a lack of cooperation from the Postal Service and the Postmaster General, Stephen Horn refused to take no for an answer and succeeded in getting Signal Hill its own ZIP code in January 2002. I am honored to have worked with Stephen in Congress and to have had the opportunity to bear witness to his drive, dedication and devotion to his home State and his constituency. Mr. Speaker, I stand with my colleagues in support of this resolution and appreciate the opportunity to express my thoughts and gratitude for Stephen Horn.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2210, 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 friend, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), and the chairman of the Subcommittee on Education Reform, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), for their hard work on getting this important piece of legislation here to the floor. At the outset, I want to thank them for their willingness to work with me to include language in the committee report on facilities management. The Los Angeles County Office of Education, the largest Head Start grantee in the country, has been experiencing great difficulty in meeting the Department's requirement that it spend facility-related funding by the end of the Federal Government's fiscal year. In my State of California, with the numerous environmental and permitting reviews that are required at the local and State level, it is nearly impossible to get approval to spend money in this time frame, much less 2 years. Even more daunting is the fact that fiscal years for many grantees do not coincide with the Federal Government. I am grateful that we are urging the Department to take a look at giving grantees some flexibility to meet a longer time period. Mr. Chairman, like many of my colleagues, I have been listening to the debate, and I have heard criticisms of this bill. Over the last few weeks, those on the other side of the aisle and their supporters have vilified the School Readiness Act all in the name of protecting the status quo and resisting the efforts to ensure that disadvantaged children in this country are better prepared for school. I think it is important that we put down our political talking points and get to the bottom of what this bill truly will do. Now, there is no question that there is near-unanimous support for the Head Start program. Created in 1965, and located in every community in the country, the program has been a valuable part of our Nation in preparing lower- income children for elementary school. At the same time, it is Congress' responsibility to examine every program up for reauthorization to see if it is truly meeting our high standards for success and if there are any potential reforms that we can perform. I would argue that regardless of the political reluctance to enact and accept fundamental reforms, every Federal program could do a better job of carrying out its mission than it is currently performing. This applies to those programs on the elementary and secondary school level, it applies to programs governing postsecondary education, it applies to workforce development programs, and, yes, it applies to early childhood programs like Head Start. And so we come here to consider H.R. 2210, which will improve the Head Start program and close the readiness gap that exists between Head Start children and their more affluent peers. We strongly believe that we must strengthen Head Start's academic standards by emphasizing cognitive development and the results of scientifically based research on topics critical to children's school readiness. I believe that Head Start has placed an unbalanced emphasis on providing health and social services to children and their families, which have resulted in Head Start children not making the gains necessary to begin school with an equal opportunity to succeed. A critical component of school readiness is the attainment of prereading abilities. Head Start programs should provide children from low-income families with a high-quality oral language and literature- rich environment. Through scientific research, much has been learned about the way children learn to read and the strong foundation that is important before children are given formal reading instruction in kindergarten and first grade. Consistent with the early reading initiative, launched as part of the No Child Left Behind Act, Head Start must play a pivotal role in this effort. We have done this and can do this while preserving all current health and nutrition services for Head Start children. Mr. Chairman, I know there has been a lot of criticism about this bill because of the State option, but I think it is important to point out this committee has produced a bill which improves the education of our Nation's most vulnerable children, and for this reason I urge all my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. McKEON

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

Mr. McKEON. I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act to address the issue of extradition, specifically as it pertains to Mexico. The seriousness of this issue is best described by the following tragic story: On April 29, 2002, over a year ago, Deputy David March, a 7-year veteran of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, was shot and killed in the line of duty. David March was 33 years old, a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a neighbor, a stalwart in our community. The suspect who took his life was a Mexican national, a convicted felon. He fled to Mexico to avoid prosecution. Historically, the Mexican government has refused to extradite Mexican nationals who commit crimes and flee to Mexico unless there are assurances granted by the United States that the death penalty would not be sought. Then in October, 2001, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled, in addition to the death penalty, they would not extradite criminals who also face life imprisonment sentences in the United States. For the crime that was committed, one of those penalties would be required. As such, Deputy March's killer roams free in Mexico; and the United States is unable to threaten a sentence commensurate with this murderer's horrific crime. It should be noted this is not an isolated case for it is estimated that more than 60 suspected killers from Los Angeles County alone are in Mexico, along with countless more individuals who are suspected of rape, child molestation, attempted murder and other serious, violent crimes. Mr. Chairman, this is an outrage. We cannot allow the most heinous criminals to escape the bar of justice. They must pay the penalties for their crimes, and the victims and their families must have reprieve through a judicious process. Just imagine the turmoil that these families feel. David's younger sister went to school with my youngest daughter, good friends growing up. It is a great family. Every day they have to get up knowing that their son, brother, husband, father, is no longer with them, and the person who committed the crime, that took his life, is free. It is just not fair. As such, my amendment expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Government should work closely with and encourage the Mexican government to persuade its Supreme Court to reconsider this October, 2001, ruling so the possibility of life imprisonment will not have an effect on the timely extradition of criminal suspects from Mexico to the United States. It also should be noted that, historically, the United States government and the Mexican government have cooperated on many issues of mutual concern to our bilateral relationship, including elements of extradition as it pertains to drug trafficking. I am confident that, with further cooperation between our two governments, we can continue in like manner to address all of the points of concern within the issue of extradition to the point of complete resolution. I thank the chairman for his help in getting this bill to the floor. I thank the ranking member. I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff), the gentleman from California (Mr. Berman), the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) and other Members who have been supportive in this important effort.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, this amendment was also drafted in consultation with the Committee on Education and the Workforce. We feel it makes the bill stronger. We strongly support it, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, we have worked with the minority on this amendment, we support it, and I ask that the membership also support the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON

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

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) also. I have enjoyed working together with him. I want to thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) for the great work he has done as a new member of the committee for bringing this bill to the floor. And I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) and the chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner). This is just the start of what we are doing on reauthorizing the Higher Education Act. These are the two teacher bills that we are doing today. We will also be doing three more bills, hopefully get them wrapped up this fall, and then, when the other body does their work, we will be able to early next spring, hopefully, complete the higher education reauthorization. With that, I would like to thank all those who have participated and ask that our colleagues all join us in support of this bill.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers), my good friend, one of the few scientists we have serving in the House.