Buck McKeon

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I speak today to honor the life of a dedicated young man who died while serving his country. Airman 1st Class Justin Christopher Wotasik was one of twelve persons killed last month in a helicopter collision near Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. His unit, the 66th Rescue Squadron, was involved in a training exercise when the crash occurred. Justin graduated in 1996 from Palmdale High School and was an Eagle Scout who attended the 1993 National Scout Jamboree in Virginia. He was one of those rare individuals who at a young age had a profound sense of purpose and knew what he wanted to do with his life. In his brief life, he served as an inspiration to others while symbolizing the dedication shared by many young men and women who pursue a military career. Justin, who would have celebrated his 20th birthday this month, was buried today in Arlington National Cemetery. Justin, for all you did and all your stood for, thank you and may God bless you. How Great Thou Art O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed: Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee: How great Thou art, how great Thou art!! Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee: How great Thou art, how great Thou art. When through the woods and forest glades I wander and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees; When I look down from my lofty mountain grandeur, and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze: Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee: How great Thou art, how great Thou art!! Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee: How great Thou art, how great Thou art. And when I think that God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin: Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee: How great Thou art, how great Thou art!! Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee: How great Thou art, how great Thou art. When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow in humble adoration, and there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art! Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee: How great Thou art, how great Thou art!! Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee: How great Thou art, how great Thou art.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time, and I rise in strong support of the conference report to H.R. 6, the Higher Education Amendments of 1998. It is hard to believe that it has been almost 2 years since the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dale Kildee), the ranking member on my subcommittee, and I sat down to begin the reauthorization process. At that meeting we agreed that we would work together to develop legislation that would make college more affordable, simplify the student aid system, and stress academic quality. By adopting this conference report, we will accomplish those goals. This legislation would not be possible without the remarkable bipartisan, bicameral spirit of this conference committee. I am sure that some are surprised that this Congress, in this political environment, would be able to produce a conference report of this magnitude. I would first like to thank the chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Bill Goodling), for his support and leadership on this important legislation. Additionally, the full committee ranking member, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Bill Clay), along with all members of the conference committee, including the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Tom Petri), the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Lindsey Graham), the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Mark Souder), the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. John Peterson), the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Clay Shaw), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dave Camp), the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Jim Talent), the gentleman from California (Mr. Marty Martinez), the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Rob Andrews) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Sander Levin) and their staffs deserve a great deal of thanks for their hard work and dedication. I also want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ruben Hinojosa) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Chaka Fattah) for their hard work and amendments that they worked on, that I did not always agree with, but I appreciate the effort they put forth and the great work that they did. And the members of the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, including ranking member Ted Kennedy, Dan Coats and Christopher Dodd, should be recognized for their commitment to getting this conference completed. And in particular Jim Jeffords, the chairman, because he was always willing to work directly with me in putting this conference report together. I would like to stress how thankful I am for the commitment of the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) to this legislation. Whenever a problem would arise, we would simply call the other in order to work out a solution. This legislation is one of the most significant things this Congress will do for students and their families this year. It will bring us closer to my goal of ensuring that every American who wants a quality education at an affordable price will be able to get it. As many of my colleagues know, one of the biggest challenges we faced during this reauthorization process was saving the student loan program. The scheduled change in the interest rate jeopardized access to private capital for students. After working extensively with all parties involved, the student groups, the higher education and lending communities, and Republican and Democrat Members of Congress, we found a solution that keeps student loans available for all students and provides current students with the lowest rates in 17 years. Further, more Americans will be able to afford college through meaningful changes to the financial need analysis formula. These changes focus more resources towards the students with the greatest need and provide students with greater incentives to work and save for college. The legislation before us will simplify the student aid system by bringing it into the next century. It will create a performance-based organization within the Department of Education that is focused on providing quality service to students and parents. For the first time, the department student financial aid systems will be run like a business, adopting the best practices from the private sector and focusing on bottom line results. Parents and students deserve a modern student aid system that meets their needs. This legislation will give the Secretary the tools he needs to provide it. Additionally, H.R. 6 revises the guaranty agency system by changing the financing structure to give these entities the flexibility they need in order to use the latest private sector business practices, operate more efficiently, ensure program integrity and, most importantly, provide real savings to the Federal Government. Furthermore, H.R. 6 contains provisions that implement a number of recommendations of the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education. One of these provisions requires the Secretary to make available all information on each school's tuition, price and price increases. As a result, students and parents will be able to make more informed choices about the schools they choose, and colleges will be held more accountable for cost increases. It is important to note that this legislation is paid for. I want to personally thank the Speaker, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrich), and the chairman of the Committee on the Budget, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kasich), as well as the majority leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey), and David Hobbs from the staff of the gentleman from Texas, for their hard work and support in making this solution possible. In conclusion, I want to take a moment to recognize the outstanding staff members who have made this legislation a reality: George Conant, Pam Davidson, Vic Klatt, Sally Lovejoy, D'Arcy Philps, Jeff Andrade, Steve Cope, Margot Schenet, and from my personal staff, Karen Weiss and Bob Cochran. But the one person who deserves the most thanks is Sally Stroup, because without her leadership and expertise, we would not be here today. With Washington divided on partisan lines on so many issues, it is remarkable to bring together congressional Republicans, Democrats, student groups, educators and the financial community to gain consensus on this higher education bill. The bipartisan support for H.R. 6 was evident when the House originally passed the bill on a 414 to 4 vote; then when the Senate passed it 96 to 1. We can complete the legislative process today by adopting this conference report and sending it down to the President. So I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Higher Education Amendments of 1998.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I have been here now 6 years and I have been able to serve with the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Fawell) for that whole 6 years, and the last 4 years we have served as subcommittee chairmen together. We have a meeting about once a month at 7 o'clock in the morning and the full committee chairman and the subcommittee chairmen all get together, and during that time I have gotten to know the gentleman. I have gotten to know his integrity, his sincerity, his devotion that he brings to the cause, and I have never heard him say one negative thing about another person, on either side of the aisle. I have never heard him say anything disparaging. I just have the greatest respect for this man, and we really are going to miss him. I talked to him the other day and I said, ``I do not know who is going to take your place; I do not know who knows anything like you do about ERISA.'' And I just want to say, Harris, we will really miss you. Thank you for all you have done for the country.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Porter- Radanovich amendment to maintain section 907 of the Freedom Support Act. As Members know, Armenia is a land-locked country in the Caucasus that in 1991 finally achieved its long-sought goal of independence. Unfortunately, geography and conflicts with its neighbors has prevented the Armenian economy from flourishing. Armenia wants nothing more than a resolution to the conflicts with its neighbors. However, these neighbors must also be willing to negotiate with Armenia in good faith. Maintaining section 907 is essential to ensuring that there is a good faith peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Vote in favor of section 907. Support the Porter-Radanovich amendment.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 1995.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me, Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of the conference report for H.R. 1385, the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. This agreement is an important step in addressing the Nation's long-term Workforce preparation needs by helping States and local communities to make sense out of our current confusing array of employment training and literacy programs. The American economy is strong and is increasingly driven by creativity, innovation, and technology. It has been reported that new high-skilled jobs are growing at nearly three times the rate of other jobs. However, many employers are finding it increasingly difficult to find workers with the skill necessary to fill these high-wage positions. This agreement will provide opportunities for more Americans to obtain these jobs. The agreement accomplishes long overdue reform, consolidating over 60 Federal programs through the establishment of three block grants to States and localities for the provision of such services, and through amendments to the Rehabilitation Act. It accomplishes key reforms in this country's job training system by building on the three principles of individual choice, quality training for the 21st century, and the transfer of resources and authority for employment, training and literacy programs to States and local communities. For youth, we amend the JTPA's current disadvantaged youth programs, increasing the focus of such programs on long-term term academic and occupational training, rather than short-term employment fixes; requiring that all employment experiences under these programs be tied to academic and occupational learning opportunities; and prioritizing services for hard-to-serve disadvantaged youth, including school dropouts. For adults we establish a single delivery system for adult employment and training that maximizes individual choice through the use of vouchers for ``individual training accounts'' for the purchase of training services. This market-driven system, focusing on customer choice, makes the job training and employment system more responsive to the skill needs of individuals in the local labor market. Not only will this conference agreement result in improved services to dislocated workers, but it will also result in enhanced services provided to welfare recipients who must make the transition from welfare to work. Title II of the Workforce Investment Act amends the current Adult Education Act, consolidating adult education programs into a flexible block grant to States. This portion of the agreement includes important linkages to employment and training programs to ensure that individuals seeking employment and training services have the literacy skills they need in order to succeed. With regard to vocational rehabilitation, this agreement will provide more job opportunities to individuals with disabilities, and provide a much-needed emphasis on self-employment, business ownership, and telecommunicating opportunities, as well as linkages with employers and the State workforce investment system. This agreement will not only provide the flexibility that States and local communities need to vastly improve their employment and training efforts, but it will provide individuals that are in need of these services with the information, choice, and resources that they need to become skilled and gainfully employed. The skills of this Nation's workforce are more important today than ever before. This agreement will go far to help States and local communities to reform employment training and literacy programs that address the individual skill needs of their citizens. It will go far to empower individuals to break the cycle of dependency that has plagued our country for too long. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Members of our committee for their contributions in the development of this legislation; in particular, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Chairman Goodling), for his insight and leadership over the years on this issue; and the ranking member of the full committee, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay), and the Democrat on the post-secondary subcommittee, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), with whom I have worked very closely in coming to this agreement. I want to thank them for their help and support. In addition, I want to thank all of the Senate conferees for their efforts, especially Senator Jeffords, the chairman of the Labor and Human Resources Committee, and Senator DeWine, chairman of the Employment and Training Subcommittee. I would also like to thank the staff for their hard work on this conference agreement: Vic Klatt, Sally Lovejoy, Mary Gardner Clagett, D'Arcy Philps, Lynn Selmser, Jeff Andrade, Andrea Weiss, and Brian Kennedy from the Democrat staff. I would also like to thank the administration for working with us to make this a bipartisan effort. Finally, I am very pleased that the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the National Association of Counties are supporting this agreement, as well as leading national business operations. This is truly a good agreement that will help this country's workers gain the skills they need to succeed in today's workforce. I urge Members' strong support for this conference report.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to address a troubling situation that Congress can address before our wounded Veteran's hard earned medals are diminished in importance. As you may recall last year, Congress passed S. 923 denying burial benefits to veterans convicted of Federal Capital Offenses. The primary reason for the need of this legislation was to prevent individuals such as Tim McVeigh, the convicted murderer and terrorist, from being buried in our national cemeteries. We passed this legislation by voice vote with many members speaking out in favor of its passage. I would like to relate the story of a woman by the name of Leah Schendel. On December 18, 1980, Mrs. Schendel was brutally raped and murdered by Manuel Babbit. Mrs. Schendel was a loving mother and at the time of her death was 78 years old, less than 5 feet tall, and weighed under 100 pounds. In 1981, Mr. Babbit was convicted of the horrible murder and was sentenced to death. Mr. Babbit's final appeal was scheduled for just this past month. How might this problem relate to the problem of the Purple Heart Medal? Well, Mr. Babbit, a convicted murderer and death penalty recipient, recently received the Purple Heart Medal for wounds that he received in Vietnam over 25 years ago. While I do not argue that Mr. Babbit is eligible for the award, I have serious problems with the circumstances surrounding Mr. Babbit's application for the Purple Heart Medal. With no other choice, the military approved the award, which was required by Mr. Babbit's attorney, Charles Patterson. I find the timing of Mr. Babbit's reception of this award troubling. Assuming the worst case scenario, Mr. Babbit is attempting to use the honor that comes along with reception of this medal to curry favor with an appellate judge to reduce his sentence or grant him a new trial. I find it appalling that someone would attempt to bring dishonor to an award granted to individuals who bravely fought for the greatness of the nation by using it to assist a murderer's appeal process. H.R. 3970 would help put an end to problems like this. It would also go a long way to preserving the honor and dignity of the Purple Heart Medal. This legislation would prohibit the awarding of the Purple Heart Medal to individuals convicted of Federal Capital Offenses. The measure does not address eligibility for the award, but rather denies reception of the award for convicted Capital Offenders. The legislation is not retro-active and would not strip individuals of the Purple Heart Medal who had received the award prior to their conviction. Finally, the legislation is narrow in focus and would only apply to a very select group of individuals that have committed the most heinous crimes in our society. Mr. Speaker, it is not often that we can act before a problem occurs, but that is exactly what this Congress can do on this matter. This legislation has been endorsed by the Military Order of the Purple Heart and was introduced with the support of the House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Stump. I would urge my colleagues to help preserve the dignity of the Purple Heart by co-sponsoring this important legislation.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this historic legislation that addresses the problem of the rising number of Americans who cannot afford health insurance. For the first time, we will be able to extend health care options to the 42 million people in our country who remain uninsured, while the Democratic substitute ignores the problem. We know that most people without health insurance have one thing in common: They cannot afford health care. They are either self-employed or they work in small businesses that cannot afford to pay for health benefits. This bill solves this problem. The Patient Protection Act creates association health plans to combat high costs of health care in our country. This new and unique solution allows small businesses and those that are self-employed to join together under the umbrella of trade and professional organizations to buy health insurance for themselves and their employees. Consequently, small businesses will have access to the same kind of health care options that big corporations currently enjoy. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding this time to me. I am pleased to rise today in support of one of the most important pieces of environmental legislation that we will consider this year. Our late friend, Sonny Bono, worked hard and in a bipartisan manner to bring about awareness for the Salton Sea and would be proud that his efforts are now rewarded. Mr. Speaker, the Salton Sea is a unique body of water, and it is a great resource that should be preserved. Although it was created by accident 93 years ago, it is a potential jewel that we should do all that we can to save. However, the sea is unfortunately dying. According to studies, in only 12 years this body of water will become dead. It will not support life. Further complicating this problem is the presence of botulism in the water that has affected the native fish. As the fish become infected in the water, birds along the Pacific flyway eat the fish and retain and spread the disease. Since last year alone some 10,000 fish and 2,000 birds have perished. Why is this important? Should the Salton Sea continue its decline to death, it will take with it many more birds and fish, thus robbing California and our Nation of a valuable environmental resource. H.R. 3267 addresses these concerns and takes quick action to save this important body of water. This legislation provides funding for research, environmental review and engineering designs to stabilize the shoreline of the Salton Sea and reduce its salinity. It also provides for an expedited judicial review to ensure that this area will not become hostage to a lengthy court fight, given its relative short life expectancy. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation and the hard work that our colleague and my friend, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Bono), has made to improve our environment and finish the work begun by her late husband, Sonny.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.Res. 399 which calls upon Congress and the President to fulfill our commitment to some of our Nation's neediest children, those with disabilities. For too long, Washington has shirked its responsibility to provide our local school districts with the funds necessary to carry out the expensive mandate created with the enactment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In my home State of California, the cost of educating an estimated 610,000 children with disabilities is a staggering $3.3 billion. But the Federal Government contributes only $413 million, which translates to only 12.5 percent of the total cost. This, after saying that they would fund 40 percent of the cost. Even more alarming is the impact of this Federal mandate on our local school districts. For example, the Federal Government picks up only 5 percent of the estimated $7.6 million price tag for educating the nearly 1,200 children in the William S. Hart High School District, the district I served on the local school board in my congressional district. To make matters worse, the President level-funded IDEA in his fiscal year 1999 budget while calling for $20 billion to fund a laundry list of new Federal education pet projects. If the President would first fund the special education mandate, which was the responsibility of the Federal Government years ago when this bill was passed, our communities would have the funds to do the things the President proposes, such as building new schools, hiring more teachers, reducing class size and buying more computers. I say the first thing that we should do is fully fund the IDEA bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to proudly recognize a wonderful program that exists in the city of Santa Clarita called the ``Hero of the Week'' and those individuals honored under this program. Started by Maria Fulkerson and Lorraine Grimalde of Santa Clarita Anti-Gang Task Force, the Hero of the Week program focuses on more of the positive actions of our youth rather than the negative that most of the media covers. The program honors students for their positive actions and choices they have demonstrated. The students from the Santa Clarita Valley Junior and Senior High Schools are recommended by teachers and principals based on their observations of the student exhibiting positive behavior. The students that are selected exhibit the qualities that we are looking for in future leaders of our nation. These students, many of whom have had previous problems of one sort or another, have made remarkable improvements in many different areas. I am proud to honor these students today here on the House floor. On June 3, 1998, the Hero of the Week program honored 29 members of my community for their outstanding activities that truly made them heros in our neighborhood. These children have faced serious obstacles and in many cases faltered in the face of adversity. However, none of these students gave up. Their hard work and determination have truly earned them the title ``Hero of our Community.'' Mr. Speaker, I would like to conclude these remarks by listing the 29 students honored by the city last week. I congratulate them and the city for such a wonderful program helping our students in promoting positive activities. Hero of the Week Honorees Jose Acosta--Canyon High School Gilbert Avalos--Arroyo Seco Jr. High School Andrew Brown--Canyon High School Tom Chaney--Sierra Vista Jr. High School Dionna Curtis--Sierra Vista Jr. High School Mario de la Torre--Canyon High School Colleen Dillingham--Saugus High School Rusmir Dzidic--Hart High School Jenny Embelton--Placerita Jr. High School Rigoberto Garcia--Placerita Jr. High School Kimberly Goff--La Mesa Jr. High School Chrissy Hambel--Saugus High School Michael Hardash--La Mesa Jr. High School Brandi Huff--Canyon High School Jin Kim--Sierra Vista Jr. High School Karla Martinez--Bowman High School Martina Mendez--Hart High School Eva-Maria Onesto--Saugus High School Rafael Orellana--Placerita Jr. High School Ashley Palmer--La Mesa Jr. High School Angel Rodriguez--Saugus High School Olivia Sanchez--Bowman High School Steven Santana--Arroyo Seco Jr. High School Erik Sayer--Arroyo Seco Jr. High School Diana Dimone--Valencia High School Jennifer Sorge--Valencia High School Joseph Taylor--Saugus High School Federico Valle--Hart High School Leopoldo Yepez--Sierra Vista Jr. High School

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, today I wish to pay homage to a gentleman whose storied career in the entertainment field lasted more than 60 years. Anyone familiar with westerns and the people who made westerns a cornerstone of motion pictures would recognize the name Montie Montana. Quite simply, Montie was the best ``trick roper'' in the business. For me, he was also a friend and someone who people in my district honored and admired. Montie was born Owen Harlan Mickel on June 21, 1910, to Edgar Owen Mickel and Mary Edna Harlan Mickel. He spent much of his childhood around Wolf Point, Montana, which seemed to always have a special place in Montie's heart. Montie saw his first rodeo in Wolf Point at the age of 6, his first exposure to the talents that would eventually make him famous. By the mid-1920's Montie was eagerly honing his rope skills, even surviving a serious injury that he sustained while training a horse. Montie's family spend much of the late 1920's and early 1930's touring and performing at rodeos throughout the west. At the age of 21, Montie had become a regular at Hoot Gibson's ranch in Saugus, California, and his roping skills were encouraged by the legendary star Tom Mix. A few years later Montie married Louise Archer and starred in his first movie, Circle of Death, doing his own stunts. He remained a fixture in movies, television, and shows during the next three decades, and was at his peak during Hollywood's Golden Age in the 1940's and 1950's. Western pictures were at their zenith as well, and Montie knew everyone who today represent a ``Who's Who'' of classic westerns: John Wayne, Gene Autry, Tom Mix, Roy Rogers, and John Ford to name a few. Most of the stars and stunt performers who worked in westerns in this era lived in the San Fernando or the Santa Clarita Valley. Montie was no exception, living on 20 acres in the town of Northridge (and serving as honorary Mayor), which is in my district. As a child who grew up in the San Fernando Valley, one of my highlights was seeing Montie, who regularly made appearances at Southern California schools. I recall to this day seeing him when I was a student at Plainview Avenue Elementary School. It is estimated that Montie performed before 8,000,000 kids, often accompanied by his horse Rex. Montie was also a fixture at the annual Tournament of Roses Parade. It is estimated that he appeared at the parade more often than anyone else. He also rode in the 1949 Inaugural Parade and ``roped'' President Eisenhower in the 1953 parade. In addition, he was a part of some of the finest movies of this era: Cheyenne Autumn, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, A Star Is Born, and The Will Rogers Story. The latter of these also featured Montie's daughter Linda. After living in Northridge for thirty years, Montie moved to Agua Dulce, adjacent to the Vasquez Rocks which were featured as a backdrop in numerous westerns. He continued to be an active part of the community and I often saw him in and around the Santa Clarita Valley. He also was enshrined in the Rodeo Hall of Fame in Oklahoma and the Walk of Western Stars in Newhall, California, ultimate recognitions for one of the greatest cowboys. Although Montie would later move again, I always considered him a part of our community, and was deeply saddened when I learned last night that he had passed away. I fell blessed to have known Montie and will miss him. Thank you, Montie, for many cherished memories. God Bless You.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 1385) to consolidate, coordinate and improve employment, training, literacy, and vocational rehabilitation programs in the United States, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize a wonderful achievement of a constituent of mine, Robert Little of Saugus, California. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to personally meet Mr. Little, but felt that I should share his recognition with the rest of my colleagues. This week, Mr. Little was honored by NASA as a High School National Champion in the 18th Annual Space Science Student Involvement Program (SSIP) competition. The SSIP competition is an interdisciplinary program designed to address the need for greater literacy in the areas of science, critical and creative thinking, mathematics and technology. Nearly 10,000 students from Elementary through High School have competed in five categories including mathematics, science, technology, art, and creative writing. 29 national winners, along with their teachers, came together this week at the National Space Science Symposium to honor their achievements to date. Robert Little, a student from Saugus High School, was entered in the Intergalactic Art Competition of the Symposium. All this week, his art work, depicting a scene from intergalactic space, as well as an essay describing the picture was displayed in the Ballroom of the Hotel Washington. His ability earned him the championship in the High School division of this competition. I am proud to congratulate Robert as well as his teacher, Ken Jeffries, on their hard work in receiving this honor. I know that I join my entire community in expressing how proud we are of Robert's success. His hard work is an inspiration to us all. Mr. Speaker, I would like to conclude by adding Robert's essay to the record depicting his championship scene for this competition. Sculpture in the Cosmos (By Robert Little) Nebulae give our universe beauty. They are the cloudy sculptures of the cosmos. They are really quite simple. Consisting only of gases, debris, and stars, they are enormous star factories. In my illustration, the Eagle Nebula is portrayed with a star cluster nearly formed into a galaxy in the background. The Eagle Nebula has a very dramatic appearance with its three large columns. The column shown on the left of this illustration is three light years in length. My illustration of the Eagle Nebula and its star cluster shows not only the beauty of nebulae, which inspires me, but also the relationship between nebulae and galaxies. Most of the mass in nebulae is made up of the debris from supernovas. A supernova is an exploding star. Stars explode when they are very old. They run out of the fuel needed to resist their gravity. The star collapses, explodes, and debris is scattered in all directions. In many cases, gas will drift until it clusters with other gases, and gravity holds them together. Inside the newly formed nebula there are usually a multitude of stars being produced. If nebulae did not exist, we would have a very black empty sky at night. All stars are born from a nebula in a three- step process. First, ultraviolet radiation is emitted from a previous generation of stars onto the nebula. In the Eagle Nebula, the periphery of the columns becomes very hot and begins eroding. The gases near this area have been frequently clumping together. These clumps produce more gravity and grow dense. Next, the radiation erodes the gas from around the denser and stronger area. This creates a tadpole shape coming from the edge of the nebula. It is now an EGG (Evaporating Gaseous Globules), and is known as a protostar. Lastly, the protostar is separated from the nebula due to continuous erosion, and drifts into space. . . . In the background of my illustration, a star cluster is nearly a galaxy. It lacks the great spiraling motion and contains more stars than gas. The forming of a galaxy is the result of star clustering. The star cluster gains gravity and forms a large spherical heap of stars with enormous gravity. This is a globular cluster. It pulls gas and other matter such as asteroids into the churning disk. Open clusters will not form a large mass but instead will eventually drift apart. There is a continuous pattern related with stars and nebulae. Stars explode and the dust forms a nebula. The nebula gives birth to stars. Those stars once again explode and the dust adds to the nebula. It is all a cycle of birth, death, and recycling.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, we do support this amendment. Likewise, we wish the best to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Skaggs) and hope he is able to join with us quickly. This amendment will improve the bill.

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

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I would like to join the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling), the chairman, in thanking the members of the staff. He named all of the ones I was going to name. I want to thank all of you, plus my personal staff, Bob Cochran and Karen Weiss, for the great work they have done, for all of you for being patient with us throughout this day. This has been a real bipartisan effort. The underlying principle in all that we have done has been for students and their parents to see that they get a full, equal opportunity to get a college education. I think that is good for America, and I think we passed a good bill. I want to thank all of my colleagues for working to make this such a good effort.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment. Mr. Chairman, the amendment offered by the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Livingston), the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, would express the strong sense of this body that colleges and universities which accept Federal funds under the Higher Education Act should not restrict their students' rights to free speech or association, as protected under the first and the fourteenth amendments to the Constitution. Recently, Members of this body have become concerned over efforts by some colleges and universities to restrict the actions of certain groups on these campuses. These efforts have included restrictions being placed on certain groups. In at least one instance, a school took action against students simply for wearing Greek letters on their clothing. Throughout the reauthorization process, we have tried to reduce the regulatory burden placed on institutions of higher education, and we have attempted to avoid leveling mandates from Washington on schools. The gentleman's amendment sends a strong signal to schools which participate in programs funded under the Higher Education Act that we intend for them to honor the rights of their students under the Constitution, but it does so in a way that does not create a new mandate or pit the rights of the institution against those of the students. Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, one of the good things that we have done in this bill is we have eliminated 45 unfunded programs and 11 studies and commissions. This is an attempt to bring one of these programs back before we have even finally moved final passage. This program is unfunded and repealed in H.R. 6 along with all of the other unfunded programs I mentioned. This is pursuant to an agreement between the chairman and ranking member of the subcommittee with jurisdiction. We have worked this out in a bipartisan way. We are happy with the product that we have produced. We think we are doing the best for students and for the most possible people with the money available. Students pursuing a postsecondary education may receive Federal student aid if they qualify under the Higher Education Act. There is no need for a separate program and the increased administrative costs associated with the new program when student athletes are already eligible just like any other student. In this reauthorization we have tried to eliminate unfunded programs and limit the number of new programs created so that the appropriators have a clear understanding of the priorities of the committee when it comes to funding the higher education programs. Available funds should be committed to the programs which will work and serve the largest number of students. I urge a no vote on this amendment.

Mr. McKEON

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. 6.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that in the engrossment of the bill, H.R. 6, the Clerk be authorized to make technical corrections and conforming changes to the bill.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that debate on amendment numbered 73, and all amendments thereto, be limited to 2 hours, equally divided and controlled by Representative Riggs of California or his designee and Representative Clay of Missouri or his designee.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. The gentleman from Indiana represents that great institution Notre Dame. As I mentioned during committee consideration, I think this loan flexibility agreement has a great deal of merit. I thank my colleague for bringing this to our attention, and I will continue to work with him on this proposal as we move to conference on H.R. 6.

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