Buck McKeon

Mr. McKEON

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

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss a very significant environmental issue: Elsmere Canyon. I find it particularly appropriate that I am afforded the opportunity to speak today, Earth Day, on a subject that is important not just to me, but also to the community that I represent. Let me provide a brief history on this matter, Mr. Speaker. Before coming to Congress, I had the honor of serving as the first mayor of the City of Santa Clarita, which was incorporated in 1987. While in that capacity, a situation came to my attention that galvanized our community. A solid waste disposal company had proposed building a landfill using a portion of the Angeles National Forest known as Elsmere Canyon. If approved, the largest landfill in the United States--with a capacity of 190-million tons--would have been constructed in Elsmere Canyon. In the early 1980's Los Angeles County's population boomed. At the same time, many small landfills were closed without any alternative measure to deal with the increased trash. As a result, Elsmere Canyon became a prime location for a new landfill to handle the country's trash. However, the choice of Elsmere Canyon had major shortcomings that were easily recognizable. The first issue involved preserving the integrity of our National Forest System. The Angeles National Forest, which is visited by over 30 million people each year, is considered by Southern Californians to be our ``Central Park''. Using part of the forest for a landfill was, in my view, bad public policy. Second, the Elsmere landfill would potentially contaminate groundwater and displace endangered wildlife and plant life in the Angeles. Third, after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, whose epicenter was a mere eight miles from Elsmere Canyon, the presence of seismic activity presented additional concerns that had to be addressed. Finally, I was deeply concerned Los Angeles County was already accepting trash from other counties in California. I cannot agree with the notion that new landfills should be built in order to accept other communities' trash. Additionally, there are proven alternatives to landfills, such as recycling and environmentally-safe incineration programs, and we need to explore them. Instead of passing waste from one area to the next, we should investigate the potential of disposing of trash in other manners. This also would alleviate growing tensions between our communities regarding the transportation of waste. In 1995, I was proud to introduce legislation prohibiting the Secretary of Argriculture from approving any land transfer of Elsmere Canyon for the purposes of creating a landfill. I was even prouder when this legislation was approved as part of the Omnibus Parks Act of 1996. This legislation was the result of a community coming together-- environmentalists and business leaders, government representatives, and civic-minded individuals--to bring about this historic change. Yet this fight is not over Mr. Speaker. The portion of Elsmere Canyon that is not owned by the Forest Service is still viewed by Los Angeles County as a potential site for a future landfill. As you might imagine, this would be a major blow to our community and one that I continue to work to prevent. However, I am not here today just to speak words but to seek action. I have requested and am ultimately hopeful that Browning-Ferris Industries, which in late 1995 purchased the company that proposed the original Elsmere landfill, will donate its Elsmere parcel to the Angeles National Forest. Should this occur, the entire canyon would become part of the Angeles National Forest and would be preserved and enjoyed for future generations. Mr. Speaker, I view Earth Day as an opportunity to remember the natural beauty and wonders that God has given us and what we can do to preserve those gifts. Elsmere Canyon truly is one of those gifts and I am proud to have done what I can to preserve this marvelous place. I am also proud of the work that my community has done to save this treasure. So as we celebrate Earth Day, I would like to take the time to remember the accomplishments of my community to make Earth a better place to live. I also would like to recall how these achievements were accomplished. Not through finger pointing or heated debate. Our community came together with a common goal. A goal to make our community, our state, our nation, and our earth a better place.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I sadly rise today in tribute to one of my community's heros, Joseph Dupee. A loving father, devoted husband, a Christian servant, and protector of communities are all fitting descriptions of Joseph Dupee. Unfortunately, I rise today because Joseph Dupee paid the ultimate price of duty in service to his community, in his life. On March 8, 1998, Captain Joseph Dupee died in the line of duty. His colleagues all admit that no other honor is more befitting a fire fighter than to give your life to save another. However, today is not a day to remember Joseph Dupee's death, but rather one to remember his life. And what a life it was, Mr. Speaker. Born February 25, 1960 in Burbank, CA, Joseph Charles Dupee was one of six children of Anna Shaffer. He grew up in Simi Valley and graduated from Simi Valley High School. As early as ten years old, Joe knew he wanted to be a fireman and was ``hanging out'' at his local station. In 1977, he fulfilled his dream by joining the Ventura Fire Department as a volunteer cadet. In 1981, he graduated from the drill tower and officially began a distinguished 17-year career with the Los Angeles Fire Department. In 1986, Joe was promoted to engineer and served in that position for ten years. While as impressive as his stellar performance was in his career, his personal life was incomplete until he met the love of his life, Julie, in April of 1991. Through Julie's inspiration, Joe became a disciple of our Lord and joined the Grace Community Church later that very year. After a two year courtship, the two were married and later blessed with two wonderful sons, Lucas Joseph and Caleb Benjamin. Joe continued to serve the Lord through many avenues, including driving a bus for the handicapped to attend church, playing guitar for Bible study, and general ministry. His faith was so strong that he was overheard telling a friend after a fellow fireman had fallen in the line of duty that he had no fear of death for the Lord has better plans for us all. While our community has lost a hero, father, husband, leader, and friend, heaven has gained a trusted ally. We will miss Joe and the hard work that exemplified his performance, but we applaud him for the work that he did in service to his community. To his wife, Julie, and his two sons, Lucas and Caleb, we hope that you may find peace in knowing the appreciation your community has for Joe's devotion to us. Let me end, Mr. Speaker, with the Fire Fighters Prayer: When called to duty Wherever flames may rage Give me strength to save a life Whatever their age. Help me embrace a child Before it is too late To save an older person From the horror of that fate Enable me to be alert and Hear the weakest shout, To quickly and efficiently Put that fire out I want to fill my calling And give the best in me To guard my every neighbor And protect his property If according to your will I must lose my life . . . Oh bless with your protecting hand My children and my wife.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Education and the Workforce may have until 5 p.m., April 20, 1998, to file a report on the bill, H.R. 6, the Higher Education Amendments of 1998.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling) for yielding me this time and commend him for his leadership on this bill. I also wish to commend the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Fawell), chairman of the subcommittee, for the fine work that he has done in bringing this bill to the floor. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Fairness for Small Business and Employees Act. H.R. 3246 is one of the most important pro- business, pro-employee bills before the House during this Congress. I am proud to say that I am a cosponsor of this legislation. Mr. Chairman, as a small businessman, I am well aware of the burden of Federal taxes and regulations on our Nation's businesses. During the 105th Congress, we have fought hard to provide relief from these hardships. Last summer we enacted the Taxpayer Relief Act which provided billions of dollars in tax relief through capital gains and estate tax cuts. And now today, we are addressing the need for regulatory and legal relief. Under this bill, we will make critical changes to the National Labor Relations Act that will ensure a more level playing field for small businesses, small unions, and employees. H.R. 3246 incorporated four pieces of legislation that address distinctive parts of our labor law. Together, the Truth in Employment Act, the Fair Hearing Act, the Justice On Time Act, and the Fair Act accomplish much-needed reform to our Nation's labor laws. For example, under H.R. 3246, an employer will be secure in the knowledge that an employee he or she hires is a bona fide applicant who is there to work, not there to harass or disrupt employee-company operations. And then once they are working, employees are ensured that they will be given timely legal recourse in the event they feel their rights have been violated. Taken as a whole, these measures help correct some of the unfairness in Federal labor law and the NLRB. We need to remove these excessive, burdensome, and unfair regulations that create additional hurdles on our Nation's businesses, and I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 3246.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the College Tuition Reduction and Information Act. Almost a year ago I, along with the Gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Goodling, and a bipartisan list of cosponsors, introduced the Cost of Higher Education Review Act of 1997. At that time, it was clear to us that college was too expensive and that college price increases were threatening the ability of American families to provide for their children's education. That legislation, which has since been enacted, established a National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education. The job of the Commission was to evaluate why tuitions have increased to two-to-three times the rate of inflation every year, and to advise Congress and the President on steps which could be taken to bring college prices under control. The Commission has since finished its work and gone out of existence. The legislation we are introducing today will implement a number of the recommendations of the Commission. Specifically, this legislation will provide students and parents with better information to keep colleges accountable and higher education affordable by requiring the Secretary of Education to work with institutions to develop a clear set of standards for reporting college costs and prices. Under out bill, the Secretary of Education will redesign the collection of Federal information on college costs and prices to make it more useful and timely to the public. The College Tuition Reduction and Information Act will allow students to make more informed choices about the level of education they pursue by requiring the Secretary of Education to collect separate data on the cost and price of both undergraduate and graduate education. It will help parents and students make informed decisions about the school they choose by requiring the Secretary of Education to make available for all schools on a yearly basis information on tuition, price, and the relationship between tuition increases and increases in institutional costs. It will also allow us to keep track of any progress made in reducing tuitions by requiring the United States General Accounting Office to issue a yearly report on college cost and tuition increases. This legislation will reduce the costs imposed on colleges through unnecessary or overly burdensome federal regulation by requiring the Secretary of Education to undertake a thorough review of regulations regarding student financial assistance every two years, and were possible repeal, consolidate, or simplify those regulations. The Secretary will also report to Congress any recommendations he has with regard to legislative changes which would allow increased regulatory simplification. Our bill will allow colleges and universities to offer voluntary early retirement packages to tenured professors, and it will require the General Accounting Office to report to Congress on the extent to which unnecessary costs are being imposed on colleges and universities as a result of holding them to the same Federal regulations that are applied in industrial settings. We expect colleges and universities to pass these savings on to students. This legislation will keep college affordable by ensuring that every American has simpler, more efficient access to higher education by bringing the delivery of Federal student financial assistance into the 21st century and by strengthening Federal support for innovative projects addressing issues of productivity, efficiency, quality improvement, and cost control at postsecondary institutions. Tomorrow, under the leadership of Chairman Goodling, the Committee on Education and Workforce will consider the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. A few of the provisions I am introducing today have already been incorporated into that legislation. I will be offering the remainder of them as an amendment to that legislation early in the markup. Mr. Speaker, ensuring that a quality postsecondary education remains affordable is one of the most important things we can do for our children and for American families everywhere. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and to cosponsor the College Tuition Reduction and Information Act.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, in January of this year, Country music lost one of its greatest legends. Cliffie Stone, a larger than life individual, passed away earlier this year at the age of 84. He was one of those characters that you imagine riding off into the sunset, with a guitar slung over his shoulder and mounted on a white horse, singing a song that reminds us of who we are and want to be. Starting in the 1940s, Cliffie Stone was a well-known bass player and singer. In the '50s, his Hometown Jamboree television show made him one of the largest personalities of the time. Many careers can trace their roots to this show, including Tennessee Ernie Ford and Molly Bee. Cliffie was a lifelong music producer who also performed with the Sons of Pioneers. His mark in the industry includes a star at Hollywood and Vine, a Bronze Saddle on the Western Walk of Stars in Santa Clarita, and membership in the Country Music Hall-of-Fame. Mr. Speaker, the members of our community in Santa Clarita remember a different Cliffie Stone. We knew Cliffie as a neighbor, constituent, and friend. Cliffie never forgot his roots and returned each year to give something back to the people that admired him so. For each of the last 40 years, Cliffie Stone would return to Santa Clarita to perform free benefit concerts for hundreds of charities within the Santa Clarita Valley. Today I join the thousands of constituents of mine in the Santa Clarita Valley in saying goodbye to a wonderful musician, a good neighbor, but most importantly a friend. We, and I in particular, will miss Cliffie very much. Let me end by offering my condolences to the family of Cliffie Stone and with the wonderful lyrics of his music: The arena is dark . . . the bleachers are empty and the crowd noises are no more. The Cowboy has ridden off into the sunset . . . as was always God's plan. The boots and the buckles are polished, the guitar is back in its case . . . with the guitar picks in their place. The turbulence has subsided . . . The dragons are all slain . . . The arena, somehow, has lost its reason to be.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce important legislation to protect American taxpayers from wrongful and unnecessary IRS seizures. My bill creates an independent panel of tax attorneys, certified public accountants, and enrolled agents to review all proposed IRS seizures. This panel would determine whether there are more appropriate means of collecting the unpaid taxes and will ensure that IRS agents have complied with the regulations related to seizures. Without approval of a majority of the panelists, IRS agents will not have the ability to place levies on taxpayers' homes, salaries, or assets. In January, I held IRS forums in my district and was shocked to hear the horror stories in the testimonies of my own constituents. One after the other, stories of unwarranted pressure and direct intimidation of IRS agents were told, many of which included cases of seizures. In several situations, the agents also failed to adhere to established rules and regulations. Clearly, greater oversight of this abusive IRS practice is critical, and I have introduced this bill in response to the disturbing experiences many of my constituents have endured. We have all witnessed the alarming stories of our fellow Americans before the Senate Finance Committee this fall. It was evident that in many cases levies and seizures have favored devices used to measure employee performance for status and promotion purposes, not for the interest of the taxpayer. More often than not, IRS agents have been pushed by their superiors to initiate more seizures to achieve promotions within the agency. As a result of new IRS procedures, the same superiors are now responsible for directly approving seizures for unpaid federal taxes. Nearly 80% of Americans feel that the IRS has too much power. And while taxpayer rights are beneficial in many ways, they often do not go far enough. Without the means of enforcing these rights, the IRS will retain much of its power and American taxpayers will be forced to tolerate more abuses by the IRS. Mr. Speaker, with this bill, Congress can respond to the problems the IRS has with seizures and levies that have ruined the lives of a great number of American taxpayers. The independent panel created in this bill will make the IRS accountable by stopping questionable seizures before they occur.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, because of official business I was not present for Roll Call votes 7, 8, 9, and 10. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on each of these votes.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the city of Santa Clarita, CA. The city of Santa Clarita encompasses 45 square miles within the Santa Clarita Valley and is situated just 35 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. The population is estimated at 141,000 and is consistently rated by the FBI as one of the top five safest cities of its size in the Nation. The city was incorporated on December 15, 1987, as a general law city, and operates under a council-manager form of government. Five members are elected to the city council at large on a nonpartisan basis, with members serving overlapping terms. Santa Clarita was founded by a group of community leaders who led the charge for a local based government where area residents could attend meetings in Santa Clarita. Their vision was for a city that embodied the best of each community while encouraging cutting edge commercial and retail industry to locate in Santa Clarita. Today, that vision is a reality as evidenced by a May 1997 Wall Street Journal article which named Santa Clarita as the west coast's fastest growing retail market. As you can see, Mr. Speaker, Santa Clarita has accomplished much since its founding 10 years ago. Having been so fortunate to not only represent this wonderful community in Congress, but having served as both a city council member and mayor, I am proud to rise today and mark this special day in Santa Clarita's history. I join the residents of Santa Clarita, CA, in the pride we share for this wonderful city on its 10th anniversary.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2616, the Charter Schools Amendments Act. H.R. 2616 is one of a series of critical education bills House Republicans have scheduled for consideration during this Congress. H.R. 2616 builds upon our goals of returning control to our local communities and increasing parental choice by providing additional resources to assist States in creating new, innovative charter schools. During the last year, I attended several hearings throughout the country on charter schools. During our visits, committee members heard from parents, teachers, administrators, and students who credited the success of their schools because they no longer operate under burdensome education rules regulations. One principal stated her view of the charter school process as, ``a waiver of all waivers. We don't have to apply for waivers any more. We dream those big dreams, set those high standards, and we meet those missions.'' I was struck most, however, by the enthusiasm and interest shown by the parents and students. Parents felt empowered by their newfound ability to fully participate in their children's education. For example, many serve on decisionmaking boards, monitor and assist in classes, and help maintain school grounds. Likewise, students expressed a new sense of responsibility and achievement not found at their old public schools. Many of the schools provided these students with individual attention, smaller classrooms, and original programs. H.R. 2616 builds on these types of successes by carefully targeting funds to those States which emphasize autonomy, open the doors for new charter schools, and demand accountability. In closing, I want to thank my colleague and fellow subcommittee chairman, Mr. Riggs, for his outstanding work in bringing this important legislation to the floor. And, I urge all my colleagues to join me in voting for the Charter Schools Amendments Act.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Education and Workforce Committee, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2746, the Help Scholarships Act. In the 105th Congress, our education agenda centers around four important priorities--sending more dollars directly to the classroom, returning control of education to local communities, bolstering academics, and increasing parental involvement by providing more choices. H.R. 2746 is an essential component of our education agenda because it provides low-income parents with choices normally reserved for well- to-do families--to be able to send their children to the best schools of their choosing. Additionally, H.R. 2746 maintains the primary role that States and local communities play in our education system. Before Federal funds can be used for school choice programs, State governments must enact legislation establishing a choice program in their State. Therefore, it is my hope that following passage of the Help Scholarship Act, all 50 States will quickly pass enabling legislation so that our country's neediest students have an opportunity to attend the school that is best for them. Again, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 2746.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule for the conference report to H.R. 1119, the National Defense Authorization Act. Although it has taken a long time to get to this point, I want to encourage my colleagues to support this conference report. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Defense needs this bill to be enacted so that it can implement reforms and manage its vast resources as effectively as possible. This conference report funds important modernization and research initiatives that are vital to our Nation as our military continues to downsize. While I cannot say that I totally agree with all of the provisions contained in the report, I am supporting it because it reflects the hard work of our chairman and embodies the strong commitment for the defense of our Nation, given the parameters with which we had to work with the budget agreement with the President. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the rule and the conference report.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Goodling], the chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. (Mr. GOODLING asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. McKEON. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Dakota [Mr. Thune].

Mr. McKEON. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2535) to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow the consolidation of student loans under the Federal Family Loan Program and the Direct Loan Program, as amended.

Mr. McKEON. Madam Speaker, I want to second the remarks of the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Kildee] in thanking the staff for their good work, especially on an emergency bill which takes very quick movement and good cooperation. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Boehner], the chairman of our Republican conference, a member from this committee, who is on leave of absence with the leadership.

Mr. McKEON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Emergency Student Loan Consolidation Act of 1997 and urge its immediate passage. Madam Speaker, this bill is the first in a series of education bills that Members of our party will bring to the floor this week. Already this year the House Republicans have passed bills that will make our schools safer, train Americans for high-paying jobs and educate disabled children and make college more affordable. Now, over the next 2 weeks, Americans will see the House of Representatives vote on a series of innovative education bills introduced by Republicans. These are dramatic efforts, not old, tired Federal programs from Washington. Our bills will help children read, send dollars directly to the classroom, and assist families in saving for the high cost of education. Our bills also will empower low-income families with new parental choice, scholarships and launch new innovative charter schools. The bill I support today will help college students and recent graduates who are caught in a credit crunch created by the U.S. Department of Education. On September 24, 1997, when I, along with the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Goodling] and the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Boehner] introduced this legislation, the Department of Education was facing a backlog of more than 80,000 applications for Direct Student Loan consolidations, and had stopped accepting new applications for loan consolidations altogether. Many of these borrowers had waited months for their applications to be processed. Today, over 30,000 are still waiting and another 35,000 have simply given up and been dropped out of the process. Countless thousands more need to consolidate their student loan debt but have been told to wait until the Department begins accepting applications again. The legislation before us today will provide these borrowers with immediate relief. The Emergency Student Loan Consolidation Act will allow borrowers to consolidate direct student loans into FFEL consolidation loans. The interest rate for all new consolidation loans will be identical to the rate in the Direct Loan Program and borrowers who consolidate subsidized loans will not lose their deferment benefits simply because they consolidate their loans. In addition, thanks to an amendment offered in committee by our colleague, the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Kildee], and our colleague, the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Clay], this legislation makes urgently needed technical changes to the need analysis provisions found in the Higher Education Act. These changes will ensure that low- and middle- income families who receive the benefits of the education tax credits provided for in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 will not be penalized with respect to their eligibility for financial aid in future years. Making these changes now will allow the Department of Education to begin the process of revising its forms and procedures for the 1999 academic year well in advance so that students and families will not encounter delays in the processing of their applications for financial aid. While many of us still have doubts about the long-term viability of the Direct Student Loan Program and the Department's ability to manage it, this legislation is not about direct loans or guaranteed loans or which program is better. It is about helping students who are currently unable to obtain a consolidation loan through the Direct Loan Program. These are students who may pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars in additional interest costs, who may have serious difficulty in securing other credit such as a mortgage, and who may even default on their student loans if we do not act now to offer them an alternative to the Direct Loan Program. The alternative offered under the Emergency Student Loan Consolidation Act will also take some of the pressure off of the Department of Education. We do not want the Department to hastily try to fix the current system problems only to cause more delays and problems in the future. One graduate from the Boston University School of Law was delighted to have received a Direct Consolidation Loan after 8 months of waiting. However, when the direct loan servicing center began sending her bills and charging her interest on a $57,000 consolidation loan when it should have been a $37,000 consolidation loan, she was not too happy. Mistakes such as this will continue to occur if the Department attempts to hurriedly process all the pending applications without first ensuring that the applications are being processed correctly. This is emergency legislation, so these changes will only remain in effect until September 30, 1998. However, I want to assure lenders that step in to help students and the Department during this crisis that we realize that every time we change the law, it also requires changes in the way we do business. We will be reviewing the changes included in this legislation for inclusion in our authorization of the Higher Education Act. The cost of this legislation will be paid for by reducing the section 458 administrative funds available to the Department of Education and for the Direct Loan and the FFEL programs by $25 million in fiscal year 1998. Statements made by the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education and others at the Department about being unable to administer the Direct Loan Program without the $25 million are very troubling. The Department's fiscal year 1998 budget proposal for section 458 requested an increase of $41 million with 75 percent of the increased funds or $30 million needed as a result of the growth in the Direct Loan Program. However, with the net gain of only one school participating in the fourth year of the program, it is difficult to imagine why the Department would need another $30 million in order to manage this program. I would also note that the administration has expressed concerns that private sector lenders might discriminate against some borrowers when making these loans. I want to point out that the legislation before us today contains antidiscrimination provisions. This is a change from the legislation reported from the committee to specifically address these concerns. Unfortunately, for many students, this bill does not go far enough. It does not require the Department and its contractor to reimburse students for the additional interest they have been charged while waiting for this mess to be resolved. The Secretary should look into that possibility. The Secretary should also look into the quality of the information being provided to students. The students who testified at our hearing expressed a total lack of confidence in the Department's ability to provide quality customer service and accurate information. Additionally, a while back I spoke with a constituent, David Higbee, a recent law school graduate. He had written me a letter about his concerns with the direct loan consolidation process. In the letter he said, ``we quickly received an estimate from Sallie Mae on the portion of our student loans we were refinancing there. The Department of Education was slow and refused every reasonable suggestion to expedite its inadequate customer service process.'' I am inclined to believe David and the other students who testified before us. I am inclined to help them and others like them with their similar stories. This bill will provide these borrowers with immediate emergency relief, which is the right thing to do. Finally, I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting this effort. I particularly want to thank the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Boehner], for his active participation in addressing this problem. I also want to thank the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Clay], and the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Kildee], for their efforts in bringing a bipartisan bill before the committee and the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Andrews], for his recommendation that we specifically ensure that the students caught in the current delays have the final say in deciding whether they obtain a consolidation loan. I am happy that we were able to address his concern in the committee. I urge my colleagues to support this emergency legislation and provide immediate relief to student loan borrowers trapped by the shutdown of the direct student loan consolidation process. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this Emergency Student Loan Consolidation Act of 1997. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois, Chairman Hyde, of the Committee on the Judiciary for bringing forth this bill, the gentleman from New York, Chairman McHugh, and the ranking member, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Fattah, for their expeditious handling of the bill to bring it to the floor in this timely manner. Madam Speaker, I just was thinking while people were talking, I was thinking about Carlos Moorhead. He was the first Congressman I had the pleasure of meeting in my lifetime. I was the mayor of our city and he was our Congressman. I was at work one day and received a phone call from our receptionist who said, ``There is a Congressman out front that would like to meet you.'' I did not know how to act or how to react to that, but I invited him to come into the office. Those of you who are colleagues who know Carlos know how quiet and unassuming he was. He came in, introduced himself, and we had a nice chat. That began a strong friendship. To me, Carlos represents all that is great about the House of Representatives. As has been mentioned, he had an unimpeachable character. He served this House and his countrymen for many years with great dignity. He practiced his Christian principles that he believed in. He was a humble, unassuming man. As was said earlier by the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Coble], he was a true gentleman. The greatest praise my dad could give to someone was that he was a real gentleman. I cannot think of anything greater to say about Carlos. He was great to work with. He helped me very much in assuming my role here. He was my Congressman. I replaced part of his district when we had the reapportionment in 1992. Madam Speaker, I am happy to see this done. I have been to Glendale many times. I am happy this Post Office will be named after him. I know the people of that district will love to see this named after him, and they appreciate all the things he did for them.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2535.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, the National Crime Prevention Council and Ameritech have honored a constituent of mine, Charlotte Austin Jordan of Winnetka, CA, with the Ameritech Award of Excellence in Crime Prevention. Ms. Jordan is 1 of 8 winners selected from 140 nominations. Her work and perseverance deserves to be recognized. Charlotte Austin Jordan is not a stranger to adversity. In May 1988, her 13-year-old daughter was brutally murdered by gang members in a case of mistaken identity. Further, in 1996, her 24-year-old son was also murdered by gang members. The death of her first child prompted Ms. Jordan to volunteer at the California Youth Authority in impact of crime on victim's classes. This program provided a meeting place for victims of crime to confront juvenile offenders and to verbalize what effects crime had on their lives. Next, Ms. Jordan formed Save Our Future, a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, protecting, and empowering our youth. SOF provides many programs such as parenting, substance abuse, tutoring conflict resolution, and college and career development. As an innovator, she recognized the need for housing for paroled youth who are unable to return to their homes. She consequently developed Ja'mee's house to provide a structured environment for formerly incarcerated young men who have exhibited a willingness to change. She also became involved with Partnership for Change, a mentoring program for at-risk children ages 8 to 19 who have been paroled or are on probation. I would like to thank the National Crime Prevention Council and Ameritech for honoring Charlotte Austin Jordan with this award and applaud her dedication to helping individuals fight crime and build communities. Ms. Jordan knows all too well the firsthand experiences, her faith in the ability to reform offenders has never been shaken. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating this brave woman and hard-working individuals like her who make a difference in their communities.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Emergency Student Loan Consolidation Act of 1997. Let me begin by saying that we must remember that everything we do in higher education has an impact on students, and the Department of Education's management problems are no different. It is no secret that I have had serious doubts about the long-term viability of the Direct Student Loan Program. Today we face a crisis in direct loan consolidation which only serves to heighten those concerns. However, this is not about direct loans or guaranteed loans or which program is better. This is about students. This is about students who are currently unable to consolidate their direct loans. This is about student loan borrowers who may pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars in additional interest costs, who may have serious difficulty in securing other credit such as a mortgage, and who may even default on the student loans if we do not act now to fix this problem. At this very moment, the contractor hired by the Department of Education to perform direct student loan consolidations is facing a backlog of 84,000 applications. This is clearly unacceptable. The number of students affected is actually much higher than this, since the Department of Education has now stopped accepting new applications for direct consolidation loans until this backlog is cleared. The Department hopes to accomplish this feat by December 1. However, to do that the contractor will have to quadruple the rate at which it is processing applications, and I have serious doubts as to whether this can be accomplished. The legislation we are introducing today will fix this problem for students now, in the short term, rather than making borrowers wait months for the Department and its contractor to straighten things out. Currently, the Higher Education Act of 1965 prohibits direct student loan borrowers from consolidating their direct student loans into FFEL loans through private lenders and servicers. Even if borrowers could consolidate their direct loans into the FFEL Program, few would because in most cases they would pay a higher interest rate, and would lose their deferment benefits on any subsidized loans which were consolidated. Upon enactment, the Emergency Student Loan Consolidation Act will immediately change this to allow borrowers to consolidate direct student loans into FFEL consolidation loans. The interest rate for all new consolidation loans will be the equivalent of the 91-day Treasury bill rate plus 3.1 percent, the same as in the Direct Loan Program, and borrowers who consolidate subsidized loans, whether in the Direct Student Loan Program or the FFEL program will not lose their deferment benefits simply because they consolidate their loans. This is emergency legislation, so these changes will only remain in effect until September 30, 1998. The cost of this legislation will be paid for by reducing the administrative funds for the Direct Loan Program by $25 million. In conclusion, let me just finish by sharing the individual comments of a few of the students effected by the direct loan consolidation fiasco. At a hearing before the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education, Training and Life-Long Learning last week, Ms. Angela Jamison had this to say: ``In the process of consolidating our student loans, my husband and I have been beset by chronic mistakes which range from incompetence to malfeasance.'' A process that was supposed to have taken her 8 to 12 weeks has taken her and her husband 8 months. The Jamisons were almost unable to close on their mortgage due to these delays, and to this day their loans have not been consolidated. Many others have expressed a similar lack of confidence in the Department's ability to provide quality customer service, and you don't have to go very far to hear it. In church on Sunday, I spoke with David Higbee, a recent law school graduate. David had written me a letter about his problems with the direct loan consolidation process, and in it he said ``we quickly received an estimate from Sallie Mae on the portion of our student loans we were refinancing there, the Department of Education was slow and refused every reasonable suggestion to expedite its inadequate `customer service' process.'' I am inclined to believe these students, and I am inclined to help them and the 84,000 like them with similar stories. The legislation that I am introducing today will provide these borrowers with immediate emergency relief. It is budget neutral. It is also the right thing to do. I urge my colleagues to help these students by supporting this important legislation and cosponsoring the Emergency Student Loan Consolidation Act.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 21st Century Student Financial Aid System Improvement Act. This month the class of 2001, the first class of students to graduate in the new millennium, entered college. These students are preparing for the challenges of the information age. Unfortunately the system to help them finance their education is not measuring up to the same challenges. As chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over Federal higher education policy, I am responsible for the programs which provide Federal assistance in obtaining a higher education. I am pleased that the ranking minority member of that subcommittee, Mr. Kildee has joined me as an original cosponsor of this legislation. We have listened to students, parents, and college officials, with whom we share the goals of--a simple and less bureaucratic system of student aid; a modern student aid system which is easy for students and parents to use; and an efficient and less expensive system that ensures that taxpayer funds are being well spent. Unfortunately, today, under the current system, taxpayers are paying more and students are getting less. The Department of Education's budget for information systems has tripled over the last 5 years. Next year alone it will spend over $300 million on systems contracts to deliver student aid. Yet despite these significant expenditures, the current system is still wrapped in miles of redtape, requires dozens of paper forms, and suffers from needless processing delays and breakdowns. Mr. Speaker, I believe that there is a better way for the Department of Education to do business. In fact, under the legislation that I am proposing today, the Department's student financial aid systems would be run more like a business--adopting the best practices from the private sector and focusing on bottom line results. This legislation would establish a business-like performance based organization to manage the computer systems thereby ensuring that the Department of Education is not wasting money due to poor contract management. The Chief Operating Officer hired to manage this organization will be charged with: Simplifying the process of applying for financial aid for students and their families; and integrating student financial aid systems to improve efficiency, save money, and prevent fraud and abuse in the programs. According to the GAO, the Department of Education has failed to resolve its longstanding management problems in the Office of Postsecondary Education, its data quality and management controls are inadequate, and its financial statements for the student loan programs cannot be audited. A customer-focused, performance-based organization within the Department, run by an experienced Chief Operating Officer, can take the steps necessary to properly reengineer the current systems and contracts. In fact, the Department's own inspector general and the Independent Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance have both advocated this approach. It is also consistent with the recommendation to fundamentally restructure the routine processing of Federal student aid to take advantage of the best private sector practices. which was put forth to the subcommittee by the American Council on Education and 22 higher education associations in their recommendations for their reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. This legislation would also require the Secretary to work cooperatively with the higher education community to adopt common and open electronic data standards for key elements in the delivery system such as digital signatures, personal identification numbers, and single institutional identifiers. By adopting these common standards, we can make great strides in simplification by eliminating paper forms, and unnecessary steps in the current process. Students and their families deserve a modern student aid system that meets their needs. I urge my colleagues to join Mr. Kildee and me in this effort, and to cosponsor this important legislation.