George Miller

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York, Carolyn McCarthy, the subcommittee chair on this.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 1 minute to the majority leader, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr). (Mr. FARR asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to a member of the committee, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 1 minute to a member of the committee, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Loebsack). (Mr. LOEBSACK asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 1 minute to a member of the committee, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute. The suggestion has been made by speakers on the other side that somehow this really isn't about a child nutrition bill, that somehow this isn't about child nutrition and the well-being of our schoolchildren. The fact of the matter is that's what this bill is all about, and that's what this bill is directed to do. That's why it has received the support of the American Dental Association, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association, the American Public Health Association, and the American School Health Association. These are the people who are intimately involved with the health of America's young children. These are the people who are with them in school settings. They see what happens when children don't have proper nutrition throughout the day, and they see the impact it has on their ability to learn, on their ability to focus, and on their ability to participate in class. That's why this legislation is so important. That's why it has such broad support in the entire nutritional community, in the health care community, in the religious community, in the farm community, and in our urban communities, because they understand the importance of this to the well-being of these children and to the budget of our Nation when we have spent over $147 billion dealing with obesity and diabetes in our society, and we know that it starts, much of it, with a bad diet. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California, Ms. Barbara Lee, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman 30 additional seconds.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut, Rosa DeLauro and thank her publicly for all of her work on this legislation and on behalf of our children.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Richardson).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, Members of the House, first of all, I want to begin by thanking the staffs of the committee on both sides of the aisle. We may not agree on this bill, but we spent a lot of time in this committee on hearings and the presentation of facts and the marshaling of those facts and the drafting of legislation. We had an awful lot of cooperation across the aisle, and I want to thank everybody for that effort. Specifically, on the majority side, I want to thank Gabrielle Serra, Kara Marchione, Kim Zarish Becknell, Ria Ruiz, Jose Garza, Betsy Kittredge Miller, Melissa Salmanowitz, Denise Forte, and Jody Calemine; and Brian Ronholm from Ms. DeLauro's staff; Keith Stern from Mr. McGovern's staff; and Erik Stallman from the Speaker's staff. All of these individuals were helpful in the negotiations not only here in the House and the presentation of this legislation, but monitoring and looking at what was happening in the Senate where this legislation that we're considering today was not only passed out of the Senate with unanimous consent, but it was also passed out of the committee with unanimous consent, where it was given full consideration, where the hearings were made and built the confidence of the members of that committee on both sides of the aisle and built the confidence obviously on both sides of the aisle in the Senate so that it could pass with unanimous consent. And why has that happened? Because this legislation deals with and addresses in the most profound way the problem of hunger among our schoolchildren, among poor schoolchildren in this Nation. But we also address the needs of the various institutions that are involved in delivering this nutrition to these children. And that is to the local school districts, to the local schools. And we have simplified the program. We have made it more efficient. We have taken away much of the redundant activity that they used to have to go through to check the same kid four times a day in four different settings. And we got rid of that to reduce the costs of the program. And we received bipartisan support for that effort. We also made it safer. Up until this legislation was passed, in many instances schools are the last to know that a food recall has taken place, and that the recall may be taking place where the food for the schools is produced. But because they are not on the list, they are not in the protocols, the schoolchildren are put at risk, as we have seen in the recent recalls. So it's safer for those children, it's healthier for those children. The 6-cent increase in the meal program is the first one in 30 years. And it's with the designed purpose to improve the quality of the meal program. I know these children. I have seen these children. I know them through the Diabetics Association. I know them through the programs on obesity. We have a very serious problem. And this is an effort, agreed to by the Pediatrics Association and others, that this is the way to attack it and to start to build a barrier against childhood obesity and adult-onset obesity. And we have got to change that diet. And that's where major, major savings in health care come from. So this is a bill that has been thought out in its entirety. It's a bill that is respectful of local control. It's respectful of the needs of school settings and their particular situations. We tried to do that. We listened to school food administrators for districts across this country, all of whom had ideas for efficiencies and improvements. And many of those are ingrained in this legislation. So I would hope that my colleagues, when they would come to the floor later to vote on this bill, will vote for this legislation. They will understand it's fully paid for. They will understand that it received unanimous consent in both the committee in the Senate and on the Senate floor. With that, I urge the passage of this legislation. General Leave

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 3307.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, Members of the House, we have known for some time, and certainly known all today, that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle oppose this legislation, and that's what the gentleman, my colleague, Mr. Kline, just spoke to, his opposition to this legislation. They have opposed this legislation even though this legislation is fully paid for under the PAYGO rules. They've opposed this legislation even though it passed unanimously out of the Senate committee. They opposed this legislation even though it passed unanimously on the floor of the Senate and was sent to us, because they know that we're in the last days of this session, and if they can attach something to this legislation, they can kill this bill. They can kill the years of hard work that have gone into this legislation to make it less expensive for school districts, to make it more flexible for school districts, to make it easier on parents, to make it sure that we have safe meals so, when food is recalled, the school districts will be informed right away. Usually, they're the last to know that they're serving dangerous and maybe lethal food on the food recall. They know that what this bill does is create for the first time healthy meals so we can address the problems of diabetes and obesity that are swamping this Nation's health care system, that are swamping the health care budgets of families, of businesses, that start with children and have adult onset as a result of that. This effort is endorsed by the pediatrics association and every other health care association because they understand this is the front line if we're going to reverse this trend. So now what have they done, as they've talked about the Federal Government, extending the mandate of the Federal Government? The Federal Government is about to swoop in on family day care providers, more family day care providers than any other kind of day care provider in the country, very important in rural areas, very important in poor areas, person takes care of four or five of their neighbors' friends, they know these people. Now they have a mandate. They have to do a background check. These are marginal operations. Do they have to pay for that? Do they know with certainty who's going to do that? Who's going to do that check? And if they're in a school setting, does the school district pay for it? They've got to have a background check. If they're in a kindergarten as part of a child care program, do they pay for that? So what they're trying to do is kill this bill. It wouldn't matter what this amendment said. If it goes back to the Senate, we've struggled all of us mightily, on both sides of the aisle, with the nature of the Senate. But here we have the opportunity to have a major program, to improve the nutrition and flexibility and the health and the safety of this program, and now this is an effort to kill it. I yield to the majority leader.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, earlier today, I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote No. 585, on H. Res. 1585. Had I been present, I would have proudly voted ``yea'' in support of this important resolution honoring the men and women serving at Travis Air Force Base.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the enormous contributions of those serving our country at Travis Air Force Base in my home state of California. The 60th Air Mobility Wing, the 349th Air Mobility Wing, the 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, and the 615th Contingency Response Wing, as well as the civilians and families serving at Travis have truly served our community and our Nation with the utmost dignity, honor and courage, and they truly deserve all of our respect. The members of ``Team Travis'' have gone above and beyond the call of duty in serving our Nation in missions around the globe. The active duty members and civilians who serve out of Travis have flown hundreds of thousands of hours in a number of military conflicts, as well as humanitarian and peacekeeping missions. Most recently, Team Travis provided search and rescue personnel, medical experts and supplies, and 82,600 pounds of cargo in support of the relief mission following the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. As a congressman representing much of Solano County, California, many members of Team Travis are my constituents, and I can personally attest that these honorable men and women serve our community with just as much energy and dedication as they do our country. I have seen them volunteering, participating in the community, serving as positive role models for our young people, and so much more. I am proud to be a lead co-sponsor of this resolution honoring the men and women serving at Travis Air Force Base and I would like to thank my friend and colleague, Representative Garamendi, for introducing it. Once again, my deepest thanks to the men and women of Team Travis and I ask that all of my colleagues join me in supporting this important resolution.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, we rise to recognize Dee Alarcon, Superintendent of Solano County Office of Education, as she retires after 42 years of outstanding public service through education. Before being elected to serve as Solano County's Superintendent of Public Education, Dee Alarcon worked for 20 years as a teacher, principal and administrator in half of Solano County's six school districts--Dixon, Travis and Benicia. During this period she also taught at the university level. In 1998, Dee began working for the Office of Education as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction/ Public Information Office, then as Director ACSA Principals Academy, and quickly moved up to Associate Superintendent of Educational Services, then Associate Superintendent/Chief Business Official, and finally to Deputy Superintendent from 2001-2003. It was in 2003 that Dee was elected as the first female county superintendent in Solano County's 158-year history; rightfully, an achievement of great pride for her. Professionally Dee has been an outstanding leader among her peers. She is well-known across the nation for her expertise in professional development for teachers and administrators and her depth of knowledge has made her a subject-matter expert in curriculum and instruction. She holds life teaching and administrative service credentials including a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from California State University, Chico, and a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from California State University, Sacramento. As Solano County Superintendent, Dee has directed and implemented the strategic plan for the Office of Education, developed and monitored the $64 million budget, and monitored the combined school district budgets of $500 million. In 2007, Solano County was awarded ``America's Promise 100 Best Communities for Young People'' with the Office of Education serving as lead agency in submitting the application. It is with great pride that we note Solano County has won this distinguished designation a total of three times. Dee Alarcon also represents the Solano County Office of Education through her memberships in various professional organizations and committees. She was recognized with a Women of Distinction Award in 2004 by Soroptimist International of Dixon for her outstanding service in education and to the community. Dee has been elected President of the ACSA, Region 4, and served on ACSA's state Board of Directors for 3 years. In 2005, ACSA honored her as Administrator of the Year. She currently serves as the President of the Association of Educational Service Agencies, AESA, Council and she will direct the Association of California School Administrators, ACSA, Superintendents Academy this year at the Solano County Office of Education. Additionally, Dee's experience in community relations and collective bargaining along with her amiable personality are assets in fostering positive and collaborative relationships among educational institutions, professional organizations, governmental agencies, and members of the community. When asked to comment on the leading factor motivating her to serve in the education profession, Dee explains, ``I have never lost focus of why I am in this business--for the children.'' As Superintendent Dee Alarcon retires, we are pleased to have this opportunity to thank her publically for her remarkable leadership and dedication to excellence in education. Our children, their families, and our entire community have benefitted immensely from her work. Hers is a lasting legacy and we join together with Dee's husband Alex, her sons A.J. and Phil, her extended family and friends to wish her the very best in her retirement.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today and invite my colleagues to join me in recognizing one of my constituents, Vacaville Mayor Len Augustine, who is retiring after a lifetime of public service, having served in the military for 28 years followed by serving the City of Vacaville for 18 years. United States Air Force Colonel (Ret.) Len Augustine is a Vietnam veteran who served in a number of important command and staff positions during his military career, including assignments in the Pentagon, Australia, Germany, and at Travis Air Force Base in California where he commanded a C-141 flying squadron. He completed his 28-year military career as Commander of the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, DC, where his unit was responsible for Air Force One. Len is a veteran pilot, having flown a variety of military aircraft including the Learjet C-21, Gulfstream III, C-141, C-123 and KC-97 and also UH-I helicopters. As mayor of Vacaville, Len saw many major projects through to completion. Most notably among these are the development and expansion of the region's biotech industry with Genentech, Alza, and Novartis; the expansion of Genentech, which made its Vacaville plant the world's largest bio-manufacturing facility; the expansion of the Kaiser Medical Center and development of the Kaiser Hospital; and the revitalization of Vacaville's Historic Downtown, including the Creekwalk Plaza, downtown library, and the popular Town Square in the heart of town, a concept Len brought home from a visit to Poland. During his tenure as mayor, the city moved forward on the redevelopment of the Nut Tree property, creating much needed economic growth for the region. Len also worked on the State Compensation Insurance Fund office project and entitlements for Lagoon Valley, and he was instrumental in securing funding for the Leisure Town Road Overcrossing. His work on the Vacaville Strategic Plan process will continue to direct development and growth for generations. In addition to Len's work on behalf of the City of Vacaville, his many professional memberships include the League of California Cities (Member and two-term Chair of Employee Relations Policy Committee), North Bay Division of the League of California Cities (past president), Association of Bay Area Governments (Executive Committee), Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (member), Solano Local Agency Formation Commission (member), Solano Economic Development Corporation (member), Solano County Mayor's Conference (past chairman), Travis Regional Armed Forces Committee (past Chair), Solano Transportation Authority (past Chair), Solano County Water Agency (past Chair), Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management Board (member), Vacaville Sunrise Rotary Club (past President), Friends of Vacaville Schools Committee (as past Chair he led the effort to pass a $100 million bond measure), Airport Land Use Commission/Solano County Aviation Advisory Committee (member), Vacaville-Dixon Greenbelt Authority (member), and the Vacaville-Fairfield-Solano Greenbelt Authority (member). As Mayor Len Augustine retires, I am delighted to have this opportunity to thank him both for his outstanding service to our country and for his tireless work on behalf of the residents of Vacaville. His dedication to improving our quality of life has made a decided difference for all. I join with my colleagues along with his wife Sue, his children and grandchildren, as well as his extended family and friends, in wishing Len a long, happy, and well-deserved retirement.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to promote America's workforce competitiveness by calling for measures that modernize our job training programs and prepare workers with the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century global economy. The bill before us, the AMERICA Works Act, H.R. 4072, would develop the technical workforce necessary to strengthen and attract in-demand industries in the United States, and create good jobs in regional economies across the country. Our Nation's economic recovery remains extremely fragile. According to last month's jobs report, 42 percent of the nearly 15 million people have been unemployed for 6 months or longer. Despite large numbers of individuals looking for jobs, the staffing firm Manpower, Inc., found in a recent survey that one in five employers have left positions unfilled because they did not believe qualified candidates existed. Especially employers in key industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and energy report difficulty finding workers with appropriate skill sets. With unemployment rates expected to remain high for months to come, investing in targeted job training that matches labor market demand is an economic strategy needed for a strong and sustained recovery. Employers rely on a pipeline of skilled workers to drive innovation, increase productivity, and remain globally competitive. At the same time, individuals need the skills and credentials to fill these jobs. According to the Virginia Council on Advanced Technology Skills, which include companies such as Micron Technology, Inc., and Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals, more than 40,000 manufacturing jobs could open up in the region over the next few years. The industry group is currently developing an assessment to determine what skills employers require and help students learn what skills they need to increase their job prospects and increase their salary when they are hired. The goal is to be able to match workers with the core skills and industry-recognized credentials for employers that have job openings. Addressing the current skills mismatch, according to the president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank, could reduce national unemployment from 9.6 percent to as low as 6.5 percent. The AMERICA Works Act will help workers and employers like the industry group in Viriginia as well as other industry-sector partnerships fill the skills gap by honing in on the importance of industry-recognized, portable credentials. Specifically, the bill would direct the use of public funds for designated programs within the Carl D. Perkins Vocational-Technical Education Act and the Workforce Investment Act to prepare individuals with the core skills necessary to obtain good, middle-class jobs. This bill complements other efforts, including sector strategies, which support local partnerships between business, labor, the workforce system, and education and training providers to ensure that workers have the skills employers need to compete in the global marketplace. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressman Minnick and Congressman Lee for introducing this legislation that invests in the skills of America's workers. I urge my colleagues to continue to advance education and training measures that build America's workforce and strengthen the economy.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega). (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Certainly, the delegate from the CNMI continues to support the increase in the minimum wage. We're just trying to time it.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. We could have gone the other way, maybe more in keeping with the Republican doctrine. We could have lowered the wages to 70 cents an hour and then they could have kept the jobs from going to Malaysia, but I don't think they could support themselves in these territories with that, especially with the construction going on in Guam.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I am happy to yield to the gentleman.