George Miller

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition, although I do not expect to oppose the amendment.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Chairman, Members of the House, this is an important amendment. This committee, on a bipartisan basis, has struggled with trying to get a good handle, if you will, an understandable handle on the cost of education and the reasons for the increases in the cost of education, as we watched the cost spiral up in higher education much faster than the general inflation index. And it is a rising concern in families. As their budgets compete with fuel, food and mortgage payments, this obviously becomes a very serious matter. Congressman McKeon and Congressman Castle have been on this watch for many years in this committee trying to help us come to grips with this problem and trying to carry on a positive conversation with the universities and colleges so that we can better define those costs that they control, the costs that they don't control, and certainly the actions of the States in their support for the public institutions. I think this amendment is very helpful. Congressman Welch has spoken to me about this during our deliberations of the higher education bill and of the college loan reduction bill that we passed last year. This is an issue that continues to nag at us. I think providing some good guidance to GAO, with their expertise, we have an opportunity to really take a good look at a cross-section of institutions, what is properly driving the increases in cost and what maybe is improperly driving the increase in cost, and those things that can possibly be brought under control and be reduced by cooperative actions between the institutions, the States, and the Federal Government. So I strongly support this amendment, and I want to thank Congressman Castle and Congressman Welch for offering this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I just want to thank the gentlewoman from Florida for introducing this amendment. She had talked to me about this early on, and it was an oversight. But she has raised the issue that for families that have engaged in serious medical encounters, the question of what the real bill is becomes a matter of serious negotiations that can take over a period of time. You get your bill. It says you owe $65,000. And then it says, but the real cost was $45,000, and somebody will pay $20,000, and you owe whatever is in between. And then you find out that is really not true, that was the initial billing, and you back over a period of months. Those negotiations, because of an unexpected serious medical encounter within a family, should not bar, in these times, those individuals from being able to access student loans. It doesn't mean they've lost their incomes. It doesn't mean any of that at that point. I think it is a very important addition to this legislation as we are trying to weave together a support system for families that must rely on loans for the education of their children. I want to thank you very much for offering this amendment.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Chairman, I move that the committee do now rise.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 5715, the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield myself 5 minutes. Mr. Chairman, Members of the House, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5715, the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008. It was reported by the Committee on Education and Labor with unanimous bipartisan support, and I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for all of the effort they put into this legislation. It is a very important piece of legislation. At a time when the turmoil in the Nation's credit markets has made it difficult for some lenders to access the capital they need to finance their student lending activity, this bipartisan bill will ensure that students and parents are able to continue to access the federal loans they need to pay for college. For quite some time now, the worsening economic downturn has made life more difficult for many of America's families. But this downturn has its root in the housing crisis, which has led to significant tightening in the credit markets. What began as a challenge for home loan borrowers has now become a challenge for other borrowers, like those with credit card debt and automobile loans. And in recent months, we have now seen questions raised about the availability of student loans for the coming year, especially when those who finance their loans through the auction rate securities, that system has ceased to function. As a result, some lenders are reducing their lending activity in the federally guaranteed student loan programs, while other lenders are anticipating increasing their market share. And while the stress in the credit markets is taking a toll on some lenders, students so far have not encountered serious difficulties in getting federal loans they need to pay for college. That's the good news. But as we have seen too often, the shocks in the financial markets come as a surprise leaving those affected with little time to react. There is emergency authority already built into the current law which would maintain access to federal loans for families in the event of any of these surprises. It is critical to make sure that this authority is ready to be implemented to ensure America's families can continue to access the federal college loans they are eligible for, regardless of what's happening in the credit markets. As we work with Secretary Spellings to make sure these safeguards are ready to become operational at a moment's notice, we must also take additional steps on behalf of students and their families. This legislation provides new protections, in addition to those in current law, to ensure that families can continue to access the loans they need to pay for college. The bill reduces borrowers' reliance on costlier private loans while encouraging responsible borrowing by increasing the annual student loan limits for federal student loans by $2,000 for all students. It also increases the total amount of Federal loans students can borrow to $31,000 for dependent undergraduates and to $57,500 for independent undergraduates. H.R. 5715 gives parent borrowers more time to pay off their federal parent PLUS loans by allowing families to delay entering repayment for up to 6 months after a student leaves school. It helps struggling home owners pay for college by making sure that short-term delinquencies in mortgage payments don't prohibit otherwise eligible parents from being able to pay their PLUS loans. It clarifies that existing law gives the Secretary of Education the authority to advance federal funds to guaranty agencies in the event that they do not have sufficient capital to originate new loans. It allows guaranty agencies to make lender-of-last-resort loans on a school-wide basis. And the bill ensures that lenders can continue to access capital to originate new student loans by giving the Secretary of Education the temporary authority to purchase federally guaranteed student loans from lenders, if needed. Finally, this legislation carries no new costs for taxpayers. Especially in light of today's economic conditions, the high cost of a college education continues to be one of the primary worries facing American families. A recent poll conducted by the New York Times and CBS News found that 70 percent of the parents surveyed said they were ``very concerned'' about how they would finance their kids' college education. Over the past year and a half, this Congress has worked vigorously to make college more affordable and accessible for students and families. Last year, we took the historic step towards this goal by providing more than $20 billion in financial assistance to low- and middle-income families over the next 5 years. In February, the House passed bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, and we will soon be prepared to conclude the conference committee and bring that to the floor. Now more than ever, families deserve every assurance that we are doing all that we can to make sure that they can continue to be able to finance their children's college education, regardless of what happens in the credit markets. And I want to again thank Congressman Buck McKeon, Congressman Ruben Hinojosa and Congressman Ric Keller, the Chair and the ranking member of the subcommittee, and all of the staff for all of the work they have put into this legislation. This has been a very fast turnaround. It could not have happened without the bipartisan cooperation of all of those involved. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 3 minutes to the subcommittee Chair, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I thank the gentleman. I want to thank all my colleagues who participated in the debate this evening. We will have some time for additional debate tomorrow, but I was also remiss in not thanking Amy Jones of Congressman McKeon's staff for all of her hard work on this bill, and the individuals on my staff, Denise Forte, Gaby Gomez, Julie Radocchia, Jeff Appel, Stephanie Moore, Brian Kennedy, Joe Novotny, Lamont Ivey, and Margaret Young for all their assistance in bringing this bill to the floor.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. And I thank the Rules Committee for bringing this rule to the floor that will enable us to consider the Continued Access to Student Loans Act to help families and students who are struggling to pay for the cost of education. One of the more successful programs in this country has been the system of student loans that we provide under Federal guarantees to families and to students to pay for those educations. That program now has been caught up in the decline and the seizing of the American credit markets, and therefore, we're worried that there will not be loans available to families and students who are applying for school this coming fall. As a result of that, we have been working with the Secretary of Education and with the entire committee on the Republican side and the Democratic side of the aisle to make sure that we have in place a number of provisions that will allow, if necessary, the Federal Government to step in and assure those families that they will have access to those loans so they will not have to miss classes that they need, miss a semester that they need, and compound their problems by extending the time that they will have to remain in college before they graduate. We have been meeting with the traditional lending community within the student loan community, and many of them have told us that they expect to participate in the student loans for the coming year, but they also believe that there will be a gap, that the supply of those loans will not meet the demands because of the seizing of the credit market, that the credit markets have failed to function over the last many weeks not only for student loans, but for the municipal bond market, for various joint agencies of the government that have very high credit ratings. In the case of student loans, these are government-backed loans, but the markets are not purchasing the old loans as they were in the past. For that reason, we are seeking to activate and have on standby authority the lender of last resort authority that the Secretary of Education has under current law where if, in fact, the money is not available for those loans, she will be able to go to the Secretary of Treasury and make a demand to fund those loans. There will also be available the direct lending program that currently exists. Many universities and students use that program today. We have been talking with them and making sure that they would be able to expand the capacity. Should the universities decide to direct a number of the students to the direct lending program, they have assured us they that could clearly double their capacity and in a short time be able to go beyond that. So we have the lender of last resort program in place because there is not enough money in the banks to provide for student loans. We have the direct lending program in place for those who choose to go there so they can keep their eligibility for school.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. And then we also, in this legislation, provide for the Secretary to purchase existing loans from those lenders so that they can recapitalize their liquidity situation and be able to make new loans to students and to families seeking those loans. Those three tools should, in fact, provide a seamless system so if the private credit markets fail to provide the necessary resources, or the credit markets fail to provide the liquidity that's necessary, we will be able to stand in their place for a temporary period of time until the credit markets sort it out. We also make provisions in this legislation to increase the amount of money that undergraduates can borrow in the program so that those students who have been using the private loan markets, which are in complete shambles, will be able to increase the amount of money that they may need to borrow for tuition and for school expenses and be able to continue their education. I also want to acknowledge the fact that we've made provisions in here so that temporary problems that families may be having with home payments or with health care payments, those would be considered as exigent circumstances so that they can continue to be eligible for the loans under the government guaranteed program. Ms. Castor will be offering that amendment. And the gentleman from Vermont will be offering an amendment to really look at this link between increased tuition and increased resources made available to students. This is an important package. It's a timely package. We hope that it won't be necessary to be used, but we need to have it in place so that we can backstop the failures of the credit market that are currently existing as an outflow of the subprime mortgage problem that is affecting the entire economy of this country and many other countries around the world. I would urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Again, I want to thank the Rules Committee for recommending this bill to the floor.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, with respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the House of Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect to requirements of 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee on Education and Labor received, subsequent to the filing of the Committee report, the following estimate for H.R. 5715 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office: U.S. Congress, Congressional Budget Office, Washington, DC, April 15, 2008. Hon. George Miller, Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5715, the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008. If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Kalcevic. Sincerely, Robert A. Sunshine, (For Peter R. Orszag, Director). Enclosure. H.R. 5715--Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008 Summary: H.R. 5715 would: Alter repayment and eligibility terms on parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), Increase the annual and aggregate borrowing limits on unsubsidized loans, Give the Department of Education temporary authority to purchase guaranteed loans from private lenders, and Clarify provisions relating to the lender-of-last-resort program. On balance, CBO estimates that enacting the bill would increase direct spending by $320 million over the 2008-2013 period and by $390 million over the 2008-2018 period. The bill would have no impact on revenues. CBO has not yet completed an estimate of the impact of H.R. 5715 on discretionary spending: implementing the bill would probably increase costs for administering the federal student loan programs. H.R. 5715 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated budgetary impact of H.R. 5715 is shown in the following table. The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 500 (education, training, employment, and social services). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, on Wednesday, April 9, I was unavoidably detained and was unable to be present for rollcall vote No. 166. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, as the Chinese Government was repressing peaceful Tibetan protests last month, I visited Dharamshala, India--the recognized home of Tibetans in exile-- with Speaker Pelosi and several of my colleagues. I had the honor and privilege to meet His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, and I was moved by the infinite patience and courage he exudes in the face of overwhelming odds. I was touched by the large population of Tibetans in exile who worry about family members they have left behind. These are people who left their homeland due to repression of religion and language by the Chinese Government and the constant violations of basic human rights and dignity in their own land. The Speaker, along with everyone else on our trip, was incensed at the atrocities conducted by China. Our first order of business upon returning to the United States was to draft this important resolution before the House today. Through this resolution, we call on the Government of the People's Republic of China to end its crackdown on nonviolent Tibetan protestors and its continuing cultural, religious, economic, and linguistic repression inside Tibet and to begin a dialogue directly with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The freedom of press is something we take for granted in the United States but Tibetans unfortunately do not enjoy this privilege, as all press inside Tibet, and all of China in fact, is closely monitored and controlled by the state. This resolution calls on the Chinese Government to allow independent international monitors and journalists, free and unfettered access to Tibet. It is clear by the conviction and sentencing of human rights activist Hu Jia, who has been an outspoken critic of the human rights record of the Chinese Government and called on the international community to hold Beijing responsible for the promises it made when bidding to host the Olympic games, that China has no intention of unilaterally changing it's human rights record. The government of China has been and continues to be an abuser of basic human rights despite the State Department decision to not include China in a list of countries that most systemically violate human rights. This resolution asks the United States Department of State to publicly issue a statement reconsidering its decision. The cause of the Tibetan people is a desire for freedom of religion, freedom to speak their own language, and to express their unique identity. It is a cause every American can relate to. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this resolution--to vote in support of Tibet.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, next week the administration is poised to give us and the American people a rosy assessment of the situation in Iraq. They are going to suggest that in fact there has been no escalation in Iraq, and that everything is just fine. Well, everything isn't just fine, and there is in fact an escalation going on in the violence all over Iraq. What the President's policy is is a bait-and-switch policy. The American troops were sent to Iraq to fight al Qaeda, to fight terrorists. Now we see American troops inserted into combat, coming under fire, dying, and being wounded for the sake of one Shia political party that is afraid that it might lose an election in October. What are the American troops doing fighting for the electoral advantage of one Shia party over another? Recently, the Pentagon suggested that this was all a sign of success of the surge. I think we should watch those words closely; you may miss something. This administration earlier told the people that the troop surge was for the purposes of decreasing the violence and creating an environment of political reconciliation. The people who were supposed to create political reconciliation are now shooting at one another because they think they might lose an election in October, and they want us to sacrifice American lives to impose the majority that they hope to have in that election.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Members of the House, this country has given the best of its young men and women in the battle in the war in Iraq and much of its treasure on the theory that we were fighting terrorists in Iraq so that we would be safer at home, on the theory that we were fighting terrorists in Iraq to eradicate them. We have lost over 4,000 young men and women in that battle, and tens of thousands of more seriously wounded, and almost $1 trillion of our treasure. Yet, this last week we saw our troops were not called upon to go against insurgents, to go against al Qaeda. They were called upon to enforce one side of an election battle of Shias against another band of Shias. Our troops were put into battle over this last week because there was a fear by the Maliki government that the Supreme Council of Iraq would lose an election in Bosra. So they declared a battle against Muqtada al-Sadr's supporters in Bosra. They were unable to do it. They were unable to effectively carry it out. And they didn't force American troops into that battle. Our troops should not be engaged in trying to square the field for the election advantage of one group of Iraqis over another. That is what elections are about, that is what democracy is about. But it should not be with the lives of our troops and the treasure of this country.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5563) to reauthorize and reform the national service laws.

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

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5563, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, the first reauthorization of the national and community service laws and program since 1993. The legislation we are considering today includes all of the amendments approved last week by voice vote. It also includes the provision on background checks from the Republican motion to recommit. This bill is a bipartisan product. Through volunteer and community service programs, tens of millions of Americans of different generations have become inspired to build stronger, more vibrant communities to help children succeed in school and rebuild cities in times of disaster. In 2006, more than 61 million Americans gave back to their communities through service. The GIVE Act recognizes this growing service movement that is taking place across the Nation. It builds upon the successful work being done by members of AmeriCorps, of Vista, of Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America. The GIVE Act would put us on a path to increasing the number of AmeriCorps members from 75,000 to 100,000 by 2012, with a focus on engaging low-income, disadvantaged, and at-risk young people. The GIVE Act would also help AmeriCorps members pay for college by increasing the scholarship they earn in exchange for their service from $4,725 to $5,255 by 2012. This bill would introduce young people to community service by creating a new Summer of Service initiative that will offer middle school and high school students the opportunity to spend a summer working to improve the communities while earning $500 toward college or college preparation. Alumni of service programs remain a valuable resource to our communities. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the gulf coast communities, AmeriCorps alumni played a key role in relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts on the gulf coast. To help tap into these resources in times of emergency, this bill would create an Alumni Reserve Corps to service alumni with previous disaster relief experience. Each year, nearly a half a million older Americans participate in the Senior Corps programs, mentoring children of prisoners, providing independent living services to seniors, assisting victims of natural disaster, and mobilizing other volunteers. The GIVE Act would expand the purpose of the Senior Corps programs by adding an emphasis on recruiting retired science, technology, health care, law enforcement, and military professionals to help with education, after-school, public safety, and technology needs. I want to thank the many Members on both sides of the aisle who have worked on this bill, in particular, Representative McCarthy on our side of the aisle, Representative McKeon and Mr. Platts on the other side, who is handling the bill today for their leadership, as well as the Service Caucus for its support. Let me also thank the Voices of Service and its member organizations which have been invaluable in helping us develop this legislation. Service and volunteerism have played an important role in our Nation's history and will continue to help us meet the challenges and the needs of our communities. This legislation reflects the important role and builds upon it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy), a major champion of this legislation.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 2733) to temporarily extend the programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2733, a bill to temporarily extend the programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965. Last month, we took the next step toward reauthorizing the Higher Education Act by passing H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, in the House with overwhelming bipartisan support. That bill builds on the law Congress enacted last year that put $20 billion in Federal student aid in the hands of those in most need, low- and middle-income students and families working hard to pay for the cost of college. Now, as we work with the Senate towards the conference report to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, we are close to providing students and families with additional reforms needed to truly ensure that the doors of college remain open to all qualified students. It is our goal to ensure that the final bill include vital provisions of H.R. 4137 that address the major obstacle families face in the path to college, from skyrocketing college tuition prices, to the needlessly complicated student aid application process, to predatory tactics by student lenders. It has been nearly 10 years since the Higher Education Act last reauthorized, and I believe that Members on both sides of the aisle and in both Chambers are eager to complete the work on a compromise bill this Congress. This bipartisan reauthorization presents the best opportunity that we had to bring our higher education system into the 21st century. The bill under consideration today, S. 2733, will extend the programs under the current Higher Education Act until April 30, 2008, to allow sufficient time for further deliberations to continue on the two bills passed in the House and Senate. And while that process of reauthorizing the Higher Education Act may be coming to a close, I would like to underscore that it does not mean that we will complete work on higher education altogether. The Education and Labor Committee will continue our efforts to ensure our higher education programs operate in the best interests of students and families, which include overseeing the proper implementation of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act and other provisions of the Higher Education Act. We will also examine how we can best ensure the availability of Federal student loans in the midst of volatility in our Nation's credit markets. I look forward to completing this work with the respective Members so that we can continue to make college more affordable and accessible for our Nation's students and families. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, tonight many of Tom Graff's friends and associates will be honoring his career and accomplishments at a dinner in California. Because I can't make it to Sacramento for tonight's dinner, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the great leaders, strategists, and intellectual engines of the environmental movement of the last several decades. Tom Graff founded Environmental Defense Fund's California office in 1971, and he has been one of the most influential, effective, and important voices in California environmental policy--and especially in the water world--ever since. Indeed, Tom has been deeply involved in the messy and fascinating world of water politics and policy since before I came to Congress. Not many people can say that. Over our decades of friendship, Tom has frequently been a lifesaver to me, to my staff, and frankly to the people of California. He always looks for solutions, even to the most intractable problems, and whenever we've needed to get the latest thinking on environmental policy water policy, the first call we make is to Tom. Now, despite his genius, he hasn't always seen the wisdom of my approach to every specific issue, so from time to time, I have been on the receiving end of his strong--even passionate--views. But every interaction with Tom is educational, and leaves you wiser at the end of the day. Among many other accomplishments, Tom's negotiating prowess and his wisdom were critical to the passage of legislation that I authored in 1992 to protect the Bay-Delta of California: the Central Valley Project Improvement Act. The CVPIA took us many years to put together, and Tom's hard work is visible throughout the statute. One of Tom's great insights was in advocating for, and helping to develop, the water-marketing agreements that helped bring the business world and the urban water community on board. His work on water marketing has always been ahead of his time: he was early to the idea that market forces can be brought to bear on conservation and the protection of water and other public goods. This is a great example of Tom's ability to look at new ideas and adapt them to environmental improvements, which has always been an incredible strength, one matched by very few people--too few, really-- in the world of environmental policymaking. Nothing in California water politics is easy, as the people gathered in Sacramento tonight can attest, and Tom is one of the very few people who can broker an agreement between the north and the south, between State and Federal politicians, between Democrats and Republicans, and of course, between Democrats and other Democrats. Tom is a great friend, and a great ally. I have relied on his counsel for 30 years, and whenever a new issue crops up that requires an innovative strategy, I turn to him--and so do many, many others. Madam Speaker, on behalf of myself, my staff, and all of our colleagues in Congress who have benefited from his guidance and advice, it is my honor to recognize Tom Graff.