George Miller

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield myself 30 seconds. Mr. Speaker, I would just say in the two programs the gentleman from Arizona raised, it's exactly why we have the reauthorization so we can go back through those programs and, in fact, as a result of those reviews, the administration has insisted upon substantial changes in those programs which have been carried out and that is why the administration now supports this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes), a member of the committee.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes. Mr. Speaker, it is a little hard to sit here and be lectured to by somebody from the other party that ran up an $8 trillion deficit in a matter of 8 years, about $1 trillion a year they succeeded in running up the deficit. But more importantly, I don't know if the gentleman from Illinois was absent last week or he doesn't remember, I don't know which, but we were here last Thursday considering this bill under the rules of the House, under essentially an open rule where every Republican amendment and every Democratic amendment that was requested, I believe, was offered. The new programs were subjected to a vote of the House because we thought that was fair. They prevailed. We finished the business of this bill last week, and then people decided they wanted to play some games on the motions to recommit, and so that forced us to bring the bill up again this week. We cannot go back to committee; that would be even more expensive, more time-consuming, and bring back the bill, so we have chosen to do it under suspension. But that's after all of the amendments have been given full consideration. That's why the administration supported the legislation. That's why it has bipartisan support, because it was bipartisan in the committee. I think it was 44-0 that it came out of the committee. It was bipartisan in the Rules Committee. It was bipartisan on the floor until the gentleman's party decided at the last minute that they wanted to try to somehow incorporate the FISA discussion into national service. That was out of order. That was not allowed. And then Mr. Kuhl decided to offer an amendment, which we asked unanimous consent to accept at that time and we were not allowed to accept it. So, we're back here today. And we're trying to do it in the most expeditious fashion because it costs something to run the House. We shouldn't be back here today. But that's the history, in case the gentleman was absent last week. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I just want to, before we close debate, thank Mr. Platts and Mrs. McCarthy for all of their hard work. They were really the engines behind this legislation and getting it through the subcommittees and the committees for our consideration here on the floor. I want to thank them very much for that effort. A couple of speakers suggested that somehow Americans volunteer, so we don't need this act. The fact of the matter is this act builds much more than just volunteers. I volunteer for the Habitat for Humanity. I volunteer in the schools in my district. I volunteer in Coastal Cleanup. I volunteer in community Weed and Seed programs. I volunteer in a lot of efforts. This is also about taking people who would never think of volunteering, young people who come from neighborhoods where that's not an opportunity that they may have necessarily. And it not only gets them into volunteering, but also builds skills. What people really like to have volunteer are people with skills come and volunteer. It also builds leadership skills, so that those young people can either incorporate their skills in additional volunteering or organize other people to volunteer as they leave these programs. Many of these young people graduate and go into public service. In California, we will find people who will go from one of these programs to the California Conservation Corps to maybe the national parks program, where they end up working and rebuilding the infrastructure of our national parks or public lands or coastal areas of these States. And when you ask the young people, when you run across them, where did they get their start, they got their start in AmeriCorps or the VISTA program or something like that. They end up maybe later, after they go to school, they come back and they work in the community. That's why one of the things that this legislation does is try to reach out to the alumni of this program, because we now realize how valuable they are to our communities and we want them to continue to participate and continue to organize people who have been the beneficiaries of this program and those who have participated in it as leaders and as participants so that we can build that core. It's very interesting now, there's a number of people discussing the national defense level of this country, that one of the things we failed to do after 9/11 was build in a resiliency of this country in the event of other another attack. Tragically, after 9/11 the President told the country they didn't have to do anything, if they would just go shopping. But now what we see is we still don't have the basic infrastructure in our communities to deal with natural disasters, to deal with possible terrorist attacks, to deal with regional-wide problems, whether they be fires, earthquakes, terrorist attacks, or any of that. In fact, what we need is we need volunteers and people with volunteer experience, people with organizing volunteers to start to come together to think about how a community would respond, whether it's a chemical spill, whether it's a chemical plant explosion, whether it's an earthquake or a fire, to respond to help those people, to help those first responders. We've never organized that. But we would like to start thinking about organizing that, and I'm sure when we do, we will be calling upon the professionals that were in VISTA, that were in AmeriCorps, that were in the Senior Corps, that have connections through their business connections, through their community involvement. So, this program pays many dividends way beyond the idea that this is just about volunteering on a Saturday morning or a Sunday morning with your church. We all do that. But there has to be more. And there has to be avenues for people who aren't encouraged to volunteer, that we can provide that encouragement and we can encourage people to participate with populations that need that kind of assistance. That's the importance of this legislation. It's unfortunate it has taken so long for us to reauthorize this bill. But what we know is Americans all across this country in every region of this country want to see a greater sense of people giving back to their communities, people volunteering in their communities, organizing people to volunteer, to provide services to their communities. That's what this legislation responds to. It's been incredibly successful, when you meet the graduates of these programs, when you meet the alumni of these programs. They don't stop there. It becomes part of the ethic of their life. And they continue it in their business, in their professions. They continue that kind of activity because they see the value of it, they've participated in it. And I would hope that my colleagues would give this legislation overwhelming bipartisan support.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I join Mr. Platts in urging a ``yes'' vote. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend and to insert extraneous materials in the Record on H.R. 5563 and on S. 2733.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2857, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, the first reauthorization of national and community service laws and programs since 1993. I am pleased that today this House is taking up this important measure that will take volunteerism and service into the 21st century. It was in March of 1961 that President John F. Kennedy first challenged a generations of Americans to ask ``not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.'' By establishing the Peace Corps and the Volunteers in Service to America programs, he inspired millions of Americans to make a difference here at home and around the globe. He created a powerful legacy of hope and service that connects us as Americans. Almost 50 years later, we should be very proud that volunteering in America is at a 30-year high. Through AmeriCorps and other service programs, new generations of Americans have become inspired to build stronger, more vibrant communities, help children succeed in schools, and rebuild cities in times of disaster. In fact, in 2006, more than 61 million Americans gave back to their communities through service. That same year, volunteers in my home State of California contributed more than 858 million hours of service to our State economy, a value of more than $17 billion. In the 15 years since AmeriCorps was enacted into law, more than 500,000 Americans of all ages and backgrounds have participated in this program. Our current and future generations of volunteers deserve our renewed support for their programs, just as President Kennedy first provided decades ago. The GIVE Act, this legislation, recognizes this growing service movement that is taking place across the Nation. It builds upon the successful work being done in communities across by members of AmeriCorps, VISTA, Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America. AmeriCorps has become a successful model for public-private partnerships. Last year, the AmeriCorps program leveraged more than $200 million in matching funds, mobilized more than 1.4 million volunteers, and worked with 2,000 small and large faith-based and community-based organizations across the country. The GIVE Act would strengthen the AmeriCorps service model by putting us on the path to increasing the number of AmeriCorps members from 75,000 to 100,000 by 2012 with a focus of engaging low-income, disadvantaged, and at-risk youth. With soaring tuition prices making it more difficult for many students to get a college degree, the GIVE Act would help AmeriCorps members pay for college by increasing the scholarship that they earn in exchange for their service from $4,725 to $5,255 by 2012. This bill would also 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 the summer working to improve their communities while earning a $500 education award that can be used for college or for college preparation. Alumni of these programs remain valuable resources to our communities. More than 72 percent of AmeriCorps members continue to volunteer in their communities after their term of service ends. After Hurricane Katrina devastated gulf coast communities, AmeriCorps alumni played a key role in relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts. To help tap into these resources in times of emergency, this bill would expand the number of volunteers ready to respond by creating an Alumni Reserve Corps of service alumni with previous experience serving during disasters. Volunteering also provides critical opportunities for older Americans to make a difference in their communities. Each year, nearly 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 disasters, and mobilizing other volunteers. The GIVE Act would expand the purpose of Senior Corps programs by adding an emphasis on recruiting retired STEM, health care, law enforcement and military professionals to help with education, after- school, public safety and technology needs. In addition, it would phase in the competition for the Retired and Senior Volunteer Programs, an important part of the Senior Corps by 2013, allowing new grantees and volunteers to join the service movement and encouraging innovation and evolution among high-performing programs. I also want to thank the RSVP program for working with us to ensure a responsible transition. I want to thank Members on both sides of the aisle, in particular Representatives McCarthy, McKeon and Platts, for their leadership, as well as the Service Caucus for their support. I also want to thank our committee staff for their hard work on this bill, including Alex Ceja, Denise Forte, Stephanie Moore, Deborah Koolbeck with Mrs. McCarthy, Brad Thomas with Mr. McKeon, and Becky Wolfkiel with Mr. Platts. Let me also thank Voices of Services and its member organizations, who were invaluable in helping us develop this legislation. It is clear that service has played an important role in this country's history and will continue to help us meet the challenges and needs of our communities. It is clear that the interest in volunteering reaches across all generations: our young people, retiring baby boomers, and older Americans. The GIVE Act reflects their commitment, and our commitment, to building a stronger country through service. I urge my colleagues to join us in this effort by supporting this legislation. Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on the bill, H.R. 2857, into the Record.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, the scheduling of the House is not the subject of this point of order. I raised a point of order that the motion addresses the jurisdiction of committees not represented in the underlying bill. Neither the Judiciary Committee or the Intelligence Committee is represented in the underlying bill, not the schedule of the House.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I raise a point of order that the motion to recommit contains nongermane instructions in violation of clause 7, rule XVI. The instructions in the motion to recommit address an unrelated matter within the jurisdiction of a committee not represented in the underlying bill.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I reclaim my time and would just say that this amendment was never offered in committee, it was never taken to the Rules Committee. This is sort of a ``gotcha.'' But, unfortunately, it dramatically impacts the timetable for this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I insist upon my point of order. The gentleman again is speaking to the scheduling of the floor of the House. The bill, in its entirety, speaks to national voluntary service. The gentleman, I guess, is talking about the intelligence service. And the fact of the matter is, under the point of order there is nothing in this legislation within the jurisdiction of the committees, for the motion to recommit, of the Intelligence Committee or the Judiciary Committee, and I insist upon my point of order.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I insist on my point of order. Again, had we been involved with the committees of jurisdiction that the gentleman is referring to, the bill would have been referred by the Parliamentarian to those committees, and it was not. And let me just inform the gentleman. I know he's been out for a couple of days and he comes back with great vigor, and I admire his arguments. But there is nothing within the programs of Teach for America or the Boys and Girls Club of America or the Big Brothers Big Sisters program or the YouthBuild or the National Council on Aging or the Senior Citizen Nutrition Program or the American Red Cross, there is nothing in those programs that require that they eavesdrop or wiretap anybody's phones before they can deliver their services. And there is nothing within the jurisdiction of this legislation or of this committee that deals with those matters, and there is nothing in this bill that deals with the matters within the jurisdiction of those committees. And I insist upon my point of order.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from California is required to speak to the point of order.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker. The gentleman must speak to the point of order which has been made with respect to the fact that there is nothing in this committee speaking to those jurisdictions.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I insist upon my point of order. And I appreciate that perhaps there's some confusion on the other side of the aisle between the Big Brothers of this program and Big Brother that you're thinking about. I insist upon my point of order.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to lay the appeal on the table.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to the motion.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. As I understand the motion, Mr. Speaker, it is to codify the regulations that were finalized in November of last year that the Department has proposed for background checks and protection of the programs; is that correct?

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I think we agree with you, and I would ask if the gentleman would accept a unanimous consent request to change ``promptly'' to ``forthwith'' so we could vote on it now and report the bill out.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I reclaim my time. I just want to say that this is unfortunate, because this is an amendment that we would agree to. It embodies the regulations supported by the Bush administration. It affects a program that has huge bipartisan support in all of our communities, that the President is in support of and is looking for the opportunity to sign this bill. But the gentleman insists upon making his motion in the form of ``promptly,'' so that the bill has to go back to committee, which makes everything much more complicated in terms of the passage of this bill.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes. Mr. Speaker, I rise in very strong support of H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act, named in honor of the late Paul Wellstone, who fought vigorously for better treatment for mental illness. We in the Congress have known for many, many years, and so many of our constituents in our communities that we represent have known for so many years, the need for coverage for those individuals who need mental health treatment, whether it is for themselves or members of their family, and the difficulty in not only having coverage, but providing that care and to make sure that some form of that care is reimbursed. This has been a struggle for many years. Today we address that struggle head-on with the consideration of this legislation, but we would not be standing here today without the efforts of Paul Wellstone and all of his efforts to rule out the discrimination against individuals in need of mental health services. He is joined in that fight, and they have led that fight, by Congressman Patrick Kennedy and Congressman Jim Ramstad. Again, we would not be here today debating this legislation and hopefully later this evening passing this legislation so that we can, for the first time, offer as a matter of national policy the idea that there would be parity in the coverage between physical illnesses and mental illnesses, to make sure that those people can get that coverage, can get the treatment that is necessary, can get the care that is necessary for them and for their families. Yes, the fact is that a number of States have laws governing this treatment for mental illness and the reimbursement for those services, but Federal law still hampers the reach of many of those laws. And as a result, many of the people who would be otherwise covered are not covered, and they continue to suffer under those discriminatory practices, and they fail to get the services that they need so they can live a better life and so their families can live a better life. Today we get an opportunity because of the hard work, the efforts that Congressman Ramstad and Congressman Kennedy have made to travel this country, to talk in communities all across the country, to inform them and to discuss with them the possibilities of this legislation, what it would mean to individuals, what it would mean to families, what it would mean to the general health care in this country. They have taken on that mission, and they have convinced, I think, the vast majority of the country, and they have certainly enlisted those who understood the problem before their appearances that this is a problem that we need to address and we need to address now and we need to address in the most comprehensive fashion that we can. This legislation doesn't do all that I would like to see it do. It doesn't do all that Congressman Kennedy or Congressman Ramstad would hope that it would do. And it doesn't do all that Paul Wellstone wanted us to do in terms of eliminating all of those discriminatory provisions. But it is a magnificent start, and we should begin by passing this legislation today. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for a unanimous consent request. (Mrs. MALONEY of New York asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to Mr. Andrews of New Jersey.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial Enhancement Act, a bill that ensures that the stories of Port Chicago will be preserved and that the site will be properly maintained for generations to come. This bill will increase the National Memorial's accessibility, provide additional visitor services, and help ensure long-term preservation of the site. The legislation before us today is the result of months of diligent and collaborative effort, for which I want to thank: Chairman Nick Rahall of the Natural Resources Committee, and ranking member Don Young; Chairman Raul Grijalva of the National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Subcommittee, and ranking member Rob Bishop; Chairman Ike Skelton of the Armed Services Committee, and ranking member Duncan Hunter; and the thoughtful and hard-working staff for the two committees, including Meghan Conklin, Dave Watkins, and David Sienicki, and my own legislative director, Ben Miller. The Port Chicago memorial, which is in my district, commemorates a very important story in American history. The deadly munitions explosion there on the night of July 17, 1944, killed more than 300 people--the worst homefront disaster of World War II. When sailors were ordered to resume work a few weeks later, most of them refused to return to their dangerous tasks until supervision, training, and working conditions were improved. In response, the Navy charged 50 men with conspiring to mutiny--all were convicted. The majority of the men killed while handling ordinance at Port Chicago, and all of those convicted of mutiny, were African-American. The Port Chicago story was a turning point in American history. The injustice strongly influenced the Navy's move toward desegregation in 1945. The Port Chicago memorial tells that story, and I am proud to have authored the legislation designating the memorial, as I am proud to be involved in enhancing it with this legislation. At our hearing in Mr. Grijalva's subcommittee last fall, we heard from the National Park Service, in support of this bill; from Dr. Robert Allen, who literally wrote the book on Port Chicago and is a board member of the Friends of Port Chicago; and Mr. Eugene Sayles, who was a seaman first class at Port Chicago and helped to get injured men out of the barracks after the explosion. As they and others have said, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial tells a critical story in our civil rights and military history, and with this legislation, we are ensuring that more Americans will hear the Port Chicago story. The National Parks Conservation Association has also strongly supported this legislation, pointing to the ``broad local and national support'' for the effort, and noting that the Port Chicago memorial deserves elevation to its ``rightful place as a fully-fledged unit of the National Park System.'' The new designation under this bill brings with it increased stature--and more importantly, the Park Service will be able to budget for the memorial's needs. In addition, the bill provides for an interpretive center for the Memorial--this facility will allow school groups, families, and other visitors to learn about Port Chicago even if they can't access the site, which is located within the Concord Naval Weapons Station. Again, I want to thank Chairman Grijalva, Chairman Rahall, Chairman Skelton, and their staff for helping us bring this important legislation to the floor today.