Alan Mollohan

Mr. MOLLOHAN

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this subcommittee was ably led for many years by Chairman Boland, who recently passed away. I would like to acknowledge what a pleasure it was for me to serve under Eddie Boland, and what an outstanding job he did leading this subcommittee, as well as his leadership in Congress. He served for many years, and he was an outstanding member of the body. As we consider this bill, which would have been his bill, we would like to note his passing with great sadness. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), a distinguished member of the Massachusetts delegation, and the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, who served many years with Mr. Boland.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner).

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bentsen).

Mr. MOLLOHAN

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), the ranking member for yielding the time. We are all aware of the incidents of mistreatment and abuse of persons with mental retardation in the District of Columbia. There are horrible stories. We have read these in the Washington Post, describing an education system for those with special needs that is dominated by for-profit companies just going through the motions. These companies are in the business of covering up mistreatment rather than working to correct it. Today, I stand before the House with a solution to this unspeakable problem, St. Coletta's School, a non-profit in Alexandria serving children and adults with cognitive and multiple disabilities from the D.C. metro area. St. Coletta currently serves 120 students between the ages of 4 and 22 years. These students are mentally retarded, autistic, suffer from multiple disabilities; and the majority have secondary disabling conditions such as blindness, deafness, social and emotional problems, cerebral palsy, and other physical impairments. Mr. Speaker, 80 percent of those students are from Washington, D.C. Thirty-five percent of these D.C. students are in foster care or third- party placements due to abuse, neglect, abandonment or death of parents. An additional 30 percent of the D.C. students live with only 1 parent or extended family members. Recognizing the desperate need in D.C. for these vocational, therapeutic, behavioral and family support and case management services, St. Coletta's of Greater Washington, Inc., is expanding its program to further serve the unmet needs of this D.C. community. St. Coletta plans to purchase and renovate a facility to bring its already existing day program to more D.C. residents. The new facility will accommodate approximately 150 D.C. students and provide vocational and functional life-skills training, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and behavioral management services. Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg), the chairman; and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), the ranking member; for supporting St. Coletta's expansion project in the House D.C. bill and hope that more can be done for this project in conference. This is an investment that we cannot afford not to make.

Mr. MOLLOHAN

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues today in expressing my outrage at these terrorist attacks on American soil. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who perished at the hands of a cruel, and as yet unknown killer. I extend my deepest respect and gratitude to the hundreds of emergency responders who, at this moment, continue to make order of the wreckage that has resulted from this most wretched attack. Our proud nation has never flinched from adversity. On the contrary-- we are a nation that pulls together during extraordinary times. And, indeed, this is an extraordinary time. This unity of spirit is already evident by countless Americans who are lining up at bloodbanks across the country, those offering clothing to the walking wounded whose clothes were seared by burning buildings, and scores of volunteers who are seeking to come to crash sites to relieve exhausted rescue personnel. The resolve of America is evident in the face of this carnage and chaos. I join Members of the House and Senate in supporting President Bush's efforts to use all necessary resources to protect our Nation, and to determine who has perpetrated this unseemly act of terrorism and to punish them, or those who harbor them. I invite the President to communicate swiftly with the Congress to let us know what resources our Government agencies need to address the damage inflicted upon our land and our people. I know that Congress will respond thoroughly and expeditiously. While buildings, as well as nerves, may be shattered by this heinous act of terrorism, American spirit is steadfast and unflinching. God bless America.

Mr. MOLLOHAN

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Chairman, the gentleman said in his opening remarks that it is not a killer amendment. I think it is a killer amendment for the reasons that I have tried to bring out here in our discussion. I thank the gentleman.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. No, no. If the gentleman will just answer the question. Does the first paragraph say, that to obligate amounts under here, that ``none of the funds made available may be expended in excess of the authorization in section 202.''?

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Reclaiming my time. In the second paragraph, the gentleman prohibits deferment or cancellation of construction of three pieces to the station, the habitation module, the crew return vehicle, and the propulsion module. Is that correct?

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Well, it is the amendment we are debating here on the floor, so I am quite intrigued with it.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Yes, I am, in an ongoing discussion.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. That would have straight-out eliminated the station program. I understand why the gentleman did that. It has been defeated on this floor a number of times and the body has spoken pretty overwhelmingly with regard to that issue. I frankly do not quite understand this amendment, and that is why I want to engage the gentleman in a discussion of it at the front of this overall debate. I have the amendment here before me and it says, ``None of the funds made available in this act may be used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to obligate amounts for International Space Station in contravention of cost limitations established in section 202 of the 2000 authorization for NASA.'' Correct?

Mr. MOLLOHAN. And that is a really good cause. I acknowledge that, and I agree with the Member on that. But the Member is setting up here an impossible situation. The gentleman is taking the flexibility away from NASA to manipulate funding between these projects, to engage the international community to help fund these projects, to delay projects in order to stay within the authorization.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. That is the first paragraph. ``None of the funds may be used to obligate amounts in contravention of that act. Then it says, ``or defer or cancel construction of the habitat module crew return vehicle propulsion module.'' As I understand that, the gentleman is saying they cannot expend above the authorization on the one hand; is that correct?

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the distinguished gentleman New York (Mr. Hinchey).

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I would like to engage the gentleman who is offering the amendment in a little discussion about his amendment, but first I want to join the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher) in commending the gentleman for his sincere interest in this issue and for his bringing the issue to the Congress in the past, and his persistence in doing it. I think the station is a much better enterprise because of his efforts. We all need challenged, and certainly NASA needs challenged in many areas. So before we start a debate, I want to compliment the gentleman.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in reluctant opposition to the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for bringing her amendment because it highlights the importance of this very good program: Project Impact. Unfortunately, the amendment comes in a context which makes it very difficult for us to consider. There are a lot of excellent programs funded in this emergency management and planning assistance account. There are preparedness activities, for example, and early warning systems; flood mapping, which is an extremely important program; other mitigation efforts; and grants to States. This is simply a matter of robbing Peter to pay Paul, of taking money from good projects to put them in another good project. I think the better time to consider this issue is in conference where the Senate has already funded this activity. I think then we will be in a much stronger position to consider the merits of Project Impact vis-a-vis the merits of these other programs. Mr. Chairman, at this point in the process, we simply do not have enough money to go around. Given that we are looking toward possible favorable consideration in conference, I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment. Again, it is simply robbing Peter to pay Paul, taking money from very good programs to fund a very good program. We are not against Project Impact; it is simply the wrong point in the process to consider the amendment.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. I have no objection and compliment the gentlewoman for her efforts in this area. She has been very effective, as is evidenced by the chairman's accepting her amendment.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. I understand that, but the gentleman understands, because he is a real student of this, that the dollars are just too far in excess of the authorization and that complying with both paragraph one and paragraph two is impossible.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve my time.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, I understood the gentleman's first International Space Station amendment here. It was an amendment much like the amendments he has offered in the past, I think the last 5 years, as a matter of fact. It was a straight-up cut; was it not?

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