Alan Mollohan

Mr. MOLLOHAN

Mr. MOLLOHAN. I thank the gentleman with those assurances, too.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Arizona, Chairwoman Giffords.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. That is absolutely correct. The funding deferral does not signify any weakening of the committee's support for human spaceflight and exploration. I would also direct the attention of my colleague to the bill's accompanying report that states this very fact. And if I could find it here quickly, I would read it for her.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. And I did find it. At page 146 of that report, I would refer the gentlelady to read a pertinent part. ``Accordingly, after the work of the panel is complete''--that's the Augustine Panel--``the committee expects the administration will amend its fiscal year 2010 budget request to fund fully the plan advocated by the panel, and that the administration's subsequent budget request shall similarly include resources that fund fully the Nation's Human Space Flight Program.'' That's in our report. And I am pleased to reaffirm that here tonight with the gentlelady with this colloquy and with the others that we've had colloquy.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. I yield the gentlelady 1 additional minute.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Yes, I do. And I stated as much at the subcommittee markup of this legislation. Again, I would turn my colleague's attention to the accompanying report where these sentiments are also expressed.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. I believe that the Augustine Panel is well positioned to make an informed review of planned U.S. human space flight activities and alternatives to ensure that the Nation is undertaking efforts that are safe, innovative, affordable and sustainable in the years following the completion of the space station manifest and retirement. And when that panel provides its informed judgment to us and the President and we are able to evaluate it, our new President and our authorizers will have a chance to look at it and act on it, our new President--and we--will have an opportunity to move forward together on our Nation's future human space flight program and budget accordingly.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. The gentlelady, among these other colleagues, is a champion of the program. Thank you.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Maryland (Ms. Edwards).

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Let me first commend the gentlelady for her good work in this area in the short time she has been in the United States Congress and for her input into our subcommittee, which has certainly influenced our markup of the bill in this important area. I thank the gentlelady for her comments. And I appreciate her support and commitment to programs funded through the Office of Violence Against Women.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Arizona (Mrs. Kirkpatrick).

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Murphy).

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, would the Chair be kind enough to let both sides know how much time they have remaining, respectively?

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, at this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis).

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee).

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

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, I have no further requests for time in general debate. Let me again reiterate my appreciation to the committee, subcommittee, and ranking member in marking up this bill. And we look to proceeding through amendments at this time.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment. I'm offering this amendment on behalf of Mr. Honda, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Lewis of California, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Culberson, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California, Mr. Dreier, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Gary G. Miller of California, Ms. Giffords, Mr. McCaul, Mrs. Kirkpatrick of Arizona, Mr. Connolly of Virginia, and Mr. Marshall. This amendment would provide an additional $100 million, Mr. Chairman, for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, restoring it to the fiscal year 2009 funding level of $400 million. Mr. Chairman, the current administration and the predecessor administrations have in turn each year proposed elimination of the SCAAP program. And since our allocation is $200 million below the administration's request, it is difficult to restore moneys such as to the SCAAP program to $300 million in the subcommittee mark. When the administration requests zero and then you have to fill that hole, that makes a tremendous strain on the other accounts in the bill. I opposed the SCAAP amendment during committee consideration of this bill largely because it would have unadvisedly used the Bureau of Census as an offset. We are in the final year, final months of preparing for a census that's just a year away, and this is not any time to take money away from the Census. We have overcome hurdles in the Census and challenges as a result of some mismanagement with regard to census preparation. We are on track now. And this is not the time, given this short period before we have to conduct the census, to take money away from the Census, so we opposed it. However, I am aware that there is considerable support, as reflected by the number of our colleagues who want to be cosponsors on this amendment here today. There is tremendous broad-based support in the body for the SCAAP program. It is supported by many Members; so I offer this amendment in recognition of that support. Mr. Honda is a member of the subcommittee and a cosponsor of this amendment, and he has been particularly persuasive about the need to restore SCAAP funding to the level that this amendment would bring it to. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, we have no objection to the amendment and would be willing to accept the amendment.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. We're willing to accept the amendment. What happens in conference is in the future, and I wouldn't be able to make any commitments with regard to that in any way.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MOLLOHAN. As the gentleman understands--the gentleman has been to conference before on bills.

Mr. MOLLOHAN. And the gentleman understands that conferees come to the conference from many different directions and have many different attitudes. There are many different issues in the bill during conference. I will tell the gentleman that we take seriously our bill as it is fashioned, as we bring it to the floor, and as it is amended on the floor as we proceed to conference. Beyond that, the gentleman clearly understands that conferences are about process and that there's give-and-take in the Congress. All of the attitudes expressed in conference must be taken into consideration, and there is nothing about this amendment that precludes our not seriously supporting it in conference. But the gentleman is asking for something that the gentleman knows in the process cannot be guaranteed, and that is, I guarantee that we're going to do something in conference. I hope that's satisfactory. If it's not, it's the best I can do for the gentleman.