Nancy Pelosi

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman continue to yield?

Ms. PELOSI. Is one to infer from what the gentleman has said that the majority would be willing to bring up a freestanding bill with some discussion about what the amount would be for the debt limit, including the $150 billion that the minority has been suggesting?

Ms. PELOSI. Well, our distinguished minority leader has made an offer to the Republican majority. On the supplemental, do we know when that will be coming up?

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. I would like to have an inquiry about schedule and about the substance of the rule that will be coming to the floor. Mr. Leader, is this the identical rule, or is the gentleman planning to amend it on the floor?

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I have concern about another bill, the AmeriCorps bill.

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, can we assure Members that adjournment will be 2 o'clock on Friday, or will continue later than that?

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I just have one final question of the majority leader about the schedule. I understand for Members' benefit that we will be coming in and voting after 6:30 p.m. on Monday and that we will be going through the week. Are there definitely going to be votes next Friday?

Ms. PELOSI. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

Ms. PELOSI. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner).

Ms. PELOSI. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Ms. PELOSI. This issue is of such grave importance to our country that I would hope that we would have an open debate on the subject and not have it treated the way the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), treated it when he said, Do you expect us to have a vote on every single item that we deal with in the Congress? And yes, when it comes to raising the debt limit, that would be the case, especially when it raids Social Security.

Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman. Continuing, Mr. Speaker, the leader said that the conferees are working hard to complete the President's emergency defense and homeland security supplemental. I had some questions on that conference. As the gentleman may recall, Democrats were united in opposing another increase in our Nation's borrowing limit when this bill was considered in the House. We believe it is time to sit down and work in a bipartisan way to fix our Nation's budget. Is the gentleman's leadership planning another increase in the debt limit without a separate vote on the House floor?

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I ask the gentleman, will the rule be the same one as reported from the Committee on Rules this week?

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise for the purpose of inquiring about next week's schedule.

Ms. PELOSI. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Ms. PELOSI. Did I hear an assurance in the gentleman's voice that we would not go through the weekend? Is our schedule contingent upon completion of the work, or the calendar?

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, even if the agenda that the gentleman set forth is not finished?

Ms. PELOSI. Yes, indeed, very important time, the birth of our country, Independence Day. So I thank the gentleman very much for responding to these questions.

Ms. PELOSI. Wednesday of next week. In relationship to fast track, will the House appoint conferees next week on the trade promotion act?

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the schedule. I am just seeking a little more precision. On what day will H.R. 4954, the Prescription Drug Act of 2002, be scheduled?

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the substitute and commend the gentleman from California (Mr. Matsui) for his leadership on this very important issue. Mr. Speaker, if we have learned anything from Enron, Arthur Andersen and others, it is that some corporations do not act in the best interest of investors, consumers, and even of their own employees. We certainly do not paint all businesses with the same brush, but we must act to restore confidence in our financial system and in the stock market. The Republican leadership has ignored the issue of corporate malfeasance. What little they have done to address the Enron crisis has actually weakened current law protecting employee pensions. The Democratic substitute on the floor today offers common-sense protections and reforms. It ends the practice of giving executives golden parachutes while workers in the companies they helped bankrupt are left to crash to the ground. The Democratic legislation would keep tax dollars from disappearing into the Bermuda Triangle by barring corporations from creating shell corporations in Bermuda or other offshore locations. Under the Democratic bill corporate executives could no longer be able to protect their retirement benefits while leaving employees with worthless stock, and the Democratic bill would help moderate and low- income individuals plan for their futures by extending a tax credit that encourages retirement savings. Mr. Speaker, those who oppose reform claim that in reigning in corporate excess, we will stamp out the entrepreneurial spirit that makes this country great. Coming from California where the entrepreneurial spirit is in the air and in the water, I see that the spirit to innovate, originate, and invent will not be crushed by a ban on lying, cheating, and stealing. One of our Founding Fathers, James Madison, once noted that ``if all men were angels, no government would be necessary.'' Every day we see in the headlines that we are not angels. We in Congress have a responsibility to protect hard-working Americans. The Democratic substitute does just that, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this common-sense substitute and oppose the underlying bill.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I would like to join the majority leader in support of this effort. The fight against terrorism is our most urgent national security priority, and the creation of a Department of Homeland Security is a big step in the war against terrorism. However, it will take a great deal of our effort beyond just the formation of this department to protect our Nation. Let me thank the gentleman and the Republican leadership for the bipartisan manner in which this process has developed so far. We believe that bipartisanship should continue throughout this process, during the committee markups, within the select committee that we are creating, and during the floor consideration of our final work product. Many of our Members have developed proposals along these lines. It is our intention to do everything we can to make this department an effective tool in the war against terrorism. It is also imperative that the 170,000 workers who will be affected by this transition continue to receive all of the rights they now enjoy as employees of the Federal Government. Agencies that do a highly-effective job for the American people, such as the Coast Guard and FEMA, must be empowered so that they can continue to do their crucial work and that work beyond homeland security. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask a few clarifying questions of the majority leader. First, the rule governing consideration of this legislation will be jointly recommended by the Speaker and the Democratic leader and then brought to the Committee on Rules. The rule will preserve minority rights protected by the House and will be a fair process; is this correct?

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and once again express my appreciation for the bipartisan cooperation we have had here today.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues today in commemorating the 30th anniversary of Title IX and I thank my distinguished colleague, Congresswoman Patsy Mink, for organizing this special order. As a member of the Education Committee in 1972, Congresswoman Mink helped craft Title IX, and engineer its passage. The day that it came to the floor, she was called away because her daughter had been in an automobile accident. She knew the vote would be close--and in fact the bill lost by one vote. But Patsy, through sheer force of will, forced then-Speaker Carl Albert to do the unheard of--to bring the bill up on the floor again. That time it passed. Thank you, Patsy, for your leadership and dedication and for leaving women and girls a lasting legacy of your commitment to equal opportunity for all. While Title IX is best known for participation of women in sports, its real purpose is much broader: to end gender discrimination in all education programs. I always say that the three most important issues facing Congress are our children, our children, and our children. Education is the most dynamic investment we can make and will bring more funds into the Treasury than any tax incentive you can name. Educated students become knowledgeable, productive citizens who are able to compete in the information economy. Title IX ensures that the full range of education opportunity is available to all of our children. For 30 years, Title IX has taken down the ``No Girls Allowed'' signs from our schools' locker rooms, shop classes, and career counseling centers. Today, because of Title IX, we are also taking down the signs from corporate boardrooms. While there is much to celebrate on this 30th anniversary, there is also important work to be done. Barriers still exist to keep women and girls from achieving their full potential. Technology education is one of those barriers. Technology is the driving force of our economy and the sector most in need of educated workers. According to the Department of Labor, nearly 75 percent of future jobs will require the use of computers. Yet less than 33 percent of participants in computer courses are girls. Girls are five times less likely than boys to consider a technology- related career path or plan to take postsecondary technology classes. We must use the power of Title IX to ensure girls are encouraged to participate in computer and technology programs that can broaden their options for the future. Before we can do that, however, we have to lay the basic infrastructure for technology educational for all our students. The first step toward preparing girls for the new economy is providing them with qualified teachers. Less than 2 percent of all computer/technology teachers today have a degree in computer science, and only 30 percent of teachers say they received any technology training. Unfortunately, President Bush's budget eliminates the program that would help teachers effectively integrate technology into the classroom. As a mother of four adult daughters, I have seen the results of Title IX. Some are visible, like the growing number of girls on soccer fields and basketball courts. Equally important, though less tangible, is the message that Title IX sends to women and girls: Your education is crucial and your future is limitless. Young women today believe they can do anything. And they can. We must continue to support this belief by fulfilling and sustaining the promise of Title IX.