Ralph Regula

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, with the understanding that this has been cleared with the Committee on Ways and Means, we are prepared to accept this amendment.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I think the gentlewoman has a good amendment here. We are prepared to accept this, and I think in light of all the circumstances, the need for veterans' employment and training is growing, and, therefore, I think this is a very positive amendment, and we would be willing to accept it at this point.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I just want to point out, we do have $22.5 million in the bill now for hepatitis C funding, and we recognize the importance of that, and we have done all that we could within the budget constraints, and there is a sizable amount there.

Mr. REGULA. I yield to the gentleman from Vermont.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order against the amendment.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, it seems easy to take this out of the administrative budget of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, but let me point out that he has a great challenge in oversight to manage that Department effectively, and that is part of his administrative budget. Within that budget, he has to administer the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, HRSA, SAMHSA, the Indian Health Services, CMS, the children and families programs, the older americans programs and the health care quality. Now, that is quite a range of services that he has to manage effectively if they are going to serve the public well, and we are faced with some priority choices here.

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

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on this amendment.

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

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, well, if the gentleman would be willing to withdraw, we certainly would keep it in mind in conference, because I understand. I come from a State where it gets reasonably cold in the winter, too. I understand what the gentleman is saying about fuel costs. We do not know, I see gasoline is like a yo-yo. One day it is $1.89 out my way, and the next day it is $1.69. But the problem for the Secretary of HHS to manage all these agencies, what we have tried to do is put in a reasonable amount for his needs. Now, in conference, maybe we can address this, and we would certainly keep it in mind if the gentleman would consider withdrawing it.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in honoring the work of Sandra Feldman as she retires as president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Ms. Feldman began her career as a teacher and has committed her life to working with and advocating for teachers across the country. I want to draw attention today to some of her most recent work and that is her service on a distinguished panel known as the Teaching Commission. The Teaching Commission is a diverse group, comprising 19 leaders in government, business and education. The Commission recently released a Call to Action with specific recommendations to raise student performance by transforming the way in which America's public school teachers are recruited and retained. We know that a high- quality, caring, effective teacher can mean the difference between a lifetime of success or failure in a child's life. Ms. Feldman has dedicated her career to help ensure that every child has such a teacher--and hopefully many such teachers--in his or her life, and I want to personally thank Ms. Feldman for her work on the Teaching Commission. As the AFT's first female president since 1930, Ms. Feldman has also broken ground for young women to follow in her footsteps. I want to thank Ms. Feldman for her tireless efforts and wish her all the best in the days and years to come.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, with great sorrow I rise today to recognize Michael Barkey, a constituent from the 16th District of Ohio, who gave his life fighting for our country. National Guard Sgt. Barkey died in an accident while serving with the 1484th transportation company in Iraq. A football standout at Northwest High School in Canal Fulton Ohio, Barkey was known as a leader on and off the field. Family, friends, and coaches all recognized this young man's strong values and commitment to honor and integrity. He began his career with the National Guard to help pay his way through the University of Akron and was carrying on a long family tradition of military service. This outstanding young man showed courage and a commitment to protect those who could not protect themselves. Without people of his moral fortitude, our Nation would not stand. Sgt. Barkey carried a medallion with the inscription ``With God all things are possible.'' We must trust that the dedication of men and women like Sgt. Barkey will create a safer America. Sergeant Barkey and his family will be forever in our hearts and prayers. May we keep them in mind as they struggle through this difficult period of mourning.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Madam Speaker, I wanted to thank the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne). He is a good neighbor to Doug, and he is doing a great service to bring and have this Special Order. I would like to begin my tribute to the service of Doug Bereuter by quoting a noted Irish statesman and philosopher, Edmund Burke, who said: ``Your representative owes you not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion.'' This quote reflects the hallmark of Doug Bereuter's service to his constituents and his country. He has brought integrity and leadership to his service in the Congress and the people of Nebraska have been well-served by his dedication to effective government. On a personal note, Mary and I treasure the friendship of Doug and Louise. We have been with them on their little farm out in Nebraska. It has been a wonderful relationship to have them as friends over the years. It has also been a special privilege to be part of a U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly under the very capable leadership of Doug. I am pleased today to join my colleagues in wishing Doug Godspeed in his new challenge for service to our Nation.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Commerce, Justice, State appropriations bill, and commend the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Wolf) for crafting a fair and balanced bill, including the Justice Department, Commerce and State, as well as the Federal Judiciary. I would like particularly to comment on several issues of importance to me. First, this bill provides a 4 percent increase for the International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce. The ITA serves several important functions that promote economic growth for U.S. workers and firms, including the opening of foreign markets for U.S. goods and the enforcement of trade laws and agreements. I join the chairman in strongly urging the Commerce Department to carefully analyze market trends in order to anticipate unfair trade practices and consult with foreign governments to preempt the requirement for unfair trade cases to be filed. This is particularly helpful to small- and medium-sized companies that have neither the time nor the resources to file lengthy and costly trade cases, but they do deserve the protection of our U.S. trade laws. Further, I would like to highlight the directive to the Commerce Department to contract with the National Academy of Public Administration to conduct a comprehensive study of the effects of offshoring jobs on the United States workforce and economy. Many manufacturing jobs have left my congressional district in recent years, and I believe it is critical to have accurate data of where jobs are going and what economic impact this job movement is having on the U.S. economy. I support the $10 million increase over the request for public diplomacy programs in this bill. It is important that we counter the anti-American sentiments that are being voiced in foreign public opinion polls and reflected in foreign media content. Public diplomacy is a critical tool to spread the message of who we are as Americans. The person-to-person exchanges that are promoted by these programs allow for the development of personal, long-term relationships that lead to mutual understanding and respect. We must continue to support these programs worldwide, but in particular, we must focus on programs with the Arab and Muslim world. Mr. Chairman, I urge support of this important appropriations bill that funds our national and international security needs.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from Florida and I were probably the only two Members who were here when the Budget Committee was created and the budget process that we are talking about today. We had at that time great hopes that this would accomplish the goals of achieving fiscal responsibility. I think it is time that we take a look at this process to see if there are changes that can be made. I, for one, think that we might take a look at a 2-year budget as a possibility so that we can bring more certainty to the process. Because what we are doing is setting the parameters for those who execute the decisions that we make in terms of policy. But keep in mind, we always say this is the people's House. This is not the Office of Management and Budget's House. That is what we are talking about here, whether we would give OMB the ability to establish the priorities for the people. That is our job. That is why we get elected. That is why Daniel Webster, if you read the statement above the Speaker's chair said, ``Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, built up its institutions, promote all its great interests and see whether we also in our day and generation may not perform things worthy to be remembered.'' Daniel Webster was a Member of the House. He was speaking in terms of the people's House. I think we have a responsibility to make these priority decisions. The subcommittee I chair is second only to defense in terms of funding levels and it is the one that touches the lives of 280 million Americans, providing funding for education, health research, and labor. We have dozens of hearings to give the people a chance to tell us what their priorities are and what is important in their lives. That is why it is essential that we have the responsibility for establishing through the budget process the broad parameters of spending, but more precisely the specific appropriations that reflect the priorities of the people should remain in the people's House. If we truly want to make this the people's House and keep it that way, I think we should retain control of setting those priorities.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, President Ronald Reagan was a warm thoughtful leader who governed by the Golden Rule of caring for others. Many speakers have paid eloquent tribute to his role as both a world leader and a best friend of the American people. Because of our shared love of land I developed a personal relationship with President Reagan that I will always cherish.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, at the ceremony recognizing the 60th Anniversary of D-Day held at the United States Memorial Cemetery at Omaha Beach, you, Speaker Dennis Hastert, delivered a moving tribute to the courage and sacrifice of those who fought and died for freedom. The text of these thoughtful remarks follows: D-Day Minus 1 Remarks by Speaker J. Dennis Hastert following a Mass by His Eminence Francis Cardinal George of Chicago [From the Omaha Beach Cemetery, France, June 5, 2004] Thank you Cardinal George for your inspirational words. Today we stand in this now peaceful cemetery, on the cliffs overlooking the sea, in this field of white crosses and Stars of David--straight and tall--as if they were young men standing at attention. Together we have made a pilgrimage to this ``hallowed ground''--as Abraham Lincoln would have phrased it--to bear witness to what took place here and to spend, at least a fleeting moment, with our brothers that lie beneath this ground--men who sacrificed on this foreign shore so that we might live as free men and women. It is our privilege, and our duty, to reflect upon the courage and the heroism of those who were called upon to defend our freedom. We honor those who lie here, but we also embrace those who survived, and returned home to raise their families and to build our nation as a beacon to freedom loving people around the world. Not far from here, at Pointe du Hoc, are the cliffs they said no man could scale. But they were scaled by determined men with ladders and ropes and grappling hooks in the midst of a merciless hale of bullets and shrapnel. Twenty years ago, on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day, President Reagan looked out at those cliffs and asked, ``who were these men?'' They were ordinary men doing extraordinary things. Men who sought no territory--who sought no plunder--and who sought no glory. They simply came, and many died, so we could live in freedom. ``Where do we find such men?'' asked President Reagan. He knew the answer. Over there--across the sea--In America. Sixty years ago today, D-Day minus One, what were those young men thinking as they waited to embark on one of the great crusades of the millennium? In those tension filled hours some found comfort in quiet prayer. Others may have wondered why they were here. What threat forced these farmers, accountants, factory workers, college students, athletes and assorted other laborers and professionals, to leave their families, their careers and their American way of life? They knew the answer. Hitler's Germany was that threat. Hitler's hatred of freedom, his assault on common decency, his brutal murder of millions of his own citizens, and his determination to impose his sick vision of the future on the free world. To end Hitler's regime and restore common decency in the world: that is why they were there. Operation Overlord, as with the entire war effort, caused great hardship. But out of such hardship was drawn great courage, and from great courage were forged great leaders. Some of that ``greatest generation'' returned home and entered politics and went on to serve our Nation in the Congress of the United States. Sam Gibbons parachuted behind the lines here in Normandy, preparing the way for the invasion that would follow. He would later become a leader on the Ways and Means Committee. Bob Michel, our beloved leader from Illinois, went ashore here in Normandy and fought the Nazis all the way to Bastogne, where he was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge. The list of members who served our nation in the Second World War, and still serve in the House of Representatives, is growing ever shorter with the passage of time. But those proud members--Henry Hyde of Illinois, Cass Ballenger of North Carolina, John Dingell of Michigan, Amo Houghton of New York, Ralph Hall of Texas, and Ralph Regula of Ohio, still bring great honor to the United States House of Representatives. These Members of Congress and the men of the 1st Division, some of whom are here today, and their millions of comrades- in- arms, understood that the world-wide threat of fascism, if left unchecked, would destroy the free world. They faced that threat and they beat it. I want to tell you that the ``Greatest Generation'' still lives today and like the boys of the 1940s, it has a very young face. They are the grandsons and the granddaughters of those who hit this beach in France or raised that flag on Iwo Jimi or pushed the communists back in Korea or in Vietnam. How do I know that these young warriors of the 21st century are also part of ``The Greatest Generation?'' Because I have met some of them. I have visited them in hospital wards at Walter Reed and in Landstuhl in Germany. When you visit these young men and women--some of whom have been severely wounded, and you ask them what they want, you always get the same answer, ``I just want to go back and join my unit, sir, to be with my comrades and do my job.'' It happens over and over again, the same response given with pride and determination. I ask myself, often with tears in my eyes as I walk away, ``Where do we find such men and women?'' And I know the answer. All around me. Everywhere I look. In America. Today we face the threat of world-wide terrorism. Like the Nazis of the 1930's, the terrorists of the 1990's were a threat too often ignored. But like Pearl Harbor, September 11th, 2001, shocked us out of our complacency. As Americans, we love peace, but we love freedom more. So we are facing the threat. And we will beat it. In war, we often sacrifice some of the best and the brightest to further the cause of freedom. But we also forge the leaders for the next generation. We cannot know who will be the Bob Michel, or Bob Dole, or Sam Gibbons of this new generation. But they are out there. Perhaps serving today in a remote mountain camp in Afghanistan, or in a village in Iraq, or on a ship at sea. Their mission is not very different from that of 1944--to preserve the freedoms that we cherish and to restore freedom to oppressed people. They are fighting to make our homeland safe. They are sacrificing for others. Who are these ordinary men and women doing extraordinary things you ask? I cannot tell you their names. But this I know: They are Americans. May God continue to Bless the United States of America.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a dedicated soldier and citizen from my district in Ohio who gave his life defending our country. Private First Class Jesse Buryj (pronounced booty) died protecting a U.S. Army checkpoint in Iraq. A graduate from McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio, he was a member of the marching band all four years and an outstanding citizen to his community. Growing up he served as a member of the Canton City Police Youth Corps with the lifelong dream of becoming a police officer in his hometown. Upon learning the age requirement to become a police officer was twenty-one years, he decided to join the army to serve his country until he could join the police force. Pfc. Jesse Buryj served as a Military Police Officer for the Army and displayed great courage and dedication during his tour of duty. He died saving the lives of three of his comrades in Karbala, Iraq. He will be remembered as a hero to those men in Iraq and to all who knew him. I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to his mother, father, sister, wife and all of his family and friends who are now mourning the loss of his life. I pray for the safe return of all of our servicemen and women and thank them for the sacrifice they make every day defending our country.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the achievements of the Morton Salt plant, a company from Wayne County in Rittman, Ohio. I am confident that you will recognize this company by the Morton umbrella girl, a familiar sight on the Morton products, and by the slogan ``When It Rains It Pours.'' What you may not know is the long history of safety that the Rittman plant has experienced. Today, I rise to recognize the dedicated employees of the Morton plant in Rittman, Ohio, for the recent achievement of 5 million work hours without a lost-time incident. This is a record within the Morton Salt Company as well as the entire North American salt industry. Since 1848, the Morton Salt Company has been North America's leading producer and marketer of salt for home, water conditioning, industrial, agriculture, and highway use. Morton's Rittman's facility employees process thousands of tons of household salt each day. As you know, Mr. Speaker, mining and manufacturing can be high-risk professions. This plant employs approximately 285 employees. And since June of 1995, injury accidents have not forced any worker to take time off from work. This milestone shows the dedication to health and safety of these people. I congratulate all of them for their outstanding achievement.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, today, March 30, 2004, marks the 151st anniversary of the death of First Lady Abigail Powers Fillmore, founder of the very first White House Library. Abigail Powers was born on March 13, 1798, in Stillwater, NY, and received a good education and love for learning and libraries through the personal library of her father, Reverend Lemuel Powers (d. 1800). She became a school teacher at age sixteen and helped establish a small circulating library in Kelloggsville, New York about 1817 that greatly influenced the intellectual development of her future husband and President of the United States, Millard Fillmore. Abigail Powers Fillmore found the White House destitute of books when she became First Lady in 1850 and encouraged and supported her husband's request for appropriations from Congress to establish a library in the Executive Mansion. She used the $2,250 appropriated by the 31st Congress to select library books for the Executive Mansion and transform the Yellow Oval Room into the first official White House Library. Subsequently, the White House Library was the center of many cultural, social, and political activities during the Fillmore Presidency and has been a legacy enjoyed by subsequent presidential administrations for over 150 years. We honor the life and work of Abigail Powers Fillmore. She serves as a reminder to us of the importance of continuing to advocate for libraries and for educational programs. In these times of economic difficulty and challenge, we continually are reminded of the key role libraries play in providing Americans with the opportunities they need to promote lifelong learning.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, with great sorrow I rise today to recognize Richard P. Ramey, an Ohio citizen from my district, who gave his life fighting for our country. On Sunday, February 8th, 2004, in Iraq, Staff Sergeant Ramey was killed by a roadside bomb. From training as a boy scout to his position on the Perry High School football team and then as a member of the Army, Staff Sergeant Ramey grew to be a leader. He graduated from high school in 1995 and began his career serving in the Army that same year. He was carrying on a family tradition in military service. This outstanding young man showed courage and a commitment to protect those who could not protect themselves. Those who knew him recognized how proud he was to serve in the military. Staff Sergeant Ramey is a true hero and a reminder of the dedication evidenced by all the men and women all over the world fighting the war on terror. We must reflect on this great life and all the good that is being done in Iraq. Staff Sergeant Ramey and his family will be forever in our hearts and prayers. May we keep them in mind as they struggle through this difficult period of mourning.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the J.M. Smucker Company. The Ohio-based Smucker Company was recently ranked number one on Fortune Magazine's annual ``Top 100 Companies to Work For'' list. Founded in 1897 in Orrville, Ohio, Smucker sold its first product-- apple butter--from the back of a horse drawn wagon. Today, the company is the market leader for an array of fruit spreads, toppings, beverages and natural foods. Smucker employs some 2,430 people in the U.S. and maintains 12 manufacturing plants worldwide. Since its inception in 1897, the Smucker Company has grown to earn a national reputation as a premier and model employer. Sustaining job security and stability for employees even through difficult economic times has been a recurring theme in the company's success. In fact, Smucker has never resorted to layoffs to cope with a lagging economy. Still, Smucker continues to enjoy great success. Sales for the company are up 91 percent from last year alone. I applaud the J.M. Smucker Company for this recognition as an exemplary employer and I wish it continued growth and prosperity.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge Members to support this bill, but I just want to address a few of the highlights in the Labor, HHS, and Education portions. One, the Department of Education gets an increase of 4.8 percent which is above the overall rate of inflation, and, I think, recognizes the importance of education. Special education has an additional $200 million over the House-passed number, for a total increase of $1.2 billion over last year. Reading programs have been increased in the overall bill, as has improving teacher quality, which I think is extremely important. We have a number of programs in here that are important from the standpoint of improving teacher quality, including increasing the number of math and science teachers. Pell Grants are maintained at the highest level ever. Impact Aid is $48 million over last year. After- school programs are $400 million over the President's request because we recognize the importance of these programs to young people. TRIO and Gear-Up are increased, Head Start is increased $148 million over last year, and we maintained comprehensive school reform. That is particularly important in addressing the dropout rate. Community health centers are expanded. I think most of us know from experience that these are an important part of a community's health program, to have funding for these health centers, and we provide funds to expand them. National Institutes of Health, we give them an increase of more than 7 percent if we take into account one-time costs in fiscal year 2003. The same is true for a number of activities, such as international HIV, infectious disease, homeland security biodefense. In addition, LIHEAP is fund at $1.9 billion. I am particularly pleased that in the Labor Department, we are supporting job training programs. The worker training programs are extremely important, particularly as people shift to new types of employment. As the overall job economy changes in our society, it is important that we have a place that people can go and know that there is hope for getting a new job or getting a better job or getting an opportunity. I am glad we were able to do that in this bill. Overall, I think the Labor-HHS portion of the bill is very responsive to the needs of our people. It is less than 4 percent overall, which is lower than the rate of inflation. It is about 3.4 percent over last year. Mr. Speaker, given the fact that these programs are very important to people, touch the lives of 280 million Americans in one way or another, the subcommittee and the conference committee tried to address these challenges in the most effective way possible. I urge support of the bill. Mr. Speaker, Division E of this conference agreement provides funding for a broad range of programs and activities affecting the lives of nearly every American. It provides help to workers looking for retraining or enhancing their job skills, assistance for teachers working hard to educate our children, support for families in need of health services, and funding for scientists seeking to understand and cure disease. The agreement totals $139 billion in discretionary spending, an increase of less than 4 percent over 2003. In the area of education, I want to begin by laying out a few basic facts. Federal funds for education have more than doubled over the past 8 years. Discretionary appropriations for the U.S. Department of Education have climbed from $23 billion in FY1996 to $55.7 billion in this bill. This is an increase of 141 percent. The problem in American education is not lack of spending. It is lack of accountability for results. With the help of the reforms put in place by the No Child Left Behind Act, being implemented by good teachers and principals and caring parents all across this country, we are changing things for the better. I will give a few examples of how this bill takes a focused approach to improving education for our Nation's children. First, funding for Special Education for disabled children is increased by $1.2 billion in this bill, bringing total funding to $10 billion. Meeting our Federal commitment in this program has been a priority for the Congress for the past 8 years, and this bill continues that progress. Second, Title I, which helps children from low-income homes achieve academic success, is increased by nearly $700 million to a total of $12.35 billion. Coupled with the new accountability standards in No Child Left Behind, Title I has the potential to change ``business as usual'' at our public schools. Third, reading programs, which use sound scientific evidence to help children learn to read effectively, are funded at over $1 billion, representing a tripling of these funds in just 3 years. These programs are important because we know that many children are placed in special education simply because they have not been taught to read properly. By investing in sound reading programs, we can ensure that every child gets the help to excel in reading at a young age. tchr quality--comprehensive school reform There are many other good education programs funded in this bill. We have increased funding for training teachers, especially math and science teachers, so that our future workforce can compete in the high- tech, global marketplace. We have included funds for after school and mentoring activities. We have increased funding for student aid programs and other higher education programs to help all students have a chance to realize the dream of graduating from college. Seventy-one education programs have been increased above last year's level in this bill. At the same time, other programs have been cut or eliminated from the budget entirely because they have not proven their results or because they duplicate other programs. Our conference bill also invests in important health service and research programs. Community health centers, which are the backbone of medical care in many communities, receive an increase of $120 million, which puts our efforts ahead of the benchmark anticipated in the President's 5-year expansion plan. Maintaining the congressional commitment to supporting the important care provided by our pediatric hospitals, the conference agreement provides a $13 million increase for the graduate medical education program for children's hospitals. To ensure that we have enough health care providers for these community clinics and hospitals, we have preserved the health professions and nurse training programs in the face of drastic reductions proposed by the administration. I'm pleased to report that we were able to provide more than a 30 percent increase for the abstinence education program, which I know many of our Members believe is very important to strengthen their communities. We continue our commitment to biomedical research to provide the breakthroughs necessary to improve the quality of care we can give our citizens and provide answers to families who are desperate for help. The conference agreement provides over a 3 percent increase for the National Institutes of Health. This year's increase follows the successful campaign to double funding for NIH--in the previous 5 years, the NIH appropriation jumped from $13.6 billion to almost $27 billion. I am confident that the roadmap for future NIH investments developed by the new director of NIH will mold and discipline this investment to ultimately make possible better health care for our communities. The conference agreement includes $100 million to fund a new substance abuse treatment voucher program, Access to Recovery, which will open new pathways to people who need treatment for addiction. By investing in this new initiative, Congress is giving hope to those who are lost in the cycle of addiction. This program will increase treatment capacity and access to providers by giving vouchers to those most in need. In the area of faith-based programming, the conference agreement provides a 30 percent increase over last year. Increasing the capacity of small faith-based groups to provide outreach and services to our communities means that more people in need will be served. Programs in this bill with a faith component provide a wide-range of services including mentoring, substance abuse treatment, refugee services, child abuse prevention, and many others. To provide services to families and individuals who care for their elderly loved ones, $160 million is provided for the Family Caregiver Program within the Administration on Aging. This program provides information, assistance, counseling, respite and supplemental services to the millions of caregivers who are the most important long-term care resource in the country. This support allows our Nation's elderly to remain at home for as long as possible. For the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the agreement provides $1.9 billion. Within those funds, the conferees have included $100 million to meet the additional home energy assistance needs arising from a natural disaster or other emergency. While much more could be said about how this bill will benefit the American people, I will stop here and simply say, it is a responsible bill, crafted during tight budget times, that tries to direct resources to programs that work for people most in need. I want to thank Chairman Young for his assistance in forging this agreement. We had some tough issues to resolve with the other body. Of the nearly 600 programs and activities funded in the bill, 61 percent of them were at different levels between the two bodies. On top of that, several difficult policy items had to be resolved. I also say to my friend, Mr. Obey, this year has been difficult for both of us. I respect your deep commitment to the programs in this bill and understand the reason for your opposition. I trust that in the future, we can again be partners.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. That is right.

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