Ralph Regula

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I now yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk) for the purposes of a colloquy.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes legislation in an appropriation bill and, therefore, violates clause 2 of Rule XXI, which states in part: ``An amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order if changing existing law.'' This amendment addresses funds in other acts.

Mr. REGULA. I yield to the gentleman from New York. It is my understanding the gentleman is going to withdraw the amendment.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the point of order.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I claim the time in opposition to the motion to recommit. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``nay'' vote on the motion to recommit. I think this bill is fair, balanced, and good given the amount of money that is available. We do a lot of important things in education, health research, and in the Department of Labor. I urge all my colleagues to vote for the bill.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. REGULA. I yield to the gentleman from New York.

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

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

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time. Amendment No. 24 Offered by Mr. Nadler

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. This, like many programs, is a great idea, a great help, with over 100 grants last year, but we do have a really tight budget. I know when we get to conference with the other body, that this probably will be one that has support, but it all depends on what is available in funding. I am sympathetic to it, but I cannot guarantee anything. I think we would have to consider it. It has a trade-off, that is the problem at this juncture in your amendment, and that is it would cause the layoff of many employees.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

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

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I am responding to the question from the gentleman from New York, and that is, yes, we will certainly take this under consideration in the conference.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I do not think the gentleman is a big fan of AmeriCorps, and the attempt really here is to reduce AmeriCorps more than to enhance the other program, because we have already added $100 million in new money in the teacher innovation program. It is a great program, and I am a great believer that teachers are the key to a good education, so I do not quarrel with the idea. I wish we had more money to do that. But, on the other hand, AmeriCorps is a very important program, because it is made up of volunteers, a lot of times young people. They get a little stipend to help with their education, but they do not get paid. You have volunteers who are working in a community, on education, public safety, probably doing mentoring for students, which is extremely important. I think that perhaps the goal that the gentleman is trying to achieve is desirable, but the target the gentleman has, which is AmeriCorps, would be a mistake given the fact that AmeriCorps has a very important role to play. I like volunteers. The President is a big booster of volunteers. He has a goal of getting 75,000 AmeriCorps members as volunteers, and this would in part stifle the President's goal of getting these people. So I would hope the gentleman would withdraw his amendment, or at least not go to a vote on it, because I think the innovative program is good, but AmeriCorps is good, and in limited budgets we need to keep that program going.

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

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I would just point out that the AmeriCorps members that would be reduced and perhaps eliminated serve 2 million children and youth in education-related programs, as I mentioned earlier, as mentors. They tutor children of prisoners and they train over 600,000 community volunteers. So it has a very powerful ripple effect throughout the community to have these AmeriCorps, most like young people, volunteers, seeking other people and training them to engage in service as mentors and so on. Here you have two good programs, but, on balance, we have to at this juncture and with the limited resources we have, go with the AmeriCorps as opposed to adding more, in addition to the $100 million we already put in the program, for innovative education programs. Mr. Chairman, I urge Members to oppose this amendment if it were to come to a vote. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment, and I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk).

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier).

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would just point out to the Members that this is a very delicately balanced arrangement and I think the risk to all of this is that if we were to adopt this amendment, the benefits that now are available to retirees under PBGC could even be lost, plus a lot of jobs could be lost. And we are inserting ourselves or would be inserting ourselves into something that has been worked out among all the parties in a way that is in the best interest of both active employees and retirees, and this is not the appropriate forum to deal with this subject. We have legislation moving through the Committee on Education and the Workforce dealing with pensions, and this would set a precedent, I think, for our body, the U.S. House, to interject itself in something that should be handled by the parties, and I think what they are trying to do is to work it out in a way that is in the best interest of both the active employees and retirees. For this reason we object to the amendment, and this is not the proper forum to bring this kind of an amendment or to make a decision with the consequences that this would have. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the remaining time. I say this to my colleagues who are watching us on C-SPAN: I think the debate illustrates the complexity of this issue. This is not the proper forum to adjudicate the problem of United or any other airline's pension plan or the problems that confront PBGC. I would hope that the Committee on Education and the Workforce that is dealing with the pension problems would address situations similar to this. This amendment has far-reaching consequences. That is illustrated by the fact that we heard a number of extraneous matters injected into this, including the Schiavo case. I would urge Members to vote against this because it is simply not the right forum to try to deal with a very difficult problem, and it will not be the last problem. Other airlines are going to be faced with this; and I think the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) is right, we need to take a look at this in the long term, but this is not the place to do it. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to U.S. Army 1LT Aaron Seesan, a constituent from my district who died on May 23rd from injuries he received in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Aaron was a graduate of Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio and of the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY. It takes an exceptional young person to be nominated for military academies. Aaron had an outstanding record in high school and in the Merchant Marine Academy and continued to make a difference as he continued his service to his country and fellow man. After graduation he chose to join the Army. During his service in Iraq his vehicle came upon an incendiary explosive device. In this distressful time while he suffered from injuries, he directed help to others showing his sense of responsibility and duty. The community fondly remembers Aaron as a young man who always strove to make those activities he was involved in the finest they could be. Aaron made a difference to others his age both in the military and in the community. He was a true role model and hero. His memory will live on through the Aaron Seesan Memorial Garden at Lincoln Park in Massillon Ohio. In addition, the Aaron Seesan Memorial Scholarship Fund through the Stark County Community Foundation will serve as a tribute to his service and dedication.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the further consideration of H.R. 3010, and that I may include tabular material on the same.