Hal Rogers

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, we are willing to accept the suggestion of the gentleman on this organizational issue that the authorizing committee has addressed in its legislation. It is our hope that the solution would be worked out in the context of the authorization bill, but if it is not, we would attempt to work it out in conference on the appropriations bill. I thank the gentleman for bringing this to our attention.

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

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, let me say that we accept the amendment. The gentleman has brought a very important matter to the attention of the Congress for which we are very grateful, and we accept the amendment and think it is a good one. We urge its adoption.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment. The gentleman increases funds for the Public Broadcasting Facilities Program by $2 million. The funds in this bill for PBFP are already $11 million above the request. There were Members on my side of the aisle who had planned to offer amendments to eliminate the program altogether. The gentleman's amendment would target funds toward grants for television programs for children, a very worthy goal, but this is not a program that belongs in this bill. It is not authorized. I suggest the gentleman talk to the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Fields]. This amendment cuts funds from the Census Bureau, as that agency prepares for the year 2000 census. My bill already cuts the Census Bureau by $67 million. Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``no'' vote on the Engel amendment.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, if you want to vote to end corporate welfare, vote ``no'' on the Mollohan amendment.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Maryland [Mrs. Morella]. (Mrs. MORELLA asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 2 minutes. Mr. Chairman, as I said earlier, I am in opposition to this amendment. Essentially what this amendment would do would be to strike the language in the bill that prohibits the carry-over funds, $187 million that have not been spent, from being spent for new ATP grants or to pay for the continuation of 1995 ATP grants. The bill language only allows those carry-over funds to be spent for grants made in 1994 and previous years. We think that money is necessary to be able to close out in a reasonable fashion older grants, the mature grants, the ones who have a life-span of 3 to 5 years. This money that is carry-over funds could be used under the bill language to finish out those older grants, but not to make new ones in 1995 or 1996. Now, the amendment that the gentleman from West Virginia [Mr. Mollohan] has filed, would allow those carry-over funds to be used to finance the continuation of the ATP grant program, to issue new grants in 1996, to issue continuation grants for 1995 programs, and so on. It is the old business as usual. We think, Mr. Chairman, that the ATP program is a corporate welfare program. No. 2, it is a Washington-based picker of winners and losers in the private sector. We think the private sector is the one to make choices of winners and losers, and therefore we urge the defeat of this amendment and to keep the prohibition in the bill to stop the ATP program in its tracks. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself one minute. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the gentleman's amendment, and I will yield myself further time in a few minutes, but I wanted the Chairman of the Committee on Science to be able to speak because he has other work he has to go to. This amendment deals with the Commerce Department's Advanced Technology Program, which is not currently authorized. I do not expect it will be reauthorized, and it is not funded in this bill. The amendment deletes the insurance language in the bill, language which insures that recipients of ATP grants in prior years would have some continuation funding to either complete their projects or to carry them through while they find alternative funding. So I urge a no vote on this amendment. We did not fund the program in this bill. We allowed unused money, carryover money, from last year to be used to pay for projects from 1994 and previous years, but not 1995, nor certainly any new ATP grants. We think it is the fair approach to shutting down a program that needs to be shut down without undue harm to previous recipients. Mr. Chairman, I yield two minutes to the very distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Walker], chairman of the Committee on Science who has a very deep interest in this program.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that all debate on this amendment, and all amendments thereto, close in 20 minutes and that the time be equally divided.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of our time to the gentleman from California [Mr. Dreier], a member of the Committee on Rules. (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of our time to the gentleman from Mississippi [Mr. Wicker], who, as many know, is president of the freshman class on the Republican side of this body. (Mr. WICKER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that all debate on the Mollohan amendment, my substitute amendment, and all amendments thereto close in 20 minutes and the time be equally divided.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Clinger], the chairman of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Emerson]. (Mr. EMERSON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment as a substitute for the amendment.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Martini].

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Blute].

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Boehlert]. (Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ROGERS. I want to compliment the gentleman for bringing to our attention the efforts that are ongoing in your State. As an old State prosecutor, I can appreciate very much the efficacy of what they are doing there. I support the type of efforts at the local level you have mentioned to control crime and certainly would encourage local communities to use block grant funds that are in this bill to fund efforts of this type, and would join the gentleman in encouraging your communities as well as others across the country to get those block grant applications in at the appropriate time to fund this type of activity.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Gilchrest] who is the chairman of the subcommittee in charge of EDA, the authorizing subcommittee.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Shuster], the chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the authorizing committee for EDA.

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

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Goss], a member of the Committee on Rules.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that all debate on this amendment and all amendments thereto close in 50 minutes and that the time be equally divided between the gentleman from Colorado [Mr. Hefley] and the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Rogers], who is opposed to the amendment.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill, H.R. 2076, and that I may include tabular and extraneous material.