Todd Rokita

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. ROKITA. I want to thank my friend and colleague for this amendment, and I appreciate being able to join with him on it and on continuing our work on the charter school initiatives. Mr. Chairman, this amendment supports the sharing of best practices between charter schools and traditional public schools. Again, I think that is a good thing. We have seen the successful charter school- traditional public school collaborations, like in Ohio between breakthrough schools and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and we know that working together helps each of them excel. It is the old adage of iron sharpening iron, and that is reflected here in this good amendment. Put simply, Mr. Chairman, many of us believe other charter schools and traditional public schools can benefit from these partnerships as well. This is a great amendment, and it improves the underlying bill. I thank the gentleman for offering it, and I urge my colleagues to support it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. ROKITA. Again, I thank Mr. Polis for this amendment. The amendment simply clarifies that States may use, again, at their choosing, their funds under the local academic flexible grant to create or distribute open source education resources. This is a good thing. This grant is designed to be used to support the activities the State and local school districts believe are important to their students. If open source material is what is best for them, they should be able to use the funding to support that activity. This is in line with the spirit and themes found throughout the Student Success Act. Again, I thank the gentleman for his leadership in offering it. I urge my colleagues to support it, and the underlying bill. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for offering this amendment. This adds an allowable use of funds for what we are calling the local academic flexible grant to support projects that focus on school and student safety. The local academic flexible grant, again, is the product of us eliminating over 65 programs in current law and delivering the funds that supported those programs back to the States and, with the States' blessing, even further back to local school districts and so forth. We know all too well that bad things can happen in schools. This amendment will clarify that school districts can use this funding-- again, not being mandated by the Federal Government--but through this grant can use the funding to support programs aimed at making schools safer. This is in all our interests. I thank the gentlewoman for offering this amendment and urge my colleagues to support it and the underlying bill. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the gentlewoman's concern and the purpose of this amendment; however, it must be opposed. Comprehensive literacy and reading programs and their connection to college and career success are obviously vitally important. Since State and local educational officials understand the importance of reading proficiency, including the benefits of teaching comprehension, vocabulary, and other skills, I am confident that these officials will see the benefits of programs like this and choose to use their local academic flexible grant under this bill to fund programs like this. The block grant is designed to be flexible, thereby allowing local education officials to use the funds in a way that most benefits their students. We do not want to start rebuilding the silos that we have just knocked down with this bill language. I believe this amendment, unfortunately, would do that very thing by requiring this instruction instead of letting State and local school districts, teachers, parents, local taxpayers, and school officials decide what is best for their students. I agree, again, with the importance of this issue, but oppose the amendment as the underlying bill already provides States and school districts funding flexibility to set their own priorities, not letting Washington do it. I encourage my colleagues, on that basis then, to oppose this amendment but still support the underlying bill. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for his great leadership on this bill and in the committee generally. I rise in strong support this afternoon because every student, Mr. Chairman, every student deserves an effective teacher, an engaging classroom, and a quality education that paves the path for a bright and prosperous future. That is what we all want. Unfortunately, despite the best of intentions, the Nation's current K-12 education law has failed to provide students this fundamental right. In fact, the law has only gotten in the way. Far from taking us back to the past, this bill will take us to the future, where we should have been for a while now in terms of education, so that we can maintain competitiveness with the rest of the world and win in the 21st century. No Child Left Behind's onerous requirements and the Obama administration's waiver scheme and pet projects have created a one- size-fits-all system that hinders innovation and stymies local efforts to improve student learning. As a result, too many young adults leave high school today without basic knowledge in reading, math, and science. They are ill-equipped to complete college and compete in the workforce, and consequently they are deprived of one of the best opportunities they have to earn a lifetime of success. We shouldn't shackle any student to that kind of future. Americans have settled for the status quo for far too long, and today we have an opportunity to chart the new course. The Student Success Act departs from the top-down approach that has inefficiently and ineffectively governed elementary and secondary education and restores that responsibility to its rightful stewards: parents, teachers, State and local education leaders, and the local taxpayers. First, the bill gets the Federal government out of the business of running our schools. It eliminates the dizzying maze of Federal mandates that has dictated local decisions and downsizes the bloated bureaucracy at the Department of Education that has focused on what Washington wants rather than what students need. The whole theme of this bill is that we trust teachers, parents, local education officials, and our local taxpayers much more than we would ever trust a Federal bureaucrat. Mr. Chairman, I find it funny that the other side, those who are against this bill, actually cite the Department of Education in arguing what a bad bill this is. Imagine a Federal bureaucrat actually arguing to devolve its power back to its rightful owners. Of course they are going to be for the status quo. They benefit from the status quo. The students do not. Second, the bill empowers parents and education leaders with choice, transparency, and flexibility. It ensures parents continue to have the information they need to hold schools accountable and helps more families escape underperforming schools by expanding alternative education options such as quality charter schools. It also provides States the flexibility to develop their own systems for addressing school performance and the autonomy to use Federal funds in the most efficient way. This bill respects, Mr. Chairman, that it is the people's property. It is their tax dollars. We shouldn't be forcing any kind of maintenance of effort requirement on States or local jurisdictions. It is their decision to decide what to do with their money. With the Student Success Act, we have an opportunity to overcome the failed status quo of high stakes testing and Federal waivers. We have an opportunity to reduce the Federal footprint in our Nation's classrooms. We also have an opportunity to signal to moms, dads, teachers, administrators, and State officials that we trust them to hold schools accountable for delivering a quality education to every child. As my good friend, former colleague and fellow Hoosier Governor Mike Pence, said before the House Education and the Workforce Committee earlier this month: There is nothing that ails education that can't be fixed by giving parents more choices and teachers more freedom to teach. That is exactly what this bill does. This bill fosters an environment to accomplish that very thing. So I urge my colleagues to join me in replacing a broken law with much-needed, commonsense education reforms and ask you to vote ``yes''--``yes''--on the Student Success Act.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker I rise today to honor a distinguished Hoosier, Dr. Dane A. Miller, whom passed away on February 10, 2015. I would like to express my appreciation for his community and economic development leadership in our state and nation. Most important to me, he was a friend who always gave me good, direct advice. Although Dr. Miller was born and raised a Buckeye, Hoosiers are proud to claim him as one of our own. Dr. Miller graduated from General Motors Institute with a B.S. in Mechanical Materials Science Engineering, and a Masters degree in Materials Science from the University of Cincinnati. While performing as Director of Biomedical Engineering for Zimmer U.S.A. in Warsaw, Indiana, Dr. Miller simultaneously earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. Shortly after earning his doctorate, Dr. Miller served as Director of Biomedical Engineering for Cutter Biomedical. After three years he returned to Warsaw and joined three others to form Biomet, Inc. which eventually became one of the premier orthopedic manufacturing companies in the world. He would later start several more companies in the medical device industry, helping cement Warsaw, Indiana, as ``The Orthopedic Capital of the World''. Dr. Miller had served on numerous boards, including as Director of Biomet 3i, LLC, Biomet Sports Medicine, LLC, Soft Tissue Regeneration, Inc., and 1st Source Corporation. He also devoted his time and entrepreneurial spirit to his adopted home as Director of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. As a proud alumnus, Dr. Miller also served as Trustee to the University of Cincinnati Foundation. Dr. Miller was highly regarded in his community for his philanthropic and business endeavors. He was often recognized for this leadership earning many awards and honors throughout his life including: Outstanding Small Business Person in the State of Indiana, Business Week's Top Performing CEO, Warsaw Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year, and the Phoenix Lifetime Achievement Award for the Healthcare Industry. Dr. and Mrs. Miller established the Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller Foundation in order to provide financial assistance to various charitable organizations and educational scholarships. Dr. Miller leaves his beloved wife Mary Louise, two daughters and four grandchildren to carry on his innovative and entrepreneurial spirit. His work helped drive advancements in biomaterials and implant design that helped patients around the world live better lives. His academic and economic contributions, both direct results of his pioneering efforts, to our state and its citizens will be an endearing legacy for future generations of Hoosiers.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to raise awareness for Angelman syndrome, an extremely rare neurogenetic disorder. This Sunday, February 15, is recognized as International Angelman Day. Originally described by a pediatrician in 1965, Angelman now affects roughly one out of every 15,000 children or young adults. They are also known as Angels. My son, Teddy, is one of those Angels. There are hundreds more just like him. My wife and I are extremely blessed by Teddy's presence in our lives, and we are thankful for the joy he brings. In recognition of International Angelman Day, I encourage you to join me to increase awareness for Angelman syndrome this Sunday. You can participate by using the #angelmanday on Twitter and Facebook or by visiting www.angelman.org. Together, Mr. Speaker, we can increase awareness and support of Angels everywhere.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. I thank the gentleman for yielding. The gentleman is exactly right. By the way, while I am at it, let me just say that the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Woodall), in my humble opinion, is a blessing not only for this Congress and for the people of Georgia but for this country because of the tenacity you bring, the energy you bring. If I had a list of all the pieces of legislation, all the things that we have gotten done around here for the last 4 years that you and I have been in here, that you have had your fingers on, that you weren't mentioned about, the work you have done behind the scenes, that list would be very long and would probably go out these doors. One of the things that you have done, that we have done together, is for the first time since the Korean war, we have cut discretionary spending 4 years in a row. It hasn't been done since the Korean war. Now, as you pointed out in earlier slides, there is a lot more work to do, and we are going to continue to get to it. We need a partner at some point. We need people to put on what I call their big boy pants and their big girl skirts and get to the bottom of this, and that is getting to a balanced budget. I will tell you that this pie chart is very good. You are exactly right. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Woodall is exactly right. The two blue pieces that we pull out for you in this pie chart are what you would get at in a traditional, regular budget process. This is what we call our discretionary spending both in the nondefense area and in the defense area. As you can see, it is really no more than one-third--or 40 percent--of our total Federal spending. The rest, all that red that you see there is on what we call autopilot spending because the budget, line by line, doesn't touch that. Why? Because it is on autopilot. That is your Medicare, that is your Medicaid, that is your Social Security, and that is your interest that we owe ourselves and other countries for all this debt because that is a contract. That red is just going to continue to grow as a percentage of that pie until it takes up nearly all of it over the next several years. Then we are not going to have the money we need to spend on the things that constitutionally we need to spend it on, like defense and like some of the other 167 other agencies around here. That is a bad, bad situation. It is unsustainable. Until you get to the underlying law, that is Social Security, that is Medicare, that is Medicaid, and that is the other mandatory spending, until you reform those programs, until they fit how we live in the 21st century, so they can be saved for our children and for our grandchildren, then you are really never going to get to balancing the budget or paying down this awful debt. I can't imagine anything more immoral than passing on to future Americans--our children and grandchildren who do not yet exist--this burden. Talk about taxation without representation. Well, thank you, Mr. Woodall. I appreciate your letting me as a member of the Budget Committee, under the excellent leadership of Chairman Price, chime in here. We are going to have a budget, the fifth time we will do it in a row here, by the statutory deadline. We intend to get it over to the Senate, and we intend to move this country forward. Again, I say, Mr. Speaker, chiming in with Mr. Woodall, I hope we have a partner this time. I hope we have personal responsibility on the floor of this House and the floor of the other Chamber.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Richard D. ``Dick'' Gilroy, a great Hoosier and valued friend who passed away on January 25, 2015. On that Sunday evening we lost a committed husband and father, as well as a dedicated community servant. I consider the words recorded on the floor of this House to be the official record of our nation. As such, please allow me to submit the following: After law school, Dick Gilroy joined the office of former Indianapolis Mayor, Richard G. Lugar, where he served the citizens of the city admirably and where he met Sue Anne Starnes, who he would marry in 1973. Having been a member of the United States Army Reserve, Dick Gilroy was a patriot who cared deeply for our nation and the ideals of American Exceptionalism. As one who believed deeply in the sacred American principle of ``innocent until proven guilty,'' Dick continued to serve the people of Indianapolis as a public defender, and later as a Magistrate Judge. Always close to politics and public service, Dick Gilroy was the perfect spouse ``behind the scenes'' as his cherished wife ran for statewide office and served two celebrated terms as Indiana's 58th Secretary of State. Mr. Speaker, we live in an age when the spouse of an elected official may often times play an integral role in the success of the official's public service. The unelected spouse will often share the work and time commitment of his/her partner. Dick Gilroy understood the significance of this role and executed it faithfully always supporting the efforts of his wife and understanding her commitment to public service. For that reason he was a tremendous asset to Sue Anne and her staff alike. In that role he greatly served the state and country he loved so much. Dick believed in using his talents and passion to improve the lives of those in his church and community. He created Young Life basketball and tutoring program through Tabernacle Presbyterian Church and led the ministry for ten years. The program influenced the lives of those who participated and the volunteers who supported it. Dick is still referred to as ``Coach Gilroy'' by those who participated in the program. As another Gilroy family friend recently remarked, Dick Gilroy was the ``salt-of-the-earth'' and one of the ``best'' human beings anyone would come across. Those of us who were lucky enough to ``experience'' Dick Gilroy, whether we are former Gilroy staffers, personal friends, professional colleagues, or community leaders, could not be more in agreement with these statements. He was a caring and strong father, a loving husband, and a great mentor to young lawyers and public servants like me. Aside from coaching troubled kids, he played a great deal of sports himself, including hockey. I remember Dick telling me one time when I was playing as an adult that ``the only appropriate beverage after a hockey game is a LaBatt's Blue.'' Growing up in Detroit, and being so close to our northern neighbor, Dick was always allowed this one indiscretion. Dick Gilroy leaves his wife of 41 years, who along with him, serves as a mentor and friend to Kathy and me. He also leaves his son, Grant, and two granddaughters. Dick has finally been reunited with the Gilroy's beloved daughter, Emily, who preceded him in death. While leaders always lead, and the leadership that the Gilroy family has provided Indiana for so many years will certainly continue on, Hoosiers experienced a setback in losing Dick Gilroy so unexpectedly. Because so many of us gained so much from him and the quiet leadership he provided, he will always be cherished, missed, and emulated.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Congressman John T. Myers, an American patriot, a dedicated public servant and a great Hoosier who passed away on January 27, 2015. I consider the words recorded on the floor of this House to be the official record of our nation. As such, please allow me to submit the following: John Myers was born and raised in Covington, Indiana and graduated from Covington High School. His service to our Nation began immediately after his high school graduation when he joined the United States Army. He later earned his B.S. at Indiana State University in 1951 and also attended Eastern Illinois University where he was a member of Sigma Pi. Though working in the Indiana banking industry, Myers never abandoned his farming roots as he continued to work a farm in Fountain County. Before long however, Myers returned his attention to public service becoming a member of this honorable House of Representatives. He first took office in 1967, winning fifteen consecutive elections and continuing his admirable public service for 30 years before retiring in 1997. During his tenure representing Indiana's 7th District in the United States Congress. Mr. Myers became known locally as an essential player in the Lafayette Railroad Relocation Project, a three decades long project that moved the trains from city streets and into a dedicated corridor. The Main Street Bridge was in fact renamed in his honor after the pedestrian bridge was opened as part of the rail relocation project. As Indiana Governor Pence noted while paying tribute to Congressman Myers, ``The legacy of public service he leaves behind is unmatched, and we do well to strive to emulate his example.'' Congressman Myers passed away in his Covington home leaving behind his wife Carol, daughters Carol Ann Myers and Lori Jan Kerns, seven grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. I offer my sincerest condolences to the Myers family. We grieve with you as we mourn the loss of a great Hoosier who lived a life of servant leadership while humbly representing our district in the U.S. House of Representatives for three decades. Congressman Myers legacy will not be forgotten. His example is a challenge to all of us to rededicate ourselves to serving in our communities and working with our neighbors.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and salute an extraordinary Hoosier, Richard O. ``Dick'' Deignan, who passed away on January 13, 2015. I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for his and his late wife Joan's leadership and service in my hometown of Munster, Indiana, in the Indianapolis, Indiana community and in other parts of our state. First, Mr. Deignan was willing to put the welfare of his fellow Americans above his own self interests. His service aboard the USS Hugh Purvis as a sailor in the United States Navy remained one of his proudest achievements and an obligation he was happy to undertake to ensure that our nation remained free and his children and grandchildren were afforded the same liberty promised by our Founding Fathers. Mr. Deignan was an astute businessman and well known in our community, not only as a Burger King franchise owner, but for the way he trained his employees, many of whom were seeking their first job. He sought to hire high-quality employees, train them well and empower them. In doing so, what he really did was help grow responsible members of the community. Dick built his business from nothing. Starting out, he had very little wealth or other resources. But what he, and so many others who have helped build and maintain this great country had, was a dream and the tireless work ethic to make it reality. He also recognized that what he and Joan built couldn't be done just anywhere in the world. Dick understood, and always promoted, our exceptionalism as the reason the United States had the ability to be the freest, most prosperous nation world history had ever seen, and the greatest force for good on earth. In his free time, he was a staunch advocate and supporter of the Munster Booster Club, aiding the purchase of athletic and scholastic equipment and supplies for the Munster School System. As a close friend of the Deignan children, Kerry and Owen, I quickly came to know the entire family, who lived on Chestnut Lane in Munster for years. They were typical of the best of American families, having and practicing the values we often talk about on this very floor. Joan Deignan was one of the best teachers I had in grade school. And Dick was the very first community leader to support my successful bid for Indiana Secretary of State. They believed in me as a product of a community in which they believed even more. Mr. Deignan leaves two children and three grandchildren to carry on his legacy of community service and joins Joan, in eternity. On behalf of Hoosiers, I am humbled to honor Dick here today. He will be missed for his friendship, leadership, work ethic and his character. His legacy is evidence that hard work combined with the opportunities of American exceptionalism can lead to the realization of the American Dream, however an individual wants to define it. Rest in peace my friend, and thank you for your example and leadership.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and salute a truly amazing Hoosier, Mrs. Karen L. Daily, who passed from this world to the next on December 7, 2014. I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for her leadership and service to our community, state, and country. Karen served for many years as Deputy Clerk before her election by the people of Benton County to three non-consecutive terms as Clerk of the Circuit Court. As a member of the Association of Clerks of the Circuit Courts of Indiana, Karen was chosen several times by her peers to serve as Treasurer. She was actively involved in the organization, devoting time to advocate on behalf of her profession while also serving on the Legislative Committee. Though I had known Karen for many years, it was not until after my election as Secretary of State that I realized how truly blessed the people of Indiana were to have such a tireless and professional public servant. She used her talents as a voice for rural communities on the Statewide Voter Registration System Steering Committee, a group tasked with the responsibility to develop and implement a single voter file for the State of Indiana. Each month, her leadership was evident in the actions taken by the committee to integrate the system statewide. Through her leadership, the system came online on time, worked well from the beginning, and saved Indiana millions of dollars. Karen leaves four children, seven grandchildren and ten great- grandchildren to carry on her legacy of community service and joins her late husband Larry, in eternity. I am a better leader and public servant because of the lessons learned and advice received from Karen. She was a true friend and mentor. On behalf of all Hoosiers, I am humbled to honor Karen here today. She will be missed for her friendship, leadership and most of all, her character. God bless you, Karen.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and salute a remarkable Hoosier, Mr. Edwin (Ed) J. Simcox, for his retirement as CEO of the Indiana Energy Association. I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for his leadership and service to our community, state, and country. Ed was born in LaPorte, Indiana and holds an A.B degree in Government and Economics from Indiana University and a J.D. degree from the Indiana University School of Law. Ed served as President of the Indiana Electric Association and helped guide a merger with the Indiana Gas Association in 2004 to form the Indiana Energy Association, where he served as CEO from 2010 to 2014. He currently serves as the President Emeritus of the Indiana Energy Association. Ed has served Hoosiers in numerous capacities at the state level, including as Secretary of the State Highway Commission, Secretary of the Indiana Public Service Commission, and legal deputy of the office of the Reporter of the Indiana Supreme Court. Hoosiers might look at my early public service career and rightfully assume it is comparable to Ed's. We were both on staff before serving as Indiana Secretary of State for two terms. We were both among the youngest elected secretaries of state at the time we took office. We also earned our J.D. from Indiana University School of Law. As someone who followed a similar career path as me, I frequently sought his counsel, and continue to do so as a Member of Congress. Ed has also served on many other boards and commissions over the years for both public and private entities. He has dedicated his professional life to serving Hoosiers and improving the quality of life in Indiana. On behalf of all Hoosiers, thank you Ed, for all you have done and continue to do for the people of Indiana. Enjoy your well- deserved retirement.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and salute a notable Hoosier, Mr. John Knochel, who after years of service to Tippecanoe County, Indiana, will be retiring on December 31, 2014. On behalf of the citizens of Tippecanoe County, I wish to express our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for his leadership and service to our community, state, and country. John is a lifelong Hoosier and Tippecanoe County resident. He served as District 1 Tippecanoe County Commissioner since 1997. During those 17 years, he oversaw the construction of the County Parking Garage and organized the development of the Tippecanoe County Community Corrections Center. Previously, he served the people of Tippecanoe County as a member of the County Council for two terms. During his time on the council, he oversaw the remodel and renovation of the Tippecanoe County Office Building and the unique and historic County Courthouse. His past service on the Tipmont REMC Board of Directors helped keep energy affordable to Hoosier families. He also shared his love of literature with younger generations while a member of the Tippecanoe Library Board. I have known John and his family since the very beginning of my public service career. He has always been willing to share advice on a variety of good government measures. He is a role model for his friends, family, leaders in the community, and the citizens of Tippecanoe County. I am honored to congratulate him on his retirement and thank him on behalf of the people of Tippecanoe County for his years of service to his community, his goodwill, and dedication in helping make Indiana a better place to live. John, thank you for sharing your talents and generosity in service to the Greater Lafayette area.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and salute a notable Hoosier, Mr. Kenny Hale, for his retirement from public service, most recently as President of the Morgan County Council. I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for his leadership and service to our community, state, and country. Kenny was first elected to the Morgan County Council in 1999, and assumed a leadership role immediately. He served as the council's Vice President for his first six years on the body and has served as President for the past ten years. He also served as the county's plan director, 911 coordinator, floodplain administrator, county purchasing agent of land acquisition, and heavy equipment operator. In addition to serving the people of Morgan County, Kenny is an ASE and Moog Certified Technician, and a Certified Welder. Kenny's leadership was critical in the county's coordinated response to several unforgettable disasters over the years, including the devastating F-3 tornado in 2002 and the massive floods of 2008. His generosity and expertise even extended outside of the county to fellow Hoosiers following the disastrous 2010 tornado that claimed lives in Henryville, Indiana. Kenny has been recognized by his community and peers over the past several years. The Morgan County Sheriff's Department awarded him for coordinating the Jefferson Township Crime Watch program. He has been recognized by the Association of Indiana Counties as Outstanding County Councilman in 2004, and other organizations for his leadership, achievement and community service. Kenny has been a dedicated public servant and I wish him well during his well-deserved retirement from public service, though I suspect we will see his continued leadership in the community for years to come. Thank you, Kenny, for your service and leadership.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and salute an extraordinary Hoosier institution, The Columbia Club, which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year. I wish to express my admiration and appreciation for the Club and its members' service to our community, state, and country. The Columbia Club was originally formed in 1889 by local prominent Republicans as the Harrison Marching Society to support the presidential campaign of the last Hoosier president, Benjamin Harrison. After the election, the Society moved into a clubhouse on Monument Circle and changed its name to the Columbia Club to continue operating as a private club. As its membership grew, the Columbia Club became the premier private club in Indianapolis. No longer a partisan club; the Columbia Club welcomes Hoosiers of all political stripes and affiliations as members to share in fellowship. The Columbia Club's members can also join associations within the Club. It hosts the Columbian Business Network, Columbian Veteran's Association, Columbia Club Devine Dames--a chapter of the National Red Hat Society, and the Harrison Society--the Club's premier group for young professionals. In 1925, the current home of the Columbia Club was built on Indianapolis' famed Monument Circle on the very location that the original building was once located. In 1983, the current structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Legend indicates that the founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500, met at the club to discuss construction of the famed track. It also served as host to discussions that eventually brought the NFL's Colts to Indianapolis. The Columbia Club has hosted every Republican President since Benjamin Harrison while in office or as a candidate. Thousands of business leaders and politicians have been members of the Club as have famous Hoosiers like musician Hoagy Carmichael and Impressionist T.C. Steele. Each year the Club holds its annual Beefsteak Dinner, of which I had the honor to keynote on October 7, of this year. Congratulations to the Columbia Club and all of its current and former members for the 125 years of excellence in our Indianapolis community.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I certainly didn't learn about these improvements before working on the legislation from the ether. The day nursery in Avon, Indiana, was one of my first stops, and we were able to incorporate a lot of what we learned that day and every day after in our work and into this bill. I thank those whom I met with in the Fourth District of Indiana, where commonsense solutions are part of everyday life, for their help in getting this legislation and the content of it crafted. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, it is not only my duty to vote for good legislation but for results. Mr. Speaker, I am simply here today to ask my colleagues to vote for this legislation because it will get results. It is one of the things that we can do around here in a bipartisan- bicameral way to show the American people that we are worth our paychecks.

Mr. ROKITA. Thank you, Chairman Kline, for your leadership on this issue. I also want to thank Ranking Member Miller, Ranking Member Loebsack, our colleagues across the rotunda, and, of course, the staff, who put so much effort into this pro-work, pro-family bill today. Mr. Speaker, the reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program is an example of what both parties and Houses of Congress can do when we are working together to find commonsense solutions to national issues. I came to Congress to help all people build better lives for themselves and their families, and now, here with this bill, on this floor today, we get a chance to do that. We work together to protect children's early development and safety, as well as their parents' employment, by preserving State control over a Federal program that serves over a million and a half young Americans. This agreement prevents the administration from imposing early learning guidelines on our States, and it also limits the collection of unnecessary data on our children. At the same time, we have strengthened oversight and accountability at multiple levels of government. Early childhood care quality will improve because we are enhancing families' access to provider information while maintaining choice of provider. Families can choose between public and private providers, including religious providers. They can choose larger institutional settings or smaller, or even in-home operations. As a Member of Congress and as a parent, I know that parents, not the Federal Government, are best positioned to choose child care providers, and this legislation ensures parents will have power over Federal bureaucracies, which are no substitute for a family. We are holding providers to strict safety standards, making sure child care professionals have the most up-to-date training. Parents who must either be working or seeking employment in order to take advantages of this program will have better information to guide their decisions.

Mr. ROKITA

Mr. ROKITA. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank the gentleman for organizing this here tonight. I think the gentleman is exactly right. We need leadership. Leaders are supposed to lead. When you look at what the gentleman rightly put here on the House floor in terms of the stack of work that sits in Harry Reid's--the Senate majority leader's--in-box, you realize what leadership isn't, and that is a real problem. If my constituents, Mr. Speaker, saw that pile in my in-box, I don't know how much longer I would last. I wonder what the citizens and voters and taxpayers of Nevada think at this point. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, I rise today to discuss with my colleagues the importance of improving education in our country. This House has done excellent work in that regard. We understand here in the House--and parents, teachers, and school administrators are all too aware--that the current state of our education system threatens the American Dream for the current and future generations of students. I know that we want to help create a better world and the possibility of a better life for our young students. Leaving the world in better shape than we found it is as much a part of our American exceptionalism as is the freedom we enjoy that allows us to pursue the American Dream. To our credit, frankly, when American citizens see what is not being done in the Senate, they can look to the House for some great things that have been accomplished in terms of righting what is wrong on education. Right now, sadly, we are not faring well on the international education stage. Our children are not reading at grade level, while math and science performance by U.S. students trails far beyond that of our counterparts in other developed countries. We are not competing to win in a 21st century world. The comical irony of that--if it weren't just so plain sad--would be that the American education system is failing the students that its most passionate advocates claim to want to help. Sure, you can argue that somehow while we aren't universally successful, our best and brightest rival any in the world, and our leading institutions will continue to provide the high-quality instruction that will keep us afloat, but I would say to the gentleman of Georgia, Mr. Speaker, that the America I know, the America that I believe in--the America that my constituents and that, I think, Americans across the country believe in--doesn't include a two-tiered system. We want everyone to have an equal opportunity. We want everyone to only be limited by the capacity of their dreams. At the subcommittee level, in what we call K-12 education and in a more broad sense on the Education and the Workforce Committee and then on the floor of the House, we have done some things to right that ship, as I explained. One of those bills that passed the House was H.R. 10, the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act. This was a bipartisan bill. It passed on 5-9-14, just this year. The vote tally, Mr. Speaker, was 360-45. It has been in the Senate for 82 days. 360-45 is a huge bipartisan victory. It is one of the biggest bipartisan victories we have had on the floor of the House. This is a charter school bill. It is school choice. I believe charter schools--like a majority of the people on the floor of this House believe--play a critical role in creating educational options for all children. Charter schools encompass two key principles American families want from our Nation's education system: choice and flexibility. These innovative institutions will empower parents to play a more active role in their children's educations, open doors for teachers to pioneer fresh teaching methods, encourage State and local innovation, and help students escape poor-performing schools. Why do we want to continue to shackle students to poor-performing schools and give them no choice and take away that equal opportunity for them to be successful? This bill, Mr. Speaker, did it. This bill now sits in Harry Reid's in-box. Across the Nation, charter schools are leading the way in innovation and in improving education outcomes. In my home State of Indiana, for example, the Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School in Indianapolis-- which serves a predominantly low-income and minority student body-- expects every student, no matter his or her background or circumstances, to have a college acceptance letter upon graduation. No matter his or her background or circumstances, one has to have a college acceptance letter upon graduation. The school's rigorous curriculum and laser focus on preparing students for higher education has helped 100 percent of its students to date gain acceptance into college. This bill sits, awaiting action in the Senate. It is not leadership.

Mr. ROKITA. That is right.