Pete Sessions

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis), the chairman of the Committee on Government Reform and I approach the floor today to discuss section 335 which would block the Department of Interior from conducting public/private job competitions. As a result of this opportunity to be on the floor, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis) and I have chosen to have side-bar conversations with the chairman of the committee.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. SESSIONS. Reclaiming my time, I would like to engage, if I could, in a colloquy with the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Taylor), the chairman of the subcommittee, concerning this matter. Mr. Chairman, it is my hope and belief that you and I will be able to work together on this issue such that it might be able to be resolved in conference; and it is my understanding that what we will do is, as we work towards that resolution, it will allow completion of the work today to move on this bill and then that negotiation to begin. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Taylor).

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I also thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis) the chairman of the Committee on Government Reform. It is obvious to me, based upon this dialogue, that we will work diligently between now and the time that the conference on this important bill comes forth.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I thank the gracious gentleman for his time and for his work. Announcement by the Chairman

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies for yielding to me and for his tremendous work on this legislation and important issues. I also want to thank the chairman for working with me to provide adequate funding for Down Syndrome research, particularly in the area of enhancing cognition and preventing the early onset of dementia for people with Down Syndrome. This year, the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the Centers for Disease Control recognized the need for studies in these two areas. The first study would develop estimates of the number of persons with Down Syndrome by age group and racial and ethnic breakdowns. The second study would document the onset and the course of secondary and related developmental disorders and health conditions of individuals with Down Syndrome. The committee report makes reference to these proposed studies, and I want to thank the chairman for including that language in the report. Current estimates indicate that there are approximately 350,000 individuals living in the United States today with Down Syndrome, but we do not know how they break down by age group or by ethnic group. We also do not know why children with Down Syndrome are more at risk for developing secondary conditions, like autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Mr. Chairman, I want to know, do the gentleman agree that the funding of these studies should be a national priority?

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I want to thank the gentleman for his comments and would ask if he would be willing to work with me in the conference towards funding these two studies of the CDC in fiscal year 2004?

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts to engage me.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The debate last night in the Committee on Rules did allow testimony from the gentleman and others who were with him, and they made a lot of good points. They made a lot of good points about how important Head Start is, not only to students as they come through the process and to parents, but to our educational quality; and there was a great debate on that, an opportunity for feedback, and it simply was not included in this package. What is included in this package is the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), who I believe is the main author of this bill, I think, accepted the challenge from our President, as I think many Members of Congress have, to go back to our local schools, to go to our school districts and to go listen to teachers, to listen to parents, listen to students, to listen to administrators, to listen to people who serve on the local boards of education and to hear from them about the state of education and things that we need. I am just pleased that one of those good ideas, even though the gentleman from Massachusetts had also a good idea, but that we were able to bring one of these good ideas, gather a consensus about it, make it bipartisan, get through the process, go to the Committee on Rules, sustain the things that we believe about this bill that are fabulous, fabulous for schools, to go attract and help relieve the debt from these teachers who are in math, who are in science, who are in special education, because those are the hardest teachers to get. I believe we are doing the right thing. I believe that what this entire opportunity is about today is to say that paying attention to students and teachers, school administrators, our whole process is what our President has asked us to do. I think we are bringing back bits and pieces of those things that we have learned that will make a real difference, make a real difference in the lives of not only each of the teachers and our school systems, but for the parents and students who are part of that. I support what we are doing. This is a great rule. This is a great opportunity for us to pay attention to people who pay attention to our students and people who pay attention to us in our educational setting, and I am proud of what we are doing. Mr. Speaker, I would notify the gentleman from Massachusetts that I do not have any further speakers at this time, and I will let him determine what he would like to do, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us is a fair, modified rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 438, the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act of 2003. The rule provides for 1 hour of general debate, equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. The rule also provides that all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The rule provides that an amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Education and the Workforce now printed in the bill shall be considered as read and as an original bill for the purpose of amendment. It also provides that all points of order against the amendment in the nature of a substitute are waived. This rule allows for the consideration of an amendment printed in the Committee on Rules report, if offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) or his designee, to be considered as read and debatable for 10 minutes, equally divided between a proponent and an opponent of the amendment, which shall not be subject to a demand for a division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole. Finally, the rule waives all points of order against this amendment, and it also provides for one motion to recommit, either with or without instructions. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to report that today, by taking up and passing H.R. 438, the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act of 2003, this Congress will address an urgent crisis facing our Nation's schools and their students. Today a shortage of highly qualified teachers in mathematics, science, and special education leaves schools all across our country unable to provide students with the educational opportunities that they deserve. The shortage of highly qualified teachers in these subjects is a very real problem and one that disproportionately affects children from urban and rural areas. A few simple figures do a good job of demonstrating the full and overwhelming scope of this problem. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, between 1999 and 2000, 67 percent of public middle and high schools had teacher vacancies in special education. Seventy percent had vacancies in mathematics. Sixty-one percent had vacancies in biology and life sciences. Fifty-one percent had vacancies in physical science. Two- thirds of our Nation's public elementary schools reported vacancies in special education. Additionally, according to the Committee for Economic Development, almost a third of high school mathematics classes are taught by teachers who did not minor or major in mathematics. In biology, that level rises to 45 percent, and tops out at 60 percent for teachers of life sciences. Mr. Speaker, the successful education of our children is inextricably tied to the quality of the teachers instructing them. Students cannot possibly be expected to fill the jobs of tomorrow if they are not getting the instruction that they need during their formative academic years today. The answer to solving this dilemma which represents one of our Nation's greatest educational needs can be boiled down to something that is simple, and that is local schools facing teacher shortages need the flexibility to recruit and to retain the skilled teachers that their students deserve. By forgiving the student loan debts of math, science, and special education teachers at high-risk schools, we can help these schools to attract and retain the talent that they desperately need. By paying off the debts, this will allow the school districts the flexibility to go after those teachers that they need most. Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues know, 5 years ago, Congress passed the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 and created a student loan forgiveness program for qualified teachers in return for their commitment to working in a low-income school for 5 years. This program has allowed teachers taking advantage of this opportunity to have up to $5,000 of their outstanding loan obligation forgiven after their fifth completed year of service. The Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act would expand the current teacher loan forgiveness available under the Higher Education Act to address our Nation's critical teacher shortages in math, science, and special education. To be eligible, teachers in these three disciplines must serve in a Title I school with 40 percent of its students at or below poverty level. The bill also increases the total loan forgiveness to a maximum of $17,500 for these enhanced-need subjects, while accelerating the speed of these benefits to allow them to accrue after the second year. This would allow teachers committed to serving our highest-risk schools to receive the benefits when they need them most: right in the beginning of their careers when most teachers face their most substantial financial obstacles. In order to maintain the integrity of the program, the legislation requires teachers who fail to meet their end of their commitment to repay their loans and debts in full. It also ensures the quality of the teachers receiving this benefit by requiring that teachers applying for the increased loan forgiveness amount must meet the ``highly qualified'' definition before receiving any loan forgiveness. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner); and the sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) for their hard work in bringing this bill through the legislative process and onto the floor today. Both they and their colleagues on the Committee on Education and the Workforce have brought an outstanding product before the House that answers President Bush's challenge to recruit and to retain highly qualified teachers in disadvantaged schools, while addressing the critical shortage of math, science, and special education teachers now facing elementary and secondary schools. Making sure that these teachers can afford to work in our highest-risk schools is the first step in ensuring a quality education for our children. I would also like to thank our President, President Bush, for bringing the critical problem facing our most at-risk students and schools to the attention of this Congress. I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) for rising to this challenge in addressing this problem. I support this rule and the underlying legislation on behalf of today's students, and I urge each of my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 309 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I do understand the frustrations that the gentleman is talking about, Mr. Speaker. I also understand that the Committee on Rules has a job to do. Its job is to follow the rules of this House. The bottom line is that the gentleman from Los Angeles, who did have three very well- thought-through amendments that he chose to bring before the Committee on Rules were not germane. They were not germane because, despite what the gentleman from Massachusetts has claimed about it being for teachers, the amendments are very clearly written to say a librarian working full time in a public library. A librarian working full time in a public library, number five. Amendment number six in a public library. That is not germane to this bill where we are talking about teachers. That is not a part of what we are talking about, so it was not germane. Lastly, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney) took time to come before the Committee on Rules. We appreciate that. The bottom line is that there was a vote already, through regular order in the committee of jurisdiction, and the gentleman did not win in the committee of jurisdiction. And so the process in this House is being followed, the process where people have an opportunity to bring forth amendments, bring forth ideas that they have. For us to challenge ourselves on this education opportunity that is in front of us is important, and that process is something that we followed today.

Mr. SESSIONS. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. The gentleman, when he spoke earlier, talked about how the Committee on Rules did not make Republican Members' amendments in order, and now he is coming and asking us to treat them the same way. The bottom line is it is a fair process for Republican or Democrat. It is a fair process for people who go through the regular order, who have an opportunity to present germane amendments. It is very fair. The gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), the great chairman of the Committee on Rules, spends an extensive amount of time attempting to work with Members to make sure their amendments are germane, to make sure their amendments are well understood, to make sure their amendments have time to come forth before the committee. Mr. Speaker, I would at this time close by saying that we believe this rule that is before this great body today deserves not only the attention of the American public, but also a vote today. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank in particular two professional members of the Committee on Rules, Adam Jarvis and Eileen Harley, for their fabulous work on this, and Committee on Rules associate Josh Saltzman from my staff, for their great work on bringing this wonderful bill forward.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. The bottom line is we are trying to aim this money, these loan forgiveness opportunities, at the teachers who we need most.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in the 108th Congress, one of the brightest and best chairmen who serves this great Congress is a young man from Ohio. And as chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, he has sought to make sure that the issues that are before his committee and this Nation are addressed; they are addressed as a result of hands-on looking at the problems in our schools through a lot of intensive work all across this country, not just urban and not just rural schools, not just inner-city schools, not just certain types of academia looked at, but rather all of public education, and the work that the chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), has put into this bill and other bills that are very apparent before this Congress, including IDEA, which is related to special education, are very apparent to the energy of this chairman. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to welcome the fabulous chairman of this committee for such time as he may consume.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 42nd Annual YMCA Youth Governor's Conference that is currently being held here in Washington, DC. The YMCA Youth Governor's Conference brings together some of the most outstanding youth leaders in America. YMCA Youth and Government is a Nation-wide program that allows thousands of teenagers to simulate State and National government. The elected Youth Governors of the State programs are currently in Washington, and I am honored to serve as the Congressional sponsor for the Member's breakfast in honor of the YMCA Youth Governor's Conference. Mr. Speaker, I would like to personally recognize each of this year's YMCA Youth Governors for their dedication and service to America's youth. Gina Bullock of Texas, Ethan Link of Tennessee, Alex Sanders of Georgia, Elizabeth Strassner of Oklahoma, Martin Holmes of Maine, Michael Sheflin of New Jersey, Joseph Colarusso of New York, Wayne Bragg of Mississippi, Ryan Wedge of Connecticut, Eli Turkel of Delaware, Matthew Stoller of Massachusetts. Ann Nemitz of Arizona, Sarah Coburn of Oregon, Richard Friedman of Alabama, Judd Kennedy of Pennsylvania, Kristen Adams of Michigan, Asher Perlman of Wisconsin, Meg Dennard of Louisiana, Rushi Desai of Missouri, Torry Van Slyke of Idaho, Renee Walker of North Carolina. Richard Marrs of Virginia, Scott Antolak of Minnesota, Kyle Smith of California, Allen Klump of South Carolina, Kyle LaFountain of New Hampshire, Justin Cajindos of Illinois, Stephen Takach of New Mexico, Justin Hoefflicker of Indiana, Rasean Crawley of Kentucky, Keisha Hyman-Girth of Washington, James Walsh of Maryland.

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood), from the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I appreciate the gentleman from Florida for his support of this conference report, S. 342, Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003. Mr. Speaker, we have had a good debate today. We have talked about the children of this country. We have talked about our communities. We have talked about our schools. We have talked about the desire that we have as this United States Congress, this administration, President George W. Bush and the kind and gracious leadership of this House, including our Speaker, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), and our majority leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), to time after time take time out of their schedule not only to talk about children, children that are the future of this country and will make a difference, but also that these three gentleman, as leaders of our country, take time to make sure that this administration and the laws of this country are there to protect children, the most vulnerable part of our society. Mr. Speaker, I am proud of what this will do. This conference report will go to help people. It will strengthen our communities. It will strengthen community-based organizations who work in a way that we need them to become efficient and be efficient and to offer these services. I am proud of what we are doing. I am proud of what this Congress is doing, and Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this rule and the underlying legislation.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, hearing the gentleman from Illinois and the gentleman from Pennsylvania speak about children, about the things that we encounter and learn from time about tragedies that occur in people's lives with women who have problems along life, either drugs or alcohol, and also at the same time at which they are birthing babies and carry life within them, and the impact that it has on those children, not just at birth but throughout their life, it is a stunning problem in America. But to hear the gentleman from Illinois and the gentleman from Pennsylvania speak about the great parts about this bill, about how this Congress can reach out, how we as a government can keep working with local communities to bring out the best, not only in their interaction with these mothers that are at risk, but also child abuse victims, it is all important. I am hopeful we can also learn a lot from the things we have learned over the last few years about people who perpetrate crimes upon children, the identification of those kinds of people, so that communities can do a better job spotting these people and protecting their children. That is what this bill is about. That is the good part of what this bill is about. I appreciate both these gentleman for coming and telling their stories, not only about why they support this bill, but why this rule is fair and important for us to pass and this conference report. Let us get it to the President and let the President continue to do the things for the American people that he did for the people of Texas when he was Governor. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Marietta, Georgia (Mr. Gingrey), one of our bright young Republican Members.