Aaron Schock

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Peoria Christian Elementary School in Peoria, Illinois on being named a 2009 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Peoria Christian joined only 49 other private schools, from a pool of more than 27,000, as a private recipient of this award; the school was nominated by the Council for American Private Education, also known as CAPE. By being recognized with the award, Peoria Christian has demonstrated its successes in ensuring students achieve exceptionally high national test scores. I applaud the concerted effort it took to elevate the school's test scores to such an extraordinary level. As I honor this school I must remind this body that while this award is presented to Peoria Christian School, the award really reflects the combined efforts of all those involved with the school. As former Peoria School Board President, I know that every successful school has the trinity of skilled educators, committed students and involved parents as a base. Also on a personal note, I always find it impressive to see a school allow for students' academic and personal development. As such, I must applaud the school's commitment to the mission of preparing their ``students to lead Christ-like lives.'' I'm certain that Peoria Christian will not only continue to flourish as an institution for years to come, but that its young students will eventually become active leaders in Peoria, Illinois and throughout these United States. Again, congratulations Peoria Christian.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the HIRE Education Construction and Green Academy Program. Bill Number: H.R. 3293--Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Provisions/Account: Higher Education Account--Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education Name and Address of Requesting Entity: The entity to receive funding for this project is Lincoln Land Community College located at 5250 Shepherd Road, Springfield, Illinois 62794-9256. Description of Request: The funding would be used to purchase equipment in order to train targeted individuals for jobs with a current or projected shortage in order to enhance their employment opportunities. Targeted individuals include women, minorities, dislocated workers and the incarcerated.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the cancer research facility. Bill Number: H.R. 3293--Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Provisions/Account: Health Resources and Services Administration-- Health Facilities and Services Account Name and Address of Requesting Entity: The entity to receive funding for this project is the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, located at One Illini Drive, Peoria, Illinois 61605. Description of Request: The funding would be used finance the construction of a cancer research facility.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the bioenergy and bioprocessing program. Bill Number: H.R. 3293--Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Provisions/Account: Higher Education Account--Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education Name and Address of Requesting Entity: The entity to receive funding for this project is Richland Community College located at One College Park, Decatur, Illinois 62521. Description of Request: The funding would be used for the expansion of Richland's bioenergy and bioprocessing degree programs.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the Center for Health Professions Performance Improvement. Bill Number: H.R. 3293--Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Provisions/Account: Health Resources and Services Administration-- Health Facilities and Services Account Name and Address of Requesting Entity: The entity to receive funding for this project is the Mid-Illinois Medical District located at 130 West Mason Street, Room 216, Springfield, Illinois 62702. Description of Request: The funding would be used for the construction of the Center for Health Professions Performance Improvement that will provide continuing educational opportunities for individuals in the healthcare industry.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the Achieving Lightweight Casting Solutions. Bill Number: H.R. 3326--Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010 Provisions/Account: Army: ``RDT&E'' Section of the bill, Line Title: End Item Industrial Preparedness, Program Element: 0708045A, Line Number: 179. Name and Address of Requesting Entity: The entity to receive funding for this project is American Foundry Society, 1695 North Penny Lane, Schaumburg, IL 60173. Description of Request: The funding would be used to develop lightweight metals and casting methods to produce vital defense components in fast, low cost, efficient ways.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the Manufacturing Lab for Next Generation Engineers. Bill Number: H.R. 3326 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010 Provisions/Account: Army: Army; Research, Development, Test and Evaluation; University Research Initiatives Name and Address of Requesting Entity: Bradley University, 1501 W. Bradley Avenue, Peoria, IL 61625. Description of Request: The funding would be used to construct a laboratory to discover innovative and creative manufacturing techniques and teach these techniques to engineers so they can be competitive in a global economy.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, yesterday marked the 40th Anniversary of the death of Everett Dirksen. To celebrate the remarkable life of my predecessor and to mark this occasion, I respectfully ask that the following article be placed in the Record. Dirksen's Last Days (By Frank H. Mackaman, The Dirksen Congressional Center, Pekin, IL) On August 12, 1969, just before the U.S. Senate recessed for a few weeks, Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen held a press conference in his office. It would be his last. Dirksen seemed relaxed and in a genial mood, chatting amiably with reporters and joking with his staff. To the casual observer everything seemed normal but it was not. Doctors had just told the Senate Minority Leader he was seriously ill. They had discovered a spot on Dirksen's right lung and suspected cancer. A second x-ray on the 14th showed the tumor had grown, making an operation necessary. To prepare, the senator from Pekin rested for three weeks at ``Heart's Desire,'' his home outside Washington DC, rummaging in his beloved garden and working on a memoir he would never complete. A realist, Dirksen transferred title to most of his property to his wife, Louella. He also gave her a pre-signed resignation from the Senate if the operation left him incapacitated. He loved the Senate, and it was ever on his mind. Dirksen entered Walter Reed Hospital on Sunday, August 31, to ready himself for the operation two days later. He took with him a briefcase loaded with work, the contents of which were transferred to The Dirksen Center several years after his death. These documents show the amazing breadth of his interests and the substantial burden of his office. The briefcase contained notes for upcoming speeches, including one in his own handwriting entitled, ``God, Country, and Grandchildren: Soliloquy with Grandchildren'' in which he mused about the legacy his generation would leave and harkened back to the lives his parents led in Pekin. He made notes concerning the congressional session about to end. Dirksen reviewed letters from constituents, information about pending legislation, requests for appearances, a plea from Illinois Governor Richard B. Ogilvie to revise the federal revenue-sharing calculation, letters about federal jobs, an early draft of what was called the ``Everett McKinley Dirksen Library Project,'' and much, much more. On Tuesday morning, September 2, at 8:45, Colonel Alan R. Hopeman and a team of Army surgeons began to operate. The spot on Dirksen's lung could not be readily examined without surgery, but, in surgical terms, it was in an almost ideal position, close to the periphery of his chest, so that surgeons could remove it with only a small incision. They did so without difficulty. The tumor, which had grown to an inch in diameter, proved to be malignant. As they had planned in this eventuality, the surgeons took the next step of removing the entire upper lobe of Dirksen's right lung. What had begun as a relatively simple operation became major surgery consuming three hours. The doctors found no evidence the cancer had spread, however. Dirksen's strong constitution and vigor brought him through the procedure with flying colors, and his recuperation was rapid. Mrs. Dirksen and their daughter, Joy, and son-in-law, Senator Howard Baker, found him alert and cheerful when they were first allowed to see him on Wednesday. The next day, however, Dirksen complained of pain and became confused and restless, perhaps the result of a minor stroke, insufficient oxygen, or even withdrawal symptoms from cigarettes (Dirksen complained to his doctors and his son-in-law about not being able to smoke). A second procedure became necessary to replace the tube draining his lung. Senator Dirksen suffered a crisis that evening, and it wasn't until 8:00 Saturday morning that his doctors stabilized him. This episode probably caused the bronchopneumonia which soon developed. He rallied after this operation, though, even sitting up in bed to eat his meals. He spent a restful night and ate a good breakfast with Louella. He appeared to be past the immediate crisis of a post-operation heart failure and was already making plans to resume a work schedule. He even took a few minutes to go over the papers in his briefcase. For example, a Seattle radio station requested a tape about the marigold to which Dirksen replied with this hand-written note: Dear Day--Just now I'm languishing in a hospital as a result of surgery. An op'g [operating] room no match for my marigold gardens. Guess the tape must wait. Sorry. The doctors assured Senator Baker that Dirksen was well on the road to recovery and that Baker could travel to California to join President Richard Nixon. The optimism proved premature. Abruptly at 2:51 that afternoon, Sunday, September 7, Dirksen collapsed and stopped breathing. His heart, which had enlarged over the years to twice-normal size as the result of emphysema, just quit. The desk sergeant at the Forest Glen section of the hospital, Roger Brooks, received an urgent call from the main hospital summoning a surgeon. Brooks took a police cruiser to pick up a Col. Blake for the trip to Dirksen's room. Army doctors were already at his side, massaging his chest, trying to restart his heart. They gave him sodium bicarbonate, calcium, and other medicines. They used a defibrillator to try to shock his heart into action. The doctors worked so vigorously that they cracked five of his ribs. But Dirksen did not respond. At 4:52 p.m., the doctors pronounced him dead at age 73. Louella and Joy were with him at the end. Forty years ago. Mourning for the Senator was national and of a personal quality, particularly among his colleagues in Congress and his friends in Pekin. His body lay in state under the great dome of the Capitol, an honor accorded to only three members of the Senate before him. In his eulogy to the fallen leader, President Nixon recalled remarks Daniel Webster had made more than a century before in testimony to a political opponent: ``Our great men are the common property of the country.'' That described Dirksen well. His public service spanned an era of enormous change, and he played a vital part in that change. Through six presidencies, as Nixon put it, ``Everett Dirksen has had a hand in shaping almost every important law that affects our lives,'' and while he never became president, ``his impact and influence on the Nation was greater than that of most Presidents in our history.'' Air Force One brought Dirksen home on Thursday, September 11. Pekin deserves much of the credit for Dirksen's influence on the national stage. The senator knew that, and he said so on a return visit to his hometown in 1961: After long absences enforced by the duties of office in Washington, there always comes back to me some lines from that poem which I learned long ago, ``Breathes there a man with soul so dead, who never to himself has said, this is my own, my native land.'' This is my own, my native land, my native city, where the family taproot went deep many generations ago, and it will ever be so, no matter what tasks life may assign me. All the major decisions in my life have been made here . . . The inspiration which I received here from a saintly mother, a devoted family, steadfast friends, the constant faith of teachers who taught me, the inspiration I found here in church, and the atmosphere of a quiet and well ordered community were the forces which helped to fashion those decisions, and for these I shall be always and eternally grateful. . . . An estimated 80,000 people watched the funeral procession proceed the 15 miles from the Peoria airport, south on Route 24, through Pekin on Route 9, to the Glendale Memorial Gardens on the east side of town where more than 6,000 stood in waiting. Among the dignitaries accompanying the procession were Vice President Spiro Agnew, five members of President Richard Nixon's cabinet, 42 U.S. senators, and 27 U.S. representatives. Dozens of state officials joined them, as did over 200 members of the press. The 1:00 p.m. ceremony itself was brief, lasting only 15 minutes. Six pallbearers, representing the armed forces, carried the casket to the gravesite. The Rev. Edward L.R. Elson, chaplain of the Senate and pastor of the National Presbyterian Church in Washington DC, conducted the service. The Rev. Ralph Cordes, pastor of Pekin's Second Reformed Church, and the Rev. Charles Rechard, pastor of Woodland Presbyterian Church in New Orleans and a friend of the Baker family, also delivered prayers. Members of the Pekin American Legion post color guard participated in the ceremony, too, along with the honor guard and the Chanute Air Force band. Lt. Gen. Vernon P. Mock, commanding general of the Fifth Army, presented the American flag, which had been draped over the casket, to Mrs. Dirksen. When the ceremony ended, mourners passed by the casket. One of the first was Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine, who placed a spray of marigolds, Dirksen's favorite flower, on the casket. The two of them had enjoyed a friendly rivalry over the years to name the national floral emblem--she a proponent of the rose. The Rev. Elson had ended his eulogy fittingly with these words, ``The last march has ended. A mighty man of God has answered his last roll call. His battles are all fought, his victories all won.''

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. In the last campaign we heard a lot about if you don't make more than $250,000 a year, you won't pay any new taxes. So what does the new majority do? Their first act in Congress is to pass the $787 billion stimulus package meant to jolt the economy. Yet all it has done is jolt the national debt up to a new high of $11.5 trillion. Next, the new majority comes forward and says, We want to decrease carbon outputs. We want to pass a cap-and-tax proposal meant to limit carbon monoxide. Well, that bill, if passed, will limit jobs in America by over 2.7 million fewer jobs, and now we're hearing that they want to limit costs on health care. In actuality, this plan, their health care proposal, will limit access to care. Their bill will actually decrease the number of jobs and will actually add a tax on every small business owner in America in the form of an 8 percent increase in payroll taxes. More taxes, fewer jobs. I don't think that's the change America voted for.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the Springfield Rail Relocation, IL Bill Number: H.R. 3288--Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Provisions/Account: Federal Railroad Administration: Rail Line Relocation and Improvement Program Name and Address of Requesting Entity: The entity to receive funding for this project is the Illinois Department of Transportation, located at 2300 S. Dirksen Pkwy, Springfield, IL 62702. Description of Request: The funding would be used to design, engineer, and acquire land for rail line relocation in Springfield, Illinois.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the Proctor Center Park Redevelopment, Peoria, Illinois. Bill Number: H.R. 3288, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Provisions/Account: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Economic Development Initiatives Name and Address of Requesting Entity: The entity to receive funding for this project is the Peoria Park District, located at 2218 N. Prospect, Peoria, 61603. Description of Request: Proctor Park is one of the Peoria Park District's oldest neighborhood park sites. This project supports access to safe, interesting, and stimulating play equipment and recreational activities. Underserved residents will benefit from replacement of the playground and enhancement of the basketball courts and overall park appearance.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the Oak Ridge Cemetery Infrastructure Improvements, Springfield, Illinois. Bill Number: H.R. 3288, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Provisions/Account: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Economic Development Initiatives Name and Address of Requesting Entity: The entity to receive funding for this project is the City of Springfield and Oak Ridge Cemetery, located at 1440 Monument Avenue, Springfield, IL, 62702. Description of Request: Oak Ridge Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Illinois, the resting place of President Abraham Lincoln and is the nation's second most visited cemetery with up to 40,000 visitors a day using private vehicles and mass transit buses. The roads used were paved and guttered over 100 years ago and now are in dire need of resurfacing. Oak Ridge Cemetery is self supporting and typically requires no tax dollars from the federal, state, or local level. In a typical year, Oak Ridge receives over 3 million visitors; however, with the Lincoln Bicentennial this year, visitation is expected to have a large increase.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Our country continues to see a significant increase in foreclosures, which are up 18 percent this January over last. Those figures continued to rise the first quarter of 2009, with an additional 616,000 homeowners filing foreclosures. Over 25,000 of those foreclosure were in my home State of Illinois alone. And now the percentage of subprime loans in foreclosure has, for the first time ever, eclipsed 14 percent. We have all heard about these ridiculous loans: ballooning adjustable rates, reverse amortization, and interest-only mortgages which never actually provide home ownership. These vehicles of financial ruin usually have only one possible result for the homeowner: foreclosure. And while it would be much too simplistic to place the blame for the housing crisis at the feet of these irresponsible loans, they are certainly the chief culprits. And while many programs have been enacted to help victims who have fallen victim to these deceptive practices, little has been done to ensure that this crisis does not happen again, that future homeowners are not lured by irresponsible mortgages. It is time we take some preventative action to make certain homeowners have access to professionals which will assist them in understanding what they are getting into, and hopefully not only delinquency but ultimately foreclosure. The amendment I am offering today is a simple transfer of funds, yet will go great lengths to ensure that the American people have access to additional necessary resources before purchasing a home.

Mr. SCHOCK. I will.

Mr. SCHOCK. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Speaker, in the last 6 months, a lot has changed. We have a new President of the United States, we have a new Congress, the 111th Congress, and we have 3.1 million fewer jobs, and an increase of 28 percent in unemployment just in the last 6 months. What was the reaction? What was the response from the new administration and of this Congress? Well, we need to pass a stimulus bill, and we need to pass it now. No time for debate. No time for amendments. No time for input from the minority. We need to pass it now. This bill had less than 24 hours of debate on this floor before it was passed out of the floor, and yet the President took 4 days to sign it. What did it do? It spent $787 billion, the largest spending bill in our country's history. And what have we gotten? The administration says we created 150,000 new jobs after spending $112 billion. Well, get out your calculators. That is $746,000 of taxpayer money for one job. Where are the jobs?

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Illinois School for the Deaf and Mr. Albert Caswell. On January 20, 2009, the Illinois School for the Deaf traveled to Washington, DC. to witness the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Inspired by these young children and with the thought that perhaps one day one of those children may also stand on the west front of the U.S. Capitol, I would like to enter into the Congressional Record a poem penned by U.S. Capitol Guide Albert Carey Caswell. Mr. Caswell was able to spend some time with them on that day and wrote the following tribute. Can You Hear Me? Can you hear me? I can hear you! Not with my ears! But, with something far much more greater, so true! For it's with my heart . . . That, I can hear you too . . . Look at me! I'm just the same as you! For what I've lost . . . For inside, I've gained so much more so too! For I can feel you . . . And, I can read you . . . I'm just a kid like you! And, I want to grow up to be happy . . . and so healthy, oh so much so too! Just, because I can't hear you . . . Doesn't mean, I can't understand you! I can read you! Like a book! For our Lord God, has given me other gifts that I can use. . . . For your coming though to me, loud and clear . . . For I've developed my senses, so much greater so here. . . . We're all the same! Some of us even, have the same names . . . So hear me! Do not fear me! Be near me, be my friend . . . so tried and true . . . There's, so much more we can learn about each other . . . me and you For, I can hear you! In our world, there is such a special bond. . . . That, in the quiet world is so formed . . . At first, you may not understand . . . but it's in our heart where it is born . . . I can teach you! I can reach you! In all I do! Life lesson's so very true . . . For, I will not give up! Nor give in! On this Inauguration Day, I see how far dreams can take you to! And yet I ask, ``Why, must children have so much courage then so too?'' For some things, are so hard to understand . . . As where faith must begin and end . . . Reach out, and take my hand . . . Let's be friends, me and you . . . There's so much more together we can learn and do! Little children as Heroes should not have to be . . . but are put on this earth for all to teach! Can you hear me? I can hear you! And one day up in Heaven . . . I know, my Lord I will view . . . And, I will begin to cry . . . When, I look into his eyes . . . and I hear for the first time . . . My very first words! ``I love you''!

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the Spunky Bottoms Restoration, Brown County, IL Bill Number: H.R. 3183--FY 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations Act Provisions/Account: Department of Energy--Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Name and Address of Requesting Entity: The entity to receive funding for this project is Biofuels Manufactures Inc. at 801 W. Main Street, Peoria, IL 61606. Description of Request: The funding would be used to create a new biofuels manufacturing plant using innovated feedstocks. I also submit the below detailed explanation of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration, IL, IA, MN, MO, & WI Bill Number: H.R. 3183--FY 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations Act Provisions/Account: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--Construction Name and Address of Requesting Entity: The entity to receive funding for this project is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, located at Clock Tower Building, P.O. Box 2004, Rock Island, IL 61204. Description of Request: The funding would be used to continue projects which are vital to the ecological restoration of the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway, including habitat creation and long-term monitoring. I also submit the below detailed explanation of the Emiquon Floodplain Restoration, IL Bill Number: H.R. 3183--FY 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations Act Provisions/Account: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--Continuing Authorities Program Name and Address of Requesting Entity: The entity to receive funding for this project is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, located at Clock Tower Building, P.O. Box 2004, Rock Island, IL 61204. Description of Request: The funding would be used to restore the Illinois River floodplain within the Thompson Drainage and Levee District. I also submit the below detailed explanation of the Spunky Bottoms Restoration, Brown County, IL Bill Number: H.R. 3183--FY 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations Act Provisions/Account: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--Continuing Authorities Program Name and Address of Requesting Entity: The entity to receive funding for this project is the St. Louis District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, located at 1222 Spruce Street, St. Louis, MO 63103. Description of Request: The funding would provide habitat restoration along the Illinois River by reconnecting the river with the backwater lakes and wetlands that once existed along the river.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Illinois School for the Deaf and Mr. Albert Caswell. On January 20, 2009, the Illinois School for the Deaf traveled to Washington, DC, to witness the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Inspired by these young children and with the thought that perhaps one day one of those children may also stand on the west front of the U.S. Capitol, I submit a poem penned by U.S. Capitol Guide Albert Carey Caswell. Mr. Caswell was able to spend some time with them on that day and wrote the following tribute. Can You Hear Me? (By Mr. Albert Caswell) Can you hear me? I can hear you! Not with my ears! But, with something far much more greater, so true! For it's with my heart . . . That, I can hear you too . . . Look at me! I'm just the same as you! For what I've lost . . . For inside, I've gained so much more so too! For I can feel you . . . And, I can read you . . . I'm just a kid like you! And, I want to grow up to be happy . . . and so healthy, oh so much so too! Just, because I can't understand you! I can read you! Like a book! For our Lord God, has given me other gifts that I can use. . . . For your coming through to me, loud and clear . . . For I've developed my senses, so much greater so here. . . . We're all the same! Some of us even, have the same names . . . So hear me! Do not fear me! Be near me, be my friend . . . so tried and true . . . There's, so much more we can learn about each other . . . me and you For, I can hear you! In our world, there is such a special bond. . . . That, in the quiet world is so formed . . . At first, you may not understand . . . but it's in our heart where it is born . . . I can teach you! I can reach you! In all I do! Life lesson's so very true . . . For, I will not give up! Nor give in! On this Inauguration Day, I see how far dreams can take you to! And yet I ask, ``Why, must children have so much courage then so too?'' For some things, are so hard to understand . . . As where faith must begin and end . . . Reach out, and take my hand . . . Let's be friends, me and you . . . There's so much more together we can learn and do! Little children as Heroes should not have to be . . . but are put on this earth for all to teach! Can you hear me? I can hear you! And one day up in Heaven . . . I know, my Lord I will view . . . And, I will begin to cry . . . When, I look into his eyes . . . and I hear for the first time . . . My very first words! ``I love you''!

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the Illinois: Lincoln Capital Airport Relocate Base Entrance. Bill Number: H.R. 3082--Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2010. Provisions/Account: Department of Justice, COPS Law Enforcement Technology Name and Address of Requesting Entity: The entity to receive funding for this project is Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (ANG), Illinois Capital Airport, Springfield, IL 62704. Description of Request: The funding would be used to relocate the base entrance to include realignment of existing four lane airport entrance, two lane base entry road and reconfigure intersection with state highway to ensure the facility meets DoD security requirements.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the Crop Production and Food Processing, Peoria, IL. Bill Number: H.R. 2997, the Fiscal Year 2010 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. Provisions/Account: Agriculture Research Service, Salaries and Expenses Name and Address of Requesting Entity: The entity to receive funding for this project is U.S. Department of Agriculture National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR), located at 1815 N. University Street, Peoria, IL, 61604. Description of Request: This project conducts non-destructive and wet chemical analysis for soybean, wheat and new crop germplasm for the entire U.S. This research program directly supports 75 public soybean breeders for the assembly of a genetic database for soybeans and wheat.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 2965, the Enhancing Small Business Research and Innovation Act of 2009. This bill incorporates the important language of legislation that I introduced in H.R. 2772, the SBIR and STTR Enhancement Act. I would like to thank first Chairwoman Velazquez, Ranking Member Graves and Mr. Altmire for working to move this important piece of legislation forward and doing so in such a bipartisan way. I also want to thank my colleague Congressman Nye for his work with me on the subcommittee level to ensure that the process of modernizing the Small Business Innovation Research program was done in an effective, efficient and bipartisan fashion with the input from those who are most important, that is, the small business sector who utilizes this important program. The Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR program, as we refer to it, was established over 20 years ago and is an important resource in assisting small business owners wishing to bring their technological advancements to the marketplace. While small business owners represent some of the brightest innovators our country has, because of the high cost of doing technological research for the government, small businesses are, unfortunately, often underrepresented in receiving such research-intensive government contracts. When the Federal Government looks to the private sector for the development of new technologies and ideas, they must look beyond simply large corporate conglomerates to the small businesses that truly drive our economy and create American jobs. I am encouraged that this legislation and the language contained in it will make a number of necessary and overdue changes to the SBIR program, ensuring its continued use to help in the commercialization of those innovations made by small businesses. Additionally, this language will equip the SBIR program with important new tools to bring it more in line with the needs of small business owners in the 21st century. Included are important provisions to allow for increased oversight, more transparency and greater flow of information between the recipient and participating agencies. We will now have more timely solicitation responses from these agencies, the creation of an online database to properly study and measure the performance of businesses participating in the program and new restrictions regarding potential program abusers. These changes will help SBIR continue to be one of the few government assistance programs which actually works. Finally, by responsively increasing the grant limits, which have not been altered in over 20 years since the program's inception while simultaneously not increasing the total funding pool, we ensure that this program is streamlined to become more effective and efficient, to focus on granting funds to those potentially successful ideas that need this type of support to transition from concept to reality. Rather than throwing more taxpayer money at an unnecessarily large amount of grants, the SBIR program will now focus on investing in those ideas from small businesses which actually possess the potential to reach full commercialization phase. Today this House will make these important changes to the SBIR program to ensure its continued use as a resource, which helps small businesses bring their new and novel ideas to the market while also providing a value to our economy, which we all know it so desperately needs. Knowing that over 60 percent of American citizens get their paycheck from a small business, it only seems right in these tough economic times that we focus on beefing up those support efforts here in the Federal Government to help the largest employers in our country, small businesses. I urge a ``yes'' vote and passage of this bill.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the Village of Hopedale, Village of Hopedale, IL. Bill Number: H.R. 2996 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Provisions/Account: STAG Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Project Name and Address of Requesting Entity: entity to receive funding for this project is the Village of Hopedale, located at Box 387, Hopedale, IL 61747. Description of Request: The funding would be used to conduct preliminary work on a new wastewater treatment plant.

Mr. SCHOCK

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Speaker, I woke up this morning to the front page of my hometown paper, which read, Peoria's unemployment rate crosses double digits for first time in two decades. At a time when our communities across this country are losing work and out of jobs, we in this body are passing a piece of legislation that will only do more, only put more people out on the street and in the unemployment lines. This bill, on the average, will add to Illinois residents the cost equal to 1 month of their electricity bill. In essence, we are adding a 13th month to their utility bill. It doesn't matter whether my constituents are senior citizens living on a fixed income, families, businesses, we are asking them to pay more at a time when they have less. Now, there is not a person in this room that doesn't want more of the same, more green energy, more wind, more nuclear, more solar power. But I, for one, believe we can get there without putting the conventional methods of energy out of business. The Forbes amendment will do just that. It is creative ideas, incentivizing the behaviors that we want as opposed to what we don't that we need. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment and a ``no'' on the cap-and- tax bill.