Pat Tiberi

Mr. TIBERI

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Keller).

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Isakson).

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Education Reform.

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I first would like to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Education Reform, for their fine work on this piece of legislation and for their support for the amendment that I am offering at this time. Mr. Chairman, this amendment expands upon what is already in this bill, which is a good bill; and it will make this bill a better bill. Under this amendment sponsored by myself and the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), local school districts could sign performance agreements with the Secretary of Education to allow them to consolidate non-title I formula grant programs together. Only two districts per State in all 50 States, for a total of 100 school districts, may do this. If approved by the Secretary, districts could be relieved of the requirements of those Federal programs that they consolidate. If a school district is a failing school district, they may not apply. School districts that fail to make progress during the performance agreement contract may not continue to participate, thus the Secretary may cancel the agreement. This piece of legislation is supported by the National School Boards Association, the Association of School Administrators, and the Council of Great City Schools. It offers local flexibility, local accountability, which will equal results. Let us pass this amendment. Let us give additional tools to our locally elected school board members, to our local superintendents, so they can help the young men and women in our classroom. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Chairman, in Ohio, we have 611 school districts. Within my Congressional District, I have urban, suburban, and rural public school districts. I know of at least one school district, the one I happened to graduate from, that would not be eligible to even apply for this program. The point of the matter is, out of those rural, suburban, and urban school districts, those superintendents and school board members of those public schools within my district have told me what their problems are, and their problems with respect to Federal funding are, in many cases, quite different. What we are doing today with this amendment, Mr. Chairman, is giving them the elected school boards in public schools throughout America, the ability to decide how to spend the dollars that they send to Washington, D.C. I urge this House to support the amendment.

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton).

Mr. TIBERI

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate and honor a young Ohio student from my district who has achieved national recognition for exemplary volunteer service in his community. Steven Engelhaupt of Dublin, has been named as one of my state's top honorees in The 2001 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, an annual honor conferred on the most impressive student volunteers in each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Mr. Engelhaupt is being recognized for providing, over the past three years, new toys to thousands of children in central Ohio through the Firefighters for Kids toy drive in Columbus. He began the project by collecting used toys and repairing and cleaning them for resale. The cash Mr. Engelhaupt received was then used to purchase new toys which were given to needy children. To date, his efforts have generated over $24,000 in cash and additional in-kind contributions. In light of numerous statistics that indicate Americans today are less involved in their communities than they once were, it's vital that we encourage and support the kind of selfless contribution this young citizen has made. Mr. Engelhaupt should be extremely proud to have been singled out from such a large group of dedicated volunteers. I applaud Mr. Engelhaupt for his initiative in seeking to make his community a better place to live, and for the positive impact he has had on the lives of others. His actions show that young Americans can--and do--play important roles in our communities, and that America's community spirit continues to hold tremendous promise for the future.

Mr. TIBERI

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to recognize the efforts of the National Ground Water Association, which is headquartered in my district in Westerville, Ohio. NGWA is sponsoring National Ground Water Awareness Week, which begins May 6. Each spring, NGWA sponsors Ground Water Awareness Week to educate the public about this precious national resource. Ground water is not only the source for much of our drinking water, but is also utilized in agriculture, commercial and industrial production and thermoelectric energy generation. It is also the single biggest source of water for irrigation in our country. The National Ground Water Association is a not-for-profit professional society and trade organization representing all segments of the groundwater industry. Its over 16,000 members include the world's leading ground water scientists and engineers, drilling contractors, manufacturers and suppliers. Association members will be using Ground Water Awareness Week to participate in a variety of activities and events. I want to thank them for their efforts to preserve, protect and safely utilize this most valuable resource.

Mr. TIBERI

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New York for yielding me this time. Today's legislation is a great first step in providing tax relief for Americans and American families. All Americans who pay taxes deserve tax relief. Allowing Americans to keep more of what they earn in their own pockets and providing for paying down of the debt is a first good step for this Congress, but we need to do more. I look forward to working with this body to eliminate the marriage tax penalty and to putting an end to the death tax. Today, however, let us help strengthen our slowing economy and support the rule. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to putting money back in people's pockets.

Mr. TIBERI

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), who is the subcommittee chairman on the issue we are debating.

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons).

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, we believe there will be three additional speakers.

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, along with my colleagues, to recognize the contributions of America's Catholic elementary and secondary schools and congratulate these schools, the students, the teachers, and their parents for the dedication to education in our country. I would like to thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Schaffer), the sponsor of this legislation, and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, as well as the majority leader, for bringing this important resolution to the floor this afternoon. This resolution recognizes Catholic schools and Catholic Schools Week. This is an event sponsored by the National Catholic Education Association and the United States Catholic Conference and established to recognize the vital contributions of America's Catholic schools. Catholic schools are widely acclaimed for their academic success. Central Ohio, which I am fortunate enough to represent, is blessed with many outstanding Catholic schools. In fact, St. Francis DeSales, a Columbus Catholic high school in my neighborhood, is a past recipient of the U.S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Schools Award for Excellence. This is the highest award any private or public school can achieve. But Catholic schools provide more than a superior scholastic education. They ensure a broad education emphasizing the development of moral, intellectual, physical, and social values in our young people. They produce students strongly dedicated in our faith, values, families, and communities. Indeed, they are central to building a sense of community in this country that all Americans should have the opportunity to enjoy. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this resolution, and I strongly support its adoption by the House. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 28.

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 28) honoring the contributions of Catholic schools.

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately we have two more speakers, and they are not here.