Providing for Consideration of H.R. 3010, Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, cand Related Agencies Appropriations Act,2006
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3010, DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006 -- (House of Representatives - June 23, 2005)
Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 337 and ask for its immediate consideration.
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Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purposes of debate only.
Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 337 is a fair, open rule that provides for the consideration of the Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill for fiscal year 2006.
I want to commend my friend, the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Regula) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Ranking Member Obey) for their efforts in moving this important piece of legislation to the floor.
This appropriation bill funds health and education programs that are vitally important to our children and families. The Committee on Appropriations has met the need for these programs, while living within the parameters set by the House and the budget resolution.
The bill provides an $118 million increase to the Department of Education, including a $100 million increase for Title I State grants. My colleagues across the aisle decry what they call a lack of funding for education, and nothing could be further from the truth.
Since Republicans took control of Congress, funding for the Department of Education has more than doubled. In the last 5 years alone, total education expenditures have increased by nearly 50 percent.
I am particularly pleased that the committee provided resources to key college prep programs. The TRIO program is funded at last year's level of $837 million, and GEAR-UP will receive $306 million, also equal to last year's allocation. These two programs are very successful in helping low-income students in making the transition to college. Many TRIO and GEAR-UP participants from high schools and colleges across West Virginia took the time to write me about their successes in the programs. I appreciate these students' efforts and wish them every success as they continue their education.
The bill also provides money for the Perkins Vocational Education and Tech Prep programs at last year's level. These programs provide job skills to students, some of whom will go to college, and many others will have the necessary training to enter the work force. Many West Virginia students take advantage of vocational education, so I appreciate that funding for those programs was maintained.
The maximum Pell grant award is increased to $4,100, the highest level in the program's history. This increase is the beginning of a series of proposed increases in Pell grants that will help more students across the country afford the growing cost of a college education.
The committee provides $569.6 million, the same as fiscal year 2005, for the Adult Education State Grant program. This money will be used to help fund literacy programs for adults and enable them to complete a secondary education. Reading skills are a necessity for our adults as well as our youth, and for adults in the employment market and in everyday life, so I am pleased this bill restores adult education to last year's level.
The legislation before us also addresses the many health care needs of our Nation. The bill contains a $145 million increase for the National Institutes of Health, demonstrating our commitment to finding cures for deadly diseases. Funds for community health centers that provide primary care for many patients in counties across my district and others across the country are increased by $100 million to $1.8 billion. These health centers are important, because they offer health care to people in rural communities who have few other options for quality care. Health centers are cost effective because they cut down on unnecessary emergency room visits and expensive, serious ailments that come when minor illnesses go untreated.
I am also glad that the bill provides $890 million to begin the implementation of Medicare Part D, the long-awaited prescription drug benefit that will be especially helpful for our Nation's poorest seniors.
Job training activities, especially the successful Job Corps program, are also well provided for in this legislation. The Job Corps Centers in Charleston and Harper's Ferry in my district do an outstanding job of training students not only to be productive workers, but to be active members of their community as well. I am pleased that Job Corps will see an increase to $1.44 billion this year.
As with any appropriation legislation, we had to make tough choices in this legislation. These choices are particularly difficult when dealing with the sensitive health and education issues like the ones in this bill. The Committee on Appropriations allocated the available resources in this bill in a manner that emphasizes those programs most important to our Nation. I urge my colleagues to join me in support for the rule and the underlying legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this bill contains quite a bit on education. I think the wonderful thing about America is that every child in America is afforded a public education through our public schools. I am very proud to say that I have three children who are very fine graduates of West Virginia public schools. And there are tough choices to be made in this bill. I acknowledged that in my opening statement. And I acknowledge that as well.
But I would like to go through some of the things, the public education things, in this bill that will help every child in America no matter what channel they turn to on the television. There is a $118 million increase to the Department of Education. Increases in Pell grants to the highest ever, $4,100 availability. Special Ed grants are funded at $10.7 billion, $150 million above last year's funding.
Title 1 grants, which help the underprivileged and our lower-economic students, $100 million over last year's funding. Reading programs. Reading is an essential art; I hope it never becomes a lost art. It is an essential art for our future, not only to bring much joy into people's lives but also to see that they are able to secure fruitful employment and raise a family and have the best things in America. Reading is absolutely essential.
Reading programs are funded at $1.2 billion. The Reading First program is funded at over $1 billion. The Even Start program is funded at $200 million. Math and science. We have heard a lot about the loss of math and science abilities in our students coming out of high school. We recognize that in this bill, and we have increased by over $11 million for a total of $190 million to enhance the number of teachers trained to teach in the fields of math and science.
I think there is much to be proud of in this bill in terms of the way we have addressed problems in our public education, and the way we have addressed something that is near and dear to every American's heart, that is, a good solid quality education for our children.
We have also worked to improve teacher quality. This provides $2.94 billion to help teachers with professional development programs. So I think that this year's bill, while the tough decisions were made, and as I said, I congratulate the chairman and ranking member for making those tough choices, there is a lot in here that will help enhance the education, enrich the lives of our children, and help improve the quality of our public education.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity to talk a little bit about community health centers. I visited all of the community health centers in my district of West Virginia. They go a long way towards enhancing access and quality in the rural areas. It has been a great initiative that has worked very successfully in a State that sometimes has difficult areas to get to.
And I am pleased that this bill enhances that funding by $100,000 million.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to note in this bill another program that is very important to every State across the Nation, and that is the Head Start program. The Head Start program has been funded $56 million over last year's level, and this will help towards the readiness of our preschoolers to be able to be ready to handle the challenges of school.
Another program highlighted in this bill is funding of $100 million for a new pilot program to develop and implement innovative ways to provide financial incentives for teachers and principals who raise student achievement and close the achievement gap.
And back to community health centers, I think this is one of the best ways to cover children's health care. Many young families cannot travel far to access hospitals for preventative care. This will go towards managing health care for children with another $100 million for that program.
My colleague talked about senior programs. I note in this bill there are several senior programs. There is the National Senior Volunteer Corps and the Foster Grandparents program. Foster Grandparents always come to visit me in Washington and tell me about their program. I am in awe at their dedication to not only seniors but to the youth of America. The Senior Companion Program and the Retired Senior Volunteer program, these programs are funded at the highest levels ever, and I think it will go a long way towards giving our seniors a way to volunteer and give back to the Nation, to the young people and families. I am pleased that the chairman recognized the value of these programs in his bill.
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Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I would like to comment on Pell grants because this bill contains the largest amount for Pell grants ever in the history of the United States, $4,100 per student. That is a lot of opportunity for a lot of different students.
I would also like to say that the TRIO program, the GEAR-UP program, the Job Corps program, these are all programs designed to help students who might not have an opportunity get an opportunity through those programs. They are well-funded, successful programs; and they are recognized in this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham), a champion of education.
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Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I would like to point out in this bill in terms of America's seniors that there is implementation funding in here for the very historic prescription drug plan that will help many, many, many seniors across this country and particularly those lower-income seniors who really are making those tough choices. I am proud to say that is a bill I was proud to have voted for. I cannot wait for the implementation. This bill provides for the good education materials and the implementation materials that our seniors are going to need to move forward with this program.
I would like to dispute also in terms of cutting education, that is inherently false. There are 118 million more dollars in this bill for public education than there was last year. I think that looks at the programs that are successful and enhances them. Tough choices have been made, no question about it.
There are other things in here. I talked about Job Corps, but there is also a dislocated workers program which is a rapid response for layoffs and plant closures or natural disasters, something, unfortunately, a State like West Virginia, we seem to have our share of natural disasters in flooding. This gives us the ability to have that rapid response. I think there is much to be proud of in this bill. There is lots in here for education, for our families, for our seniors, for our workers and for the health of our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I would like to close this debate by again thanking the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Regula), the chairman of the subcommittee, and the ranking member and for their efforts on this important piece of legislation.
The debate on this rule has shown some of the difficulties that we have faced when appropriating funds for areas as important as education and health care. From community health centers to TRIO and title I, this bill addresses our Nation's critical health and education funding needs.
I ask my colleagues to join me in support for the rule and underlying legislation.
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