Providing for Consideration of H.R. 2829, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2008
Floor Speech
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2829, FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (House of Representatives - June 27, 2007)
Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 517 and ask for its immediate consideration.
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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 517 provides for consideration of H.R. 2829, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act for 2008 under an open rule.
Under this rule, all Members of the House are afforded the opportunity to offer any amendment that is germane and otherwise complies with House rules. In fact, I want to point out to Members that this is the sixth appropriations bill this year to be considered under an open rule.
In November, the American people demanded a change in direction in Washington and a change in priorities. The past 6 months have been an important down payment on our commitment to change. This new Congress must continue to restore our focus on a domestic agenda that helps all Americans.
To that end, today the House takes up the seventh of its annual Appropriation bills where we will continue this progress in taking America in a new direction.
I applaud Chairman Serrano, Ranking Member Regula, and the committee for developing a bill that reflects this needed change in priorities and for doing so through a strong, bipartisan process.
This bill aims to spur job creation and make the economy work for everyone by restoring cuts to small business loans, strengthening consumer protections and rejecting a proposal to reduce capital and financial services to underserved communities through CDFI.
In addition, the funding in the underlying bill will help our citizens to vote through upgrades to voting machines and voter registration databases. It ensures a fair tax system by enforcing the Tax Code for everyone, not just those who play by the rules. By focusing on basic priorities like these, we can help restore the American people's faith in our government again.
The programs funded by this bill demonstrate our commitment to serving all Americans, regardless of economic or social background. The $21.4 billion bill includes: $66.8 million for the Consumer Product Safety Commission to protect the public from injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products;
$247.7 million for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate sub-prime lending, ID theft, and other deceptive practices;
$908 million for the Securities and Exchange Commission to enhance securities law enforcement;
$313 million for the Federal Communications Commissions to oversee the changing telecom environment, ensure the continued livelihood of Universal Service Fund and prepare for the transition to digital television;
$139.8 million to combat terrorist financing;
$5.9 billion for the Federal Courts, including $830.5 million for defender services, because every American should have access to quality legal representation.
The bill also includes $582 million for the Small Business Administration to help small businesses prosper. Of this, $100 million is for Small Business Development Centers, or SBDCs, which is the highest ever funding level for this program. These centers provide management assistance to current and prospective small business owners. In addition, they support existing businesses and assist start-ups with high-quality, no-cost counseling and affordable training programs.
This support for our small businesses helps invigorate local economies by helping the very small businesses that are firmly rooted in our communities both succeed and grow. There are now 63 main SBDCs, at least one in every State, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with a network of more than 1,100 service locations.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, the underlying bill made in order under this open rule is a well-crafted piece of legislation. I appreciate that the chairman and ranking member of the subcommittee worked together to produce such a product. The bill ensures taxpayer fairness, protects the right to vote, and funds programs critical to supporting our Nation's small businesses.
I urge all Members to support this rule and the underlying bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I want to make a brief comment regarding the Members' COLA which, as Members know, is provided for not in this bill but directly through the Treasury Department based on a predetermined formula.
When we had a debate last year, Members on our side of the aisle objected to the rule on the grounds that Members should not receive a cost of living increase until average Americans did through an increase in the minimum wage.
I am happy to report that the Democrats kept their promise. No COLA was permitted in the long-term funding that Democrats passed earlier this year to resolve last year's appropriations gridlock. As a result of the new majority's leadership, we passed the first increase in the minimum wage in almost 10 years. It goes into effect on July 24, just less than a month from now.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I will be offering an amendment that adds a new section to the rule that allows the House to consider a current resolution providing for the adjournment of the House and Senate during the month of July.
I wanted to apprise the gentleman from California regarding that.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, this is necessary because of a technical provision in section 309 of the Congressional Budget Act that prevents the House from considering any adjournment resolution for a period longer than 3 days unless all of the annual appropriations bills have been passed by the House.
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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I want to make a comment on the Members' COLA once again, that the Members' COLA was calculated by a predetermined automatic formula. This legislation does not address Members' COLA. Changes to Members' COLA formula should be addressed in authorizing legislation from the Committee on House Administration.
Mr. Speaker, the American people expect and deserve the best services their government can offer and their tax dollars pay for. This $21.4 billion bipartisan bill provides significant support to our small businesses, helps guarantee our citizens' right to vote, and works to close the tax gap. It is a good bill. I believe through simple measures such as these, we can restore our citizens' faith that the government can, and is, working for them again.
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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, this amendment adds a new section to the rule that allows the House to consider concurrent resolutions providing for the adjournment of the House and Senate during the month of July.
I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule and the previous question.
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