Providing for Consideration of Senate Amendment to House Amendment to Senate Amendment to H.R. 1586, Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. POLIS. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, this rule provides for consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 1586 and makes in order a motion by the chair of the Appropriations Committee to concur in the Senate amendment. The rule waives all points of order against the motion. The rule provides that the motion shall be debatable for 1 hour, equally divided and controlled by chairs and ranking minority members of the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Committee on Ways and Means. Finally, the resolution waives a requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII, which requires a two-thirds vote to consider a resolution from the Rules Committee on the same day that it is reported. The waiver applies to any measure reported through the legislative day of Wednesday, August 11, 2010.
Most of my colleagues here today, Madam Speaker, have interrupted their important activities back home in their districts to be here for this unusual, but not unprecedented, August session. As we stand here today, Madam Speaker, debating assistance for States and school districts across the country, I can't think of a better reason for Members to rush back to the Capitol than to invest in our children and in our future.
We are here today to extend a lifeline to teachers in classrooms across the country to ensure that students and our future are not mortgaged by a weak economy that has forced States into drastic cutbacks. Despite the failure of the Senate to move this bill during many months of debate until it finally passed last week, the urgency is real. And the appeal and need is real as well.
This legislation saves or creates 310,000 American jobs, specifically for teachers, police officers, firefighters, and nurses. In Colorado, this bill will save the jobs of 2,600 teachers. Yes, Madam Speaker, absent the passage of this bill, class sizes will be larger for students across the State, and we will be mortgaging our future because of the current recession.
These funds will go immediately to States and prevent layoffs and in some cases rehire teachers that have already been given notice, as summer comes to an end, just in time as students go back to school. Students here in Washington, D.C. will be in school the week after next. Many districts in Colorado start in 2 or 3 weeks as well.
This legislation, Madam Speaker, is completely paid for, primarily by closing tax loopholes that encourage corporations to ship American jobs overseas. Not only is this bill paid for, Madam Speaker, but this bill cuts the deficit by $1.4 billion.
It never fails to surprise me when some of my colleagues talk about the spending of Congress--this, that, or the other. Well, here today before us, Madam Speaker, is a chance to cut the deficit. What an important and justifiable reason for us to return here to Washington in August: to cut the deficit.
These funds will assist States so they can keep qualified teachers in classrooms, pay firefighters and police officers to keep our neighborhoods safe. We need to do everything in our power to ensure that the American people are protected during this recession and that our children are educated. Widespread layoffs in these public security and education sectors wouldn't only hurt the schools and children but would further depress the economy. These men and women who work in these professions, Madam Speaker, are the backbone of our Nation and our economy.
Now that the measure is before us with bipartisan support from the Senate, I hope all of our colleagues will join me in supporting this legislation and quickly moving to a final vote so that we can expeditiously get the money out to those who need it. I encourage my colleagues to support the rule and the bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, most teachers, firefighters, nurses don't earn $1.4 million a year. I wish they did in our society. I wish we valued the teaching profession. There was a study recently that showed that a good kindergarten teacher is worth $365,000 a year. Unfortunately, Madam Speaker, I don't think there are any kindergarten teachers in our country that earn it.
I'm grateful that of course, as the gentleman from California pointed out, that this gentleman's abuse of the public trust was exposed and corrected, and the residents of that town will hopefully compensate their new city manager more in line with the standards.
Finally, he talked about Republican, Independents and Democrats doing something and caring about teachers, caring about nurses. I have no doubt that in this Chamber and in our country Americans of all stripes ideologically and all parties care deeply about our nurses and teachers and keeping our streets safe, and Members of both parties here in the House today will have a chance to express that in a very tangible way, by keeping teachers in classrooms, nurses in hospitals, and officers on the beat by voting ``yes'' on the rule and the motion here today.
With that, Madam Speaker, I would like to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts, my esteemed colleague on the Rules Committee, Mr. McGovern.
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Mr. POLIS. I yield myself 30 seconds.
Madam Speaker, when we are talking about cops and firefighters and teachers we have and we need, and we value cops and firefighters and teachers in the reddest of red States and the bluest of blue States across this great country, that's why, Madam Speaker, 16 Republican Governors have written to us, encouraging us to pass the money for Medicaid assistance here today, including, I might add, the Governor of the State of Georgia, as well as the Governor of the State of Alabama, calling on us to act because all of us know that we are in this together as a country. Regardless of where we live, we all need these basic services.
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Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.
Madam Speaker, I am particularly pleased that this legislation does not include $800 million in cuts to critical education reform programs, including Race to the Top, which has encouraged education reform initiatives and accountability across our country; including the Charter School Innovation Fund, which provides start-up money for new and innovative charter schools to help meet the educational needs of our most at-risk youth; and the Teacher Incentive Fund, finding new and better ways to compensate teachers for their hard work.
This bill before us today, Madam Speaker, recognizes that we need both funding and reform, investment and accountability. One without the other will not close the achievement gap. Together, Madam Speaker, teachers in the classroom and the education reform initiatives that President Obama is pursuing in a bipartisan way promise to help end the vicious cycle of poverty and ignorance in this country and replace it with the virtuous cycle of opportunity and hope.
With that, Madam Speaker, I would like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).
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Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of the time.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the rule and the Senate amendment to H.R. 1586.
The new school year is just around the corner. Families across our Nation are preparing to send their kids back to school; and the experience that their children have this school year directly depends, Madam Speaker, on our actions here today in this Chamber.
The package before us today recognizes that we can't afford to stand idle while our schools are being hammered by budget crises across the country. In Colorado, districts are facing the deepest budget cuts in memory. Colorado school districts have cut more than $288 million out of their budgets for next school year, so the $160 million that Colorado will receive under this program provides much-needed funds.
Now I want to describe that that is typical of the experience of many States. In no way, shape, or form are we avoiding making the tough decisions or tough cuts during this recession. The States have made those. Districts have made those. We have the opportunity today to make sure that those cuts don't affect the kids going back to school.
What have districts done to balance their budget? They have reduced their staff size and salaries, they have increased furlough days, they have created larger class sizes, they have reduced instructional hours, cut after-school programs, established 4-day school weeks. We are undercutting the future of American competitiveness by getting in the way of the ability to educate kids today because we happen to be in a severe budget crisis. We each here today in this Chamber, Madam Speaker, have the opportunity to get these much-needed funds to States and school districts across the country.
In addition, the budget of Colorado and more than half the States in the country assume that the FMAP increases will occur. If they don't, if this Chamber doesn't act here today, Colorado would have to come up with $245 million more in cuts; and, in most States, including my home State, those cuts would generally hit education, law enforcement, and higher education. So the extension is critically important not only for the low-income families that rely on Medicaid for health services but also for all public services that are so essential for our communities.
Undermining public education during a recession is no way to build a world-class educational system, no way to create the economic engine of growth for our Nation for the next century when more than ever jobs will depend on what people know and their ability to think rather than what they can do with their hands.
By passing this here today, Madam Speaker, we can help ensure America's competitiveness in a global, knowledge-based economy. Inaction today in the face of today's crisis would simply mean further erosion of our Nation's human capital, our greatest asset.
Madam Speaker, this is not spending we are considering today. This is an investment. It's an investment in our most valuable asset, our children and our future.
I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and the rule.
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