Providing for Consideration of H.R. 2218, Empowering Parents Through Quality Charter Schools Act, and Providing for Consideration of H.R. 1892, Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012
Floor Speech
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Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I proposed to the Rules Committee an amendment about making it in America, one more way we can build jobs here in this country by using our own tax money.
In the charter schools legislation there is some $300 million a year authorized for the construction of charter schools, the enhancement, the improvement of those schools. Now, where will the material come from? Where will the heating and air conditioning systems be manufactured? Where will the lumber, the concrete, the other materials, the high-tech equipment come from? Will it be American-made, or will it be made over in China and imported into the United States?
It seems to me we're about to use $300 million of our tax money, that is the American taxpayers' money, to build some schools, or to improve some charter schools. All well and good. But why don't we create some jobs in addition to that? Why don't we put into this bill an amendment that simply says that the Secretary of Education, in prioritizing the grants, shall give higher priority to those proposals that would use American-made equipment, American-made jobs?
We can, and I thank my colleague from California, Mr. Lewis, for agreeing that we ought to be making it America. This amendment was rejected for reasons unknown to me by the Rules Committee, perhaps known to them. And if Mr. Dreier were here, or maybe I should ask Ms. Foxx, why was this objected to? Why was it not made possible to put this amendment on the floor so that we can create American jobs?
I would note that we're 247 days into this session, and not one bill has been put forward by the Republican majority to advance jobs. Here's a little chance for us to do it.
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Mr. Garamendi proposes that we take a simple idea and put it into this bill, and I think he's absolutely right.
Here's the idea. If we spend a significant amount of money, I think it's $300 million, for the purpose of retrofitting and maybe building some schools around the country, let's give a preference to schools that use American-made products and American-made goods over those that do not. I think that's a very commonsense idea. So if a school is going to put in solar panels to become more energy efficient and they can either buy the solar panels from a company here in the United States or one in Asia, let's favor the school that buys the solar panels from the United States to create jobs here. This is a simple and good idea. It should be on the floor so that we could debate it.
Now, the dialogue I just heard was it's the Senate fault or it's this one's fault. With all due respect to all of our colleagues, Mr. Speaker, the days of whose fault it is are over. Long since over. And the time has long since passed for us to get to work passing commonsense legislation that puts the American people back to work. Mr. Garamendi has proposed just such a commonsense piece of legislation.
I would urge people to vote ``no'' on the previous question so we can consider Mr. Garamendi's amendment.
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