[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H7637-H7644]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2859, EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL 
              APPROPRIATIONS FOR DISASTER RELIEF ACT, 2003

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the 
Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 339 and ask for its 
immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 339

       Resolved, That upon the adoption of this resolution it 
     shall be in order without intervention of any point of order 
     to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 2859) making 
     emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2003. The bill shall be considered as 
     read for amendment. The previous question shall be considered 
     as ordered on the bill and on any amendment thereto to final 
     passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of 
     debate on the bill equally divided and controlled by the 
     chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
     Appropriations; (2) an amendment printed in the Congressional 
     Record pursuant to clause 8 of rule XVIII, if offered by 
     Representative Toomey of Pennsylvania or his designee, which 
     shall be in order without intervention of any point of order 
     or demand for division of the question, shall be considered 
     as read, and shall be separately debatable for 20 minutes 
     equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an 
     opponent; and (3) one motion to recommit with or without 
     instructions.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) 
is recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate 
only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), 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. Hastings of Washington asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 339 is a 
modified closed rule waiving all points of order against the 
consideration of H.R. 2859, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations 
for Disaster Relief Act, 2003. The rule provides for 1 hour of general 
debate to be equally divided between the chairman and ranking minority 
member of the Committee on Appropriations. The rule also provides for a 
consideration of an amendment offered by the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey), or his designee, which shall be considered 
as read, shall be separately debatable for 20 minutes equally divided 
and controlled by the proponent and an opponent. The rule waives all 
points of order against the amendment. Finally, Mr. Speaker, the rule 
provides for one motion to recommit with or without instructions.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2859 was introduced by the chairman of the 
Committee on Appropriations and provides $983.6 million in emergency 
supplemental funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency for 
fiscal year 2003. This emergency appropriation is necessary to 
replenish the Disaster Relief Fund to make certain Federal resources 
available for the current fiscal year to meet the needs of Americans 
affected by tornadoes, floods, forest fires or other national 
disasters. The administration has informed Congress that without 
supplemental funds it is estimated that the Disaster Relief Fund would 
soon be exhausted. Additional funds are needed to respond to 
emergencies created by extreme weather and deadly wildfires.
  Our Nation was struck by a record 562 tornadoes, Mr. Speaker, in May 
alone. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters 
predict an above average season for tropical storms and for flooding, 
with Hurricane Claudette already striking the Gulf Coast of Texas.
  The summer fire season is also fully upon the Western United States. 
The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho reported yesterday 
that there are currently 45 large fires burning in 12 western States. 
Three of these fires are burning in my State of Washington. The largest 
of the fires in Washington State is the Farewell Creek fire burning in 
the arid north central portion of the State. This fire has grown so 
large that it could burn, Mr. Speaker, for 3 months and not be fully 
extinguished until the first heavy rainfall or snowfall this winter.
  The emergency appropriation included in H.R. 2859 will make certain 
that FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security have the funding and 
resources needed to meet the needs of Americans affected by these 
tornadoes, floods, wildfires and other national disasters. H.R. 2859 
was introduced by the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations to 
allow for prompt consideration by the House of Representatives and by 
the Congress. Accordingly, I encourage my colleagues to support both 
the rule, H. Res. 339, and the underlying bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1130

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 4 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Washington for yielding me the 
customary 30 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, the Republicans have put us in quite a situation here. 
We all remember the great job that President Clinton and James Lee Witt 
did in the 1990s by remaking FEMA into the world-class disaster 
response agency it is today. But earlier this year, the Republicans in 
the House decided to play games with FEMA's funding levels. They 
deliberately provided inadequate resources for FEMA in order to meet 
their arbitrary budget cap. They knew full well that they would have to 
come back for more FEMA funding; and surprise, surprise, here we are.
  We are here to consider a new supplemental appropriations bill that 
will partially fund FEMA through August and through part of the 
hurricane season. I am sure almost all of us will vote for this bill, 
because this funding is so important for FEMA and the families that 
they help.
  But it is important that we discuss the other emergency that is 
looming, and that is that of AmeriCorp. As many of my colleagues 
probably know, AmeriCorp is woefully underfunded. Without immediate 
action, 20,000 AmeriCorp positions will be lost; 20,000 AmeriCorp 
positions will be lost.
  The other body did the right thing, and they added $100 million to 
AmeriCorp to their version of the supplemental. But on a near party-
line vote in the House Committee on Appropriations, the Republican 
majority killed this funding. This must be another part of the 
Republican employment plan.
  Mr. Speaker, the Republican majority is playing games with the lives 
of 20,000 AmeriCorp employees. These people are proudly serving their 
communities and have committed themselves to this important public 
service program. But without our help, they will be cast aside, at no 
fault of their own.
  After September 11, President Bush issued a challenge to Americans to 
give back to their communities, right here in this Chamber. He 
specifically singled out AmeriCorp as one way to give back. 
Unfortunately, the administration's actions have not matched their 
rhetoric. While they have talked a good game about the importance of 
this program, they have done absolutely nothing, absolutely nothing, to 
ensure its long-term stability.

[[Page H7638]]

  Mr. Speaker, these are real people we are talking about. I recently 
talked to a young woman in Worcester, Massachusetts. She was thrilled 
just to be accepted into the AmeriCorp program. But then she told me 
that her hiring depends directly on whether AmeriCorp receives the 
emergency funding it needs. Her life is on hold while the Republican 
leadership plays more games and breaks more promises.
  Mr. Speaker, all of us support important funding for FEMA, but we 
cannot and must not turn our backs on the young people across this 
country who have stepped up to serve their communities. We owe it to 
them to do the right thing.
  Mr. Speaker, at the end of this debate, I will call for a vote on the 
previous question. If the previous question is defeated, I will offer 
an amendment to the rule that will provide us the opportunity to debate 
the Obey amendment, which will provide important AmeriCorp funding.
  Mr. Speaker, this is the only way we can help AmeriCorp. Once again 
we must take this avenue of defeating the previous question because the 
Republicans on the Committee on Rules shut us out. Last night they shut 
us out with regard to increasing veterans funding, and, then, after 
that, they shut us out with regard to finding ways to help 20,000 
AmeriCorp volunteers keep their jobs.
  Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to join me in defeating the 
previous question.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the ranking Democrat on the Committee on 
Appropriations.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I simply want to say that before this year is 
done, we are going to need a lot more supplemental funding than we have 
before us in the bill that will be brought to the floor under this 
rule. There is no question we are going to need money for Iraq. I 
personally have doubts that the money being requested for FEMA is going 
to be sufficient, unless we get by with virtually a storm-free summer, 
and I would not expect that. And as the gentleman from Massachusetts 
has indicated, if we do not fund AmeriCorp, we are going to have 
thousands of people who have offered to give their services to their 
communities in various capacities who are going to get laid off. It is 
as simple as that.
  So if we want to ignore that fact, as we earlier today ignored the 
problem of children from families who get the earned income tax credit, 
if we want to follow that example and again turn our backs on them, the 
House has the power to do that. But it should not do that. That is why 
we are asking the House to vote against the previous question on the 
rule, so that we could amend the rule to provide for consideration of 
funding for AmeriCorp, as well as FEMA.
  Mr. Speaker, I would hope that that is what the House would do, but 
we shall see when the votes are counted.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
New York (Ms. Slaughter), a member of the Committee on Rules.
  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me 
time, and I rise to say that I think the supplemental appropriations 
bill makes an irreversible mistake by letting one of our Nation's 
preeminent volunteer programs die.
  AmeriCorp helps thousands each year, and now it is our turn to help 
them. AmeriCorp members dedicated thousands of hours, providing health 
care, tutoring, food and public safety services to some of our neediest 
citizens. We must resolve the accounting crisis that put them in danger 
in the first place, but we need not destroy the program in the process.
  At a time of record unemployment and rising poverty, it is foolish to 
deny our AmeriCorp volunteers the opportunity to serve. These are 
Americans who have not asked what their Nation can do for them; they 
have asked what they can do for our Nation. And the answer they are 
getting back is basically, nothing.
  In Rochester, this funding crisis means a loss of over 100 AmeriCorp 
volunteers by the end of August. Each year the members much the 
Rochester, New York, AmeriCorp and other volunteers contribute over 
150,000 hours of service to our community. Their services reach over 
10,000 children and young people.
  Volunteers help to revitalize communities in countless ways. They 
mentor youth, they build affordable housing for families, they teach 
computer skills to people of all ages, they clean the parks and the 
streams that have been polluted, and they run the after-school 
programs.
  The value of even one AmeriCorp participant is simply staggering. A 
single AmeriCorp volunteer can create a reading program to help dozens, 
even hundreds, of students at a school. AmeriCorp has made thousands of 
American cities and towns safer and cleaner and better places to live.
  In Buffalo, the AmeriCorp volunteers increased the capacity of 225 
small community and faith-based organizations. One example is the 
Response to Love Center on Buffalo's east side, which was founded by 
Sister Johnice.
  She told me when heavy snow paralyzed the city last winter, she 
worked with AmeriCorp volunteers packing thousands of food bags, 
delivering heavy packages of food to the homebound that she could never 
have managed on her own. ``I saw AmeriCorp volunteers walk miles,'' she 
said, for a prescription for a new mother after having a baby. I looked 
at the workers shuffling snow for hours so the emergency vehicles could 
move, and I witnessed faith and love in action.''
  It is not only our community as a whole that benefits from AmeriCorp. 
In return for serving our community, the volunteer members receive an 
education award of up to $4,725 to help pay for college or pay back 
student loans. What a cheap price we pay for all that help.
  Today, more than 13,000 New York residents have qualified for those 
awards. Now, when the State budget crunches are hitting and we expect 
college tuition to rise, it is not the time to make it more difficult 
for people who have public service in mind to be disallowed their 
education benefits.
  Social programs are being cut to ribbons in the United States, Mr. 
Speaker, as the deficits mount on all the levels of government; and we 
should not close AmeriCorp, which gives so much for so little.
  If I might be allowed a personal note, I am so proud of my 
granddaughter, who graduated last year from Wake Forest, and was so 
pleased to be accepted into the Teach for America program. 
Unfortunately, as AmeriCorp dies, so does Teach for America; and that 
child, who was so excited about that program, waits now in some limbo 
again to start her future, hoping that somehow some miracle will happen 
and that program, which will mean so much to so many children, will be 
saved.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Dicks).
  (Mr. DICKS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding me time.
  I am pleased that the House is taking quick action to address the 
critical shortfalls facing the Director of Emergency Preparedness and 
Response, the entity we used to know as FEMA. In fact, I was speaking 
with the new Under Secretary, Mike Brown, just last night, who informed 
me that EPR will have to close regional offices within 2 weeks if 
funding is not approved. So I strongly support the approval of this 
money.
  However, there are other important programs that will have to start 
closing down in August if funds are not approved immediately.
  As was mentioned by the gentlewoman from New York, Teach for America, 
there are 2,700 people in this country who were signed up for Teach for 
America. They would be trained in August and start working in 
September. So obviously if we do not appropriate the money now, we 
appropriate the money in September, it is going to completely disrupt 
this program, which has been so important for helping kids in school 
who need special training and special help.
  These young people all across this country who think that they are 
going

[[Page H7639]]

to have a contract are not going to have one because we have failed to 
act here in the House of Representatives. We tried to offer this 
amendment in committee to add $100 million for this important program, 
and on a straight party-line vote it was voted down.
  We certainly can do this now if we can defeat the previous question. 
We can add this $100 million and take care of FEMA, take care of 
AmeriCorp and send the bill to the Senate. Frankly, as the ranking 
Democrat on the Committee on the Interior, I am worried about the money 
for forest fires. Again, we are not putting up the money for the forest 
fires either.
  Now we use the old adage, well, we can borrow the money and then pay 
it back. But they have not paid back the money from the last year that 
they have borrowed. I was pleased that the administration requested, I 
think, $289 million, maybe it was $320 when you add BLM and Forest 
Service together; but that money is not in here.
  I just had a conversation with the distinguished chairman in the 
other body on the interior appropriations, and he is very concerned 
about the fact that we do not have the forest fire money in here as 
well.
  So I understand that the problem with FEMA is very urgent, but these 
other issues are also important. So I wish we could do a broader 
supplemental and deal with them. I hope that the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) is going to have an amendment that will deal with 
the problem of AmeriCorp. I just hate to see, if we are going to solve 
this thing in September anyway, why screw up the entire program and not 
get it done now when we have an opportunity to.
  There are 224 Members of the House who have signed a letter, a 
majority, Democrats and Republicans, in favor of adding the $100 
million. I am told the President now has changed his mind and he is in 
favor of it. So if everybody wants to do it, why not do it?
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. George Miller).
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman 
for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of defeating the previous 
question so we will have an opportunity to properly fund AmeriCorp. 
AmeriCorp is desperately in need of $100 million to make sure we do not 
provide the kinds of cuts that can be devastating, not only to the 
AmeriCorp volunteers, but to our communities.
  In my own State of California, we are talking about cuts if this 
funding is not realized of some 64 percent. That means some 2,000 
service members in AmeriCorp, young people volunteering, will not be 
eligible to have their positions continued.
  This is not just about them; it is about the work they do in our 
communities, in after-school programs, building affordable housing, to 
help the communities respond to disaster, and helping to train a new 
core of teachers. Those are the services they provide. That is the 
multiplier that they provide.
  Many of us have witnessed AmeriCorp workers at work. We spend time 
with them at social occasions and you start to appreciate their 
infectious enthusiasm and their desire to help their country and help 
our communities and help young people and older people. They provide a 
huge amount of services. And yet because of a squabble, because of a 
mistake by the executives in the corporation, we are now going to hold 
these young people liable. We are going to decimate this program.

                              {time}  1145

  And we do that in light of the fact that the President of the United 
States asked us to increase AmeriCorps from between 50,000 to 75,000 
new volunteers, recognizing the spirit and the contribution that 
AmeriCorps makes to our communities and to our Nation. But now, what we 
find out is that this supplemental, if we do not defeat the previous 
question, will provide for 28,000 positions. That is an anemic form of 
AmeriCorps in a country that has so many needs and has the ability to 
attract the best of these young people with their talents, with their 
education, and with their desire to help our communities.
  So I would urge my colleagues to vote against the previous question 
so that we can open up this supplemental to provide fpr the funding for 
AmeriCorps that is so urgently needed.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 
minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham).
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, whether one supports AmeriCorps or not, 
recently they got over $60 million. Now they want another $100 million. 
Just do the math; 50,000 AmeriCorps, what they call volunteers, take 
50,000 into $162 million. They are making over $30,000 each per 
volunteer, if you take the cost of it.
  Now, the individuals do not do that, but that is the cost of the 
program per person that is in there. We do not need this.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed that this bill does not 
include funding for AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps is about fortifying our 
democracy, energizing and unlocking the potential of young people, and 
improving our communities. AmeriCorps has given a quarter million 
Americans the opportunity to serve millions of their fellow citizens in 
countless ways, fighting poverty, tutoring and mentoring neglected 
youngsters, cleaning up the environment, and providing long-term care 
to the elderly, to name a few. It is the premier national service 
program of the United States.
  Critical vital services in our communities would not be the same 
without the efforts of the dedicated young volunteers whose energy, 
compassion, and commitment touch people's lives every single day.
  The Corporation for National Community Services, yes, has had 
management problems. They have been identified. They are being 
addressed by the managers and administrators, and it is vital that we 
remain vigilant that these reforms continue.
  In doing so, we should not punish the communities, the thousands of 
young volunteers. Why do we want to dampen their enthusiasm and their 
spirit? Why do we want to hurt those people who rely on their services, 
simply because top administrators failed to do their jobs? And without 
funding, more than 20,000 AmeriCorps volunteers will lose their 
positions. Counselors at the LEAP program in my hometown of New Haven, 
Connecticut provides mentoring and service opportunities for area kids. 
It shows 1,300 children across Connecticut with over 350 college and 
high school students lending their time.
  One hundred percent of LEAP's junior counselors graduate from public 
high schools, and 80 percent go on to college. If we lose that sense of 
community spirit, shared responsibility, and shared purpose of our 
young people, in addition to the services they provide to millions of 
Americans, everybody in this country loses.
  Mr. Speaker, 228 Members of Congress and 43 Governors have written to 
the President of the United States asking for his support. The 
President says that he supports AmeriCorps and the idea of public 
service and national service. Keep this program alive. Let us defeat 
the previous question, and make sure we provide this opportunity for 
our youngsters.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from 
New York (Ms. Slaughter).
  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I simply want the record to reflect that 
it is not correct that AmeriCorps volunteers make $30,000. They have a 
small stipend to pay for their living expenses and $5,000 on their 
college loans. That is it. It is a bargain.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for setting the 
record straight.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Michigan 
(Mr. Stupak).
  (Mr. STUPAK asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I offered an amendment in today's bill that 
would ban using funds in the supplemental to support FEMA's 
Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs Office in Washington, D.C. 
The amendments were born out of my frustration in dealing with FEMA 
which, up to now, had an excellent working relationship with my office 
and many other congressional offices.

[[Page H7640]]

  The problems relate to the very serious floodings in part of my 
district in May of this year. More than $100 million in damage resulted 
from floods. FEMA's recommended denial of Michigan Governor Granholm's 
request for a Federal major disaster declaration that would permit 
Federal aid to the hard-pressed local governments, businesses, and 
individuals affected.
  My district is rural, mostly low income, and these 4 counties just 
cannot bear this kind of financial hardship and economic burden without 
our help.
  My frustration with FEMA is not with the men and women who actually 
do the work for the agency in the Region 5 office. In fact, FEMA 
responded with impressive speed immediately after the disaster to put 
people on the ground and to investigate, even before a formal disaster 
request was made. My frustration is the runaround I received from the 
Washington office since the decision in June not to declare a major 
disaster.
  For the first time in my 11 years in Congress, I was forced to file a 
Freedom of Information request to receive the factual information I 
needed to represent my constituents. When I asked for the reasons for 
their decisions and the copies of correspondence related to the 
decision process, FEMA refused to give me this basic information. In 
fact, they refused to even voluntarily tell me whether the decision to 
deny disaster relief was made in FEMA in Chicago, or FEMA at 
headquarters here in Washington.
  FEMA headquarters even refused to have a meeting with me, our two 
State U.S. Senators, the Governor's representative, and the Under 
Secretary responsible for emergency aid to discuss this issue.
  In order to properly appeal the decision, the Governor's office 
should have had the information they needed and any documentation we 
needed to make the appeal. Congressional liaison offices are there to 
facilitate the needs of Members' offices, not throw up roadblocks.
  I realize my amendment was not made in order, but I wanted to bring 
to the attention of the House this situation. There is no reason for 
not giving me the information I need to respond to my constituents when 
they ask me whether the refusal for disaster aid is political. There is 
no reason to refuse to have a meeting with top-level FEMA officials, a 
Member of Congress, two U.S. Senators, and representatives from the 
Governor's office.
  I hope that speaking out on the floor will make our point, and I am 
here to do so.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham).
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I would like to address the gentlewoman 
from New York (Ms. Slaughter). My friend, and she is my friend; she is 
a valued Member, she is a close friend. But I want to tell the 
gentlewoman, I never said AmeriCorps volunteers got $30,000. As a 
matter of fact, I said they do not individually get that amount.
  But my colleagues, we want to increase AmeriCorps $100 million. Look 
at the money we have already put in AmeriCorps last year, I think $260 
million. If we look at this, to me a volunteer at a church, they get 
coffee and doughnuts. If we take all of the hundreds of millions of 
dollars that we put into AmeriCorps each year and want to put another 
$100 million in this year, if you take 50,000 workers into that, that 
is over $30,000 per person cost. Now, a lot of that goes into 
administration. But when we define volunteer, let us make sure that 
volunteer is volunteer, not paid worker. That was my point.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I would simply say to my friend that there are 
42 Governors of both parties who have asked us to take this action, so 
I think they must feel that the investment is well worth the cost. I 
think that most mayors around the country receive the services these 
volunteers would also approve.
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. OBEY. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I did not say the program was not 
supported, to the gentleman, my friend. But I would say that be careful 
when we talk about volunteer, because the cost of this is very high per 
person.
  Mr. OBEY. Well, they are still volunteers. They have not been 
drafted.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Price).
  (Mr. PRICE of North Carolina asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, today we are considering a 
stripped-down supplemental appropriations bill that contains funding 
for FEMA disaster relief.
  As a representative from a State that benefits from this funding, I 
have no problem with including FEMA funding in an emergency 
supplemental, but I do have a problem with what is omitted from this 
bill.
  I am concerned about what we are failing to do for AmeriCorps and all 
of the faith-based and community-based groups who depend on AmeriCorps 
participants.
  The Senate supplemental appropriations bill which was completed 2 
weeks ago contains $100 million for AmeriCorps, the amount needed to 
sustain 50,000 AmeriCorps participants this year. This funding has 
strong bipartisan support, in the Senate if not in the House. It was 
sustained on a 71-21 vote in the other body. Without this funding, 
AmeriCorps will see its numbers reduced by something like 40 percent, a 
drastic reduction to around 30,000 participants.
  Why has it taken so long for the House to act? The Committee on 
Appropriations did not even consider the supplemental until this past 
Monday, with no intention of actually bringing it to the floor. And 
where has the President been? The President spoke in this Chamber, 
urging us to increase AmeriCorps enrollment to 75,000 participants. 
But, up to now, he has hardly lifted a finger to maintain even the 
current enrollment of 50,000 participants.
  Now we have a bill before us, at the last minute, just before the 
House recesses for 5 weeks, leaving the Senate with the option of 
either passing our version or passing nothing until at least September. 
And our version, the House version, omits AmeriCorps. It was defeated 
on a party-line vote in the Committee on Appropriations this week. Our 
only resource now is to defeat the previous question and add the $100 
million to the bill on the House floor today.
  Failing to provide this funding will deny hundreds of faith-based and 
community-based organizations around the country the AmeriCorps 
positions they depend on. We are talking about groups like Habitat for 
Humanity, Teach for America, hundreds of home-grown programs in the 
districts of everyone here that make a difference every day.
  A letter was sent Monday to the House leadership from 43 of our 
Governors, Republicans and Democrats alike, in support of this 
AmeriCorps funding, and it articulates very well what is at stake.
  I will close by quoting from this letter: ``Without an emergency 
appropriation,'' the Governors say, ``the dramatic decrease in 
AmeriCorps positions now being proposed could seriously affect 
communities and individuals who rely on AmeriCorps members for help. It 
is also likely to damage, if not destroy, the infrastructure of strong 
programs which do not have the resources to sustain a significant 
budget cut, even if only for 1 year. Organizations that have been built 
over a decade cannot be eliminated this year and rebuilt the next.''
  These faith-based and community-based groups, who are doing good 
works in our communities with just a little help from their Federal 
Government, depend on AmeriCorps participants, and right now they are 
depending on us to come through for them. September will be too late. 
Fiscal year 04 will be too late. Let us include the AmeriCorps 
emergency funding in this supplemental appropriation. Vote against the 
previous question.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 6 
minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays).
  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, as a fiscal conservative, I believe national 
service is one of the most productive and cost-effective investments 
our government

[[Page H7641]]

can make. Through service, Americans of all ages gain a sense of 
commitment to their community and their country, which will prove 
invaluable for the rest of their lives.
  National service benefits both the recipient and the giver. 
Volunteers not only address an immediate need, they lead and teach 
through example, and through that example, they learn the value of 
serving and helping others. We need to harness the energy and 
commitment of those anxious to contribute to their country, not deny 
them the opportunity to serve.
  As an eighth grader, I vividly remember President John Kennedy's call 
to service when he created the Peace Corps in 1961. He said, ``Life in 
the Peace Corps will not be easy, but if the life is not easy, it will 
be rich and satisfying.''
  As a former Peace Corps volunteer, and I want to emphasize I had the 
name ``volunteer,'' I can attest to the positive effect the Peace Corps 
has on the lives of people around the world.

                              {time}  1200

  Peace Corps volunteers are not high-paid consultants. Just like 
AmeriCorps volunteers, they are hands-on workers in the trenches who 
live in the communities they serve. Just like the Peace Corps, the 
challenges are great for those working in domestic service programs, 
but the rewards are immeasurable. I believe I would not be a Member of 
Congress today were it not for my experience in the Peace Corps. And I 
particularly believe I am a better person because of this service. I 
think the same thing applies to those who serve in AmeriCorps.
  Both Democrats and Republicans should speak loudly and passionately 
in support of all service programs. And we must not stop until citizen 
service truly becomes a universal opportunity and a common expectation. 
I want to say parenthetically, in most cases, AmeriCorps volunteers in 
my communities are young men and women who have no resources whatsoever 
to serve their community or their country if it were not for 
AmeriCorps.
  As most of you know, AmeriCorps--the most recognizable domestic 
service program--is experiencing significant challenges this year, and 
there is danger that countless programs across the country will receive 
little or no funding. Without question, there have been mistakes and 
mismanagements by the Corporation for National and Community Service. 
This summer, however, a series of steps have been taken to help put 
AmeriCorps on a sound financial footing. Earlier this month, we passed, 
and the President signed, the Strengthening AmeriCorps Program Act to 
correct the financial accounting problems. Additionally, the President 
has named David Eisner, AOL/Time Warner executive, as his nominee to 
head the Corporation. With these reforms in place, we ought to fulfill 
our commitment to the thousands of young people who have answered the 
President's call to service. I believe we must to do that, but not in 
this legislation.
  We are in a war against terrorism, and national service is a vital 
part of winning that war. AmeriCorps and other service programs are the 
right prescription during these times because the best antidote to 
terror and hate in society are acts of kindness and service. If we are 
truly to expand service opportunities, we must find a way to work with 
those who see national service so differently.
  Recently, I read an op-ed by former Majority Leader Dick Armey 
stating that programs like AmeriCorps robs the American taxpayer. I 
could not disagree more, but I know this notion is shared by too many 
of my colleagues. As a Peace Corps volunteer, I was paid a minimum wage 
to live, and I was given a small stipend. I have failed to understand 
why some of my colleagues would object to people earning a degree while 
serving their community. Isn't that preferable to just being given a 
grant. I do not understand why we would not be eager and thrilled to 
have more people participate in community service, particularly those 
with the least amount of resources.
  The current accounting problems at the Corporation offer an 
opportunity to work together and ensure all service programs are 
transparent and accountable.
  I believe that has to happen, but not in the vehicle we see here 
today. We need to reauthorize national service. We need to find a way 
to prevent further mistakes and mismanagement. It will not happen on 
this legislation. It needs to happen with men and women in this 
Congress working together. And I believe that there are commitments on 
both sides of the aisle and in the White House to do that.
  The current accounting problems of the Corporation offer an 
opportunity to work together and in doing so, we will remember that a 
life of service connects us to generations of Americans who we will 
never know but whose service and sacrifice enable us to live in 
freedom. It also connects us to future generations of Americans who 
will inherit a world be built on the legacy of service we leave them.
  Increasing and expanding opportunities to serve will not be easy, but 
in the words of President Kennedy, the effort will be ``rich and 
satisfying.'' I hope this Chamber will reauthorize national service. I 
hope we will find the funds necessary to make sure this program 
continues unabated, and I believe we will.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio).
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
  As I speak here on the floor, there are fires burning across the 
West, a major fire in my own district, and others elsewhere. The 
President asked for an additional $280 million to fight these fires 
because the Forest Service has already spent 84 percent of the 
inadequate budget for this year, 16 percent left; and the years fires 
have hardly begun. Last year we spent $1.6 billion.
  Now, the majority here wants to pretend that we can do this all on 
the cheap. We do not need money to fight fires. We do not need money to 
prevent fires. They have jammed through a so-called Healthy Forest Bill 
after stripping out the money we proposed last fall in a bipartisan way 
to fund fuel reduction efforts. You cannot do that for nothing, but 
they want to pretend you can; and now they want to pretend that you can 
fight fires for nothing.
  There is not an additional penny in this bill for the fire emergency 
in the western U.S. So you know what the Forest Service is going to do? 
They are going to borrow money. You know where they are going to borrow 
the money? They are going to borrow money from the already underfunded 
fuel reduction programs. Guess what? We have created a little endless 
cycle here. We are going to pretend we are doing something about fuel 
reduction in healthy forests, but we are not really going to do it. But 
it is a great political issue.
  In fact, the little bit that we are already doing, we are going to 
rob it to fight this year's fires. The Forest Service is already 
preparing those cuts. That means this year's fuel reduction program 
will not go forward because the majority here will not even meet the 
President's meager request to help fight the fires that are burning 
today in the western United States.
  Come on, you can find the money for everything else around here, tax 
cuts, for all sorts of other things; but somehow we get fires burning, 
we cannot find the money to fight the fires. And what is worse, we are 
going to create worse fires in the future because you are going to 
borrow that money and stop those programs in their tracks. It is a sad 
day for the United States Congress.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, how much time remains on each side?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) has 5 minutes remaining. The gentleman 
from Washington (Mr. Hastings) has 19\1/2\ minutes remaining.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Hinojosa).
  (Mr. HINOJOSA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this rule 
and urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so that the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) may offer his amendment to add $100 
million for the AmeriCorps program.
  The deep cuts this AmeriCorps program is facing will severely 
undermine the progress we have made in expanding opportunities for 
national service.

[[Page H7642]]

The program cuts will close 40 out of 90 centers that run the Teach for 
America program. These programs all over the country have already run 
out of money. Many of them will not recover.
  In my own home State of Texas, we will lose at least 800 teaching 
volunteers, many who have committed to teach children in the Rio Grande 
Valley. We have an acute shortage of teachers, and we cannot afford the 
loss.
  The Senate has stepped up and signaled its commitment to these 
programs, but the House has dragged its feet on restoring the funds for 
this critical program.
  The AmeriCorps program has come to embody what is best in America, 
the desire to make a difference in local communities. All of this will 
be jeopardized if we do not find a way to provide the funding for our 
young teachers; men and women are only receiving a small stipend to 
help them pay their living expenses. Yes, our children throughout the 
country benefit from these AmeriCorps teachers.
  Vote ``no'' to defeat the previous question so we can keep the spirit 
of service alive in America. Fight to restore the $100 million needed 
to keep the AmeriCorps program alive and working well. Do that today.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire of the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Hastings) how many more speakers he has.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I am prepared to yield back after we go 
through the amendment process.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I will insert in the Record the letter that was sent to 
us by 43 Governors, including Governor George Pataki and Governor Jeb 
Bush, in support of funding for AmeriCorps. I would only say to my 
colleagues, if Members do not want to listen to President Bush, maybe 
you might listen to his brother and provide the funding that all these 
Governors are asking for.
  The letter is as follows:
                                                    July 21, 2003.
     President George W. Bush,
     The White House,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear President Bush: As strong supporters of America's, 
     national service programs, we are writing to urge you to help 
     solve the crisis confronting AmeriCorps. This crisis is felt 
     most directly by states and localities facing the imminent 
     closure of hundreds of AmeriCorps programs. We hope you will 
     do everything possible to ensure that these programs are not 
     closed or drastically cut, that needed services continue to 
     be provided by AmeriCorps members, and that we can continue 
     to tap the idealism and patriotism of so many of our citizens 
     who want to serve.
       Your leadership on national service has helped to boast our 
     nation's civic spirit and we appreciate that, in your 2004 
     budget request, you proposed that the number of AmeriCorps 
     volunteers increase from 50,000 to 75,000. Since your 2002 
     State of the Union Address, when you called upon Americans to 
     dedicate two years--or 4,000 hours--of their lives to serving 
     their country, tens of thousands of Americans have responded 
     by seeking new opportunities to serve their communities and 
     their nation. Through AmeriCorps, among many other 
     initiatives, these citizens have worked to meet critical 
     needs in education, public safety, health, and homeland 
     security.
       Unfortunately, on June 16th the Corporation for National 
     and Community Service announced dramatic and unprecedented 
     cuts of approximately 50 to 90 percent to our states' 
     AmeriCorps programs and corps member slots. We are very 
     pleased that, following this announcement and under the 
     leadership of Senators Bond and Mikulski, Congress acted 
     quickly to pass the Strengthen AmeriCorps Act, which will 
     alleviate some of this devastation and correct the 
     Corporation's management of the National Service Trust. This 
     legislation is an important first step towards assuring 
     fiscal accountability, increasing the enrollment of 
     AmeriCorps members, an ensuring the program's long-term 
     health.
       We recognize that prior ``fixes'' to the Trust have helped 
     put full AmeriCorps staffing for this year in jeopardy. It is 
     truly a shame that mismanagement might prevent willing 
     individuals from serving their communities through 
     AmeriCorps. To avoid such a situation, we hope that you will 
     consider approving an appropriation of up to $200M for 
     AmeriCorps as part of the FY03 supplemental spending bill 
     currently being debated by Congress. Without an emergency 
     appropriation, the dramatic decrease in AmeriCorps positions 
     now being proposed could seriously affect communities and 
     individuals who rely on AmeriCorps members for help. It is 
     also likely to damage, if not destroy, the infrastructure of 
     strong programs, which do not have the resources to sustain a 
     significant budget cut, even if only for one year. 
     Organizations that have been built over a decade cannot be 
     eliminated this year and rebuilt the next.
       Finally, we look forward to working with you to see the 
     goal of 75,000 AmeriCorps volunteers realized in the near 
     future and salute your overall commitment to bringing 
     Americans together around the ethic of service. Over the past 
     ten years, AmeriCorps has become an essential resource for 
     states and their communities to meet pressing needs, train 
     future leaders through service, and provide access to life-
     changing educational awards for thousands of citizens. 
     AmeriCorps also greatly leverages private sector dollars for 
     civic initiatives. With your leadership we can work to assure 
     that it remains a vital force for good across the country for 
     years to come.
           Sincerely,
         Gov. Mitt Romney, Massachusetts; Gov. Frank Murkowski, 
           Alaska; Gov. Mike Huckabee, Arkansas; Gov. John 
           Rowland, Connecticut; Gov. Jeb Bush, Florida; Gov. 
           Edward Rendell, Pennsylvania; Gov. Janet Napolitano, 
           Arizona; Gov. Gray Davis, California; Gov. Ruth Ann 
           Minner, Delaware; Gov. Sonny Pedue, Georgia. Gov. Dirk 
     Kempthorne, Idaho; Gov. Frank O'Bannon, Indiana; Gov. 
     Kathleen Sebelius, Kansas; Gov. Mike Foster, Louisiana; 
     Gov. Robert Ehrlich, Maryland; Gov. Tim Pawlenty, 
     Minnesota; Gov. Bob Holden, Missouri; Gov. Mike Johanns, 
     Nebraska; Gov. James McGreevey, New Jersey; Gov. Rod 
     Blagojevich, Illinois; Gov. Thomas Vilsack, Iowa; Gov. 
     Paul Patton, Kentucky; Gov. John Baldacci, Maine; Gov. 
     Jennifer Granholm, Michigan; Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, 
     Mississippi; Gov. Judy Martz, Montana; Gov. Kenny Guinn, 
     Nevada; Gov. Bill Richardson, New Mexico; Gov. George 
     Pataki, New York; Gov. John Hoeven, North Dakota; Gov. 
     Brad Henry, Oklahoma; Gov. Don Carcieri, Rhode Island; 
     Gov. Michael Leavitt, Utah; Gov. Mark Warner, Virginia; 
     Gov. Bob Wise, West Virginia; Gov. Dave Freudenthal, 
     Wyoming; Gov. Mike Easley, North Carolina; Gov. Bob Taft, 
     Ohio; Gov. Ted Kulongoski, Oregon; Gov. Phil Bedesen, 
     Tennessee; Gov. James Douglas, Vermont; Gov. Gary Locke, 
     Washington; Gov. Jim Doyle, Wisconsin.
                                  ____

                                                    July 21, 2003.
     Hon. Bill Frist,
     Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Thomas A. Daschle,
     Minority Leader, U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. J. Dennis Hastert,
     Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
     Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Majority Leader Frist, Minority Leader Daschle, 
     Speaker Hastert, and Minority Leader Pelosi: As strong 
     supporters of America's national service programs, we are 
     writing to urge you to help solve the crisis confronting 
     AmeriCorps. This crisis is felt most directly by states and 
     localities facing the imminent closure of hundreds of 
     AmeriCorps programs. We hope you will do everything possible 
     to ensure that these programs are not closed or drastically 
     cut, that needed services continue to be provided by 
     AmeriCorps members, and that we can continue to tap the 
     idealism and patriotism of so many of our citizens who want 
     to serve.
       President Bush's leadership on national service has helped 
     to boost our nation's civic spirit and we appreciate that, in 
     his 2004 budget request, he proposed that the number of 
     AmeriCorps volunteers increase from 50,000 to 75,000. Since 
     the President's 2002 State of the Union Address, when he 
     called upon Americans to dedicate two years--or 4,000 hours--
     of their lives to serving their country, tens of thousands of 
     Americans have responded by seeking new opportunities to 
     serve their communities and their nation. Through AmeriCorps, 
     among many other initiatives, these citizens have worked to 
     meet critical needs in education, public safety, health, and 
     homeland security.
       Unfortunately, on June 16th the Corporation for National 
     and Community Service announced dramatic and unprecedented 
     cuts of approximately 50 to 90 percent to our states' 
     AmeriCorps programs and corps member slots. We are very 
     pleased that, following this announcement and under the 
     leadership of Senators Bond and Mikulski, Congress acted 
     quickly to pass the Strengthen AmeriCorps Act, which will 
     alleviate some of this devastation and correct the 
     Corporation's management of the National Service Trust. This 
     legislation is an important first step towards assuring 
     fiscal accountability, increasing the enrollment of 
     AmeriCorps members, and ensuring the program's long-term 
     health.
       We recognize that prior ``fixes'' to the Trust have helped 
     put full AmeriCorps staffing for this year in jeopardy. It is 
     truly a shame that mismanagement might prevent willing 
     individuals from serving their communities through 
     AmeriCorps. To avoid such a situation, we hope that you will 
     consider an appropriation of up to $200 million for 
     AmeriCorps as part of the FY03 supplemental spending bill 
     recently sent to Congress by the President. Without an 
     emergency appropriation, the dramatic decrease in AmeriCorps 
     positions now being proposed could seriously affect 
     communities and individuals who rely on AmeriCorps members 
     for

[[Page H7643]]

     help. It is also likely to damage, if not destroy, the 
     infrastructure of strong programs, which do not have the 
     resources to sustain a significant budget cut, even if only 
     for one year. Organizations that have been built over a 
     decade cannot be eliminated this year and rebuilt the next.
       Finally, we look forward to working with you to see the 
     goal of 75,000 AmeriCorps volunteers realized in the near 
     future and salute your overall commitment to bringing 
     Americans together around the ethic of service. Over the past 
     ten years, AmeriCorps has become an essential resource for 
     states and their communities to meet pressing needs, train 
     future leaders through service, and provide access to life-
     changing educational awards fro thousands of our citizens. 
     AmeriCorps also greatly leverages private sector dollars for 
     civic initiatives. With your leadership, we can work to 
     assure that it remains a vital force for good across the 
     country for years to come.
           Sincerely,
         Gov. Mitt Romney, Massachusetts; Gov. Frank Murkowski, 
           Alaska; Gov. Mike Huckabee, Arkansas; Gov. Edward 
           Rendell, Pennsylvania; Gov. Janet Napolitano, Arizona; 
           Gov. Gray Davis, California; Gov. John Rowland, 
           Connecticut; Gov. Jeb Bush, Florida; Gov. Dirk 
           Kempthorne, Idaho; Gov. Frank O'Bannon, Indiana; Gov. 
           Kathleen Sebelius, Kansas; Gov. Mike Foster, Louisiana; 
           Gov. Robert Ehrlich, Maryland; Gov. Tim Pawlenty, 
           Minnesota; Gov. Bob Holden, Missouri; Gov. Ruth Ann 
           Minner, Delaware; Gov. Sonny Perdue, Georgia; Gov. Rod 
           Blagojevich, Illinois; Gov. Thomas Vilsack, Iowa; Gov. 
           Paul Patton, Kentucky; Gov. John Baldacci, Maine; Gov. 
           Jennifer Grandholm, Michigan; Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, 
           Mississippi; Gov. Judy Martz, Montana; Gov. Mike 
           Johanns, Nebraska; Gov. James McGreevey, New Jersey; 
           Gov. George Pataki, New York; Gov. John Hoeven, North 
           Dakota; Gov. Brad Henry, Oklahoma; Gov. Don Carcieri, 
           Rhode Island; Gov. Michael Leavitt, Utah; Gov. Mark 
           Warner, Virginia; Gov. Bob Wise, West Virginia; Gov. 
           Dave Freudenthal, Wyoming; Gov. Kenny Guinn, Nevada; 
           Gov. Bill Richardson, New Mexico; Gov. Mike Easley, 
           North Carolina; Gov. Bob Taft, Ohio; Ted Kulongoski, 
           Oregon; Gov. Phil Bedesen, Tennessee; Gov. James 
           Douglas, Vermont; Gov. Gary Locke, Washington; Gov. Jim 
           Doyle, Wisconsin.

  Mr. Speaker, if anyone has ever doubted the importance of the 
parliamentary vote known as the previous question, Mr. Speaker, today 
should lay those doubt to rest. If a majority of this House votes 
``no'' on the previous question, I will amend the rule to allow us to 
pass the Obey amendment to provide the financially strapped AmeriCorps 
program with the $100 million it desperately needs. But if Republican 
leaders win the previous question vote, up to 20,000 volunteers may 
lose their positions serving their fellow Americans.
  Since September 11, President Bush has spoken eloquently about the 
value of national service. On many occasions he has praised AmeriCorps' 
excellent work and its hard-working, dedicated volunteers. But all the 
rhetoric in the world cannot make up for the fact that AmeriCorps faces 
severe budgetary problems this year. It will have to eliminate as many 
as 20,000 of those volunteers if Congress does not act immediately.
  No, Mr. Speaker, political rhetoric will not solve this problem. It 
is going to take some money. And since so many House Republicans were 
so happy to spend so much money on tax breaks for millionaires, they 
should have no problem spending a fraction, a tiny fraction of that on 
national service.
  Now, to those of my colleagues who are asking why we cannot vote on 
AmeriCorps funding today, what is the big deal, the answer is quite 
simply and typically that the Committee on Rules Republicans used a 
party-line vote last night to block the money that AmeriCorps needs. 
That is why we have to defeat the previous question today.
  Voting ``no'' on that important parliamentary question is the only 
way to provide AmeriCorps with the immediate funding it needs to ensure 
volunteers can continue helping others in cities and towns all across 
this Nation. So I urge Republican Members to put their money where 
their mouths are. To be very clear, you will not stop this emergency 
spending billing if you vote ``no.'' But if you vote ``yes,'' you will 
prevents as many as 20,000 dedicated volunteers from getting the help 
they need to keep serving their fellow Americans, and you will betray 
the commitment to national service that President Bush claims to 
believe in.
  Again, I urge my colleagues to support national service by voting 
``no'' on the previous question.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the 
amendment immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.


            Amendment Offered by Mr. Hastings of Washington

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I offer an amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Amendment offered by Mr. Hastings of Washington:
       At the end of the resolution add the following:
       Sec. 2. Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     resolution, the amendment printed in section 3 shall be in 
     order as though printed in the Congressional Record pursuant 
     to clause 8 of rule XVIII.
       Sec. 3. The amendment referred to in section 2 is as 
     follows:
       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:

       Sec. ____. (a) There is hereby rescinded a total of 
     $983,600,000 of the unobligated budget authority provided for 
     fiscal year 2003 for discretionary accounts.
       (b) The rescission made by subsection (a) shall be applied 
     proportionately--
       (1) to each discretionary account described in subsection 
     (a); and
       (2) within each such account, to each program, project, and 
     activity (with programs, projects, and activities as 
     delineated in the appropriation Act or accompanying reports 
     for the relevant fiscal year covering such account, or for 
     accounts not included in appropriation Acts, as delineated in 
     the most recently submitted President's budget).
       (c) The rescission in subsection (a) shall not apply to 
     budget authority provided for any of the following:
       (1) The Department of Defense.
       (2) The Department of Homeland Security.
       (3) The Department of Veterans Affairs.
       (d) If the President determines that the full application 
     of the rescission required by subsections (a) and (b) to any 
     program, project, or activity in fiscal year 2003 would be 
     excessive, the President may postpone all or a portion of the 
     rescission for such program, project, or activity, and apply 
     the remaining amount of such rescission to budgetary 
     authority provided for such program, project, or activity for 
     fiscal year 2004.
       (e) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
     shall include in the President's budget submission for fiscal 
     year 2005 a report specifying the reductions made to each 
     program, project, and activity pursuant to this section.

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, this is an important piece 
of legislation. I urge my colleagues to support the previous question 
and the rule.
  The material previously referred to by Mr. McGovern is as follows:

    Previous Question for H. Res. 339--Rule on H.R. 2859 Emergency 
  Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act for Fiscal Year 
                                  2003

       In the resolution strike ``and (3)'' and insert the 
     following:
       ``(3) a further amendment printed in Sec. 2 of this 
     resolution if offered by Representative Obey or a designee, 
     which shall be in order without intervention of any point of 
     order, shall be considered as read, and shall be separately 
     debatable for 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by 
     the proponent and an opponent; and (4)''

     SEC. 2.

       The amendment referred to in section 2 is as follows:
       At the end of the bill, add the following paragraph:

                               CHAPTER 6

             Corporation for National and Community Service

       For an additional amount for ``Corporation for National and 
     Community Service, National and Community Service Programs 
     Operating Expenses'', for grants under the National Service 
     Trust program authorized under subtitle C of title I of the 
     National and Community Service Act of 1990 (the ``Act'') (42 
     U.S.C. 12571 et seq.) (relating to activities including the 
     AmeriCorps program) and for educational awards authorized 
     under subtitle D of title I of the Act (42 U.S.C. 12601), 
     $100,000,000, with funds for grants to remain available until 
     September 30, 2004, and funds for educational awards to 
     remain available until expended: Provided further, That the 
     first proviso under the heading ``Corporation for National 
     and Community Service, National and Community Service 
     Programs Operating Expenses' in Public Law 108-7 shall apply 
     only to positions originally approved subsequent to March 10, 
     2003: Provided further, That the Inspector General of the 
     Corporation for National and Community Service shall conduct 
     random audits of the Corporation and the grantees that 
     administer activities under the AmeriCorps programs and shall 
     de-fund any grantee that has been determined to have 
     committed any substantial violations of the requirements of 
     the AmeriCorps programs.

  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the 
previous

[[Page H7644]]

question on the amendment and on the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous 
question on the amendment and on the resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________