[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.
____________________