[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 21, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H40-H44]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 492) honoring the contributions of Catholic 
schools.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 492

       Whereas America's Catholic schools are internationally 
     acclaimed for their academic excellence, but provide students 
     more than a superior scholastic education;
       Whereas Catholic schools ensure a broad, values-added 
     education emphasizing the lifelong development of moral, 
     intellectual, physical, and social values in America's young 
     people;
       Whereas the total Catholic school student enrollment for 
     the 2003-2004 academic year is 2,600,000 and the student-
     teacher ratio is 17 to 1;
       Whereas Catholic schools teach a diverse group of students;
       Whereas more than 26 percent of school children enrolled in 
     Catholic schools are from minority backgrounds, and more than 
     14 percent are non-Catholics;
       Whereas Catholic schools produce students strongly 
     dedicated to their faith, values, families, and communities 
     by providing an intellectually stimulating environment rich 
     in spiritual, character, and moral development;
       Whereas in the 1972 pastoral message concerning Catholic 
     education, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops 
     stated: ``Education is one of the most important ways by 
     which the Church fulfills its commitment to the dignity of 
     the person and building of community. Community is central to 
     education ministry, both as a necessary condition and an 
     ardently desired goal. The educational efforts of the Church, 
     therefore, must be directed to forming persons-in-community; 
     for the education of the individual Christian is important 
     not only to his solitary destiny, but also the destinies of 
     the many communities in which he lives.''; and
       Whereas January 25-31, 2004, has been designated as 
     Catholic Schools Week by the National Catholic Educational 
     Association and the United States Conference of Catholic 
     Bishops, an event celebrating its 30th year: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
       (1) supports the goals of Catholic Schools Week, an event 
     co-sponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association 
     and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and 
     established to recognize the vital contributions of America's 
     thousands of Catholic elementary and secondary schools; and
       (2) congratulates Catholic schools, students, parents, and 
     teachers across the Nation for their ongoing contributions to 
     education, and for the key role they play in promoting and 
     ensuring a brighter, stronger future for this Nation.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Boehner) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).


                             General Leave

  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on H. Res. 492.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 492, offered 
by the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter). This resolution honors 
the contributions of America's Catholic schools, which are dedicated to 
not only educating their students academically but to developing their 
moral, intellectual, physical, and social values.
  January 25 through the 31 is Catholic Schools Week, an annual 
tradition jointly sponsored by the National Catholic Education 
Association and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and 
it is in its 30th year.

[[Page H41]]

The purpose of this resolution and Catholic Schools Week is to 
celebrate the vital role that Catholic elementary and secondary schools 
play as they provide a values-added education with high standards of 
quality and excellence to many of America's children.
  As President George W. Bush noted earlier this month in recognition 
of the National Catholic Education Association's 100th anniversary, 
``Catholic educators share the basic conviction that every child can 
learn,'' a principle that we are extending to public education through 
the No Child Left Behind Act.
  The President also pointed out that high expectations that 
characterize Catholic education have provided students with 
overwhelming results. More than 99 percent of students participating in 
Catholic education graduate from high school and the majority of those 
go on to college.
  As a product of Catholic education from elementary school through my 
education at Xavier University, I have found that my foundation in 
Catholic education has helped me strengthen my sense of purpose in life 
and prepare me to achieve my goals. My home State of Ohio has more than 
500 Catholic schools, including my alma mater, Moeller High School. In 
Ohio, the Catholic schools serve more than 180,000 students, including 
more than 56,000 students attending 135 Catholic schools in the 
archdiocese of Cincinnati that is part of my district.
  I appreciate the great work being done by Catholic schools, their 
administrators and teachers, as well as their parents and volunteers. 
And as the President noted earlier this month, ``Catholic schools carry 
out a great mission, to serve God by building the knowledge and 
character of young people.'' I commend my colleague from Louisiana for 
introducing this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume, and I am pleased to join the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman 
Boehner) in support of this resolution.
  I also want to commend the gentleman from Louisiana for introducing 
this resolution as we recognize the diversity of our educational 
systems throughout the country. Today's resolution recognizes the 
contribution of Catholic schools. Mr. Speaker, children all across 
America have benefited from Catholic education. Certainly we can all 
agree that Catholic schools are a strong and positive force in 
America's educational system.
  Fortunately, the great, truly great aspect of America's education 
system is its diversity. The goal of our system should be both public 
and private, and it is to provide anyone and everyone in any city, any 
State with the opportunity they need to succeed.

                              {time}  1015

  The educational recipe for success in our country certainly includes 
Catholic schools, schools with other religious focuses and non-
religious private schools, along with our public schools which means so 
much to so many. It is this variety, this diversity that truly makes 
American education powerful. It makes American education successful in 
its mission.
  Today we recognize Catholic schools for their long commitment to 
education, to a value system, to developing the kind of lifestyles that 
students as well as adults need to seek.
  There are many outstanding Catholic schools in my Congressional 
district. Among them Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois, 
Resurrection Elementary Schools in Chicago, and, of course, St. 
Ignatius Prep, which is recognized as one of the top prep schools in 
the Nation.
  So I am pleased to join with the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. 
Vitter) in supporting this resolution, commend him for his insight.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra), the chairman of one of our 
subcommittees of the Committee on Education.
  Mr. HOEKSTRA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House 
Resolution 492, which recognizes Catholic Schools Week and honors 
Catholic schools for the important role that they play in educating 
America's children.
  Catholic schools will provide a high quality and innovative education 
for over 2.5 million students this year, serving a diverse group of 
students from many social and economic backgrounds. Catholic schools 
educate racially and ethnically diverse students, children who live in 
inner cities, urban and rural communities, children who are not 
Catholic, and even students with disabilities.
  These schools excel not only in bringing students with different 
needs and backgrounds, but they also graduate 99 percent of their 
student population and send 97 percent of their student body to post-
secondary institutions of higher education.
  This academic excellence is coupled with very low per-pupil 
expenditures which stems from the Catholic's Church's willingness and 
commitment to invest in students and in local communities. Over 84 
percent of Catholic schools provide tuition assistance to their 
students to enable low income parents to send their children to these 
high-achieving schools.
  Catholic schools have demonstrated a commitment to teaching every 
child believing that each child can and will learn. When school choice 
initiatives have become the law in States and communities across the 
country, Catholic schools have opened their arms and their doors to 
parents and children seeking alternative educational options.
  My home State of Michigan has the ninth largest Catholic school 
enrollment in the country, with 320 Catholic schools educating more 
than 88,000 students through preschools, elementary schools, middle 
schools, high schools and after-school programs. In my Congressional 
district, I have many large and small Catholic schools in urban and 
rural communities, some schools that specialize in elementary 
educations and others that educate students during their middle school 
and high school years.
  Catholic schools are widely recognized for their academic 
distinction. However, I am proud to praise their achievement in meeting 
the needs of the entire student. Catholic schools build character in 
our young people and seek to educate the spiritual, intellectual, 
social, and cultural components of each person while developing an 
attitude of servant leadership among their students.
  Through their insistence on teaching children values, Catholic 
schools challenge students to live moral and compassionate lives. By 
insisting on high academic standards and innovative teaching methods, 
Catholic schools are models of academic excellence for all teachers and 
schools in this Nation.
  I join my colleagues in recognizing Catholic schools week and in 
congratulating the schools, students, parents and teachers in West 
Michigan and throughout the Nation for their ongoing commitment to a 
high-quality education for all of our children.
  I would also like to thank the Catholic educational system for the 
fine work that they did in shaping our chairman, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Boehner).
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he might 
consume to the Democratic Whip, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Hoyer).
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I am going to support this resolution, of 
course, notwithstanding the most recent information I have received 
from our colleague. I congratulate the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Boehner) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for bringing it to 
the floor.
  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to speak out of order.)


               Carlton R. Sickles, a True Public Servant

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, a former colleague of our ours died last 
Saturday morning. He was an extraordinarily good human being and a very 
close friend. I want to pay tribute to a good and decent American, an 
absolutely wonderful individual, Carlton R. Sickles, who passed away 
early Saturday.
  It is unfortunate that millions of people whose lives he touched 
during his 82 years never had the benefit of knowing him personally. I 
am blessed as many in this body were blessed by knowing him well. He 
was a veteran of

[[Page H42]]

World War II and the Korean War, a former Maryland legislator, a 
gubernatorial candidate and a Member of the House from 1963 to 1967.
  But he is perhaps best known, Mr. Speaker, for those of us who live 
in the Washington metropolitan area as the father of the Metrorail 
transit system which today serves millions of customers every single 
year, not only those who live in this region but those millions of 
people who come to the Washington metropolitan area to visit their 
Capitol and their Representatives.
  On a personal note, Mr. Speaker, I will forever be indebted to 
Carlton for encouraging me to choose a career in public service. I 
wanted to run for the House of Delegates in 1966. He was running for 
governor. He urged me to run for the State Senate. I did not think I 
could win a State Senate seat. I was 2 months out of law school and 
thought that premature, but he continued to encourage me. And the third 
time he asked I ran, and I was fortunate enough to be successful. That 
has made a huge difference in my life.
  He encouraged so many others to participate in public service. His 
own public service was a credit to elective office, a credit to this 
institution, a credit to Maryland, and his community.
  To his wife Jacqueline, his children, and all his family, I offer my 
deepest condolences. Carlton was a role model who left a tremendous 
legacy. He will be sorely missed.
  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley).
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) 
for bringing in resolution to the floor and to my colleague from 
Louisiana (Mr. Vitter), hopefully our next Senator from the great State 
of Louisiana, for proclaiming the importance of Catholic parochial 
education in our society and in our lives.
  As a product of Sacred Heart School in Lake Worth, I remembered 
returning to that very classroom where the shock of my life at that 
time had been the assassination of President John Kennedy. We were in 
4th grade. We were asked to pray and pray for our nation and for our 
assassinated president.
  And after September 11th when I was equally shocked as the Nation was 
watching in horror the events unfolding in New York City, I returned 
that classroom for solace, for comfort, and for guidance.
  Catholic education was a lot to me and to our family. My father 
started at Sacred Heart himself as a teacher, went on to Cardinal 
Newman to be a coach and earth science teacher, and then went on to the 
public school system where he retired from a school for troubled 
children.
  Through his leadership and our parents' guidance and the church's 
blessing, it has meant a lot to all of our family as we learned life's 
lessons.
  I recently attended St. Ann's school in West Palm Beach. Their 
students undertook on their own initiative an effort to send 
memorabilia and messages to our troops in Iraq. They gathered and 
worked together to do handiworks and crafts and essential items, care 
packages, if you will, to our troops only to find that nobody would 
take the packages. Not UPS, did not fly there, not FedEx. There was no 
way to get all of their hard work accomplished. They called our office. 
Thanks to the hard work of our staff, they repacked the boxes, asked 
the Department of Defense for permission and were able to load those 
packages on to a flight heading to Iraq.
  I recently went to the school and thanked the children for their 
extraordinary efforts and thinking of our troops first over the holiday 
period. And they read for me a number of the letters that were sent 
back by our personnel in the field. It was heartwarming to see the 
interaction between soldier and student.
  Ave Maria is a new university contemplated and soon to be constructed 
in Ft. Myers, Florida, the first Catholic university to be built in the 
country in 40 years. I commend our community for being lucky to have a 
Catholic University soon in our presence.
  Catholic schools are important to the fiber and foundation of our 
Nation. They give every child a chance to pray in class, which is a 
unique and novel thing, one I welcome and urge other non-parochial 
schools to participate in. Because, after all, after September 11th the 
one thing that lifted the soul of the Nation and gave us courage to 
fight on in the days ahead was, in fact, our collective prayer, our 
willingness and wishes for a better world for all Americans and all 
inhabitants of the world.
  So I salute the author of the amendment, the gentleman from Louisiana 
(Mr. Vitter), our colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the 
chairman, and all who will join with us today in, again, saluting the 
importance of Catholic education in our daily lives.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve my time.
  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter), the author of the resolution 
that we are considering.
  Mr. VITTER. Mr. Speaker, thanks for the opportunity to recognize 
today the contributions of Catholic schools. It is particularly 
significant for me and my constituents since Catholic education began 
in America in my home State of Louisiana in 1725. My wife Wendy and I 
are both Catholic school graduates. We send our kids to the Catholic 
school right in our neighborhood. We know first-hand those 
contributions as so many speakers before me have noted.
  Catholic schools prepare every student to meet the challenges of 
their future by developing their mind, yes, but also their body and 
their soul and spirit. They instill students with self-confidence and 
motivation and the will to succeed, and they provide a true education 
of value in every sense of the term.
  This year is the 30th anniversary of Catholic schools week. The week 
was established to recognize the vital contributions of America's 
thousands of Catholic elementary and secondary schools.
  The schools produce students strongly dedicated to their faith, 
values, families, and communities. And those students are very well 
rounded and they come from truly diverse backgrounds. Nationally non-
Catholic enrollment in Catholic schools is 13 percent and minority 
enrollment is 26 percent. So the institutions are rich both in 
tradition and diversity.
  I rise, Mr. Speaker, to honor the faculty who dedicate their lives to 
shaping the future of their students, and certainly that includes the 
religious who are at the core of Catholic education. I salute the 
parents who sacrifice their personal funds to send their children to 
Catholic schools. I applaud the students of those schools for the role 
they play in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for 
this Nation.
  And I join with so many of my colleagues in saluting this vital part 
of American education.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me just indicate again that I strongly support this 
resolution for a number of reasons. We all know that Catholic schools 
are noted for a strong emphasis on discipline, which is so important 
for young people. As a matter of fact, important for all of us. They 
are noted for a strong emphasis on values education, values that we all 
need to internalize and make a part of our every day lives.
  They are also noted for parental involvement. Catholic schools' 
parents must be involved in the education of their children. All 
schools should follow this concept because without parental 
involvement, then children do not really get the information that they 
need to have to know that education is not just inside the school, but 
it is an actual part of life.
  And so, again, I commend the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter) 
for introducing this resolution. I am pleased to join with the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) and others in support of it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of our time.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all my colleagues who have come to the 
floor today to help us celebrate Catholic Schools Week. As I said, not 
only am I a graduate of Catholic education, but so are my 11 brothers 
and sisters. If it were not for the commitment of my parents to send us 
to Catholic schools,

[[Page H43]]

I do not think that we would be what we are today.

                              {time}  1030

  I cannot really go on much further in talking about Catholic 
education without admiring the work of Cardinal McCarrick here in 
Washington, D.C.
  While there are many Catholic schools here in Washington, there are 
13 very special Catholic schools here in Washington called the 
Consortium Schools that are in low-income neighborhoods. They are 95 
percent minority, 80 percent non-Catholic. Cardinal McCarrick and the 
volunteers at the consortium have worked to keep those 13 schools open 
for the benefit of those children in those neighborhoods.
  Last year, Senator Kennedy and I worked to help raise money to keep 
these 13 schools open. I made a commitment to go see all 13. I made it 
to four. I have got nine more to go. But there is amazing work that is 
going on at these 13 schools here in Washington where we all know the 
condition of the public schools. I just want to take a moment to thank 
Cardinal McCarrick and those at the City Consortium Schools for the 
work they are doing to help minority and poor children here in 
Washington, D.C.
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, today, I am pleased that Congress has 
recognized the important role that Catholic Schools play in our 
community.
  As a Latino, I know the important place that Catholic education has 
had in my district. The Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in San 
Bernardino, CA, is highly regarded for its academic and athletic 
excellence.
  The San Bernardino Diocese School System under Bishop Gerald Barnes 
has made major investments into their school system to bring students 
into the 21st century.
  Even though I am a strong supporter of public schools, I understand 
the importance of Catholic schools in our Nation's education and the 
values they instill in our students.
  The quality of education provided at Catholic schools is truly 
remarkable, and deserving of high honors.
  Not only do they focus on academic achievement but they also build 
strong moral foundations for young people. Their curriculums are often 
full of programs in character development and community service.
  Catholic school students graduate with a wide variety of skills that 
will not only help them in their careers but also in their family and 
community life.
  I am please to support this resolution honoring the contributions of 
Catholic schools.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of House 
Resolution 492, offered by the gentleman from Louisiana, Mr. Vitter. 
This resolution honors the contributions of America's Catholic schools, 
and their dedication to educating their students and improving their 
communities.
  Catholic Schools Week 2004 will be celebrated from January 25-31 with 
the theme. ``Catholic Schools: A Faith-Filled Future.'' Every year 
since 1974 Catholic Schools Week has been celebrated and jointly 
sponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association and the U.S. 
Conference of Catholic Bishops.
  Catholic schools are internationally acclaimed for their academic 
excellence, but provide students more than a quality academic 
education. Catholic schools provide a values-infused education that 
emphasizes moral, intellectual, physical, and social values in 
America's young people. In turn these schools produce students strongly 
dedicated to their faith, values, families, and communities.
  There are currently over 2.6 million students enrolled in 8,000 
Catholic schools across this Nation. In my home State of Delaware, over 
30 Catholic schools provide an excellent education to over 15,000 
students. These schools serve children from all incomes and 
backgrounds. In addition, Catholic school students come from many 
different races, religions, and ethnicities. In this school year, about 
26 percent of Catholic school students are from minority backgrounds 
and about 14 percent are not Catholic.
  I appreciate the great work being done by the Catholic schools, their 
administrators and teachers as well as their parents and volunteers. I 
commend my colleague from Louisiana for introducing this resolution and 
urge my colleagues to support it.

     Archmere Academy, Claymont
     Christ Our King School, Wilmington
     Corpus Christi School, Wilmington
     Holy Angels Elementary School, Newark
     Holy Cross School, Dover
     Holy Rosary Elementary School, Claymont
     Holy Spirit Elementary School, New Castle
     Immaculate Heart Of Mary School, Wilmington
     Mother of Divine Grace
     Mother Seton School
     Our Lady Of Fatima School, New Castle
     Our Lady of Grace Kindergarten, Newark
     Padua Academy, Wilmington
     Sacred Heart Academy
     Saint Ann Elementary School, Wilmington
     Saint Anthony Of Padua School, Wilmington
     Saint Catherine Of Siena School, Wilmington
     Saint Edmond's Academy School, Wilmington
     Saint Elizabeth Elementary School, Wilmington
     Saint Elizabeth High School, Wilmington
     Saint Hedwig Elementary School, Wilmington
     Saint Helena Elementary School, Wilmington
     Saint John Bosco's Academy
     Saint John The Beloved School, Wilmington
     Saint Joseph's Academy
     Saint Marks High School, Wilmington
     Saint Mary Magdalen School, Wilmington
     Saint Matthew Elementary School, Wilmington
     Saint Paul Elementary School, Wilmington
     Saint Peter School, New Castle
     Saint Peters Cathedral School, Wilmington
     Saints Peter and Paul School of Easton
     Saint Thomas More Academy, Magnolia
     Saint Thomas The Apostle School, Wilmington
     Saint Vincent's Academy
     Salesianum School, Wilmington
     Ursuline Academy of Wilmington
     Windermere Place

  Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 492 and in 
recognition of the numerous contributions that Catholic schools bring 
to our country. The standard of academic excellence promoted in the 
thousands of Catholic elementary and secondary schools around the 
nation provide a vital contribution to the fabric of our educational 
system.
  Year-round, these institutions provide a solid, structured education 
to our young people that is steeped in the traditions of the Catholic 
church. Today, we congratulate Catholic schools, parents, and teachers 
for their ongoing contributions and their key role in ensuring a 
brighter, more promising future for the more than 2.5 million students 
who attend these schools. We also recognize the particular contribution 
of Catholic schools to our country's minority population. Nationwide, 
Catholic schools have a minority enrollment of 26 percent.
  Mr. Speaker, we owe a debt of gratitude to every individual in our 
country who dedicates themselves to educating our children. I am proud 
to recognize today the unique contribution of America's Catholic 
Schools, and specifically, the great work of South Florida Catholic 
schools in educating the children of South Florida.
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, because I am attending the 
important World Economic Conference in Davos, Switzerland, at which I 
intend to argue strongly for changes in international economic policy 
better to reflect the rights of working people and the importance of 
environmental protection, I am missing some votes in suspension. By 
their nature of course, bills scheduled this early in the session on 
the suspension calendar are entirely non-controversial so my inability 
to vote on some of them, while regrettable, was obviously irrelevant to 
the outcome. What my absence does mean is the lack of a chance to 
express my support for various of the principles affirmed in those 
resolutions, so I want to take this opportunity to express my agreement 
with their thrust. In particular, given the importance of Catholic 
schools in the district I am privileged to represent, I want to express 
my appreciation for the dedicated and effective work done by the 
educators in that school system whose commitment to young people is one 
of the great assets our society has. I am happy to be able to join my 
colleagues in expressing my gratitude to those dedicated men and women 
who devote themselves to the job of educating young people in an 
appropriate way.
  Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, as we strive for excellence in 
America's schools, I am pleased to honor next week as Catholic Schools 
Week.
  Catholic schools provide an intellectually stimulating environment, 
one where children are challenged by their peers and teachers to make 
the most of their education. Children from many nationalities and 
religious backgrounds attend Catholic Schools across America, and all 
learn the basic principles and values necessary to achieve the American 
Dream.
  Catholic Schools emphasize the importance and development of faith 
and character. Teachers and staff nurture students in a professional 
and caring manner encouraging spiritual and emotional growth through 
education and community involvement.
  Receiving a quality education has always been of great importance for 
our country as we reach to make the future bright for generations to 
come, and Catholic schools have and will continue to make a huge impact 
on our nation's youth.
  I am pleased to offer my support for H. Res. 492, the Designation of 
Catholic Schools week, and thank my colleague Representative David 
Vitter of Louisiana for bringing this important issue to the floor and 
to the attention of the House.

[[Page H44]]

  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simmons). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) that the House suspend 
the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 492.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. BOEHNER. 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 and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________