[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 27, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H7286-H7296]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that, during 
consideration of H.R. 2829 pursuant to House Resolution 517, the Chair 
may reduce to 2 minutes the minimum time for electronic voting under 
clause 6 of rule XVIII and clauses 8 and 9 of rule XX.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 517 and rule 
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House 
on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 2829.

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                     In the Committee of the Whole

  Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the 
Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill 
(H.R. 2829) making appropriations for financial services and general 
government for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and for other 
purposes, with Mr. Hastings of Florida in the chair.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the 
first time.
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano) and the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Regula) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I'm pleased to present, Mr. Chairman, and my colleagues, the first 
Financial Services and general government appropriations bill to the 
House. This is my first time as chairman, and it has been an honor and 
a privilege.
  The subcommittee held multiple hearings this spring to explore the 
issues facing agencies funded through this bill. As the hearings 
progressed, a common theme emerged in my mind for improving these 
agencies. It became clear that the subcommittee needed to work to bring 
government closer to the people, to better fit its services to their 
needs.
  The American people expect and deserve the best services their 
governments can offer. For example, with respect to the Internal 
Revenue Service, we, as a subcommittee, addressed the fact that the IRS 
needs to be fair and evenhanded in whom it audits. We also ensure that 
the IRS works to provide real assistance to the taxpayer who cannot 
afford the services of an expensive accountant.
  We want the Election Assistance Commission to help promote the use of 
voting machines in student and school elections as an educational tool. 
Because these are our future voters, we must do this. We felt that 
government must do more to protect our consumers, and so we have 
directed the Federal Trade Commission to examine identity theft with an 
eye toward ending this hurtful crime.
  We directed the Consumer Product Safety Commission to strengthen its 
consumer product monitoring capabilities. We have also increased 
funding for the community development financial institutions to help 
expand the availability of credit, capital and financial services to 
underserved communities throughout the Nation.
  I feel that through funding initiatives and congressional guidance 
contained in this bill, government will be more responsive and more 
proactive on behalf of the American people whom it serves.
  The total funding recommended by the bill is $21.4 billion. This 
funding level is tight. While the bill is $1.9 billion above the fiscal 
year 2007, it is $243 million below the President's budget request.
  It was a challenge to reduce funding from the requested level for two 
reasons. First, most of this bill, over 80 percent, funds basic 
administrative accounts, such as the salaries of the Treasury employees 
who are managing the Nation's finances. These accounts cannot be 
reduced without reducing the most basic government services.
  Second, there were a number of holes in the President's budget that 
needed to be filled. This bill increases funding for programs where we 
believe money will be well spent and will benefit, for example, 
disadvantaged communities or small businesses. These are important 
priorities that needed to be addressed.
  To summarize, this bill includes $12.3 billion for the Department of 
the Treasury. Within this amount, $11.1 billion is for the IRS, a $550 
million increase above fiscal year 2007, and $52 million above the 
President's request. This increase includes more money than requested 
for taxpayer services and the IRS Taxpayers Advocate Office.
  The bill also includes $100 million for the Community Development 
Financial Institutions Fund's program to increase economic development 
and financial opportunities for folks living in disadvantaged 
communities.
  The bill includes $722 million for the Executive Office of the 
President, of which $460 million is directed to the Office of National 
Drug Control Policy and its programs. This includes increases for the 
Drug Free Communities grants program, and the High-Intensity Drug 
Trafficking Areas program, which are critical efforts in the war on 
drugs.
  This bill, however, rejects the 31 percent increase to the National 
Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign requested in the President's budget. 
Recent studies have called in question the effectiveness of the 
campaign, and it does not make any sense to give this program the 
substantial increase requested in light of these questions. The 
recommendation reduces funding for the campaign by $6 million from last 
year to $93 million this year.
  The judicial branch will receive $6.3 billion, which is $278 million 
above 2007, but $254 million below the request. While this is a 
reduction to the requested level, we believe that the amount in the 
bill will be sufficient to fund all necessary operations and staffing 
levels for the judiciary.
  Programs related to the District of Columbia will receive $648 
million, including $309 million for the District of Columbia court 
system. Within this figure, the bill assumes an increase in the 
reimbursement for attorneys who defend indigent clients so that their 
compensation rate is closer to the rate for defense attorneys 
practicing before Federal courts.

                              {time}  2100

  This will help ensure fair and just representation for these 
defendants. The bill also includes funding for the D.C. public schools, 
the Tuition Assistance Grant program, the Water and Sewer Authority, 
construction of a forensic lab, and other critical items requested by 
the D.C. Government.
  General provisions for the District of Columbia are fewer in number 
and have been changed based on our discussions with the D.C. 
government.
  My basic principle is that the Federal Government should not dictate 
to the city how to manage its own affairs or spend its own money. 
Therefore, you will find that we have removed or changed riders that 
have been in past bills that closely prescribed to the city what it 
should or should not do. In some cases, I would actually like to go 
further than this bill goes. But I consider the changes we made to be 
first steps toward eliminating some of the restrictions Congress has 
placed on the District.
  Let me take this opportunity, as an aside, to mention that my ranking 
member, Mr. Regula, has been excellent also on this issue. He, like I, 
believe that since the District of Columbia has a new mayor and an 
exciting

[[Page H7287]]

new leadership, we want to do everything we can to allow them to grow 
within their own boundaries, make their own decisions and develop their 
own vision.
  The bill includes funding for numerous important independent 
agencies. Some, such as the General Services Administration and the 
Office of Personnel Management, support all government agencies in 
their day-to-day operations. Other agencies are smaller but equally 
vital. For example, the Election Assistance Commission deals with 
issues that are extraordinarily important to the Nation and its ability 
to have reliable, secure and accessible elections. This bill includes, 
Mr. Chairman, $300 million for payments to States to help them meet the 
requirements of the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
  The bill also includes money for essential regulatory agencies, 
namely the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade 
Commission, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Federal 
Communications Commission. We have provided a total of $78 million in 
increases over 2007 for these agencies. We are recommending funding to 
ensure that they have the ability to oversee, investigate, and take 
necessary actions relating to their respective missions. For example, 
the Federal Trade Commission would receive $36 million above this 
year's level and $7 million above the request to enhance consumer 
protection activities, including investigations of subprime lending and 
identity theft and to keep the marketplace free from anticompetitive 
business practices.
  Another important agency in this bill is the Small Business 
Administration. The bill includes $582 million for the SBA, including 
$100 million for Small Business Development Centers, which is $12 
million above the current year. The bill also funds a 7(a) loan 
guarantee program by providing an $80 million subsidy to make loans 
more affordable for small businesses.
  We also include $17 million for a Microloan program, including $2.5 
million for the subsidy cost of these loans, as well as funding for SBA 
programs that target businesses in disadvantaged or low-income 
communities. These include the HUBZone program, the PRIME program and 
the 7(j) program, which provides assistance relating to accounting 
practices or bidding on Federal contracts.
  This bill also has numerous general provisions that apply to funds in 
the Act or governmentwide. The mark includes some changes in these 
provisions from previous bills. It includes, for example, some changes 
to the provision on public-private competitions, known to some as A-76, 
or outsourcing, that will strengthen protections for Federal employees.
  Mr. Chairman, this bill will not make everyone happy. It is not even 
doing all that I want it to do. We have had to make compromises in 
order to ensure that this bill will make it through the process and to 
the President's desk. However, the bill is a good step towards making 
some important changes to funding and policies. I encourage everyone to 
recognize that this bill is part of a process that will take time to 
complete. We will not be able to do everything in our first year.
  Mr. Chairman, I would like at this time to thank my friend and 
colleague, Mr. Regula, for his work and collaboration. We may not 
always agree on everything in this bill, but we worked together where 
we could to develop the best possible bill. I truly appreciate his 
leadership and support.
  I also want to express my appreciation and thanks for the dedication 
and hard work of our subcommittee staff, both the majority and 
minority, especially today when they will be here past 1, 2 o'clock in 
the morning.
  Dale Oak, Bob Bonner, Karyn Kendall, Frank Carillo, Deb Bilek, and 
Jim Curry with the majority staff; John Martens and Alice Hogans with 
the minority staff; and Rick Limardo with Congressman Regula's personal 
staff have devoted countless hours. That is why this bill is before you 
today. I would like to recognize their many contributions. I would like 
also like to acknowledge and thank my personal staff under the 
leadership of Nadine Berg.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge support for this bill.

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  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, I am going to include my statement in the Record. I 
will paraphrase it in the interests of time.
  First, I want to congratulate Chairman Serrano in being the pioneer 
chairman of the newly created Financial Services and General Government 
Subcommittee. He has given us great leadership in a bipartisan, 
inclusive spirit while shepherding this bill through the subcommittee. 
Additionally, my colleagues on the subcommittee on both sides have 
provided valuable input and guidance. The chairman has mentioned the 
hard work of the staff on both the majority and minority. I won't 
reiterate that, but I will say we have had great staff help for both 
majority and the minority.
  I am pleased to present this Financial Services bill. We have taken 
into consideration the priorities of the President and the Members of 
the House, and I think we have produced a bill that meets the needs of 
Americans and our operations of government while staying below the 
President's budget request, which is somewhat unusual for most of the 
Appropriations Committee bills. I appreciate the leaders of the 
Appropriations Committee, Chairman Obey and Ranking Member Lewis, in 
providing a manageable allocation for the bill.
  We allocate, as the chairman has said, $21.4 billion in discretionary 
budget authority. This is $243 million below the administration's 
request, but it is $2 billion above fiscal year 2007. This is in 
recognition of some additional responsibilities that we have.
  It provides funding for a diverse number of agencies that affect the 
lives of all Americans. Twenty-seven different agencies are funded in 
this bill: Telecommunications; IRS Taxpayer Assistance; Small Business 
Administration, an interesting group; the General Services 
Administration; and also the Office of Personnel Management.
  I want to mention here that in testimony, I was struck by the fact 
that the director of the Office of Personnel Management said that in 
the next 10 years, 60 percent of the workforce will retire. I would say 
to any young people that are listening tonight there will be a lot of 
opportunity in the Federal Government.
  Another point that was made in the hearing was that only 15 percent 
of the Federal employment is in Washington, D.C., which means that 
there will be job opportunities all across the country. I would urge 
young people that are in political science or have an interest in 
government to think about getting the skills that might be useful in 
working in Federal employment. This would, of course, be some budget 
experience, some tax policy and some general policy of government. 
There will be opportunities and exciting challenges.
  We have the Small Business Development Centers. Sometimes I think we 
only think about the big ones in terms of businesses, but it is the 
thousands and thousands of small businesses that really fuel this 
Nation's economy. I know in my own district, if you add up the 50, the 
75 and the 100-employee businesses, that is a very significant total. 
Those businesses don't tend to go overseas. They don't sell out and 
move their operations somewhere offshore. They stay. Therefore, I think 
it is extremely important that we help small business in every possible 
way.
  We do that in this bill. We have $100 million for Small Business 
Development Centers. This is an increase. It is a method, a way of 
providing management assistance. Just in Ohio alone, we have over 
almost 900,000 small businesses. Every dollar we invest in this 
leverages a couple of dollars in economic activity.

                              {time}  2115

  Another interesting thing in the bill is financial literacy. We hear 
a lot of comment about the fact that our young people don't know how to 
handle credit cards, they don't know how to handle their loans, and 
they get themselves in financial trouble. We have allocated in this 
bill $900,000 for the Treasury's Office of Financial Education. This is 
some $200,000 over the President's request.
  What I would like to do is urge that Treasury work with the 
Department of Education and move some of this responsibility to them to 
work with the schools, the elementary and high schools, in improving 
financial literacy in this country. Credit is extremely important, and 
too often young people do not understand the impact of building credit 
card debt and other types of debt which gets them in substantial 
financial trouble. So we hope that we can encourage a greater amount of 
financial education among the students of this Nation.
  We also hear a lot about the fact that $300 billion of taxes are left 
uncollected. As Mr. Dreier pointed out on the statement on the rule, 
most people pay their taxes. The United States is unique, probably in 
some respects in that we have a voluntary system of paying taxes, but 
people want to know that if they pay their taxes, they want their 
neighbor and their fellow citizens to also pay theirs.
  If there is this $300 billion tax gap, we need to do something to 
address it, so we have set aside the money for taxpayer support 
services. And I might say, for those that are listening out in the 
audience across the country, that many people are not aware of the fact 
that there is a Taxpayer Assistance Service. It is available in most of 
the major cities of the country, and they can be very helpful to people 
who have some type of problem with IRS. We said some years ago that we 
want to make the IRS more taxpayer friendly, and we have tried to do 
that in this bill.
  The chairman mentioned the District of Columbia. I often think about 
President Reagan, who talked about the city of Washington being the 
``shining city on the hill.'' What we try to do in this bill is to move 
this city a little bit further along in that direction.
  The District of Columbia, and we recently changed their voting 
status, is the Capital of this Nation and a city we should all take 
pride in. So what we have tried to do in this bill, since we fund D.C., 
their Federal money, is to make it a better city.
  I want to say I think the Mayor is recognizing the challenge that is 
before him. They have made a dramatic change in their school system. 
Now the Mayor is responsible and accountable, and I am hopeful that 
this will make a vast improvement over a period of time in education.
  The key to a successful city is a successful education system. One of 
the things that plagues the cities of America is the fact that they do 
have problems with their system, and they have a high rate of dropouts. 
We hope we can change that not only in the District of Columbia, but in 
every city in America.
  If our Nation is to remain competitive in the years to come, we have 
to start with the education system. I am pleased that the Mayor and the 
city leadership here recognize that fact. We put $35 million for 
college tuition assistance, $41 million for school improvement, and $10 
million to improve libraries. I know the Mayor has selected a new 
superintendent. We wish her well. We want to do everything we can to 
make her administration and that of the Mayor a success in dealing with 
education problems.
  The chairman mentioned the Election Assistance Commission. This is, 
of course, designed to make sure that everybody has an opportunity to 
vote. That is, again, fundamental to our democracy, that people have 
not only the right to vote, but that we make it as uncomplicated as 
possible so they do make the effort to exercise their franchise. I 
think, perhaps, the $300 million is not necessarily required at this 
time because the Presidential primaries will start in January, and the 
States are already sitting on $1.3 billion, but we can perhaps address 
that issue in conference.
  The loan program, I am a little concerned. We are giving $80 million 
to help subsidize loans where there is a default. Historically this is 
funded by a premium on both the borrowers and lenders, and I am hoping 
that we can work out a program that will encourage people to use the 
loan program.
  Private debt collectors, we don't know. We have kept that in place 
with a very limited amount of money because we are not sure how 
effective that program is, but I think the Treasury would argue that it 
has been a successful program.

[[Page H7295]]

  We have maintained the policies on abortion. We have maintained the 
policies on Cuba. Any change of these would bring about a Presidential 
veto.
  I hope that we can work out any differences we might have in 
conference, and that the bill would be one that the President of the 
United States can sign. Certainly in terms of meeting his fiscal 
requirements. We have more than met that challenge by being under his 
numbers.
  I urge Members to look at this bill and weigh the importance of it 
when it comes time for final passage. I know we will have a number of 
amendments, and we will address those as we move along.


                              Introduction

  First, I would like to congratulate Chairman Serrano on being the 
pioneer Chairman of the newly created Financial Services and General 
Government Subcommittee. Chairman Serrano has provided great leadership 
and a bipartisan, inclusive spirit while shepherding this bill through 
subcommittee and full committee. Additionally, my colleagues on the 
subcommittee have provided valuable input and guidance throughout the 
process.
  Also, I would like to acknowledge the hard work, dedication and 
expertise of the subcommittee staff. On the majority side, Dale Oak, 
Bob Bonner, Karyn Kendall, Frank Carillo, Deb Bilek, Jim Curry and 
Nadine Berg on Chairman Serrano's personal staff. On the minority side 
I would like to thank John Martens and Alice Hogans for their counsel 
in putting together this bill.


                                Overview

  Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to present before the House today the 
fiscal year 2008 Financial Services and General Government 
Appropriations Bill. By taking into consideration the priorities of the 
President and the Members of the House, we have produced a bill that 
meets the needs of Americans, and the operations of our government 
while staying below the President's budget request. I appreciate the 
efforts of the leaders of the House, Chairman Obey and Ranking Member 
Lewis to provide a manageable allocation for this bill.
  The Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill 
allocates $21.4 billion in discretionary budget authority. This number 
is $243 million below the Administration's request and $2 billion above 
fiscal year 2007. I would like to repeat this to my colleagues who have 
voiced concerns over extraneous spending in appropriations bills; this 
bill is $243 million below the Administration's request, while still 
providing sufficient funds for various agencies to continue their 
missions and service.
  The bill provides funding for a diverse number of agencies that 
affect the lives of all Americans. The agencies funded in this bill 
regulate the financial and telecommunications industries, collect taxes 
and provide taxpayer assistance, lend a helping hand to small 
businesses and disadvantaged communities by providing them with 
capital, support the operations of the White House and Federal 
Judiciary, provide Federal payments to the District of Columbia, 
operate and maintain Federal buildings, manage our federal workforce 
which is expected to experience tremendous attrition rates over the 
next ten years, assists in the administration of federal elections and 
protect consumers and investors from fraudulent practices.


                 SBA-Small Business Development Centers

  The Chairman has done a good job of highlighting the bill so I will 
not repeat him, but I would like to mention several items of importance 
to me. I am particularly pleased at the $100 million for Small Business 
Development Centers, an increase of nearly $13 million. The Small 
Business Development Centers account is the Small Business 
Administration's primary method of providing management assistance to 
small businesses. In my state of Ohio we have over 889,000 small 
businesses and every dollar invested in the OHIO SBDC network leverages 
at least $2.00. This program is vital to the life of small business, 
and I urge my colleagues to maintain this funding on the House floor 
today.


                           Financial Literacy

  I am also encouraged to see $900,000 for Treasury's Office of 
Financial Education, an increase of approximately $200,000 over the 
President's request. The increase is targeted toward improving the 
National Strategy for Financial Literacy and expanding efforts at 
financial literacy in elementary schools and high schools. Financial 
literacy is a very important life skill and I look forward to working 
with the Chairman to further develop this initiative and ensure maximum 
programmatic impact.
  Additionally, the bill increases essential funding for the Internal 
Revenue Service to close the nearly $300 billion tax gap, which is the 
difference between the amount of taxes owed and the amount actually 
paid. Closing the tax gap is critical as most Americans do not mind 
paying their fair share of taxes as long as they know others are doing 
the same. Furthermore, $3.6 billion is set aside for taxpayer support 
services activities aimed at tax return preparation, the IRS National 
Taxpayer Advocate and IRS outreach and education efforts to serve 
taxpayers by helping them understand their tax obligations before they 
file. These activities have been steadily reduced in recent years and 
are in need of a boost.


                             D.C. Education

  I am supportive of the funding appropriated in the bill to improve 
education in the District of Columbia, including $35 million for 
college tuition assistance, $41 million for school improvement, and $10 
million to improve libraries. The children in Washington D.C. have been 
at a disadvantage for many years, and I look forward to working with 
the Mayor to enhance the school system to give the children of D.C. a 
chance to succeed.


                                Concerns

  As I mentioned previously, this bill is $243 million below the 
Administration's request, and Chairman Serrano has done a fair job in 
allocating these funds to the various agencies within the bill. 
However, I do have a couple spending and policy concerns, which I would 
like to outline.


                     Election Assistance Commission

  Primarily, I am concerned about $300 million added to this bill in 
unrequested funding for election assistance grants. The Help America 
Vote Act of 2002 authorized $3.9 billion for grants to the states to 
improve their voting systems through 2007. This program has not been 
authorized to receive funding in 2008 and there still remains $1.3 
billion in appropriated dollars from the Help America Vote Act that 
have yet to be spent by the States. Therefore, I believe that an 
additional $300 million is unnecessary at this time especially with 
Presidential primaries beginning in January. This is a short turnaround 
to spend $300 million while the states are sitting on $1.3 billion. 
Although I am supportive of the Election Assistance Commission, I 
remain concerned over these unrequested and unauthorized funds.


                         SBA 7(a) Loan Program

  Another funding item of concern that I bring up with trepidation is 
subsidization of 7(a) business loans. An amendment in committee was 
adopted which ignores the fact that the 7(a) loan program has been 
operating at record levels without a subsidy appropriation since fiscal 
year 2005. Past practice has proven that subsidies limit access to SBA 
loans if demand for loans exceeds the availability of appropriations. 
In past years, SBA has been forced to temporarily shut the program down 
or impose loan limits to manage within available appropriations. Zero 
subsidy has proven to be effective and allowed SBA flexibility to 
manage the program in a user friendly way. I hope to work with the 
Chairman in Conference to find an agreeable solution regarding 7(a) 
subsidization.


                             Policy Riders

  Regarding policy, I have reservations with language attempting to 
limit the use of private debt collectors. Private debt collectors 
simply pursue the low hanging fruit that the IRS does not currently 
devote resources to.
  Otherwise longstanding policies on abortion and Cuba are maintained 
in this bill. Any altering of these may bring about a Presidential 
veto.
  Lastly, while I have a few qualms with the bill, I believe it is a 
bill that should be passed by the House and signed by the President, as 
long as controversial policy riders or substantial funding changes are 
not made to the bill. I thank the Chairman and ask my colleagues to 
vote yes with me on House passage of the first Financial Services and 
General Government Appropriations bill.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my support for the 
inclusion of $300 million in funding for election reform programs under 
the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in the Financial Services and General 
Government Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2008. Although this 
represents less than half of the funding that still remains 
unappropriated under HAVA, it will help states improve and secure their 
election systems before November 2008.
  We have now been through our second post-HAVA general election, but 
both the 2004 and 2006 elections provided strong indications that there 
is much work yet to be done in the area of election reform in this 
country. Election protection groups across the country published 
extensive reports after each of those elections, documenting machine 
failures, incidents of suppression, voters being told wrongfully that 
they were not on the voter registration rolls, voters being denied 
provisional ballots, and a myriad of other problems. One of those 
reports documented more than 1,000 incidents of machine failure in more 
than 300 counties in 36 states. In addition, a report issued by the 
Brennan Center for Justice at New York University school of Law 
following an in-depth examination of all of the major voting systems 
used in the United States found that all such systems are vulnerable to 
tampering and failure.

[[Page H7296]]

  Granted, many problems with our electoral system can be solved 
through better procedures and better enforcement of existing 
procedures, and do not require funding. But that is not true of issues 
related to the security and reliability of our voting equipment. That 
is why my Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act (H.R. 811) 
authorizes $1 billion to help states transition to voting systems that 
provide a durable voter verified paper ballot for every vote cast, and 
$100 million to reimburse states for conducting routine random audits.
  As the situation now stands, in November 2008, six entire states and 
various counties in 13 more and the District of Columbia will conduct 
their elections on voting systems that neither produce nor require the 
use of voter verified paper ballots, and therefore will provide no 
means of conducting meaningful recounts or audits. In total, 
approximately 35 million voters will be casting votes that will be 
completely unverifiable. That is more than ten times the margin of 
victory in the last Presidential race. In 2008, if the outcome of the 
Presidential race hinges on Pennsylvania, or Georgia, or Tennessee, or 
anyone of the other unauditable jurisdictions, there will be nothing 
tangible left that the voters themselves created or verified; whatever 
they will have seen on the touch screen on election day, it will be 
gone forever and all that will remain is a software translation that 
may or may not reflect voter intent. And we will never know, unless we 
have strong new legislation and adequate funding.
  As a country, we simply cannot afford to have un-resolvable election 
problems in 2008. Election anomalies can be corrected by funding 
measures to ensure that voting systems produce durable paper ballots 
and that jurisdictions conduct routine audits of those ballots. 
Therefore, I commend the Financial Services Committee for including 
$300 million in HAVA funding, which may be used to meet and improve 
upon HAVA's requirement for permanent paper records with a manual audit 
capacity, in the Financial Services and General Government 
Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2008, and I urge my colleagues to 
support it.
  Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The CHAIRMAN. All time for general debate has expired.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.
  The motion was agreed to.
  Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. 
Andrews) having assumed the chair, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Chairman of 
the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, reported 
that that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 
2829) making appropriations for financial services and general 
government for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and for other 
purposes, had come to no resolution thereon.

                          ____________________