[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 17, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H7866-H7868]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1115
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3043, DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH 
AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS 
                               ACT, 2008

  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 547 and ask for its immediate consideration.

[[Page H7867]]

  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 547

       Resolved, That at any time after the adoption of this 
     resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule 
     XVIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the 
     Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of 
     the bill (H.R. 3043) making appropriations for the 
     Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and 
     Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending 
     September 30, 2008, and for other purposes. The first reading 
     of the bill shall be dispensed with. All points of order 
     against consideration of the bill are waived except those 
     arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. General debate 
     shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour 
     equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking 
     minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. After 
     general debate the bill shall be considered for amendment 
     under the five-minute rule. Points of order against 
     provisions in the bill for failure to comply with clause 2 of 
     rule XXI are waived. During consideration of the bill for 
     amendment, the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may 
     accord priority in recognition on the basis of whether the 
     Member offering an amendment has caused it to be printed in 
     the portion of the Congressional Record designated for that 
     purpose in clause 8 of rule XVIII. Amendments so printed 
     shall be considered as read. When the committee rises and 
     reports the bill back to the House with a recommendation that 
     the bill do pass, the previous question shall be considered 
     as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final 
     passage without intervening motion except one motion to 
     recommit with or without instructions.
       Sec. 2.  During consideration in the House of H.R. 3043 
     pursuant to this resolution, notwithstanding the operation of 
     the previous question, the Chair may postpone further 
     consideration of the bill to such time as may be designated 
     by the Speaker.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui) 
is recognized for 1 hour.
  Ms. MATSUI. For the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 
minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings). All time 
yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. I yield 
myself such time as I may consume.


                             General Leave

  Ms. MATSUI. I also ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 
legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on the 
resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 547 provides for 
consideration of H.R. 3043, the Labor, Health and Human Services and 
Education Appropriations Act for 2008 under an open rule. Under this 
rule, all Members of the House are afforded the opportunity to offer 
any amendment that is germane and otherwise complies with House rules.
  Mr. Speaker, the phrase most often associated with this bill has been 
``feast or famine.'' For instance, Congress first doubled funding for 
the National Institutes of Health between 1999 and 2003 and then flat-
lined the agency's funds since then. It was actually cut for the first 
time in history in fiscal year 2006.
  In contrast, this year's bill sticks to the principle of sustainable 
growth in strategic areas: health research, worker safety and 
education. I would like to applaud Chairman Obey and Ranking Member 
Walsh for their hard work in crafting this fair and responsible 
blueprint for our Nation's future.
  Nowhere is this broader strategy of sustainable growth more evident 
than at the NIH. The underlying legislation provides a modest 2.6 
percent increase over last year's level. Such an increase is critical 
to maintaining America's global leadership in biomedical research. This 
research will expand the boundaries of human knowledge and keep America 
at the forefront of the field.
  Unfortunately, low or frozen funding levels resulted in almost 1,300 
fewer grants from 2003 to 2006. But this year's sustainable increase 
will allow those grants to expand responsibly.
  In particular, I would like to thank the committee for its continued 
support of the National Children's Study. Its budget within the NIH is 
very modest, but its impact to children and families will be great. The 
study will examine environmental effects on childhood development, 
including autism, asthma and premature birth. For several years, I've 
been working with the committee and other Members to provide the study 
with proper support. I'm happy to report that the study has now 
received widespread and bipartisan support.
  I'd also like to highlight the full funding of Ryan White AIDS 
programs within the bill. Cities and towns all across the country rely 
on these funds to provide vital health services to individuals with HIV 
or AIDS. With this funding, the victims of HIV and AIDS will have 
increased access to medications, primary care and home health care.
  In addition to ensuring health care access and advancement, this bill 
also plans for our children's educational future.
  We all realize that the cost of a college education is not getting 
any cheaper. In fact, it's growing by thousands of dollars a year. So I 
commend the committee's increase in the maximum Pell Grant by $390 to 
$4,700. It will permit over 5.5 million students to take advantage of 
this critical assistance, and it does so without having to reduce other 
student financial assistance programs, as the administration had 
proposed.
  The underlying legislation also acts responsibly to prepare our 
Nation's students before they get to college by ensuring better 
performance at the K-12 grade levels.
  Title I grants support schools in high-poverty areas, and they are 
the engine behind No Child Left Behind. Nonetheless, these grants have 
been flat-funded or even reduced in the past two school years. This has 
hindered the ability of title I schools to assist low-performing 
students. I commend the committee for increasing this fund so that 
nearly 55,000 title I schools can invest in their young people.
  Make no mistake, in a world that increasingly depends on highly 
skilled employees, this legislation is an investment in the future of 
our students and in the future competitiveness of this Nation.
  In conclusion, I urge all Members to support this rule and the 
underlying bill. It deals responsibly with the needs of our health care 
sector, our education system, and the labor market.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  (Mr. HASTINGS of Washington asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui) for yielding me the customary 
30 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, this proposed rule would provide for consideration of 
the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill, the 
seventh out of 12 appropriation bills to be considered by the House 
this year.
  Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased that for the seventh time we are considering 
this appropriations bill under an open rule that allows every Member of 
the House the opportunity to come to the floor and to offer his or her 
amendment to the bill. Except for in the instance earlier this year 
when the House considered the final fiscal year 2007 spending bill, 
which allocated $463 billion of taxpayer dollars while denying all 
Members of the House the opportunity to amend the bill, this rule 
continues a long-standing tradition of openness on spending bills.
  Mr. Speaker, the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education 
appropriations bill provides over $607 billion to support the Federal 
Government's role in labor, health and education programs. Of this 
total, over $455 billion, or 75 percent, is comprised of spending for 
government programs that grow automatically every year with little 
congressional review. For the next fiscal year alone, these programs 
will increase by an estimated $54 billion, nearly 12 percent, which I 
might add, Mr. Speaker, is three or four times the rate of inflation.
  Without question, these programs pose the largest threat to our long-
term economic health because they essentially run on autopilot with 
little accountability to the taxpayers writing the checks. If we want 
to get spending under control, it is vital that we take a hard look at 
these programs sooner rather than later.
  The remaining money in this appropriations bill is set by Congress 
each

[[Page H7868]]

year. For the last fiscal year, $144 billion was provided to support 
the Federal Government's role in labor, health and education programs, 
but for the upcoming fiscal year, the underlying bill provides for $151 
billion, an increase of $7 billion.
  Mr. Speaker, while I support some of the increases in the bill, such 
as an increased funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education 
Act, I do have concerns with the overall increased spending level in 
this difficult budget year. I believe that Congress must always stop 
and remember that we are spending the American taxpayers' money when 
considering appropriations bills. Each time a decision is made to spend 
more money, taxpayers face a higher tax bill or the deficit faces an 
increase in leaving our children and grandchildren to foot the bill. 
Therefore, we must take a balanced approach that provides for the 
general welfare of our Nation while reducing the deficit.
  It's important that taxpayers are aware that under the Democrat 
majority's budget plan, each taxpayer faces an average $3,000 increase 
in their Federal tax bill in order to pay for the Democrats' spending 
spree over the next 5 years, as reflected in their budget.
  Throwing money at all of our Nation's problems will not make them go 
away. The American people expect more of Congress. They expect us to 
tackle the difficult issues, make tough decisions and lower the deficit 
through fiscal restraint.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I'd just like to make a few comments before 
I yield to the next speaker.
  I'd like to say that the President's budget would have cut education 
programs, health care programs, energy assistance for seniors, avian 
flu by some $7.6 billion below last year after adjusted for inflation. 
This bill rejects most of those arbitrary cuts. As a result, some 
Members have criticized it.
  But the bill only increases these funds by a modest 3 percent after 
adjusting for inflation and population growth. This increase puts the 
bill a full $2.9 billion below its funding level in 2005. It is 
interesting logic that when you're spending less than you did 2 years 
ago, it's out-of-control spending.
  The subcommittee's ranking member testified to the Rules Committee 
last night that he would have written a very similar bill as Mr. Obey 
did had he been in the chairman's seat. And most of the amendments 
offered in committee were by the minority seeking to increase various 
funding levels in the bill.
  This bill funds our Nation's health care, education and worker 
protection programs in a responsible, sustainable manner.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. 
Welch).
  Mr. WELCH of Vermont. I thank the gentlewoman from California.
  Mr. Speaker, this Congress faces the challenge of acting on the 
direction of the American people, as expressed in the vote of November 
2006, and that is to change the direction of this country and to 
restore a domestic agenda that serves all Americans.
  We began, and again on a bipartisan basis, with 100 hours, raising 
the minimum wage, reversing wasteful subsidies to the big oil 
companies, and instead funding renewable energy, requiring price 
negotiations so our taxpayers didn't get ripped off in prescription 
drug prices, making college more affordable.

                              {time}  1130

  These measures are a down payment, but just a beginning. Today, the 
House takes up the eighth of 12 appropriation bills. This bill, under 
the leadership of Mr. Obey, more than anything else, is going to put a 
stamp on a new direction that this Congress is moving in.
  It's a direction that says all Americans have to be included, not 
just the wealthy, not just those who can afford corporate lobbyists. 
All Americans have a right to affordable education, to quality health 
care, to safe working conditions and to a financially secure 
retirement. Getting from here to there is a challenge, but this is the 
road that this bill takes us on.
  Let me mention just four different areas. First, the legislation 
restores $7.6 billion in funding to vital programs that have been cut 
by the administration. At the same time, it saves $1.1 billion from 
lower priority programs. There is a commitment here to fiscal 
responsibility.
  We must invest in America's future generations, and the bill does 
that.
  Second, again, I will just mention a few things that are important to 
us in Vermont. We have had unfunded mandates. Special Ed, No Child Left 
Behind are the poster childs of that. This bill increases funding for 
No Child Left Behind by $8.6 billion over fiscal year 2007.
  This bill invests in vital rural health care programs, something that 
we in Vermont are very familiar with, by increasing funding by $307 
million. That provides real services to real people with real health 
care problems. This bill increases funding for the vital Low Income 
Heating Assistance Program. That was cut in the administration proposal 
by $379 million, or 17.5 percent, below last year's level. That's 
simply not sustainable. That's going to inflict real harm on people who 
have no ability to control the price of home heating oil.
  This bill is taking us further on the road of having a Congress who 
is committed to the needs of all Americans.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 547 is an open rule providing for 
consideration of the fiscal year 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services, 
and Education appropriations bill.
  The underlying legislation puts many of this Nation's most critical 
agencies on a responsible and sustainable funding path. Chairman Obey 
and Ranking Member Walsh should be commended. As the Rules Committee 
heard in their testimony yesterday, they worked in a cooperative manner 
without partisan rancor to balance many competing needs funded through 
this bill.
  This bill strengthens our families and prepares our workforce for the 
challenges that lay ahead. For instance, in just 7 years, nearly half 
of all the Nation's job growth will be concentrated in occupations 
requiring a college degree. This bill helps prepare our young people 
for this new world by increasing funding for students at K-12 or 
college level. In particular, it rejects an administration proposal to 
freeze Pell Grants. Instead, this legislation increases Pell Grants by 
$390 to $4,700 on top of a $260 increase provided in 2007 continuing 
appropriations resolution. These efforts will make great strides in 
making college more affordable.
  The legislation also maintains our Nation's leadership in health care 
research by lifting a 2-year freeze on the average cost of new research 
grants to NIH, and it provides a responsible increase in employment, 
training and worker protection programs. These are just some of the 
ways in which the underlying legislation provides millions of Americans 
with access to affordable health care, a decent education, and strong 
worker protection.
  I urge all my colleagues to support this open rule and the underlying 
bill.
  I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the 
previous question on the resolution.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the 
ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a 
quorum is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________