[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 118 (Monday, July 23, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1593]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES; AND EDUCATION, AND 
               RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 19, 2007

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration 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.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Chairwomen, I rise in support of the Labor, 
Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill (H.R. 
3043). This legislation makes important investments in education, 
health care and vital scientific research.
  ``Last November, voters around the country called for a change in 
direction and this bill epitomizes the differences in priorities 
between the old Republican-led Congress and the new Congress. In the 
past five years, even as the cost of attending college skyrocketed, the 
previous Congress raised the maximum Pell Grant by only $300. We said 
we could do better, and today we are increasing the Pell Grant by $390, 
more in one year than the Republican-led Congress did in five years. 
President Bush submitted a budget this year to freeze funding for child 
care and cut funding to Head Start by $100 million. We said we could do 
better, and today we are increasing both Child Care Block Grants and 
Head Start by $75 million each.
  ``Since the inception of No Child Left Behind, it has been 
underfunded by more than $55 billion, and this year the President's 
budget proposal fell $14.7 billion short of full funding. We said we 
could do better, and today we are reversing that trend and increasing 
the appropriation for No Child Left Behind by $2 billion, including a 
$1.5 billion increase for Title I. As we work to reauthorize that bill 
this year, I hope that we will continue this positive trend and commit 
to mandatory funding of primary and secondary education.
  ``I am also pleased that today, for the first time since fiscal year 
2005, we are increasing funding for the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act. In 1975, Congress passed IDEA to ensure that all 
students with disabilities receive a free, appropriate public 
education. At that time, Congress made a pledge to states--the federal 
government would pay 40% of the costs to educate special needs 
students. We have never met that commitment, and in the past several 
years, the Congress has actually failed to increase funding for IDEA at 
all. This year, the President proposed a cut in these funds. Today, we 
are increasing IDEA funding by $509 million. While this is an excellent 
start, we must continue to work towards keeping our promise to states 
and fully funding IDEA. With that in mind, I urge my colleagues to join 
me to pass the EDUCATE Act, which creates a mandatory, fiscally 
responsible path to fully fund IDEA by 2015. Students and states have 
waited more than 30 years for Congress to fulfill its pledge, and we 
have a responsibility to do so.
  ``I am also pleased that in this bill today, we are increasing 
funding for many important education programs, including school 
counseling, afterschool programs, Even Start, Teacher training, 
education technology, and advanced placement. By strengthening these 
priorities, and putting the focus back on education at all levels, we 
are opening doors to students and increasing our ability as a nation to 
harness the energy, intelligence and ambition of our young people and 
keep our country in the forefront of discovery and innovation.

  ``The bill also addresses the fact that, in recent years, the 
nation's health scientists have faced shrinking laboratory budgets and 
dwindling research grants. Important investments need to be made today 
to reverse those trends. The House focuses an additional $1 billion to 
fund the National Institutes of Health to accelerate research 
discoveries that can treat and cure many diseases.
  ``In spite of the all of the positives that this bill will 
accomplish, I am concerned about what some might consider superficially 
attractive but ultimately counterproductive cuts to administrative 
accounts at the Department of Education and elsewhere. Federal 
employees work hard to deliver valuable services to our nation everyday 
and simply can't do their jobs without the minimum amount of resources 
necessary. This legislation includes roughly $175 million in funding 
cuts to federal employee salaries and resources. I'll be working in 
conference to ensure that our dedicated civil servants have the 
resources they need to continue providing their valuable services.
  Madam Chairwoman, I am pleased to support this legislation which 
makes the critical investments needed to address the health, education 
and economic challenges we face.''

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