[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 14, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H13876-H13884]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 1429, IMPROVING HEAD START FOR SCHOOL
READINESS ACT OF 2007
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 813, I call up
the conference report on the bill (H.R. 1429)
[[Page H13877]]
to reauthorize the Head Start Act, to improve program quality, to
expand access, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Serrano). Pursuant to House Resolution
813, the conference report is considered read.
(For conference report and statement, see proceedings of the House of
November 9, 2007, at page H13462.)
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) and
the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon) each will control 30
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to be here today to reauthorize Head Start.
And I know that everyone agrees that it has been far too long since we
have authorized the Head Start Act.
Head Start has served millions of our most vulnerable children and
families well for 42 years. More recently, Early Head Start has done
the same for infants and toddlers.
These are our country's premiere early childhood programs, Mr.
Speaker. Head Start works, and this bill will make it work even better.
Nothing is more critical to a child's success than a great teacher,
and this bill will ensure that by 2013, half of Head Start teachers
nationwide will have bachelor's degrees. This will improve professional
development so that teachers can keep up with the best practices in
early childhood education.
The bill increases funding for Early Head Start so that children will
receive comprehensive services during the most critical stages of brain
development.
Mr. Speaker, our predecessors 42 years ago initiated Head Start even
before we realized, as we do today, that early and regular stimulation
was critical to the very physical development of the brain.
Head Start requires the Secretary to update early learning standards
using the best science, and puts an end to the ill-advised National
Reporting System.
It authorizes significant increases in resources so that we can
expand access. And I want to work with our friends on the
Appropriations Committee to do just that.
It enhances the quality of Head Start boards, while maintaining a
shared governance structure that empowers parents.
And it is especially important to me that the bill prioritizes
significant resources for Indian and migrant and seasonal Head Start
programs, both to expand existing programs and create new programs, so
that these children, whose communities face such terrific challenges,
can grow up to help their communities overcome those challenges.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Miller and Senator
Kennedy, Senator Dodd, Ranking Members McKeon and Castle, and Senator
Enzi and Senator Alexander, my staff and theirs, and all the conferees
and their staffs for their hard work. I especially want to thank Lloyd
Horwich, who has worked so hard with me to produce this bill.
We do our best work in this Congress when we work in a bipartisan
way, and we do our best work, especially in education, when we work in
a bipartisan way. It's been my pleasure through the years to have the
advantage of working with Mr. McKeon from California. We've grown to
really commit ourselves to education and we trust one another and like
one another, which is very important.
I was privileged, Mr. Speaker, to introduce this bill in March with
Chairman Miller, Governor Castle, Mr. McKeon and many others, and look
forward to its becoming law very soon.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Since 1965, the Head Start program has been instrumental in our
efforts to close the gap between disadvantaged children and their
peers. This program provides health, developmental and educational
services to low-income and at-risk children before they enroll in
school in order to help close the readiness gap. Head Start helps
establish a foundation for these children's future success.
This conference report is the product of a bipartisan collaboration
and compromise. I'd like to thank Chairman Miller, along with Mr.
Castle and Mr. Kildee. And I appreciate Mr. Kildee's words, and I
appreciate the opportunity I've had to get to know him and work with
him closely over the years. I thank them for their work to strengthen
and improve Head Start.
I'd also like to acknowledge the staff on both sides for their
instrumental role in developing this legislation. Their work was
critical to producing such a strong, widely supported measure. On my
staff, I'd like to recognize Kirsten Duncan, along with Susan Ross and
James Bergeron, for their tireless efforts on this legislation.
Studies have shown that children enrolled in Head Start do make some
progress. We also know that even greater results are possible.
With this in mind, the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act
will strengthen Head Start's academic standards by emphasizing
cognitive development and the results of scientifically valid research
in topics critical to children's school readiness. The conference
report will improve teacher quality by ensuring a greater number of
Head Start teachers have degrees and are adequately trained in early
childhood development, particularly in teaching the fundamentals.
Despite the many successes of the Head Start program, it's reputation
has, unfortunately, been marred in recent years by instances of
financial abuse and mismanagement. In communities across the country,
we've heard reports of taxpayer dollars being squandered. A March 2005
report from the Government Accountability Office warned the financial
control system in the Head Start program is flawed and failing to
prevent multimillion dollar financial abuses that cheat poor children,
taxpayers and law-abiding Head Start operators.
This conference report builds on efforts of Republicans in the 109th
Congress to address weaknesses in the Head Start financial control
system in order to better protect taxpayers and ensure funds are being
used to help prepare disadvantaged children for school.
I'm particularly pleased that the conference report includes strong
protections to ensure Head Start dollars are not used to pay excessive
salaries to program executives. The House voted unanimously last week
to instruct conferees to include clear, unambiguous protections in this
area. Thanks to that vote, we were able to visit the negotiations and
agree to even stronger language.
{time} 1230
Mr. Speaker, the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act is a
solid reauthorization bill built on bipartisan collaboration. Head
Start is a good program capable of achieving even greater results, and
the bill before us will help achieve that goal.
I support passage of this conference report so we can send the bill
to the President.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth).
Mr. YARMUTH. I thank my colleague.
Mr. Speaker, we must acknowledge that America's continued success
will not be ensured unless we equip the leaders of tomorrow with the
tools they need today. This means cultivating not just the most
privileged and brightest students but the students who grow up with
disadvantages. We must nurture the potential of all our children from
the very beginning of their lives. We don't have one mind to waste or
one citizen to waste. We need everyone to have the greatest ability and
preparation to live productive, meaningful lives in our society.
For a million students, Head Start is the answer. For those who work
hard but remain stuck just above the poverty level, the reauthorization
of this program will give their children a chance to soar. I am proud
to say that just as we did by increasing the minimum wage, doubling
college assistance, and providing health care to uninsured children,
this Congress continues to put working families first.
With nine in 10 Americans reporting no increase in income the last 6
years, cynicism has replaced hope for too many. We are in a position to
restore faith in the future. And as we pass the
[[Page H13878]]
reins of our Nation to future generations, we must invest in that
future by guaranteeing every child a chance to succeed.
I know that in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, thousands and
thousands of young children have gotten adequate preparation for
schooling that they might not otherwise have gotten because of the
wonderful training they received in Head Start. It is not just a head
start; it is a very strong foundation to success in education and
success in whatever careers our young children may select.
So I'm proud to stand here in the House of Representatives, the
people's House, and urge my colleagues to support a program which will
help ensure that the people we represent are able to enjoy the
prosperity and the happiness that our Founding Fathers hoped they would
have.
With that, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Head Start
and begin restoring faith in the future for millions of American
families.
Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I am happy now to yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), the ranking member on the
subcommittee and at the same time thank him for the key role he played
in getting this legislation to this point.
Mr. CASTLE. I thank the distinguished gentleman from California for
yielding and for his work on this legislation.
I do rise to ask my colleague to support this bipartisan conference
report before us today. Like almost every other Member of this body, I
believe strongly in the benefits of this program. I trust that the
conference report on H.R. 1429, the Improving Head Start for School
Readiness Act, will improve Head Start by emphasizing that every child,
regardless of his or her economic status, should have the best possible
chance to succeed.
As Mr. McKeon stated, this report is a byproduct of bipartisan
collaboration and compromise. I would also like to thank Chairman
Miller, along with Mr. Kildee and Mr. McKeon, as well as the committee
staff for their work on Head Start. I see Ms. Woolsey in the room. I
have worked with her on this issue before, too, and thank her.
This legislation builds upon efforts made in the past several
Congresses to address weaknesses in the Head Start program and improves
upon language contained in the bill to help make the program even
stronger. Specifically, this report preserves and enhances the vital
role of parents in ensuring the success of Head Start by establishing
both a governing body and a policy council, each with specific detailed
responsibilities. This conference report also maintains the current
income eligibility requirement to provide services to those who need
them the most. Additionally, this legislation ensures that curriculum
and other materials used in Head Start classrooms are based on the
principles of scientific research and scientifically valid research.
Equally important, this conference agreement ensures that a greater
number of Head Start teachers are adequately trained and educated in
early childhood development, and that applies to Early Head Start as
well. Finally, consistent with the motion to instruct I introduced last
week, this conference agreement limits the compensation of a Head Start
employee to Executive Level II, that of an Assistant Secretary,
currently $168,000.
Mr. Speaker, the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act builds
upon the success of the Head Start program and will assist in having
the program achieve even greater results. I urge my colleagues to
support the passage of this conference report.
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Davis).
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan
for yielding and I also want to commend him for introducing this
legislation, H.R. 1429, the Head Start for School Readiness Act.
I applaud the leaders in both Chambers for crafting such a strong
bill that builds on the accomplishments of Head Start and promotes the
success of young children. It is clear from this product that you and
your staffs have toiled long and hard to strengthen the quality of the
Head Start program, and I say to you, well done.
Foremost, let me thank you for maintaining the role of parents in
governing Head Start. For more than 40 years, one of the most unique
and important aspects of the Head Start program has been its emphasis
on parental involvement. I worked actively with Mr. Souder and Mr.
Payne, along with 88 other Members of the House, to advocate for
maintaining this hallmark of equal responsibility for parents in
governing Head Start.
I am also pleased that the bill strikes a balance between the House
and Senate versions on the issue of program eligibility. In high cost-
of-living areas such as Chicago, low-income families can lose access to
this critical child development program not due to lack of need but
because we fail to adequately consider the cost of living when
calculating the poverty level. The conference report grants local
programs flexibility in opening the eligibility while also requiring
them to demonstrate the need.
I am especially grateful that the final report includes so many
issues near and dear to me, such as recruiting minority male teachers,
emphasizing children's social and emotional well-being, recognition of
the expanding role of grandparents and kinship caregivers in children's
lives, incorporating the best practices from the field of home
visitation into the Early Head Start program, and increasing funds for
salaries and education for Head Start teachers.
Finally, in addition, I am very pleased that this bipartisan bill
preserves the anti-discrimination history of Head Start advocated so
ardently by the Head Start and religious communities. Federal funds are
not meant to support discrimination of any type, and I applaud the
Members on both sides for maintaining this fundamental commitment to
justice and fairness.
This bill expands access, improves teacher quality, expands
accountability, and strengthens school readiness. I am proud to be a
member of the Education Committee and proud to serve in a Congress that
will pass this bill into law.
Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 6 minutes at this time
to the gentleman from Indiana, a member of the committee (Mr. Souder).
Mr. SOUDER. I thank our distinguished ranking member.
I am very supportive of this bill, but I want to share some vague
uncomfortability with what I think is potentially happening here in
Head Start, and I think it's very important to clarify for this
administration and for future administrations what this bill is
intended to do and not intended to do.
From the time the Republicans took over in Congress, I remember then
Subcommittee Chairman Frank Riggs had a number of hearings talking
about the lack of an academic focus to Head Start. There was a big
debate about what the original role was, but it was supposed to
certainly prepare kids who didn't have the same opportunities for their
ability to be prepared when they started school.
But there's a reason that Head Start, while it was in the old
Department of HEW, didn't move with the Department of Education and
stayed with HHS. If it was intended to be merely another education
program run by educational bureaucrats, run the same way that every
other education program was run, it would be over in the Department of
Education. It wouldn't have been a grassroots Head Start program with
parent councils that voted and participated and ran it. It would have
been part of a pre-K program or a kindergarten program run by the
public schools. Increasingly, we see this pressure where the public
schools are trying to take over the Head Start program.
The original origins of the Head Start movement came out of the
sixties. Saul Alinsky was an organizer in Chicago. The populist
movement and the community action organizations led to a wave of
saying, we need programs where local low-income groups are empowered to
make their own decisions. What this meant many times was it didn't
exactly meet the professional goals or standards of where the public
schools thought it should be, necessarily where the professionals in
Washington thought it should be, but they were engaged at the community
level, participating in a way that we have tried to reach in
kindergarten and public schools forever. We can't get
[[Page H13879]]
low-income parents engaged. It's one of the biggest challenges we have.
Yet in the Head Start program, they were engaged all over the country,
whether it was rural low income, urban low income. And then when you
talk to those parents, you say, What's it like when you go to school?
Well, they don't really want us at the public school. There they want
us to do fundraisers or they want us to come to back-to-school night.
But participating in the governance, participating in the organizations
was different.
Now, we had wide support in this body, 91 Members, including Mr.
Davis and Congresswomen Loretta Sanchez and Maxine Waters, myself and
Ric Keller and many conservatives on the right, who share the concept
of empowerment. None of us want malfeasance in office or funding
problems, people who aren't accounting. All of us would like to see
more professional development. All of us would like to see quantified
goals. But in this drift towards trying to use the word
``professional'' all the time, we need to make sure that that doesn't
lead to an exclusionary concept that basically says, okay, now really
the white middle class is going to take over and run this program like
we would like it run.
The fact is when you get groups of parents and give them votes,
they're going to make some judgment mistakes. We need to have
accountability. I am for accountability. We need to have measurement.
We need to empower those people. But this can't be a typical takeover
project, because I believe that the major reason Head Start has, in
fact, worked in communities across the country is it's engaged with the
people at the grassroots level. And sometimes when we use some of the
language here, what we really mean is we're going to take it away from
these people because they're not quite as skilled and that we don't
quite trust their judgments as much.
Now, I appreciate that there was a strong compromise to the side of
parents in the conference committee, that, in fact, the language
keeping the voting powers to the parents is still there. And it still
says that in any major decision, they get a vote. It still says that
when there is a conflict with the other people who are governing this,
it has to be resolved. There was an additional clause added that seemed
to potentially demean the parent councils, where it says ``meaningful
consultation and collaboration.'' Now, that was originally going to
replace the vote just like we saw in HIDTAs, the High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Areas, where we tried to have the Federal Government,
initially in the proposal of the Bush administration, take voting power
away from sheriffs and local police chiefs and use the same words
``meaningful consultation and collaboration.'' That is usually a code
word for we're going to pat you on the head and invite you to an
occasional meeting but not put you in the decision power.
What's great about this bill is we left the voting power there and no
future administration or this one should mistake that the parents still
have the voting power. Any meaningful decision, they have a right to
have a vote, and there has to be a resolution with the policy councils.
This additional language that was Senate language is supplemental and
did not alter the policy council. Of course, parent councils should be
a meaningful consultation and collaboration, not just as a ``term'' but
real meaningful consultation. They should also have the vote.
I want to thank the leadership on the Democratic side and the
Republican side in the House and Senate in leaving the real vote to
parents. It was a huge victory, a grassroots, bipartisan, liberal-
conservative victory that should stand and hopefully will not be undone
by administrative interpretation.
{time} 1245
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Bishop).
Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support
of H.R. 1429, the Improving Head Start Act.
I represent part of Suffolk County, New York, where over 20 Head
Start and three Early Head Start centers have been serving the
community since 1966. I am also proud to say that my wife's first
teaching job was as a Head Start teacher, and that she remains today an
early childhood teacher.
Parents, teachers, and many of my colleagues can all agree that Head
Start is one of our Nation's most prominent and successful early
education programs. This bill continues to build on Head Start's
success by ensuring that kids are prepared for school, by improving
teacher and classroom quality, strengthening the focus on school
readiness, increasing accountability, and boosting coordination.
Research has found that children who attend Head Start enter school
better prepared than their low-income peers who do not attend the
program, and that children who do attend Head Start make significant
learning gains.
If we are serious about achieving the goals set forth by NCLB, then
passing Head Start reauthorization is a down payment on achieving these
goals.
I was proud to offer an amendment during the Education and Labor
Committee's consideration of this bill to allow Head Start programs to
use up to 10 percent of their quality improvement funds for
transportation costs. This amendment was in response to concerns
brought to me by my constituents, as many Head Start programs are being
forced to choose between providing transportation to children or
sacrificing the quality of their program. This is a decision that no
Head Start program should have to make.
With this amendment, and with so many other worthwhile improvements
to Head Start, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this
balanced reauthorization for the benefit of our children and future
generations of Americans.
Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time we have left,
please.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California has 19
minutes. The gentleman from Michigan has 18\1/2\ minutes.
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield now 3 minutes to the gentlelady from
California, a member of the committee and a very active worker on this
bill, Ms. Woolsey.
Ms. WOOLSEY. I want to thank Chairman Kildee and Chairman Miller and
Ranking Member McKeon, who was the Chair when we were working on this,
and Ranking Member Castle for a bipartisan success. We can be proud of
ourselves today.
Anyone who has been around small children knows that they're sponges
for information, they just sop it up if you make it available to them.
And it's widely accepted that early childhood education is absolutely
critical to their development and directly tied to their success when
they get into school, elementary school, and their ongoing future. So
getting children in a structured classroom environment earlier in their
young lives provides a critical window of opportunity.
Head Start provides our Nation's poorest children with a quality
start that puts them on a level playing field with others when they
start elementary school. No matter where a child comes from or what his
or her background is, Head Start provides an equal opportunity to
succeed by starting with a quality early childhood education. That's
why I'm glad I'm here today as we authorize Head Start, reaffirming our
commitment to this valuable program.
This bill expands access to Head Start, it improves teacher and
classroom quality, and it strengthens the services children and their
families receive when they enroll in the program.
The administration, however, can and should do better when it comes
to funding. Too many eligible children are still denied an opportunity
to participate in a Head Start program because there isn't enough
funds. Well, if this administration wasn't spending $500 billion in
Iraq, we would have the necessary resources to increase funding to
allow for program improvement to give every child the Head Start
experience and to increase teacher quality and salaries. It just
depends on where we put our priorities.
Children are 25 percent of our population, Mr. Speaker, but they are
100 percent of our future. We must provide them with the best possible
beginning to their lives. So, Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working
with my colleagues to increase our Nation's commitment to education for
all of our children and to ensure that Head Start remains the
successful experience that it is.
[[Page H13880]]
Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 1 minute to the
gentleman from Ohio, the Republican leader, former chairman of our
committee, Mr. Boehner.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, let me thank Mr. McKeon
for yielding time and take a moment to congratulate Mr. Miller and Mr.
Kildee, Mr. McKeon and Mr. Castle, the two Republican rankers on the
committee, for a job well done.
We have been at this reauthorization for a number of years, and I
think that the work that is represented in this reauthorization of Head
Start is very important for our Nation's children.
Those of us who have worked in the area of education for a long time
know that for low-income children, having some type of early childhood
development is critically important to their success. Head Start is
among a number of programs, both public and private, that are out there
that supply this type of early childhood development for these
children. The reforms that are included in this bill I think are
critically important so that Head Start can really be all that many of
us want it to be.
There are some tremendous Head Start programs around the country, I
have visited a number of them, but there are also some programs that
don't fulfill the promise that we're making to parents and to their
children of what this program could be.
We all know that if we're serious about educating all of America's
kids, we will never get there unless we find a way to help low-income
children get the development they need that many of us take for
granted, things that happen in our homes, for those who have means,
things that happen in our communities that these children are not
exposed to. And so to make sure that they do have an equal chance to
get a good education, that early childhood development for these 3- and
4-year-olds is very, very important.
I do want to congratulate my colleagues for the bipartisan way this
bill has come together. This is a great example of what Congress can do
in a bipartisan way when it chooses to.
I have been on the floor a lot this year, being critical of the fact
that there was some partisan bill on the floor of the House that was
going nowhere. But here is an example of Members on both sides of the
aisle working together for the interests of America's low-income kids,
and I just wanted to come to the floor and say, job well done.
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I appreciate the very kind
words of the Republican leader and my former Chair on this committee.
His work through the years on this bill has been very, very helpful.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remainder of my time.
I am pleased to be here in support of a conference report that will
make Head Start even stronger. This program serves nearly 1 million
underprivileged children and eases the divide between the haves and the
have-nots when it comes to preparing them for kindergarten. The
bipartisan support we've seen today should lend all of us confidence
that the program will remain on a solid foundation for generations to
come.
By reauthorizing Head Start, we're going to strengthen academic
standards by emphasizing cognitive development using scientifically
valid research, improve teacher quality by ensuring more Head Start
teachers have degrees and are adequately trained in early childhood
development, increase financial disclosure requirements by Head Start
operators as custodians of Federal Head Start grants, and require local
governance boards to actively oversee grantees. These are commonsense
reforms that I wholeheartedly support.
I would like to join the Republican leader and my other colleagues
who have spoken here today in commenting on the bipartisanship with
which this bill was brought to this point. It's one that the President
will sign. It's one that will bring good reforms to a good program.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this conference report.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, again, I thank Mr. McKeon, Mr. Castle, and
all those on the other side of the aisle who have worked so hard on
this bill to produce a very good bill. I also want to thank Ruth
Friedman, with Chairman Miller, for her tireless work on this bill over
the last 5 years.
Mr. Speaker, America can watch this Congress at work today on this
bill, Head Start, and feel good about its Congress, and that's very
important. This process in working on Head Start has shown Congress at
its best, and I think we owe that to the American people. And we can
feel a certain pride in having demonstrated to the American people what
Congress can do. This is one of our better days, one of our better
bills, and it's been a process that we've enjoyed. We've had
differences. We resolved those differences. We produced a very good
bill.
And people do make a difference. People in this Congress make a
difference. And I want to especially, again, commend my friend, my
colleague, Mr. McKeon from California, who has worked tirelessly on
this bill. This bill is better because of his input.
Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the
Improving Head Start Act of 2007 Conference Report.
In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson laid out his domestic agenda, one
that made Americans reevaluate what it means to be a Great Society. We
learned much from that time in our Nation's rich history: that we must
all fight together for civil rights, for equality, for peace and
security, against poverty, and for future generations.
One year later, the Head Start program began as a product of Lyndon
Johnson's vision of a Great Society. Now, over 40 years later, Head
Start is truly one of our Nation's most successful programs.
Head Start takes a holistic approach to ensuring that our country's
most at-risk children are educated and healthy. Kids who are vibrant
and in school are put on a path to success. The program provides grants
to local public and private agencies to offer comprehensive child
development services to disadvantaged children and families.
I want to thank Chairman Miller and Chairman Kildee and all of the
conferees for their important work on this conference agreement.
I am glad to see that this agreement authorizes 7.35 billion dollars
for the program. Unfortunately, a number of residents in my hometown of
Sacramento are eligible for enrollment in Head Start, but are currently
on a waiting list because the program does not have enough funds. This
funding authorization will help correct this urgent problem. It will
help put Head Start back on track to ensuring that all eligible
children will be able to participate in the program.
Also important is the expansion of the Early Head Start program. This
program serves low-income youth from birth to age 3. It puts special
focus on helping preschoolers develop the early reading and math skills
they need to be successful in school. It recognizes that starting our
children's education early is crucial to their long-term achievement.
The Conference Report also includes an increase in income
eligibility. This is especially important in California due to my
State's high cost-of-living. I want to thank the conferees for
recognizing the growing needs in communities across the Nation by
increasing income eligibility.
Study after study confirms that early education is the key to success
later in life. And I am glad that Leadership has made educating our
children a priority. With passage of this bill today, the 110th
Congress indeed becomes the Children's Congress.
Mr. Speaker, no child should be without early education. The Head
Start program provides access to education for all of our children,
regardless of their parents' economic status.
As Lyndon Johnson said, ``The purpose of protecting the life of our
Nation and preserving the liberty of our citizens is to pursue the
happiness of our people. Our success in that pursuit is the test of our
success as a Nation.''
I believe that reauthorizing the Head Start program reaffirms our
commitment to the Great Society that Lyndon Johnson envisioned. I am
proud to support the rule and the Head Start Improvement Act.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, more than 40 years ago,
we recognized that poverty was robbing millions of children of the
opportunity to do well in school and succeed in life.
As a nation, we made a decision to help poor children reach school
age ready to succeed by creating the Head Start early childhood
program.
In the last four decades, it has helped nearly 25 million children by
providing them with high-quality, comprehensive education, health, and
nutrition services.
Head Start remains a cornerstone in this country's efforts to help
all children learn, to
[[Page H13881]]
combat poverty, and to provide all Americans with the opportunity to
meet their fullest potential.
We know that Head Start works. Research shows that not only do Head
Start students make important educational gains while they attend the
program, they also continue to gain ground after they leave Head Start.
Research shows that by the end of kindergarten, Head Start graduates
are ``essentially at national norms in early reading and writing'' and
have further narrowed the achievement gap in vocabulary, general
knowledge and early math.
In other words, Head Start is doing what we expect and demand that it
should do--help prepare children to succeed in school and in life.
We also know that there are ways we can improve Head Start.
That is why I am so pleased to be here today with a bipartisan
conference report to reauthorize and reinvigorate Head Start.
This bipartisan legislation improves teacher and classroom quality,
expands access to Head Start for more children, improves comprehensive
services that help children and their families, and ensures that
taxpayer dollars only fund Head Start centers that are well-run and
high quality.
First, this legislation builds on Head Start's success by integrating
the best available science on child development to inform classroom
instruction.
Each year we learn more and more about how children's brains develop.
This legislation ensures that we improve teacher quality and update
classroom practices based on what the research tells us.
It requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to re-evaluate
and update early learning standards and use of assessments with the
best available science, including a forthcoming study from the National
Academy of Sciences.
And it terminates further use of an inappropriate and ineffective
testing regime for 4-year-olds. This wasteful testing regime cost
taxpayers over $25 million dollars, it took up valuable classroom time
and hasn't been useful for improving program quality.
Of course, Head Start is much more than an educational program. Head
Start provides health, nutrition and parent education services in
addition to a strong educational curriculum.
The conference report recognizes this by also strengthening Head
Start's role in meeting these important needs of the children it
serves.
This legislation takes important steps to ensure that Head Start
centers are well-run and effectively managed. This will ensure that
taxpayer dollars are used wisely and that every Head Start center is
high quality.
The report allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to more
quickly take funding away from bad programs. It requires that new and
detailed fiscal management protocols be included in program reviews.
Finally, the legislation also expands access to Head Start in many
important ways.
Expansion of Early Head Start is prioritized so more infants and
toddlers can attend Head Start during the years their brains are
growing the fastest.
And expansion of Migrant and Indian programs is prioritized so more
of these children can have access to this important program.
Mr. Speaker, before I close, I'd like to take a minute to thank
Congressman McKeon, Chairman Kildee, Congressman Castle, Chairman
Kennedy, Senator Enzi, Senator Dodd, and Senator Alexander for their
hard work in getting us to this point.
I'd also like to thank the staff for their work and expertise.
In particular, I'd like to thank Liz King and Jean Harmann with
Legislative Counsel; Lloyd Horwich with Mr. Kildee; James Bergeron,
Susan Ross, Kirsten Duncan, and Jessica Gross with Mr. McKeon and Mr.
Castle; Roberto Rodriguez and David Johns with Senator Kennedy;
Catherine Hildum with Senator Dodd; Lindsay Hunsicker and Beth
Buehlmann with Senator Enzi; David Cleary and Sara Rittling with
Senator Alexander; and from my own staff--Lamont Ivey, Molly Carter,
Kate Scully, Stephanie Moore, and Ruth Friedman.
This bill will build on Head Start's past successes to create an even
stronger program to provide Head Start children with a better future.
I am pleased that we are about to send this legislation to the
President for his signature.
I thank my colleagues for their efforts.
Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Head Start
conference report and I thank Representatives McKeon, Castle, Miller
and Kildee for their work on producing an agreement with the Senate.
For several years, I have worked to improve Head Start's academic and
Migrant and Seasonal Head Start provisions.
For thousands of children, Head Start serves as their first formal
learning experience. Three- and four-year-olds are open to learning
about the world around them, and they should be presented with a wide
range of early academic concepts. I am very pleased that this
conference agreement includes provisions to ensure that these children
are exposed to math and science. I certainly do not intend for Head
Start to teach ``rocket science,'' but rather for its teachers to equip
Head Start preschoolers with the extremely basic concepts of math and
science. Perhaps it will spark the imagination of some kids, and lay
the foundation for them to become rocket scientists many years later.
With regard to Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, I joined with
Representatives Grijalva, Hinojosa and Sanchez in securing a 5 percent
funding floor for Migrant and Seasonal Head Start in the House version
of the bill. For far too long, funding for Migrant and Seasonal Head
Start has lacked parity with other Head Start programs. I am
disappointed that the conference report abandoned the House- and
Senate-passed 5 percent floor, but I recognize the difficulty conferees
had in finding a workable formula. I hope that Members will join me in
supporting funding for Migrant and Seasonal Head Start in the future
since it is a sorely needed program for workers of our fields and their
children.
I urge Members to support the conference report.
Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this conference report.
Let me start by commending the chairman of the subcommittee, the
distinguished gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Kildee, and the chairman of
the full committee, the gentleman from California, Mr. Miller for their
work on this bill. I offer my thanks to the House and Senate conferees
for bringing forth this important piece of legislation today.
In 1965, with a great deal of hard work, Head Start was created. It
soon became a ``legislative Lamborghini'' of social programs, going
from 0 to 561,000 thousand participants in only a few months. In the 42
years since its inception, Head Start has become the educational
foundation for more than 20 million American children.
Education serves as both a ladder of opportunity and an investment in
our future. Our Nation's security, economy, and position in the world
all depend on the success of our education system. We must take
advantage of this opportunity to fund our future.
Head Start and Early Head Start are linchpins in the effort to
prepare our country's most disadvantaged children to succeed in school
and life. Many studies indicate that children enrolled in Head Start
make significant progress in closing the readiness gap to their more
advantaged peers as they enter kindergarten.
The congressionally mandated impact study recently published its
results, which noted that after less than 1 year in the program,
children in Head Start had narrowed the readiness gap by 45 percent in
reading skills and 28 percent in writing skills. This momentum
continues well beyond the ages of 3, 4, and 5, as another large
academic study has noted that Head Start graduates continue to mount
academic gains well after leaving the program.
The bill we see before us today helps to raise the academic standards
of American children and ensures that every child in our country has an
equal opportunity to a high quality education. It aims to improve
teacher quality by requiring a greater number of Head Start teachers to
have a bachelor's degree and be adequately trained in early childhood
development. This is clearly good news for the children that will be
participating in Head Start in the future.
On multiple occasions, the President has advocated that all 3- and 4-
year-old participants in Head Start should take standardized tests to
assess their improvement. For President Bush, No Child Left Behind
means no child left untested. I am happy that this conference report
terminates the further use of the National Reporting System, an
inappropriate, ineffective, and expensive testing regime.
This conference report notes that Head Start is not without the
opportunity for evaluation, however, and there is strengthened program
accountability at the Federal, regional, and local levels included in
the legislation. The report also requires the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services to initiate classroom evaluations, thereby ensuring
optimal teacher-child interactions.
We have known for some time that when children are not provided high-
quality day care and early childhood services, once in school, their
academic achievement and limited language proficiencies become
cumulatively worse over time, over grade levels, and across all subject
areas. By passing this conference report, we build on the past 42 years
of success for this program and help ensure that both Head Start
children as well as our Nation as a whole have a brighter tomorrow.
Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I supported this measure as a member of
the conference committee that drafted the final version of the
[[Page H13882]]
bill. I'm proud to have served on the committee of House and Senate
leaders that negotiated the final version of this legislation. This
important bill will help prepare Louisiana's neediest children for
kindergarten by improving their access to medical, nutritional, and
educational services.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Head Start is a critical part
of this country's effort to combat the effects of poverty and ensure
that all of our children have the opportunity and skills they need to
thrive.
Since its creation in 1965, it has proven to be our most valuable
school readiness program in the history of this country--especially,
now that we know more about the importance of early-childhood
education.
Study after study demonstrates that by age 6, a child's capacity to
learn is largely formed, and time after time, we have seen reports that
prove students who attend Head Start perform better than those who
don't.
By doing this, Head Start is helping to close the achievement gap
between students of differing socio-economic status across our country,
and helping the children in our communities by providing opportunities
that they might not otherwise have.
Additionally, people often forget the wonderful things that this
program does for the parents.
The key to Head Start's approach is its level of actively involving
parents and the community in all aspects of the program--and this
reauthorization would further this goal.
Parents are a child's first teachers, and Head Start helps build and
foster a person's parenting skills in various ways.
Parents are also urged to improve their literacy skills, obtain adult
basic education, and make their homes a place where reading is part of
everyday life.
Head Start also tackles a wide range of poverty issues through its
family and community partnerships, including: substance abuse,
violence, HIV, homelessness, single-parent households, inadequate child
care, unemployment, and numerous other stressors that challenge
families' resources.
This program is clearly instrumental to our country.
The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 will
reinvigorate Head Start and help more children arrive at kindergarten
ready to succeed.
I urge my colleagues to support this report.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the
Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act, to strengthen and expand
Head Start programs across the country.
Last Spring, we held a National Summit on America's Children here at
the Capitol. We heard from leading experts on child development and
neuroscience, who emphasized the vital importance of early childhood
education. Early interventions can dramatically increase a child's
chances for future success.
Head Start is based on this idea and it works. For more than 40
years, it has been helping to close the achievement gap and teach our
children that they can succeed, regardless of background or family
income. More than 20 million children and families have benefited from
its services. With this bill today, we will open the door to more
children to enter both Head Start and Early Head Start and will ensure
that they are better prepared for kindergarten and elementary school.
Today's bill also recognizes the importance of early childhood
educators, targeting new funding to improve teacher salaries and
professional development. It ensures that teachers are highly qualified
and able to meet the needs of children with disabilities and improves
accountability for Head Start programs.
I also urge my colleagues to support the funding necessary to
continue Head Start's success. Last week, we sent the President a bill
increasing Head Start funding by 2.2 percent to simply help it keep
pace with inflation. The President vetoed this funding. I encourage my
colleagues to vote to override the President's veto to prevent Head
Start program closures and ensure that children get the services they
were promised.
I thank Chairman Miller, Chairman Kildee, and the Conference
Committee for putting together this bipartisan piece of legislation,
and urge its passage today.
Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of
the conference report on H.R. 1429, the Head Start for School Readiness
Act.
As a member of the Education and Workforce Committee for 6 years, I
was pleased to have the opportunity to work on this important issue.
While visiting Head Start centers in the Fourth District, I was able to
see firsthand the difference Head Start makes to children and families.
In addition, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis published a study
in 2004 showing that investment in early education has a rate of return
of 12 percent. Even with all the evidence showing the social,
educational and economic value of this program, the Republican-
controlled Congress was unable to pass an acceptable bill.
Thanks to the hard work of Chairman Miller and Speaker Pelosi, the
bill before us today is a bipartisan, bicameral agreement that does
what earlier reauthorization bills did not--it focuses on preparing
children for school. This agreement includes an increased emphasis on
teacher quality and compensation, maintains parent involvement in the
governing structure of Head Start, and increases coordination with
other early childhood programs. It also maintains Head Start's
commitment to comprehensive services and places greater emphasis on
identification of child and family mental health needs.
H.R. 1429 terminates the inappropriate high stakes testing system for
Head Start students implemented by the Bush Administration and replaces
it with best practices for early learning. It also strengthens
monitoring of Head Start programs, allows quicker action against
failing or fraudulent programs and rejects a proposal to allow
discrimination in hiring with Head Start funds.
Congress still faces the critical issue of providing enough resources
to Head Start to serve all the children who are eligible to
participate. The Head Start for School Readiness Act authorizes
increased funding, as well as some flexibility in funding, to allow
more children to access this important education. As a member of the
Appropriations Committee, I will continue to work towards improving our
investment in children, families and communities.
I am pleased to vote in support of H.R. 1429 because this bill will
make a real difference in the lives of children and families, and for
our economy. I urge all my colleagues to support this investment in our
future.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the conference
report on H.R. 1429, the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act.
This bipartisan legislation provides services to one of our most
vulnerable populations--children from low-income families. By passing
this measure today, over 900,000 disadvantaged children ages 3 to 5--
including over 3,000 in Rhode Island--will have access to health
services, the necessary tools to enter kindergarten, and a foundation
for their success later in life.
Studies show that low-income children often lack the richness of
books in the home, proper nutrition, or access to a continuum of health
services. For over 40 years, Head Start has provided comprehensive
early childhood development services to low-income children, with
strong emphasis on the involvement of families and the local community.
H.R. 1429 would increase funding for quality improvements to Head Start
and requires that by 2013 at least half of Head Start teachers
nationwide have at least a baccalaureate degree in early childhood
education.
Today, half of the children enrolled in Head Start are from working
poor families. For this reason, I am pleased that this conference
agreement increases the income eligibility to 130 percent of the
poverty level so that families struggling with work and childcare will
have another option. I also believe that stopping the program's
National Reporting System is essential until proper testing methods for
these young children are carefully developed. H.R. 1429 also
establishes a set of procedures to improve accountability in the Head
Start program, which will lead to improvements for all those served by
Head Start.
Earlier in the year, H.R. 1429 passed both the House and the Senate
with overwhelming support. I am proud that the 110th Congress is on the
verge of passing this conference report after nearly a decade of
failing to reauthorize Head Start. For all the children who benefit
from this program, I look forward to sending this bill to the President
for his signature.
Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the conference
report for H.R. 1429, the Improving Head Start for School Readiness
Act. Since 1965, Head Start has provided 22 million American children
with the education and health and social services to lead productive
lives. It is the most successful school readiness program in the Nation
and has always enjoyed bipartisan support.
Today, we are continuing this tradition by passing strong bipartisan
legislation to reauthorize this vital program. In fact, this
legislation marks the first time in almost a decade that Congress has
reauthorized Head Start.
The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act will invest in
America's future by providing children and their teachers with the
resources they need to take advantage of the opportunities that the
Head Start program has offered America's youth for over 40 years.
In addition to providing additional resources for increasing
teachers' salaries and State Advisory Councils, this reauthorization
will expand the reach of both Head Start and Early Head Start by
providing greater funding and flexibility. The increases in funding
will enable tens of thousands more children to have access to the
program. H.R. 1429 will also improve Head Start by providing the
Secretary of Health and Human Services and local teams
[[Page H13883]]
with tools to hold teachers and programs accountable and requires the
implementation of best practices for family service workers. Head Start
has served America's children well since 1965, and this legislation
will expand the reach and ability of this program to positively impact
lives across the country.
I want to thank Chairman Miller for his dedication to Head Start and
to education in general. Head Start is an investment in America's
future. Thanks to Head Start, we can give our children the best start
possible so they can lead productive lives and grow up to be
outstanding citizens. I am proud to support these efforts to continue
the legacy of Head Start, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in
voting for H.R. 1429.
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support the
Conference Report on H.R. 1429, the Improving Head Start for School
Readiness Act of 2007. This bipartisan legislation takes significant
steps to strengthen the Head Start program so that children will be
better prepared and ready to succeed when they begin kindergarten. H.R.
1429 increases funds targeted at improving teacher quality and provides
additional support for the program's extensive monitoring process and
the comprehensive services offered to the students' families. In
addition, it expands access to Head Start for more children, increases
coordination efforts with State and local programs, and eliminates any
further development of the controversial and ineffective National
Reporting System.
For over 40 years, the Head Start program has worked to break the
cycle of poverty by providing access to early childhood education for
low-income children and families. In the House budget for FY 2008, the
State of Texas is estimated to receive approximately $490 million in
Head Start funding which will go towards providing services for over
68,000 students. Since it first began in 1965, the program has served
more than 20 million children, and it continues to play a major role in
our Nation's efforts to close the achievement gap, reduce poverty, and
ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed.
Studies have shown that students with a high quality pre-Kindergarten
education enjoy greater success in academics as well as their overall
lives. The Head Start program goes a long way in addressing educational
inequity by aiding low income children in their social and cognitive
development. I am a firm supporter of this program and the lifelong
benefits it provides. It is only by addressing this critical need that
we will be able to ensure a better future for all our Nation's
children.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, Head Start has been the premiere early
childhood education program in the United States since 1965. Since that
time, it has benefited 20 million children and families and has become
one of the cornerstones of this country's efforts to close the
achievement gap, combat poverty, and provide all Americans with the
opportunity to thrive. By passing the conference report to H.R. 1429,
the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007, we will
reinvigorate Head Start and help more children arrive at kindergarten
ready to succeed.
The fact is that quality education and early engagement, from both
parents and teachers, are essential for our kids' success. Recent
findings from the congressionally mandated impact study found that
after less than 1 year, Head Start narrowed the achievement gap by 45
percent in pre-reading skills and 28 percent in prewriting skills.
Another large study found that Head Start graduates continue to gain
ground after they leave the program. Furthermore, Head Start graduates
are less likely to need special education services, to be left back a
grade or to get into trouble with the law. They are more likely to go
on to college and to have professional careers.
This bipartisan reauthorization improves teacher and classroom
quality, strengthens Head Start's focus on school readiness, expands
access to Head Start for more children, ensures that centers are well-
run, boosts coordination between Head Start and State and local
programs, and improves comprehensive services that help children by
helping their families.
I commend and thank Congressmen Kildee, Castle, and Chairman Miller
for their leadership on this critical legislation. Head Start has
proven its self as a strong and effective program. The growth and
success of millions of American children and families is living proof.
We have a responsibility to embrace their success, support it, and
strengthen it for years to come. I know that my colleagues will join me
in sending this critical reauthorization to ensure the Head Start
program meets its full potential.
Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, as the only former State superintendent
of schools serving in Congress, I have devoted my life to the well-
being and development of children, and I strongly support Head Start. I
rise in support of H.R. 1429, the Head Start for School Readiness Act.
In the global economy of the 21st century, lifelong learning is the
pathway to the American Dream, and for many of our Nation's children,
learning begins with Head Start. Over 20,000 children in North Carolina
get prepared for school in Head Start or Early Head Start.
This act takes and builds on the success of Head Start, expanding and
enhancing this fundamental initiative that has served over 20 million
children and families nationwide since 1965. H.R. 1429 extends the
benefits of Head Start to more of our Nation's low-income children, and
raises the bar so that we can attract highly qualified Head Start
providers through performance accountability, greater compensation, and
higher standards.
Research continues to show that the first few years of a child's life
are critical to a child's mental development: their brains grow
exponentially and learning patterns are set. We must invest in these
youngsters so that they may take full advantage of one of the premier
education systems in the world by ensuring their school-readiness by
age 5. Head Start successfully provides the stepping stones to lifelong
learning.
This act provides the parents and children of our country an
additional 4 years of this vital service, guaranteeing a 20 percent
increase in funding by 2012. Education is the best investment we can
make for our children, grandchildren, country, and world.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1429 updates, improves, and expands the successful
services of Head Start. I commend Chairman Miller for his leadership on
this bipartisan legislation, and I urge my colleagues to join me in
voting to pass it.
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is
ordered on the conference report.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the conference report.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. KILDEE. 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, this 15-
minute vote on adoption of the conference report will be followed by 5-
minute votes on motions to suspend the rules with regard to H.R. 3845
and H.R. 719.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 381,
nays 36, not voting 15, as follows:
[Roll No. 1090]
YEAS--381
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Aderholt
Alexander
Allen
Altmire
Andrews
Arcuri
Baca
Bachmann
Bachus
Baird
Baker
Baldwin
Barrow
Bartlett (MD)
Barton (TX)
Bean
Becerra
Berkley
Berman
Berry
Biggert
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Bishop (UT)
Blackburn
Blumenauer
Blunt
Boehner
Bonner
Bono
Boozman
Boren
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd (FL)
Boyda (KS)
Brady (PA)
Brady (TX)
Braley (IA)
Brown (SC)
Brown, Corrine
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Buchanan
Burgess
Butterfield
Buyer
Calvert
Camp (MI)
Cannon
Cantor
Capito
Capps
Capuano
Cardoza
Carnahan
Carney
Carter
Castle
Castor
Chabot
Chandler
Clarke
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Cole (OK)
Conaway
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Costello
Courtney
Cramer
Crenshaw
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (AL)
Davis (CA)
Davis (IL)
Davis (KY)
Davis, David
Davis, Lincoln
Deal (GA)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
Dent
Diaz-Balart, L.
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Donnelly
Drake
Dreier
Edwards
Ehlers
Ellison
Ellsworth
Emanuel
Emerson
Engel
English (PA)
Eshoo
Etheridge
Everett
Fallin
Farr
Fattah
Feeney
Ferguson
Filner
Forbes
Fortenberry
Fossella
Frank (MA)
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Gerlach
Giffords
Gilchrest
Gillibrand
Gingrey
Gohmert
Gonzalez
Goode
Goodlatte
Gordon
Granger
Graves
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hall (NY)
Hall (TX)
Hare
Harman
Hastings (FL)
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Heller
Herger
Herseth Sandlin
Higgins
Hill
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hirono
Hobson
Hodes
Hoekstra
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hooley
Hoyer
Hulshof
Hunter
Inslee
Israel
Issa
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, E. B.
Jones (NC)
Jones (OH)
Kagen
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Keller
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kind
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Klein (FL)
Kline (MN)
Knollenberg
Kucinich
Kuhl (NY)
LaHood
Lampson
Langevin
Lantos
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latham
LaTourette
Lee
[[Page H13884]]
Levin
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Loebsack
Lofgren, Zoe
Lowey
Lucas
Lungren, Daniel E.
Lynch
Mahoney (FL)
Maloney (NY)
Manzullo
Markey
Marshall
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (CA)
McCarthy (NY)
McCaul (TX)
McCollum (MN)
McCotter
McCrery
McDermott
McGovern
McHugh
McIntyre
McKeon
McMorris Rodgers
McNerney
McNulty
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Melancon
Mica
Michaud
Miller (MI)
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Mollohan
Moore (KS)
Moore (WI)
Moran (KS)
Moran (VA)
Murphy (CT)
Murphy, Patrick
Murphy, Tim
Murtha
Musgrave
Myrick
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Nunes
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor
Payne
Pearce
Perlmutter
Peterson (MN)
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Pickering
Pitts
Pomeroy
Porter
Price (NC)
Pryce (OH)
Putnam
Radanovich
Rahall
Ramstad
Rangel
Regula
Rehberg
Reichert
Renzi
Reyes
Reynolds
Richardson
Rodriguez
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross
Rothman
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Ryan (WI)
Salazar
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Saxton
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schmidt
Schwartz
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sestak
Shays
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Shimkus
Shuler
Shuster
Simpson
Sires
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Solis
Souder
Space
Spratt
Stark
Stupak
Sullivan
Sutton
Tanner
Tauscher
Taylor
Terry
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thornberry
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Tierney
Towns
Tsongas
Turner
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Upton
Van Hollen
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walden (OR)
Walsh (NY)
Walz (MN)
Wamp
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Weiner
Welch (VT)
Wexler
Whitfield
Wicker
Wilson (NM)
Wilson (OH)
Wilson (SC)
Wolf
Woolsey
Wu
Wynn
Yarmuth
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
NAYS--36
Akin
Barrett (SC)
Broun (GA)
Burton (IN)
Campbell (CA)
Coble
Culberson
Doolittle
Duncan
Flake
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Garrett (NJ)
Hensarling
Inglis (SC)
Johnson, Sam
Jordan
Lamborn
Mack
Marchant
McHenry
Miller (FL)
Miller, Gary
Neugebauer
Pence
Poe
Price (GA)
Rohrabacher
Royce
Sali
Shadegg
Stearns
Tancredo
Walberg
Weldon (FL)
Westmoreland
NOT VOTING--15
Boustany
Carson
Cubin
Davis, Tom
Diaz-Balart, M.
Doyle
Hastert
Jindal
Mitchell
Oberstar
Paul
Platts
Roybal-Allard
Sessions
Weller
Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore
The SPEAKER pro tempore (during the vote). Members are advised there
are 5 minutes remaining in this vote.
{time} 1317
Messrs. Poe and Hensarling changed their vote from ``yea'' to
``nay.''
So the conference report was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Stated for:
Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 1090, I was inadvertently
absent from the floor at the time the Head Start for School Readiness
Act [H.R. 1429] was voted. Had I been present, I would have vote in
favor of said Act.
Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained during rollcall
vote No. 1090 on H.R. 1429, the Improving Head Start Act. I supported
this measure as a member of the conference committee that drafted the
final version of the bill and if I had been able to vote, I would have
voted ``aye.''
____________________