[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 197 (Tuesday, December 20, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2321-E2322]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2055, CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2012

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 16, 2011

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Fiscal Year 
2012 Conference report (H.R. 2055).
  However, I regret the process that brought this bill to the floor. 
This bill was posted only hours before it was brought to the floor. No 
member has read this bill and this is one more time that the Majority 
has broken its promise to run this House in an open and transparent 
manner.
  I am pleased that this bill included the full $40 million that I 
secured earlier this year for suicide prevention and counseling 
programs for our active duty, Guard & Reserve, and veteran populations. 
The suicide epidemic among our veterans--at least 18 take their own 
lives every day--is a national scandal, and it must stop. This funding 
will help innovative peer-to-peer counseling programs like the 
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey's ``Vets4Warriors'' 
get the resources they need to reach veterans in need before a personal 
crisis becomes another family tragedy.
  This bill honors our commitment to our ally, Israel, by providing 
$3.075 billion in direct aid, including $235 million for the continued 
development of the Arrow and David's Sling missile defense systems. 
Over this past year, we've already seen that America's investment in 
another innovative and successful Israeli tactical anti-missile system, 
Iron Dome, has saved Israeli lives. Had some Republican presidential 
candidates had their way last year and aid to Israel had been zeroed 
out, Iron Dome would not have been there to save those Israelis who 
came under missile attack this year.
  I am very pleased to see that funding for the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund was increased by $21 million over Fiscal Year 2011. 
Although the current level of $322.8 million is far below the 
authorized amount of $900 million this is still an improvement over 
earlier versions of this legislation.
  Historic preservation is an important goal, and I am pleased that the 
National Park Service's Heritage Area program remains funded at the 
same level for 2012 as was last year. This funding is important for the 
upkeep and management of various sites of historical interest around 
the country, including the Crossroads of the American Revolution 
National Heritage Area in my district.
  As a research scientist, I have long supported federal investment in 
basic research. I am pleased to see that this bill provides for 
Department of Energy Office of Science $4.9 billion, an increase of $31 
million over Fiscal Year 2011. The Office of Science is the nation's 
primary sponsor of research in the physical sciences and has been 
integral to the development of dozens of innovative technologies. I am 
also pleased that H.R. 2055 provides $275 million for the ARPA-E 
research program, 53 percent more than Fiscal Year 2011. ARPA-E 
supports high-risk, high-reward research on energy technologies. 
Funding for ARPA-E directly contributes to the creation of new 
technologies, new industries, and new jobs, exactly what we need to 
grow our economy. Further, the conference report provides more than 
$400 million for Fusion Energy Sciences in the Department of Energy. 
Although I would have liked to see funding levels of at least $32 
billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), I am pleased that 
this bill provides almost $31 billion in funding for NIH.
  I am pleased that this conference report provides $150 million for 
the Department of Education's Mathematics and Science Partnerships. I 
have been a leader in Congress working on protecting funding for these 
partnerships, which improve student achievement in mathematics and 
science by combining colleges with K-12 school districts in order to 
support math and science teachers with continued training.

[[Page E2322]]

  I am deeply disappointed that this bill zeros out funding for the 
Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP). FLAP is the only federal 
program that supports K-12 foreign language education which is critical 
to our nation's economic and national security. Rather than ending this 
successful program we should be working to strengthen it. I will 
redouble my efforts to restore this critical funding next year.
  This bill rejected attacks on our nation's arts and culture and 
provides the full $146 million requested the National Endowment for the 
Humanities and the full $146 million requested for the National 
Endowment for the Arts. The arts and humanities are good for our 
society at large and significant contributors to our economic 
development as well.
  Another of my many disappointments with this bill is the 17 percent 
cut to grant programs for firefighters and other first responders. 
Natural and man-made disasters don't take a holiday, and neither should 
our support for our firefighters, EMS, and other first responders. This 
cut is irresponsible, and it will endanger public safety.
  Unfortunately, the majority insisted on including some controversial 
policy riders in this appropriations bill. I am disappointed that the 
agreement includes a provision that would change responsibility for 
enforcement of the Clean Air Act on the Outer Continental Shelf from 
the EPA to the Department of the Interior. The EPA has been 
successfully enforcing the Clean Air Act for over forty years. EPA 
scientists understand the law and how to keep the air we breathe clean 
and safe. We must work to ensure that the Clean Air Act is still fully 
enforced on the Outer Continental Shelf.
  I am also disappointed that the majority insisted on rolling back 
successful innovation in the lighting industry by mandating in this 
legislation that agencies cannot enforce energy efficient standards for 
light bulbs. Congress has a responsibility to maintain regulatory 
certainty that encourages the private sector to make needed investments 
in research, development, and innovation. This policy rider turns back 
the innovation clock in the lighting industry.
  Regrettably, the conference report contains $35 million for the 
United Nations Population Fund rather than the $65 million requested. 
Yet, I am pleased that it rejects the House Majority's attempt to cut 
all funding for the UNFPA which provides crucial reproductive-health 
care, not abortion, to the world's poorest women. The conference report 
extends a policy rider on the District of Columbia, which prevents the 
District to spend its local money on women's health care services. 
Further, the conference report included $5 million for failed 
``abstinence-only'' programs, which have been shown to have no long-
term positive effects.
  This is not a perfect bill, but it prevents a looming government 
shutdown. Further, it provides funding increases for a number of 
critical programs and rejects many of the dangerous cuts contained in 
the funding bills that the House previously approved. I support passage 
of this bill despite its pessimistic view of what America could achieve 
through more ambitious funding of the programs covered under the bill.

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