[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12369]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       NASA REAUTHORIZATION BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we just finished a historic 
debate for historic legislation, H.R. 6063, and I look forward to my 
colleagues enthusiastically supporting the NASA Reauthorization Bill.
  Let me highlight what this bill will generate for science in America. 
Funding for science will be some $4.932 billion. Aeronautics will be 
$853 million. Space exploration will be $3.886 billion. Education will 
be $128 million. Space operations will be some $6 billion. Cross-Agency 
Support Programs, some $3 billion. And Inspector General, which is very 
important to ensure the integrity of the program, some $35 million. 
This is an investment not for this Congress, but for America, and that 
is why this debate is so important.
  As we move this bill forward, I am very pleased that this body 
supported my amendment. And I wanted to ensure that we had record 
clarity to know that this amendment was worked on by the Science 
Committee and the Small Business Administration Committee, and was 
timely submitted to the Rules Committee and, as well, was, if you will, 
approved by the Rules Committee. And I was very pleased to have this 
listed as an approved amendment in the structured rule process.
  And so all is well now that this amendment has been passed and that 
this bill now has been passed, if you will, out of this body. And of 
course there will be votes to finalize the passage of the bill.
  Let me move now, just very briefly, to add my deep sympathy to 
Americans who have experienced the tragedy of untimely and precipitous 
weather. This, I think, will be the most remarkable weather season that 
we may have experienced in a couple of years. Tornados are hitting 
Americans and floods all over the Nation. Many of our colleagues are 
absent because of the tragedy occurring in their respective districts. 
This further emphasizes, of course, the work that we do here, but 
nothing can give solace to those who have lost family members.
  As a member of the Board of the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts 
of America, I offer my deepest sympathy to the Boy Scouts who lost 
their lives in Iowa, and to their Member of Congress and to the 
families there. Let me also cite the brave young men who were involved 
in protecting others and providing first aid. It shows what kind of 
character and integrity is built for those who are in the Boy Scouts. 
And we offer to them our deepest sympathy. We know that the national 
Boy Scouts are mourning, and Boy Scouts across America. But as they 
mourn, let us also pay tribute to those who rose and showed themselves 
well as they sought to help those who could not help themselves.
  Again, our sympathy to the Boy Scouts of America, to the Boy Scouts 
of Iowa, and certainly to the families of those who lost their lives in 
the last 24 to 48 hours, and those Americans who are also in the face 
of these tragic, terrible natural disasters, and who have suffered 
personal loss, property loss, and certainly the loss of loved ones.

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