Conference Report on H.R. 3043, Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008

Floor Speech

CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 3043, DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (House of Representatives - November 06, 2007)

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Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the conference report accompanying the fiscal year 2008 appropriations bill funding the Departments of Labor, HHS, and Education, as well as Military Construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

On the domestic side, this legislation makes important investments in our health care and education programs. After many years of flat funding and small increases that have resulted in funding reductions when taking inflation into account, the National Institutes of Health would receive a 4 percent increase over current funding levels. This legislation provides $30 billion for life-saving medical research, much of which is performed in my back yard at the Baylor College of Medicine, the MD Anderson Cancer Center, UT Health Science Center, and many other impressive research facilities located in the Texas Medical Center.

I am also pleased that the bill provides a 35 percent increase for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The $2.4 billion in LIHEAP funding that this bill provides will better ensure that LIHEAP funding is more equitably distributed among cold weather and hot weather states. By providing LIHEAP funding above the threshold of $1.975 billion, this legislation ensures that the funding will be sufficient to meet the historical needs of cold weather states while also recognizing the unmet needs of hot weather states, which experience higher levels of weather-related deaths.

I would also like to thank the conference committee for retaining House-passed funding for two projects in our district. The conference committee generously provided funding for Gateway to Care, the community health care access collaborative in Harris County. Gateway to Care will utilize this funding to help coordinate the deployment of health information technology among the county's health care clinics. The bill also provides much-needed funding for the Harris County Hospital District's Diabetes Program, which offers a culturally-sensitive, interdisciplinary, and educational approach to the treatment of diabetes in our community, which experiences higher than normal rates of this devastating disease.

As Veterans' Day approaches, we should also highlight the significant funding increases made in the Military Construction/VA portion of the bill. The conference agreement provides a total of $109.2 billion for veterans' affairs and military construction programs, roughly $18 billion more than the current level and $4 billion more than the president's request. For the last 11 months, this Congress has demonstrated its commitment to fulfilling the promises made to our veterans, and this bill reaffirms that commitment in the strongest terms by providing the largest funding increase in VA history. With the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan creating hundreds of thousands of new veterans, this level of funding reassures our veterans, our troops, and their families that this Congress will fulfill the promises we made to those who fight for our country, even after they are done with their service.

I would also like to offer my thanks for the inclusion of funding for a new fire station at Ellington Field. I have supported this project for several years, and am glad to see it funded in this bill. The existing fire station at Ellington field is in a rapidly deteriorating condition and does not meet OSHA or Air Force Standards. Roof leaks and lack of insulation have resulted in equipment being destroyed and extremely high operating costs. New firefighting apparatus must be parked outside the station because they will not fit into the truck bays. This fire station supports all flying operations at Ellington Field including Air National Guard, Army National Guard, US Coast Guard, NASA, and civilian aircraft. Construction of the new fire station at Ellington is critical for the Texas Air National Guard and all units stationed at Ellington Field, and I am pleased funding for this project was included.

Madam Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this conference report.

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