Repealing Mandatory Funding for the School Health Center Construction
Mr. Chairman, I want to read the section of the law that we're trying to repeal today. It says, subparagraph 5: Appropriations. Out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is to be appropriated for each fiscal year 2010 through 2013, $50 million for the purpose of carrying out this subsection. Funds appropriated under this paragraph shall remain available until expended.
And then in this subsection: Definitions. ``School-based health center'' and ``sponsoring facility'' have the meanings given those terms under such and such and such and such.
We're trying to repeal $50 million a year for 4 fiscal years, 2010, '11, '12 and '13, for these school-based health clinics. I support school-based health clinics. Dr. Burgess supports school-based health clinics. We both represent parts of Tarrant County. The public hospital in Tarrant County, Texas, is John Peter Smith. There are a number--I don't know the exact number, but I believe in the neighborhood of a dozen school-based health clinics in his district, in my district, Congresswoman Granger's district, Congressman Marchant's district. We support those health clinics. But we believe that the State and county should provide the
facility, and the Federal Government should provide the funds to staff it.
We don't believe, when we have a $1.5 trillion budget deficit each year, that we need to be spending another $50 million or $200 million over 4 years to actually provide the facility, to provide construction. So it's not an opposition to the health clinic itself, school-based. I've gone to openings; I support them. I think they do excellent work.
But until we get our budget balanced, Mr. Chairman, I think it's prudent to not require the Federal Government to not only fund the operation and the staffing, but also fund the construction and the facility itself. So this is a case where we're specifically repealing a specific appropriation, in this case $50 million a year for the years 2010 through 2013, the fiscal years. And I think that is something that, with a $1.5 trillion budget deficit, is a prudent thing to do.
So I rise in strong support of the bill and, at the appropriate time, would urge a ``yes'' vote.
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