Rep. David R. Obey Holds a Hearing to Consider Issues Under the Committee's Jurisdiction

Political Transcript Wire › September 08, 2009

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Rep. David R. Obey Holds a Hearing to Consider Issues Under the Committee's Jurisdiction

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, SUBCOMMITTEE ON LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES HOLDS A HEARING TO CONSIDER ISSUES UNDER THE COMMITTEE'S JURISDICTION

MARCH 18, 2009

SPEAKERS: REP. DAVID R. OBEY, D-WIS. CHAIRMAN REP. NITA M. LOWEY, D-N.Y. REP. ROSA DELAURO, D-CONN. REP. JESSE L. JACKSON JR., D-ILL. REP. PATRICK J. KENNEDY, D-R.I. REP. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD, D-CALIF. REP. BARBARA LEE, D-CALIF. REP. MICHAEL M. HONDA, D-CALIF. REP. BETTY MCCOLLUM, D-MINN. REP. TIM RYAN, D-OHIO REP. JAMES P. MORAN, D-VA.

REP. TODD TIAHRT, R-KAN. RANKING MEMBER REP. DENNY REHBERG, R-MONT. REP. RODNEY ALEXANDER, R-LA. REP. JO BONNER, R-ALA. REP. TOM COLE, R-OKLA. REP. JERRY LEWIS, R-CALIF. EX OFFICIO

WITNESSES: J.B. PRITZKER, MANAGING PARTNER OF THE PRITZKER GROUP

LINDA LANTIERI COLLABORATIVE FOR ACADEMIC, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING

EWEN DANIELLE, CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY.

GREG RICHMOND, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHARTER SCHOOL AUTHORIZERS

HELEN BLANK, NATIONAL WOMEN'S LAW CENTER

DAVID GIPP, UNITED TRIBES TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

MARY J.C. HENDRIX. AD HOC GROUP FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH

JACK LEWIN, THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY

MARY MCGUIRE RICHARDS, PARKINSON'S ACTION NETWORK

DR. ALBERT RIZZO, AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION

SUSAN LOWELL BUTLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, D.C. CANCER CONSORTIUM

DR. RICHARD SCHILSKY, AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY

DR. HARRY SELKER, ASSOCIATION FOR CLINICAL RESEARCH TRAINING

HOPE BARTON, MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

JAMES MCCLELLAND, FEDERAL OF BEHAVIORAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND COGNITIVE SCIENCES

[*] OBEY: Well good morning, everyone. Thank you all for coming. I'm pleased to open the subcommittee -- the subcommittee's first hearing for the new fiscal year.

Let me first start by welcoming our new Ranking Member Todd Tiahrt. He and I have long experienced changing tires with each other in the middle of nowhere. And I'm looking forward to our relationship on this -- on this subcommittee.

I also want to welcome the other new members of the subcommittee, Congressman Jim Moran. We have returning member, a congressman from Montana, Mr. Rehberg. We also are being joined by Congressman Rodney Alexander, Congressman Jo Bonner and Congressman Tom Cole from my -- I can't say it's my home state but it's my birth state, Oklahoma.

We're happy to have all of them on the -- on the subcommittee. We are starting off the hearings for this subcommittee at a time when the country is in a deep recession and that impacts people all throughout the country and I'm sure we will see evidence of that by people's testimony here today.

We are somewhat handicapped because any time you have a new president that sort of discombobulates the budget schedule. With the new president, they want time to prepare their own budget and so we are not yet in receipt of the president's budget which I understand will be coming down sometime this year.

(LAUGHTER)

I hope it comes down sooner than that. And when it does we will -- we will deal with it in as much depth as time permits so that we can try to stay on schedule this year. We also hope that the Budget committee will move its product ahead in a timely fashion so that we can meet our own schedule.

I am going to ask every witness to please adhere to the four- minute limit. We're not trying to be rude but if you don't adhere to the four-minute limit there are other people who will not get a chance to testify because we are going to be interrupted from time to time by things called roll calls. This would be a great job if we didn't have to interrupt our work to go vote once in a while but unfortunately we have to.

So I would ask your cooperation. I appreciate your being here today and with that I would turn to Congressman Tiahrt for whatever comments he'd like to make.

TIAHRT: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It's a pleasure to join you on this committee. I'm looking forward to the interesting work that you've been carrying on. And I know that this committee has been a passion of yours and so I know that you will reflect that in the witnesses that we get to herewith. And I'm pleased to be joined by my members here.

And I think the way you explained this birth in Oklahoma and end up in Wisconsin was, I was born in Oklahoma but by the grace of God I'm a Wisconsiner.

OBEY: I think that's how ...

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