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The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 19, 1999, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (GREENWOOD) is recognized during morning hour debates for 4 minutes.
Mr. GREENWOOD. Mr. Speaker, my mother once said to me that no matter how important you think you are, remember that the number of people who come to your funeral will be primarily determined by the weather. It must be a good day today because Mr. GOODLING is blessed with too many speakers, and we will all have to be brief.
Mr. Speaker, I will miss Mr. GOODLING as a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce and a fellow Pennsylvanian. The children and the teachers and the parents and the school board administrators will miss BILL GOODLING, because he is someone that has become a rarity in this town. He believes that politics belongs on the campaign trail, and here in Washington in the Nation's capital, because we are supposed to do the people's business, we are supposed to compromise. We are supposed to put politics second to people.
BILL GOODLING has done that every day for his 26-year career. It is an honor to serve with him and join in this tribute today.
Mr. Speaker, because time is limited, I will cut my remarks brief and I yield to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. BLUNT).
Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood) for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, like others today, I am here to recognize the tremendous contribution that Congressman Goodling has made to this Congress, to this country, and particularly to education.
BILL GOODLING spent his entire career with a focus on education. As a teacher, as a coach, as a guidance counselor, as a school administrator, and when he was elected to Congress by the people from the 19th district in Pennsylvania, he chose to go on the committee that focused on education.
He became the chairman of that committee. He has been a tireless advocate for making public schools better through real reform. He has pursued full funding of IDEA, understanding that the Federal Government needs to first of all keep its word.
As a former college president, I particularly appreciate all the chairman has done to substantially increase the Pell Grant funding. And during his leadership of that committee, Pell Grant funding has increased in a way that it has never increased before.
There are really too many accomplishments to talk about all of them, certainly the signature piece of legislation, the William F. Goodling Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act. This legislation gives more flexibility to school districts as they try to meet the needs of children, as they try to do what is best for the children of America.
On behalf of America's students, on behalf of America's educators, as the cochairman of the Education Caucus here in the Congress, I just want to thank the chairman for his outstanding record of public service, for his commitment to education, for his great work for the people of Pennsylvania.
Mr. GREENWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).
Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. GREENWOOD) for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, when I hear the name GOODLING, I immediately think of four different words. The first pair is ``quality and accountability.'' We kept hearing that over and over in the committee. And those are very, very important words for us to hear. Will a proposal bring forth quality? Will it provide for accountability?
The second pair of words is ``reading and literacy,'' obviously, very, very great needs in this country. I believe we should improve math and science education in this country, and but the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. GOODLING) is totally dedicated to improving reading and literacy; I totally agree with that as well, because we need to do both.
It has been a pleasure to serve on the Committee on Education and the Workforce with Mr. GOODLING. He is an experienced teacher, administrator, and a Congressman. As an educator myself for 22 years, I was delighted to have a person heading that committee who had experience in education too, because there are many people in this world who think they know exactly what is wrong with the schools and how to fix it, but they do not have any experience at it. Mr. GOODLING has that experience, and I was delighted to have him as chairman.
Mr. GREENWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. ISAKSON).
Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I will be very brief in order to leave enough time for the chairman himself to speak, by simply saying this, most politicians put their careers first. BILL GOODLING has put children first. Most politicians will compromise at a time to move an inch. BILL GOODLING is patient, but he is always persistent.
He believes in quality education for our children, trained teachers for our children, and local control. America is better off and her children far better off for the service of BILL GOODLING.
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