For the past twenty-five years, Prologue, Inc. has provided an invaluable service to thousands of Chicago residents.

Through its high school diploma program, Prologue, Inc. has assisted hundreds of out-of-school youths and older adults to receive their high school diplomas or their GED.

Furthermore, more than 200 low-income families will have an opportunity to participate in Prologue's citywide welfare-to-work initiative.

I rise before you today to commend two of my constituents from Springfield, Illinois, John and Virginia Gaffney, for their tireless work on a volunteer mission with the International Executive Service Corps in Egypt.

This kind of personalized foreign assistance is vital to accelerating the development of free enterprise and democracy around the globe.

I am joining with Chairman Talent, Ranking Member Velazquez and the Small Business Committee in support of the Disaster Mitigation Coordination Act.

You still face tough decisions.

They all need safe, reliable, efficient public transit.

I recognize that your job is not an easy one.

I urge this subcommittee to continue those efforts.

Let me tell you briefly why this line needs repair so urgently.

Today I am proud to reintroduce, along with Congressman Wise from West Virginia, a constitutional amendment that seeks to end the arcane and obsolete institution known as the Electoral College.

Our bill will replace the complicated electoral college system with the simple method of using the popular vote to decide the winner of a presidential election.

My bill specifically targets franking abuse by cracking down on the use of mass mailings.

I am hopeful that our fellow members on both sides of the aisle will stand with us by cosponsoring this important piece of legislation.

The legislation I am reintroducing would simply strike mailings of this type from the code, thereby disallowing future use of the frank for these purposes.

I hope that the timing of this bill's introduction will only underscore the fact that the time has come to put an end to this archaic practice that we must endure every four years.

The problem that needs to be addressed is the use of the frank as a campaign tool whose real 'informational' purpose is to make constituents aware of how deserving we are of reelection.