There has to be a private-public partnership in which NIST encourages and is the enabler, not the decider.

the validity of forensics is incredibly important to the integrity of the justice system

I am in favor of building up the standards through, among other things, the creation of a National Forensic Science Commission.

if we impose unfunded mandates on the states on this issue, that we could actually diminish resources

I think unfunded mandates in this area are particularly tricky and dangerous given the chronic underfunding of crime labs generally.

I think that is the challenge. They spend a lot of time trying to figure out where the next funding source, Federal or otherwise, is going to come from.

This funding was very important in my laboratory.

I think it is in everyone's interest to have certification, to have proficiency training, to have accreditation.

I think as Congressman Huelskamp outlined for us, that certainly in these new, huge opportunities in trade we do not want agriculture left out of the picture as it has sometimes in the past.

But we do understand the concern that a veteran wouldn't be on a reasonable schedule to complete a program if they were only taking one or two classes at a time.

these automatic cuts that have gone into effect--they are creating real uncertainty and challenges for not just government agencies but for the small businesses who work for the government.

this is a very timely discussion, and hopefully, it will help spur some action here in Congress.

I happen to represent one in Manchester that has an airport that US Air will fly directly to Reagan.

Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, and I thank you for holding this hearing to examine the issues associated with the proposed merger between US Airways and American Airlines.

the whole reason for a merger is to combine operations and throw somebody out of work.

And if I could just very briefly with my one second left, what is the average hourly wage of the incoming employees?

I think they need to be implemented more across the board throughout the whole country.

So how can we all be working together to encourage those types of programs in our public schools?