Jerry Lewis: “I rise in support of H.R. 5672, the Science, State, Justice, Commerce Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2007. This is…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 5672, the Science, State, Justice, Commerce Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2007. This is the 10th of 11 bills the committee has brought to the House floor as we go to the Fourth of July recess. I want to praise especially Chairman Wolf as he goes about his sixth bill for this subcommittee, and Ranking Member Mollohan. These two, working together, have been a model reflective of the best of bipartisan effort in the appropriations process. In total, this measure provides $59.8 billion in discretionary spending. The bill contains critical funding to make America more competitive by investing in science. NASA is funded at $16.7 billion, which is $462 million above last year's level. The National Science Foundation receives $6 billion, the full amount requested as part of the American Competitiveness Initiative, and an increase of $439 million from last year. This legislation also continues the critical effort to fight the scourge of meth and prosecute the war on terror. It also provides $2.6 billion for State and local law enforcement, including $405 million to reimburse States for the cost of incarcerating illegal aliens. The bill also includes vital funding for the Department of Commerce, the State Department, the Small Business Administration and other Federal entities. I would like to make two additional points about this measure.…”