Thomas E. Petri

Besides being costly to taxpayers, the FFEL program has also been plagued by abuse and scandal.

The focus of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and its 2001 reauthorization through the No Child Left Behind Act was on closing the achievement gap faced by disadvantaged students.

If we really want to stimulate the economy and get jobs out there, saying we have to do it real quick is not going to be as effective.

In September, the House considered and passed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007, also known as H.R. 2881. That legislation reauthorizes the FAA for the next 4 years. Unfortunately, though, the other body has not come to any agreement on…

Mr. Speaker, I join in support of the resolution before us. It is appropriate and important that we honor the hardworking men and women who make our infrastructure the envy of the world. Investment in the Nation's highway, bridge and…

The resolution before us, House Concurrent Resolution 309, authorizes the use of the Capitol grounds for the District of Columbia's Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run to be held June 6, 2008. Special Olympics is an international…

Madam Chairman, I rise in support of this commonsense amendment. The Lender of Last Resort program was never intended to serve as a bailout for our student loan system as a whole. Rather, it was developed as a backstop for individual…

I thank my colleague, Mr. English from Pennsylvania, for yielding, and I appreciate the hard work that he and members of his committee have done in this area. I had the privilege of appearing before his subcommittee as we were considering…

I just have to say, this is important, because, on the one hand, if you treat a direct loan as adding to the debt with no offset because it is a loan which will be repaid, the loan is an asset, there should be some offset, you can get a…

my alternative market study mechanism, which is before us, this amendment would significantly advance our understanding of market-based reforms to the guaranteed student loan program that were begun last year during our consideration of…

this amendment should be much less controversial than the one that just passed. As you're aware, the Federal Government runs two Federal student loan programs that provide the same affordable loans to American students: the Federal Family…

I certainly would urge the chairman and the ranking minority member on the committee, as they go to conference, to keep an open mind on this proposal so we can do the best job with the taxpayers' money and help students get their loans in…

we'd just say that it's important for us to get informed, knowledgeable advice as to how to operate the student loan programs, the direct program, and the guarantee program better. In the past, we've adopted pretty much a political-based…

H. Res. 832 recognizes the Texas Water Development Board on its selection as a 2007 recipient of the Environmental Protection Agency's Performance and Innovation in the State Revolving Fund Creating Environmental Success Award. This award…

The bill before us amends the International Center Act to allow the State Department to lease a Federal property in northwest Washington to nongovernmental entities. Currently, the International Center Act only permits the State…

The bill before us designates what is a Federal building in Port Angeles, Washington, as the Richard B. Anderson Federal Building. Richard Beatty Anderson served in the United States Marines during World War II in the Marshall Islands. He…

This resolution honors the heroic achievements of Captain Barrington Antonio Irving, the youngest pilot and first person of African American descent to fly solo around the world. Captain Barrington Irving was born in Jamaica, as was…

H.R. 3985 will level the playing field for all bus and motor carrier companies operating in interstate commerce in this area. The bill deserves support. I urge all of my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support this…

in September the House considered and passed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007, and that legislation reauthorizes the FAA for the next 4 years. The following week, the House also passed a 3-month extension of the FAA programs…

I support this rule to provide for consideration of H.R. 2881, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007. Aviation program authorizations expire at the end of this month, and it is essential that a new authorization is in place in the near…

Mr. Chairman, this provision would gut much of the ongoing high-priority work of the Department of Transportation Aviation Enforcement Office by requiring most of its resources to be dedicated to consumers' complaints. While I certainly…

it was a close call on September 1 in the town of Menasha, Wisconsin. Merlin Harn and his wife Teresa were in their car when they noticed two boys, one apparently age 5 and the other under 2, walking on some railroad tracks. Mrs. Harn said…

I believe that this bill, while not perfect, is something that any Republican who stands for these principles should support. For many years, I have spoken out against the excess subsidies that taxpayers pay to lenders in the guaranteed…

I plan to vote for this resolution, but to surge or not to surge, that is the wrong question. Just saying ``no'' is simple obstructionism. What we need is a new way forward to replace the old way that is not getting us anywhere. It has…

4 years ago this Congress passed the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002. That piece of legislation expired September 30. The bill before us, H.R. 5782, reauthorizes the Federal pipeline safety programs through 2010 and amends existing…