mr. speaker , the fiscal year 2006 labor , health and human services , education and related agencies appropriations is not just an underfunded bill but is harmful . 
a bill which should be a stepping stone towards providing good education , employment opportunities and access to affordable health care , instead takes away important safeguards upon which oregonians and americans depend . 
it is another example of how out of touch the republican leadership is with the rest of the nation . 
this bill shortchanges education programs and imposes a burden on our college students . 
at a time when the global economy demands a highly trained , educated workforce , we are making it more difficult for our students to succeed by cutting financial aid programs , impacting over 90 , 000 oregonians who are borrowing money to attend college . 
oregonians have already been saddled with at least a $ 1 , 000 increase in college tuition over the last year . 
and while there are over 55 million children in public schools nationwide and state budgets are already stretched thin , no child left behind funding is cut by $ 784 million . 
students are not the only ones feeling the squeeze . 
several health care programs are threatened or eliminated in the legislation . 
while over 600 , 000 oregonians are without health insurance , this bill essentially eliminates many of the safety net clinics and community health centers on which uninsured people depend . 
we may end up seeing more people in emergency rooms with severe conditions that could have been prevented with regular access to health care . 
with over 7 million americans out of work and over 100 , 000 oregonians unemployed , the bill cuts the department of labor by $ 430 million . 
without assistance the gap between the wealthy and the less fortunate will continue to widen . 
americans deserve better and it is irresponsible to say that these eliminated programs and funding cuts are the only way to solve our budgetary mess . 
