mr. speaker , i regrettably rise in opposition to the labor-hhs-education appropriations conference report , because it grossly under funds the essential programs in education , health and human services that help improve the quality of life of the american people . 
chairman regula has done his best to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our society with the very limited resources he was given . 
ironically , these inadequate resources are a direct result of his own republican leadership putting tax cuts for the wealthiest in our country before the needs of working and middle-class americans . 
this is the second time that the labor-hhs conference report is before this house . 
three weeks ago , republicans and democrats defeated the original conference report in a rare show of bipartisanship . 
members on both sides of the aisle voted against the injustices of this bill , and refused to allow this 109th congress to be defined by a labor-hhs-education bill that turned its back on the american people . 
this revised conference report continues the policy of shortchanging the needs and priorities of the majority of americans . 
there are , however , two incremental improvements in this revised conference report . 
the report restores $ 37 million to rural health outreach grants and rural health research , bringing them back to last year 's funding levels . 
it also adds $ 53 million to bring four of the health professions training programs back to fy 2005 levels . 
nevertheless , these modest changes will have little impact on rectifying the enormous gaps created by the funding cuts in this bill . 
it is simply another version of misguided priorities and unacceptable choices . 
if we pass this conference report , the departments of labor , education and health and human services ( hhs ) will all receive less funding next year than they did in fy 2005 . 
for example , the department of labor will receive $ 430 million less than in fy 2005 , resulting in the elimination of skills training for 100 , 000 personnel in growth industries , and the abolishment of job search assistance for 1.9 million unemployed workers . 
these are two critical programs that benefit the 7.6 million americans who remain out of work . 
the department of education will receive $ 59 million less than it did in 2005 , and contrary to the administration 's professed commitment to leave no child behind , this second conference report will reduce the `` even start '' program for low-literate and low-income families by 56 percent , freeze the english language training program , and fund idea with the smallest increase in over a decade . 
in addition , at a time when 45 million americans are without health insurance , the department of health and human services will receive $ 1.1 billion less than the fy 2005 appropriation . 
the result is that this revised conference report will further erode the health care safety net by terminating the healthy communities access program , cutting $ 24 million out of the maternal and child health block grant , and eliminating the health care planning access grants that help states expand health coverage to the uninsured . 
the revised labor-hhs-education conference report does not even come close to meeting the health and social welfare needs of our families , the educational requirements of our children , and the responsibilities we have to our most vulnerable citizens . 
mr. speaker , this country was built on a promise of hope and equal opportunity for all of its people . 
if the majority continues to ignore these values that have set our country apart and contributed to its greatness , we will lose our moral high ground and jeopardize our place as the most powerful country in the world . 
our children will then be forced to live with the consequences of an undereducated workforce , a weak economy , and a society where good health and social justice are only afforded to the most privileged . 
mr. speaker , i urge my colleagues to reject this still ill conceived , unacceptable and unnecessarily under funded conference report . 
