mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
mr. chairman , i would rise to commend the chair and the committee for their work . 
i understand the difficult times that we are in and the decisions that are difficult that we need to make . 
as a budget is a demonstration of our priorities , i offer a positive amendment in an effort to further highlight those priorities . 
currently in the bill the teacher incentive fund earmark has $ 100 million and the americorps earmark has $ 270 million . 
my amendment increases the funding for the teacher incentive fund by $ 70 million and reduces that funding for americorps by the same amount . 
president bush asked in his budget for $ 500 million for the teacher incentive fund in the fy 2006 budget . 
the committee on appropriations was only able to provide $ 100 million for this program . 
the teacher incentive fund is a new teacher merit pay pilot initiative . 
teachers and officials who improve student achievement of are provided with financial incentives , rewarding achievement . 
this is a good idea . 
the teacher incentive fund will carry out two goals : one , rewarding effective teachers teaching in schools most in need ; and , two , rewarding effective teachers in schools that are top performers in closing the achievement gap and meeting the annual targets in no child left behind . 
ask yourself , who made a real difference in your education ? 
most of us will remember one or two teachers who affected us in a very remarkable way . 
for me it was one of my high school teachers , dr . 
welch , and i will never , never forget how he challenged me to excel . 
teacher quality is the most important school-related factor influencing student achievement . 
one of the tenants of no child left behind is putting a qualified teacher in every single classroom . 
it is estimated that more than 2 million teachers will need to be hired over the next decade and the teacher incentive fund will encourage more talented individuals into the field of teaching . 
the americorps program is a program that was conceived under then-president clinton , and , in short , the federal government is paying participants , paying participants , to participate in a volunteer capacity , sometimes up to $ 21 , 000 year . 
it is the antithesis of limited government . 
when the federal government assumes the job of private organizations , it encourages citizens to abandon their civic responsibilities . 
according to gao studies , the results of the americorps program are difficult to measure . 
furthermore there are more than 83 million americans who volunteer , meaning that the overall impact of americorps is minimal , especially given the level of funding provided . 
this is a common sense amendment . 
it is consistent with our mission of improving education and limiting the spread of government . 
i urge my colleagues to support this amendment to improve education and our competitiveness in the world . 
mr. chairman , i reserve the balance of my time . 
