the house will be in order the prayer will be offered by the guest chaplain reverend don greene christian associates a southwest pennsylvania pittsburgh pennsylvania  larger spring sovereign of the nation who has created the human family with rich diversity and who will settle peoples be reconciled and live in peace and wholeness with dignity and justice we call upon you to bestow your wisdom and compassion upon these representatives of the american people grant them humility and openness to listen to their opponents and adversaries before condemning their positions or denigrating their person give them courage to seek reconciliation with their enemies encouraging negotiation and diplomacy instead of violence is the means to lasting peace in our conflicted world opened their eyes to a vision of a more just society where all may enjoy the benefits of wellness and tells adequate shelter food in abund lifelong learning and security in their communities hear us now oh god as we pray for the preservation of this legislative institution and the prospering of our nation for we trust in you and entrust our whole being to your providential care amen the chair has examined the journals of the last days proceedings and announces to the house or approval thereof pursuant to clause one of r without objection the gentleman from pennsylvania mr of meyer's recognized madam speaker it's my privilege to rise today to introduce pastor donald green as today's guest chaplain i have known pastor green for many years through our involvement in the mccandless rotary club which is just one of the many service organizations to which pastor green blends his time in western pennsylvania he is truly an extraordinarily extraordinary man and it's an honor to present him to you today pastor greene has led a number of trips abroad to assist in various relief efforts his travels have taken him to kenya and zambia to visit projects funded by lutheran world relief and lutheran world federation in  ninety seven he visited missions in india and in one thousand nine hundred nine he took a group of volunteers to puerto rico to assist in hurricane relief he also led a group of volunteers to madagascar to lay the foundation of a youth center which now bears his name the pastor donald green youth center there are but a few examples of pastor green's commitment to his community and commitment to service above self pastor green now serves as the executive director of christian associates of southwestern pennsylvania he and kathy his wife of thirty six years are the proud parents of three children and one grandson on behalf of my colleagues in the house passed a green welcome and thank you for your many years of service will interchange one minute speeches for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut seek recognition without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute thank you madam speaker you know it seems that president bush and many of his allies still don't understand how things have changed on the ground in iraq a few days ago the republican leader when asked about the president's new escalation plan said that if it doesn't work the president pretty soon is going to have to present to congress and the american people what plan b is well there are very few people that don't realize by now that we're not on plan b anymore we're on plan z and we've got to start asking ourselves why plan a all the way through plan c the still haven't worked is because a military plan without diplomatic and political reinforcements behind it cannot work on the ground in iraq that's what the democrats in congress to realize that's what the iraq study group realized that's what legions of retired generals  it's time the president's allies join that a gemini of opinion and join us in setting a new course in iraq as the gentlewoman from tennessee seek recognition without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute thank you madam speaker let later this week the liberal left in the house will take up the defense authorization act like just like that is supposed to make our nation more secure and help our troops in winning the war on terror but you'll have to excuse the american people if they don't understand the leadership's religion here because you have to only actually read through four hundred fifty two pages of the national defense authorization act to find it subtitle a section nine fifty one rebuilds all you really need to know a significant diversion of national security resources to indulge in the liberal fascination with global climate change the language paints an unwelcome portrait of the liberal left agenda on security wax philosophical about the so called impact of global warming first and only after that talk about the real issue of the war on terror this is the second time and as many weeks that the last plans to force this body to vote on a bill that would fund special interest priorities the expanse of our national security it is unconscionable it is unfair it is not right it's abusive use of federal funds welcome to humanitarian crisis four million people displaced half fled the country altogether with another fifty thousand or more added to the rolls every month what are we doing to help especially the tens of thousands who are in danger because they helped the united states like serving as interpreters last month the united states allowed exactly one year rockey refugee to enter the united states no matter what your position is on the war in iraq or it future i urge my colleagues to co sponsor h r twenty two sixty five the responsibility to iraqi refugee act that would be comprehensive legislation to put somebody in charge set modest levels for refugees entitle to come to our country authorize programs to help them it's the least we can do for people who are lives are at risk because they helped americans for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek without objection the downwind from florida is recognized for one minute madam speaker arrives today to honor a very brave and vicious young man from my district pat but greyhawk pat who is twelve years old was diagnosed with leukemia and march of two thousand and six like many afflicted with this disease pat may need a bone marrow transplant to save his life unfortunately there is currently a shortage of donors when pat discover this georgie decided to do something about it he and his family organize driving for donors to help add five thousand new donors to the national mall bone marrow registry program this year they began traveling the country last month and a donor immobile working to host successful donor drives and over thirty major cities tomorrow they will be in washington i encourage my colleagues to take the time out of your busy schedule to help save our lives it only takes a small donation that objection sounds when his dental is recognized for one minute thank you last year u s foreign oil imports climbed to a record level of sixty six percent american families are paying a record three dollars and nine cents a gallon on average for regular gasoline more than double the cost of gasoline when president bush took office for six years now the president has failed to address these costs or our nation's energy needs yesterday under pressure to finally do something president bush announce an executive order to develop regulations to lower vehicle emissions before he leaves office in two thousand and nine this is too little too late the administration has had six years to act and they have failed they failed to address the energy concerns of our nation while giving big tax breaks the oil and gas industry fortunately we have a new democratic congress which is going to lead our nation towards energy independence we are determined to find ways to be more energy efficient to bring new safer less expensive home grown sources of energy to american families and american businesses and we will start now by bringing comprehensive energy bill to the house floor in july that will drive down costs and meet our nation's future energy needs thank you for what purpose is the gentleman from indiana seek recognition that objection john is recognized for one minute man a speaker on immigration reform the halls of congress are above with rumors of a grand compromise the issue of illegal immigration there is talk of a proposal that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to remain in this country by merely paying a fine let me say emphatically madam speaker and the is no bargain for the american people any effort of comprehensive immigration reform must begin by rejecting amnesty we put border security first and not implement any type of temporary worker program until border security measures have been undertaken and completed and once a temporary worker program begins we must require that every person who has come into this country illegally leave the united states and apply outside of our country for the legal right to live and work here and if they come under the color of the law we must require temporary workers to learn the language of the american people in addition serious fines and electronic verification system must ensure a full partnership between american business and the american government in forcing our immigration laws the real grand bargain for the american people is comprehensive immigration reform that begins with an affirmation of the rule of law for what purposes the gentleman from washington seek recognition with agencies to hire over one hundred thousand police officers nationwide this is led to significantly reduce crime rates between one thousand ninety five and two thousand and five unfortunately the hiring component of this grant program has not been funded in recent years in the program overall it's taken severe cuts post nine eleven we've asked our state and local law enforcement agencies to protect not only our communities from crime but to protect our homeland as well we cannot continue to put unfunded mandates on our local police forces and expect them to also vive protection from terrorism if we are not willing to provide the federal aid for them to do so if congress fails to fund the hiring of additional police officers we risk losing the progress we've made in crime reduction we must keep pressure up on crime by helping to hire local police officers a cops program helps our state local law enforcement bust drug trafficking rings take down domestic meth labs and keep our community safe so i encourage my colleagues to vote for h r seven hundred the cops  fines expire for web purposes the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition address that for one minute without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute that you madam speaker i rise or join with millions across this nation who applaud the supreme court's recent decision to uphold the ban on partial birth abortion partial birth abortion is unrivaled and its gruesome brutality there's no question it's cause a vicious destruction a viable human life babies whose only crime it is is  inconvenience the court's decision is a victory in the quest to restore basic human dignity and human life no longer will the most vulnerable and innocent among us be subject to such cruelty  victory for the constitution which liberal activist judges have to mean for far too long it's encouraging to see the court's decision move forward for our founders vision and intent to not only respect opinions and  the vision for our country but also to protect human life let us never forget our responsibility to uphold the basic sanctity of human life granted by our maker i yield back the chair will receive a message m gentlemen from new jersey jersey is for what purposes gentlemen seek recognition without objection john is recognized for one minute by the speaker our most important job as lawmakers is to ensure the safety of the american people local law enforcement officers serve communities across this nation as the first line of defense against crime the number of police on the street matters for the security of every city in this nation and we have a responsibility to ensure that these officers are in place that is why congress work with president clinton the night the ninety's to create the cops program through this program more than a hundred thousand cops were hired for the police in every neighborhood in our nation but when president bush came to program with no objection from the all republican rubberstamp congress us every salt crime substantially increase over the last decade by the speaker to date this congress has an opportunity to reverse the struggling trends by passing the cups of brooklyn to act this legislation would allow communities to hire fifty thousand new police offices over the next six years so we can better protect our communities for leopard's and the gentleman from missouri recognition without objection to on this recognizing one minute recently congressional democrats cut funding that was planned for modernization of our military and while we've heard statements the the democrats are supporting our troops their actions speak louder than words in a strict party line vote democrat slash the army modernization program with a twenty five percent cut casting a cloud over the first major modernization program in for decades future combat systems is designed to create a real time battlefield information system promises increased safety and efficiency for our troops this is nothing new in the one nine hundred seventy s the democrats slashed military spending and our servicemen and women were forced to apply for food stamps just to survive again in the ninety's the democrat congress cost our nation's forces to lose their technological edge from future combat systems to missile defense democrats demonstrate a short sightedness that will cost our sons and daughters the tools they need for a safe mission  today we will vote on h r seven thousand nine hundred which calls for putting fifty thousand additional police officers on the street over the next six years what the rising six hundred million dollars a year the cops program it also  authorizes three hundred fifty million a year for the cops technology grants and two hundred million a year for hiring community prosecutors it is fitting today because today is the twenty sixth annual national peace officers memorial service of all the cuts to needed domestic programs the bush administration has devised over the years the decimation of funds to our law enforcement personnel has to be among the most ill considered and reckless how he could ever stand next to any cop and do what he's done in the last five years is reprehensible because for all rahm is a proven winner cuts crime making neighborhoods safer across the nation more police on the you amount of speeches what purpose does the gentleman from texas the recognition west mission to address one minute without objection the done that's recognized for one minute madam speaker there is alarming news from newsweek magazine i read the article in part there are signs the earth's weather patterns have begun to change dramatically and that these changes may cause a drastic decline in food production the evidence in support of these predictions has now begun to accumulate so fast that meteorologist are hard pressed to keep up with it the central fact is that after three quarters of a century of extraordinary mild conditions the earth's climate seems to be cooling down if the climate change is so profound as some of the pessimists fear the resulting famines could be catastrophic the present decline has taken our planet about a sixth of the way toward the ice age average madam speaker this article was written in newsweek in april nineteenth seventy five those doom sayers said we're all going to freeze in the dark now these are the same people who say we're going to roast because of global warming were they correct in one nine hundred seventy five or are they correct today before we panic we need to separate science from junk science to get the facts about global warming country we need more than just rhetoric we need results during the one nine hundred ninety s thanks the initiatives of the clinton administration in the democratic congress we significantly reduce crime nationwide after an icon of the cops program we put one hundred thousand new cops on our streets and crime rates fell but over the past decade republicans have cut the program as a result crime rates have increased nationwide the police executive research forum recently really released a report that found violent crime rates have risen by double digit percentages over the last two years among the cities surveyed seventy one percent had an increase in homicides and eighty percent saw the robberies rise today this house as an opportunity to show it serious about protecting our neighborhoods bypassing the cops improvement act this was rational restore the strong anti crime measures we enacted in the one nine hundred ninety s by providing funding to hire fifty thousand new police over the next six years madam speaker the new democratic majority isn't just talking about keeping our nation secure we're producing real results time is expired for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition without objection the gentlewoman's recognize for one minute madam speaker i rise also in strong support of the cops improvement act since the cop program began in one thousand nine hundred four is provided for the hiring of four hundred four police officers in my congressional district is directed billions of dollars in grants to law enforcement agencies including more than twenty million to benefit my constituents on the central coast of california cops deserves much of the credit for the major drop in crime across our country during the  ninety s but the bush administration has repeatedly targeted the cop airing program for elimination so i'm glad the new democratic majority in congress realizes the importance of putting cops on the beat the cops improvement act continues the good work we started in hundred ninety s it will help law enforcement agencies in my district to hire another hundred seventy three police officers that one hundred seventy three men and women to patrol the streets keep their hardworking neighbors safe that i'm speaker i urge this house to speaker nine hundred ninety four president clinton with the help of the dumb congressional democrats establish the cops program the cops program change the way we fight crime in this country by giving local jurisdictions the support they needed to put over one hundred thousand new police officers on the street the results were clear a nationwide drop in klein and safer streets in our communities having been a police officer for twelve years i probably support the continuation of the cops program unfortunately the president and republicans have cut and cut the cops program the props the cops program is needed now more than ever the threat of terrorism has put new burdens on our first responders and recent news reports show violent crimes in our cities begin to rise in as a result the democrats will seek to put one point five billion forth in the budget to hire more police officers where they can do the most good put them on a streets in our community that the cops program is a proven concept that has a full support of the long before sweyn community and the democrats will make it the program even better let us work together put cops back on the street and give them the tools they need to keep us in america safe for what purposes the gentleman from illinois seek recognition with that objection john is recognized for one minute thank you madam speaker like my colleagues and i to him and rise in support of the full funding for the one hundred thousand community police officers has been a lynch pin a very successful anti crime strategy in the ninety's we pursued a single strategy of putting more cops on the bea and getting games guns and drugs off the streets now led to the longest and largest decline in violent crime in american history after the elimination of the cops program community police officers we saw a steady increase in violent crime cops doing community policing an old strategy door by door knowing their neighbors knowing their community led to a dramatic drop in violent crime reducing those hundred thousand extra lease on the street led to an increase in violent crime democrats came here to change washington to bring a new direction to our policy seeing an increase in violent crime in america we went back to basic fundamental strategy that is proven year after year to be successful adding a hundred thousand cops doing community policing knowing their neighbors knowing the kids that go to school knowing where the problems are getting the problems before they start leading to the most successful anti violent crime strategy in american history i'm proud that we brought this change to washington but what purpose is the gentleman from washington state seek recognition without objection to jonah's recognize for one minute segment or speaker we have had the right to be disappointed in the president's abject refusal to do anything to give us auto efficiency and clean autos for years and now we still have the right to be disappointed even though he has been ordered to do so by the united states supreme court we sort of heard this sort of semi maybe i'll think about it approach the other day we need some bold action when it comes to do technology including inner automobile sector and we know we can get that we know we can have a fission automobiles and we know we can deal with global warming and i got to tell you i just cannot understand why some folks here want to embrace ignorance on global warming they point out that we didn't know about global warming in one nine hundred seventy you know we didn't know about the internet either but i don't know why you shouldn't use it we've learned some things from one nine hundred seventy we've learned that the planet is warming we've learned that c o two are responsible we learn that it's coming from our industries and we learn that if we have the federal law followed we'll have energy efficiency a clean energy economy in the future of this country but what purpose is the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition without objection gentlemens recognized for one minute thank you madam speaker i join my colleagues in asking that we pass the ca program i started my career after law school as the attorney for the methods police department and i learned then that patrol was the major deterrent to crime when i campaigned this year in the city of memphis and met with the afro american police association they came to me the thing they asked me to do was to get more cops dollars that community policing was an effective tool in the fight against crime that it wasn't just arresting but was knowing people in the community and encouraging them to find ways to interrelate to the place and have a better attitude by working with my colleagues on the other side of the island ranking member smith we came up with an amendment that will be part of the bill that will put iraqi and afghanistan veterans give them probably already in the cops program so that when we bring our troops home we can have them effectively police our neighborhoods just  they've been placing the neighborhoods in baghdad we need policemen and cops on the streets in our hometowns in memphis tennessee to fight crime we need them home today in our towns and not in baghdad in the cops program will help thank  pursuant to clause eight of rule twenty the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which you recorded vote or the or on which the vote is objected to under clause six of rule twenty record votes on postpone questions will be taken later today secretary of the treasury to meant coins in commemoration of veterans who become disabled for life while serving in the armed forces of the united states pursuant to the rule of the gentleman from mr moore and the gentleman from illinois without objection better speaker you know myself such time as i may consume madam speaker this legislation that we are considering today is a simple straightforward bill that would take a small but important step to recognize and honor the more than three million american veterans currently living with disability as a result of their sacrifice and service in our united stars armed forces in fact of twenty six million american veterans living today nearly one in ten embody the physical cost of their service in permanent disability while there are many other steps that congress should take to improve the lives of disabled veterans by passing this bipartisan legislation today which i've introduced with my friend and colleague mr kirk of illinois we hope to honor and show our gratitude for their sacrifice and the toll this is taken on their lives specifically madam speaker this legislation provides for the design manufacture and sale of special commemorative coins so for coins and authorize a special surcharges on these coins to be contributed toward the construction a memorial to disabled veterans the american veterans disabled for life memorial will occupy an impressive two acre site located just southwest of the rayburn house office building adjacent to the national mall with in full view of the united states capitol the memorial will embody america's lasting gratitude for the men and women whose lives were forever changed in their service to our country it will also serve as an important reminder to members of congress to members of congress of the human cost of war and the need to support our veterans we must never forget the sacrifices these american heroes made and continue to make in order to promote a better world for our fellow disagreements aired a couple of minutes ago but now there can be no disagreement about the goals of this legislation the heroes who have been grievously injured in the defense of this country in defense of liberty in defense of democracy there are plenty of monuments as well there ought to be to those who gave their lives for those causes but i know of no monument to those whose lives were drastically altered whose bodies were broken but whose spirits are still strong but they will have their own monument and it's only right madam speaker this memorial will be for the world war two vet who came back without a hand the korean war vet who uses a wheelchair the vietnam vet who uses the white cane of the blind and for the veterans of the conflicts in the gulf who came back to us forever changed in two thousand congress approved the building of the american veterans disabled for life memorial it will be a sixty five million dollars privately funded memorial just west of the rayburn building across from the botanic garden and in full view of the capitol the commission of the national capital planning commission approved the conceptual design in two thousand and four and reaffirmed it in two thousand and six the memorial will express our nation's gratitude to those who paid the terrible cost of defending freedom it represents the value of courage that are the lifeblood of american democracy members staff and the rest of the sale of silver one dollar coins to be issued by the u s mint in two thousand and ten could raise another three point five million dollars to be used for construction or to maintain the dramatic memorial madam speaker i'm glad to be one of more than three hundred members of congress who co sponsored this bill which is supported by the v f w the american legion the da v and thousands of veterans and veterans organizations across the nation who've contributed to the memorials creation there are over fifty million americans who have worn our country's uniform and over twenty million are alive today and among them there are three million americans who are disabled from moons in battle thanks to advances in military medicine soldiers who once died of their wounds are now surviving and they return from battle with broken bodies but not broken spirits it's that spirit of these men and women that we honor today this more curt bill will help raise funds for memorial to disabled american veterans i want to particularly thank my bipartisan partner in this effort representative dennis moore of kansas we formed a bond and a partnership to pass this bill first authored by representative sue kelley of new york mr moore and i worked many weeks to get over two hundred and ninety co sponsors republicans and democrats to make sure this bill could come to the floor now in two thousand congress authorized the construction of the american veterans disabled for life memorial just south of the rayburn building within sight of the u s capitol last december president bush signed into law a bill transferring control of the land for the memorial from the district of columbia to the national park service now the americans veterans disabled for life memorial foundation needs to raise approximately sixty five million dollars to cover the cost of construction are built today will authorize the secretary treasury to mint commemorative silver dollars to be sold with a surcharge that will help the american veterans disabled for life a memorial foundation to raise the money it needs for this memorial not only will these coins be collector's items but they will benefit this worthy cause earlier this year i had the privilege of meeting with an extraordinary young man sergeant brian anderson of rolling meadows illinois brian story is unfortunately all too common for our soldiers in iraq but his spirit is uncommon and his attitude sets him apart from the average person is he brian lost both legs and an arm to a roadside bomb in iraq he jokes that he would have lost both arms of he hadn't been smoking when the bomb detonated his sense of humor and determination are clearly apparent in the interview that he gave to esquire magazine in january in it he said this wound does not define me it may maybe how i look on the outside but it's not who i am i guess you could remember me easily because being a triple and being a triple amputee but that's not who i am it has nothing to do with who i am i've always been the same person bryan is a self described adrenaline junkie who hopes one day to become a hollywood stunt man since his appearances on the cover of esquire he has had numerous opportunities to use his story for the gain of this legislation often being baited to say that if he has any political affiliation or asks what he thinks about the war each time he refuses to take the bait he says he doesn't want to talk about politics but he is always willing and excited to talk about the american veterans disabled for life memorial washington has legions of professional advocates who make a living convincing people to see issues from their point of view but none of them compare to brian anderson with brian what you see is what you get an american veteran with an inspirational story that is dedicated a good portion of his life to seeing that this memorial be built not just for himself but for three million disabled american veterans and for everyone to remember the sacrifices that they have made brian is a genuine man that you may one day meet and i hope passage of this legislation brings us closer to a day when brian returns to capitol hill to see the memorial that he helped to build with more than three million disabled american veterans of the united states it's fitting that we construct a memorial in washington d c within sight of this capitol it is my hope that my all colleagues will answer brian anderson's call to action and support this legislation to make this memorial a reality and with that i just want to once again thank my colleague from kansas mr moore for an outstanding partnership and a great bipartisan victory today and i yield back the gentleman from kansas is recognized thank you madam speaker and i want to again thank my colleague from illinois mr kirk for the wonderful display of bipartisanship here and i wish we could set an example and hope we set an example for all of our colleagues here to work on other matters and together and with us i yield two minutes to the gentleman from michigan tell me from michigan is recognized for two minutes thank you mad speaker i thank the gentleman for yielding let me come compliment the sponsors of this bill mr moore from kansas and mr kirk from illinois as i'm down here on another bill i just felt compelled to say a few words if i made on this piece of legislation which really honors american disabled veterans in and with this commemorative coin this will help us raise the money to to build this monument which is long overdue where you're talking about my father in law can olson up in escanaba was this able to through world war two or the recent this disabled members of our armed services coming back from afghanistan and iraq i think we can all personally relate the different stories today dare gagne who spent quite a bit of time at walter reed army hospital is coming back to the upper peninsula of michigan where family and friends will be waiting to greet him hold unfortunately as derek has left his bed at walter reed for and amputation he had to have because of injuries sustained in iraq unfortunate that is being taken by another member from my district who also was wounded in iraq you know we talk about our disabled veterans and we honor them throughout our times especially in the summer months through the memorial day and fourth of july and all the hollow days we celebrate and parades in and ceremonies like that but it is time that we have a memorial here in washington so those of us who make the sessions on war understand that it's more than just sending an army here or there but that there's consequences of it whether the injury is an amputation or whether the injury is a close head injury that we're seeing so much of in this war in iraq each and every injury each and every illness associated with your service to this country in some far off land serves serves to remind us of the horrors of war but also that these men and women and their families and their spouses deserve our utmost respect so i'm very pleased to see this memorial start take on more and more life to become a reality in the work of mr moore and mr kirk will certainly help bring forth this memorial so i am very honored to not only co sponsor time gentleman from kansas is recognized madam speaker i have no further requests for time and you'll back the balance of my time as well the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h r six thirty four as amended those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table are requested those in favor will vote on those of those in support as in support of the request will rise for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan arrive at him speaker i have a bill at the desk the clerk will report the title of the bill do you encounter number eighty one h r nine sixty two a bill to amend title for united states code to authorize the governor of the state territorial secret and was absent from noted the date of the road or that the national flag be flown at half staff in that state territory or possession in the event of the death of a member of the armed forces from that state virginia mr for each control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan but i'm speaking of self such time as i may consume it i ask that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks include extraneous material in the record that of the speaker as author of h r six ninety two the army specialist joseph p mix federal flag code of management act of two thousand and seven urge my colleagues to support its passage madam speaker those who make the ultimate sacrifice for our country deserve our nation's utmost respect h r six no need to ensure that our fallen troops and their families are provided to appropriate respect do army specialist joseph p mc federal flag code amendment act of two of seven would require all federal government agencies in the state to comply with the governor's proclamation to fly the national flag at half staff in honor of those who lose their lives serving their country h r six ninety two is named after joseph p mix a soldier from rapid river michigan who was killed in iraq last july at the age of twenty two specialist mix was an all american soldier and citizen he was an altar server at church and eagle scout from troop four sixty six in gladstone michigan loved to collect sports memorabilia and fix the computers of his neighbors he joined the army to help others to make a difference his death was not only mourned by his family and friends but also by the citizens of the rural communities which make up and comprise delta county michigan had his funeral procession progress through several rural communities in the upper peninsula of michigan so the things were upset to note that some federal agencies had not lowered their flag based on the governor's proclamation in honor of specialist mix there have been several other instances in my district unfortunately when a federal agency has not lowered its flag in accordance with governor granholm proclamation when i've learned of these federal agencies office and buildings that have not lowered their american flags i've contacted the agencies i've been told that the directive did a lot to lower the flag has not come from the this office or the regional office or from washington headquarters it's regrettable that this legislation is even necessary last year i wrote the president asking him to issue an executive order to have the flags lowered he has not responded however as there have been not one but multiple instance where federal agencies has ignored the governor's west to lower flags it is important that congress address this issue a recent example when navy seal joe schwedler from the upper peninsula was killed recently in iraq it was a veterans affair hospital that refused to lower its flag veterans presented hospital officials with the article of the local newspaper i have a copy with it right here the daily news from iron mountain they went in with this newspaper and it says right here flags lowered for crystal fall here all and still the veterans administration refused to lower the flag i ask unanimous consent that stark will be entered into the record without objection the inconsistent patchwork display of respect is particularly hurtful to rural communities where the funeral possessions of fallen troops often travel by several federal facilities some with flags lowered others without rule americans disproportionately fill the ranks of armed services and have this proportionately paid the ultimate sacrifice almost half of u s military casualties have hailed from towns fewer than twenty five thousand people one in five from towns smaller than five thousand people it's important that when one of our own parish is serving their nation they receive the proper respect i'm joined today in support of this legislation by the military order of the purple heart and society of widows in indorsing the legislation society of military widows stated and i quote we strongly feel that federal agencies within the state should comply with this order to honor fallen native sons and daughters as military widows we can especially appreciate this visible show of respect and of quote i'd like to thank my colleagues who have co sponsored this legislation and those who have helped champion its passage including chairman conyers chairman adler ranking member frank as well as nanny to authorize the state governors to fly the american flag at half staff upon the death of a member of the armed forces who died while serving on active duty we all honor the service of the brave men and women who defend our nation when they make the ultimate sacrifice governors of the states should be allowed to recognize and pay tribute to them by lowering the flag i'm also pleased the majority included a republican proposal to add a simple congressional funding to this legislation that states the following congress members of the armed forces of the united states defend the freedom and security of our nation is fitting to include this finding to recognize not just the loss of a member of our armed forces but also to honor the reasons they served madam speaker members of our armed forces deserve our deepest respect they put their lives between us and hostile enemies around the world they sacrificed ability with their own families so ours may sleep easier they persevere in the most extreme conditions so we can lead ordinary lives the flag code is designed to honor public service when we lower the flag to half staff we remind ourselves that the united states is not merely preserved  ideals but by the service and sacrifice of a great many men and women i support this legislation and encourage all my colleagues to do so as well madam speaker i reserve the balance of my time gentleman from michigan is recognize support of h r six ninety two to honor fallen men and women who gave their lives to our nation while on duty in the armed services as a veteran myself i can appreciate this bill as much as anyone in the house this twenty two year old soldier for whom the bill was named and who came from bart stupak district gave his life on july two thousand and six by an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in iraq this measure before us simply amends current law to add heroes like specialist mix to the list of persons in whose honor the flag may be flown at half staff it specifies that a governor's proclamation ordering the flag to be flown at half staff consistent with this measure would apply to all federal installations and facilities in the state over the last four years at least ten soldiers from our colleague mr stupid districts have given their lives in iraq and afghanistan and yet the national flags on some federal buildings were not lowered in their honor to the dismay of the family members and friends of these brave soldiers and so the measure ensures that our nation's fallen military heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our nation are appropriately honored and the knowledge that i reserve the balance i'm speaker i close by saying that there is no more powerful way than to honor the death of an american than flying our nation's flag at half staff recognizing this governors across this great country has issued proclamations to honor service members from their states who have died in iraq and afghanistan this quiet says this quiet sign of respect is a powerful message to the family that a grateful nation and a grateful community mourns honor the sacrifice made by their fallen hero it's also representative of the shared lost felt by our communities who mourn a same family member a friend a neighbor and a colleague army specialist joseph p mix flag called men act will ensure that each of our fallen heroes receive the ultimate honor due to joe and his family his wife ramona his parents can any mix to them we owe a great debt of gratitude and i hope that this legislation will pass the house today and on to the senate and we can get it back balance much of the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h r six ninety two as amended those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the seven as amended the clerk will report the title of the bill the union calendar number eighty eight h r nine sixteen a bill to provide for loan repayment for prosecutors and public defenders pursuant to the rule of the gentleman from justice system depends on the hard work and commitment of the men and women who serve as prosecutors and defenders yet the ability of the public sector to attract qualified individuals and to retain experienced attorneys is increasingly becoming more compromised as many of us know recent law school graduates are often burdened with overwhelming student education loans the amount of their debt  can effectively preclude a young attorney from choosing to practice in the public sector and with the median salary for an associate in private practice now many times the median salary of a state prosecutor public spirited attorneys who extensive student loans have a very hard time deciding that they can afford the work in our criminal justice system in wayne county michigan our prosecutor our county prosecutor kym misc him where the veteran trial lawyer before she assumed the position has come to me repeatedly asking for help in this area and so this measure adjusts is the critical problem by directing the attorney general to establish a loan repayment assistance program for an individual who agrees to remain employed for at least three years as either a state or local criminal prosecutor or as a state local or federal public defender for john are just as prosecutors and defenders incentive that to two thousand and seven a stablish is a loan forgiveness program within the department of justice for state and local prosecutors and for federal state and local public defenders however the bill is introduced race several concerns regarding the breadth and cost of the loan forgiveness program and please the majority listen to our concerns and at the judiciary committee markup we were able to reach a bipartisan compromise that ensures fiscal responsibility while encouraging young attorneys to join the criminal justice system and preventing attrition many law school graduates carry a large amount of student loan debt on average between fifty thousand and eighty thousand dollars more than eighty percent of law students borrow to pay for their law degree and the amount borrowed money many students exceeds one hundred thousand dollars at the same time the median injury level salary for state prosecuting attorneys is forty six thousand dollars and the median entry level salary of public defenders is forty three thousand dollars several states and prosecuting agencies currently offer loan repayment programs  introduced made no provision for whether participation in an existing state local loan repayment program would all set repayment from this program the substitute amends the bill to direct the department of justice to consider applicants participation and other loan repayment programs when determining their ability to pay their loans the bill is introduced would have resulted in a very costly program although the bill caps repayment sixty thousand dollars per applicant as few  twenty five thousand applicants would have cost one point five billion dollars over the life of the program even with the cap in place the bill also authorized the program at twenty five million dollars for the first year and such sums as necessary for each additional year the bipartisan compromise authorizes twenty five million dollars a year for six years this fiscally responsible limit on the authorization for the congress the opportunity to review the cost effectiveness of the program the bipartisan compromise directs the inspector general of the department of justice to review the cost of the program and determine whether the program positively impacts the hiring and retention of prosecutors and public defenders the compromise also directs the department of justice to administer this program subject only to the availability of appropriations ensuring the department's criminal justice responsibilities remain a priority h r nat's exchanges amended directs the attorney general to give priority to those applicants with the least ability to repay their loans this provision guarantees that funds will be made available under this program to those prosecutors a public defender suffering the greatest burden i thank chairman conyers and crump subcommittee chairman scott for their cooperation on this legislation and i urge my colleagues to support the bill that i'm chairman i reserve the balance of my time gentleman from michigan is recognized madam speaker my so for a minute congratulate the gentleman from virginia the floor manager of this bill mr forbes to thank him for the helpful compromises that he led in working on the bipartisan support of this bill i thank you and though i turn to the gentleman from georgia mr davis got the author of the bill and yield to him five minutes thank you very much really deal with one of the most pressing issues facing our country today madam speaker i cannot think of a more significant thing we can do to make the essence of this country a reality for all for at the cornerstone of america are these words wisdom and justice and fairness and moderation that is what makes this country great and at the cornerstone of that is to be able to have when you come before the bar of justice that justice is indeed blind and that everyone will be able to receive justice in a fair way regardless of whether or not you are a wealthy person or if you are a poor person one thing is important you are an american citizen and you deserve to make sure that you have fairness and justice and integrity when you come before the criminal justice system unfortunately now madam speaker that is not the case for in all too many cases when it comes down to public defenders and prosecutors that is not the case because of the strains and the interplay of our economic system and the pressures that the marketplace has on that for which i'm talking about mr miss peak or is this that right now the cost of living has gone up twenty eight percent but the cost of the tuitions for three years in law school has gone up one hundred sixty seven percent so the average cost now per year for a student to go to school to law school is fifty thousand dollars a year three years that's one hundred fifty thousand dollars so madam speaker what i am saying is when that individual gets out of school he has to go into a marketplace where the private economy is willing to pay him an average now of one hundred and ten thousand dollars and in some markets in this country such as new york to california and even in my home state of georgia and atlanta beginning last two students going into the private sector can earn as much as a hundred and sixty thousand dollars of year but if you're a public defender if you're a prosecutor the average starting salary is just forty three thousand dollars that is the crux of the problem and that's why we have this bill madam speaker so that we can bring some equity to the playing field so that we will be able to provide law students with the opportunity to help them with their loan repayment so that we can have a partial loan forgiveness not total this package that we're offering would give an individual up to ten thousand dollars from the federal government to help offset his loans and he must serve in the public sector for three years but there's also a contingent in our bill that says with an agreement with the employer that he wants to extend that at the priorities being given to those that come in at three years first that he be it will be able to extend it for three more years so the maximum they can get is sixty thousand dollars no this will not solve the problem out of speaker but this is a very complex problem but there are young people that understand the virtues and the need of this country to serve in the public arena and we need those bright and talented individuals to be able to come into this arena and this is a small incentive package for which we get as my colleague pointed out this amounts to twenty five million dollars a year up to six years it is a small gesture but it is a meaningful investment because otherwise what we have is today where many innocent people are languishing in jails because we're not addressing this issue and many who are criminals are going free and that's why for the last two years madam speaker i have been pushing and working on this bill because at the crust of it all as i said america is great because of many things but paramount is just justice it is wisdom and it is moderation that's in our flag that's in our mo and that's what is in this bill this bill is a companion bill we have the senate who has already moved on this in a bipartisan way under the leadership of senator richard durbin of illinois as distinguished majority whip so i'm very proud for this moment at this time in this house of representatives for us to move forth right and to be able to bring some help to our college of law students and especially into the private sector and to those individuals who cannot afford a high priced attorney but have to rely on a public defender madam speaker don't these individuals deserve to be able to have the best legal preppers in taishan yes they do and that's why this bill is important and that's why i commend this to the full house of representatives and i am sure we will have a strong bipartisan vote for it thank you madam speaker thank you mr chairman and thank you my colleagues and i urge your passage of this bill gentleman from virginia is recognized thank you madam chairman of like now to yield as much time as he may consume to an individual who knows firsthand the importance of good prosecutors and public defenders having served as a district court trial judge gentleman from texas town and from texas is recognized thank you madam speaker and i want to thank the gentleman from virginia for yielding some time  speaker i was a former prosecutor for eight years and a judge in texas for twenty two i spent all my life basically in the criminal justice system as a prosecutor or or as a trial judge not going to test to the high workload long hours and low pay a tribute to our nation's prosecutors and the public defenders i have found over the years that most of them do what they do because they are committed to serving the public either as a prosecutor or a public defender they certainly don't do it for the money according to the law school admissions council however the average law school debt for an individual who borrows federal or private loans is anywhere from ninety thousand dollars up the starting salary for local and state prosecutors and public defenders starts anywhere at twenty five thousand dollars and sometimes it reaches fifty thousand dollars it's not nearly enough to cover the expenses and keep up with the high loan repayments every month that these lawyers have to deal with this leaves many qualified and dedicated lawyers leaving the district attorney's office in the public defender's office for work in the private sector where they can make more money what happens is these lawyers get trial experience at taxpayers expense then leave for the big law firms because of their low government salary and their high law school debt when i served in the criminal courts as a judge for twenty two years i saw many good prosecutors and public defenders just leave public service because of this problem the people of our nation into victims of crime need to have the best trial lawyers we can find to prosecute criminal cases defendants like was need competent public defenders to represent the rights of the citizen accused and i'm honored to be a coa of h r nine sixteen the john justice prosecutors and defenders incentive act of two thousand and seven prosecutors and public defenders can have up to thirty thousand dollars of law school debt or rice that they serve three years in their current position in public service and of course this is a renewable debt forgiveness if the trial lawyers willing to work another three years as a prosecutor a public defender then a total of sixty thousand dollars of law school debt can be forgiven most of the time this will still not cover the the majority of their law school debt and of course local and state courts will benefit because they will be able to keep qualified and competent trial lawyers we need to best trial lawyers in our legal profession to track him of criminal cases for the state and the defense that is speaker we basically have two types of lawyers trial lawyers we have civil lawyer and out there are a lot of wonderful trial lawyers who are several lawyers but basically civil lawyers argue in the courtroom over money nothing wrong with that but that's what they're argue no but in the criminal courts we're arguing over something much more important than money and it's the liberty of the person on trial it is very serious business and that's why you need the best prosecutor and the best public defender that we can find represent both sides because the stakes are so high so large my colleagues to support passage of h r nine sixteen i want to thank the gentleman from georgia mr scott brown or deuce in this important piece of legislation and i yield back the remainder of my time gentleman from michigan is recognized madam speaker you most of a minute and that is to describe the wide spectrum of legal support  for this measure the national district attorneys association the american bar association the national association of criminal defense lawyers the national legal aid and defenders association and many others and i'm pleased to introduce the gentleman from south carolina the chairman of the budget committee as much time as he may consume mr john spratt gentleman is carolina my good friend my constituent my trusty counsel and whenever we had or i had any questions or any issues about criminal justice because he was the expert john justice was  almost elected to congress himself but in the middle of his campaign he did what do you recall him to do he was in the national guard he took two weeks out for summer camp and never quite caught up but for that he might have been here sponsoring legislation like the very bill before us for which he is ninety four which is named after him the providence had a better over john just as he became a prosecutor we call them solicitors in south carolina and the district attorney he became a solicitor for nearly thirty years and he became a model still a store others look to him martin and follow his example for the better part of his professional life he was the prosecutor in the six judicial circuit of south carolina he was as i said a model prosecutor so much so that the national district attorneys association elected him from chester south carolina is president not long ago just before he addition he was a model prosecutor if you could have seen his funeral you would understand what i say the entire law enforcement community in south carolina turned out to pay homage to this to this splendid fellow he would have been proud to know that the bill bears his name particularly because of his substance not just because of the honor because of the substance of the bill he would be proud to know that he was having some part in helping young lawyers afford the crushing burden of student loans so on behalf of the friends of john justice who knew him well and practice with him on behalf of his family behalf of all those who work with him i want to thank the committee for naming this bill after him and following him in this very special way thank you very much and i urge support for the gentleman from virginia is recognized thank you madam chairman chairman i'd like to yield two minutes to distinguish congressman david scott my colleague from georgia in regard to the john are just just prosecutors and defenders instead of act congressman scott now both served in the in the georgia senate he for a while longer than that i did with more power in the leadership there but we had passed similar legislation in georgia this commonsense provision to help give some relief to these young bridget attorneys who are willing to go into work to serve as a prosecutor a public defendant and the reason i feel so impassioned by it madam speaker my daughter phyllis collins  has been practicing in cobb can if you do she'll system now for about three years you came out of law school at michigan state after graduating undergraduate school with a microbiology degree from georgia tech thought she would become a doctor but she became a darn good lawyer instead but also she came out of that school with about one hundred thousand dollars worth of debt just as this bill indicates in the language that we've read and that's just a typical situation that my daughter phyllis's in and she took that job for about sixty thousand dollars a year i believe and she served a year and a half as a prosecutor and now she is a public defender it's people like phyllis collins that we need to encourage to do this kind of important work on behalf of the people good friend from virginia randy forbes who have brought this bill forward i thank you for the time i support it tremendously and i congratulate you for doing this and i yield back madam speaker gentleman from michigan is recognized thank you madam speaker  u myself as much time as i may consume to bring to the attention of our membership communication from the national conference of chief  justices at the state level in support of federal legislation to create incentives to law students to participate in public service give patients after graduations  the one hundred ninth congress considered legislation designed to encourage qualified individuals to enter in and continue employment for at least three years as criminal prosecutors  public defenders by means of providing the united states government payment of a portion of that individual student loan for each year of such employment whereas the one hundred tenth congress is also likely to consider legislation to assist the a matter of student loans of qualified individuals who commit to employment it as prosecutors and public defenders therefore this association of american law schools equal justice works the national legal aid in the fender association and the american bar association have expressed support for the above described legislation and the lawyers who engage in civil legal services to enhance access by justice by low income persons rendered valuable public service that is comparable to that provided by criminal prosecutors and public defenders therefore be at risk that the conference of chief justices hereby urges the congress to adopt legislation to give financial incentives to law school graduates to commit to sustain the public service as prosecutors and public defenders and therefore that the conference additionally encourages congress to develop and add up separate legislation providing similarly for qualified individuals who engage in employment as civil legal aid attorney adopted as proposed by the government affairs committee and the professionalism and competence of the bar committee of the conference of chie justices on february seventh in the year two thousand and seven with that reserve the balance of my time and you back the balance of gentleman is recognized for one minute thank you mr chairman and i do applaud the chairman and the ranking member for the work on this bill and having started out as an assistant district attorney and then my years as a judge jus constantly so how difficult it was in in our smith county district attorney's office to hire good lawyers and even to hire any lawyers so thank you for your efforts on this behalf i think it's a great bill and the right way to do things providing incentives to do the good things and i appreciate it and i yield back to the chairman i thank the gentleman from texas for his contribution and i have no further requests for speakers and you back the bal the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h r nine sixteen as amended those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the for web purposes the gentlemen from washington seek recognition that a speaker i wish to suspend the rules and bring up h r two seven six with amendments for immediate consideration two sixty three resolution recognizing national foster care month as an opportunity for congress to improve the foster care system throughout the united states pursuant to the rule of the gentleman from washington mr mcdermott and the well i says foster care mother may and its primary goal is to ensure their safety and well being by providing them with critical services and working to find a safe and loving and permanent home over five hundred thousand american children are in the foster care system on any given day with over one hundred thousand of these children waiting to be adopted they need our help and i believe there is one this is one place where every member of the house can come together as one committed to protecting these innocent children this morning we have mr weller and i had a hearing on the ways and means committee subcommittee on income security and family support to review the changes and the challenges that child welfare agencies encounter in achieving positive outcomes for children and families under their supervision the hearing a den of fide a number of areas that need to be improved to strengthen children and families which i am committed to addressing the hearing also highlighted the commitment of some of our most selfless americans on behalf of most vulnerable children millions of americans serve as foster parents and in doing so have unselfish opened their homes and later lives to children in need these families are to be commended for working cooperatively with human service agencies and biological parents to strengthen the lives of these foster children we should also recognize the work of dedicated caseworkers juvenile court justices physicians and the advocates who have committed their lives to ensuring the safety and well being of our most vulnerable children these tireless worker should be commended for their work on behalf of children and families in crisis and i asked my colleagues to join me in recognizing may two thousand and seven as a national foster care month and commending the dedication of foster parents caseworkers judges service providers and advocates for their commitment to our children's most vulnerable most our nation's most vulnerable children the speaker i would now like unanimous consent to allow representative  california who is the author of this resolution and a staunch advocate for improving the wellbeing of children in foster care and actually an adoptive parent of a couple of kids from fluster care so he's done it at every level and i would like him to control the balance of my time that objection gentlemen from california madam speaker i'd like to allow mr weller to speak next gentleman from illinois is recognized thank you madam speaker and i rise in support of h whereas two six three as amended recognize national foster care month we're here today to discuss foster care starting with recognizing the thousands of foster parents who step in to care for so many vulnerable young people across america it is right to celebrate the efforts of foster parents or step in to keep children safe in addition to these individuals thousands local organizations with both public and private sector employees and volunteers are also active in foster care congressional district that i represent one good example of a trusted foster care organ multiservice family support agency that has served the bloomington normal region in central illinois for over a century today the baby fold specializes in residential educational therapeutic adoption foster care pregnancy counseling and family support vent prevention services for children and their families many similar groups provide similar services and every congressional district in america these organizations and dedicated individuals supported by private donations  over twenty three billion dollars in taxpayer funds each year help children and families lades lead see safe and productive lives today we thank each of them and all of them for their efforts and dedication yet despite such dedicated efforts w lot more work is needed to ensure all children are adequately protected from busa neglect i have a long standing interest and training of child welfare workers today i'm reintroducing legislation i have authored in prior congresses designed to address a glaring flaw in current rules by insuring all child care workers whether they work for a public agency or a private agency have access to the same training needed to protect children take will county catholic charities  protect over three hundred children in foster care and the congressional district i represent there's simply no reason why a caseworker with will county catholic charities should have less access to training than an equally dedicated caseworker who happens to be a public employee yet that is what current federal rules promote and we should fix this we also need to do more to ensure that each and every child involved with the child welfare system is safe too often that is not the an income security and family support which i serve as a ranking member held a hearing on these challenges earlier today we focused on areas like clark county nevada which is home to los vegas a series of child de clark county has proven the risk for children when foster care and child protection systems failed to protect them as an august fifth two thousand and six article in los vegas review journal put it since two thousand and two at least seventy nine children have died of abuse or neglect at the hands of their parents foster parents or other caregivers while into the watch of the clark county department of family services as troubling as that is the response of local officials as only made matters worse for years a county child welfare system has continuously avoided scrutiny by hiding behind a veil of confidentiality meant to protect children families but which the county is used to shield itself from oversight and criticism this sad trail of facts was supported by tragedies there and the evidence shows that clark county is a case study of what happens when there's no oversight from those in many strain the program and clearly is a national embarrassment and a disgrace because federal funds were involved and mr cotton testified in clark county and to many other places the system has a very long way to go to ensure that all children are adequately protected mr speaker in contrast with the clark county tragedies some areas are shown progress but they're all too rare recent positive examples include my home state of illinois starting on the leadership of former governor jim edgar in the late one nine hundred ninety s the entire child welfare system illinois has undergone remarkable changes result in there being sixteen thousand two hundred seventy two children today in foster care are in january two thousand and seven that number down from twenty eight thousand two hundred two children in september two thousand and one new york city on the leadership of mayor rudy giuliani also made changes that were positive dramatically reducing the number of children in need foster care many experts think we should build on the success and do better when it comes to targeting efforts to prevent abuse and neglect from occurring in the first place that would result in fewer children needing foster care tracking the l noise a new york city experiences and that would free more resources to ensure the safety permanency and well being of those children who do not need to be placed in foster care both goals are critical better prevention and better oversight two thousand and six congress took some modest steps in the right direction by targeting more funds for child abuse prevention and holding states more accountable for results so there is increasing recognition of the steps needed to turn this program around in the meantime we will certainly need the continued involvement and support of tens of thousands of foster parents we owe them and especially the children they protect each and every day our continued full support i urge bipartisan support for this resolution and reclaim the remainder of my time gentleman from california is recognized thank you madam speaker i yield myself such time as i may consume man speaker i rise in strong support of house resolution two sixty three a resolution recognizing may this month as a national foster care month i want to begin my statement today by thanking ranking sub subcommittee chairman mr mcdermott from washington for his outstanding support and work with us to bring this resolution to the floor the chairman mcdermott has dedicated virtually his entire life to the work of helping children that have been disadvantaged and he deserves great praise and thanks for the hard work he continues to do in this congress i also want to recognize mr weller for cooperated with us today and bringing this resolution to the floor and also for his thoughtful comments that he just prepare however this resolution has a long and hard torturous path to reaching the floor today my staff been working tirelessly with both the majority and the minority staffs the ways and means and judiciary committees before this bill was able to reach the floor under suspension i was forced to make this substantive changes which severely in my opinion got the force of this resolution specifically my original resolution drawing upon the recommendations of the respected pew charitable trust made clear that we need more funds for the cost of program c s c a s a that we need more funds to better ensure that we have trained personnel working and fostered with foster children and that we provide more recess sources to state agencies that deal with foster children in the interest of comedy i was forced to withdraw all these recommendations unfortunately while of course i still support the thrust of the current resolution without sufficient resources we will never fully tackle this problem i'd also like to just point out and it's important history for us all to remember that in the previous majority in the last congress we took in my mind unconscionable measures to reduce the funding to foster children feb eighth two thousand and six president bush signed the deficit reduction act of two thousand and five the c b o estimates that these this measure cut funds of one point three billion dollars over ten years to foster care and two point one billion dollars over ten years to medicaid that would affect of these children i stood up on the house floor and that day in december when it was being debated in this institution and fought against those cuts i at that time called it scroogenomics because we were cutting the money for foster kids right before the christmas holiday and those concerns went for not the bill was passed anyway and signed into law and foster kids continue to suffer because of that act i won't i believe belabor the point too much at this point because i really want to focus on the needs today but madam speaker i speak passionately about foster children because i have a very personal interest in this issue seven years ago i adopted two foster children in fact madam speaker as an aside i'm doing this resolution because they asked me to do it today since have advocated on their behalf and on their behalf of adoption and foster children in the california state assembly and now here in congress the need is tremendous and the statistics are sobering i estimated that there are eight hundred thousand children in foster care at some point during any given year more over children of color are disproportionately represented in foster care african american children make up about sixteen percent of the nation's children but make up thirty five percent of the children in foster care these children enter foster care at higher rates and intimate remain in care longer for longer periods than white children too many children in foster care sit waiting for permanent families there are about one hundred and eighteen thousand children in foster care waiting to be adopted and numerous barriers keep them in limbo children often bounce from one system to another from child welfare to juvenile justice to mental help as their needs intensify each year about twenty thousand children age out of the foster care system without ever being adopted placed without grandparents or any other supportive adult often times these children have no connection whatsoever to any adult several studies released in two thousand and five documented the special challenges facing these youths especially in the area of mental health education and employment they are especially poor prepared to be self sufficient young adults these children are waiting speaking from personal experience there is no greater joy in life than helping a child my wife and i can attest to this every day every child no matter what their situation that they may be born to deserves a chance to be raised in a stable and loving home innocent children should not be forced to bear the mistakes of their parents we have a moral obligation to ensure that these children no matter what background they come from have a shot that is equal to the shot that every american has to the american dream this is a big problem that will require bold solutions in order to save the next generation of children we must rededicate ourselves to the welfare to their welfare and to pledge to do it's ever arry to nurture and protect them this resolution by highlighting attention to their problems is a necessary first step but madam speaker other dramatic actions need to be taken that is why i have introduced legislation to expand medicare medicaid coverage to children who age out of the foster care system and i'm considering legislation to ensure that every foster child has a casa representative a court appointed special advocate the same type of court appointed special advocate  children these are urgent problems they require bold solutions i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time down in from illinois is recognize madam speaker we have no additional no additional speakers but i do want to ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the subject of the bill under consideration that if you  back the balance of our time thank you madam gentleman from california well thank you very much madam speaker i want to thank my colleague mr weller i know he cares passionately about these children and while we sometimes disagree on the specifics i know that all members in this institution care passionately about foster children but the time to act is now we need to do more to work on behalf of these children to eliminate the barriers that prohibit them from leading positive lives in society we must extend health care coverage to these young people until the age of twenty one it's currently a voluntary program thirty three states in this country do not offer health care that all the way to the age of majority majority we must in fact more and it is an imperative and it's frankly if we can keep these young people out of a life of crime out of falling into trouble out of turning them into assisting them into put becoming productive citizens instead of the current situation where nearly fifty percent of children who age out of the foster care system  the homeless after one year we can do better for our citizens and we can frankly probably save money to the taxpayers of the united states so madam speaker i urge adoption of this resolution i urge my colleagues here today within earshot of my voice to redouble their efforts in helping this population of our sister mary that has become disadvantaged and i yield back the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house for a resolution two sixty three is amended those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table thank you man speak from hundred sixty eight to enhance the cops on the beat grant program and for other purposes pursuant to the rule of the gentleman from michigan mr conyers and the gentleman from virginia mr forbes will each control twenty minutes the members of the house judiciary committee in supporting this legislation during the nineteen nineties the crime rate for all categories of crime and in all parts of the united states f dramatically for example homicide rates in two thousand and one plunged forty three percent from their peak in one thousand nine hundred one reaching their lowest level in thirty five years now there are many potential explanations offered regarding the dramatic and unexpected drop in the rate of violent crime during the one nine hundred ninety s one popular explanation is the nation's sustained economic growth during the days of the clinton administration but researchers often point to one other explanation the creation of the office of community oriented policing services in one thousand nine hundred four the cops bill and the subsequent fusion of more than seven and i have billion dollars in grants  and local law enforcement communities to hire police officers and promote community policing as an effective strategy to prevent crime the bill before us reinvigorates the cops crime fighting program in several important respects first it establishes hiring grants for community policing officers anti terror officers and school resource officers it also reauthorizes troops to cops grants to hire former members of the armed services in particular as career law law enforcement officers and it also authorizes a community prosecutors program to pay for community prosecuting programs including those that assigned prosecutors to handle cases for specific ga geographic areas or to address counterterrorism and related problems finally it authorizes technology grants to state and local law enforcement agencies to help them refocus some of their activities from reacting to crime to preventing it crime prevention has now come back and devote and so this legislation because of its long and successful prior experience has been endorsed by key law enforcement groups the national sheriffs association the for turn a lord or police the national association of police organizations and the national league of cities i'm proud to indicate their strong support for this measure and i urge my colleagues to lend their support to a bill who speaker america's state and local law enforcement agencies are on the front lines combating and preventing crime every day in the last decade their dedication and service an innovative policing programs of led to a thirty four percent decrease in violent crime it's unclear however whether the eleven billion dollars in cops grants awarded since one nine hundred ninety four can receive the same credit studies have reached an inconsistent finding that as to the effectiveness of the cops program in reducing the nation's rising crime rates the cops program awards grants to states local and tribal law enforcement agencies to harm or rehire police officers will procure new crime fighting technology is intended to provide short term federal assistance to state and local law enforcement agencies it is not intended to assume the funding of state and local police a duty that last first and foremost with the states the cops program specifically directs the grant money not be used to supplant state or local funds but rather increase the amount of funds for community policing in reality this is proven not to always be the case studies show that spending on the cops program has not led to an increase in the overall spending by local law enforcement but often supplant state local funds the actual number of officers put on the street under this program is also in dispute estimates vary from one hundred eighteen thousand to as few as eighty two thousand additional police officers the answer to addressing crime in the twenty first century is not simply more cops on the street it is innovative programs such as multi jurisdictional task forces designed to target specific types of crimes and neighborhoods plagued by gangs and drugs we should look cities like new york and los angeles who continue to enjoy reduce violent crime rates thanks to smart effective policing to put to rest once and for all conflicting findings about the effectiveness of the cops program the committee adopted an amendment directing the inspector general of the department of justice to conduct an audit of the cot program to review three areas first the effect of the program on the rate of violent crime second the degree to which cops funding recipients contribute state or local funding to law enforcement programs and activities and three any waste fraud or abuse within the cops program as introduced h r seven thousand nine hundred reduce the likelihood that community policing wouldn't affect someday be funded by america's communities the bill strips several provisions from current law that encourage state and local governments to assume a larger share of cops grants this is directly contrary to the purpose of the cops program and would only exacerbate the use of federal funds to supplant state local funds h r seventeen hundred also stripped from current law limits on the duration of cops grants and instead allowed unlimited grant renewal this too is directly contrary to the original ten of the cops program to provide short term assistance to state local and tribal government to h to tional police officers i'm pleased that my colleagues on the other side of the listen to our concerns and supported our changes to preserve the partnership between the federal government state local and tribal governments i think judiciary committee chairman conyers from subcommittee chairman scott and congressman weiner for their cooperation are it's my colleagues to support the bill and mr speaker i reserve the balance of my time gentleman from virginia reserves both of this time gentleman from michigan mr hundred the cops improvement act of two thousand and seven as a daughter of a police officer i believe this bill is essential to keep our citizens safe and help communities combat crime improving the cops program is very important to the constituents i represent california's thirty third congressional district if this bill passes my district alone will get at least twenty five new police officers additional school resources officers along with more funding to be used for technology in los angeles's law enforcement agencies mr speaker today our children are killing one another in my district at appalling rate the los angeles police department recorded seven thousand seven hundred fourteen gang crimes in two thousand and six a fourteen percent jump over the previous year i believe we need to take a comprehensive approach to combating gang now that will immediately reduce the level of violence and protect our kids and that is to put more police on the streets we have the bill here today that does just that the cops improvement act and i urge colleagues to support this measure gentleman's time is expired gentleman from virginia mr speaker the speaker i yield to the gentleman from ohio three minutes the gentleman from ohio is recognized for three minutes i thank the gentleman for yielding and i want to thank him and the other folks on the other side of the aisle for their leadership in this area and i rise in support of h r seven hundred the cops improvement act of two thousand and seven the cops grant program or presents a true partnership between the federal government and state local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fight crime this partnership has enabled more police officers to be hired and rehired and facilitated the use of the most advanced crime fighting technology to ensure that officers are effectively deployed into our communities all across the country as a result of our joint efforts the number of violent offenses reported in our country is down from the more than one point eight million reported back in one nine hundred ninety four to one point three million reported in two thousand and five but we cannot become complacent we must ensure that state local and tribal law enforcement officials have the resources they need to keep law enforcement on the streets h r seventeen hundred accomplishes this by increasing the funds available for the cops program from one billion dollars to one point one five billion dollars by creating a number of new grant programs that will assist communities such as community policing crime prevention programs and programs to address illegal drug manufacturing most importantly the bill that we are considering today stays true to the cops grant programs original purpose that the federal government support state local and tribal law enforcement efforts not supplant them as the ranking member indicated that would be the last thing that we should do h r seventeen hundred in its current form requires that states local and tribal law enforcement demonstrate their commitment to the partnership by making a good faith effort to match the funds provided by the federal government yet at the same time the bill allows the federal government to play a primary role in those circumstances in which a grant recipient cannot meet their financial obligation for reasons beyond their control thus ensuring that our communities main safe and that crime does not prevail  i'm pleased to recognize the author of this measure mr rini of new york whose confidence i have so much of the same afternoon  that i am not withstanding that there are eight other speakers because of his presence here a commitment to reinstituting this police build community policing here for three reasons we're here because the cops program has been a single a singular success it has been a success because we identified in the one nine hundred ninety s that crime was not a program that only localities could get a handle on that we had a federal role it is a success because it was a singularly democratic with a small d program and that small towns big cities throughout all fifty states wound up benefiting from the over one hundred eighteen thousand police officers that were put on the street because of this program we know for example that eighty two percent of the grants went to cities with fifty thousand people or less in lost cities like mine did very well because there were more police on the beat we know that there were a large number of very small towns that benefit you know you can see that the cops program forces to all fifty states this wasn't a political program if you were a police department and you showed a way to get more cops on the street the federal government wasn't going to sit back they were going to be actively involved and we know that it was successful we know it because the government accountability office looked at the connection between police officers and the reduction in crime and found a correlation we know the university of nebraska looked at a very similar thing and said with all the varying elements that go into reducing crime with the fact that there were over one hundred and ten thousand new police on the streets funded by the cops program a correlative effect and the answer was yes we're also here for another reason we're here because crime has started to creep back up we're starting to see index crimes in cities around the country start to rise again we've started to see after years of decline we're seeing it go up and we're also here because there's even more law enforcement burden being put on localities and states than arguably any time in american history tom ridge once famously said the homeland security starts in our hometown and when we would talk about the cuts that were being made to homeland security we're reminded that actually it's the localities that were asking to do more and more of these things so we're here an acknowledgement that localities need to help localities now have to do more than they ever had to do before and that's why in this program for the first time we're funding teacups cops that are going to be hired to do anti terrorism work but particularly the reason that we're here is the third reason is that my colleagues on that side of the aisle a limb unaided the hiring component president bush eliminated a hiring component this is this is a visual about how many police officers were hired under the cops program from one thousand ninety five to two thousand  there this is what has happened under president bush in under our republican leadership this many police officers zero zero zero in ginia zero in south dakota zero in california the program was a limb unaided under my republican friends and as they stand up here today and you're going to see them vote in large numbers for this program they're going to wrap themselves around the idea that they support the cops program when in fact overwhelmingly it was quite the opposite let me say let me show you let me show you the abandonment that's going on of the cops program this is the number of cops that were hired in one thousand nine hundred eighty look at the decline look at how many were hired in two thousand and five and two thousand and six so the third reason we're here is we are taking up the gauntlet that was frankly laid down put in a box and sealed away by my republican friends they said you know what is not a local job it's a national job we heard in committee we heard all the program as an work the way it was intended the fact of the matter is had it not been for the democrats taking over this body had it not been for the chairmanship of mr conyers this program would be zeroed out this year to you know how i know because we've had many years where those of us have stood up trying to change this where we were rebuffed again and again now i can say that all of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle because we've got many including the gentleman from florida mr keller was an original sponsor of this but it is stunning to me that anyone could stand up and say that they support this program after supporting this so in conclusion i want to thank the chairman and thank my colleagues for passing we're going to ask for a recorded vote and we're going to watch the large number of of folks who helped write bills to zero out the cops program suddenly embrace the idea that we have to put cops on the street and i welcome my friends on the other side of the aisle to the cause of providing help for local law enforced gentleman from michigan reserves a bounce of this time gentleman from virginia thank you mr speaker the speaker over and over again you know myself such time as i may over and over again we here on the floor we hear out this body the importance of coming together in a bipartisan manner and what we can do to resolve the issues for the american people the unfortunate thing is when we try to do that as we have done in this bill and we bring this bill in a bipartisan manner sometime our friends on the other side of the aisle simply can't take yes for an answer and when we hear presentations like we just have the speaker up feel it's incumbent upon me to stand up and just correct some of those facts first thing is that the cops program has been authorized in the dea in the two thousand and five d o j authorization bill through two thousand  nine for one point zero four seven billion dollars all this authorization will do is increase that to one point one five billion dollars through twenty thirteen and in addition when you see these lands that drop off with the number of cops that are being hard one of the things that we have heard from the testimony that we've had is twofold one of the reasons that we had declines in the cr was not just because of the numbers of police officers but more importantly not just because we sent money but because throughout the ninety's we had a lot of policies from republican legislators across the states that did things like abolish parole that did things like mandatory sentences that did things like truth and sentencing that took criminals off the streets and out of our communities and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out if we do that we reduce around the other things that we heard testimony is that in new orleans when we went to do hearings they are the number of police officers increased and the cram increased and in new york the number of police officers did creased and the crime decreased by the rationale we just heard one would argue we should have less police officers but the testimony was mr speaker we do need police officers on the street that's why we brought this bill in a bipartisan manner but it's important that we have smart policing that we have comprehensive programs because if we just don't money at the problem and we don't do that we're not going to solve the problems that are before us mr speaker fortunately there were good cop in this because i want to commend those republicans who are going to vote for this measure for joining us look it doesn't matter when you come on board it is that your thoughtfulness in helping us craft a bipartisan bill was exceedingly important and i personally and that it to you for that and mr chairman we certainly thank you for your cooperative and support in reaching what we think is a much better bill by the time that it reached the floor than when it started in q thank you and now i'd like to yield to the gentleman from florida two and a half minutes mr gentleman from florida to recognize for two and one half minutes thank you mr speaker i thank the gentleman for yielding i'm proud to be the lead republican original co sponsor of this legislation which will reauthorize the cops program and put fifty thousand more cops on our streets the cops program is responsible for putting nearly one hundred twenty thousand cops on the street nationwide including seven hundred seventy four cops in central florida violent crime is on the rise and we need this legislation now more than ever for example in my hometown of orlando florida the murder rate is up one hundred twenty two percent i recently met with all of the central florida chiefs of police and sheriffs and one hundred percent of them support the cops program this legislation is also endorsed by the national sheriffs association and the international association of chiefs of police is the cops program successful absolutely former attorney general john ashcroft described the cops program as a miraculous sort of success a two thousand and five g a o study concluded that the cops program successfully played a role in the decline in violent crime in the one nine hundred ninety s and more than ninety five percent of law enforcement officers hired by a cops grant are still on the street today now some might say that putting cops on the street is not a priority worth funding with federal dollars well i would rather put cops on the street than build bridges to nowhere or give subsidies to spanish growers let's be practical there are children in orlando florida growing up in neighborhoods where forty nine people were killed last year those kids want to be able to walk home from school safely and play in their neighborhoods without fear these kids don't care if the cops salaries paid for with purely local funds or a mixture of local and federal funds that just want to feel safe this legislation is a step in the right direction i want to thank the co sponsor of this legislation congressman anthony weiner for his leadership and strong support of the cops program and i work together earlier to get seventy million dollars added in the supplemental some of said that some republicans are new to this i can assure you i've been original co sponsor this bill ever since i got here to congress if i can quote l l cool j the rapper don't call it a comeback i've been here for speaker bernice johnson is supported this bill from its inception and so i recognize the gentle lady from dallas texas for one minute but i want to texas recognize for one minute professionals low enforcement presence remain one of the greatest assets against crime i have witnessed firsthand the importance of this program where our community cops simply work with  young people here to break up gangs helping them with tutoring in the evening when they are only on duty in those communities so in addition to this  bill just allowing the fifty thousand cops to be hired it also allows for the increase in funding to improve technology for police agencies and it may be used to update in police  stations and cars for providing the latest technology in crime fighting so i'm delighted to see that it's being considered an astro only support recommand the approval thank you thousand and seven i want to congratulate chairman conyers mr weiner and mr keller for bringing this bill forward and my written statement talks all about the importance of adding police officers school resource officers things of that nature i want to talk about an aspect of the bill that i'm particularly excited about and that's the technology grants contained in the bill the police departments in my district are region recently notified that the backbone radio system that we've basically spent millions of dollars on a number of years ago is now going to become obsolete in the year two thousand  eleven because the the manufacturer is no longer going to make the spare parts in the small communities that i represent it means a bill of ten million dollars the technology upgrades in this particular piece of legislation are going to give my communities the opportunity to bid  for grants that hopefully will replace that radio system and make our community safer secondly in the wake of the virginia tech shootings i have heard from most of the school districts in my and my district that we need to build on the success of the last cops bill where two hundred twenty five school resource officers were added to the schools in the state of ohio and they're excited again about the opportunity to add new school resource officers in the schools to make them safer for all of the students in our school system and across the country so again i want to congratulate the the emanuel one minute jim from illinois recognized for one minute thank you mr speaker in one thousand nine hundred four when we passed a community policing program to add one hundred thousand community police on to america's streets and also follow through with the strategy not only getting cops on the beat but getting games guns and drugs off the street we saw the longest and largest decline of violent crime in american history when that program after that program successful one hundred twenty thousand community police officers added to the streets across this country when it was ended in two thousand and two we saw violent crime in america begin to inch up again community police officers walking the beat knowing the neighborhood knowing their community is the linchpin of a successful anti crime strategy and i am so proud that we have a bill here representing again going back to a very basic approach of community policing putting more cops on the beat which is a success to reducing violent crime in america we saw that rise again because this cops program ended every police officer regardless of that could have additional to ten seconds fifteen seconds granted thank you every sheriff police he and mayor has asked for this program to be renewed and i'm proud we have done that to successfully once again get back to helping our communities reduce crime in chicago we ate it we added eight hundred cops we saw crime reduced in our neighborhood and i think the chairman from michigan and also the gentleman from new york for their leadership in getting this bill the fire jemma time expired gentleman from virginia speaker reserve the balance of my time pennsylvania bill pascrell for one minute here from new jersey excuse me as well there is nothing like the presence of a police officer it is not only a deterrent to crime but it is at the very heart of homeland security that is why the british are way ahead of us they have a bottom up philosophy of looking at what's going wrong in the community we cannot have a top down so one hundred seventeen thousand police officers later to to our rear right now is going the national peace officers memorial service and we know who's there but we know who's here this is critical we pray for these police officers on the streets every day and i agree with the gentleman from ohio that technology is just a significant as the number of personnel were put on the street this should ministration try to cut the fire speaker i yield one minute to the gentleman from georgia who knows when georgia is recognized for one minute thank heaven for healing and i appreciate his leadership on this and i would rise the speaker say that all of us obviously support police officers on the street but there are some  about this bill and others that are brought to the floor one that i would point out on this bill is that we attempt to find some objective information about the programs that we put in place here at the federal level the office of management budget has a program called program assessment rating tool which attempts to determine the effectiveness of what we do here on the floor and their grade for this cops program is quote not performing results not demonstrated unquote in the latest review now that's not to say that we don't support cops on the street police on the street but it's important to appreciate that there are can some legitimate concerns about the program now the concern i have is that one of our house rules thirteen section three d one says that all committee reports must contain a statement citing the specific powers granted to the constitution to the congress in the constitution to enact the law proposed by the bill or joint resolution and in in this bill being brought to the floor there is no such statement available from the committee and so i think there are legitimate concerns mr speaker and i asked my colleagues to review those and the time has expired gentleman from michigan mr speaker i am pleased to grant the gentleman from connecticut chris murphy one minute joan of connecticut is recognized for one minute thank you mr speaker i rise today in support of h r seven hundred law enforcement officers to keep our neighborhoods and community safe you know the small cities of may not rival the size of those neighboring districts but they still have the same need for vigorous community based law enforcement since the cops program began in one thousand nine hundred two hundred sixty five police officers have been put on the beat in the fifth district this bill could put an additional one hundred thirteen police officers out on the streets one bill this bill could increase law enforcement personnel by the cops program by fifty percent for the last six years i sat in the connecticut state legislature i've watched the federal government walk away from its commitment to partner with states and towns to provide funding necessary to keep our communities safe in connecticut our law enforcement community has been asked to do more with less they're the pride of our community but they have seen the cuts in action that have been imposed by this congress the numbers are in this bill are meaningful mr speaker i urge all members to support the bill it's important for our law enforcement officers and port legislation and my support of additional police officers but it's important that we continue to make sure we're separating the facts from some statements that are being made testimony that we've received before the committee strikes  great contrast between different areas in our country sending money alone even putting streets on the streets alone will not solve our cars our crime problem as we mentioned earlier in new orleans we had testimony that only seven percent of the individuals arrested in this is precut traina only seven percent of the individuals arrested ever end up in jail and the police officers themselves the police chief testified how demoralizing that was to crime fighting and police officers there that's why a comprehensive approach looking at more police officers but also such things as abolishing parole mandatory sentencing three strikes legislation work to help cut down on the crime that we have we've also heard testimony from both sides of the now about the importance of technology and many police departments are recognizing across the country that it's not just the quantity of police officers but it's how they use them and new york came in and testified that what they've done is actually decrease the number of police officers they have but they use technology to do it in a smarter way which has reduced the overall crime so mr speaker we support this legislation but let's make sure that we're not using the hyperbole that were used in the fact it's important to have police it's important to have them used in a smart and effective and comprehensive manner if we're going to deal with the crime that our communities are so concerned back and i reserve the balance among thomas when there is a balance of this time gentleman from michigan mr speaker how much time remains on both sides gentleman from michigan has five and a quarter minutes remaining gentleman from virginia three minutes from me deals a quarter of a minute to the gentleman the york i just want to clarify some of the mistakes made by the previous speaker lisa misimpressions last one technology grants cut under the previous republican congress two alternatives to car duration cut under the previous republican administration three police officers have already talked about just about all of the elements of a comprehensive package we're limited under the leadership of your party so if you care about reducing crime this is a better day than it was a year ago then the time expired the chair recognizes the gentleman from  d crime is a the number one issue in memphis tennessee and i think it's the number one issue in most areas in this country as spoke with the afro american police association and the issue they raised to me was the cops program that community policing works i spoke with people in the district and they knew that the cops program had been successful that it worked with community policing and they knew it had been cut by this congress and they couldn't understand why and i couldn't tell them i told them i was going to come to congress and try to do what i could to see that the cops program was reimplemented that it was funded in a proper fashion and that it helped cut crime in this bill we have opportunity to work together to bring our troops home and to support our troops but because veterans from afghanistan and iraq will be given priority when feasible to get these positions to come back and render their abilities and their experience for our people rather than the people of baghdad support our troops support the cops program and make our gentleman from virginia big reserve about small town gentleman from virginia reserves a balance of this time gentleman from michigan i'm happy to yield to the gentle lady from oakland california barbara the one minute gentlewoman from california is recognized for one minute thank you and i want to thank the gentleman for your stellar leadership as two of the judiciary committee and thank my colleague congressman weiner from new york for your determination to make our country safer by the introduction of this bill the  program really does come at a very important time in our entire country as an example cobb says provided since nine hundred ninety four in my district alone forty five point five million in grants these funds have allowed law enforcement agencies in my district to hire five hundred fifty two additional police officers and forty five new school recently resource officers cops is also provided technology grants totaling two point nine million dollars in my district if passed this bill will allow cops to hire more necessary offices the people of oakland berkeley emeryville the entire ninth congressional district could see two hundred thirty six new offices thirteen million in grants nineteen school resource officers and two point eight million in technology funding over the next six years our communities throughout the country and the cops program this is about public safety and violence prevention community policing does work generally mormons time has expired gentleman from virginia today is very important in terms of developing a justice system that will operate at a very fundamental and basic level the police level it doesn't correct the lack of prosecutions that has been raised by the gentleman from virginia it doesn't correct many parts of the justice system that we on the committee plan to go into but i think there is a unanimity on both sides of the aisle for restoring a very important community program that's justified it's so and it's it's in that spirit that i want to commend everyone on both sides of the aisle for the important work that we've done in beginning to restore the program  i think one of the many reasons that the american people have turned their congress over to democrats as we have said like so many americans that we don't want to hear just more talk and rhetoric and posturing that we want to start to actively solve the problems that people face in communities around this country and whether it be a sheriff's department of two or three officers or the n y p d which has thirty six some thousand some odd officers after today's vote after it gets passed in the other body god willing and signed by the president we are going to start to do what we need to do to improve homeland security to improve drug crime to reduce the amount of the day to day challenges that people face to hire more officers to go into schools to get technology so that officers can be out on the beat and be doing it more and this is a program that frankly never should have died it was a program that i think to many of my friends on the other side just got blood in their eyes over the idea that it was offered by president clinton passed under president clinton and single handedly brought down crime during those years that's not a good enough reason let us get past that kind of political haze and just realize that sometimes things are successful even though their ideas of someone else john ashcroft to set it on several occasions he says i think the cops program has been successful alberto gonzales someone who i'm not prone to quote very often says the cops graham has been beneficial the oneida county executive the former says this program has made a difference a tiny city john ashcroft said when testifying before the house of representatives has been one of the most successful programs we've ever worked with this is a bipartisan success because every once in a while around here we get it right we design a program with a goal in mind and in this case it was to get the federal government off the sideline there are many in this body who hold this kind of old fashioned federalist notion that you know what protecting citizenry is something that only localities do what we realize now in the post nine eleven world that is changed we are doing something about it and i commend my colleagues of all stripes for finally joining that bandwagon i want to jim time has expired gentleman from virginia thank you mr speaker is a rise to close i just want to say that i don't think the american people much care whether it's republicans in charge or democrats in charge of think what they really care about is whether or not we're reaching across and trying to forge solutions to the problems they face and that's why i want to compliment the chairman for his bipartisan manner in which he's not only handle working on this bill but handle his debate on the floor today mr chairman i'm a speaker this bill was never put on the sidelines as i mentioned before the fact of two thousand and five we reauthorized it through two thousand and nine for one point zero four seven  billion dollars the key was the dia office of the inspector general and g a o reports note that thousands of harz funded by the cops never materialized as law enforcement agencies use cops  their own budget shortfalls in fact they showed that two hundred seventy seven million dollars were misspent funds mr speaker by working together in a bipartisan manner i think we've crafted bill that will help in a comprehensive man er continue to put police officers on the streets but continue to allow our local and state law enforcement agencies to be able to use technology and smart policing to do what they want us to do and that is to reach out to form practical solutions of how they deal with crime and the crime that are plaguing their communities mr speaker with that i just urge my colleagues to support this piece of legislation and i yield back the balance  beyond united states to this apologies in commercial zones on the united states mexico border pursuant to the rule a gentleman from oregon mr de fazio and a gentleman from tennessee mr duncan each control twenty minutes chair recognized the gentleman from oregon five legislative days within which to revise and send their marks to include extraneous material on a terrace seven hundred seventy three that object the speaker we have before us very important legislation  it's bad enough that nafta has caused the united states to hemorrhage more than one million jobs but now this the administration with the nafta trucks proposal would add insult to injury not only would have put in jeopardy more american jobs those american truck drivers but it would also jeopardize the safety of the traveling public on america's highways i want to congratulate the representative of boyda for bringing such an important issue to the congress so early in our congressional career and representative hunter on the other side of the aisle for his contributions to this issue and to this legislation we have here what's called a sap it's a statement of administration  policy they take us for sap if they believe we will believe the information they have conveyed to us in this letter they say that the safety standards including hours of service driver medical financial responsibility drug and alcohol testing will be all remedied by their program there is and are no hours of service regulations in mexico we've heard anecdotal evidence from mexican truck drivers that they are often forced as they're exploited them they're working for relatively low wages compared to truck drivers and us to drive as much as forty eight or seventy two hours at a stretch now how do they do that they laugh and they say dust what's dust drug operators this is commonly used in mexico there are no meaningful hours of service regulation there are there is no drug testing in mexico and illegal substances are frequently used for these extended trips but the administration would have us believe that by signing a piece of paper and waving a magic wand and having in place paper provisions on drug and alcohol testing or hours of service that these things will happen meaningfully suddenly to be a tremendous change in the culture of the american trucking industry they go on to say there will be an in depth safety inspection before they are allowed to operate in the united states well that's interesting because in testimony before my committee recently the administration admitted that when a new  carrier and we're having a problem with illegally run bus service what's called curb service here in the northeast it takes them up to eighteen months to get out and certify that that company actually exists and look at their papers in a filing cabinet they never go out and look at the buses never we have the same thing going on with the american trucking industry only a tiny fraction of trucks  are on an annual basis but somehow magically an agency that is totally overwhelmed by the volume of traffic is going to inspect each and every truck meaningfully in mexico inspect the credentials of the mexican truck drivers in depth certify the nonexistent drug testing programs certify tracking of the nonexistent hours of service in mexico and of course then they say this will all be made available to the american public here is the form in which it's made available it's right here from the federal register they're saying we're requiring publication of and they're saying be redundant to actually have all the safety audits in detail publish federal register because they put up this page it has a date that's good that's a good start it's up for seven days by the way in order to access this page you have to know the m x docket number of that particular mexican docket number of that particular carrier you have to know specifics to get nonspecific information that will only be posted for seven days and if you get through that maze and you happen to hit the seven day window it goes down after seven days i guess they don't have enough memory capacity down there d o t to leave it up longer for the public to review it you get this a form that has the applicant information business address and status quote provisional authority issued that's the in depth information that f m c essay is going to put up for the american public to review to understand that these audits are being conducted and these carriers are say we need this legislation so that we can be assured that we are protecting the safety of the american public with that i would reserve the balance of my time and we're going to reserve the balance of this time gentleman from tennessee mr s vote one hundred percent support both democrats and republicans in order to comply with nafta the department transportation is taking steps to fully open the mexican border to truck traffic to start this process the o t has announced a cross border demonstration program the bill we are considering today specifies requirements that the o t must meet when implementing this program but compliance with nafta does not mean that we have to or even that we should open the border without any scrutiny of the process it is a priority for our committee and for this congress to stay engaged on this issue and ensure that the border open for trucks is handled properly properly with the safety of american motor says our top priority a major theme of the bill we are considering today is cause for a review of the program is it is implemented by the department of transportation the bill requires the o t to ensure the trucks crossing into the us not only understand our safety regulations for mot carriers but that they are fully compliant with them as well this bill also requires the o t to maintain an active review of the demonstration project the o t must respond to the inspector general's periodic reviews and provide comments and suggestions to make the program better and when we mean better we mean safer i want to say that this bill is an excellent example of bipartisanship concern over mexican trucks does not fall on one side of that are the other many republicans and democrats both feel strongly about this issue that impacts the entire country to bales for recently introduced that addressed this issue one by our colleague mrs boyd from kansas and one from our colleague mr hunter from california on which  create the bill we are voting on today i believe h r seventeen seventy three was made stronger by taking the best attributes from both the boy the bill and the hunter bill finally mr speaker we need reciprocity i said at a hearing on this legislation that we should we should not approve more mexican trucking companies than american trucking for trucking companies that are approved to go into mexico we need reciprocity and we need fairness for american trucking companies know texas shares a longer border with mexico than any other border state and two thousand and four it takes about a port of entry there were three million commercial crossings the safety and congestion empath of this pilot program will be felt the most about texas drivers roads and businesses the impact will be sailed particularly by my constituents as interstate twenty thirty thirty five and forty five all converge into the heart of my congressional district i agree wholeheartedly with the distinguished chairman of aca made when he states that we must not balls to trade with mexico at the expense of the safety of american drivers this bill requires that several motor carriers complete all safety inspections on the mexicans out of the border the bill also mandates that safety can be assured  before a mexican truck enters that country under this program we in congress cannot afford to be soft in our oversight of this matter passing to save the instruction inspection in mexico even wanted manison by federal motor carrier is not a guarantee of mexican trucks and drivers that they will have the free rein over our roads and the event that this program proves successful it is important for this bo to give adequate guidance and assistance to border states like texas to address the burden of increased freight traffic including congestion and quality and wear and tear on our roads the department of transportation cannot use texas and other border states as guinea pigs and that give them the support that they need and closing up well as support this bill it removes much of the uncertainty regarding mrs meller has been one of the most active members of our committee on this particular legislation gentleman from michigan is recognized for three minutes thank you and i appreciate the gentleman yielding time but your speaker i rise and very strong support of h r seventeen seventy three the safe american road that this legislation sets up very very stringent quantifiable safety standards which the department transportation must meet before permitting mexican based trucks to operate through the united states actually before coming to congress i had the pleasure of serving for eight years as the michigan secretary of state with the principal responsibility of being that state's chief motor vehicle administrator i was also the chairman of the traffic safety commission of my state and so i had the responsibility for all licensing commercial driver's licenses as well as hazardous material endorsements so i had immediate come concerns about how the d o t pilot program might compromise the safety of our roads here in the united states we have reciprocity amongst the states so that we can share driving records across state lines and in mexico licensing requirements are very poor and it's well known that fraud in their system runs rampant in fact the transportation committee heard testimony from the deity's inspector general that one in five mexican driving records contained an error of some type mr speaker if we had a twenty percent error rate in the united states we would consider it a crises and i actually believe that that was a very low estimate there are also concerns about the insurance provisions of this program american truckers must carry very expensive insurance policies in the event that they are in an accident or what is to happen if a mexican truck has an accident somewhere in the united states good luck trying to collect good luck to the victims of that accident who will try to collect on sunday some damages from a mexican company i believe that if we let these mexican truckers into our country with questionable identification and insurance it exposes american drivers to more dangerous can conditions on our roadways first of all because the mexican drivers are allowed to work far longer hours than are truckers and secondly it is well known that there is widespread drug use in this profession as the chairman of our subcommittee has already articulated presently there is no system under which to secure testing that could take place in fact it's been said that there is not a single testing lab in mexico to ensure that the drivers coming into our country are drug free the numbers are i think our the easiest way to tell whether or not this proposal is a fair deal for the united states as soon as this pilot program was announced eight hundred mexican trucking companies lined up to come into the united states by contrast only two american companies desired to deliver into mexico i think those numbers are very indicative of whether or not this is a fair agreement for the united states because of all these problems groups like the teamsters as well as the owner operator independent drivers association also the advocates for highway and auto safety have all come out in opposition to this proposal mr speaker we need to ensure that this program can only take place once these trucks and drivers from mexico can meet the same standards that american trucks and drivers do trucks participating in the pilot program will be subject to rigorous safety inspection limited to a total of one thousand their drivers must also demonstrate clean driving record and have a proficiency in english this legislation as well will require extensive oversight and review of the pilot program from an independent review panel i urge my colleagues to support this important legislation i yield back my time gentlewoman's time has very difficult problem i happen to live at the border i represent the whole california mexico border through my district at least four thousand trucks a day pass through that means across the whole border three or four or five times that will across the volume is enormous there is no way for us to inspect this incredible volume of traffic in fact when there was a test case several years ago of inspecting all the trucks they found one hundred percent hundred of the trucks had either us insurance or safety violations were dealing with issues of insurance were additional dealing with issues of truck safety dealing with issues of driver certification and jobs on this side of the border there's no question that these certifications are just not the same standards that we apply we have fraudulent use of papers there is an enormous difficulty in getting accountability but in addition to mexico trucker we'll do it for fifty bucks that puts all our guys out of business with if this the administration proposal is allowed to go through so i thank the the chair for coming up with this creative solution this is a bad bad vision that with the bin astray should has to allow all trucks across without in a way which does not really meet the safety or insurance or certification standards that we have in this country and we're going to have a major accident somewhere and the people in america say how did this happen well we intend in congress to make sure that we keep our safer roads and we keep our jobs for american truckers are you gentlemen you will but yield back the balance of this time gentleman from tennessee two minutes to the gentle lady from west virginia this capital gentleman from west virginia is recognized for two minutes thank you mr speaker and i'd like to thank the gentleman from tennessee for yielding and i'd like to thank the leadership on the transportation committee for the creative solution that you've brought back with h r seven hundred seventy three because in place it in place is important restrictions upon the pilot program planned by the department of transportation to allow mexican trucks to operate across this country my first concern with the pilot is the impact on the safety of our nation's highways this congress gave this department specific criteria to ensure adequate safety in security measures were taken prior to allowing mexican trucks to travel on our highways i believe it is important that all of these criteria are met prior to the start of any pilot project on our nation's highways i'm also concerned very concerned about the economic circumstances of allowing a mexican trucks to operate within the united states it is my hope that if this pilot program is indeed implemented the department will work closely with state and local law enforcement to ensure that the prohibition on point to point deliveries within the united states by mexican trucking companies is enforced i'm especially pleased that this bill will require a plan to enforce existing english english proficiency regulations prior to the start of any pilot program it is critical for the safety of anyone on the road the truckers are able to understand traffic and warning signs and are able to communicate with law enforcement emergency management officials it is absolutely critical that we stop the department fermentable implementing their product program until we can ensure the safety of our american motorists and our american highways i can recognize for three minutes thank you chairman de fazio i certainly appreciate your support this is a tremendously huge issue and my district people want to know that congress is out there making our roads safe i have two children and went back and forth on i seventy between kansas city and st louis for years with two little kids the truck traffic is is amazingly dense we spent years encouraging truck safety and spending billions of dollars on safety and environmental standards and it just doesn't make any sense to now watch that be reversed madam speaker mr speaker the department of transportation has unveiled a pilot program that would permit poorly regulated mexican traffic onto american highways in it present form the d o t proposal exhibits reckless disregard for america's road safety not to mention our border security and our economic interests under current law trucks from registered in mexico can drive only within a narrow border zones in the united states before congress cargoes are transferred to an american vehicle the system not only protects u s highways from unsafe mexican traffic but it prevents drug smuggling and illegal immigration and it safeguards american transportation jobs but the d o d intends to halt this very sensible system under their pilot program mexican domiciled trucks could penetrate far into the american heartland the traditional safety standards required for vehicles on american roads such as s inspection limits on the number of hours driven in a day drug testing and criminal background checks for drivers hauling hazardous materials either would not apply or would be weakly enforced mexico certainly doesn't have a system right now for keeping these kinds of records in place it's ridiculous for us to consider that they will be able to enforce these regulations in any way that comes up to our standards and again let me say that our trucking industry has spent so much money getting our trucks making them safer and so much to bring them up to environmental standards it's just crazy to now say that we're going to bring in trucks to do not have to meet those same standards it's a d o t pilot program proceeds as planned drivers in kansas and all across america will soon share their roads with unsafe mexican trucks the flood of foreign traffic will inevitably rise result in collisions injuries and even fatalities i introduced the bill now under consideration the safe america roads act two thousand and seven to rein in the department of transportation the bill wires the cross border pilot program to comply with twenty two specifics strict safety criteria it creates an end of an independent review panel to monitor and evaluate the probe the pilot program after it launches and it provides that the program can be terminated at any point if the secretary of transportation does not comply with all of these provisions by decisively approving the safe safe american road act congress can protect the millions of american families who drive our highways every day i'd also like to thank chairman oberstar and chairman defies you know for their assistance and support and i certainly urge my colleagues to and want to thank the chairman ranking members of the transportation infrastructure for their leadership on this issue i was proud to co sponsor congressman hunter is legislation h r seventeen fifty six and i'm happy to support the revised h r seventeen seventy three the bill before us which incorporates maybe the strongest provisions from the hundred bill safety of americans and american highways must always take precedence over some obscure treaty obligation or as i'm concerned the safety of americans and enforcing american law is far and away the number one priority here is a common sense legislation that would prevent mexican motor carriers from operating in the united states be on the commercial zones on the united states mexico border until the secretary of asportation unequivocal he sort of fired several minimum standard requiring english language proficiency during u law enforcement personnel had the ability to access databases verify driving records then to cation criminal history risk to homeland security in the same way the information is used to verify u s operators we do not need ninety thousand pounds and guided missiles on our highways every day the trucking industry ships more cargo in our nation in any other mode of transportation the american professionals behind these rigs and their equipment are subject to constant strange and safety standards this bill ensures that at the very minimum mexican drug lords are subject to the same standards as our own operators safety of our citizens on our roadways must be our top priority yield two minutes to the gentleman from new jersey mr for gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes thank you mr speaker i thank of the gentleman from tennessee i want to thank congressman boyda for her work on addressing this very important issue and mr oberstar of course chairman oberstar and mr mica ranking member mike and all those who work so hard on this legislation the i'm a strong supporter and a co sponsor of the safe american roads act this legislation takes a reasoned and common sense approach to dealing with opening our borders to mexican mexico domiciled trucks said providing blanket access to u s roads this bill places important standards and restrictions on the d o t proposed pilot program ensuring that our roads remain safe and that our nation's trucking industry remains competitive the heart of this legislation centers on the stablish in a pilot program that is employ standards that we in congress approved while maintaining an open comment period to ensure that expert opinions are considered with regard to safety and compliance and enforcement the bill ensures accountability through the administrative and legislative process requiring an inspector general review of the pilot program to determine whether mexico domiciled motor carriers participating are in full compliance with u s motor carrier safety laws and requiring a report to congress within ninety days of completion of the program the safe american roads act is not aimed to close america's roadways to foreign truckers instead it requires the department of transportation to tap on the brakes to slow down and make sure that the road that we travel down is one that ensures the highest standards of safety and accountability further the legislation ensures that competitiveness of our nation's trucking industry by preventing mexico domiciled motor carriers from accessing u s highways until u s based trucking companies are giving comparable access in mexico wants again i want to thank congressman boyd a for introducing this legislation and her work with mr hunter and so many others i urge all of our colleagues to join me in supporting passage of this legislation and i yield back generally of backbones of his time in tennessee mr speaker how much time strongly support this legislation as a co sponsor being from texas we get the brunt of trucks coming in from mexico the united states and mexican truck driver shouldn't be treated any better or any worse than american truck drivers and general reputation of american trucking industry is very good they maintain their vehicles and they maintain the competence of their drivers and this legislation will require the same of mexican truck drivers that come into the united states  require them to have be ical that don't pollute that are not overweight that are maintained as well as american trucks and it was the simple but very logical principle that mexican truck drivers that drive throughout the united states those massive eighteen wheelers be able to read a street sign i think it's important that people who drive our freeways are able to read the directions on the side in the cities in which they travel into so this legislation makes a lot of sense it's common sense it's needed it's needed to committee on surface transportation over to the support of the session holding intensive hearings charting the future course for transportation as we move into the second half of recognizing the threat of mexican trucks at mid on a bastardly unrestrained without restraint into the united states are very minimal restraint to the department proposed i say express my great appreciation to the gentleman from florida mr mica for participating throughout the shaping of this legislation and working constructively to have a reasonable counter to the administration's plan and gentleman his ever judicial manner has helped us shape a very good balance to the allowing of mexican trucks into the united states  cross border pilot program the administration launches it's not just a little initiative all something to to let pass it's a major shift in transportation policy they were intent on opening the border with minimum public notification and at great cost to safety and despite serious concerns raised by the congress by safety advocates in the private sector by non profit organizations by states who are concerned about mexican domiciled trucks coming into the united states this legislation limits the authority of the sector to open the u s mexican border to trucks coming into the united states it will not allow a one year pilot program as simply a gimmick a ruse under which they can allow the border to be opened unilaterally under terms and conditions that the department or the administration might choose instead we have a strict set of prerequisites strict set of conditions part of program of three years  hundred motor carriers for mexico a thousand trucks does not provide blanket authority for three years the secretary fails to comply with any provision of the act the program terminate we also require the inspector general the department of transportation concurrently while the program is underway to review and report back to the public to the congress to the department where where there are failures and deviations from if there are any from the program that we've set in place especially if mexican carriers do not meet strict federal safety requirements this is not a run operate and then evaluate it is operate and concurrently evaluate what the department is doing what the mexican trucks are doing are they in mexico requiring fundamental elements of highway safety that u s drivers are we are required to submit to  do they have hours of service requirements comparable to those in the united states mexico does not have a single certified lab to test drivers for drug and alcohol as compliance as our drivers are required to be subjected to the inspector general has to verify that every requirement of section three fifty a public law one zero seven eight seven of the basic authority under which they propose to operate has sufficient mechanisms in place to ensure safety to a force and force safety d o t has to also under this legislation provide the public an opportunity to comment on issues related to safety and cabin to us that the trucks coming to the united states to deliver goods to a destination point in carry goods back into mexico aren't moving goods from one u s city to another u s city in violation of our kava taj laws we don't allow an aviation we're not going to allow it in trucking we're living up to our commitments under nafta but we have put in place real requirements that are vigorous protections that are important to protect travelers on our u s roads from failures in mexico and how they had in restoration set up their letter statement days to take action necessary to address adverse fire findings or terminate the program that's that's a requirement on safety if you find an unsafe condition how much longer than five days you want to allow it to go how much longer do you want to have an unsafe condition existing on our roads that's just dead wrong and then another provision they complain that we their language says purporting to require the sector transportation to submit legislative recommendations to congress they submit legislative recommendations to congress and every executive branch agency whether we want them or not they submit legislative recommendations were saying may submit legislative record if there are some things they want change we invite them to submit their recommendations to the congress so you know i just simply don't don't buy that i think they're sort of a half hearted statement so this is good legislation good sound policy protects us drivers and allows us to keep commitments under nafta and will protect congress gentleman from california is not the bill that we're considering i'm sorry mr hunter is not with us today also to speak but i know he has many important obligations in his responsibility in securing our national defen e again i believe mr hunter's bill would have been a stronger bill that had that would have even more teeth to make certain that mexican trucks comply with not only our safety regulations but also our economic  provisions the equity between the economy of mexico and the united states had no problem with canada but mexico is a different situation i'm for open and fair trade but went past a nafta then and today was a trade agreement between equal partners when it comes to mexico this administration the bush administration unfortunately is inherited what i call the haunting legacy of the clinton had only positive things to say about nafta also of quotes by current speaker pelosi then the representative from california and supporting nafta i'm casting my vote for the young people of america and for the future for the future isn't to send jobs to the south to mexico and then now open up the borders and truck product produced by those jobs  to the north the responsibility we have in congress is to make certain that even though we have to comply with some of the terms of this is unfair green meant that we do protect the  congressman that what we're doing today maintain at least at a minimum and keeping the unfair provisions of a treaty enacted by a democratic congress under the the promotion of president close on our side i have no other speakers at this point i'll simply say that no matter how much we want to have good relations and trade with our friends in mexico and we all certainly want that the first obligation of the u s congress is to the american people this bill is important for the safety of american roads it's important to our american trucking companies our small businesses and to our truck drivers it's legislation that all this my good friend from florida the ranking republican member on the committee i made a point that nafta was promoted by and passed during the clinton ministration that's true and i have continually  castigated that admit stray ssion and that president for that act however he does need to remember that the agreement was negotiated by the first bush administration adopted by the clinton administration unfortunately into the discredit of the clinton  ministration and passed the house of representatives with a large majority of republican votes yes it was a democratic house but a very substantial majority of the democrats opposed the legislation so this is  truly a bipartisan problem but if you want to attribute blame the republican members of the house would bear that and not the democratic members although we were in the majority so and he also talked about unfair portions of the agreement well the president has the authority to give six months notice and any time that we're going to withdraw in order to require renegotiation of provisions of the agreements of this president felt any of the provisions are unfair or they felt they were under duress to allow the mexican trucks into this country they have the tools to renegotiate that agreement and i wish they would use those tools but they won't because this administration is all about killing off american jobs and american labor and that's what this is ultimately intended to do you can get a mexican truck driver to work for a heck of a lot less than a teamster in the united states and you can get a mexican dock worker to work for a heck of a lot less than a longshoreman in the united states and that's what this ultimately is designed to do the dream of the nafta proponents is that the goods all the goods the things we don't make in america anymore will be imported from china to a port in mexico avoiding the ports that u s longshoremen unloaded on mexican trucks avoiding mexican avoiding u s trucking companies and u s drivers and brought up into america's heartland this bill is about protecting the safety of the american traveling public that's what's before us today i'd love to revisit and renegotiate nafta any day of the week but today we're all about the safety of american public and that's what we're hearing with this legislation i'm has expired all time has expired the question revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on house resolution fifteen zero five without objection mr speaker i yield massif such time as i might consume numerous including his longstanding support for the use of hope six hurt funds to help smaller cities develop affordable housing a career public servant congressman leach served thirty years as a representative in congress where he chaired the banking and financial services committee the subcommittee on asian and pacific affairs and the congressional executive commission on china he holds eight honorary degrees is receiving decorations from two foreign governments and is the recipient of the wayne morris integrity and politics award the woodrow wilson award from johns hopkins and they had a stevenson award from the united nations association and the edgar weyburn award from the sierra club jim leach was hardworking hallow respected on both sides of the al and dedicated to the welfare states courthouse the bill honors honors congressman leach dedication to public service congressman leach began his long and distinguished career of public service is a congressional staff in the one nine hundred sixty s he later served as a foreign service officer and is a delicate delegate to  united nations general assembly in one hundred seventy six congressman leach was elected to the house of representatives he served in the u s house for thirty years from one thousand nine hundred seventy seven to two thousand and seven during his time in congress he chaired the committee on banking and financial services the subcommittee on asian and pacific affairs and the congressional executive commission on china speaker i support this legislation urge my colleagues to do the same and i'd reserve the balance of my time gentlemen reserve development time gentleman from texas decent distinguished and thoughtful member of congress is a learned member of the body is a personal friend he served this country and many international education cultural affairs he served in advisory capacity with the federal home loan bank board rather well rounded career before being elected to congress one term after i was elected he chaired at one point the committee and banking and financial services subcommittee and agent pacific affairs and the congressional executive commission on china he along the way and an award from the sierra club the edgar weyburn award he's now serving on the faculty at princeton's woodrow wilson school of public and international affairs as a visiting professor he's bill to honor one of congress's most well respected and well liked members there are rare people who pass through this body and and leave with that with good feelings and with the good memories by those of us who continue to serve and jim leach is one of those that's very appropriate to designate the u s courthouse at davenport iowa in his honor in his name and again i really expressed my great admiration to the our delegation for so recognizing the said the former member of congress his service in no way takes away from the service same thoughtfulness and constructiveness to the public policy process that his predecessor did when we honor today i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and champions here in this congress a state wrestling champion i was like being a national champion someplace else just to say humility aside for the moment but that is a characteristic that jim leach had a characteristic of a real humility and the characteristics of a champion and as he came here to congress and he began that long tenure that was here and his he touched a lot of different issues but his history and his experience the financial industry was unparalleled in the in the contemporary congress and i know of no period in previous history when there's been someone that's been so respected that has taken such a leadership in the financial affairs and as chairman of the finance committee and then later on as chairman of the subcommittee on the international relations jim leach b it was a leader that was a respected on both sides he was some would call him a bipartisan legislator i would say jim leach was a nonpartisan member of this congress he evaluated each one of those issues that came before him drew an independent judgment and if you might question as independents i'll also make  concession on congressman leach and that it always have every bit of his hair in place and you didn't he led sometimes with a sweater underneath his jacket and it was only picked up by senator grassley as a stylish tip but that's because followed his own mission his own conscience his own intellect and in fact he used his time to focus on those issues that were the good things for americans the good things for iowans so i'm proud today to stand in support of this resolution and proud to be three minutes to mr lowe that gentleman from iowa's recognizer three minutes this is speaker i'm pleased to rise to offer house resolution fifteen zero five this bill does ignites the united states federal building located  davenport iowa the james a leech united states courthouse jim leach represented iowa with grayson distinction for thirty years and this legislation is a tribute to a service his legacy of statesmanship his leadership in foreign affairs and financial services has already recounted his dedication to public service and his capable representation of his constituents left a lasting impact on the district i am now honored to represent jim is a native son of iowa and throughout his time in congress his representation of the state was based upon the values of the people he represented and of the town in which he grew up jim recently joined the faculty of the woodrow wilson school of public and international affairs at princeton his alma mater as a former professor myself and i say former now i believe i can say with some authority that the experience and knowledge that jim has brought to the woodrow wilson school has no doubt been a tremendous asset for princeton students and faculty in fact as a professor at cornell college in iowa i was pleased to invite him to campus to lecture on foreign policy matters his talks are always informative and engaging i know that these guest lectures were only a glimpse of the knowledge the depth of the knowledge and expertise that jim has brought to princeton on a daily basis that he chose to continue his commitment to public service by training the next generation of scholars and practitioners is indicative of jim's time in congress and i wish him the best of luck in his new career i would like to take this opportunity to thank jim for as many years of service it is my hope that i am able to represent iowa's second district as capably as he did for so many i thank the gentleman from missouri and i thank the speaker for the the time to rise in support of this resolution to honor our great friend jim leach by naming the courthouse in da thoughtfulness someone who was a strong iowa hawkeye supporter having the hawks in his district and i myself representing i was states that we used to go back and forth an awful lot  jim leach will be remembered here in this body for his thirty years of service his great thoughtfulness his intellect someone who whether it be in financial over the internet someone who knew and understand understood international policy foreign affairs like no one else someone who had such a broad breadth of knowledge who could bring that forth and convey it to other folks in a very kind and thoughtful way he does represent the very best of what's in this congress and that is a spirit of bipartisanship of thought over politics of of actions rather than posturing someone who i have the greatest personal respect for and i'm so pleased that mr loeb seconds brought this resolution to the floor of the house and i would urge everyone to support this resolution in honor of james leach and i want to commend i appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in permitting me to add my voice pressing the appreciation to mr love's act and to the iowa delegation for bringing this resolution forward commemorating the service of our friend  former colleague jim leach the thirty years that we were privileged in this body to watch him at work actually doesn't do justice in terms of the words the recitation to what jim leach did he was dignified and principled one of the few people who could navigate these halls successfully without ever being mired in partisan politics doing it his way a way that was right for the country if often difficult for him politically just reciting the facts misses the quality of his service jim leach predicted the savings and loan crisis he was spot on  his observations about american diplomacy from the middle east to north dakota and then north korea and probably north dakota as well as i think about it he as an example of his princip nature he resigned from the forest service the foreign service in protest of president nixon's firing of special prosecutor archibald cox he was in his congressional campaigns he was one of the few people who refused to accept contributions out of state donations he wouldn't run negative ads and he tried to stop outside groups who were supporting him from in turn running negative ads in one nine hundred ninety seven he refused to vote for speaker newt gingrich because of deep ethics concerns and while it was the right thing to do as history has shown it was a tough vote against a sitting speaker in your own party but it was an example of how jim leach operated he correctly predicted what was going to happen with our ill advised adventure in iraq with great clarity and force in committee and on the floor and then he voted against it again at some difficulty for himself politically particular at that time that wasn't the prevailing winds in his party or in the country but that's how jim leach was he thought about it he analyzed it he shared it in his own thoughtful understated way and he was right and the congressional deliberations were better as a result i must say that i'm sorry that president bush chose not to take the advice of dozens of members in this body on both sides of the aisle who are just that jim leach be appointed as the u s representative to the united nations post for which he would be eminently well served but i'm confident we will see a new chapter in his distinguished career whether in the united nations in a new administration but as a friend and a colleague an american i look forward to whatever that next chapter is gentleman's time has expired gentlemen from missouri speaker i reserve balance my time don't reserve the balance of this time gentleman from texas those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection a motion to reconsider is laid on the table without objection the title is amended convey a parcel of property to the alaska railroad corporation the corker retort report the title of the bill h r ten thirty six of bills authorize the administrator of general services to convey a parcel of real property to the may have five legislative days with within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials own house resolution ten thirty six  real property known as g s a fleet management center the g s a fleet management center is a parcel located at the intersection of second avenue and christian avenue in anchorage alaska consisting of approximately seventy eight thousand square feet of land the alaska rare old corporation in exchange for the land will either provide a replacement opposed to waiting for the g s a fleet management center to be conveyed or railroad corporation will pay the administrator for the fair market value of the g s a fleet management center based on its highest and best use as a term and by an independent appraisal commissioned property to the publicly owned alaska railroad the parcel property is known as the fleet management center located in anchorage alaska currently being utilized as a g s a motor pool but it's necessary for a planned expansion of the rail yard there an anchorage  ten thirty six requires the administrator to sell the property the fair market value or exchange property for a like value piece of real estate value the proper will be determined by an independent appraisal commission by the g s a and paid for by the alaska railroad corporation this bill requires no requires that all the proceeds from the sale be deposited the federal buildings fun mr speaker i support this measure my colleagues do so i reserve the balance of my time general in reserve the balance of this time gentleman legislative log jams that just didn't make it to the house floor because of scheduling problems of the of the house but it's very important for the alaska railroad which is an entity of the state of alaska and the gentleman from alaska mr young has several times talk to me about the need to move this bill we had it all ready to go in the last congress as i said and i'm very happy were able to bring it up early on in this alaska needed for the alaska railroads operations but as we got into it office of management and budget raised and the congressional budget office raised some scoring issues so in  transparent it's a that's a very good outcome and benefits g s a benefits the public buildings fund of the federal government and it benefits the alaska railroad and the state of alaska and i'm i know that the gentleman from alaska mr young is very pleased with the outcome and i thought i want to thank the ranking member of the subcommittee on public buildings and economic development for his participation through this process and bring it to a successful is laid on the table  on the court a report the title of the concurrent resolution house calendar number fifty five house quicker resolution one twenty three concur resolution authorizing the use of the capitol grounds for the district of columbia that all members may have five legislative days within which to rebounds and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on house and current resolution one two three without object the architect of the capitol to make sure that the event is in full compliance with rules and regulations governing the use of the camp or grounds the law enforcement torch run for the special olympics is a run nationwide by l enforcement officials leading up to each state are national special olympics summer games each year nearly fifty local and federal law and voice my agency is in washington d take place at catholic university in the district of columbia this is a worthwhile event attended back thousands of special olympians their families and friends and i support the resolution and reserve the balance of  district of columbia special olympics law enforcement torch run which is to be held june eighth two thousand and seven events co sponsored by the u s capitol police the special olympics is an international organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children and adult with the disabilities through athletics u s capitol police will host the opening ceremonies for the torch run which will take place on the west terrace the capital once lit the torch will be carried to fort mcnair an estimated two thousand law enforcement representatives more than sixty local and federal law enforcement agencies will participate in this year's event congress has traditionally supported this war the caused by authorized news the capitol grounds i encourage my colleagues to join the law enforcement community in supporting the special olympics and join me in supporting this resolution those in favor say aye those opposed no and if any of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the resolution is agreed to and without objection a motion to reconsider is laid on the table celebrated yearly go on the third week of may the week has been designated by variety of organizations to celebrate our public works professionals and the critical work that they do to keep my infrastructure in transportation systems work in loosely defined and as projects that are carried out before the public good aptly named because they enable public to complete its work hazardous materials pipelines when this is full infrastructure such as water supply infrastructure and sewage and refuse disposal systems and transportation systems such as rail highways airports and public transit all fall under the needs of public works an average of one hundred fifty gallons of water per day although running water is expected in most homes in our nation many developing countries still consider this a luxury globally fifty percent of the world's hospital beds are seal with patients suffering from water borne illnesses with one child killed every eight seconds to the water related sickness people and more developed nations such as the united states use up to ten times more water than those in the underdeveloped poor countries and we do take it for granted for the importance that they play in our daily lives transportation and infrastructure systems and facilities often get the bad end of the deal that is although public works are depended on consistently they receive no glory or praise when a company complicating the job rather many only pa tribute and attention to these public works when they fail such as sewage and land breaks that flow out of our basement or levee failures as a result and flow to communities this legislative session that houses a several key bills that will improve our water and wastewater infrastructure to further reduce facility and system failure h r five sixty nine the water quality investment act of two thousand and seven man's a federal water pollution control act to authorize appropriations for sewer overflow control grants h r seven hundred the healthy communities water supply act of two thousand and seven then the federal water pollution control lead to expand the palette program for alternative water source projects h r seven twenty the water quality financing act of two thousand and seven amanda said a water pollution control led to authorize a proper as for state water pollution control revolving  changes it has been more than six years since a water resources bill was signed into law and all the water resource legislation expected to be sent into law every two years president clinton was the last white house occupant to take an active troops water and public health needs recognize the importance of public works for our communities and our country and i am grateful for the administrators engineers servicemen who continue to utilize their field and provide hours of service and dedication to ensure these necessary facilities and systems work for our nation as a port this resolution and urge my colleagues to support as well i reserve the balance amount ten on reserve develope time gentleman from virginia thank you mr speaker mr speaker i yield myself such time as i may consume gentleman is recognized for as much time as you may consume the house resolution three fifty two as a bipartisan resolution which recognizes the important contributions that public work professionals make every day to improve the public infrastructure of the united states i represent a coastal district in which healthy water transportation and infrastructure systems added to the economic and environmental prosperity of southeast virginia healthy water transportation and infrastructure systems are not only important to coastal communities but every district across the country to meet these needs as well as the need for flood protection and environmental restoration path being a water resources development act for two thousand and seven is a matter of high importance according to separate studies conducted by the congressional budget office e p a and municipal groups the current rate of capital investment will not keep our wastewater treatment systems operational state and local governments are spending approximately ten billion dollars a year in capital investments in wastewater infrastructure most of this funding comes from local ratepayers for rural time towns like those located on the eastern shore of virginia this often proves to be an unattainable feat because of the importance of public infrastructure plays in enhancing our quality of life improving our environment and contributing to our economic prosperity it is important for congress to recognize the contributions the professionals engineers and administrators make to ensuring america remains the world's premier economic those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in their pharmacy the rules are suspended the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table commemorating the marina's of the united states expressing support for the designation of the sixth annual national marine a day and for other purposes pursuant to the rule the gentleman from maryland mr cummings and the gentlewoman from seven as a six annual national marine a day national arena day that recognizes the central role that marina's play in giving shelter and providing gateways to the nearly thirteen million recreational boats registered in the united states national rim marina day is also intended to recognize the important role that recreational boaters and roomy i mean marina operators play in protecting our nation's critical marine resources recreational boating is a central part of the tourism and recreation industry in the united states according to the national marine manufactures association in two thousand and five recreational boating generated an estimated thirty seven billion dollars in sales and services nationwide in my own state of maryland there are just over two hundred thousand registered boats a study by the maryland sea grant program estimated that in two thousand five every seven point five boats in the state supported a job in our state's economy and contributed just over seven thousand six hundred dollars in economic activity recreational boating contribut estimated one point eight billion dollars to the state's gross product the millions of americans who participate in recreational boating activities rely on the estimated twelve hundred twelve thousand marinas and associated boating facilities in our nation to to access not only the water but also the support services that boats and boaters need as as estimated an estimated thirty percent of these marinas owned by minister of all or state governments and provide the public with water access at low or limited cost the remaining seventy percent of marinas are private and many are owner operated facilities with long family histories importantly however marinas are not only centers where boats can obtain fuel and services they are also centers for vibing boating safety and boating education programs intended to help improve the opening operating proficiency  recreational boaters though thirty five states now have some type of operator education or licensing requirement the national transportation safety board reported in two thousand and seven that more than eighty percent of all recreational boaters have still never taken any type of boating educational program perhaps and in large measure the result of the still limited in roman and recreational boating safety classes total deaths and recreational boating exceed deaths in the general a general aviation i mean it will continue to play a critical role in helping to reduce boating accidents and to lower the number of posts put out these associated with recreational boating by organizing and hosting boating education programs to complement the technical services they provide i hope that all marine operators through these united states will take the fortunately afford it this year but a national marine to continue  to expand boating safety programs and efforts i commend marina operators for their vital role in supporting recreational boating in the boating in the united states and with that mr speaker i reserve the balance of rogers recognizes august eleventh two thousand and seven as national marine a day this resolution acknowledges the significant contributions that marina's provides to so many of our local waterfront communities there are over twelve thousand merinos in the united states and these facilities serve as a place where people who share a passion for the water can come together to enjoy our nation's oceans lakes and rivers marinas also service stewards of the environment and actively seek to protect the waterways that surround them i represent a district in which recreational boating plays an important role in the lives of many constituents and marinas provide an easy access point for citizens who wish to enjoy our nation's waterways this resolution highlights the importance of marinas and their role in promoting recreational boating and in connecting people to their local waterways d and the chairman for ushering this piece of legislation through the committee and onto the floor honoring and acknowledging the contributions of marina owners and operators across this great country whether it's fishing one of the one thousand lakes in minnesota cruising the inland waterways of the sunshine state or enjoying the twelve hundred miles of shoreline along lake cumberland in my district marinas are america's launching point for millions of boats and boaters seeking to enjoy the beautiful rivers lakes these and oceans these marinas employ a nearly one hundred forty thousand people at over thirteen thousand operations nationwide providing safe harbor and supply depos for voters in kentucky over one hundred thirty marna facilities served over one hundred seventy six thousand registered boats in the commonwealth of kentucky from fish trap lake in the east to lake barkley out west in between in my district is the crown jewel of kentucky's waterways lake cumberland over five million visitors a year jet ski enjoy bass fishing and cruise the forty thousand acres of lake cumberland lake associated businesses including the eleven large scale marina operations generate over one hundred  sixty million dollars in economic activity for the region the lake area is famously dubbed the houseboat capital of the world made famous by the prominence of world class houseboat manufacturing counties these hundred foot boats house boats are literally floating homes with hot tubs roof decks full size kitchens waterslides grills kitchens and the like these boats are great for fishing trips reunions are a weekend escape on a waterways across the nation this resolution mr speaker recognizes the essential role and the men and women who own and operate them  in the united states providing their communities and visitors a place where friends and families can come together for recreation rest relaxation i think the committee for bringing this resolution through to the floor health resolution three forty three which commemorates the marina's of the united states and expresses the support for the six annual national marine a day the purpose of the national marine a day is to inform the public about the important role that marina place marina do play in our local communities by providing a very safe family friendly venue to encourage the recreational boating industry which can generate literally millions and billions of dollars in economic activity the positive spin off effect of marinas encourage the development of all kinds of businesses and restaurants to supplement the marinas putting people to work actually at my home in its palette of harrison township michigan a huge part of our commercial tax base is marina's and recreational oriented businesses  congressional district is a shoreline waterfront district as well in our marinas play a very large role in our very identity of our region in the great lakes region alone boating and marine generate four point three billion dollars annually and actually i grew up in the marina business that was our family business as well as our hobby so i know firsthand that marina's also provide an essential venue for recreational boating which is an important part in creating a very high quality of life in a community while increasing access to our nation's water resources marinas also play an important role in keeping our nation's water clean moreno's provide an appropriate place to dispose of waste material so that they are not discharged out into the waterways operators of marinas often play an important role in organizing cleanup efforts to collect marine debris to keep our waters clean finally mr speaker merinos are playing a very important role as well in the defense of our nation and i say that because they have been partnering with the united states coast guard and the marine operators and their customers are staying vigilant and keeping their eyes open for suspicious activity just as our truck drivers our eyes and ears on the interstate marine operators and their customers are really our eyes and our ears on the waterway as well marina operators still a critical role in keeping our nation secure along our liquid borders such as the one that my home state of michigan shares with our great neighbors of canada so i would certainly urge my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution i yield back  reserve a speaker john reservist generated from virginia thank you mr speaker mr speaker at this time i yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from florida  mr speaker and i think the gentle lady for the time i think that the introduction of this legislation is very important because it honors our coast guard our coast guard auxiliary and the national safe boating council i would also like to take this opportunity to thank the brave men and women of our coast guard and our coast guard auxiliary including those that work at coast guard sector key west in my congressional district and they work night and day to keep our nation waterways saved without their tireless dedication and outstanding service we would not have so just a perp safety records on our sit on our oceans on our lakes and on our rivers recreational and commercial voting is also a big part of life for my district congressional district eighteen in florida and our citizens truly appreciate the hard work in the dedication of the coast guard patrolling our nation's waters also once again express my deep amended those in favor say aye those opposed in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table gentleman from maryland thank you very much mr you mr speaker i move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution h congress seventy nine authorizing the use of the capitol grounds for the greater washington so box derby the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution house calendar number fifty four past and current resolution seventy nine concurrent resolution authorizing authorizing the use of the capitol grounds for the greater washington concurrent resolution authorizes the use of the capitol grounds for the two thousand and seven greater washington so box derby as with all events on capitol hill this event will be open to the public and free of charge the event organizers will work with the office of the architect of the capitol and the capitol hill police to ensure all rules and regulations will be followed to two thousand and seven greater washington soap box derby takes place on constitution avenue between delaware avenue and third street northwest on june sixteenth two thousand and seven this event has been held on the u s capitol grounds since one thousand nine hundred one and has attracted over fifty participants raging in ages from eight to seventeen participants competing in the event will and will and come from the metropolitan washington d c area the d c metropolitan race winners from each age division will compete later in the summer in akron ohio to compete in the all american so box derby i strongly support the resolution and reserve the balance of my time jones or just generally from virginia mr speaker i yield myself as much time as i may consume generated record thank you mr speaker mr speaker house concurrent resolution seventy nine authorizes the use of the capitol grounds for the sixty sixth annual greater washington soap box derby to be held on june sixteenth two thousand and seven the event is open to the public and free of charge the greater washington soap box derby is one of the largest qualifying races in the country the races take place on constitution avenue between delaware avenue and third street northwest participants are residents of the washington metropolitan area and range in age from eight to seventeen they compete in three open divisions depending on their level of expertise the winners of these races will represent the washington metropolitan area at the national finals held annually and akron ohio the annual soap box derby is a wonderful summer tradition i support this resolution which continues our custom of authorizing the use of the capitol grounds for this exciting event and urge my colleagues to do the same mr speaker i reserve the balance of my time not only reserves or time gentleman from maryland thank you very much i y three minutes i thank my friend for yielding and i congratulate him on his leadership of this subcommittee and his leadership in our state of maryland proud to be mr cummings colleague and i also thank the general idea from for genuine for her leadership in bringing this matter to the floor a speaker i proudly sponsor this read the resolution allowing the greater washington soap box derby association to hold the sixty sixth annual greater washington soap box derby on the capitol grounds on saturday june cars down a hill this inspired mr scott to hold a race and where the winner with a loving cup the first year the race took place in dayton ohio the following year the race is moved to akron due to the city's numerous hills but the hard work of on new hampshire ave over the years thousands of the region's young people participated in this great race although the location has moved from the original site on new hampshire to capitol hill the essence of the race has remained the same homemade gravity powered cars the spirit of competition and the pure joy of racing a soap box derby consist of dozens of drivers both boys and girls ranging in ages from eight to seventeen these racers are divided into three divisions stock superstock and masters the local winner of each division will automatically qualify to compete with races from around the world in the seventy in all american soapbox derby in akron ohio on july twenty the festivities in akron begin with the racers receive a police escort in detail and conclude in the winner's circle with the awarding of scholarships and merchandise in between the racers and their families participate in a world when of activities that leave them with enduring friendships and memories that last a lifetime mr speaker this event has been called and i quote the greatest adventure racing event in the world and it is an excellent opportunity for the contestants from the district of columbia maryland and virginia to learn basic building skills while gaining a real sense of accomplishment and competition i strongly encourage my colleagues to join with me and the other original co sponsors represented frank will jim moran eleanor holmes norton al wynn and chris van hollen as well as mr cummings and mr wright and supporting this resolution which honors such an extraordinary and in some time gentleman from maryland figure again i urge my colleagues to vote for this this is this wonderful resolution and with that i yield back gentleman years back the time the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house concurr titled resolution house resolution three eighty six resolution recognizing the coast guard the coast guard auxilary and the national safe boating council for their efforts to promote national safe boating week pursuant to the rule of the gentleman from of h read three eighty six as amended this record this resolution recognizes the goals of national state boating week and recognizes the coast guard and the coast guard auxiliar outstanding work that they do to keep boaters safe and to rescue those in the stress seems like so many other of the critical safety awareness campaigns in the transportation feel national say boating week came about through the dedication of a concerned voluntary group the north american say boating campaign began some fifty years ago this year in one thousand nine hundred eighty a year after the campaign began congress passed a joint resolution that authorized and requested the president to designate the week prior to morial day weekend as national safe boating week in keeping with this tradition this year on may tenth president bush again designated a week before memorial day as national say voting week according to the coast guard as of two thousand and five the just on the thirteen million registered recreational boats in the united states in two thousand and five a total of four thousand nine hundred sixty nine recreational boating accidents were report it to the coast guard though it is likely that there were many more accidents that were never reported according to the coast guard the leading types of recreational boating accidents were collisions and falls over board careless inattention on the part of a boat's operator was the largest single cause of recreational boating accidents in two thousand and five however the use of alcohol was the largest cause of accidents that resulted in fatalities simply put mixing boats and alcohol can yield the same fatal results that mixing cars in acol alcohol can go on in two thousand and five recreational boating accidents caused nearly three thousand five hundred injuries and nearly seven hundred deaths total deaths in two thousand and five were down approximately twenty five percent below the total of nine hundred twenty four fatalities experienced in one nine hundred ninety one unfortunately however recreational boating deaths in two thousand and five increase after three straight years of steady declines the coastguard reports that of the nearly seven hundred people who died in recreational boating actions in two thousand and five four hundred ninety one died as a result of drowning and four hundred twenty six of those who drowned were not wearing a life jacket in my own state of maryland thirteen of the fifteen people who died  recreational boating accidents drowned in response to the prevalence of drowning as a cause of death among red racial voters the theme of this year's national boating safety week i in here it is emphasizes the singular importance of the use of personal flotation devices during recreational boating importantly however it is not eno merely to have a personal flotation device on board a boat recreational boaters must familiarize themselves with the use of the life jacket jackets and should also take the time to experience swimming while wearing the device i commend all those in our nation's boating clubs who work year round to train recreational boaters on say boating practices and to meynell and maintain awareness of boating safety practices in closing mrs figure also want to recognize the eye outstanding work that the coast guard performs preserving life at sea i've often said that they are then blue line at sea and that they are last year the coast guard saved more than four thousand four hundred lives in the course of a search and rescue operations many of which were performed under a very difficult and dangerous circumstances just yesterday we were again reminded of the incredible dedication and skill that the coast guard brings to their work when they coordinated the successful evacuation of a reported two hundred eighty one passengers and crew members from the interests of the north cruise ship off the coast of alaska finally also want to remember the coast guardsman who has been lost at this year and all who have died in our nation's service and i thank all of the members of the coast guard for their outstanding work i also thank consume general eighty's recognize mr speaker i entered house resolution three eighty six lastly which recognizes the important work of the coast guard the coast guard auxilary and national safe boating council in promoting boating safety i represent a district in which recreational boating plays an extremely important role in the lives of many constituents sailors water spoke sports enthusiasts and fishermen are active recreational boaters in the chesapeake bay and in virginia's coastal waters recreational boating is one of the nation's most popular pastimes and while the number of recreational boating fatalities has declined by more than half since hundred seventy many lives are still lost each year and unfortunately mr speaker there are far too many of us who have lost friends or family members more than half of these lives could be saved with the proper use of boating safety equipment the coast guard and states continue to work closely together to promote boating safety and to decrease the number of accidents injuries and fatalities in u s waters and they should be commended for their efforts congress took action in two thousand and five to support state and federal boating safety programs by establishing the sport fishing and recreational boating safety trust fund  fiscal year two thousand and six more than ninety two million dollars and recreational boating safety state grants were provided to the states and us territories from revenues that were wholly derived from federal taxes marine fuels and fishing equipment this funding supports programs that encourage the use of personal flotation devices and other safe boating practices and are critical in safeguarding the recreational boating public this resolution highlights the importance of safe creational boating and i urge my colleagues to support it and i reserve the balance of my time generally generally to research a time gentlemen  speaker i rise today in very strong support of house resolution three eighty six commending the efforts of the united states coast guard the coast guard auxilary and the national faith voting council for their efforts to promote national faith voting week actually grew up in the boating industry my family was in the marina business and still today our family hobby is voting as well i serve as a co chair of the congressional voting caucus and i know firsthand the benefits and enjoyment to be had from body but also the serious risks associated with your responsible voting practices by my home state of michigan actually has the third most registered votes of any of the states in the nation unfortunately that great enjoyment of our not equal culture goes hand in hand with the many stories each year that we hear about about boating accidents we hear about persons lost overboard or collisions or just reckless boating as well which result in accidents each year many of them sadly ending and deaths that occurred while individuals were enjoying their very favorite activity out on the water the united states coast guard the coast guard auxilary and the national safe boating council have taken it upon themselves to promote safe voting practices every day of the year but especially they emphasize these goals during national faith voting week resolution house resolution three eighty six command these groups for their service in this field mr speaker some of the principals that are expelled by the national safe boating week include the proper use of personal flotation devices or observing the rules of the road like who has a right away just understanding port from starboard attending a boating education course and avoiding the use of alcohol why operating a boat all of these things can think nipa can we cut down on the number on the water accidents and help everybody enjoy their time on the likes of rivers the bays and the ocean that we are absolutely so very blessed to have in our great country it's my pleasure to support this resolution as well as all of the groups that it commands in fact i want to make now that my congressional district is a shoreline district and i also want to say thanks as well to all of the sheriff marine divisions that operate not only in my counties legislation because very very important one of the things that we in our subcommittee on the coast guard we just recently had a hearing with regard to fishing safety and one of the interesting things that came forth during that discussion in doing that hearing was how the industry was so very much interested interested in making sure that there was boating safety and they wanted to make sure that their industry was regulated and that was a very pleasing to our ears and so it is at that that mr speaker i will yield back and urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation the gentleman from maryland yield back this time the questionnaire as well the house suspend the rules and agreed to house resolution three hundred eighty six as amended those in favor say aye those opposed in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in their firm and the rules are suspended resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table without objection the title is amend are what reason the lady from california writes mr speaker i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution h read house resolution two ninety six the current report the title resolution house resolution two ninety six twenty minutes the chair recognizes gentlewoman from california i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration without objection mr speaker i yield myself such time as i may consume generally to california recognized madam speaker mr speaker i rise in support of house resolution two ninety six recognizing national nielson a fill awareness week and i commend my colleague congressman john larson for bringing attention to this issue eal cinna feel like a disorders are devastating as patients literally suffer from attack on their bodies by their own immune systems they are chronic disorders that have no cure and can even be fatal because they are rare patients often go on diagnosed or misdiagnosed and as a nurse i have seen intimately how heartbreaking it is for a patient and his or her family to go through test after test suffering all the while from an identifiable condition and that is why i support this calling for greater awareness of the use in a feel like disorders and encouraging health care providers to increase education about these diseases and i urge my colleagues to support this resolution as well and i reserve the balance of my time disorders there are little known disorders are thought to be both allergic in auto immune in nature the body produces white blood cells and higher than normal amounts in attacks to proteins in tissue as a result and the patients who have this kind of  variety of symptoms and of course is sometimes life threatening and is now there's no new and no increased cure and i know mr larson is going to be speaking on this because he personally has first hand knowledge and so i'm going to reserve the i thank the gentleman from california for yielding but also for her continued outstanding service in the united states congress and bringing the knowledge of for profession her expertise to this body on a regular basis and especially the compassion that's needed for so many of those who suffer from us in a field disorder more than fifty thousand in this nation applaud my colleague from north carolina also represent america for her co sponsoring this legacy and then understanding as well the importance that this has for so many families who oftentimes of the ones who suffer along with the patient because of lack of diagnosis and then also the because of the way i represent of caps is described the nature of this disease and what it does to the patient that it attacks when the white blood cells in your own system begin to attack itself and creates the disorders that it does often resulting in people having to be fed by tubes you can imagine the tremendous stress that this causes on the parts of parents and of course family members this bill comes before us not because of me but because of create a courageous woman like lois capps and like sue merrick who wonder stand what families go through when they face issues like this i was fortunate to have dr wendy book from my district in connecticut who resides in glastonbury a doctor herself as well as his her husband come before me to talk about this disorder because of their desire to make sure that the nation be made aware of what so many children are suffering from she was joined by beth maze who together the cole founders of the american partnership for eosinophilic disorders when dr books son ryan was sick before his first birthday doctor sent him home with a feeding tube and no the nation for his mysterious illness this illness when undiagnosed for two more years now this ryan is parents are doctors they're in a field and so for doctors to that by how other parents must feel who do not come from similar professions and so they felt in founding this organization this partnership that what was needed across the country was awareness and understanding quite frankly what's also needed is funding but it has to start at a place of education awareness and understanding and is most pieces of critical legislation do it comes not from a member of congress but it comes from a constituent a citizen who has the temerity to stand up and speak out for a suffering that while a neighbor or one of their own children are going through and where is mrs capps pointed out sometimes there is no cure or the diagnosis eludes all the best efforts of professions but it's getting better and with awareness they know that they can deal with this going forward hospitals in cincinnati in most notably the children's hospital of philadelphia where i visited personally are working hard at identifying this disorder and helping parents and working with them and i want to commend the work of dr chris lee in chorus and dr jonathan sper go and especially a michelle shooter who spent so many so much time dealing with the parents and helping them through this process and someone who has a son who has a illness that has gone on diagnosis i empathize deeply with parents who go through this experience in understand deeply the need for education the need for better understanding and the responsibility that we share as members of congress to do our part to first educate the public with respect to this disorder but then secondly and more hopefully to make sure that we follow through by funding and assisting what you have to step back and admire however is the courage of these parents who without their love and devotion and care for their children without their consistent nurturing and support you wonder what would happen to these children but because of their courage and because of their ability to come forth and speak out about this hopefully through resolutions like this and greater understanding that we'll be able to assist  help them and assist families and their not for profit organization will get the support that it needs will create the understanding that it needs and provide the much needed relief for the children who are afflicted and the families that deal with this problem and so i thank representative caps and i thank represent american a number of co sponsors on this legislation for having come forward and assisted in bringing this to the forefront there will be members from this association on the hill tomorrow going to various house members and talking to their offices in talking with them and their staff about this order please listen to them take them into your heart it's an important issue in vital not only for their children their families but i daresay for all of us in the country it speaks volumes to the better angels that we have here in the united states congress in our willingness to reach out and assist the constituents we're sworn to serve and with that i yield back to my colleague and a gentleman yield back this time generally from north carolina yes i have no most speakers and  would like to inquire of the general it if he has any more speakers i have no more speakers then i would like to go back the balance of my time general lady from north carolina us back or time generated from california and i as a indicated i have no more security either but i do want to say a word of thanks to my colleague from north carolina we serve on the same committee and this is an issue that we both care about but particular thanks to my colleague from connecticut for reaffirming in me one of the major reasons that i am pleased to be a part of this body which was illustrated by his comments regarding his constituents as he observed their personal experience and was able to relate some of his own this is when we do the work of the people to carry the they the pain and suffering if you will the unanswered questions in the concerns and to do the people's work by first creating an awareness of a situation and we have many issues before us but for a family with a person diagnosed with a finish us in a field a condition it is a major major part of their lives and we have all a responsibility and it's a privilege and an honor to carry their concerns to this body to take this first of recognition and to be welcoming to those who come with personal experiences to our office doors tomorrow and then to learn what the next step after this one might be and to stand ready as a as a as elected officials to work on behalf of those who who simply desire to relieve the pain and suffering of dear and loved members of their family and sell i thank my colleague both of them my colleagues for  opposed no in their pin of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table want to clause eight of rule twenty proceedings will resume on motions to suspend the rules previously postponed votes will be taken in the following order house resolution six thirty four by the azan a house age and they the first electronic vote will be conducted as a fifteen minute vote remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five minute votes