the house will now be in order the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker the god author of life and sewage of eternal love you reveal yourself in human terms so that we may sense your presence and in our minds hold on to your commands help us in congress and as a nation to respect one another as you respect all and in doubt each human life within rights according to your prophet in ways each age is blessed with unique personalities and particular persons who are given significant positions and great responsibilities because the president of the united states of america has constitutional duties overwhelming demands powerful decisions to make an enormous influence upon world history he is always in need of our prayers as this chamber and this body is ready to welcome president george w bush for his state of the union address we ask your blessing upon him his cabinet all his advisors and especially his family guide him protect and grant him health and your saving grace that your people may be united and strength and in truth goodness and peace this we ask calling upon your holy name and then the chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces to the house his approval there are pursuant to clause one of row one the journal stands approved the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from south carolina mr the chair will entertain requests for one minute speeches for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise without one minute to revise and extend my remarks without objection mr speaker later this week congress will return to the issue of how best to modernize the foreign intelligence surveillance act in november in this house of representatives we passed a very good bill in november we would do well to observe the principles established in that bill any final review of domestic surveillance passed by congress should in view could should include court review of executive branch actions and the reason for this requirement is quite simple having a legal standard of review provides us both better intelligence and better civil liberty protections for our people it's simple it has been demonstrated that when officials must establish before an independent court that they know what they're doing that they have reason to intercept communications we get better intelligence and of course that's the point to have the intelligence to protect the american people from indiscriminate collection and fishing expeditions those are not productive in november we passed a bill that would do this to restore act the bill guarantees court review of executive branch actions relating to surveillance activities i would commend that bill to this house provision in the proposed economic stimulus package currently the package we plan to vote on tomorrow will include a fifty percent bonus depreciation for the first year for certain machinery and equipment purchases this increase in bonus depreciation was included in the jobs tax relief act of two thousand and three and contributed to the productivity of small businesses a boost in job creation and a steady rise in the growth of the economy over the last five years this incentive for small businesses enables them to concede to compete with born competitors the best way to weather this current economic storm is to build on the principles that have made our economy the envy of the world that means lower taxes less government regulation and economic incentives for american businesses we should promote the concept that the people should keep their own money which they know how to spend best as explained by editor editor jerry balloon of the lexington county chronicle in know that we're going to be looking at economic stimulus packages and we're going to be trying to jumpstart and help our economy it is my belief that one way that we can do that is the make sure that we provide jobs training program while the one million young people across the country who don't have any money no job no employment many of them are out of school let's consider a job training program for young people as a part of the economic stimulus package and i yield back the balance of my time the money brought in by income taxpayers he will just borrow a hundred and fifty billion dollars and give it away to americans many of whom don't even pay income tax the idea is that americans will rush out and spend the free money and that will help the economy but the last time the feds gave away money seventy five per cent of the recipients paid off personal debt rather than go shopping at the mall and where is uncle sam going to borrow one hundred fifty billion dollars well probably from communist china who alre ady owns much of our debt you know that's a country that sells toys to america that contains lead and how does borrowing billions with interest expecting our kids to pay off our debt make us better off the big spending gimmick has all the earmark if you want to help the economy cut taxes cut spending no individual or country can spend money it doesn't have and then blissfully claim economic victory and that's just the way it is for what purpose of the gentleman from missouri rise with without objection thank you mr speaker tonight we expect to hear president bush's last state of the union address to this congress and i hope that the recent days working together with this congress on a bipartisan economic stimulus package can be a good model for the rest of this year and the rest of this president's term and we want to extend a hand to work with him when we can and this is a good example of how we can do it but if we see continued roadblocks to progress in this country we must work to break those roadblocks down and continue to work restoring fiscal responsibility in our government changing course in iraq with caring to address global climate change and addressing the military readiness crisis in this country and restoring america's moral leadership in the world i believe we can and we must continue to work together for the great needs of this country and i hope that we continue to do that for the rest of this session any of the requests for one minute the chair lays before the house the following communications the honorable the speaker house of representatives madam pursuant to the permission granted in class to eight to rule two of the rules of the u s house of representatives the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on january twenty fourth two thousand and eight at  bills were signed by the speaker on thursday january twenty fourth two thousand and eight h r thirty four thirty two h r forty nine eighty six record recorded votes on postpone questions will be taken after five p m today the clerk will report the time of the bill h r forty two forty a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at ten seven ninety nine west alameda avenue in lakewood colorado as it felix barks post office building pursuant to the rule the gentleman from illinois mr davis and the gentleman from georgia mr westmoreland each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois the spigot ask unanimous consent that all members may have five the gentleman is recognized thank you mr speaker and thanks to the gentleman from illinois hi rise today to pay tribute and say thank you to a colorado icon and an american hero felix sparks with h r forty two forty sparks who recently passed away at the age of ninety lived an extraordinary life that exemplified public service and devotion to one's country a texas native raised in arizona felix parks was a part of our greatest generation who answered our nation's call to duty during the second world war described as a soldier's soldier he would endure over five hundred days of combat and partaken three of the most important events that would define modern history the battle of ripert swiller the battle of the caves of and zero and the liberation of the doc out of concentration camp one story in particular that i would like to call to your attention which attest to the character of felix sparks occurred during the battle of ripert swiller a battle in which one hundred fifty eight enlisted soldiers were killed three hundred men were wounded and another four hundred twenty six were captured over a course of only three days after finding his unit under siege and trapped in enemy territory sparks then a lieutenant colonel refused to leave behind three of his men who lay incapacitated in the open battlefield facing near certain death he courageously left his tank and raced on foot directly into the close range crosshairs of the german gunners to rescue those soldiers with only a holstered pistol tow he would drag each of his wonted comrades one by one to safety a personal account of this series of events was uncovered in the memoirs of a german s s officer who had commanded his gunner not to fire on sparks the memoir read quote those of us witnessing the scene where their nearby or more distance distant instinctively felt there was no honor to be won by firing on this death defying act of comradeship sparks also cheated death a year earlier at the battle of the caves of van's e o in italy where he would be only one of two men in his company to survive sparks was part of the first allied force to witness the horrors and atrocities of the doc all concentration camp upon the discovery of thirty nine rail cars packed with some two thousand holocaust victims as in all thirty thousand prisoners were liberated from dakar by the allah forces and for the rest of his life sparks would continue to speak out at holy cost remember in ceremonies based on his experiences it doc al felix was tireless in efforts to refute those shameless individuals who try to rewrite history and claim the holocaust undock out never occurred he'd say tell that to my face in a shout and and in a voice that indicated he'd been there and saw personally for his service during world war two he was awarded a silver star and two purple hearts after being severely wounded on the battlefield he would continue his military service with the national guard until his retirement as a brigadier general in hundred seventy seven and upon his return from the war a namrud with stories from his men about their hometowns in the rocky mountains felix and his wife mary settled in colorado there the sparks family would grow to include four children  grandchildren and seven great grandchildren he would earn his law degree from the university of colorado and become a colorado district attorney remember renowned for his commanding speaking ability felix would then go on to become the youngest supreme court justice in colorado's history at just thirty eight years of age he would preside over several of the most pro live fic and high profile cases in our state's history after his service on our state's highest court sparks an expert in water for over two decades as the director of the colorado concert water conservation board he would write some of the most influential and important ground water laws that have continued to serve our state for decades thereafter i came to know felix during my days in the colorado senate after he had testified in my committee with regards to anti gun violence measure following the tragic death of his grandchild from a drive by shooting his passion and his words live with me to this day and he was so well respected for his honesty and straightforward testimony it is also important to note after returning from the hall returning home from the war felix would continue to personally reach out to console the families of his men and promise them he would never forget mr speaker one of the main reasons i bring this bill to the floor today is so this promise that felix sparks made to the families of his men can live on for generations this bill pays tribute to felix's men in the hundred fifty seventh infantry regiment of the forty fifth infantry division of the united states army whose motto since the spanish american war has been quote eager for duty our nation can never adequately repay and give thanks to these individuals for their sacrifices in the battles against tyranny and the battles for our nation's freedom it is my hope the renaming of the lakewood post office for felix sparks will inspire future generations to find a calling in public service this bill also pays tribute to mary sparks in the sparks family who meant so much to felix and to our community in closing i wish to thank each of my colleagues in the colorado delegation for joining me in building a fond farewell to a man who meant so much to our state and to our nation i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of h r forty two forty eighty when he joined the hundred fifty seventh infantry regiment of the forty fifth division he will go on to fight bravely in world war two earning a silver star and two purple hearts during the war he even helped liberate thirty thousand people from the in famous doc out concentration camp upon returning to the states phillips and his wife mary seldon colorado still wanting to continue his service to our country he then joined the national guard he would remain active in the guard to a one nine hundred seventy when he retired as a brigadier general but sad his example ery military service record mr sparks also excelled as a civilian he had a brilliant legal min this was reflected by his appointment to the supreme court of colorado at the age of thirty eight making him the youngest justice in the state's history his expertise was waterall which he applied as the director of the colorado water conservation board for over duty two decades considering his years of selfless public service to this state and to this country i believe it is a fitting tribute to name a post office in colorado in his honor hopefully his life will serve as an example to others to follow and with this mr speaker i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman reserves the balance of this time gentleman from illinois i think you must speak with you  time as i might soon the speaker is a member of the house committee on oversight and government reform i am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of h r forty two forty which names the postal facility in lakewood colorado two thousand and seven viable as a vote the measure has the support of the entire colorado congressional delegation and provides us with yet another opportunity to pay tribute to an extraordinary american citizen silver star and two purple hearts have to be in wounded on the battlefield additionally for twenty years as the sparks worked to protect and improve the environment in the great state of colorado by serving as director of colorado's water conservation board mr speaker given the sparks contribution to colorado and to america in general he deserves to be commended therefore  this bill and reserve the balance of my time and gentleman reserves gentleman from georgia mr speaker i don't have any other speakers speakers but i want to urge all members to support the passage of h r forty and your back the balance of our time the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h r forty two forty those in favor say aye aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bailiff passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table the gentleman from illinois the speaker move the house suspend the rules the greed asked twenty one can the clerk will report the title of the bill senate twenty one ten and actually designate a facility of the united states postal service located at port twenty chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois the speaker i would ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks without objection speaker now you know myself such time as i am i consumed as a member of the house reckoning that you may present you yes as a member of the house committee on government reform and oversight i am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of senate twenty one ten which names the postal facility in the town of taft california after larry as peer as twenty one ten which was introduced in the senate by senator dianne feinstein of california on september twenty seventh two thousand and seven and passed by the chamber with unanimous consent on nov sixteenth two thousand and seven was considered and report out of the oversight committee by voice vote on the some of the twelfth two thousand and seven the speaker of the bill before six to pay tribute to a great american serviceman by requesting that the postal facility in apt california be renamed in honor of staff sergeant laird peers who lost his life at the young age of twenty four while fighting for our country in the vietnam war recipient of the medal of honor staff sergeant pierce than that they reminded to us all of the great sacrifice our men and women in uniform i'm making on a daily bases to protect america return gentleman from georgia thank you mr speaker and i yell myself as much time as on my concern thank you and iraq today to honor the memory of army staff sergeant larry pierce a true american hero larry pierce was raised in taft california he would have graduated from taft union haskell in one nine hundred fifty nine but he chose to enlist in the army in one nine hundred fifty eight seven years later having achieved the rank of staff sergeant larry found himself in vietnam as a squad leader of a reconnaissance platoon on september twentieth one nine hundred sixty five his squad was on parole when it was ambushed by hostile forces thanks to staff pierce's leadership encourage the squad successfully repel the attack drive an enemy away while in pursuit of the enemy pierce a squad came across a dirt road that was on this road sergeant pearce discovered an anti personnel mine knowing it would destroy the majority of his squad who was not aware of his presence sergeant pierce threw himself completely on top of the mine in this act of unbelievable a very sergeant pierce cited the lives of all his squad while sacrificing his own for his actions he was awarded the congressional medal of honor he left behind a wife and three children sergeant pierce represents the very bad soon the tradition of service and selflessness for armed forces it is fitting that we name to this post office in his hometown of taft california in his honor surely his story can live as an example of it truly means to be a hero and what this mr speaker i was or the balance of my time the gentleman reserves about us at this time gentleman from illinois speaking i would continue to raise their thank you from the george you mr speaker at this time i'd like to recognize the author of the companion bill that was dropped here in the house the distinguished colleague of mine from california mr mccarthy  ten to designate the united states post office located at four twenty seven north street in taft california as the larry s pierce post office the true hometown hero u s army staff sergeant pearce was born in oklahoma in hundred forty one as a young child his family moved to taft california which i represent today sergeant pearce attended taft city schools and would have graduated from taft union high school with the class of one nine hundred fifty nine but decided  pierce heroically sacrificed his own i just saved his men he came upon a road where they found a mine he threw himself upon it knowing that this is mine went off it would destroy many and take many lives of his own men upon hearing of this and upon his death in february one thousand nine hundred sixty six president lyndon b johnson awarded sergeant pierce the medal of honor in this award he went on to say it was inspiring leadership and personal courage and as for found concern for his fellow soldiers acting with extraordinary heroism in the cost of his own life and to give credit upon himself in the armed forces this country sergeant peers would have been sixty six years old this year he is just survived by his wife vernon who currently lives in bakersfield california his children theresa kelly and gregory this legislation is a fitting honor for a vietnam war veteran who sacrificed his life to save the lives of fellow soldiers by naming the post office in his hometown of taft in his memory i do want to thank senator feinstein for introducing this legislation along working with me taft is is a place that senator feinstein's own father worked she knows of the the work of sergeant larry pierce the hometown hero as many of as gone on to say and mr speaker i ask unanimous consent to submit a record of the copy of staff sergeant larry parris medal of honor and on the record a copy of the taft city council letter 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 speaker sufficient number having arisen the azan days are ordered pursuant to clause eight of rule twenty and the chairs prior announcement for the proceedings on this motion will be postpone the clerk will report the title grenade in a shale to shayla hole to save the lives of many people he was severely injured in that of his injuries there were the first one hundred forty four he was buried at sea with full military honors consume gentleman is recognized the bill before us does ignites the court and the federal building in port angeles washington is the richard b anderson federal buildings richard beatty anderson served in the united states marines three world war two  marshall islands he sacrificed his life to save three other marines by throwing his body on a live grenade and taking the full impact of the explosion private first class anderson was evacuated to a ship where he died of his  thousand nine hundred forty four his heroism and loyalty in the face of certain death earned him the medal of honor the united states navy destroyer u s s richard b anderson was named in his honor in  five and went on to serve in both the korean and vietnam wars earning fifteen battlestars this bill is a fitting tribute to private first class anderson sacrifice and service to his country i are requested all those in favor of taking this vote by the a's and they will rise and remain standing until count it a sufficient number having arisen the a's and they are ordered pursuant to clause eight of rule twenty and the chairs prior announcement for the proceedings on this motion will be postpone described in such an act to an entity other than a foreign government and international organizations if certain conditions are met the clerk will report the title of the bill union calendar number three fifteen h assistance information and education for the conservation and responsible development of water for texas additionally the texas water development board provide water planning they needed religion and dissemination financial assistance and technical assistance services to the citizens of the state the texas why development board was selected this past november as a recipient of the environmental protection agency's two projects the financial assistance programs up funded through state backed bombs a combination of state bond proceeds and federal grant phones or limited appropriated  dollars and low interest loans to finance hundred seventy eight four hundred seventy two watt infrastructure projects across the state of texas the state of texas currently it manages a second largest clean water state revolving sun in the nation's second only to new york in two thousand and seven alone the teachers water development board made thirty two loan commitments through the clean water state revolving sun  hundred ninety two million dollars of the thirty two total commitments made out of the clean water state regarding pan in two thousand and seven approximately eight percent of the funds were committed to this advantage communities and ten percent was committed to small communities with population consisting of less than ten thousand residents the teachers want to be able to go is working with the e p a to strengthen the program including the ability to offer extended term financing up to thirty years help communities they may need more time to repay the loan at visually the clean water state revolving one program is being proactively marketed to ensure that all texas communities are aware of the benefits  program and mr speaker i am delighted to be able to honor such a vital organization in the state of texas it's sometimes a rare occasion that teachers water development board is recognized as a leader in the state water mr speaker i yield myself such time as i make to you no one has recognized the resolution before us each house resolution eight thirty two recognizes the texas wire development board on its selection as a two thousand seven recipient of the environmental protection agency's performance and innovation in the state revolving fund creating environmental success award this award is given to one state in each of the ten different e p a regions and highlights successfully designed projects that further the goal of of clean water the texas water development board was created in one thousand nine hundred eighty seven to provide leadership planning financial assistance information education for the conservation and responsible development of water for texas its mission is a vital part of texas overall vision mission and goals related to maintaining the state's natural resources health and its economic development to accomplish its goals for the states water resources and for providing affordable water and wastewater services the texas water development board provides water planning data collection and dissemination financial assistance and technical assistance services to the citizens of the state of texas the tremendous population growth that the state has and will continue to experience and the continual threat of severe drought only intensify the need for the texas where development board to accomplish its goals in an effective and and efficient manner clean water act state revolving loan fund in texas has awarded communities more than four billion dollars in low interest loans to finance four hundred seventy two water infrastructure projects across the state of texas these projects serve approximately one half of the population of that state it treat about two billion gallons per day of waste water and provide direct environmental and public health benefits to texans at large texas the northwest water reuse or nish of consists of it ten point seven million dollars project in el paso county to deliver treated waste water for reuse to agricultural commercial industrial and residential users for the el paso's northwest water treatment plant texas also financed  waste water reclamation initiative to deliver right reclaimed water from the city of austin's walnut creek wastewater treatment plant the first step in the city's development of a transmission and distribution system serving customers with reclaimed water this resolution recognizes the importance of federal state partnerships in addressing water resources needs in the united states and specifically the effective and efficient manner in 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 without objection the title is amend i move that the house suspend the rules and past eighty nine thirty three as amended the clerk will report the title of the resolution house resolution nine thirty three resolution commending the louisiana state university tigers the ball team for winning recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania mr speaker i request five legislative days during which members may insert additional material relevant h read as nine thirty three into the record without objection unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks without objection and i yield myself such time as i may can soon gentleman is recognized mr speaker i rise today to commend the louisiana state university tigers football team on winning the two thousand and seven bowl championship series national championship game and to congratulate the players coaches and ellis you fans on a tremendous two thousand and seven football season on january seventh two thousand and eight the u tigers took on the ohio state university buckeyes in a newly reopened louisiana superdome in new orleans the two thousand and seven b c s national championship game was a treat for fans all over the nation in the celebrate tor for new orleans as the superdome observed its return to hosting big events after the destruction caused by hurricane katrina and it was quite a celebration as the tigers defeated the buckeyes thirty eight to twenty four ohio state got off to a ten nothing start but ls you never backed down and went on to score thirty one unanswered points led by game captains quarterback matt flynn safety craig stoltz fullback jacob hester punter patrick fisher and defensive tackle glenn dorsey the tigers proved that they deserved to play in the champion chip game this tigers team played with extraordinary heart all season in two thousand and seven ls you beat seven nationally rank teams and their only two losses each came in triple overtime games of very talented senior class created a sense of urgency throughout their leadership in the rest of the team never stopped playing with heart throughout this record setting season defensive tackle glen dorsey one for prestigious awards including the barty trophy as has been the model player off the field as well by encouraging young people to dream big this year quarterback matt flynn through twenty one touchdown passes this season had a career high four touchdown passes during the championship game finally jacob hester rushed for one thousand one hundred three yards and scored twelve touchdowns during the two thousand and seven season this was truly a multi talented team i want to extend my congratulations to coach les miles and the rest of the ellis you coaching staff the players and staff of come together to create a preeminent football program with a record to b c s titles in just the past five years in his tenure as head coach at ls you miles has led his team to three bowl victories and an impressive thirty four and six record congratulations are also in order for the dedicated state and university community the avid tiger fans have supported their team all season and helped to set a super dome record of seventy nine thousand six hundred fifty one people in attendance for the b c s championship game in the words of former governor kathleen blanco the tigers and body louisiana's fighting spirit the entire state deserves to celebrate this title and begin to look forward to the two thousand and eight season mr speaker once again i congratulate the louisiana state university tigers football team and i urge my colleagues to pass this resolution i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman reserves of alex at this time the gentleman from louisiana thank you mr speaker  yield myself such time as i may consume that objection mr speaker i rise today in support of house resolution nine thirty three commending the louisiana state university fighting tigers football team for winning the bowl champion series national title game i'd like to first thank my good friend the deed of dean of our louisiana delegation richard baker for sponsoring the resolution as well as chairman miller and ranking member mckeon of the education labor committee for bringing it to the floor on january seventh the ellis you tigers overcame an early first half deficit of tenderness and to defeat the ohio state university buckeyes by a score of thirty eight to twenty four in new orleans this was the second time the tigers have won title in the louisiana superdome the tigers were led by the game's off sense of m v p senior quarterback matt flynn who threw four touchdown passes and defensive m v p sophomore defensive in who blocked the field go ahead six total tackles and a half sack this is the second year in a row that a southeastern conference team arguably the most dominant conference in college football today has beaten ohio state to win the b c s national title jonathan jonathan xenon craig stoltz and glen dorsey the tigers won twelve games during the two thousand and seven season seven games were won against nationally ranked opponents as well as seven games against conference opponents including the university of tennessee volunteers in the southeastern conference championship game by a score of twenty one before team sanchez first season as well as you head coach in two thousand and five les miles has fearlessly lid the tiger football program to thirty four overall wins twenty s c c victories fourteen wins over nationally ranked opponents he has brought the tigers to two s c c championship games three can sit three consecutive bowl wins two of which were b games and one b c s national championship coach miles has also had three consecutive double digit win seasons a school record and he's clearly well known for the fourth and short conversions he's  he's fearless as a leader we must not also forget that for most these student athletes perform just as hard in the classroom as they do on the football field coach miles insists that his first goal for his team is a one hundred percent graduation rate and i'm proud to say that fourteen members of this national champion football team were placed on a two thousand seven s c c fall academic honor roll the two thousand and seven tigers fought through great adversity thanks  grueling schedule injuries and conference losses to secure their place in the national championship game against ohio state this championship is very special to the l issue system and to my great state of louisiana and it's my honor to recognize coach les miles in the two thousand and seven ellis you tiger football team for all its great accomplishments this season and for bringing home the b c s crystal ball go tigers i ask my colleagues to support this consume to speak about this championship for the ellis youth football team we have a gentleman from louisiana is recognized i think mike ali very much and i would really would like to associate myself with mr the stand his remarks  course most people from most states are very very proud when their colleges become the national champion and particularly in the the this past year i've had conversations over the last several days with friends  about the presidential election and the analogy is it's almost as the same as d n c double a season this week of who's going to be first and second in any given week but at the end of the  rose to the occasion they had a very successful year very successful and accomplished coach in les miles to take them where they did go having beat number nine ranked virginia tech then on fortunately in overtime losing to seventeenth rank kentucky and then the un ranked arkansas razorbacks which i caught a little grief from those guys and that are from arkansas delegation but in the end it was worth all that that occurred my wife went to a small university where when the coach makes the team a winning team gets into national rankings somebody usually steals them and pays more money moves them on fortunately for us that al issue i think we have a stature and a nature that we can keep our coach and bowl for being number one i'd like to commend the f c c i believe that the f c c is probably the number one conference in the country maybe some of our colleagues would disagree with us but at the same time until they  louisiana's remarks an associate myself with them as well as a as an alumni of the elysee medical school i want to thank two members of my staff both of whom more or less you graduates ryan evans and michael h who help me prepare my remarks for today and i want to thank them and congratulate them on their work and i would like to yield such time as he may consume to my friend from texas mr goldman gentleman from texas is recognize faker and it may seem a little unusual for a member from texas to stand in tribute to louisiana state university but i do take off my hat and hair to in tribute to louisiana state university tigers and also to the relationship that texas and louisiana have shared through the years louisiana's help texas after katrina texans we're proud to say this louisiana when we heard that louisiana state university needed a quarterback then my hometown tyler texas was proud to yield one of its best matt flynn to las you to help them in their time of need watch matt flynn play high school mother has been the director was the director for many years of the tao junior college apache belles and took them to national fame and and alvin did take a lot of flack because his son didn't follow his footsteps and play quarterback at bi lo university but such is the nature of texans and these texans when they see someone in need as they sell l a s u it was their heart rending desire to help them and to send them our best matt flan so congratulations to lace you we're proud of matt flynn and we're proud of what the tigers did in making actually the whole nation proud thank you the speaker i just want to t my colleague from texas for his remarks and and thank him for sending met slid over taylor's you but i want to remind him that jim buoy shed blood at the alamo for texas he is a very famous louisianian from my district my neck of the woods and since he sacrificed so much i would ask my colleague to keep sending plenty more quarterbacks over to louisiana will take him and with that i'm prepared to yield back the balance of my time the gentleman yield back the balance of his time the gentleman from pennsylvania mr speaker i have no more speakers so i will at this time yield back my time as well the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution nine three three apprehended those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended quest the a's and are requested all those in favor of taking this vote by the azan days will rise and remain standing until counted eight commending the west virginia university mountaineer football team for exemplifying the pride determination and spirit of the mountain state and overcoming adversity with skill commitment and teamwork to win the two thousand and eight to spee january second two thousand and eight the west virginia university mountaineer football team won the toast ito's fiesta bowl defeating the university of oklahoma sooners by a score of forty eight to twenty eight in glendale arizona after what could have been a team demoralizing loss of head coach rich rodriguez then assistant coach bill stewart stepped up to demonstrate true leadership leadership and coaching skill by instilling confidence in his team and leading them to victory earning the admiration and gratitude  fellow west virginians mountaineer quarterback pat white gave a dazzling running and passing performance that inspired his teammates delighted w v u fans frustrated his opponents and earned him offensive m v p honors defensive honors went to mountaineer linebacker a native west virginian reid williams who led his team in an outstanding defensive performance with the conclusion of an impressive eleven and two season the amount new year's finished among the top ten and college football rankings for third consecutive year and with their new head coach bill stewart brought great honor to themselves their university and the state of west virginia high marks should also be given task let it director ed pass along who over his one thousand year career has instilled the athletic department of west virginia university with the highest standards of ethics and performance we should also recognize w v u president mike garrison for his leadership w v u is committed to changing lives and providing opportunities to all through education building knowledge through research and serving the people of west virginia through economic development and health care i extend my graduation my congratulations to head coach bill stewart and all the hardworking players the fans and to west virginia university i'm happy to join my good friends and colleague representative mohler hand in honoring this exceptional team and all of its accomplishments and wish all involved continued success and i asked my colleagues to support this resolution was a reserve balance of my time is no greater fan of the west virginia mountaineers than he so i would at this time yield i'm sure he's justifiably proud and i will allow and yield to him as much time as he may consume the gentleman in west virginia mr mollohan is recognized as such tim congratulating the west virginia university mountain air football team for its recent outstanding fiesta bowl victory then there's regular season closed with an unexpected and a bit the moralizing loss that ended t bid for a national championship as a further complication it's been pointed out by my colleagues the team began preparation for the fifth the ball without a head coach who left suddenly for another opportunity w v u consequently was branded the underdog for the fifth to bowl appearance but these young men and the able interim head coach is now the permanent head coach who stepped into the void were steady they were confident and they're prepared to pursue a game plan unaffected by the swirling controversies and the many media pundits who predicted to see mr speaker seeing that team demonstrate grit skill and determination as described by my colleagues to silence its critics while overcoming challenges reminds us of the potential for accomplishment that resides in this hall i hope all of my colleagues will join me in supporting a trip as nine thirty eight as it offers a well done to a team that set a high bar for accomplishment focus and determination thank you mr speaker the gentleman yield back the gentleman reserves gentleman from louisiana m mr speaker i'm pleased to yield such time as she may consume to the gentle lady from west virginia my colleague mr captive generated from west virginia his capital is recognized i'd like to thank you gentleman for yielding me tom i'd like to thank my colleague from west virginia  offering this resolution including me as one of the co sponsors we are very prideful mountaineers and our west virginia as we've heard out west virginia mountain air football team is something that everyone in the state takes great pride from the testee to fiesta bowl w was not only a an athletic when but it was a a morale lifting win for our for everybody in the state of west virginia the oklahoma sooners are a powerful team i congratulate them for their effort but when mind and body gets together of  mountain air there's hardly any stopping us and i think that's what we found at the game we always try to embody the spirit the team embodied the spirit of the mountain state and is a shining light for the people of west virginia the fans the coaches the university the president the athletic director and i have to mention the pride of west virginia our mountaineer marching band are something that i know took our teammates into a very difficult athletic and emotional situation at th bowl i also want to congratulate the m v p s of pat white and reid williams reid williams is a native west virginian he's from morefield west virginia he was a valedictorian of his high school class he is a true embodiment of a student athlete we have a saying in west virginia that we like to say whenever we have a great victory and that is as we say in west virginia it is a great day to be a mountain near and it certainly was on the day that west virginia won the mountain areas to teach us i mean us to see those fiesta bowl in we've just celebrated the ellis you tigers national championship in west virginia's championship in the toasted his fiesta bowl and as a member from western pennsylvania i would like to just take a brief moment and remind my colleagues of the role that the university of pittsburgh played in this whole scenario because we're not for the improbable upset that the university of pittsburgh was able to pull off on the last game of the regular season we may have been doing these in a little bit different order than we were today so i congratulate west virginia i congratulate ellis you but i did want to put in that plug as well and with that i will yield back the balance lifetime the question is will the house spin the rules and agree to house resolution nine objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table pursuant to close twelve a of rule one the house will stand in recess subject to the call of the chair