thirty two the nays are sixty this vote the a's are three hundred thirty two the nays are seventy two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table public interest declassification board has a minority leader appointment as previously agreed because of the change in congress in the presumed statutory intent of the board mr skaggs has requested that he continue serving in his capacity with the understanding that he will resign the position effective june five two thousand and nine as such i am pleased to make this appointment sincerely john  lays before the house of communication the honorable the speaker house of representatives madam pursuant to the national foundation on the arts in the humanities act of one hundred sixty five twenty u nine fifty five b note the employees to appoint the honorable pat tiberi of ohio to the national council on new york mr teaberry has expressed an interest in serving in this capacity and i am pleased to fulfil his request sincerely john a boehner republican leader the chair will entertain one minute request what for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey arise for the five minute requests are there any one texas is recognized that objection the gentlewoman is recognized from texas for one minute to revive and extend that objection to the speaker i'll ally pakistan is facing a difficult challenge for those of us who believe that the region that includes bangle desh india and pakistan is one of our most strategic and pakistan one of our most important we want free elections and human rights but now we can see the light pakistan is moving thousands of pakistani troops into the region between afghanistan and pakistan in order to maintain the protection against the nato troops it is imperative that we engage with pakistan support pakistan and help them as they begin to try and resolve the crisis with the two taliban many criticize the agreement but now we can see what happens when that agreement is the clay or dead by the  taliban it is important that we work with pakistan see the light stop the accusations and sit down to resolve the best safe and secure manner for the u s troops the nato troops and the pakistani troops the alliance and friendship between the united states and pakistan is important we must find ways to accommodate that friendship to make it work for pakistan and the united states and the united states military and the pakistani army i yield back are there further one minute request if not the chair lays before the house the following personal request unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders here to four entered into the following members may be permitted to address the house for five minutes to revise and extend the remarks and include therein extraneous material that is therein extraneous material mr davis from kentucky today for five minutes much self mr poe july twenty third for five minutes mr burton today july seventeenth eighteenth and nineteenth for five minutes each day mr bell rockets today  july seventeenth and eighteenth for five minutes mr jones july twenty third for five minutes and this fox today for five minutes without objection children our state forty seven percent of all african american children believe this poor children twenty six percent of all american indian children twenty three percent of asian children and twenty four percent latino the list as poor in my state of these three hundred forty thousand poor children without access to the health care they desperately need as former president nelson mandela said there can be no keener revelation of a society's foe than the way in which it treats its children i hope this house will remember that as we deal with the chip program under the speaker's announced policy of january eighteenth two thousand and seven and under a previous order of the house the following members are recognized for five minutes each miss mr pole germans recognized for five minutes mr speaker earlier today i addressed this house and discussed how the zetas drug cartel in mexico has made it known it will hunt down journalists that report on the violent drug cartels in mexico this group of former mexican military officers reportedly will track these reporters down even when they flee to the united states for safety all of this because the journalist published reports on the violent cross border drug trade tonight i wish to discuss how these same outlaw mexican drug cartels are operating marijuana plantations on public lands not public lands in mexico but on public lands in the united states according to news reports these plant plantations are in california arizona hawaii west virginia oregon tennessee and kentucky and account for eighty to ninety percent of all marijuana plantation production in the united states law enforcement officials say that the drug cartels employ heavily armed bandits to guard these fields and they have superior firepower and surveillance equipment over american law enforcement agents these drug thugs destroy native vegetation and kill off all the while on the land so they can plant their marijuana crops the cartels also use dangerous pets pesticides and fertilizers on the land that destroy the environment insultingly all of this is occurring on american federal land there is more the washington times reports today that campers fishermen hikers and forest and park officials are being intimidated threatened and even assaulted when they come near mexican run marijuana plantations on american soil and that all this plant growing produces a street value of six point seven billion dollars the union newspaper from nevada states these american marijuana gardens are guarded by mexican nationals and the traffickers use the profits from pot sales the financial large methamphetamine labs in mexico and the united states mr speaker it seems that no public land is even cite even california sequoia national forest has been attacked by these drug cartel the director of office of national drug control policy john walker said mexican drug cartels are turning our national parks into centers of international drug production and traffic and public lands are being held hostage by illegal drug traffickers mr speaker numerous law enforcement personnel state local and federal are attempting to retake our federal and public lands from these dark drug cartel invaders some progress is reported but the battle for land  forward we cannot allow these land grabbing environmentally hazardous drug terrorists to seize america's national forests and national parks these outlaws cannot be allowed to camp in our parks and swim the profits from marijuana plantations they should be tracked down arrested prosecuted prosecuted and put in jail we need to seize all their money from whatever financial last institutions they try to hide in and use the money to restore our national parks the way they were before the drug invaders arrived need to make it more difficult for them to offer right here by actually securing the southern border something that homeland security has yet to accomplish right now security along our southern border is a glittering illusion our national parks are worth fighting for and rather than journalists campers fisherman hunters park rangers and others being afraid of these drug cartels like the zetas these outlaw drug gangs should be afraid of our relentless determination to take our land back and that's just the way it is i yield back the remainder of the gentleman years back for what for the gentleman from new york mr bishop so recognize for five minutes thank you mr speaker this speaker i rise on the solemn occasion of the eleventh anniversary of the crash of t w a flight eight hundred many americans remember where they were when they heard the shocking and tragic news about flight eight hundred when it crashed off the southern shore of long island eleven years ago tomorrow on the evening of july seventeenth one thousand nine hundred six claiming the lives of all two hundred thirty passengers and crew on board the event remains one of the worst air disasters in history and led to one of the most costly and extended in investigations to date today that loss is still felt by hundreds of families who love whose loved ones perished but i remembered by the breathtaking monument to their lives that extends along the shores of east for richest long island overlooking the waters of the atlantic ocean where the plane fell tomorrow we honor the memory of those who perished just moments after taking off from j f k international airport bound for paris some of the victims were on their way home many were high school students on the first leg of an international field trip and some were on their way to visit loved ones just as the families who lost their loved ones to the crash deserve to be remembered so to each of long island's emergency personnel volunteers and neighbors who selflessly responded to the crash and who work tirelessly over the next several days and weeks following the disaster to assist with the search and recovery efforts like other challenging times in our nation our nation has faced the reaction to flight eight hundred brought out the best not only among my constituents but in so many other areas in the surrounding towns counties and states across the northeast who joined in helping my community recover from its most horrific tragedy throughout their grief and despite the unimaginable shock the families of the victims worked tirelessly to build a permanent memorial with the help of navy seabees and thousands of dedicated local and building trade union members the solemn monument serves as a constant reminder of our tremendous loss eleven years ago tomorrow last year it was my honor and privilege to attend the dedication of the memorial completed its county point park just before the tenth anniversary of the crash the centerpiece of this breathtaking and poignant memorial is a black granite sculpture called the light it was designed by henry seaman who cousin died in the crash the monument offers some measure of closure to everyone who was affected by this terrible tragedy the memory of the passengers of flight eight hundred lives on because of the continued work of people like henry's brother  president of the families of flight eight hundred association and among the memorials most passionate and hardworking advocates in the eleven years since flight eight hundred hundreds of thousands of people have visited the park in an acknowledgement of the shared sorrow for those who died the monument ensures that future generations can do the same as we recognize the eleventh anniversary of the flight eight hundred disaster it is important for us to take stock in the progress achieved since one thousand nine hundred six to prevent air disasters we have made some great strides in aviation safety particularly with design upgrades for passenger and cargo aircraft in particular ongoing research and development of unnerving technology will help to mitigate the vulnerability of aircraft fuel tanks to flammability the underlying cause of the flight eight hundred crash in fact the crash was likely caused by a spark from a short circuit in the boeing seven forty seven's wiring that ignited the tank volatile vapors although this was determined years ago and we know how to prevent similar disasters we still have not require technology upgrades to protect passengers against another tragedy like the one witnessed ten years ago today however the federal aviation administration has delayed taking on this challenge and has declined to work with the industry to implement a final f a a directive that would protect every air traveler with existing technology we still don't have the mandate for change that is why i introduced the transport aircraft fuel tank safety act which requires the f a a to retrofit all planes with new technology and to increase safety i am pleased to report that the pending f a a reauthorization bill which was recently passed by the house transportation committee includes a similar provision senator schumer is sponsoring a companion measure  and is working with his colleagues on the commerce science and transportation committee to move this legislation i am hopeful that my colleagues here in the congress will work with me to bring an end to this delay we have taken significant steps towards maintaining the memory of flight eight hundred but we should also ensure that we don't allow this disaster to repeat itself mr speaker i would once again like to offer my deepest condolences to the surviving families and friends of the victims of flight eight hundred and encourage my colleagues to join me in commending each of them for their grace and first day of incarceration for two u s border patrol agents agents ramos and coffee on were convicted last spring for shooting a mexican drug smuggler who brought seven hundred forty three pounds of marijuana across the border into texas for almost a year thousands of american citizens and dozens of members of congress have asked president bush to pardon these agents many americans are outraged by the president's decision to commute the sentence of white house aide scooter libby while at the same time he refuses to pardon border patrol agents ramos and copy on scooter libby an attorney understand the laws of this country and should know right from wrong was convicted of perjury obstruction of justice and lying to investigators mr libby who should have served his sentence did not spend one day in prison yet two border patrol agents with exemplary records who were doing their duty to the american people from illegal alien drug smuggler or servant eleven and twelve years respectively in prison by attempt apprehend illegal alien drug smuggler these agents were in force in our laws not breaking the laws there are legitimate legal questions about how this prosecution was initiated and how the u s attorney's office proceed in attorney johnny sutton an opportunity to explain to the senate judiciary committee and to the american people why this u s attorney's office in western texas chose to go after law enforcement offices while protect illegal aliens who committed crimes and gave the illegal alien immunity to testify against the border agents i want to thank some to fast after interest in this case in for her leadership in holding hearings to look into this injustice i am also grateful to chairman john conyers who i hope will hold a similar hearing on the house at sometime this fall and this is speaking with walk close i want to say to the damn lease of the border agent copy on  ramos that we the american people will not forget your husband's your father's your brother's use and we'll do everything we can to see that justice will prevail over and justice and with that will you about the balance of my time balance of his time miss waldron schultz from florida is recognized for five minutes thank you mr speaker mr speaker the president continues to ask this congress and the american people to stay the course in iraq well with the president today the american people in the congress have said no more today i add my voice once again to the growing number of retired military generals the iraq study group and untold thousands of rank and file on the front lines who are calling for a new direction in iraq success of our military depends on a sound strategy yet instead of fighting the terrorists in the mountains of afghanistan our armed forces are overextended after four years of referee refereeing a civil war in the sands of iraq the president's escalation of this war his so called surge is not working that much is clear since the escalation of this war six months ago more than twenty five thousand troops have been sent to iraq six hundred more u s soldiers have died and more than three thousand troops have been wounded countless thousands of iraqis are dead and today the violence in iraq is at an all time high those are facts that no one can deny our troops have performed heroically in iraq but the iraqi government failed to meet any any of the benchmarks endorsed by the president in january political reconciliation with an iraqi is nonexistent a change of course is long overdue the time has come for the united states to responsibly redeploy our troops from iraq and to refocus our efforts on protecting americans from terrorism the time has come for iraqis to take primary responsibility for their country and for their security let me be clear on one additional point mr speaker democrats support the troops as a member of the procreation committee i personally have consistently voted to fund our troops and provide our soldiers in the line of fire with the resources that they need i do this because our brave servicemen and women are not risking their lives each and every day for one political party over another they are risking their lives for america our nation owes our troops a strategy that is worthy of their sacrifice but stay the course is not that strategy it is a slogan that continues to fail them no mr speaker if we really want to support our troops it is now time to get them out of iraq and read that reid's employ them to other areas where they can fight the terrorists who have attacked and you continue to threaten our nation that's perverse that the gentleman from maryland rise without objection so ordered jam is recognized for five minutes thank you very much mr speaker i rise today to express my strong support for the reauthorization expansion of the state million americans are uninsured approximately eighteen thousand people die each year in this country as a direct consequence of being uninsured sadly many of the victims are innocent children no fewer than nine million american children are without health insurance and they are suffering as well as a result uninsured children like uninsured adults are less likely to have access to early and preventive care setting them up for a lifetime of health problems that may have been avoid caught today far too many of our children are going to the emergency room because we have failed to let them into the doctor's office this is immoral but is it is also an economical preventive health care services are cheaper than disease management and trauma care and by denying our sitting citizenry the former we are paying a premium for the latter the president has ignored the potential cost savings arguing instead tha expanded s chip program would what would move children are a private insurance but that is simply not the case the vast majority of children who would be covered by this bill come from families with incomes less than thirty three thousand two hundred dollars for a family of three these families do not have the luxury of choosing private insurance over the public benefit for them it is public coverage or nothing we have a moral obligation to ensure that our children have access health care our health care system produces infant mortality rates and incidences of health disparities far greater than other nations in the industrialized world we know statistically that racial and ethnic minorities suffer disproportionately from poor health and die prematurely more than thirty years after the national embarrassment of the tuskegee syphilis experience our people are still being denied access to the best medical system in the world this trend recently played out in my home state of maryland in an incident that i still find difficult to comprehend in february twelve yo african american boy named the monterrey driver died when an untreated tooth infection spread to his brain a routine dental checkup costing about forty dollars might have saved his life but the monterey was poor and homeless and he did not have access to a dentist the montes case was rare and extreme but he is by no means alone in his suffering the centers for disease control and prevention report the dental disease is the single most quantock childhood disease in this country it chills the conscience of think of how one young boy's life was cut short by the failure of our health care system and millions of others continue to suffer we have a moral obligation in the memory of the monterey to fix this problem now this is why i have consistently advocated for a strong  esteve bill that expands coverage to six million of our nation's poorest children and guarantees them dental coverage i was discouraged seeing that the first version of the bill from the senate finance committee included only thirty five million dollars in additional funding and did not include mandatory dental benefit as the washington post editorial board recently noted memories are sometimes short here in washington i realize that current budgetary constraints make this process all the more  contentious however these are times that require decisive leadership i'm hopeful that in the house we will be able to find funding to expand the program by fifty million dollars while working without senate colleagues to negotiate a strong bill i urge all of colleagues to support this vitally important legislation and with that mr speaker i yield back general news back the balance of his time mr burton from indiana mrs mccarthy from new york mislead from california is recognized for five minutes stephanie tubbs jones and my colleague our great chair of the congressional black caucus congresswoman carolyn kilpatrick for tonight calling us all together later in a special order and i'd like to just talk very briefly in support of the efforts of my colleagues in the congressional black caucus to highlight health care as a central and important policy issue in the one hundred tenth congress and to call for an end to racial and ethnic health disparities we must no longer turn a blind eye to going to new and pattern of racial bias in the delivery of health care in america the fact is that if you are a person of color our poor or speak a different language and walk into a hospital in need of care you are less likely to be diagnosed correctly less likely to receive the extent accepted standard of care and less likely to walk out it is a death sentence for millions of americans it is appalling that our nation cannot commit the resources necessary to eliminate once and for all the devastating impact of unequal health care delivery in america we must root out the causes of the continuing discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities in our health care system we must increase the diversity in the professional health care provider workforce health care must be delivered in a culturally and linguistically appropriate way without having to turn to intermediaries or family members to relay private information health information funding research into the reasons for the different rates of disease incidences in minority populations must be a national priority while letting you know that african americans make up over twenty five percent of the u s population they account for more than sixty seven percent of newly reported aids cases diseases that primarily impact communities of color continue to be neglected we must commit to providing access to comprehensive preventive care educational outreach health screenings and follow up consultations for at risk population our health care system is broken health care should be a right not a privilege we spend more money on health care than any other nation in the world and yet the united states ranks twenty three twenty three and one mortality among industrialized nations we ranked sixty seventh in immunization rates over all right behind bo ana we were first in life expectancy in one thousand nine hundred eighty nine forty five and now we rank twentieth behind nations like canada britain france and cuba and in the nineteenth sixty's i lived in great britain and i was exposed to the assurance that the british public had in their access to quality healthcare with the british national health service we in america can do better we must do better we can assure that every person in america be treated equally given a fair and thorough diagnosis and be treated with the most up to date treatments that are available and we must remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in any hospital on any given day or night in communities with large numbers of people of color and african americans the poor you will witness this terrible health care crisis firsthand just go to an emergency room and see who needs medical attention emergency or not it's about time that we invest resources to close these deadly and that's what they are there deadly disparities we need to enact universal health care for all america is the wealthiest industrialized country in the world it is a shame and disgrace that over forty seven million have no health insurance and that such a large percentage are african americans and latinos and asian pacific americans what is wrong with this picture so i just want to commend again congresswoman tubbs jones in the congressional black caucus and also our try caucus the congressional hispanic caucus and asian pacific american  this thing and i mean insisting that this house of representatives begin to focus on closing these deadly health care disparities among communities of color thank you and i yield the balance of my time gentlemen back the balance o missed miss box from north carolina miss kaptur from ohio is recognized for five minutes klein was serving his second tour of duty when he was mortally wounded while on patrol in baghdad on july fifth two thousand seven the day after the fourth of july his favorite holiday today klein was laid to rest following a fitting and moving ceremony at his alma mater oak harbor high school through my words this evening america honors longfellow writes lives of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime and departing leave behind us footprints on the sands of time footprints that perhaps another sailing or a life solemn main a for lauren in shipwreck brother seeing shall take heart again let us then be up and doing with a heart for any fate still achieving still pursuing learn to labor and to wait sergeant cline live the spirit of this message the poems word served as an epitaph as we recall his life and honor his ultimate sacrifice yes keith klein graduated from oak harbor high school in two thousand to a talented wrestler he placed in the top six wrestlers in ohio during his high school years a truly magnificent achievement from a large state like ohio he also played soccer and football and participated in school place he enlisted in the us army post nine eleven following his graduation at fort gordon georgia he completed his advanced individual training and was assigned to bravo company ninety six civil air patrol eone ninety five civil affairs brigade in iraq three months he was assigned to the civil affairs team supporting the fourth brigade combat team first infantry division in his brief career he distinguished his distinguished service brought him for army achievement medals a join good conduct medal national defense service medal global war on terrorism expeditionary medal and service medal army service ribbon and basic parachutist badshah his death brought him  heart award bronze star medal and combat action badge more than a soldier keith kline was known as a good hearted person that was full of life and a very hard worker every single individual who paid him tribute this morning used the term a man of great heart he was a nascar fan too and he reveled in family get togethers and his favorite holiday as i've mentioned was the fourth of july cherishing his memory and celebrating the gift of his life are his mother betty and brother john his stepfather grandparents aunts uncles cousins and true friends he held close to his heart we offer them our sincere condolences and heartfelt gratitude as they struggle through this very difficult time may they find comfort in their loved one's memory and recall the words of a class these three one to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven today america salutes sergeant keith klein a valiant son of our republic for his patriotism for his excellence in service for his courage and for loving us more than he loved life itself thank you mr speaker i yield back my remaining time gentleman yield back the balance of our time mrs christiansen from the virgin islands ms clark from new york is recognized for five minutes bigger early in the morning on saturday july seventh i awoke to an unusual sound it was the sound of a police helicopter circling over the community in which i reside and typically when you hear a police helicopter you know that something has gone wrong in the community they are usually searching for a suspect in a crime today i stand before this body and before you miss the speaker with a heavy heart the reason behind that circling was the injuring critical injuring of an officer a police officer and it is with a heavy heart that i stand before you today to honor the life and contribution of a fallen hero a great american patriot new york police officer wrestle last weekend he was tragically shot in the face and the neck and sir come to those fatal gunshot this weekend officer tim and schenkel was born in bel ruth and immigrated to the states in the early one nine hundred ninety s when he was only seven years old upon his graduation from tottenville high school in staten island new york russell attended city college and majored in economics while playing on the lacrosse team i understand like myself he loved to dance prior to completing his studies he decided to become a new york city police officer during his short serve the least and the greatest in our community embody the true sentiment of a public servant and a highly regarded and he was highly regarded among his colleagues officer to mention co and his partner officer herman yan were both shot during a wrote a routine traffic stop in brooklyn in the early morning of saturday july seventh officer yan survived because of his bulletproof vest and i pray for his continued speedy recovery unfortunately office with him in shango was shot in the head and the two bullets that struck him cut across his spinal cord just beneath his brain officer t and in pursuit of his wealth to protect and serve and in so doing there are three less illegal handguns on the streets of new york i stand with the new york city police chief commissioner kelly mayor bloomberg and governor spitzer in the fight against illegal gun hand trafficking into our city and also in aggressively working to make our neighborhood safe to live and work and play to the parent and family of office and summon schenkel please accept our thanks for sharing him with us thank you for allowing us the opportunity to share the life of such a fine human being in on behalf of new york's eleven congressional district i offer my sincerest condolences and pray that god will grant the family comfort and peace new jersey rise without objection john has recognized five minutes thank you mr speaker i would like to take this opportunity to discuss the array irrefutable fact of the armenian genocide looking at the history of this catastrophic event from one hundred fifteen to one hundred eighteen and the impact it had on the armenian people it's impossible to deny that this was indeed genocide by all accounts but one way mr speaker to bear witness to the truth is to make reference to personal accounts when the genocide occurred at the hands of the ottoman turks thousands of armenians have their own account of the horrific events that their families had to endure but tonight i would like to tell the story of one were leading a massacre on all armenians in the area they took refuge in an armenian institution and i should say they took refuge mr speaker in an american institution and finally returned to their home only to find it burned to the ground after travelling and staying with family in different areas they eventually moved back to torres turkey but then again in one thousand nine hundred fifteen the armenians were being exiled her family was forced to board a train with an unknown destination with thousands of others they were herded into these trains confined in small box cars for days with no food and no water mrs hannay seen recalls that if someone died on the train they were simply thrown off the train and were left on the side of the tracks when they finally arrived at their destination they were placed in barracks she speaks of the sentiments towards the armenians at the time stating and i quote they wanted all the armenians to vanish from the earth instead of killing them they suffered and die were then marched through the desert towards syria in extreme heat again with no food no water on the way many died and were left to rot after they reached a small village in syria they stayed until they were told to move again she remembers that i quote an order came from the general headquarters that all the armenians either be killed or deny their religion and become muslims many people converted to save their lives while others died to preserve their faith the armenians were forced to relocate from village to village they were left with no money and no supplies and had to find ways to survive she said and i quote you couldn't get in touch with anybody you didn't know what to do we were hungry it was terrible we were all dying we were just since no food no nothing on like much as mrs home has been a c and family who died or disappeared in the genocide she survived and was able to relocate to the united states and rebuild her life in syracuse new york she has since passed away but not before she left her story behind and i'm proud to be able to reach tell her memories which must never be forgotten this is speaker i wish to express my support this evening for swift passage of h resolution one o six reaffirming the armenian genocide the resolution now has a majority of the members of the house as co sponsors on a bipartisan basis as the first genocide of the twentieth century it is morally imperative that we remember this atrocity and collectively demand reaffirmation of this crime against humanity by properly affirming the armenian genocide we can also help ensure its legacy and rightfully honor its victims and survivors like mrs hannay sian thank you on sunday morning a young fellow was across the street on the other side and he flagged me down and said can i talk to you for a moment and so i waited for him to come across the street and he did and i asked what i could do for him and he says well i'm trying to find a job and i inquired as to his educational background what kind of things that he could do and what kind of jobs really had and he says well i had a job but then the my employer you discovered that i also had a felony conviction and he didn't know that when i got hired and of course he says i lost my job lost my house lost  my wife and i'm in the process of blues in my children and as i listened to him on sunday morning it reinforced for me how you important it is that we try and provide for individuals like this young man a second chance as a matter of fact our country is the most imprisoned nation