poverty and unfaithfulness all around us we cannot and we will not lose sight of your kingdom and its values in tkinter within government and the people of this nation a deep desire for what are lasting values and for what leads to the common good of us all shake from us we commitments and indifference that as your people we may prove ourselves as colorful as that picture us poorest in sowing seeds of freedom and giving you glory now and forever a objection thank you mr speaker i rise today to welcome a twenty six men and women of the seven eighty six quartermaster battalion led by commander lieutenant colonel michael mcdonald back home to the virgin islands there was an emotional homecoming yesterday after the fourteen long internment at arlington cemetery of the comingled remains of the twelve men and women who were lost that day massa sergeant phillip benjamin speaking for her fellow soldiers summed up that running the base in taji and making sure the troops a fully supplied had been a long hard deployment for the battalion and commander mcdonnell thanked the soldiers for the professionalism commitment and patriotism attributing their success to their working together as a strong team this is speaker i join my community in thanking god for the safe return and pray for the safe return of all of the members of the b i guard and all the other brave men and women who are serving today in iraq and afghanistan in fact with the speaker it's time to begin to bring all of the troops from iraq home what purpose of the gentleman from south carolina governor elect gentle successfully defeated eleven opponents to become the youngest sitting governor in america the son of immigrant immigrants bobby has built a reputation as a hard worker and dedicated public servant as a fellow member of congress to to work with bobby i know from his representation here in washington and his years of service to the citizens of his state that the people of louisiana have elected a strong leader i want to congratulate bobby his wife's a prayer his dedicated staff and his entire family for this wonderful victory as republican co chair of the congressional caucus on india and indian americans and a strong supporter of the indian american community and i am grateful for bobby success and praise him for being the first indian governor in our nation's history in conclusion god bless our troops and we'll never forget september eleventh honorable the speaker house of representatives madam pursuant to the permission granted in clause two a 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 october nineteenth two thousand and seven at  nine thirty nine a m that the senate agreed to house concurrent resolution two twenty two that the senate passed without amendment h r twelve eighty four that the senate agreed to senate concurrent resolution fifty one that the senate passed senate twenty two zero six that the senate passed senate eighteen thirty nine with best wishes i am fine sincerely raincy miller clerk of the house the honorable the speaker house of representatives madam  pursuant to the permission granted in clause two a to rule two of the rules of the u s house of representatives i have the honor to transmit i filled in the load received from the white house on october nineteenth two thousand and seven at two forty one p m and said to contain a message from the a gentle lady is recognized without object thank you mr speaker you know the issue we hear of regularly is national security from tehran to turkey back to the local community how does it impact me is flooded our constituents are asking they're concerned about security from the national and the local level and i think many of them are frustrated that those of us in congress haven't done anything to address the criminal illegal alien situation i want to let the body know last week the board of supervisors in prince william county virginia took a stand by unanimously approving a tough local crackdown on illegal immigrants they are doing it to make their community a safer place it denies some count services to illegal immigrants and add to enforcement powers already available to cops on the beat we can do the same thing at the federal level with the bipartisan clear act which i introduced last month it would get dangerous criminal aliens off the streets and require the department of homeland security to pick them up within forty eight hours it is h r thirty four ninety four the clear act i would encourage my colleagues to co sponsor this bill and do what the prince william county supervisors  done put citizen safety first i yell back what purpose does the gentleman from georgia arise one minute without objection the gentleman is recognized mr speaker mr speaker today i call on the speaker to open up a positive dialogue with republicans to find an s g absolution that puts poor kids first house democrats have wrapped their expansion of bureaucratic washington run a health care in so much deception and political theater that they've lost focus of what s chip is really all about helping underprivileged kids but as a recent gallup poll showing the american people now see through this insincere ploy and support keeping s chip rightfully focused on poor children it's not acceptable for the majority to continue exploiting the neediest of children in pursuit of an ideological agenda controlling healthcare decisions this charade has gone on long enough and the american people want solutions not these political games if democrat leaders truly wish to help needy children now is the time to support a plan that reflects the original bipartisan intent of the program and the views of the american people a positive solution will put poor kids first and promote the purchase of personal health care for all americans h three eight eight eight is such a bail to clause eight of rule twenty the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which are recorded vote or the use of names or order order which the voters objected to under clause six of rule twenty record both on postpone questions will be taken after six thirty  for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona arise thank you mr speaker i rise to move to suspend the rules and pass h r one hundred nine as amended the clerk will report the title of the bill union calendar number one ninety seven h r one eighty nine bill to establish the patterson great falls national park in the state of new jersey pursuant to the rule of the gentleman from arizona mr hall and the gentleman from alaska mr young will each control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona thank speaker and i also ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend the remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration objection thank you speaker soon after the revolutionary war alexander hamilton selected the area around the great falls of the passaic river as the site for the first planned industrial center in america hamilton then secretary of the treasury invited pierre l'enfant to design the city and seventeen ninety one the result was a city of paterson new jersey which became one of the most important manufacturing centers in the america during the industrial revolution president gerald ford designed the designated the great falls sponsored by our colleague representative bill passed corelle the former mayor paterson designate historic district as a national historic park and a unit of the national park system this bill contains standard management language for m p s units this is a unique area and will make an excellent addition to our national park system representative pascoe rallies to be commended for his tireless efforts on behalf of the legislation and the city and the people of paterson while h r one eighty nine went through both a hearing and a full committee but not subcommittee markup several issues have gone unresolved the national park service conducted a study as requested by this body to determine whether the great follows historic district in paterson new jersey should become a national park the study concluded that the area did not meet the criteria for conclusion in the national park system and we entrust the national park service with the magic management of our own crown jewels and why are we ignoring their expert judgment that this should not be a national park or mon my colleagues that we requested the park service to tell us what should be done here and regular adds also that is our responsibility and ride as the legislative branch to decide what will become a national park regardless of what the park service tells us and there are times when it is necessary to disagree with them however in this case we do not even know what the costs are we don't know  nor does the park service have any idea how it would manage the area that's what we asked them to tell us and they are not in a position to do that at this time and now the park service has already got a full plate and begun dollar maintenance backlog they're not even keep keeping up with and taking care of the parks that have been intrusted to them so is this really the time to add another part that doesn't meet the criteria to add to this burden with this designation the speaker at this time would reserve the balance my town tireless work in bringing this worthy legislation to the floor i want to thank all the members of the jersey delegation democrats and republicans all of them and doris this legislation as a lifelong reap patterson resident as the city's former mayor i fought for many years to bring recognition to this site that has played such a seminal role in american history the national historic park is the only way to properly showcase the significant cultural and historic landmarks and natural beauty that the great falls historic park district has to offer and this legislation ensures that it will get the recognition and support that  deserves fifty miles west of new york city the great falls was the second largest waterfall and colonial america at the great falls alexander hamilton conceived a plan to the force of water to power the new industries that would secure our economic independence he told the congress of the united states and the american people that at the great falls he would begin to implement his ambitious strategy to transform an agricultural society dependent upon slavery into a modern economy based on freedom how dare anyone imply that this is not significant it was the power of the great falls and truth of hamilton's vision patterson became a great manufacturing city it produced the coal revolver the first submarine john holland eight hundred seventy eight the aircraft engine for the first transatlantic flight more locomotives than any city in the united states the more so than any city in the world this is not significant mistake or cotton sales for the u s navy early in the one nine hundred centur l'enfant innovative water power system in patterson and many factories built later constitute the finest remaining collection of engineering and architectural structures representing each stage of america's progress from a weak agrarian society to the leader in the global economy the great falls are stark district is the only national district the only national historic district that includes both a national natural resource and a national historic landmark the only one in the entire nation and a special bicentennial speech in paterson with the spectacular natural beauty of the falls behind him the president of the united states the late gerald ford in one thousand and seventy six i had the honor as a democrat to introduce him mr speaker he said this we can see the great falls as a symbol of the industrial might which helps to make america the most powerful nation in the world now so many years later we are that much closer to making the dream of a national park in paterson a reality i do not see facts and figures here mr speaker i see the faces of hard working people from all over the world who came to paterson came to the falls and worked in those factories we're talking about human beings we're talking about people who came here and made this country the greatest country in the world who asked nothing and then got a real living wage two years later i'm talking about those people who are not faceless who do have names who worked hard to give their children and better opportunity a better place and that was hamilton's dream to bring economic economics to periodic to the united states so that we not would not pretend agrarian society for the rest of our history he introduced the industrial revolution and then secondly to give equal opportunity to each person regardless of where he came from what he looked like how we took this food how we spoke this legislation enjoys bipartisan and widespread support is co sponsored by every member of new jersey's congressional delegation and when the park service says it is not worthy because we have other places they were even against lol massachusetts they didn't support lowell massachusetts either this has to do with urban parks this has to do with how we gain became the country we are today editorial boards federal state local officials and community groups have also endorsed the campaign to create a national park service today on page three us news full page on the paterson falls and two other places in the united states where that historic district where the park service was able to be in partnership with the locality with the state to bring economic opportunity it is important to know mr speaker that this park will be run as a partnership between the state in the jersey in the federal government as there are already a state park designated at the site the national park service has a long history of federal state cooperation from law nationalised our part to the redwood nationalised a parks in california it is park service policy to foster state and federal partnerships the funded managed parks and the great falls will be no different mr speaker but the great falls district were added to the park system federal resources could be leveraged to revitalize the falls and the entire city and the a tidal area through this federal partnership the great falls would be transformed into an attraction for visitors and patter song it's a like that could lead to the economic revitalization of this entire area be a living reminder of our nation's rich industrialist tree with so many of our stark places we put purple ropes around them don't touch that's not what we're talking about here we're talking about living history congress must not now to pass this vital piece of legislation so that we may fully recognize these cultural and historic landmarks that have played such a dove cise of role in america's history so today mr speaker we had that opportunity baker i do need to address the question it may have been rhetorical how dare anyone imply that this area is not significant i haven't heard anybody in class such a thing it is truly significant that's not the issue the issue is priorities and we've been hearing for the last week hound porton it is for for children to have health care insurance there are so many and yet there are thousands and thousands of wonderfully historically significant pieces of property no one would hope would dare say that this area was not significant is quite significant but at this time i would like to yield to my friend from parks and i'm sure that this area is a beautiful and and a wonderful area and as such it's already been designated as a national historic district which makes it eligible for about three million dollars in funding i would point out as my friend from texas said that it was the national park service that said that it didn't meet the criteria not not us i am pleased to hear from my friend from new jersey that in fact the partnership with the state will be ongoing and i wondered if the i had understood that the gentleman i had understood the state of new jersey hadn't agreed to provide matching funds and one of the gentlemen might be able to clarify that the gentleman from georgia recognized the gentleman from new jersey yield i'm happy over an answer yes the state of new jersey has for the speaker which all interested in new jersey has designated this as a state park it has committed ten million dollars to the project and try partnership i thank the gentleman is supposedly has also done the same thing reclaiming my time and i appreciate that and that's information that i hadn't had my concern is is kind of rising to the thirty thousand or forty thousand foot view for the national park service mr speaker i represent the six district in georgia which is on the northern side of the city of atlanta and through my district runs the chattahoochee river national recreation area forty eight mile long linear park the longest linear park in our nation and we speak or we have been trying to get communication accurate communication from the national park service about how they determine how much of their resources their fire resources that they have come to the various national parks across this nation and we asked that because as my friend from texas mentioned the national park service appears to be at least a billion dollars if not more in a rear view their maintenance and  operations budget so that the chattahoochee river national recreation area has trails that are in fact a danger to those that visit this beautiful park it is unable to patrol the park again forty eight mile linear park it doesn't have the number of full time equivalent employees that ought to be there for this this size park and when not when we look at other parks around the nation we see that parks equivalent visitation the same number of folks visiting each year get a significantly greater budget and so as we try to drill down and find out why that is it appears that it is all political for example there's a park that a former speaker of the house of representatives had in district and that that park gets four or five times the amount of funding that parks of same visitation across this nation and so we asked the national park service what's your formula how do you determine how much money  of your budget goes to the various national parks and national recreation areas and of course we haven't been able to get that answer and it hasn't been just a week or two mr speaker it's been years years that we've been trying to get that answer so i rise with great concern about the political nature of the relationship of the national park service and the priorities that they set and as my friend from texas raised there may be some concerns about this this  bill or this resolution that we have on the floor today about that matter as well and so i raise a greater concern a concern that i believe would be appropriate to pull back this resolution and find out from the national park service the answer to those pivotal questions that americans wan know and that is is there any rationale to how you're spending your money where is the accountability in how you spend your money i appreciate the jails in new jersey and his passion for this area and i'm sure it's a wonderful and beautiful area and i look forward to visiting it at at some point in the future but i believe we've got challenges and problems within the national park service i hope we address those first and i yield back to my friend from texas and preserve balance of my time the gentleman from texas continues to reserve his time the gentleman from arizona is recognized thank you mr speaker and gentleman from georgia if i'm not mistaken the original destination for the cheddar hoochie recreation area was also not supported by national park service and  presented by the other side we are not talking about hundreds of miles of square hundreds of square miles here we're talking about one hundred in pain acres of land we're talking about in the middle of that property the second largest falls in the east we're talking about what alexander hamilton said in seven hundred seventy four before the establishment of the society of useful manufacturers before america decided that it was going to go that industrial route so that we would have a multifaceted economy he this journey that at that falls that water power would bring tremendous job growth and tremendous facility station to economic growth and industrial growth he was right he was absolutely right no other industrial city no other city that brought the technology and science from england and from other parts of europe had the success that paterson had there were seven or eight major areas and i pointed them out i'm not going do it again i'm going to tell you there is alder area and all powered by the falls in today when we talk about alternative energy sources and both sides of the are the talking about and talking and talking and talking and talking it was really at the falls that we had the beginnings of hydroelectric power and i think the significance is not to be simply caught up in how beautiful the places we're not talking about  we're talking about what the meaning is of this place where all races and all creeds in all nationalities work and what we call the industrial revolution revolution this is a national landmark and a national natural landmark and there is no other place in the united states that meets that criteria isn't that interesting so while the park system of paul's lowell's and paul's a lot of things it is the congress that will determine in the constitution that congress will determine what is a park system killer time a gentleman from arizona continues to reserve gentleman from texas thank you mr speaker i have no further speakers but i would like to submit as i understand and i have not had the privilege of visiting the great falls area it is supposed to be one of the most beautiful areas and i know him greatly appreciative that as i understand this area is expected to include a microbrewery climbing wall apartment complex is what was brought to my attention and these of course raise other issues of lab elysium when we look around the country at all of the parks that are struggling right now to take care of their needs because the park service is a big in dollars in the arrears as far as taking care of their current obligations it just should cause us to look carefully and go slowly in absorbing other land until we have the wherewithal to do so and the park service is able to work with the congress to come up with a solid plan to care for that there are also issues when you bring in some of these other things like a micro brewery apartment complex climbing wall regarding a lab billet ease that may arise so there are just so many questions still out there yet to be resolved  and i have to say with regard to the resources committee i'm well pleased there are so many things that that are completely bipartisan in and we have a number of them today  because of the issues involved here we'll be asking our colleagues to vote no until we have a better plan and with that you know back to balance my time the gentleman from texas yield back about the time the gentleman from arizona thank you mr speaker and let me just in closing say that this legislation when eighty nine is this designation is as was said from the as the gentleman from new jersey it said is goes beyond a simple designat and it is that it speaks to the strengthening of our independence as this nation develops it speaks to a beautiful natural resource that needs to be protected and designated and it speaks to a historic legacy about people and industrial advancement that needs to be preserved and enhanced and designated for the whole nation to appreciate i want to thank the sponsor of the legislation and urged my colleagues to exercise the wisdom of congress and approve one eighty nine with that i yield back the gentleman from arizona yield back the question is will the house the spin the rules and pass h r one eighty nine as amended those in favor say  those opposed say 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 most eager to reconsider is laid upon the table the gentleman from georgia on that  names are requested all those in favor of taking that boat by the user names will rise and remain standing until counted is sufficient number having risen the yeas and nays are ordered pursuant to cause eight of rule twenty of the chairs prior announcement the further proceedings on this motion will be postpone to the congress of the united states pursuant to the international emergency economic powers act fifty u s c seventeen zero one i eat p s a i hereby report that i have issued an executive order in order that expand the scope of the national emergency declared in executive order thirty forty seven of may twenty nine hundred ninety seven and takes additional steps with respect to that national emergency in one thousand nine hundred seventy united states put in place a probe ition a new investment in burma in response to the government of burma large scale repression of the democratic opposition in that country on july twenty eighth two thousand and three those sanctions were extended by step taken in executive order one thirty three ten which contain prohibitions implementing sections three in four of the burmese freedom and democracy act of two thousand and three public law one zero eight s sixty one and supplemented that act with additional restrictions i have now determined that the government of burma is continued repression of the democratic opposition in burma manifested most recently in the violent response to peaceful demonstrations the commission of human rights abuses related to belittle political repression and engagement in public corruption including by diverting or misusing burmese public assets or by misusing public authority or an expansion of the existing sanctions the orderly then place the existing prohibitions on new investment the expiration and re explain exportation to burma financial services and the importation of any article that is a product of burma which were put into effect in the executive order one thirty forty seven and executive order one thirty three ten i delegated to the secretary of the treasury after consultation with the secretary of state the authority to take such actions including the promulgation of rules and regulations and to employ all powers granted to the president by the i e e e p a and section four of the burmese freedom and democracy act of two thousand and three as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the order i am enclosing a copy of the executive order i have issued signed george w bush the white house october eighteenth two thousand and seven exchange a certain lands in denali national park in the state of alaska pursuant to the role of the gentleman from arizona mr hall then the gentleman from to alaska mr young will each control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona thank you again misspeak or and i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend and include extended us material on the bill under consideration without objection thank you the speaker a cherry thirty was introduced by our colleague from alaska representative don young the legislation would authorize an exchange of easements on the land along the alaskan railroad track inside the denali national park the exchange would make it possible for the railroad to build a turnaround track near the  station helping to accommodate the increasing popularity of rail travel in the park mr speaker this is an exchange of easements only no park land will change hence the railroad has an existing needs been a log its entire track granted as a result on approximately equal number of acres elsewhere along the current track but speaker we support a charter eight thirty as amended and recommend its adoption by the house today and i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman from arizona continues t visitation much smoother this is a non controversial bill and enjoys the support of the national park service the state of alaska which owns a railroad the national parks conservative associations for anyone who has not traveled on alaska railroad it is a journey you should not miss for those you have had an opportunity enjoy the splendor of alaska scenery aboard the train are you sure you agree this approach class experience you may not know that alaskan railroad was owned by the federal government but congress and this was a pass that on a bipartisan bas proven it can take federal assets like the alaska railroad to manage it for the benefit of everyone who uses it i believe this is a fine piece of legislation and i yield back the balance of my time gentleman from alaska to yield back the balance of his time the gentleman from arizona was speaker will yield back the balance of our time the gentleman from arizona yield back the balance of this time the question is will the house spin the rules and pass h r eight thirty 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 upon the table for what purposes the gentleman from arizona writes mr speaker i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h r twenty one ninety seven the clerk will report the title of the bill h r twenty one ninety seven a bill to modify the boundary of the hopewell cultural national national historical part in the state of ohio and for other purposes pursuant to the rule the gentleman from arizona mr green halls and the gentleman from alaska mr young will each control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona thank you again with speaker and again i ask unanimous consent that all members have live five legislative days to revise and extend and include externals material in the bill into consideration without objection thank you speaker h r twenty one ninety seven was introduced by my good friend from ohio representative zack space the legislation would modify the boundaries of the hopewell cultural national historic park in south central ohio to add two tracks totally almost three hundred sixty acres the hopewell culture was a pre european civilization best known for the numerous mounds of earthworks found throughout the ohio valley the current part boundary encompasses five sites totaling one thousand one hundred seventy four service has testified in support of the legislation and it was approved by them by the resorts committee by unanimous consent this addition to our national park system will preserve important sites from our nation's past and i commend our new colleague representing the space for his diligence in bringing this bill to the house mr speaker representative spaces on his way back from his district this afternoon i have a statement from him that i would like to submit for the record without objection thank you speaker i reserve the balance of my time without objection the gentleman from texas will control the time to go over the tigers figure but i believe the national mark subcommittee chairman has adequately explained this bill we have no objections and at this 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 purposes pursuant to the rule the gentleman from arizona mr green all by and the gentleman from texas mr gohmert leach control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona thank you for speaking and again i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days land that bordered the park one parcel is in full view of the park's entrance road and contains important at archaeological sites and ancient forests and the largest known population of globally imperent imperiled plant this parcel is currently zoned for a subdivision but the owners would prefer to protect the property through inclusion in the park the second parcel is currently owned by park our partner the message board of the foundation the foundation intends to donate into the park for the development of the visitor center and museum collection facility but cannot do so until the park boundaries expanded mr speaker the administration has testified in support of this legislation the research committee approved the legislation with a minor member by you know unanimous consent i want to acknowledge at this point the hard work of the bill's sponsor representative johnson aside in bringing this important legislation forward we support this bill in nurtured seduction by the house today and i reserve the balance of my time gentleman from arizona reserves the balance of the time the gentleman from texas playing the speaker here once again i think my friend from arizona has adequately explained the bill and we supported him have no objections and and even though it's unusual here in congress to go back any time we do so we're back to my friend the gentleman from texas yield back the balance of his time the gentleman from arizona is recognized thank moving this point piece of legislation forward i introduced h r seven eighty three along with my friend and colleague mark udall from colorado to expand boundary of mace of of the national park most of our the national park tax most the most notable and best preserved cliff dwellings in this country the park is also vital to the economy of southwest colorado established by congress and you in one hundred six mesaba have the national parks as the first cultural park to be set aside by the national park system over four hundred years ago the problem settled that mess out there was that they built an elaborate stone community in the protected alcoves of the canyon calling it home for over seven hundred years when president teddy roosevelt signed the law establishing may seventh he claimed it and claimed that it was to preserve the works of man the establishment a massive airlift set off intense public interest in preserving others that site in the american southwest and nationwide one of the three hundred twenty four acre tract of private land to be acquired from the head of one family and i want to credit the head of one family as they remain steadfast in their determination to see the property included in this park and i'd like to thank them for their dedication the second plot of land the thirty eight acre track to be donated by the net to the national park service by the massive are the foundation with passages seven eighty three the national park service will have the authority to accept a generous donation this partial from the foundation mr speaker and people in the longstanding tradition of preserving the natural resources in the cultural heritage heritage of mess ever the national park h r seven eighty three will greatly enhance the visitor back up the balance of our time the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h r seven eighty three 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 upon the table without objection the amendment the title of h r eight thirty is adopted for what purpose does the gentleman from areas on iraq thank you ms speaker and i move to suspend the rules and pass h r twenty ninety four as amended the clerk will report the title of the bill h r twenty ninety four a bill to provide for certain administrative and support services for the dwight d eisenhower memorial commission and for other purposes pursuant to the rule the gentleman from arizona mr green hole and the gentleman from texas mr gohmert each will control twenty minutes the chairman recognized the gentleman from arizona with speaker again i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend and include extending its material on the bill under consideration without objection thank you a speaker there is no doubt that dwight eisenhower played a significant role in american history his service as a military leader both during war and in peace as our nation's thirty fourth president and as a statesman and a scholar are deserving of a memorial here in our nation's capital plans to establish such a memorial site across the street from the smithsonian air and space museum are well underway the commission established to oversee the memorial is now developing a design concept once the design is approved the commission will oversee construction of the memorial h r twenty ninety four sponsored by our colleague from kansas representative dennis moore makes technical changes to the staff organization and the administrative authority of the commission these changes are necessary as the commission transitions from planning  to the construction flees representative moore has worked very hard in this very difficult process to help get this memorial established thanks to his efforts and those of the commission future visitors to washington will come been properly explained i would like to add the personal touch as a member of congress from texas we are proud that a texan like the white house and how is being honored not many people are aware since he grew up in kansas that he was born in venice and texas but there was so much about this great man to be admired it is a wonderful tribute and of course as chairman of the national parks it indicated this this is not the beginning of the process this is continuing the ongoing process to make this a reality so we are very pleased that it's occurring where course from personal standpoint i like the fact that he was a republican and specially liked his  airline but but especially what he did for this nation and showing us protecting us in world war two guiding this nation as president and this is a wonderful tribute in appreciate the work of the  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 upon the table for what purpose that the gentleman from arizona or i think it was speaker i move to suspend the rules and pass h r five twenty three as amended the clerk will report the title of the bill h r five twenty three a bill to require the secretary of the interior to convey certain public land located wholly or partially within the boundaries of the we hired hydroelectric project a public utility district number one at douglas county washington to the utility district pursuant to the rule the gentleman from arizona mr green hall bar and the gentleman from texas mr gohmert leach control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona thank you mr speaker i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration without objection thank you mr speaker the wells hydroelectric project operated by the public utility district and douglas county provides electricity to approximately seven hundred thousand customers in washington state the central food feature of the project is a dam on the columbia river the utility district is in the early stages of the federal energy regulatory commission as we licensing process the projects current license was granted in one thousand nine hundred eighty two and will expire may two thousand and twelve an application for reed licenses was submitted by two thousand and ten a chart five twenty three directs the secretary of interior to sell six hundred sixty two acres of b l m land within the project boundary to the utility district and requires a district to pay the appraised fair market value for the land importantly the legislation requires that even after the conveyance takes place the secretary of interior will retain authority under the federal power act to place condition on the utilities new license if necessary to protect natural resources in the area mr speaker we have worked closely with the sponsor and our minority colleagues on the research committee to improve this legislation we thank them for that and appreciate it very much and i will reserve the balance of our time the gentleman from arizona continues reserve his time the gentleman from texas that you must say garage in support of h r five twenty three and you know myself such time as  gentleman is recognized first i would like to thank our committee chairman ryan hall and subcommittee chairman hollo for scheduling and for pushing this important legislation this straightforward bale allows for the conveyance of a few small places a public land to the douglas public utility district for fair market value and then dedicates the sale proceeds to improving public gas as to existing bureau of land management lands in washington state this conveyance from one public agency to another will better facilitate the use of that's land congressman doc hastings is also to be commended for his work he is worked and pushed and it is great to see this all coming to fruition congressman hastings is traveling from his district at this time and cannot be here so at this point i would ask unanimous consent to include congressman doc hastings statement into the record the gentleman from texas continues to reserve his time since there is no objection apparently we would ask unanimous consent speaker we'll back about select time the gentleman from arizona yield back the balance of his time the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h r five twenty three as amended those in favor say aye those opposed say no in the opinion of  chair 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 the speaker the gentleman from arizona the speaker that we have for the for record three a bill to authorize the secretary of the interior to enter into a long term lease with the government of the united states virgin islands to provide land on the island of st john virgin islands for the establishment of the school and for other purposes  generally called the bill as amended yet we put the bill as amended pursuant to the rule of the gentlewoman from the virgin islands which christianson and the gentleman from texas mr gohmert each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the to recognize thank you and i yield myself such time as i may consume to explain the bill and i want to thank the chair of the subcommittee and parks for coming to the virgin islands and having a hearing in st john on this important bill this bill h r fifty three was introduced by me and january fourth of this year to authorize the secretary of the interior to lease land on the island of st john to the government of the united states virgin islands to build a public school the legislation is strongly supported by the people of the virgin islands particularly where the residence of st john the virgin islands national park was authorized by congress in one hundred fifty six and established largely by an initial lando nation from lawrence rockefeller  the jackson hole preserve incorporated in one hundred sixty two and one hundred seventy eight the park was enlarged by congress so that it now takes up almost two thirds of saying jan which is only twenty two square miles for at least the past three decades the government of the u s virgin islands and the national park service have been discussing the question of securing suitable land on the island of st john to construct a public school since the one nine hundred seventy s public school enrollment on st john is more than doubled and the u s d a government owns no land on the island to either expand either of the two public schools that now exists or to build a new one to existing public schools the julius is proud of and the guy age ben the benjamin elementary school only accommodate children up to the ninth grade saying johnny and high school children have to travel to st thomas twenty minutes by ferry over open ocean to complete their secondary education and the school julius  is in the middle of a heavily traffic it traffic area which really threatens puts the lives of our children at risk as they come to and from school and about two years ago a second  a second grade student was killed leaving a christmas party but so the schools are not in the best location especially that school is not in the best location for our students it is clear that with limited land and the continued growth  population this legislation is critically needed i want to thank chairman ray holland ranking member dan young subcommittee chair raul grijalva and insular affairs subcommittee ranking member louie for tonio for their support to have this legislation considered on the floor today i also have to thank another group though i i have to thank the one campus group in st john kirsten ca flora line monsanto out this question ronnie jones and all of the others for the work that they have  get us this far and to bring the community together in support of the process that's outlined in h r fifty three when all else failed so i urge my colleagues to support the people of st john and to support a child fifty three i was over the balance of my generally from the virgin islands reserves the balance of our time the gentleman from texas is recognized thank you mr speaker and i do thank my colleague from the virgin islands for outlining h r fifty three two third's of the island of st john is comprise virgin islands national park the parks dominant sizes negatively impacting the quality of life for the growing population there at st john without utilizing the park land there is no other suitable property to build a school on st john our gym our colleagues to support the bill but we had hoped to consider an amendment to convey the property outright for the school as it was offered but then withdrawn by congressman jeff flake during our committee consideration of this bill however chairman right all is given his support for other long term leases and this bill does establish an important presence precedent for the national park service so with that we do support the bill it's for a great purpose and i have no other speakers and we're just average my colleagues to support this since we don't have an amendment to get it out right to my the balance of my time the question is will the house to spin the rules and pass h r fifty three as 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 upon the table protect concerned and restore native fish while mine and their natural habitat and national wildlife refuges through cooperatives and senate face grant to control mitigate and eradicate harmful non native species and for other purposes six seven as amended would give the secretary of interior additional tools to compact harmful non native species that are hurting native wildlife and plants on our national wildlife refuge ease i commend the author representative ron kind for his leadership and other matters affecting the national wildlife refuge system h r seven six seven as amended authorizes the secretary of interior to issue grants to states to assess the man the bill as amended includes a provision authorizing the secretary to give states financial assistance to address invasive species outbreaks in emergency situations h r seven six seven as amended will encourage the development of partnerships to address the threat of invasive species on a cooperative landscape bases and i do encourage adoption of the bill as amended and i reserve the balance of my time the gentle lady from guam continues to reserve her time the gentleman from texas is recognized by human speaker a rise in support of h r seven sixty seven of the repair act as it's called and you'll myself such time as a may consume the gentleman is recognized  a speaker and i would like to also as speaker congratulate and thank my dear friend from guam she gives hope to this country and encouragement by showing that there is class and there is graciousness in this body and exists in the delegate from guam and she also carries that out as chairman of the subcommittee now the effectiveness of the repair act will be proportion to the amount of money congress allocates we simply cannot afford to allow our wildlife refuges to be systematically destroyed by invasive species and that is happening this legislation is a positive step because it offers help in the fight against invasive in the future once a species is the dots of a new plant that has made its way across many like has entered texas is a small harmless looking little aquatic plant that finds itself on boat trailers leaving alike when the boat trailer is lowered into another like the not mere floating plant bides itself in a new like in the can take over it doubles its size in less than a week and in no time covers acres shutting off sunlight killing all plants underneath which results in aquatic life dying it must be fought in eradicated without doing damage to the leg during the five such a battle takes many good minds and hard workers coming together to prevent this creeping menace from being the last thing left in a lake alive in louisiana their cities like freeport who source of drinking water are being put in jeopardy by this freak of nature just recently i toured cattle like the largest freshwater natural like at one time and a true treasure for america with his cypress trees spanish moss and unusual fish and we had a joint task force of biologists and br environmental problem solvers from federal state private groups who all had the saying go eradicate the invasion of this borne species without doing damage to the lake and i just want to read a list of the top of people that are willing to come together when we deal with something that is such a grave threat to our water supplies she's who we had dan charnas representing congressman jim mccreary of louisiana a animal plant health inspection service dustin grant u s d a plant protection and quarantine state operation support officer dr earle chilton texas parks and wildlife and a member of the invasive species advisory committee for the national invasive species council department of interior and paul hoffman deputy assistant secretary department of interior and eyes as say also dr michael  army corps of engineers by troll expert dr randy westbrook's u s geological survey invasive plant coordinator judge richard anderson harrison county judge jerry lowe jerry lomax harrison county precinct one commissioner seaborne marion county precinct three commissioner for judge parker sam can up the mayor of the city of uncertain and that is a real city and certain texas jay webb cattle like chamber of commerce bill abney red river compact walt sears manager northeast texas municipal water district the watch shelmon cattle like institute todd dickinson manager cattle lake state park allen grantham dallas konig where marshall chamber of commerce dr jim harris marshall chamber of commerce water committee chair and sam moseley of marshall differend but it just points up how important what this bill addresses is these are invasive species that come into legs into parks and take over and destroy the native habitat that we're trying to preserve and i have to say when we had this meeting that went on for a number of hours i don't recall one time during the entire meeting where anybody ever asked what party anybody supported politically it was all about trying to protect what god grace this this country with and it it's wonderful to see that kind of support but what is very clear is that we cannot fight off these non native invasive species unless we work together in a bipartisan and i c e fashion with all these different scientists biologists governmental groups coming together because it affects so many different areas and it's one of the reasons i'm so grateful to my friend from guam and for all of those that have worked to help make this possible we've got to preserve what we've got and this is one of the ways to do it and with that i would reserve the balance of months on the gentleman from texas reserve the balance of the time generally from  to associate myself with the comments made by our colleague from the other side of the aisle the gentleman from texas this is not a republican or democratic issue this is something that really is important that serves the best interest of our nation i know my good friend of the gentleman from wisconsin would have been here on the floor but i'm sure he probably had some transportation problems coming here today but i want to commend him especially for his leadership and for the tremendous service it has rendered it promoting the interests of wildlife refuge a conservation invasive species other advocate doing using natural means whether it's an insect or or a fish or something to help control an invasive  species there is some all for that there are chemical means for dealing with those but unless we come together on a bill like this bringing all the different entities with all the different weapons at their command we're not going to be able to control some of these species some of them like the giant salving or are so resistant to so much and they had among other plants until they take over and and just spread so rapidly that we must come together and it is greatly gratifying to see such bipartisan effort in trying to to hold on to the land we love and with that i yield back the balance my time marching colleagues to support this bill the gentleman from texas yield back the balance of his time the gentlewoman from guam thank you mr speaker again i thank the gentleman from texas for his very supportive words on this particular measure and i have no further speakers so i y back the balance of my time the generally from guam you'll back the balance of our time the question is will the house the spin the rules and pass h r seven sixty seven as amended 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 bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill and consideration without objection mr speaker i yield myself such time as i ma h r twelve o five as amended would reauthorize the coral reef conservation act through fiscal year two thousand and twelve and give the federal government states and territories additional tools to protect and conserve coral reefs i commend the gentleman from american samoa the honorable annie fall of the vega for sponsoring this legislation and for his hard work to move it forward h r twelve o five was referred to the national resources committee and the science and technology committee i'm including in the congressional record and exchange of letters between chairman nick rainfall and bart gordon asserting both committee jurisdictions in h r twelve o five science committee chairman bart gordon gracefully agreed to allow this bill to come to the floor today h r twelve o five as amended broadens and improves the definition of coral reef eco system to include mangro and sea grass habitats additionally the bill gives the secretaries of commerce and the interior the authority to recover related costs for damages to coral reefs in u s waters located outside national marine sanctuaries mr speaker more than seventy percent of the coral reefs under the jurisdiction of the united states are found in the pacific including guam regrettably coral reefs worldwide remain imperiled and deserving of greater protection and i am a crop proud co sponsor of this legislation and i urge my colleagues to support the bill as amended and i reserve the balance of my time generally reserves the balance of  time the gentleman from texas is recognized by you mr baker rajan port of h r twelve o five the coral reef conservation amendments act of two thousand and seven we thank the gentleman from american samoa and once again my friend from guam and also the gentleman from puerto rico for their work on this legislation the coral reefs are truly a treasure but they mean the world to the to the aquatic life in those areas this legislation authorizes sectarian interior to undertake already conservation activities does involve matching grants and it provides in areas the jurisdiction of the department of the interior at this time though mr speaker i would like to yield such time as he may consume to my friend from maryland mr gilchrist i think the gentleman from texas for  i rise in strong support of h r twelve o five today and i want to thank my good friend from american samoa mr found him a vega for his effort in reauthorizing the coral reef restoration act i want to thank  restoration act brings a number of different agencies one once again to thank mr found in the vega for helping make this happen the coordination between various federal agencies in ensuring that the restoration  process continues and does so in a very timely fashion is admirable for example a ship strikes pose used to pose somewhat of a danger to coral reefs because of the various levels of  taskforce which coordinates those various federal agencies to more quickly implement policies that can deal with the restoration process mr speaker twenty percent of america's coral reefs are dead they are destroyed fifty percent of american america's coral reefs are in danger of dying for various various reasons and it is so important at this critical time that we understand the nature and the importance the value to the ecosystem the bat value to marine biological communities and the economic value to all those states and areas that live next to coral reefs and depend upon them for their fisheries for tourism for coastal protection and so on coral reefs do protect coastlines and they're valued for supporting rich biological diversity that is immense economic value to a number of regions throughout the united states half of the federally managed fifths fish species that equals billions of dollars spend much of their life cycle in coral reefs but coral reefs as a result of close to runoff over harvesting and now the effects of climate change these particular areas of degradation act in a phenomenally coordinated fashion to degrade our coral reefs and so this type of i'll close with this affects coral reefs in this manner because there's multiple effects on coral reefs over harvesting climate change acidification of the ocean runoff pollution in in our oceans  debris in our oceans and a whole range of other things that means that we have to approach this from a multiple stressor affect how do we deal with all these things to account for future affects of human activity including including climate change this bill enables us to manage the coral reefs in something that we will call ecosystem resilience the resilience of the ecosystem if you look at the human body your lungs your liver  your kidneys your bloodstream your heart the human body functions in an extraordinary coordinated fashion it's our own personal ecosystem and in the ecosystem abroad in the nation's oceans that ecosystem can function if it's restored understanding that concept of an ecosystem of a metabolism if you will to restore it so it is reasonable you and just like the human body can be restored but unless you have a process where you're healthy where you exercise where you have a good diet eccentric cetra then you will run through cycles of health and ill health the ecosystem of for all these reasons and for all the help we've had from the staff and the members i heartily endorse twelve o five and ask the members to vote in favor of this legislation thank the gentleman from maryland yield back the balance of his time the gentleman from guam tom vega for bringing this important legislation to the for today this is speaker coral reefs are among the most diverse biologically complex and valuable ecosystems on earth in my home state of florida we are fortunate to have the third largest barrier reef in the world along with their natural beauty florida's coral reef systems serve as a critical place for fish habitat as a potentially life saving barrier against hurricanes as well but it's only on an every day level that coral reefs probably have the greatest impact on south florida serving as an important source of tourism jobs and revenue in broward county alone coral reefs contribute over two billion dollars annually to the local economy however coral reefs are nothing short of a crisis because of a variety of threats scientists estimate that sixty percent of coral reefs may disappear before two thousand and fifty that's why i'm surprised i'm very proud to support all m my colleagues efforts today to bring this legislation forward house resolution twelve o five will make important changes to the coral reef conservation act of two thousand one will be able to take advantage of the raft vast resources and expertise at various coral reef conservation institutions across the country like the national national quarry finster toot the national coral reef in situ will be hosting the eleventh international call reef symposium next year in florida which will bring together scientists from over throughout the world over three thousand of the scientists to discuss coral reef issues harnessing their experience and knowledge and other institutions will be a vital component of any course federal co conservation plan another important aspect of this legislation we're considering today will be to authorize know what to response a vessel groundings since one thousand nine hundred four we've seen twelve large ships run aground and sensitive reef areas near fort lauderdale the last one occurring almost a year ago involve the freighter that left a twenty foot swath of destruction along one hundred feet of a coral reef whatever coral that once lived there is now unfortunately gone part of the solution to vessel grounding is adopting better present prevention strategies such as closing anchorage sites and shallow waters that are close to coral reefs and i'm very proud of the coral the coast guard and others have worked to achieve this objective but we also need to respond faster when a vessel does run aground because the sooner coral reefs can be restored the better chances for their survival expanding noah's authority to act will allow noah to utilize their experience and resources to both assess the damage and restore the reefs for these reasons i urge my colleagues to adopt this legislation i think the sponsors on both sides of the aisle and recommend that we move forward and yield back my time to the chair the gentleman from florida  back the gentleman from texas is recognized thank you miss baker and this is a good bill it does a good thing and preserve something that is so vital to our nation as a resource we do need to be careful about the unintended consequences of the expansion of the term while lafe and other statutes just to give the secretary at the already over coral reefs and call rape ecosystems even in limon his circumstances but w that assad i would encourage support for the bill and you know back to balance my town the gentleman from texas he was back the balance of his time the gentle lady from guam thank you very much mr speaker and now i'd like to recognize the sponsor only want to commend the chairman of our natural resources committee the gentleman from west virginia mr ray hall for his support and commitment to this important legislation i also would like to acknowledge the leadership in the tremendous support that we have received my good subcommittee on fisheries and wildlife that generated from guam mr but than you and i want to also commend the gentleman from texas for his support and management of the bill on the other side of the aisle i want to thank my good friend the gentleman and former chairman of the fisheries conservation act of two thousand and seven and it's an important piece of legislation because it recognizes that we need to do more now to protect the health of our nation's coral reefs we have coral reefs running along the coast on both sides of the united states continental united states especially completely surrounding our u s territories coral reefs are critically important not only here in the united states but around the world that we should take the lead to protect you such a vital resource misspeak h r twelve o five is carried over key provisions from legislation that i introduced in the previous congress it was a very strong bipartisan support this legislation will authorize funding for management assistance grants and has reached search and the current administration as well as from other members of congress and also to certainly to enhance the passage of this legislation says been a work of some seven months in consultations not only that we have hearings in our subcommittee we have a mark only critical for our cultural states and territories but more important for the rest of the world i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i would be remiss if i did not recognize the tremendous work that the senior staff of the committee on both sides of the jensen in my good friend mr de wayne and for their support and for their work in putting this legislation in such a way that now has the bipartisan support of our colleagues both sides of the aisle again this is not a republican or democrat a bill it is a bill that will serve the best interests of our nation and i yield back the bow some of my time the gentleman yield back the balance of his time the gentle lady from guam thank you mr speaker as a new chairman of this committee i want to go on record to thank my record my colleagues for their input during expertise on this particular subject able spoken in support of this legislation and i want to thank them for their bipartisan support i have no further speakers mr speaker i just want to know from my colleagues that part of the our efforts in preserving the coral reefs is the announcement by president bush and last year of the largest the largest monument in the world marine germany and also supports some seven thousand species of animal the marine life which is so important i think we need to to understand that this is also part of what this lets this legislation proposed and i think the generally for you mr speaker i have no further speakers and i yield back generally to yield back the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h r twelve zero five 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 upon the table species and their associated habitats while also providing endangered species act compliance for existing and certain new water related activities in the platte river basin h r fourteen sixty two was amended also authorizes the modification of pathfinder dam and reservoir as is required by a legal settlement and is the key part of the water devoted to recovery implementation mr speaker this program is the result of years and years of negotiation and compromise between water users and environmentalist and should be seen as a model for dealing with endangered species conflicts i congratulate my democratic colleague from ratto the honorable representative mark yudof for his hard work on this legislation and i strongly urge my colleagues to stand in support of this non controversy o bill and i reserve the balance of my time generally from wall reserve the balance of our time the gentleman from texas texas is recognized by us baker or fourteen sixty two stems from endangered species conflicts along the planet river as a result of lawsuits in the real threat of water and power infrastructure being shut down over endangered species conflicts the federal government the three states water and power users and environmental organizations came together on the platte river recovery program and this legislation implements part of that program the result is that existing water and power infrastructure is protected while a collaborative and far reaching program to help save for different species begins since this program is contingent upon federal appropriations a state can opt out and the governance committee charged with implementing the program has the enormous responsibility of keeping all stakeholders together conversing with affected parties communities and landowners on the land and water issues and finding real results congress will continue to have oversight on this program to save it is being run effectively and efficiently this legislation if implemented properly can be a win for both the people and species of the platte river basin without a reserve the balance months on the gentleman from texas reserves the balance of the time the gentle lady from guam interests that work here i don't know if anybody is totally thrilled with the result but it seemed to be an appropriate way to bring what could be done together to come about with a result that will require oversight will require monitoring but under the circumstances to keep things from being totally shut down and we would encourage our colleagues to support the bill and with that with your back gentleman  yield back the balance of his time the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h r fourteen sixty 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 bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table for what purpose does the gentle lady from guam arise mr speaker i move to suspend the rules and pass h r thirteen thirty seven the corporate court the title of the bill union calendar number one thirty seven h r thirteen thirty seven a bill to provide for a piece ability study of alternatives to augment the water supplies of the central oklahoma master conservancy yes as amended pursuant to the rule the gentleman from guam mrs gore d'aleo and the gentleman from texas mr gore mark each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from guam this is where dalio mr speaker i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to rebuys extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration without objection the general idea is recognized mr speaker i yield myself such time as i may consume the gentle lady is recognized the purpose of h r thirteen thirty seven introduced by our colleague congressman tom cole of oklahoma is to direct the commissioner of the borough of reclamation to conduct a feasibility study on alternatives to augment the water supplies of the central oklahoma master conservancy district and cities served by that district this legislation was previously considered by the house and we have no objection to this non controversial bill and i reserve the balance of my time the gentle lady from  congressman tom cole authorizes a feasibility study to assist norman oklahoma and the surrounding area to meet long term water supply goals through the expansion of the federal water project like  throughout the west these oklahoma communities are faced with growing water supply challenges this thoughtful bill provides limited federal assistance to expand a federal reservoir but preserves local rights and jur diction although some of us have concerns that there are people who play football in the norman oklahoma area and have been overly aggressive as of late with some of our texas teams we're hopeful that by providing this this help that it will cool down some of that over aggressiveness and i would urge my colleagues to support the bill and you'll back to balance month time the gentleman from texas yield back the balance of the time gentle lady from guam me just speak or i think my colleague from texas mr gohmert for his support on this non controversial bill and i yield back the balance of my time the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass r thirteen thirty seven 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 upon the table water and groundwater study and facilities act to authorize the secretary of the interior to participate in their product base a natural national treatment system project and to authorize the secretary to carry out a program to assist agencies in projects to construct regional brings ons in california to authorize the secretary to participate in the lower cino dairy area the salination demonstration and reclamation project and for other purposes pursuant to the rule the gentlewoman mr speaker i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend the remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration without objection which is speaker i you myself such time as i may consume the gentle lady is written h r eighteen zero three introduced by congressman duncan hunter would direct the secretary of the interior to conduct a feasibility study to design and construct a four reservoir intertie system this intertie system will improve the water storage opportunities and water supply reliability for the city of san diego and the sweet water authority the third largest water retailer in san diego county similar legislation was passed by the house in the one zero ninth congress we have no objection to this non controversial bill and i reserve the balance of my time but generally from one reserve t balance of her time the gentleman from texas and speaker arise in support of h r eighteen zero three and you myself says time is on my consent the gentleman is recognized as important legislation was introduced by our colleagues from california pres not pres yet but duncan hunter and susan davis both colleagues here in congress it represents the first step in expanding increasingly scarce water supplies for the citizens of the san diego area this bill authorizes the bureau of reclamation to assess the feasibility of constructing an energized system between four reservoirs several of these reservoirs are significantly below capacity in most years once interconnected water could then be transported to the unused space growing populations and reduced water storage opportunities require us to make efficient use of the supplies that we have and this bill does just that our colleagues to support this non controversial bill which also passed the house in the last congress it also follows the adage that a stag's in one style may use what you got this will allow us to do that and with that arch support and you're back to balance months down the gentleman from texas yield back the balance of his time the gentle lady from guam mr speaker i have no further speakers so i yield back generally to yield back the question is will the house  d the rules and pass h r eighteen zero three as amended those in favor say the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h r eighteen zero three those in favor say aye those polled say 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 hundred fifty five a bill to authorize the secretary of the interior acting through the bureau of reclamation to enter into a crop or to agreement with the madeira irrigation district for purposes of supporting to midhir water supply  fifty five as amended is to authorize the secretary of the interior to provide support for the design and the construction of the maghera water supply enhancement project in california's central valley similar legislation was introduced by congressman radanovich in the one zero ninth congress and passed by the house with the concurrence of the minority h r eight hundred fifty five has been amended to simplify the legislation and to ensure there is no doubt that this project should be promptly funded and constructed without further studies of its feasibility we have no objection to this non controversial bill and i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman from guam reserve and power subcommittee chair george radanovich authorizes the bureau of reclamation to participate in the design and construction of the madeira water supply and enhancement project due to a rapidly growing population and lawsuits filed once again we are about those lawsuits filed by san francisco based environmental organizations the san joaquin valley of california faces increasing demands on its what limited water supply meeting demands in dry years this legislation also unilaterally declares the project feasible which is something the bureau prosy would normally take years and much paperwork to decide we commend the majority for  this rarely used congressional declaration for a water storage project but that mr speaker would like to commend my colleagues across the aisle again a member of congress with true grace  class and appreciate her work on these bills and urged my colleagues to support this particular legislation and you're back to balance my town the gentleman from texas yield back the balance of his time the gentle lady from guam thank you mr speaker it has been a pleasure to work with my friend the gentleman from texas mr gohmert in managing these non controversial bills this afternoon and i want to thank him very much i hope we have the opportunity again i have no further speakers so i yield back the remainder of my time the gentle eighty from guam yield back the balance of our time the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h r eight hundred fifty five 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 upon the table early before the house the following communication the honorable the speaker house of representatives madam pursuant to the permission granted in clause to a general to the rules of the u s house of representatives the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on october twenty second two thousand and seven at to the rule of the gentlewoman from new york mrs mccarthy and the gentleman from new york mr cool each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from new york mccarthy mr speaker i request five legislative days during which members may insert materie revelent to h resolution seven six two into the record without objection you notice consent to revise and extend remarks without objection i yield myself as much time as i ma consume the gentle lady from new york is recognized thank you mr speaker i rise in support of national bowling to venture an awareness week bowling among children as aggressive behavior that is into intentional and often repeated over time it is estimated that three point two million students are bullied each year these children that are victims of bullying often have a hard time defending themselves they are the target of hitting teasing name calling intimidation insults szell exclusion with the arrival of the digital age bullying is taking place over e mail and online communicate communities such as my space and facebook there is no single cause of bullying among school children several factors can make a child the target of aggressive bullying what we do know is that students with disabilities and special needs are more often targeted by bullies overweight and obese children are also far more likely to be the victims of bullying this weight based testing teasing often causes body image issues with the children sometimes leading to depression and even suicide bowling can often be a sign of serious entice social behavior and many children who bully are often dealing with issues in their home life we have all seen the harz that can occur when bowling does go unchecked the students at columbine high school where the subjects of constant bullying we are all aware of what happened when they reached their breaking point congress cannot sit and wait for another tragedy to to occur before we act that is why i have introduced with my colleagues today's resolution that bill recognizes this week is national billing potential awareness week and commence the many programs and organizations that do great work in preventing the cycle of bullying i reach my college to support this resolution with that balance i reserve the balance of my time generated from new york reserves the balance of our time the gentleman from new york to call this recognize mr speaker i yield myself such time as i may consume the gentleman is recognized mr speaker i rise today in support of house resolution seven sixty two supporting the goals of national bullying prevention awareness week according to the health resources and services administration of the united states department of health and human services bowling is aggressive behavior that is intentional repeated over time and involves in balance of power or strength in practical terms bullying happens when one child purposely hurts or scares or intimidates another bullying can seriously affect their mental and physical health as well as the academic work of children who are targeted bowling can take place they used to face on line or through other types of technology such as text messaging over cell phones the person being bullied has a difficult time defending himself or herself and feels victimized or abused usually bullying happens repeatedly and studies show that between fifteen and twenty five percent of us students are bullied with some frequency bulling is prevalent and children are concerned about it in a two thousand and three harris poll of eight to seventeen year old girls commissioned by the girl scouts of america bowling top girls lists requiring their safety when asked what they worried most about the common response was being socially ostracized being made fun of or being teased to protect kids who are bullied parents and adults must understand what b is how harmful it can be and the best ways to stop bullying behaviors according to the american psychological association the most effective prevention strategies are comprehensive in nature involving the entire school as a community working to change the climate of the school and norms of behavior it's crucial that parents educators and administrators health care professionals and researchers work together to reduce bullying campaigns are taking place in the u s and abroad to teach children that they can play and important role in the prevention of bowling and to raise awareness of the problem wants adults children should feel comfortable in their communities and in their schools they should not have to fear harassment abuse or exclusion we must continue to support efforts to combat bullying i thank the gentlewoman from new york mrs mccarthy for introducing this resolution and i ask for my colleagues support and i reserve the balance of my time speaker the gentleman from new york mr coon reserve the balance the fifth time the gentle lady from new york is recognized thank you mr speaker and i want to thank my colleague from new york mystical for his work on working on this it's a bipartisan agreement and with that  i would like to give congresswoman linda sanchez from california who has been working on this issue for many many years the gentle lady from california is recognized for how much time i'm sorry five minutes that genera california sanchez is recognized for five minutes thank you and i think the gentleman from new york for her work on this very important issue mr chair i write today in strong support of this resolution supporting the calls of national bullying prevention we it is time that we recognize that bullying is a serious problem and support our local communities in their attempt to address it contrary to what is sadly still popular belief bullying is neither a minor nuisance nor something to be laughed off it is not a right of passage but instead an aggressive interference with a child's right to go to school to learn and to play in safety although any child may be bullied some children face much greater risks than others children whom others perceive or perceived to be gay or lesbian are especially at risk as are children who are obese just what kind of dangers to these children say here are just two stories of students bullied on the basis of their sexual orientation one california student was recently subjected to verbal harassment and name calling by students and teachers spit on in school hallways subjected to sexually suggestive touching and even referred to an independent study program as of the