prayer will be offered by our chaplain father coughlin lord god our defense and our liberate are throughout our history as americans and even in our individual lives you have come to our aid and strengthened us in the face of all our struggles against evil it was us now and always for the prophet daniel offers a distinction he said he saw you in the very beginning when the evil horn spoke arrogant words until the beast was slain and his body thrown into the fire but there were other beasts too which also lost their dominion but were granted a prologue a sion of life for a time in a season lord we believe you always deliver us from evil yet each of us can name the other  described by daniel in our history as a nation and in our personal lives they no longer have dominion to completely overcome a us but we know they can be granted  time therefore lord we plead for your help to persevere for the time being sometimes to fight we personally need to undergo treatment or continue therapy general stance approved the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentlewoman from whom this word down crocker have returned they are reporting to the nation on the progress in iraq and since they were last here this is what the iraqi parliament has passed a pension law for regime official reform and amnesty law are preventable election law the national government is sharing all revenues with the provinces sectarian killings are down ninety percent civilian deaths have dropped by more than seventy percent coalition casualties have dropped by more than seventy percent and most importantly iraqi security forces are fighting for the future of their very country some in this house are so invested in the narrative of defeat that they are blind to the results of a campaign that ranks among the greatest in the history of our armed forces our troops have achieved tremendous success through valor and sacrifice let's not sell them out and choose to lose a winnable war history would not forgive us for that thank you madam speaker i yield the balance of my time what purpose does the gentleman from i'm sorry without objection to gentlemen his  this time to congratulate the citizens of bosnia herzegovina on their sixteenth anniversary of independence is an honor for me to represent the largest bazin american population the united states is one of co chair of the bipartisan history of multi ethnic and religious tolerance or want to apply their democratic orientation and strongly encourage the further strengthening of government reforms in respect of human rights rule of law and free market economy i once again congratulate the objection madam speaker as positive progress continues against america's enemies in iraq the vocal timid meek here at home promote a strategy of defeat and retreat victory to these retreat us is not an option because they plan for abandonment of the iraqi people and you're for america spot against those who murder in the name of religion these war alarmists wish to capitulate this war they want to redeploy the troops which means withdraw our military while they are in the m success this strategy of defeat will not bring peace to iraq or america it will not stop the extremists but increase their determination for more violence against the essence it will not make us safe at home but encourage those who hate us to kill again and those vile zealots will rightly claim america doesn't have the stomach to fight for the god given principles of liberty president kennedy told the world that america will pay any price support any friend and oppose any foe to defend liberty we do not fight for ourselves alone this war is more than for our calls alone we fight for the human cause of all peoples to be free that is what this war is about and that's just the way it that has been the worst military fiasco in american history but one of the questions i would like them to answer is how when the iraqi government has over us fifty six billion dollars of revenue this year they have the gall to ask the american tax they're for another hundred and seventy billion dollars they are forty billion dollars in reserve that they gotten from oil being out of over one hundred dollars a barrel the american taxpayer is paying more than three hundred dollars and thirty cents a gallon and yet iraq wants another hundred and seventy billion they've got ten billion dollars in reconstruction funds in yet if we are going to pay their needs and that's what we're doing we're paying for military training all the way down to garbage pickup with american taxpayers money when they've got tens of billions of dollars that they would choose not to spend without objection the gentleman is recognized then i'm speaker this morning i join many of my colleagues from both political parties with over four hundred iraq and afghanistan veterans an event organized by vets for freedom this nonpartisan organization is dedicated to supporting our veterans by achieving victory in the global war on terrorism to protect american families by defeating terrorism overseas and i am proud to stand with these patriotic americans their visit to washington comes on the eve of general crocker presentation to the house of their report on iraq and i hope my colleagues will listen to general petraeus and ambassador crocker with an open mind as a grateful veteran with two sons who have served in iraq i know these two men serve the best interest of our troops and safety of american families they deserve attention to what they have to say the old failed talking points that the war has lost so the surge is a failure does a disservice to this debate those claims have been soundly refuted by the fact on the ground as i saw last month the month visit to iraq let's be sure our policy going forward is based on the facts and conclusion god bless our troops and we'll never forget september the eleventh for purposes the gentleman from tennessee right now one gentleman is recognizing without objection better speaker is a close the rally today with four hundred veterans in support of our troops and their mission in iraq afghanistan i quoted john stuart mill who said war is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things the decayed integrated state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse a person who has nothing for which they're willing to fight nothing they care more about than their own personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance of ever being free unless those very freedoms are made and kept better persons than themselves in quote those better persons are our nation's veterans the men and women in uniform and today may god almighty just hova god bless and keep those brave americans in harm's way on our back for what purposes of gentleman from california right without objection the gentleman is recognized madam speaker now that the columbia trade agreement is before congress i hope that all members will weigh its benefits carefully and approve it with a strong bipartisan up or down vote the united states is the largest manufacturer in export or in the world and new markets are essential to our workers forty two percent of whom are employed by companies that are involved with stray that colombia agreement what level the playing field for american workers and grand our exporters same fair access that colombian producers already enjoy into the u s market it would also strategically strengthen colombia's fight against narco terrorists and help them reject the influence of venza whalers anti american strongman without objects in the gentleman is recognized madam speaker my fellow colleagues today is the day when general petraeus the recognize that of all of the rhetoric on this floor that we should listen to the troops they're the ones that are sacrificing they're the ones that i believe have first hand knowledge of what is occurring in iraq and i have a letter that i'm going to submit and read it says dear congressman young i'm the last in army national guard soldier serving in iraq military forces along with a greatly improved iraqi army police and local critical infrastructure security forces have won battles al qaeda is gone from our districts now we need in time the time to win the war the security situations are set one hundred eighty degrees turned around from pre service times i've seen it happen and live in a daily we do not let the united states lose do not let the united states lose this part of the global war against terrorist r this morning i was honored to join with senator mccain and other republican and democratic members of both the house and senate to welcome over four hundred veterans from iraq and afghanistan that wait here for a rally in support of all those who are risking their lives on the front lines in this global war against terror this morning's rally marks the single largest gathering of iraq and afghan veterans since the war began imagine spica make no mistake these heroes were gathering for a victory not a politically driven withdrawal which would ensure defeat these veterans are so committed to success in iraq and afghanistan that they have pulled a nation nationwide group it's called vets for freedom with the mission of educating the american public and congress about the importance of achievement success in this global war on terror and what the failure to do would mean for our nation security so matters because every member this body should this week meet with these veterans talk to and learn of the benefits of their firsthand experience in iraq and afghanistan in the words of the vets for freedom it's time to put quote long term national security before short term partisan political gains again i thank the vets of freedom as well as general petraeus and amba energy information agency the united states imports about sixty percent of its oil today and that number is expected to go up to almost eighty percent in the next ten years as a country we need to reduce our dependency on foreign fuel sources and start implementing alternative energy sources and programs that can be found here in the united states like coal imported fuel such as crude oil and natural gas are costing the cunt billions of dollars millions of dollars accounts for about one third of the united states trade deficit imported fuels also account for about seventeen percent increase america's energy consumption from two thousand and four to two thousand and five that liquid coal can be developed for fifty dollars a barrel compare that with a hundred seven dollars for oil today not only does this innovative fuel cost us less but also coal is one of the most abundant natural resources in the united states as congress continues to explore the use of alternative energy sources we need to look closely at coal to liquid that year later before the house a communication the honorable the speaker house of representatives pursuant to the commission granted in close to a temporal two of the roles of the u s house of representatives the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on april seventh two thousand and eight at ten thirty message from the president to the congress of the united states i am pleased to transmit legislation and supporting documents to implement the united states colombia trade promotion agreement the agreement the agreement represents and historic development in our relations with colombia which  shown its commitment to advancing democracy protecting human rights and promoting economic opportunity this agreement will increase opportunity for the people of colombia through a sustained economic growth and is therefore vital to ensuring that colombia continues  authority from preparation for the negotiations to consultations with the congress throughout the talks to the content of the agreement itself under the agreement tariffs on over eighty percent of u s industrial and consumer goods export colombia will be immediately eliminated with tariffs on the remaining goods eliminated within ten years the agreement will allow fifty two percent of u s agricultural exports by value to enter colombia duty free immediately with the remaining agricultural tariffs phase out over the time my ministrations looks forward to continuing to work with the congress on a bipartisan path forward to secure approval of this legislation that builds on the positive spirit of the two thousand and seven agreement on trade between the administration and the house and the senate leadership congressional approval of legislation to implement the agreement is in our national interest and i urge the congress to act favorably on this legislation as quickly as possible signed george w bush the white house april seventh two thousand and eight it's referred to the committee on ways and means in order to prevent th for what purpose as a gentlewoman from guam rice madam speaker i move to suspend the rules and passed house resolution two sixty five as amended the corporal report the title of the resolution house resolution two sixty five resolution honoring military children during national month of the military trial pursuant to the rule of the gentlewoman from guam is bordello in the gentleman from virginia mr whitman each will control twenty minutes that she recognize gentlewoman from men speaker i yield myself such time as i am i can assume an ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days within which to rebuys and extend their remarks under the resolution under consideration without objection madam speaker i stand before you in support of house resolution two six five honoring military children for their personal sacrifice and recognizing the month of april as the national month of the military child currently two point seven five million americans are serving in the armed forces of the united states one point seven million of these americans who have served who are currently serving have been deployed nearly six hundred thousand members have deployed more than once and close to two hundred and sixty thousand are currently deployed these are important points for us to take note of and reflect upon today because today there are nearly one point two million military children in families whose parents proudly served in the uniform unfortunately fifty percent of the service members who are currently deployed away from their duty stations are separated from their spouses and their children long term and multiple deployments have shown undesirable effects upon both servicemembers their families and their children they sometimes experience severe emotional psychological and physical problems over the course of these deployments over extended periods of time exile and strain become a part of the daily lives of both spouses and children who sacrifice unduely approximately three thirty five four hundred military children have lost a parent serving in the armed forces during the proceeding five years military children are making personal sacrifices in support of this nation during national month of the military child we need to ensure that we support all the american children who faithfully share their family in order to protect our way of life house resolution two six five encourages public and private sectors support for both military children and their families through direct contributions to scholarships grants and donations action which promotes family readiness so it is appropriate to celebrate the children who are loved by these brave men and women in uniform the health and the well being of these children is important to the overall readiness of our forces we therefore appreciate the leadership shown by our distinguished colleague from northern virginia mr moran in sponsoring this important resolution madam speaker i urge my colleagues to support house resolution two six five and i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman from virginia to recognize that i'm speaker national months of the military child today we are a nation at war with more than two point seven five million men and women in uniform more than two hundred eighty thousand deployed worldwide the men and women of today's armed forces are all volunteers but as never before in our history they were also married and have families at any given time when deployed away from their home bases fifty percent of the members of the armed forces leave behind families with children while the numbers in statistics are interesting the real message here is that the sacrifices in commitments made by the members of the armed services are very often directly fail to experienced by their family members and especially their children each of the military services and the department of defense go to extraordinary lengths to provide the resources and environment to support military families and children preservation and support of families is recognized as a military readiness requirement i fully support those efforts the resolution today strives to ensure that proper attention is focused on the sacrifices spirit and contributions made by the children of military families this resolution also seeks to bring recognition and thanks to both the department of defense and private sector programs that support military children and families mr madam speaker i want to thank my friend mr moran of virginia for sponsoring this speaker growing up is difficult but imagine what it must be like when one parent or even both parents are deployed abroad as part of their duty in our armed forces while friends and relatives play pray for their safe return no one feels the impact of deployment more than the children of service members in combat overseas we are learning more about the impact that living under the shadow of uncertainty has on our children the answer densa military children needing psychological counseling has increased dramatically last year children's hospital and the district of columbia had over a thousand visits from military children suffering from behavioral and mental health problems these are just normal kids who want what any child wants their mothers and fathers at home to tuck them in at night reassuring them that all will be all right today more than two million three hundred thousand americans demonstrate their courage and commitment every day say to our nation by serving in our armed forces and of these men and women most have families subjected to frequent moves from one installation to another long deployments abroad and the fear that their loved one serving overseas might never come home fifty percent of our troops deployed overseas have children that all left behind that's more than a million children with at least one parent deployed overseas those figures statistics can too easily be ignored sometimes because they are abstract but here is one that can't be dismissed three thousand four hundred children have already lost a parent serving in the armed forces over the past six years what i introduced this resolution two years ago the number of children who had lost a parent was one thousand and now it's three thousand four hundred the department of defense understands that without the family support they will never get the soldier's full support in one thousand nine hundred six secretaries defense caspar weinberger declared this month the national month of the military child and every year sense events at military bases for its another installations across the nation have been held so celebrate the military family replete with lots of lofty rhetoric but not enough true attention to their needs to bases in my own district fort belvoir in fort myer hold annual events providing military kids the chance to be distracted a bit just being a kid with other kids in similar situations but the congress needs to step up today i'm glad to join with my colleagues particularly with by colleagues will speak air today to offer this resolution officially recognizing this month of april as the national month of the military child and dedicated the congress to paying more attention to the children and the spouses of our soldiers my colleagues on the other side of the aisle representatives ace and walter jones of north carolina a bipartisan sponsors and steady advocates for this effort i thank them for their support and leadership this resolution is just a small way that congress can recognize the sacrifice these youngsters and their families are asked to make but it is an opportunity to commit ourselves to doing much more specifically the resolution joints the secretary of defense and honoring the letairis children and recognizing that they should day to share the burden and not making a great sacrifice and protecting our nation i'd also like to take the opportunity to thank the organization kids serve to it's in my congressional district that's got to cater to the needs of military families everywhere was created by military families to support other military families kids serve two spots as activities and events for military children that's rep in the gallery today specifically by trisha johnson her daughters kat and claire and her sister kathleen murphy bottom speaker military families and their children deserve our heartfelt appreciation for their sacrifice today we honor them and their sacrifice and thank you for bringing this resolution to the floor tha reserve the balance of our time we've got two more speakers thanking us the gentleman from virginia track man a speaker i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman from gentlewoman from guam is recognized thank you madam speaker you know two minutes to my friend and colleague the gentleman from texas mr edwards the chairman of the appropriations subcommittee on military construction i think gentleman is right for her her time in recognition madam speaker i want to salute put on our nation's uniform that they serve every single day and they serve with great honor and distinction one could not have a make up day for a parent not being there for a birthday special occasions for a mom or dad not being there for a high school graduation or college graduation there are no make up days those missed special occasions moran pointed out so poignantly and thirty four hundred cases military children have made the ultimate sacrifice of losing a mother or father in service to to our country it is so right that we honor these great americans the military children today with with this resolution as mr moran also pointed out i think it's even more important that we honor them not just during the month of april with our words and for speeches but every day and every month and every year with our deeds with effective funding adequate funding for the impact a program that provides extra federal funding to school districts with heavy concentrations of military children with daycare programs which this congress last year took the initiative on and added one hundred thirty million dollars worth of daycare centers for military children throughout the country especially needed during a time of  we worked hard on military housing so the children can live in and houses they're proud to call their homes and their parents as is well and this congress last year took the initiative in increasing by historic unprecedented level funding for v a medical care so that when those parents leave the military they will continue to get their medical care i urge support this resolution has no more speakers i yield back the balance of my time that gentleman woman from guam is recognized gentlewoman from guam as recognize those appalled no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table what purposes the gentlewoman from guam or i met a speaker i move to suspend the rules and pass house joint resolution seventy as amended the clerk will report the title of the joint resolution house joint resolution seventy joint resolution congratulating the army reserves on its centennial which will be formally celebrated on april twenty third two thousand and eight and commemorating then store it contributions of its veterans and continuing contributions of its soldiers to divide all national security interests and home when defense missions of the united states pursuant to the rule of the gentlewoman from the gentleman from virginia mr whitman each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes consideration without objection the gentlewoman is record madam speaker i write today in support of house joint resolution seventy which commemorates two thousand and eight as the centennial of the united states army reserve celebrating the historic contributions of its veterans and continuing and contributions of its soldiers to operations at home and abroad i think my colleague mr bishop of georgia for introducing this important resolution i'm january ninth one thousand five the twenty sixth president of the united states theodore roosevelt dispatched a special message to the senate and house of representatives recommending passage of legislation to establish a federal reserve force of trained personnel to bring our army to its highest point of efficiency beginning as a supplementary unit at the turn of the twentieth century our army reserve soldiers have shown immeasurable dedication and valor through the broadening of their inceptive purpose the army reserve has developed from a few support troops during world war one into a vital and sustained operational force for current and future operations this federal forces been deployed in different capacities serving in eight wars and defending the interests of the united states and its allies in world war one world war two korea vietnam russia berlin panama the persian gulf somalia haiti bosnia kosovo kenya iraq and numerous humanitarian missions in other countries during his first one hundred years involvement in operations desert storm desert shield joint endeavor joint guard enduring freedom noble eagle and iraqi freedom shows the army is incomplete without the skilled and trained personnel of its reserves the army reserve has grown from one hundred sixty medical officers to virtually two hundred thousand soldiers who play a major role in the defense of our nation and who continue in the further into of the united states defense interests at this moment approximately fifty thousand of our nation's army reserve soldiers are serving on active duty around the world these men and women voluntarily put their civilian careers and family lives on hold and in most cases they do so for over a year which is a testament to their selflessness nest patriotism and willingness to sacrifice for the good of our country indeed i'm extremely proud of all our armed forces the army the navy the air force the marine corps in the national guard our entire military continues to diligently in a time of conflict and deserves the highest respect for their courage in the face of adversity house joint resolution seventy is our way as the united states congress of recognizing the centennial of our army reserve a force that our institution played a role in creating one hundred years ago this resolution honors the sacrifice and tremendous distinction of the millions of american men and women who have served as army soldiers since april the third one thousand nine hundred eighty eight madam speaker i thank our colleague from georgia mr bishop for his initiative in bringing us together today to recognize an honor the army reserve for a new kasia of its one hundredth anniversary and i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman from virginia strike better speaker i yield myself such time as i are over three hundred forty army reservist in virginia's first district and over one hundred fifty have been mobilized in support of the global war on terror ever since one thousand nine hundred eight when the army reserve began as a means to increase the efficiency of the army medical corps the army reserve and its soldiers have stepped up magnificently to every challenge and mission presented to them those challenges spanned the breadth of the american in the past one hundred years in world war one one hundred sixty nine thousand five hundred army reservists served in world war two two hundred thousand and clued in twenty nine percent of the army's officer corps in korea two hundred forty thousand five hundred in operation desert shield and desert storm ninety four thousand and since september eleventh two thousand and one one hundred forty seven thousand army reservists have been mobilized in support of the global war on terror one hundred ten thousand have deployed thirty nine thousand have served multiple deployments and one hundred  two have died in the war on terror army reserve star citizen soldiers active in more than one hundred excuse me eleven hundred communities across the nation they are the sons and daughters mothers and fathers of america they are remarkable in many respects but no more so than their willingness to serve this nation in a professional and unselfish manner they continue to serve today knowing that they will likely be deployed away from home family and civilian employment for many in america the patriotism commitment and sacrifice of these remarkable citizens called army reservists goes unnoticed i believe every effort should be made to highlight in acknowledge their service to a grateful nation so it is entirely proper and fitting that we take this moment not only to mark a historical milestone of one hundred years of service to the nation by the army reserve but also to honor those soldiers past and present who have served and are serving so honorably as well as army reservist madam speaker i strongly urge my colleagues to support this joint resolution and i reserve the balance of my time that gentleman from guam is recognized thank you madam speaker i yield five minutes to my friend and c symptoms and taylor of to congratulate the united states army reserve on its one hundredth anniversary which will be formally celebrated on april twenty third two thousand and eight for resolution which says two hundred and sixty co sponsors also commemorates the contributions of army reserve veterans who helped ensure that the ninety states is vital national security interest are protected and defended in times of war and peace i'm very grateful by the outpouring  about partisan support that this resolution has received is indicative of the high regard in esteem in which the army reserve is held among members of congress and the american people as a current member of the appropriations subcommittee on defense as well as the military construction and variants affairs of committee have been extremely impressed by the level of commitment that army reserve soldiers bring to their work and other had degree of professionalism they truly are twice the citizen as winston churchill once remarked today the u s army reserve is composed of more than thirty thousand officers at one hundred fifty thousand listed soldiers they have an active presence in eleven hundred communities across our nation contributing military values important job skills and economic support their husbands and wives fathers and mothers sons and daughters they are our neighbors our friends our acquaintances and our colleagues at work these soldiers can be called up in it and to serve our nation and they must be trained and prepared to respond at a moment's notice here in the house of representatives twenty four members including myself have been privileged to serve in the reserves in fact two of the lead sponsors of this resolution resolute representative steve boyer and john simcoe still serve in the army reserve as this resolution notes the role of today's army reserve soldier has not a little component in any active u s army mission they have answered the call of duty in world was one in two career vietnam the cold war panama the gulf war somalia haiti bosnia kosovo and of course since september eleventh two thousand and one an operation noble eagle noble eagle operation iraqi freedom and operation enduring freedom through october thirty first two thousand and seven one hundred two army reserve soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in iraq and afghanistan since then an additional four reserve officers have lost their lives in combat we dedicate this resolution to their memory and to the memory of all reserve soldiers who fought and died defending our nation's freedoms throughout our history we dedicate this resolution to our living heroes as well to those men and women who continue their service to our nation in the u s army reserve today i want to commend several speaker i again thank my colleagues who are co sponsors for their extraordinary support of this resolution and i urge its immediate adoption the gentleman from virginia to recognize  agree to house joint resolution seventy as amendment those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the resolution is agreed to pursuant to clause eight of rule twenty in the two years prior known from and further proceedings on this motion will be postponed for what purposes the gentlewoman from guam ross the move to suspend the rules and pass house resolution ten twenty as amended the clerk will report the title of the resolution house resolution ten twenty resolution recognizing the tremendous service that members of the armed forces have given to the nation especially those who have been wounded in combat unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days within which duly buys and extend their remarks on the resolution now under consideration without objection madam speaker i rise today in support of house resolution ten twenty recognizing the tremendous service that members of our armed forces have provided to the country is specially those who have been wounded in combat i think our colleague from vermont mr welch for introducing this resolution soldiers sailors airmen marines and their families are making extraordinary sacrifices in service to our country over forty five hundred servicemembers have made the ultimate sacrifice in operations enduring freedom in iraqi freedom nearly thirty two thousand service members have been wounded which a little over seventeen thousand have returned to duty today service members have an unprecedented chance of survival unlike those who had similar wounds in vietnam in the second world war the medical advances that have taken place on the current battlefield have made these significant achievements possible however while members are surviving their injuries and wounds at unprecedented rate they are coming home with more complex psychological injuries these individuals who have honorably served our nation may need adequate care and assistance for the rest of their lives house resolution ten twenty commits this congress to ensuring that these brave wounded warriors receive the best medical care available and commands all americans who volunteer to support these wounded warriors and their families so madam speaker i again commend our colleague from vermont mr welch for his introduction of this resolution and i urge my colleagues to support its passage and i reserve the balance of my time myself such time as i might consider gentleman is recognized thank you madam speaker i rise in strong support of house resolution ten twenty as amended which recognizes the tremendous service that members of the armed forces have given to the nation especially those who have been wounded in combat madam speaker throughout our history america's sons and daughters have been called upon to fight our nation's wars to preserve our freedom and our way of life each time we have gone to war these brave men and women who answered the call unfortunately have been wounded and injured two thousand and four excuse me two hundred thousand and four and two in world war one six hundred seventy one four thousand eight hundred forty six in world war two one hundred three thousand two hundred eighty four in korea hundred fifty three thousand three hundred three in viet nam and four hundred sixty seven in desert storm today madam speaker as we continue to fight terrorism throughout the world thirty thousand soldiers sailors airmen and marines have been wounded and injured in iraq and afghanistan as with previous generations the men and women our nation's finest and we owe them more than just  gratitude madam speaker since the beginning of the wars in iraq and afghanistan congress and the american people have made it clear that our combat wounded deserve the best our nation has to offer to that and congress has worked hard to ensure that the needs of the wounded troops and their families are met from the best health care to jobs to education benefits the members of this house have and will continue to insist that the support to the wounded and injured is unsurpassed madam speaker there is no question that serving in combat is a profoundly life altering experience men and women who survive the horrors of combat return home forever changed our nation is eternally indebted to the brave men and women of the armed forces who fight to preserve our freedoms it is right in fitting madam speaker that today we recognize the service and the sacrifice of the members of the armed forces who have been wounded while serving this great nation i'd like to thank my friend and colleague from vermont mr welsh for introducing this resolution and i strongly urge all members to support this resolution and madam speaker i reserve the balance of my time gentleman from long thank you  minutes to my friend and colleague the gentleman from new york mr higgins the thank you gentleman from new york is recognized for three minutes thank you very much and i want to thank the sponsor of this bill mr wel from vermont madam speaker i'm proud to be an original co sponsor of house resolution ten twenty thanks to advances in modern technology men americans soldiers serving in iraq and afghanistan have lived through events that would have previously cost them their lives of the one point six million service members that have been deployed in operation enduring freedom in operation iraqi freedom since september two thousand  more than thirty thousand have been wounded in battle the numbers are staggering but we are here today to acknowledge that these wounded warriors are not just statistics they are men and women from across the country who have faced unique situations in struggles and they have individual stories to tell last summer i d honor to meet a young man from my district who was injured in a roadside bomb explosion in iraq that killed three other soldiers riding in the same humvee he suffered extensive injuries including a broken back an elbow and underwent two surgeries at a hospital in germany before being transferred to walter reed army medical center quick quick wee action by the medics meant that instead of being paralyzed he can now walk again but only after extensive surgeries in painful rehabilitation this young man is actually a lucky one he was able to recover with the help of a caring family and a supportive wife there are many others that are not as fortunate in is our responsibility to provide them with the best physical and emotional support possible over the last year congress has taken many steps to enhance the quality of care of our veterans including passing the largest increase in veterans health funding in history but there's still more to be done with this legislation we do a simple but necessary thing we take a moment to thank the men and women of the armed services who have been wounded in the line of duty and for their service and their sacrifice i urge my colleagues to support passage of house resolution ten twenty thank you who thinks kind of gentleman from virginia madam speaker i reserve the balance of my time gentlewoman from guam is recognized thank you madam speaker i yield two minutes to my friend and colleague the gentleman from vermont mr welch the original sponsor of this very important resolution the gentleman from vermont is recognized for two minutes thank you madam speaker i thank the  gentleman from why i co sponsored traveling companion this new member distinguished member already from virginia my co sponsors you know they've said it pretty well there's nothing that we can say or do that will acknowledge our appreciation for the sacrifice that the men and women of the uniformed services have given to this country what we're acknowledging here is that we have a common commitment to meeting the needs of those soldiers and sailors an airman who returned from active duty what were also acknowledging is that in this war very much unlike past conflicts our soldiers benefiting from this extraordinary battlefield that a field are returning with extraordinary injuries that is what they will have to live with for the rest of their lives and many of us have had the opportunity to visit some of the soldiers out of the says that out at walter reed and were trying in this small gesture to acknowledge the sense that all of us have in congress of our debt in our obligation our appreciation to them and madam chair next week madam speaker next week we're going to have a group of the service men and women visiting us in the capitol and i'm going to be joining with my colleagues here today to welcome those men and women of the uniformed services to this capital and i'll encourage all of us to join in welcoming them personally to thank them for their sack face and i yield back the balance of my time to think time gentleman from virginia better speaker i yield to mr walberg the gentleman from michigan as much time as he may con the gentleman from michigan is recognized for such time as he may consume thank you madam speaker and speaker i rise with my colleague from vermont to voice strong support for h r s ten twenty which expresses the commitment of this congress to our injured heroes ensures they're receiving the highest quality of health care available and encourage all americans to show support and appreciation for our veterans today i want to take time and thank all the servicemen and women and their families for their sacrifices i know the pride of having a son serve in the united states military and my wife sue and i pray every day for the safety of our fighting men and women abroad and here at home when our soldiers go into battle we can all agree that they deserve the best training equipment and necessary resources to accomplish their mission congress has an obligation to care for america's wounded heroes when they return home from the battlefield i believe the least we can do is to provide the highest quality medical care to the brave men and women of our armed forces when they injured defending the freedoms that we enjoy right now we have more wounded warriors returning home than ever before because of improved medical technology and advanced equipment to transport our sick and wounded the thousands of men and women serving in the military who have been wounded serving in iraq and afghanistan and other wars deserve the best treatment and care available i look forward to working with my colleagues in a nonpartisan manner to make sure congress delivers on our responsibility i urge my colleagues to support h rest ten twenty and support our wounded warriors thank you madam speaker i yield back the balance of my time the gentlewoman from guam thank madam speaker at this time i have no further requests for time i am prepared to close after my colleague has yielded back his time i continue to reserve the balance of my gentleman from virginia madam speaker i yield back the balance of my time the gentlewoman from madam speaker at this time i have no further speakers and i yield back the balance of my time i would like to extend my sincere thanks to my colleagues on the house committee of armed services and natural resources mr whitman i have enjoyed working with him on the floor this afternoon this will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution ten twenty as a bed fellows in favor please say opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the resolution is agree to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table bill to amend the public health service act ignoring her early detection diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss pursuant to the rule of the gentlewoman from california ms capps of the gentleman from georgia mr dio each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise extend their remarks and exclude include extraneous material on the bill under consideration myself such time as i may consume rise in strong support of h r eleven ninety eight the early hearing detection in intervention act i'm very proud to introduce this bill with congressman jim walsh of new york with champion this issue for many years this bill is near and dear to me as co chair of both the hearing health caucus and the infant health and safety caucus the early hearing detection and intervention program is one of those success stories that are often rare in washington since it's authorization in two thousand we have seen a tremendous increase in the number of newborns who are being screened for hearing loss but our work is not done we need to ensure that every newborn is screened and that every family that needs access to follow up care is given that access i've been a school nurse for over twenty years and in those years i can tell you firsthand what happens to a child who has undiagnosed hearing loss and or never receives proper intervention they may fall behind in school and they may face other social difficulties early identification and intervention are essential to a child's wellbeing and that's what we aim to achieve through the reauthorization of the early hearing detection intervention act i'd like to thank the deaf and hard of hearing alliance the american academy of audiology and the march of dimes for their support of this legislation let's continue to build upon the success of the past eight years and make sure that every child has access to diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss i reserve the balance of my time so much as recognize madam speaker you know myself such time as i may consume the gentleman from georgia is recognized thank you i would like to join my colleague in supporting h r eleven ninety eight the early hearing detection and intervention act of two thousand and eight this legislation reauthorizes the early hearing detection and intervention program which was first and acted in two thousand to help states develop newborn hearing screening and early intervention programs this program has successfully improved newborns training for hearing loss which allows many children to benefit from early detection this provides enhanced opportunities for language and communication skill development unfortunately children experiencing hearing loss who are not identified early can have delays in speech language and cognitive development through grant programs this legislation helps ensure inference with hearing losses are down a five and receive appropriate follow up care the bill also establishes a post doctoral fellowship program to improve early hearing detection research there's legislation move through our committee in a bipartisan fashion and i would urge its adoption and i would reserve the balance of my toss the gentlewoman from california is recognized i read continue to receive the bounce of the ten the gentleman from georgia is recognized as a mattress maker i'm pleased to yield to the gentleman who was the sponsor of the original legislation which this bill seeks to reauthorize and i do so for three minutes to mr walsh from new york how much time do you  leading the the hearing caucus for the past year several years like you recognize also my co chairs along with congresswoman capps bernal or zz and carolyn mccarthy who've also work long and hard on this issue as well as the deaf and hard of hearing alliance the national center for hearing assessment and management without their hard work to support legislation would not have been possible in the year two thousand congress the children's health act which among several initiatives provided the necessary authority for the u s department of health and human services to begin addressing the screening and intervention needs of newborns and children with hearing loss indeed when this program began their pilot programs in the country probably back about twelve or thirteen years ago three percent of the children born in the united states were tested today it's well over ninety five percent of the entire universe of newborns born in the united states they're being tested as we all know the first three years of life are the most important period for language and speech development is essential that hearing impaired infants and young children be identified in an intervention begun in order to take full advantage of the developing sensory systems if and identify these children will lose out on a crucial period of speech and learn language learning auditory impairment can impact social emotional cognitive academic development leading to personal vocational and economic facts delayed identification and management of severe to profound hearing loss can impede a child's ability to adapt to life in a hearing or deaf community the early hearing detection in a invention programs include screening audiological evaluation and early intervention to enhance communication thinking and behavioral skills needed to achieve academic and social success the eddy programs are serving a critical need and success in a successful manner today i call upon congress to continue the success that has been experience in the year two thousand and enact legislation to reauthorize any programs h r eleven ninety eight builds upon the eddie authorization from the year two thousand to address areas of continuing challenge first it would provide authority to address those children who are falling through cracks and that receiving necessary care after a screening that shows they have potential hearing loss second it is clear that family to family support is critical in the first months after a child is identified with hearing loss excellent family to family program support support programs developed by state eddie programs in other organizations are not yet wildly implemented this legislation would provide the agency authority to support disseminate such programs that are working for parents and their children third it is clear that more research and study is needed in the area of hearing detection intervention h r eleven ninety eight would enable and i h two could i ask for you to have consent for one will the gentleman an additional minute without objection gentleman is recognized i think speaker thank you gentleman r eleven ninety eight would enable and i h to establish a post doctoral research fellowship program to effectively rick recruit researchers to become involved in early hearing detection and intervention finally h r eleven ninety eight provides the agency the authority to address the shortage of trained health professionals and other personnel necessary to make certain that every child who has screen with a hearing problem gets access to appropriate an intervention is needed to succeed i urge my colleagues to support this important the balance of mata the gentleman from california i'm prepared to close and as i do i would like to remind us all that the since the authorization of the early hearing detection intervention act in two thousand leads seem to mendis increase in the number of newborns are being screened for hearing loss and with this passage of this reauthorization we can continue to build upon the success of the past eight years and make sure that every child has access to diagnosis and 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 for what purpose gentlewoman from california ross madam speaker i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h r twenty four sixty four as amended the court clerk will report the title of a bill h r twenty four sixty four a bill to amend the public health service act providing these for continued improvement in emergency medical services for children or so into the world a gentlewoman from california ms a scab and the gentleman from georgia mr deal will each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the c program the m s c program ensures state of the art emergency medical care for ill or injured children in adolescence since its establishment more than twenty years ago the m s e program has driven major improvements in  emergency care for children in fact injury related deaths among children have brought up by forty percent over that time period enormous strides have been made in areas such as ensuring that all ambulances  ambulances carry appropriate pediatric supplies and equipment and in collecting data on pediatric emergency care to inform future quality improvement efforts although much progress has been achieved more and remains to be done h r twenty four sixty four is an important piece of legislation that will work towards ensuring the best emergency medical care for children i'd like to congratulate my colleagues on the energy and commerce committee jim matheson and commend him for his hard work and dedication to this important piece of legislation to rise in support of h r twenty four sixty four which a reauthorize is the emergency medical services for children program it is indeed the only federal program developed to develop dedicated to improving emergency care for children since its inception in one thousand nine hundred eighty four death rates due to pediatric injury have dropped some forty percent the program provides grants to states to improve existing emergency medical services systems and to evaluate pediatric emergency care data to improve future treatment for many emergencies do not have all the necessary supplies to treat pediatric emergencies despite the fact that eighteen percent of america see department patients or children the legislation also increases the authorization for this program by five percent annually for the next five years starting at twenty five million dollars and half what two thousand and nine the bill also expands by one year the period california to recognize that and beaker i'm very pleased to yield five minutes to that gentleman from utah mr matheson the gentleman from utah is recognized for five minutes well thank you madam speaker i rise today to speak in support of h r twenty four sixty four the wakefield act i am the lead sponsor of this legislation along with represent a peter king on the other side of the aisle today the hospital emergency department is such a fundamental part of our health system that's easy to forget that emergency medicine is a relatively new specialty emergency rooms were first established in the one nine hundred seventy s as medical personnel return from the vietnam war the skills developed to save soldiers lives on the battlefield were being put to use saving victims of car crashes and other traumas however the bodies of adult soldiers are very different from those of kids by the early one nine hundred eighty s doctors are seeing marked disparities in survival rates among adults and children with similar injuries in fact kids had twice the death rate in emergencies as adults in one thousand nine hundred four the emergency medical service for children program was first created this unique act has driven fundamental changes in america's emergency medical system since it was established child gingery death rates have dropped forty percent the research that resulted from this legislation helped dabbas pediatric emergency medicine as its own specialty program grants are provided seed money to every state and territory to help first responders and hospitals improve children's emergency care in the mid one nine hundred eighty s emergency personnel receive little training in caring for children now thanks to this program paramedics can be extensively trained their ambulances are stocked with the equipment and supplies needed by serious seriously injured kids nowhere has this been more critical than in rural areas where the closest emergency room is often many miles from the scene of an accident getting it right for these small patients in the first critical minutes often means the difference between life and death data collection and training seminars offered under this program including from the emergency medical services for children data analysis resource center based in my district of the university of utah help ensure the best practices are developed and disseminated across the country the emergency medical services for children programs authorization expired in september of two thousand and five in the summer of two thousand and six the institutes of medicine released a report which documented the value of this program it noted the gaps that still remain in providing quality emergency care for children and there is still a serious gap between the percentage of kids who end up in the emergency room and the percentage of emergency rooms staffed trained and equipped to respond appropriately the report said this program is quote well positioned to assume a leadership role unquote in closing this gap i'm pleased that h r twenty four sixty four the wakefield act has bipartisan and by camera support including support from seventy five of my colleagues in the house of representatives the bill is indorsed by over fifty organizations including the american academy of pediatrics the american college of emergency physicians the american medical association the emergency nurses association and many more madam speaker this legislation enhances the program by authorizing the appropriate funding needed to ensure the program can drive improvements in emergency and disaster care for children now and speaker i want to acknowledge the bipartisan nature in which this bill moved through our committee working on both sides that i within the energy and commerce committee we work together to make this bill as good as it could be better speaker nobody likes to see a child get hurt together we can ensure that what when that happens children have the best possible chance for recovery and a good outcome i strongly urge the adoption this legislation and i will yield back the balance into palmer a the gentleman from north dakota is recognized for three minutes i thank the judge for yelling and i'm very pleased to speak also in favor of h r twenty four sixty four the wakefield i want to bring you just a little bit of perspective in terms of the difference this act has made in one young man's life and i think it's reflective of a number of children who have been saved by having medical appropriate services for traumatic in life threatening injuries of kids the wakefield act is called the wakefield act in recognition of you know on and on  living memory of a family the family of tom wakefield who was involved in a head on horrible traffic accident as they drove to the airport for a winter's vacation a vehicle crossed the median and struck this vehicle head on killing time and two of his children one aged three and one age seven twelve year old lucas lost his arm in the accident and was almost lost as well emergency responders on the scene and thereafter saved his life and the life of his mother lloyd i know this family and i know the survivors and i care deeply about them they have certainly impressed upon me as they would impress upon any of you just how vitally important it is that we equip our emergency response to deal with any who may be hurt and the forty percent improvement in done the work to bring it to the floor today i'm grateful for the chance to speak on the bill i was just with i was at an event just this weekend where lucas now fully recovering  and adapted to his new circumstance this is a young man that makes me very very proud and i believe the wakefield act named in honor of his family is a very appropriate commendation no for the request for time and following that eloquent testimony to the value of this legislation we can all recognize that h r twenty four sixty or is an important measure that will work toward ensuring the best emergency medical care for all children to congratulate again my colleague on the energy and commerce committee jim matheson and all of those who have spoken today and putting the chair as a ranking member of the of the subcommittee for all the hard work and dedication to this important piece of legislation i urge all of my colleagues to of two thousand and seven this legislation would modernize federal regulations under the clinical laboratory improvement and amendments act of improvement amendments act of one thousand nine hundred eighty eight c l i s a that subject those who screen interest pap test to annual proficiency testing in two thousand and five c m s launched a program to begin testing pathologists and other laboratory professionals who perform pap tests for proficiency however the program was designed using regulations written in one in one thousand nine hundred two in the thirteen years between the regulation and the program start significant advancements were made in the science and practice of pap tests instead of relying on outdated practices h r twelve thirty seven draws on the best that science and technology has to offer h r twelve thirty seven has one hundred seventy five bipartisan co sponsors including myself and every other female member of the energy and commerce committee additionally this bill is supported by the college of american politics their american medical association the american clinical laboratory association the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists and the american college of nurse midwives i want to commend my colleagues representatives gordon and representative deal for their hard work and commitment on this very important piece of legislation this bill would improve the quality of women's health care and i ology proficiency improve but act i was a sponsor of largest lation similar to this in the last congress which passed the house but unfortunately it was never signed into law the bill revises national quality assurance standards of laboratories responsible for scientology services a few summers ago i had the opportunity to visit a laboratory of path ologist in my district and i saw firsthand the impact of this legislation this bill is the result of actions taken in two thousand and five by the centers for medicare and medicaid services to institute a proficiency testing program for individual path ologist unfortunately this program was based on regulations first  as a result of the clinical laboratory improvement amendments of one thousand nine hundred eighty eight thus the sa tala ga proficiency program is now very outdated and based on regulations for nearly fifteen years ago the legislation would provide for an orderly phase out of the current program and transition into a new program where all individuals involved in screening and interpret ing pap tests would participate in a continuing medical education program and there's educational approach will present participants with complex cases to keep their skills on the cutting edge and will provide individuals an opportunity to test their skills i believe this legislation would be an important step in the right direction and would modernize the current regulatory framework while providing quality assurance as was required in the clinical laboratory improvement amendments on like last congress i hope we will be able to get this legislation signed into law in order to modernize an my colleague from georgia one of the original co sponsors of the legislation this year a medical doctor doc tom price for five minutes the gentleman from georgia is recognized for five months speak and i thank my friend and colleague from georgia congressman deal for his leadership on this issue and for the time today i also want to express my gratitude thanks to robert representative gordon who was extremely cooperative and helpful and productive throughout this entire process i want to thank the american college of pathology and all of the pathologist across the nation who are working day in and day out to make certain that they provide quality care for the patients for whom they are charged and i ask unanimous consent to include in the record a copy of an article by  george nagy the documents the dysfunctional federally mandated proficiency test inside of pathology without objection i also want to thank all the members of the women's caucus without their wonderful support i don't know that we would be at this point and thank once again congressman deal as the ranking member of the subcommittee chairman pallone and chairman dingell and ranking member barton as has been described by my colleagues in one thousand nine hundred eighty eight the clia or the clinical laboratory improvement amendments went into effect the law was passed and it took them four years for the provision to evaluate the performance of laboratories interpretating pet pap tests or pap smears to be put into law or to have the rule finalized by health and human services the problem is that program then sat on the shelf for thirteen years and so in two thousand and five the rules were then put into effect and enforced and therein lies the problem this program currently in place as bay is based upon more than a decade old even fifteen sixteen years old one nine hundred ninety two regulatory approach that doesn't reflect the modern science and real world laboratory practice it does little to help patients or physicians trying and charged with caring for them the approach of relying on government driven dividual proficiency testing to evaluate the quality of pap smear interpretations is both outdated and not cost effective so the solution is within the bill that we have before us today h r twelve thirty seven there's a companion bill madam speaker over in the senate asked one in five ten and i'm hopeful as much as congressman dale said that we will be able to get this legislation through both chambers during this session the psychology proficiency improvement act modifies clia by suspending the current regulation that subjects pathologists and others who screen for cervical cancer to annual proficiency testing and instead requires annual continuing medical education education that would provide laboratory professionals opportunities to improve their screening and interpretation skills in a non punitive environment the bill allows for an orderly phase out of the current program and establishes reasonable timelines for the implementation of the new program the educational approach is consistent with that included in the mammography quality standards act and to a program that is remarkably effective so the bill w ensure continuing education keeps up with the technology in the field and that clinicians are using day after day after day to help save lives of americans all across our nation this is a major move in the right direction i want to thank once again all of those involved and encouraged my colleagues to support the bill and i yield back the balance of my time the gentleman from california i continue to be here gentleman from  adoption of resolution the gentlewoman from california that is the grad known for the speakers and again would like to commend my colleagues representative gordon and representative deal and also the women's caucus for much hard work and commitment on this important piece of legislation this bill would move it would improve the quality of women's health care and i strongly encourage all of our colleagues to join in support of h r twelve thirty seven and i yield back the balance of my time the question is will the house suspend the rule and pass h r twelve thirty seven as amended those in opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection a motion to reconsider is laid on the table secretary of health and human services to expand and to find programs with respect to research and related activities concerning elder fall pursuant to the rule of gentlewoman from california mrs kept in the gentleman from georgia mr deal each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california man of the craft unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration falls represent a serious health risk for millions of older american and united states one of every three persons age sixty five or older falls each year falls or the common are the leading cause  injury deaths and the most common cause of injuries and hospital admissions for trauma in older adults sen bill age forty five seeks to address the growing problem of falling and falling related injuries among older adult this legislation would direct the department of health and human services to oversee and support national and local education campaigns focused on reducing faults and preventing repeated falls among older adults it is important to note that the house committee on energy and commerce held a markup of the house companion legislation h r thirty seven zero one the keeping seniors safe from false act which was introduced by health subcommittee mctiernan frank pallone the committee amended h thirty seven zero one to ensure that it was identical to senate bill eight forty five which is already passed the senate by unanimous consent so i want to commend my good friend frank pallone for his hard work and commitment on this important piece of legislation i urge my colleagues opportunity to take care of my mother and her parents in their later years for period of about a half years prior to their passage some year and a half ago we were always aware of the danger that was posed by fall and certainly falls are one of the main causes of the injuries in hospital admissions for senior adults yes eight forty five the safety of seniors act of two thousand and eight tries to address this danger by focusing attention on preventing falls among the senior citizens and conducting research to evaluate the calls of falls among our older adults the legislation provides a sector with discretion to implement a national education campaign and also to give him authority to evaluate the effectiveness of community programs designed to prevent falls it also gives the secretary the ability to create demonstration projects focused on  fall and fall related injuries among older adults and i yield back the balance of my time the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass in a senate bill a four five those in favor say  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 on the table five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration without objection then speaker i yield myself this time as i may consume gentlewoman is recognized i rise in strong support of h r twenty sixty three the food anaphylaxis management act of two thousand and seven this legislation would provide schools with uniform guidance on how how to create appropriate management and emergency plans for children with food allergies i was a school nurse again for twenty years and i know so well the challenges confronting educators when working to ensure that their students are adequately cared for and with the current shortage of school nurses it is more important than ever that we assist local educational agencies in being prepared to manage the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis in school the risk of accidental exposure to foods can be reduced in the school setting if schools will work with students parents nurses and physicians to minimize risks and provide a safe occasional environment for food allergic students i want to commend my good friend from new york nita lowey for her tireless work on this important bill i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting h r twenty three the food allergy and anaphylaxis management act of two thousand and eight minutes children face life threatening food allergies which dramatically impact their lifestyles and make a ordinarily safe place like a school cafeteria s place filled with potential dangers however despite this threat in the growing prevalence of these food allergies many schools struggle to establish effective guidelines to protect the health and well being of students with food allergies i ha occasion this past year to visit with neighbors and constituents of mine whose children have these kind of allergies one of the children having a very severe food allergy problem it is truly remarkable  the degree of care that children and parents must take and the life changing events that are occurred as a result of these food allergies this legislation seeks to address this problem by requiring the department of health and human services to establish voluntary guidelines and policies to manage the risk of food allergy in the foods in the screw setting this policy will take into account the important role played by parents and the individual needs of students with differing allergies hopefully this legislation will provide important federal guidelines which when ample amended will provide peace of mind for parents of children with food allergies when they send their children to school every day i would reserve the support on this very important legislation more than eleven million americans suffer from food allergies each year several hundred of these individuals die in an estimated thirty thousand received lifesaving treatment in emergency rooms due to food induced anaphylaxis despite the critical nature of these allergies the only way to prevent dangerous reactions is to avoid all foods that contain allergy inducing ingredients and while there ha been vast improvements in food labeling this is still easier said than done particularly for millions of children in school they said ngs unfortunately we have a patchwork of policies regulations and state laws to address this problem food allergies and the risk benefit lax assessed simply too dangerous to not have a more uniform approach to safe the food allergy and anaphylaxis management act which i first introduced in two thousand and five would require the department of health and human services to provide schools across the country with uniform guidance on how to create management and emergency plan the students with food allergies these guidelines which will be developed in consultation with the country's leading scientists and public health officials will help schools tailor management plans to this students and individual needs while also giving them confidence that the measures they are taking have the stamp of approval from the federal government these guidelines and not only critically important in keeping children safe throughout the school day but in ensuring that there is uniformity in how schools address this growing problem with the enactment of this legislation parents will no longer have to worry about their children's safety if they move to a different school district or state and most importantly parents will no longer be charged with creating these policies on their own this commonsense legislation will give schools teachers and parents the information they need to keep food allergic children safer and deserves the support of every one of my colleagues i'd like to thank senator dodd who is pushing a similar bill in the senate leader hoyer and his staff side th also like to thank and moon as far along from the food allergy and anaphylaxis network todd slotkin from the food allergy initiative dave bunning from the food allergy the project sampson from mt sinai hospital so that harless work and behalf of all individuals with food allergies this bill will take an important step in protecting children with food allergies and i urge  to our majority leader of the house mr higher from the gentleman from maryland this large majority leader is recognized for one minute i thank the generally for yielding and i rise in very strong support of this legislation and i thank the general a d from new york for her leadership on this issue like mr deal for his leadership as well on this very very important issue madam speaker today this house is considering seven very important but largely non controversial public health bills this week of course is national public health week time to reflect on the importance of the quality of public health programs and a time to reiterate our commitment to addressing the critical problems that affli america's health care system such as exploding costs and the rising number of uninsured today however i want to address one of the seven help bills that we're considering the one under consideration right now h r two zero six three and she is a longtime member of the health and human services and education subcommittee of the appropriations committee on that committee she is focused on health care for americans but health care particularly for children as she has focused on education for our children in short madam speaker this legislation will provide schools across the country with uniform guidance on how to create appropriate management and emerge to plans for children with food allergies it will direct the secretary of health and human services to develop a voluntary policy for schools to implement measures to prevent exposure to food allergies and to ensure a prompt response if the child suffers a potentially fatal and electric reaction speaker deadly food allergies are not some arcane rare occurrence and frankly even if they were it would require our attention but the reality is that as many as two million school age children suffer from food allergies one of those children is my granddaughter alexa no cure currently exists avoiding any and all products with our g causing ingredients is the only way to prevent potentially life threatening reactions reactions including severe anaphylaxis which often occur at school and which can kill within minutes unless  alexa madam chair is five years of age when she's at my house as she was this past weekend which sees in a restaurant she is acutely aware extraordinarily aware for a five year old what she can and cannot eat and her mother my daughter asked the restaurant what do you cook your french fries in what do you use on your foods  it is an extraordinary anxious time when my granddaughter eats just last week for example members of my family including alexa visited mile for us and we had sandwiches but out for a number of the family members we had to make sure that all peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were removed from our conference room before alexis entered two to protect her to tell you how extraordinarily sensitive she is she was in disney world in florida she was walking with their mother and father down the there and the pathway there from one exhibit hundred defeat before this started hundred feet they saw some popcorn being popped in peanut oil and it was simply the wind wafting that peanut allergies in the school setting has been recognized by the american medical association the american academy of pediatrics the national association of school nurses and the american academy of allergy asthma and immunology one of the extraordinary nurses of america is our colleague lois capps and i want to thank congressman caps for her leadership on this issue as well as a health professional she knows firsthand the consequences of allowing this to go unchecked and unprepared for unfortunately no consistent standardised guidelines currently exist to help school safely manage to dance with potentially deadly food allergies as a matter of fact  my dog her and parents similarly situated meet with their child's teacher alexis in kindergarten and teaches them how to use the epi pen and it is ever present my daughter goes nowhere without her epi pen for use alexa should she have an attack that is why it is critical that we pass h r two zero six three to ensure the safety of not only alexa but the millions of other school age children afflicted with food allergies across the country i recently had a dinner in new york i went to an event in new york and after the event when and there were eight of us at the table  three of us were grandfathers eight people in new york not anything dealing with this issue all three grandfathers were telling one another about the fact that they had grandchildren with food allergies that is why it is critical that we pass this bill to ensure the safety not only of alexa but as i said of the millions of other school aged children madam speaker i urge all members on both sides of the aisle to support this important life saving legislation gentlewoman from california at this point madam speaker i have no predict bickers and as has been so eloquently underscored by our majority leader on behalf of all of the families millions of children as has been said across this country their families but also the schools in which they attend public schools that it is behooves upon us to pass this important of polls 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 motion to reconsider is laid on the table and without objection the title is amend service to establish grant programs to provide for education and outreach on newborn screening in coordinated follow up care once newborn screening has been conducted to reauthorize programs under part of title eleven of such and for speaker asking animists consent that all members they have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration without objection madam speaker i rise in strong support of senate bill eight hundred fifty eight the newborn screening saves lives act this legislation would facilitate the creation of federal guidelines a newborn screening and would assist state newborn screening programs and in meeting these guidelines newborn screening is used for early identification of infants affected by certain genetic that about hormonal and functional conditions for which there may be an effective treatment or intervention if left untreated these disorders can cause death disability mental retardation and other serious conditions every year more than four million infants are born and screen to detect conditions that could threaten their lives and their long term health senate bill eight hundred fifty eight will educate parents and health care providers about newborn screening it will improve follow up care for infants when illness is detected and it would help states expand and improve their newborn screening programs it is very important to note that the house committee on energy and commerce has really worked diligently over quite a period of time to make sure that this bill reaches the floor today she couldn't be here to speak on her on behalf of the legislation but i know that there's been a great deal of leadership that has brought us to this point today the the house energy and commerce committee amended h r two hundred thirty eight twenty five to ensure that it was identical to the senate bill eight hundred fifty eight which has already passed the senate by unanimous consent and so the good work of our friend congresswoman robel alex has brought us to this point and to the commitment that i share on this important piece of legislation i appreciate all of her efforts to carry this legislation forward and in my her dedication to helping the children and families affected by these conditions i urge all of my colleagues to join in support of senate bill eight hundred fifty eight and continue the remainder of my time the gentleman from georgia madam speaker you must have such times  can say gentleman is recognized newborn screening can certainly identify children at risk for certain metabolic and genetic studies is for which there may be an effective treatment if it is detected early it is certainly a cost saving way of dealing with these problems that can lead to death disability mental retardation and many other serious conditions currently have differing policies and procedures for doing newborn screening accurate screening insurers affected babies are dental fired and receive the proper care this legislation establishes a newborn screening education and outreach program at the department of health and human services in order to improve newborn screening many parents of newborns are not aware of the wide variety of screening tests that are available thus the legislation would establish a clearinghouse of educational and family support and services information own newborn screening in order to provide resources for those families this legislation moves through our committee in a bipartisan process and the majority in the minority way able to reconcile a few differences on the legislation in that committee process i would ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this important bill and i would reserve the balance of my time that gentlewoman from california i retire the gentleman from georgia a speaker i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from new york mr reynolds the gentleman from new york is recognized for three minutes i think the gentleman from georgia a better speaker is one of the chief sponsors of the newborn screening saves lives act i rise today in strong support of senate eighteen fifty eight and urges passage i'd like to extend my banks to chairman dingell and ranking member barton for working together to get this bill to the floor today this bill is a tribute to children and their parents who have had to face the pain of experiencing the disease that wasn't caught