heavenly father of all here you find in america people whose hearts are open to the message that all human life is sacred and that each of us is willed each of us loved each of us is necessary in a world where some no longer believe that we can distinguish between simple right and wrong we need to reject any dictatorship relativism and embrace a culture of equal justice and lasting truth since your freedom your very gift of freedom is ever new lord we ask you to challenge this generation to build a world ever more worthy of the human person created in your image and likeness help us work today were never more just fraternal society where political leaders and those they represent are guided by truth and bring wisdom born of firm moral principle t decisions affecting the life and future of this nation we pray lifting up your name now and forever and then amen the chair is examine the journal of the day's proceedings will entertain request for one minute speeches the distinguished gentleman from texas mr poe thank you mr speaker as americans across this nation celebrate mother's day this sunday there are five children in crosby texas who mourn the loss of develop was murdered as she gave her life to protect her youngest child on april seventeenth tina left her four month old in the backseat of her car she quickly ran into a store to pay a bill but as tina approached a store she saw a car pull up beside her vehicle and a bad jumped out and tried to steal her vehicle she falls the outlaw and screamed buy baby my baby but the carjacker stabbed her murdering her in front of her child and fled with blood on his hands all this was caught on video surveillance the killer is twenty two year old to meet a real so they legal trespasser from mexico in addition to murdering tina rios in a spell of hijacker kennedyesque otto carjacked four other people real shit spent time in jail last year but was never deported rios remains at large believed to be back in the safe sanctuary country for criminals mexico basking in the sun and unaccountable for this murder what tennis children are motherless this mother's day and that's just the way it is the honorable the speaker house of representatives matter pursuant to the permission granted in clause to a to rule to the rules of the u s house of representatives the clerk receives the following message from the secretary of the senate on may seventh two thousand eight and eight fifty four a m at the senate passed without amendment h r thirty five twenty two at the senate agree to without amendment passed concurrent resolution one twelve that's a senate agree to without amendment the honorable the speaker house of representatives met pursuant to the permission granted in clause two eight of rule two as a rules of the u s house of representatives the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on may second two thousand and eight h r four ninety three and that prohibit discrimination on the basis of genetic information with respect to health insurance and employment h r one one nine five an act to him in the safe accountable flexible efficient transportation equity act a legacy for users to make tentacle corrections and for other purposes r fifty seven fifteen and to ensure continued availability of access to the federal student loan program for students and famil postpone questions will be taken after six thirty p m today bar of the gentlewoman as she has any other speakers i have know as a speaker r thirty six fifty those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table the gentleman from zero one one as amended the court report the title of the resolution house resolution ten eleven resolution calling on the united states government and the international community to properly develop find an employment a comprehensive regional strategy to protect civilians facilitate humanitarian operations contain and reduce violence and contribute to conditions for sustainable peace and good governance and chan as well as in the wider region that includes the northern region the central african republic and the discard region of sudan pursuant to the rule of the gentlewoman from california miss watson and the gentleman from texas mr poe 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 besides and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration without objection mrs streaker i importance of developing and implementing a strategy to resolve the crisis in chad chad has been politically unstable for over forty years suffering from civil wars as well as ethnic and religious tensions human rights conditions remain notably poor and the government tax transparency and accountability in the past three years as fighting between the government and rebels increase one hundred and eighty thousand chad ians have been displaced adding to the inflow of two hundred ninety thousand refugees from the central african republic and said than die for region although the government developed a plan for reform and signed a peace agreement with rebel groups in two thousand and seven the conflict has not ceased in february two thousand and eight rebel forces camps suffer from water and fire wood shortages as well as periodic attacks on aid workers new controls imposed by the chad ian government and hinder the movement of assistance and personnel in september two thousand and seven the un security council followed by the council of the european union approves  president's a multi national security forces to facilitate assistance and create favorable conditions for reconstruction and development the united states has provided over three hundred and thirty eight million dollars in humanitarian assistance since two thousand and four and also provide security assistance to the charity and army through the international military and together with the international community condemn president omar al bashir and the national congress for their support of the armed rebellion further destabilisation in chad will lead to wider regional instability and hinder the united states counter terrorism capabilities and i very sensitive region mrs speaker i strongly support this measure and raz ten eleven which calls on the united states and international community to develop fund and implement regional strategy which addresses the increasing intertwined security and humanitarian crisis in chad the darfur region of the sudan and the northern region of central african republic borders in this region of the world are more of a concept than a reality ethnic group straddle lines on a map and conflict with each other or within one country inevitably spills over into the other countries while this body has been seized by the horrific situation in dar for we have devoted far less attention to the broader regional crisis particularly as it relates to chad chad has been plagued by intermittent conflicts both internally and with its neighbors so it's a gained independence in one hundred sixty the current president of chad adri d b took power after launching a coupe across the border and sudan with the support of libya and his fellow ethnic sagawa who straddled the border between chad and sudan he has since faced at least five who attend including one just this fast past february the sudanese government's genocidal campaign and door for which forced hundreds of thousands of sudanese refugees across the border has made the tensions but within chad particularly among d b s fellows  these tensions became further inflamed as the relationship between chad and the sudan deteriorated with each government accusing the other of funding and supporting rebel movements within their respective borders as well as in neighboring central african republic the spillover of conflict from dar forward to chad in the central african republic from chad into dar four and from central african republic into chad has led to the displacement of more than three point one million people an upsurge in fighting among rebel groups government forces militias and armed ethnic groups has led to the displacement of more than eighty thousand people since this past january and february of this year twelve thousand new refugees from dar for arrived in chad bringing the total number of sudanese refugees refugees in eastern chad to two hundred and fifty thousand chad also as host an additional fifty two thousand refugees from central african republic at the same time more than one hundred eighty thousand people from chad have been displaced by internal conflict and in february thirty thousand people from chad were forced to seek refugee refugee in neighboring cameroon after rebels backed by the sudanese government attacked the capital as the wars in chad sudan and central african republic become increasingly into intertwined and as the massive displacements take on a regional dimension the united states and the international community must resist the urge to deal with each crisis in a vacuum this resolution recognizes that reality and calls for a comprehensive strategy to protect civilians facilitate you minute humanitarian operations contain and reduce violence and contribute to conditions for sustainable peace and good governance throughout the region with all nations this is not only a moral imperative but also a significant strategy strategy requirement i think the sponsor of this resolution mr wolf rendered duce in this important resolution and i urge members to support it thank you mr speaker and with that i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman from texas mr poe reserves the balance of his time the gentleman from california is recognized previous measure the gentleman from puerto rico mr petunia the gentleman from puerto rico is recognized for as much time as he might consume thank you again to my colleague mr poe a lot of begin by r thirty six fifty eight through the committee process in his short time as chairman mr berman has shown intelligence in iraq city and strong a strong bipartisan spirit the same leadership qualities displayed by his predecessor foreign service members to take rest and recuperation travel known as r and r in the five u s territories the brother objective of the bill is to ensure that federal employees from the u s territories enjoy the same rights and privileges as their fellow citizens from the fifty states i am pleased that the american foreign service association supports a church thirty six fifty eight and the state department the sun opposes passage mr speaker the foreign service list instances in which is state department may pay travel related cost of foreign service members one section of the f s a states at the department may pay the travel cost incurred by foreign service personnel for what is known as home leave the purpose of the home leave is to insure that foreign service members who service members for our travel like home leave which is granted to all foreign service members who are who serve abroad are neris grant that only to those stationed at hardship posts under the current f s a are normally only be taken in locations in thirty six fifty eight amends the f s a to eliminate the distinction just as they proudly served our nation's armed forces residents of the u s territories also represent this great country abroad as diplomats this men and women from the territories take the same risks and endured the same long absences from their families other colleagues from the states making certain that our last treat this public servants on equal terms is the only the right thing to do is just figure i ask you to consider the case of will not cover the cost of care for so this u s citizen u s soldier and u s diplomats can travel home to puerto rico that we with his family before leaving for the middle east h r thirty six fifty eight will correct this is there at the again i thank you having been yielded back the question is will the house to spin the rules and pass house resolution ten eleven 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 resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table the gentleman from california mr speaker regret regretfully i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point or that a quorum is not present pursuant to calls eight of rule twenty on the chairs prior announcement further proceedings on this motion will be postponed what purpose does the distinguished gentleman from california arise mr speaker i move to suspend the rules and agree to a resolution h one one six six the current report the title of the resolution house resolution one one six six resolution expressing the sense of the house of representatives regarding provocative and dangerous statements and actions taken by the government as a russian federation that undermine the territorial integrity of the republic of georgia pursuant to the rule the gentleman from california miss watson that the gentleman from texas mr poe each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california  houses voice to the chorus of condemnation from the administration and our european allies to the provocative actions taken in recent weeks by the russian federation against the republic of georgia i commend my distinguished colleague the representative and representative wexler of florida and the chairman of the european sept committee for promptly introducing this important resolution for several years the russian government has promulgated policies that have increasingly sought to undermine the sovereignty of the georgian government and its territory integrity with russian citizenship russian passports and even the right to vote in russian elections in addition the criminal has assigned russian officials to hold positions in the separatists government and in south osa t a an abcess e a it has also provided military equipment and volunteer fighters to support militias active in these regions such behavior is counterproductive to efforts to find a peaceful resolution to these conflicts and contrary to russia's commitment to international peace treatment irritated by international recognition of kosovo's independence despite his objections and in since by georges clear future in nato russia escalated its dangerous actions towards georgia in the weeks leading up to and immediately following nato's bucharest summit on march sixth russia withdrew from the sanctions regime imposed economic relations with apt assia on march twenty first the russian duma passed a non binding declaration asking the government to consider the expedienc support for their resumes and outline as outlined in this resolution president putin instructed his government on april sixteenth to establish official ties with the separatists we jeans he further ordered his government to recognize legal documents issued by these authorities as well as legal entities registered by them the tension reached its climax on april twentieth when an unarmed and unmanned russian weak reconnaissance aircraft was shot down over georgian territory reportedly by a russian made twenty nine fighter despite russian claims of innocence needed to georgians nar the app can see an rebels have this plane in their fleet last week russia are further strained relationships by moving and extra contingent of troops into africa sia the criminal claims to be responding to a georgian military buildup along the border which the  government denies although russians troop level remains within the three thousand soldier limit allowed under the nine hundred ninety four u n cease fire agreement nato has back sion that any increase must be approved by all parties such hostile actions are in stark contrast to the recent attempts made by georgian facilitate a resolution to the conflict they included international guarantees that apco of anatomy and broad political representation for ab right to veto legislation related to the constitutional status of app casea as well as its language and culture and the establishment of a joint free economic zone in the g region president clinton has turned a deaf ear to these suggestions i asked my colleagues to join me and calling on the russian federation to revoke immediately its decision to a stablish official ties with these regions and to support the territory integrity of georgia's bothers rather than engaging acts president putin should respond favorably to president saakashvili s call for active involvement by the russian federation as well as the international community to forge a peaceful and lasting solution to this conflict furthermore nato should uphold its summit promise to georgia of a future in the alliance by considering the extension of bishop action plan at its december meeting this act would welcome the country into the euro atlanta community and could serve as a deterrent to further russian aggression i strongly support this resolution and urge my colleagues to join me mr speaker i reserve the balance of my time gentleman from california reserve the balance of our time the gentleman from texas is recognized that your speaker i yield myself such time as i may consume the gentleman is recognized for as much time if he might consume thank you mr speaker i believe that there was a time when we could honestly hope that russia was playing a fair and supportive role with regard to the resolution of the separatist conflicts in the republic of georgia unfortunately our op to pizz optimism in that regard is almost exhausted it now appears obvious that russia seeks to play a destabilizing role in georgia with the goal of undermining georgia's political and economic development and ultimately its own sovereignty over several years russia has reportedly supported the separatist forces with arms and trained personnel is applied boycotts on georgian goods and shut off energy supplies to georgia has broadly granted russian citizenship and issued russian passports to people living in georgia's separatist regions it has provided economic subsidies to the separatist regions and granted residents of those regions the right to vote in russian elections its so called peace keeping forces in the separatist regions appear to have played a biased role in favor of course of the separatist regime more recently on april sixteenth the kremlin issued a decree further expanding its fishel ties with the separatist regions most objective observers would have firm that the georgian government has tried to be fair and open minded in a efforts to negotiate a settlement in the rep separatist conflicts one has to wonder however is sporadic and mysterious incidents involving small scale attacks on georgian territory and forces are meant to provoke the georgian government one such incident occurred on april the twentieth an unmanned unarmed georgian reconnaissance aircraft was shot down over georgian territory reportedly by a russian made twenty nine fighter since neither georgia nor the separatist regimes have made twenty nine jets among their forces it seems difficult for russia to deny its involvement mr speaker the georgian people have made tremendous progress cicero's revolution of two thousand and three georgia's not a perfect democracy but it's heading in the right direction it certainly compares very well with the trends in russia russia tallit tearing regime is steadily being constructed once again in georgia deserves t support and encouragement of lading states of europe and the support of the united states democracy and reform in georgia will only succeed if the european union the leading states of europe and the united states remain engaged in strongly supported the resolution calls for the kremlin to immediately revoke its decision to expand official ties with the separatist regions in georgia the resolution expresses strong support for the restoration of the territorial integrity of georgia and for the peaceful resolution of conflicts within georgia's borders it also restates the declaration made by the nato heads of state at the recent summit in bucharest romania in which they confidently stated that their belief that the republic of georgia will become a become a member of nato someday and it urges nato allies to favorably consider georgia's application for admission and a membership action plan or map during the nato ministers meeting this december mat program to simply help interested applicants for membership and prepare them to meet the standards required of all nato allies mr speaker this resolution is intended to support the sovereignty of georgia and supported and to any irresponsible actions by the russian government that undermine its sovereignty and the prospects for a peaceful resolution of the separatist conflicts in that country i note again as well that nothing stated this resolution with regard to n george's interest in membership in that alliance is any different from what was stated at the recent nato summit mr speaker i support this resolution and urge all my colleagues to do is the same as well and i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman from texas reserves the balance of his time chair of the congressional georgian caucus i rise in support of house resolution eleven sixty six and to express my strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the republic of georgia  sixteenth two thousand and eight the russian government declared that it would establish legal and official ties with acosta and south as death this is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt by russia to extend these regions which are part of the sovereign nation of georgia this action was announced by the international community including the european union and the national than north atlantic treaty organization better known as nato to all of us nonetheless russia remained  international opinion and further escalated tensions in the region just four days later by shooting down a georgian unmanned aerial drone over georgian territory georgia's one of the strongest allies in the caucasus region and is important to the united states continue to stand by our allies i spoke with president jacques of sealy on thursday and he's very concerned about the situation and it was mentioned by previous speakers has offered a number of peace proposals but he very much appreciates the statements it has made in support of georgia by our state department and is grateful for this resolution and the strong bipartisan support it demonstrates from congress since speaking with the president last week the situation is becoming even more difficult for georgia the russian federation continues to move troops into a kostya and yesterday we heard reports of possibly two more georgian aircraft being shot down considering our close relationship with georgia it is appropriate that the house of representatives join the international institutions that have condemned russia's action and call for a peaceful resolution to the current tensions in the region this resolution is supported by the chairman and ranking member of the foreign affairs committee who are really regional co sponsors of the resolution and it was introduced by representative wexler the chairman of the europe your subcommittee i urge my colleagues to support this important resolution and appreciate its part bipartisan nature california you know mr speaker i have no further requests for time and i yield back the balance of my time the gentleman from california yield back the balance of her time the gentleman from texas yield back the balance of my time the gentleman from texas yield back the balance of his time all time having been yielded back the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to pass house resolution eleven sixty six those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the suspend the rules and agree to a resolution h conrad's three hundred seven as amended the court report the title of the concurrent resolution house concurrent resolution three seventeen concurrent resolution condemning regime and democratic constitution and scheduled referendum pursuant to the rule of a gentlewoman from california miss watson and the gentleman from texas mr poe each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california mrs speaker i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration without objection m strong support of this resolution and yield myself as much time as i may consume the general it is recognized for much time as she might consume i would like to think my colleague mr rush holt for offering this important measure and for his tireless leadership in promoting human rights and democracy in burma for more than a decade the military shame in burma has ignore the democratic aspirations of the burmese people as we saw i bloody repression of last september's saffron reza revolution the rejean continues to trample on human rights and it is squandering burma's vast natural resources through spending on the regime and its weapons while leaving the overwhelming majority of burma's people empire verty now the regime plans a may tenth referendum to institutionalize these policies through a sham constitution the referendum attempts to give democratic legitimacy to a process that was designed by the burma nice military implemented by the burmese military and benefits only the burmese military as such it is anything but democratic today as burma recovers from a devastating storm that left thousands dead and missing with more then homeless our sympathies are with the burmese people but it is not natural disasters but rather the yoke of the burmese military that has left burma's people impoverished and calling for greater political participation for more then twenty years it is especially appropriate that we stand with the burmese people today as a face not only the devastation of the cycle own but also the continued devastation caused by this regime accordingly i call on my colleagues join me in condemning the burmese hunters sham referendum and constitution and by passing a check on read three one seven today we call on the administration the united nations and the international community to support a prosperity where it rightfully belongs please join me in support of h con read the length seven and offering support for restoration of real democracy in burma mr speaker i reserve the balance of my time serve the balance of her time the gentleman from texas mr speaker i yield must self such time as i may consume the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he might consume thank you mr speaker i rise in strong support of this resolution which points out that the smokescreen of a sham constitution and a bogus referendum referendum is not a path leading to free burma it seems a particularly callous decision for the burmese junta to go forward with its planned reformation random moment at the tent just one week after a tropical cyclone devastated the people of that nation the generals while ignoring the almost four thousand dead and one hundred thousand homeless are concerned only about their narrow political agenda we in congress offer our heartfelt condolences to those in burma who lost family and friends in this tragic who to immediately lift its irrational restrictions on international human humanitarian organizations operating inside burma only then can they provide the emergency relief necessary for the suffering people of this country the generals in oregon however cynically determined that time is on their side they are convinced that while the world's attention turns away from the bloody events of last fall to other crisis is in other parts of the world they can carry on business as usual oppressing their people that business includes implementing plans for the may tenth referendum on their undemocratic constitution this constitution ignores the will of the people of burma and expressed in the streets of rangoon and other cities last fall this one cost one sided constitution seeks to legitimize military dictatorship rule the current one to seize power by crushing amassed a democracy uprising over two decades ago when the people of burma will commemorate the twentieth anniversary of that uprising on august the eighth the very date of the beijing olympics the day they begin on that date advocates of a free burma will hold activities the world to remind the burma generals and their beijing allies that the torch of miss liberty shines brighter than any elliptic torch the generals have turned to a sham constitutional provision in an effort to ignore the international call for a genuine dialogue with on sun suu kyi and members of the opposition and minority groups the goal of that dialogue is to achieve inclusive national reconciliation this call for dialogue was contained in the statement released by the un security council president on october the eleventh two thousand and seven with the unanimous consent of all members of the council instead of hating the urgings of the international community however these generals have brazenly continued their round up of those involved in the saffron revolution last fall including buddhist monks and they have put them in jail they also refused to release songs sung suchi and other political prisoners the burma soon to treated un special envoy to burma with disdain during his last visit they refused him access to the top leadership and flatly rejected his offer of independent monitoring of the referendum  envoy himself has admitted the visit did not yield any tangible results the who does attitude of brazen indifference following its bloody suppression of the saffron revolution cannot stand unchallenged by the world community this congress must raise strong objection to the junta cynical plan to try to maintain rule through a sham constitution are my colleague stands for free burma by voicing vigorous support of this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman from texas mr poe reserves the balance of his time but generally from california and this is speaker i yield as much time as he might consume to the gentleman from new jersey representative rush holt the gentleman from new jersey mr is recognized for as much time as he might consume this year speaker i thank the gentle lady and today all of our thoughts and prayers are with the people of burma the deaths and destruction caused by the  hit burma over the weekend are still being discovered recent reports indicate that maybe ten thousand were killed and hundreds of thousands left without shelter and clean water yet despite this horrific natural disaster the burmese junta has announced it will go ahead with the scheduled sham constitutional referendum this saturday today we are considering our resolution to condemn the burmese regimes undemocratic constitution and the scheduled sham referendum to legitimize that constitution as a sponsor of h conrad three seventeen i want to thank chairman berman and ranking member ross slate and then who are both lead sponsors of the resolution for their support in helping to move this we sometimes ask and our constituents sometimes ask whether governments are relevant to our daily lives to their daily lives well certainly here we see a negative example of what a difference a government can make the ruling junta did not warn the people so i understand of the oncoming hurricane sigh clone they've done little to provide human humanitarian assistance i strong only encourage our state department to heed the calls of the international community and provide whatever emergency humanitarian humanitarian assistance the government of burma will accept i do recall visiting burma several decades ago following an earthquake that devastated pig on and the willful unwillingness of the military dictatorship then to accept international help i've long been interested in burma and the future of the burmese people i first traveled there some decades ago and i was struck by the amazing damage and destruction that a despotic anti democratic government can inflict on an economy on a country on the people under military rule since one thousand nine hundred eighty two burma was once called the rice bowl of asia because of its rich resources its fertile land is productive people but with the ruling junta its promise and its potential have steadily declined this promising countries resources have been channeled into into supporting the military and it is now one of the most impoverished countries in the world prior to this week's scheduled sham constitutional referendum the one to has allowed an election once before hundred ninety the national league for democracy the n l d led by a five led by unsung suchi won an election landslide yet despite winning four out of every five parliamentary seats the regime locked up the winners and to this day on john song suu kyi remains under house arrest for her bravery and courage and her fight for true democracy in her home country she's been awar the nobel prize for peace yet eighteen years later this nobel laureate remains locked away those are among the reasons that this house today is considering and should pass this resolution to condemn the burmese regimes undemocratic constitution and the sham referendum to legitimize it the burmese people are determined to enjoy the same rights and freedoms that so many take for granted the heroic efforts of opposition of the opposition leader and peace prize winner and others have given hope to victims of terrible oppression and they deserve our support this resolution sends a strong signal to the people of burma that we stand with them in their struggle for democracy the resolution denounces the one sided totalitarian an illegal act by the junta to try to legitimize military rule through their unilaterally drafted constitution the monks earlier not so long ago who were detained following the september saffron resolute revolution and all of their political prisoners and prisoners of conscience should be released the resolution urges president bush to call on the world community not to accept or recognise the junta's constitution when several of us members of congress held a meeting here of the human rights caucus on the saffron resolution rather a revolution to hear testimony from the monks who stood up in a nonviolent way to one of the most despotic regimes in the world the monks told a gripping tale and heart rending they called on congress to approve this resolution as soon as possible and today the house answers that call earlier this year for a joint session of congress i invited a young man richard cho a refugee from burma and a resident of my congressional district to sit as my guest here in the gallery of this house he sat and watched the state of the union address having resettled only months before the united states with the help of the lutheran social services of new jersey he later told me that this day in washington was like living in a dream it was the most amazing day of his life to see that a government like ours could exist because he knew nothing like that in burma richard story and the countless others remind us of why now more than ever especially following the devastation of this of this cycle own in burma the people of the united states need to stand with the people of burma and oppose the hunta this referendum this later this week would be a sham a fake and it would be bogus fraudulent spurious phony use whatever word you want but it would not be democratic it would not be to the benefit of the people of burma who want a true democracy i thank the chairman of the ranking member for their support and the many co sponsors of this resolution i also want to thank eric richardson with mr berman and dennis helping with the ranking member for their assistance preparing this resolution and i also want to thank the u s campaign for burma and jim quigley for the excellent work they do every day and have done for year in and year out to promote democracy in burma i urge passage of this resolution the distinguished gentleman from new jersey yield back the balance of his time the gentleman from california reserves about the for a time the gentleman from texas mr speaker it should be well noted that china continues to support this military dictatorship in burma and as we approach the chinese olympics this year we should remember that china does not burn the torch for liberty and freedom throughout the world but they continue to support dictatorships like those in north korea star four  our time the gentleman from texas and you'll back the balance of my time the gentleman from texas yield back the balance the fifth time all time having been yielded back the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house concurrent resolution three seventeen those in favor say  those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the firm a to the rules are suspended the concurrent resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table as be gentleman from california as amended regretfully m speaker i object to the vote on grounds of quorum is not present to make a point of order a corner is not present pursuant to cause a rule twenty on the chairs prior announcement further proceedings on this motion will be postponed the point of no quorum is withdrawn for what purpose does the gentleman from california arise mr speaker i move to suspend the rules and agree to a resolution h read as eleven o nine as amended the court report the title of the resolution house resolution one one zero nine resolution honoring the memory of death pran by remembering his life's work and continuing to acknowledge and remember the victims of genocide that have taken place around the globe pursuant to the rule the gentlewoman from california miss watson and the gentleman from texas mr poe each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california mr speaker i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on resolution under consideration without objection mr speaker iraq eisen strong support of this struggle his friendship and cooperation with the new york times reporter sydney schanberg and the larger honor of the hora of the coming year rouge genocide and can bodie a much as the killing fields reminded americans of the cambodian genocide mr does life work as a photojournalist and u n goodwill ambassador advocacy for the cambodian refugees and victims of genocide around the world after he became a u s citizen and a goodwill ambassador for the united nations in one thousand nine hundred ninety four and his work with former senator charles robb to help pass the cambodian genocide justice act as stablish sheen in office of cambodian genocide investigations at the state  dis work laid the foundation fun ongoing justice and reconciliation tribunals with income botha that continue to this day for all these reasons i support this resolution and urge my colleagues to join me as well mrs speaker i was there the balance of my time the gentleman from california reserve the balance of her time the gentleman from texas  such time as i may consume the gentleman from texas is recognized was much time if you might consume thank you mr speaker i rise in strong support of this resolution which serves as yet another reminder of the haunting words inscribed at the holocaust museum never again that came or ruge led slaughter of over one million innocent people came more than three decades after the holocaust ended yet the world was again largely silent and indifferent to this tragedy there was no one person who more embodied the tragic and horrific story of this genocide committed by the camera ruge income botha then describe his harrowing personal story of courage abandon much struggle escape and ultimate survival was recorded for all time in the gripping academy award winning film the killing fields after escaping from the kaymer ruge and making his way across the treacherous border laden with mine did prawn reach to refugee camp in thailand and ultimately came to the united states here while continuing his career as a photojournalist did pran was a firm and clear voice appealing to the world's conscience to remember the genocide which occurred in his homeland he worked tirelessly to achieve the establishment of an office of cambodian genocide it was officially called the office of cambodian genocide investigations in this part what a state it is a of some consolation that if prawn lived to see the start of the genocide trial last november the surviving leaders of the kaymer ruge on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity sadly it took almost thirty years to bring these architects of the killing fields to justice there is thankfully no statute of limitations for those who carry out world genocide without good pran steadfast determination however this aging kaymer ru may have escaped their final hour of judgment this trial not taking place in cambodian capital should give solace to did france family and his friends at his passing it also represent his greatest legacy as an advocate on right trial should also remind us in redouble our efforts to assure that the words never again are finally realized the best final tribute to did pran would be for the world community together for a swift end to the current gentleman from new jersey mr holt is recognized for three minutes mr speaker i thank the general a d for yielding in countries all over the world journalists are assisted in fact often dependent on local unrecognized his life would be no worthy if only because of his survival after the foreign military forces left southeast asia and horrific genocide and slaughter envelops cambodia distraught faces a situation that is hard to believe he would be no worthy also because of his excellent work as a photographer and photo journalist but he is most noteworthy and truly admirable because of his work to bring the horrors of the genocide of cambodia and of genocide anywhere in the world to the attention of the public it was my honor and good fortune to know death pran he covered stories and events in new jersey and new york area and i saw him fairly often he even accomplished the challenging achievement of sometimes making me look good on film he was hardly a movie star but he was always cheerful and looking through in his daily contacts looking through those smiling eyes it would be hard to imagine the horrors that were back in his mind for months each year after hours on weekends before students before policymakers before any audience that would listen he used his experiences effectively to teach the horrors that humans can do to humans and to work for justice truth and reconciliation in cambodia and other countries around the world after each mass murder and genocide in history some have said never again after the nazi death camps after rwanda after each genocide we say never again let us all hope mr speaker that the example of this prawn and his story will help the entered in the record at this point without any action he is the author of this resolution and had hoped to be here in person this afternoon but is detained and i thank him for preparing this resolution to an ordinary but great man the gentleman from new jersey's time is expired the gentleman from california reserves the balance of her time the gentleman from texas mr speaker we have no other speakers on this are you'll back the balance of my time the gentleman from texas house resolution eleven o nine as a minted those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table the speaker the gentleman is recognized i've checked to the vote on the grounds of the quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present pursuant to clause eight of rule twenty and the chairs prior announcement further proceedings purposed of the gentleman from massachusetts writes i moved out suspend the rules and passed senate twenty nine twenty nine as amended report the title of the bill senate twenty nine twenty nine and act to temporarily extend the program under the higher education act programs under the higher education act of one nine hundred sixty five at the beginning of february the house took the next step in the art reauthorization of the higher education act and passing a what you want thirty seven the college opportunity and affordability act now we find ourselves in the near final phase in completing the reauthorization of the higher education act as we work toward a compromise bill with the senate to ensure that the doors of college are truly open to all qualified students it's our goal to ensure that a final bill and compass is the major issues addressed in want thirty seven including the skyrocketing college prices and needlessly complicated student application process and predatory tactics by student lenders the bill under consideration today as twenty nine twenty nine will extend the programs on the higher education act until may thirty one two thousand and eight to allow sufficient time for final deliberations on the two bills reported out of the respective chambers and while the process of reauthorizing the higher education act may be coming to a close i like to underscore that this does not mean that we will complete work on higher education all together the committee intends to continue to address issues as needed which include not only overseeing the proper implementation of the college class with action and access act and the rest of the higher education act but also for example ensuring availability of student loans during this challenging credit market which the house acted on last week in passing a fifty seven stiff beam it has been nearly ten years since i read you k shenanigans last reauthorized and i believe members on both sides of the aisle in both chambers are anxious to months a tremendous amount of progress has been made toward reauthorization of the higher education act the education labor committee worked in a bipartisan fashion to produce a bill that received strong support here on the house floor chairman miller and ranking member have been leading our efforts to negotiate a final compromise with the other chamber and i'm pleased to report that our work is nearly done so while i support today's temporary extension of programs under the higher education act i know members of the committee along with members of the higher education community will be pleased to hear our surance is that this will be the final extension we have to pass we expect conference meetings to wrap up in the next several weeks with a conference report to be brought back in the month of may as we move toward finalizing this broad overhaul of federal higher education programs our top priority must remain college access and affordability bowstring our higher education and student aid programs has long been a priority for congress one of the issues that has received a great deal of attention throughout the reauthorization process has been the rising cost of higher education and the high levels of debt that accompany that education for many students as a physician i'm keenly we have the unique challenges faced by new graduates in the medical field who often carry hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt yet make an initial wage that is no more than many individuals with a bachelor's degree i'm particularly concerned that high debt debt levels among them among medical graduates may be limiting career choices and that's why i was pleased to partner with another doctor on the committee the gentleman from georgia dr pryce to call for a study of indebtedness of medical school graduates it's important that we closely monitor the impact of student loan debt on all the young people pursuing a higher education so that we can ensure the value of that investment is not outweighed by the burden i urge my colleagues to retain the house pass provisions of the reauthorization bill that will help to address our nation nation's looming nursing shortage which makes health care more expensive for all americans while delaying access to a life saving to life saving treatment h h s warns that the nation's nursing shortage could exceed one million nursing vacancies by the year two thousand and twenty congress has a duty to address this problem i want to thank colleagues congress woman mccarthy and congressman last offer working across the aisle with me on this issue this authorization is a long twenty nine as amended those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table the distinguished gentleman from alabama mr speaker i have ject to the vote on the grounds of the quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present pursuant to cause a typical twenty of the chairs prior announcement further proceedings on this motion will be postponed the point of no quorum is withdraw what purpose of the gentleman from massachusetts arise i move to the house suspend the rules and pass a jury is one one six eight as amended the court report the title of the resolution house resolution one one six eight resolution congratulating charter schools and their students parents teachers across the united states with their ongoing contributions to education and for other purposes pursuant to the rule the gentleman from massachusetts mr tierney on the gentleman from louisiana mr boustany each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts public school students diverse chadha schools across the country offer innovative instruction with site based control of flexibility charter schools can make timely decisions about how to structure the school day which curriculum best the needs of this students and additionally cha schools may form important partnerships with parents and the surrounding community this week out of schools across the country will celebrate the ninth annual national charter schools week this year's theme growing excellence and courage charter schools to share their successes as part of the effort to reform public education in our country today there are almost four thousand three hundred public charter schools operating in forty states that combine for serves over one point two million students and sixty one percent of charter schools report significant waiting list these waiting lists of nearly three hundred sixty five thousand students nationally are enough to fill over one thousand one hundred new charter schools between three hundred four hundred new public charter schools open each year and nearly one hundred fifty thousand new students enroll in charter said to be providing opportunities for many historically underserved communities and nationally is said the charter schools disproportionately serve minority and low income students it is reported that fifty eight percent of charter school students are minorities and fifty two percent qualify for free and reduced price lunch and many charter schools are able to achieve impressive academic results mr speaker h raz one one six eight expresses support for national charter schools we can recognize the charter schools movement's sixteen year history of providing public education options based on innovation flexibility and community partnerships the committee urges colleagues to pass a resolution and i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman from massachusetts reserves the balance of the time the gentleman from mr speaker i yield such time as i might consume the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he might consume mr speaker i rise today in support of house resolution eleven sixty eight congratulating charter schools and their students parents teachers and administrators across the united states for their ongoing contributions dedication this week has been designated as the ninth annual charter schools week and it is entirely appropriate that we take a few minutes to recognize the contribution charter schools  contre that charter schools make every day in the lives of millions of children charter schools or innovative public schools with a simple interest in providing a quality education to children in their community they explore new educational approaches such as longer school days or an extent extended school year and or free from most rules and regulations governing conventional public schools every day however charter schools face an organ bill facts of free market pressures unlike traditional public schools charter schools must demonstrate the success of their students academic achievements to parents policymakers their communities or they face closure from the time the first charter school opens its doors they have risen to the challenge for example charter schools made an important contribution to rebuild and strengthen louisiana after hurricanes rita and katrina particularly in new orleans more often than not charter schools meet the student achievement and accountability requirements under no child left behind in the same manner as traditional public schools but often set higher individual goals to ensure that they are of high quality and truly accountable to the public yet despite these innovative approaches and promising reports of parental satisfaction charter schools across the country have struggled through a myriad of obstacles to create successful schools we should support the two hundred seventy two point six million dollars included in president's in the president's fiscal zero nine budget requests for the public charter school programs authorized under no child left behind these programs provide support at key points in the development of charter schools helping cover the extraordinary cost of launching successful charters disseminating disseminating their successful innovations to other public schools and providing financial incentives to state governments and private lenders that help enable schools to build and renovate facilities these programs have been a tremendous success helping to create public charter schools all across the country that work to improve akademi kaci vote for low income students is my hope that the charter community will continue to build on its fifteen year history of providing a high quality option in public education that is based on innovation freedom from red tape in partnership between parents and educators an option  giving new hope to disadvantaged and minority families across the country i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time and i would add mr speaker that i have no further requests for time so i'm prepared to yield back and i will y my time the gentleman from louisiana mr boustany yield back the balance of his time the gentleman from massachusetts that val's my time the gentleman from massachusetts yield back the balance of his time all time having been yielded back the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to pass house resolution eleven sixty eight 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 resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table for what purpose  the gentleman from alabama raw the speaker i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present pursuant to cause a to rule twenty on the chairs prior announcement further proceedings on this motion will be postponed the before the gentleman called the bill as amended i can do that in this case i will the court report the title of the resolution house resolution one one five high resolution honoring the recipient of the eldorado promise one one five five into the record without objection i feel myself this time as i may consume the gentleman is recognized with much time he might consume thank you mr speaker i rise today to congratulate the recipients of the eldorado promise scholarship the eldorado promise scholarship  tuitions scholarship which allows all students who graduate after attending all four years of high school in the eldorado public school district to attend any equated to a four year college or university while the enrollment of the eldorado public school district has decreased over fifteen consecutive years the establishment of the scholarship is seen rollman in the district significantly increase this scholarship program has also increased the number of students going to college after graduating high school by twenty percent this is speaker these numbers are very  commend the students that are taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity as you know many students are struggling to pay the rising cost of tuition across the country to add students a graduate with more debt than ever before and i working harder and harder to pay back their college loans this growing college cost crisis has serious implications not just the students and families but also for our nation's economic future in order to maintain our economic leadership in the world we must make aggressive investments in our current and future workforce scholarships and grants similar to the eldorado promise scholarship such as georgia's hope scholarship and california's cal grant continue to help students achieve their goal of going to college and alleviate the debt burden they carry at the college once again i would like to congratulate the recipients of the eldorado much time if he might consume the speaker i rise in support of house resolution eleven fifty five which honors the recipients of the old radio promise scholarship on april thirtieth two thousand and eight eldorado high school students who receive the don't promise scholarship sign their academic letters of intent for the colleges and universities they will be attending upon graduation thanks to funding provided by the murphy oil co corp the promise scholarship gives alterative students an additional opportunity to pursue higher education the scholarship provides up to five years of tuitions and mandatory fees for undergraduate post secondary education for students interim college immediately following high school to be eligible for the program students must have attended local schools for at least four years the annual scholarship is limited to the highest yearly rate charged by an arkansas public university currently six hundred i'm sorry six thousand and ten dollars but the oil companies factored inflation into the program and plans to be in place for twenty four twenty years in this era of global competitiveness it is increasingly important for students to obtain a college education in order to keep up with the demands of the modern workforce we know how important higher education is both to individuals and to our nation a college degree can be a ticket to the middle class it helps individuals prepare for good jobs and it allows them to pursue new skills in a changing economy higher education also has important societal benefits college education citizens are healthier more civically involved have lower unemployment rates and use fewer government benefits they will the rate of scholarship program has increased the number of high school students who choose to attend college after graduation by twenty percent so it's my pleasure to acknowledge the eldorado promise scholarship program which important role in the revitalization of southern arkansas and to run and to recognize murphy oil corporation for its efforts to ensure that children from southern arkansas who might otherwise struggle in financing a college education are able to attend college i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time but i would add this to speaker that i'm prepared to close that i have the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution eleven 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 resolution is agreed not present pursuant to clause eight of rule twenty and the chairs prior announcement further proceedings on this motion will be postponed the point of no quorum is withdraw life achievements and contributions of charleston has to the current report the title of the resolutions house resolution ten ninety one resolution honoring the line achievements and contributions of charlton heston and extending its deepest sympathies to the family of charlton heston for the loss of such a great generous man husband and father pursuant to the rule the distinguished gentleman from missouri mr clay and the gentleman from connecticut mr shays each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from oversight and government reform i present for consideration house arrest in ninety one which seeks to recognize the life of charlton heston for his accomplishments both on and off the big screen and not only that heston command an overwhelming presence in theaters but his actions in support of the civil rights movement during the one nine hundred sixty s and on behalf of other social causes throughout his life deserve recognition for instance charlton heston joined martin luther king jr in a marginal washington d c in one nine hundred sixty three and was an early civil rights activist long before hollywood founded fashionable house rist in ninety one was introduced by representative die don young of alaska on april eighth two thousand and eight and was considered by and reported from the oversight committee  april sixteenth two thousand and eight by voice vote after being amended by the panel the measure has the support of well over one hundred members of congress and is evidence of a wide national appreciation presidential medal of freedom in commemoration of the positive impact he has had on our culture and country in memory of his life of greatness and activism ayers swift passage of house arrest in ninety our subcommittee allow me this time as a deed in honor that i will speak on charlton heston today now we've already heard some of the roles he played and the screen and people watched him planet of the apes hur some people may not remember though his role in politics he became very active this president of the screen actors guild before every actor in the world gets involved politically he was involved the screen actors guild he was very actively involved as mentioned by the chairman and civil rights he marched with martin luther king and one of my interests was that he was enlisted in the army air force and war two and served two years a b twenty five bomber and a gunner and the illusion jane's god he was president of the n r a from june one thousand nine hundred eight to april the third and was awarded the presidential medal of freedom arm medal of freedom by president bush and i have to say that i knew him personally they never called him chuck and they were calling charles and always mr has a mr president because he was president of organization which i am very proud of and that's the n r a the national rights of america the think about the national rifle of america and he probably did more to protect the freedoms of america and his actions as president that organization any other individual and it may not be popular in certain people in this body but he did guarantee is so the second amendment the right to protect ourselves the right to protect