suspended the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table without objection the chair appoints the following conferees on senate concurrent resolution seventy ryan of wisconsin and of south carolina without objection the chair appoints the following conferees to h r forty forty messrs dingell waxman rush moved to key ministers barton of texas would feel of kentucky and stearn for other purposes referred to the house calendar and ordered printed pursuant to clause eight of rule twenty the chair will postpone further proceedings today on the motion to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote for the a's a naser order or on which the vote is subjected to under cost six of roll twenty any record vote on the postponed question will be taken tomorrow for what purpose is a gentlewoman from california right mr speaker i move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution h con read three three one the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution resolution supporting the goals and ideals of national women's health written for other purposes pursuant to the rule of the gentlewoman from california mrs chair and the gentleman from pennsylvania mr murphy will each control twenty minutes which are recognized the gentlewoman from california thank you mr speaker i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days three byes and extend their remarks and and include extraneous material on the resolution one national women's health week is celebrated annually during the week following mother's day the purpose of this week is twofold first we can use it to raise awareness about the health risks all women face especially the risks that are unique to women we use it to learn that for example heart disease is the number one killer of women and half a minute million women die every year in childbirth but the second purpose is so that we can take proactive measures to improve women's health we can use this opportunity to remind our sisters our mothers our daughters and our friends to get annual checkups and screenings which are recommended for them at their age and we can use is opportunity to adopt healthier lifestyles that are essential to preventing chronic disease as co chair of the women's  very proud of several bills that have been introduced and or passed out during this congress to address women's health issues last year we reauthorized the national breast and cervical cancer early detection program to provide low income women with access to these essential screening we also passed the genetic information nondiscrimination act and nearly every woman in the house is co sponsor of both the heart for women act r ten fourteen as well as house resolution ten twenty two regarding maternal health but we are also fortunate to have a few good men actually more than a few good men working with us such as  ranking member on this bill and maurice hinchey who has taken the lead in introducing this resolution a few years ago now along with mary bono mack i urge my colleagues to support of the resolution in the gentleman from pennsylvania thank you mr speaker and i also think the gentlewoman from california for her thoughts and input on this bill which i'm pleased to co sponsor today properly national women's health week began this monday may twelfth the day after mother's day and this past monday was national women's check up day for this and we encourage all women to discuss with their doctor the importance of regular checkups self exams also should note that the government has a website and this is w w w women's health dot gov slash w h w there they recommend several tests that women should get on a regular basis also like to mention as we are focusing on women's health as a my colleague my friend from california stated this is also of interest importance to men whether your fathers or spouses or relatives important to also be supportive of women's health and be supportive exams they may need to have as we focus on this i want to mention a few other conditions that impact women and the importance of federal research funding for my l g for example is a chronic pain illness characterized by widespread musculoskeletal aches pains and stiffness soft tissue tenderness general fatigue and sleep insurgences depression is another very important condition to highlight women during and after pregnancy for example or much greater risk to develop depression and folks who have a chronic illness are read risk to develop depression oftentimes we neglect these important symptoms and aspects of health care when meeting with a position it is very important to review any concerns that anyone has women have when they have their annual exams such as sleep problems changes in appetite mood changes persistent sadness and other things these are treatable conditions and not ones too to shown in bringing up and discussing openly and honestly with your physician we have other things to comment on this but this point i will reserve the balance of my time se would first like to take a moment to thank chairman dingell for supporting of a solution and for bringing being instrumental rather in bringing it to the floor today i would also like to thank speaker pelosi and mr hoyer for their determination and bringing this measure to the floor during national women's health week despite a very crowded legislative schedule i would also like to thank chairman pallone and all of the fine members of the health subcommittee and their resolve in getting this through the committee and to the floor and finally i'd like to thank my good friends congresswoman lois capps and congresswoman mary bono mack with taking the lead with me on this resolution for the third time in our though this resolution has the bipartisan sponsorship of one hundred fourteen members of this house also the national coun women's organizations fully endorsed this bill on behalf of their two hundred thirty member organizations who represent eleven million women across our country national women's health week begins annually on mother's day this year marks the ninth annual national women's health week national women's health week is a week celebrated across america during this week families communities businesses government health organizations and all the groups work together to help educate women about steps that they could take to improve their physical and mental health and to prevent various diseases this week is also used as an opportunity to educate our population about important health issues that women face this resolution recognizes the importance of several things including preventing diseases that commonly affect women federally funded programs that provide research that collect data on common diseases in women and it also calls on women to observe national women's check up day by receiving preventive screenings it is vitally important that women have knowledge about the health risks that confront them and that they know they can greatly reduce those risks to preventive measures such as a healthy lifestyle and regular medical screenings healthy habits should begin at a young age it is imperative that we take the time to educate young girls on the benefits of exercise and eating right at these habits start  is more likely that they will continue through their life it is important that essential we do everything we can to prevent disease in this spirit i encourage women to use this week to focus on the necessary checkups and prevent screenings from their health care providers so that they can live long healthy and productive lives i urge full support and passage of this very important measure on behalf of the women of our country and i thank you very much and i think the speaker and i thank the gentleman from pennsylvania for the leadership that he brings to our health subcommittee i also want to thank the gentlewoman from california for her attentiveness to women's health issues she is an effective advocate and to the gentleman from new york for his leadership on the issue and for honoring us all women with the resolution and bringing the resolution forward only to support the resolution of but to be a fact of spokespeople for what the resolution means that we move forward actively to encourage women to gather the information that they need because indeed one of the purposes is to encourage women to seek information to become health conscious and as the gentleman from new york said to develop those healthy habits and it is not only adult women that we are speaking to but it is to young girls also as they look at diet as they look at exercise and they gather information about how to best take care of themselves and we do encourage them to seek that information to get regular checkups to become knowledgeable of the preventive screenings that will help them to stay healthy and to enjoy a better quality of life one thing that we also do is encourage women to have that relationship with their primary care physician somebody that they can go to to gather the information about how to become knowledgeable on taking care of their bodies we've talked a little bit about some of the diseases that algea depression and of course postpartum depression which concerns us all way to young women in those in the childbearing years heart disease also in some of the screenings that are important for ad and as the gentleman from pennsylvania said there is the web site where individuals can access this information but we do stand together to promote prevention and awareness for disease management so that the women of this nation are certainly taking better care of themselves and are knowledgeable on the diseases that could impair their quality of life and their productivity again i join my colleagues and thank them for the later ship on resolution three thirty one and i appreciate the opportunity to stand and speak on the importance of this and again encourage all members not only to support it but to actually be certain that we disseminate this information to our constituents and i yield back the balance of my time attention to the importance of women taking care of their own health and providing the resources so they can do this because it's women's health at stake but also often since the woman is the primary instigator within the family and often the community as well of the health of every member that this serves a purpose that is very important to the health of our nation and with that i yield back the balance of my time gentle lady yield back the balance of her time the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house concurrent resolution three three one those in favor say aye those opposed no and even as the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended in the concurrent resolution is agreed to and with an objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table the chair will entertain one minute requests for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois ross without objection thank the speaker or i said a soldier it's a sixty percent sixtieth anniversary of the modern state of israel since its founding in one thousand nine hundred eighty eight israel has flourished as the only true democracy in the middle east and established itself as america's greatest ally in the region mr speaker last august i had the pleasure of visiting israel  several my colleagues who i met with top officials and i toured the country many fond memories of trip i was particularly moved by the people steadfast devotion to their homeland and the t attacks from neighboring gaza i met a woman who simply said to me we can't move from here this is our home her resilience and perseverance is indicative of the spirit of the israeli people i made constant threat from surrounding counties and terrorist groups it is critical that the united states stand in solidarity with israel as she fights to protect your people mr speaker my experience in israel is one that i will never forget and i look forward to the day when israel can live in peace to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary the state of israel like my colleague just before me the state of israel has held out the promise of hope for many who have endured centuries of oppression it was established by those who sought peace but has had to endure perpetual conflict from the date of its inception israel's neighbors declared war upon the country in attempting to destroy it two major wars wrapped it after the initial conflict in one thousand forty eight and even today it must suffer through terrorist attacks orchestrated by those who continue to not to deny its right to exist and yet israel indoors and it florists it has made it it's made its part of the desert bloom it is a model of democracy that the rest of that region would do well to emulate and has been a great partner to us in the war on terror cooperat with us on homeland security matters so that we can be better prepared to counter the kinds of attacks that the israelis have had to endure for three generations i had the privilege of visiting israel on two separate occasions experiences that i will never forget and israel i say l israel declared sovereignty and independence as a homeland for the jewish people with little resources and seemingly insurmountable obstacles israel has become a thriving and prosperous democracy and has made worldwide contributions in technology medicine agriculture and environmental innovation when we speak about israel too often we focus on israel's troubles and not on her beauty and her spirit but what i want to focus on today is her resolve since independence israel has continually overcome every conceivable roadblock she has been back hostile neighbors during war and now endures terrible emotional and economic hardship from terrorist cowards who perpetrate hideous violence against innocent victims as a critical partner in the fight against terror and as the only democracy in the region israel strengthen security is paramount therefore i encourage this house to continue to pass bipartisan bills in support of israel and her ability to protect herself from antagonistic neighbors the blossoming of a nation that grew from desert sand into a thriving example of democracy economic progress and cultural diversity is a negative it's an achievement for the strong and vibrant country i congratulate israel on all she has achieved in just this morning bringing a new spring day in america a new connection was born today twenty seven i am and took her first breath of life how he lives with paula seven pound nineteen and a half inch girl was born in the woodlands texas how  parents kurt and susie are happy with boastful pride but they can't be prouder than i am because i am a grandfather the miracle of birth is the good lord's give to the people of the world and renews a spirit of hope and refreshing has a baby girl as one of the most amazing miracles of life one of the great joys of life and one of the reasons why there is a little extra sunshine laughter and happiness in life little girls are special they bring a delight in innocence into the world of ours and know that how they will have the forcefulness of margaret thatcher in the southern grace of lady bird johnson mr speaker we pause for this moment in time for this most happy of all events the birth of a new baby girl so there's a new yellow rose in texas tonight that will obviously bring more warped and beauty to our world after all mr speaker there's nothing like a little girl and that's just the way it is i yield back gentleman yield back for one minute requests gentle gentleman from north carolina is recognized thank you mr speaker i actually met his consent that today following legislative business in any special orders heretofore entered into the following members may be permitted to address the house revise and extend their remarks and include their in extraneous material mr poe make twenty one for five minutes mr jones may twenty one for five minutes mr peterson today before the house the following communication place before the house the following personal request speakers announced policy of january eighteenth two thousand and seven and under a previous order of the house the following members are recognized for five minutes each  mr speaker as a former prosecutor longtime judge in texas i'm concerned about of course drugs and corruption especially on the international border between the united states and mexico i have great sympathy and compassion for the mexicans living just south of the border especially those that have had the problem of dealing with the drug cartels it's an epidemic that occurs on our southern border with mexico according to the da five hundred people were murdered  recently most of those cases were never solved and many of those individuals were peace officers there had been four hundred cat kidnappings and a wave all right zero forty one of them were americans and none of them not one of those cases have ever been solved and we understand now that behind most of those crimes of violence of murder and kidnappings are the drug cartels what you might be surprised mr speaker to find out is that many of those people involved in the drug cartels are former individuals in the united scuse me in the mexican military that were trained in the united states department of homeland security has reported that the last ten years also there have been two hundred fifty documented cases of incursions by suspected mexican military units into the united states most of them in texas california arizona recently i've been at a place called nili pass in hudspeth county where the mexican military was photograph coming into the united states in order to gain control of access corridors in the u s drug cartels are hiring a hit man from the elite mexican military force and this group is known as the zetas the site is our military desert hers that were trained in the united states at the school of the americas in fort benning georgia as an elite force of anti drug commandos but ont unfortunately after they were trained by americans they went over to the dark side they were sent by the mexican government to do s mexico border to combat drug trafficking but they switched sides deserted the mexican military and work for the drug cartels official suspect that there are more than two hundred zetas including former mexican police officers and the problem isn't just at the border either the zetas operate in the united states authorities have believed that the drug cartels and the zetas are responsible for murders in the united states and there's a second group the second group is called the  were special operations force in the guatemalan mirror military lacked a zetas many of them receive training from the united states in counterinsurgency operations and like the zetas many of them deserted the special forces and began to help the drug i have here a photograph taken by sheriff's deputies on the texas mexico border and this is a group of the cabela's you notice that they're all in uniform they all have hoods on them you notice the first person in the a k forty seven and they're bringing cocaine into the united states on backpacks and this is what has happened to these individuals that were trained in the united states and switch sides and the reason i bring all of this up mr speaker as there is trafficking while this may sound well and good unfortunately the truth of the matter is that we cannot trust the local officials on the mexican side of the border because of the high rate of corruption because of these individuals that continue to switch sides and it would be very unfortunate indeed if we sent equipment to the southern portion or the northern portion of mexico south of the american border turned over this military equipment to the mexican military and to have it used against us as shown in this photograph it would be better money spent in training to send this one point five billion dollars to the southern border to the second front where there is a war going on but keep it on the american side let the a local officials the state officials that the sheriff's along the border use this equipment many of them don't even have enough equipment as one of them is told me they're on outmanned and they're outgunned by the drug cartels so keep that equipment keep that training on the american side of the border support the american calls before that we turn this equipment and turn this training capability to the other side and it's a sad fact of life that we can't trust sending money equipment and training south of the united states border because of the corruption that occurs in northern mexico so i would hope that congress when this initiative comes up that we have lively debate about this one point five billion dollars and before we send it all south of the border that we rethink that and maybe spend part of that money half of that money or most of that money on the american side and at the border sheriffs from brownsville texas to san diego use that equipment to fight the drug cartels fight the crime on on the american side of the border i think that would be better money spent american taxpayer money spent and with that yield back the rest of my time and that is the way that it is some has expired jollity from california m speaker the american people have begun to receive the recovery rebate checks families will use this assistance to deal with the rising costs of food gas and for just the hard times in general so congress did the right thing when we wrote those checks but if we want to give our economy another boost there's one check we should not write and that the check we will soon be asked to write for the continued occupation of iraq this occupation has already cost taxpayers over one trillion dollars in direct and indirect costs and joseph stiglitz the noble peace prize winner has calculated that the cost could soar could probably will soar to three trillion dollars or more think what that money could do for our economy if we invested it wisely in job training education health care child care green technology and so many other critically important domestic needs some believe that the oxidation of iraq is more important than all these other needs combined they believe that the billions of dollars we're spending in iraq are making things better the president actually told us recently that normalcy is returning back to iraq but iraq cannot be returning to normal states when the fighting and dying continue without any let up over three thousand iraqi civilians and one hundred seventy of our brave troops have been killed so far this year three it actually iraq cannot be returning to normal see even over when over five million of its citizens remain refugees that number equals more than twenty percent of the entire iraqi population at the beginning of our invasion and in the year two thousand and three iraq cannot be returning to normal sea when tens of thousands of our military contractors roam its streets terrifying the people and accountable to no one iraq can't be returning to normal see we were planning for a fifty year foreign occupation and some voices in fact are even calling for a hundred year occupation and iraq cannot be returning to normal see when fear and destruction continue to grip its people the international herald tribune described the iraqi people's nightmare in an article published on april the twenty third it said and  a simple decision to run an errand or choose an alternate route to work takes on life altering altering consequences as the car bomb stray bullets rockets and mortars claim those who merely happen by so mr speaker as a war carries in to its six year nearly every family is touched by the death of a member of a close friend iraq can only become normal again when it gets its sovereignty back it can only become normal when it has a chance to rebuild and heal in peace and that can only happen when we responsibly redeploy our troops and then lead a regional and internet asil effort to bring social economic and political reconciliation to that devastated country so when we review supplemental funding like we will tomorrow let's insist on a bill that fully funds the safe withdrawal of our troops but does not include one more sand and occupation that isn't making us or the iraqi people any safer mr speaker recovery rebate checks are great but blank check for the occupation of iraq must stop i religious freedom and religious expression that we have inherited as a result of the wise for side of our nation's founders throughout their history we've been a nation eager to rally to the cry of the motto in god we trust in times of peace and prosperity or and more and up evil this phrase not only on our coins and here in this chamber but also on our hearts has captured a truly american sentiment that our great historic experiment in democracy was founded on and today thrives in a robust sense of religious freedom religious freedoms were specifically included in our constitution as a reflection of the colonial experience of religious tolerance and free expression yet as religions dissed detractors would have the constitutional enumeration of american religious freedoms is a paltry clause intended to merely protect us from the force religion of a repressed central government this is a far cry from our founders full intentions and there the founders were indeed careful to ensure that the government did not establish an official religion but while they were at it they crafted protections that would ensure our national religious life would not falter under the machinations of those who would infringe on citizens religious expression the first amendment is clear congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof this amendment does not establish the freedom from religion rather it grants every american freedom of religion and it is upon this freedom that our land was founded and it is this freedom that undergirds our strength and national character today as founding father john adams wrote in seven hundred seventy six on the quote by allowing for and encouraging the free exercise of religion the constitution set the stage for a vigorous national religious life most americans are nothing if not of people of religion committed to lives of quiet reverence to god the practice of prayer and the exercise of their religion our culture of religious life informs the way we raise families conduct business and serve