will be in order here will be offered by the chaplain father cast lord god in today's world of computer communication and wireless transactions time itself may seem relative or irrelevant but there are those who know me they actors or politicians that the art of timing is the key to their success lord help the members of congress and all who work on capitol hill make the most of the time given them some break new ground others simply plant the seed others nurture the progressive growth and still others are there only to bind up the harvest yet all rejoice in the final product even if they only added to what others did before them made everyone find satisfaction and that's maule portion each one is required to do which contributes to the whole in the end lord that all rejoice together in the common effort to protect defend and guide the establishment of laws and policies that are best for this nation then to you lord god there will be thanks and praise because you glory in the work and the workers who are accomplishing your holy will for the moment and for you the chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces to the house her approval they're out pursuant to clause one of rule one the journal stands approved the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from connecticut mr courtney chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina for one minute thank you madam speaker it's been more than a week since the house left town without voting on critical intelligence legislation this bipartisan legislation would have permanently fix the foreign intelligence agencies to monitor foreign terrorist electronic communications on foreign soil without time consuming court orders but the house refused to take up the bill that passed the senate with broad bipartisan support by a vote of sixty eight twenty nine more than twenty democrats voted in favor of this legislation to make the protect america act permanent by refusing to consider this legislation the house is embarking on an act of reckless irresponsibility america cannot afford to hit pause on our surveillance of foreign terrorists now that the protect america act has expired our intelligence community faces cumbersome bureaucratic hurdles to monitor the communications of suspected foreign terrorists this paper pushing approach takes precious time which could speaker the saudi arabian religious police will arrest its citizens for a multitude of sins last week the religious police arrested fifty seven saudi arabian man in front of a mall in mecca forget the us the crime of flirting the fifty seven men were dancing to pop music and not wearing traditional clothing the religious police arrested them and refused to release the man unless they can prove they did not flirt with women so much for innocent till proven guilty this is yet another example of when civil governments use their state religion of islam to put their own citizen in jail for religious activity the powerful religious police make sure that women are covered up that they don't wear makeup that the sexes don't mingle and that the stores close five times a day for muslim prayers and that m worship in the mosque earlier this month saudi arabia banned the sale of red roses and other symbols that marked valentine's day because they are connected with a christian holiday so any arabia certainly cannot allow any religious dissension in their country record votes on postpone questions will be taken after six thirty p m today chair lays before the house a communication the honorable the speaker house of representatives madam pursuant to the commission granted in close to eight as will two of the rules of the u s house of representatives the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on february twenty first two thousand and eight at one o for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut rise mr speaker i move that the house suspend the rules and pass house resolution nine seventy eight the clerk will report the title of the resolution house resolution nine seventy eight resolution expressing support for the designation of the week of march third three seventh two thousand and eight as school social work week to promote awareness of the vital role of school social workers in schools and in the community as a whole and helping students prepare for their future as productive citizens pursuant to the rule the gentleman from connecticut mr courtney and the gentleman from utah mr bishop h will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from connecticut mr speaker i request five legislative myself such time as i may consume gentleman from connecticut to recognize mr mr speaker i rise today in support of h rez nine seventy eight a resolution to recognize the week of march third through march seventh as national school social worker week school social workers have long played a critical role in schools in the community as a whole they are professionals with training in social mental health intervention who work with you to address their gentle social and developmental needs for example students in elementary school are just beginning to develop their academic self concept in their feelings of competence school social workers help students build their confidence as learners in middle school many new challenges arise during this passage from childhood to adolescence middle school students are characterized by a need to explore a variety of interests connecting their learning into the classroom to its practical applique application in life for the students school social workers provide proactive  engage all stakeholders in the delivery of programs and services to help students navigate the challenges in achieve success and in high school students begin separating from parents and exploring and defining their own independence they face increased pressure regarding risk behaviors involving sex alcohol and drugs while exploring the boundaries of more acceptable behavior and mature meaningful relationships school social workers help make them concrete and compounded decisions on top of this school social workers must be responsive to the range of challenges that young people face every day such as poverty disability discrimination abuse addiction bullying divorce of parents loss of a loved one and other barriers to learning school social workers are also on the front lines when disaster strikes such as the south carolina wildfires or hurricane katrina as well as other traumatic incidents such as atrocities on nine eleven there is a documentation of the growing need for school districts to expand mental and student support services in schools the numbers indicate that only one in five of the seventeen million five hundred thousand children in need of mental health actually receive those services many students go under sir primarily because the national average the ratio of students to school social workers is far beneath the four hundred to one recommended by this school social work association of america mr speaker this resolution serves to recognize the treasure  that is the school social worker and acknowledge the priceless role that they play in guiding our students success in the ever changing world of the twenty first century i urge my colleagues to resound only passed this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time designation of the week march third through the seventh of this year is the school social work week and it will promote the awareness of the vital role of social workers in the school setting and in the communities a whole where they help students to prepare for their future as productive citizens from time to time students face certain challenges to achieving academic success the emotional social and behavioral problems can be disk and serious impediments to learning and can have a dilatory effect not just on the individual students than on others that are in that same school setting so schools families communities must work collaboratively to assistance to achieve the positive academic and behavioral outcomes school social work service provides a comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of students the early identification prevention intervention counseling as well as support and school social workers are trained qualified prevent professional professionals who meet the state requirements to practice social work specifically in a school setting they provide direct services to students who experience academic and social difficulties they develop relationships that bolster self esteem reward positive behavior school social worker support teachers by offering options for addressing student needs and by participating in a student support team school social workers work with families and communities coordinate services to the student as well as to the family according to national mt mental health association there are between seventeen eighteen million million children who are in need of mental health services and those are just the ones i taught in my classes these workers address those  school school social workers help students who otherwise might not receive services did in x and accessibility or lack of a better veil ability of services like command these dedicated professionals for the service they provide i ask my colleagues also to support this resolution which was it in a fly school social work week this coming march with that so i reserve the balance my time gentleman from connecticut has the gentleman from utah any further speakers sir i do not have other speakers here if you are ready to proceed we will as well thank you and i would just say in conclusion mr speaker i would join gentleman from utah in support of this resolution which recognizes an important group in our country and  to the work that they perform and i would urge all members to support this resolution i would yield back the balance of my time and make right you back the balance of our time well gentleman from utah we'll back you back the balance of his time the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution nine seven eight those in favor say aye aye those posts a no opinion the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the resolution is agreed to and without objection the proceedings on this motion will be postponed for what purpose of the gentleman from connecticut rise mr speaker i move that the house suspend the rules and pass house resolution nine thirty as amended the clerk will report the title of the resolution house resolution nine thirty resolution supporting the goals and ideals of career and technical education month pursuant to the rule the gentleman from connecticut mr courtney the gentleman from utah mr bishop each will control twenty minutes speaker i yield myself such time as i may consume gentleman from connecticut is recognized mr speaker i rise today in support of house resolution nine thirty which will designate february two thousand and eight as career in technical education month and recognize the important role career in technical education plays in the instruction of america's students today over fifteen million students participate in career in technical education programs career and technical education programs offered diverse courses and subject areas that support the development of a competitive economy and the courses are constantly evolving to meet the needs of the global market for example the cisco networking academy has focused on giving students across the nation hands on activities within its eighteen programs to prepare students for career opportunities in tamil telecommunications and continuing their education and other such institution is marshall academy this c t e program in fairfax virginia high school strives to expose students to various career paths through a full line of technical and professional courses classes in business management auto services criminal justice and cohen area arts are bolstered through business partnerships with companies such as microsoft sh hotel as in ford motor company career and technical programs like these are responsive to the business needs of the community and set students on a successful path for the future these programs can be found throughout communities across the country and are integral to ensuring america's place in the global economy through the integration of science math and literacy in technical coursework the success of c t e can be seen in the data that we have and students who participate in c t e courses we know that students who take career in technical education courses are more likely to stay in school and while they are attain higher grade point averages than their peers and we also know that want to course combines rigorous academic content with technical subject matter students are encouraged to actively engage with their stew with their studies additionally career and technical education programs are an effective means of linking high schools with community colleges these links introduce students to future learning opportunities in ease the transition to a post secondary education lastly programs such as these help foster a highly educated in skilled workforce through internships job shadowing and other cooperative work experiences these courses provide a foundation of skills that prepare students for gainful employment in the united states studies have shown that students who participate in career and technical education programs have better employment opportunities and earn more than their general education counterparts i am encouraged by the many gains students have made through career and technical education programs and believe that the skilled workforce is paramount when competing in a global economy in my district there are four c t e school programs and like i think all members a cross the country they are extremely impressive institutions with great committed faculty and students who are totally motivated and engaged in the special skills that they have the opportunity to get a head start in terms of their future job growth and their job opportunities mr speaker once again i express my support for career and technical education month and i urge my colleagues to support this resolution i reserve the balance of my time gentleman from utah after the passage of the first piece of federal vocational education legislation career and technical education continues to evolve from its original and so focus of preparing students for a work mediately following high school today the goal of career and technical education is to empower students to participate effectively in an international economy career and technical education programs contribute to broad educational achievements of students these programs may include classes in basic skills but also higher level skills such as the ability utilize technology the ability to think creatively and solve problems and the ability to work independently and as part of the team career and technical education is offered in middle school high schools to your community in technical colleges as well as other post secondary schools and career and technical education is designed to prepare high school students to transition successfully to post secondary education designed to help college students acquire the skills knowledge that's needed to find gainful employment and it is designed to help workers acquire job skills in new fields or refresh skills in their existing career path according to the u s bureau of labor statistics eighteen of the twenty fastest growing occupations within the next decade will require career and technical education and according to the u s chamber of commerce forty percent of employers report that job applicants need better skills in this area career and educational education programs are in temporal part of the public education system and are designed to educate for careers career and technical education prepare students for more than just a good paying job it is the beginning of a career path and in today's work force and economy it is essential that students and workers remain lifelong learners learners because the cutting edge skills don't remain cutting edge for a lot for long access to formal and in formal training opportunities is critical to remain competitive career and technical education programs or solution for securing this type of training today's career and technical technical education programs are increasingly incorporating programs of study offered through career and technical education are essential for our students and our workforce for these reasons i stand in support of career and technical education month that i also thank the gentleman from washington mr baird for introducing this bill some time i would hope he would answer whether skiing is considered part of career and technical education in his bill and i asked my colleagues in the bipartisan spirit that permeates our committee to support this bill as well and i reserve the balance of my time gentleman from connecticut thank you  yield to the gentleman from washington state as much time as the shelf and so the gentleman from washington state to recognize i think my friend and colleague from connecticut in utah the reference was i had the privilege of graduating from the university of utah where to some degree i majored in skiing and for me it was a career and technical and i'm pleased to be here today to speak in support of a thread's nine thirty a resolution introduced by myself and my good friend from pennsylvania phil english that resolution supports the goals and ideals of career and technical education month which we are celebrating this month  february this resolution expresses the support of the house of representatives for the goals and ideals of career in tech education month recognizes the importance of career in technical education in preparing a well educated and skilled workforce and encourages educators c and administrators to promote career and technical education as an up in the students our country is currently facing a growing problem of not having enough qualified workers to fill high demand jobs across the nation employers are facing difficulties in finding skilled employees indeed one survey showed that nearly seventy five percent of employers report severe difficulties trying to hire qualified workers career and technical education provide students with the skills they need to find employment in skilled professions and to compete in a growing and competitive global economy current technical education also help students succeed and complete their education those who participate in these programs have higher grade point averages in college and are less likely to drop out in fact according to the department of labor career and technical education prepare students for all of the twenty fastest growing occupations in our nation today career and technical education is also a unique way are unique in the waiting gauges students in their learning i visited skill centers in my district including the clark county skills center or the newmarket skills center in thurston county last year and i found students genuinely interested and involved in the classroom and in their education indeed in my school visits it is not at all uncommon to go to one apparently academic class where students seemed disinterested maybe bored with their course of study you encounter them somewhat later in the career in tech courses and they're motivated in the light and enthused indeed i could well imagine a young person saying they have no concern at all for what the a squared plus b squared equals c squared doesn't mean anything to them until they realize that's how you frame a roof and that suddenly has relevance i believe the federal government needs to focus more attention and resources on career and technical education the federal government funds career in tech and through the perkins act which is the primary source of funding for career and technical education at the local level unfortunately as we debate this resolution on the house floor the administration has once again proposed eliminating funding for these programs in fact the perkins grant program has not received a substantial link recent funding since two thousand and two i'm hopeful we will not only honor career and technical education today but work in the months ahead to restore funding for these very important programs i want to applaud the association for career and technical education for its efforts i also want to recognize the more than fifteen million students currently involved in career in technical education in this country and the more than one hundred thousand institutions that are presently offering career and technical education programs nationwide those folks who are studying and teaching and career in tech programs should know that they have friends and allies here in the congress in fact last year i joined my colleague from pennsylvania in creating the congressional career and technical education caucus this bipartisan group is working to raise awareness of the benefits of career and technical education in congress and to support funding and policies to benefit career in technical education i would urge my fellow members to join the caucus and work with us to expand and strengthen career and technical education in this country finally i would just offer a suggestion to my friends and colleagues in this institution and those colleagues who happen to be running for president we often in our political speeches say things like we want to make college education more affordable well as a former college instructor and the chair of a department i believe we ought to make college education more affordable but i would encourage all of us to insert the words career and technical education when we talk about supporting education in this country we should make career and technical education every bit as high a priority as high in prestige and fully supported financially as we endeavor to do with college education with that i would like to close by thanking again the chairman of the committee chairman miller and ranking member  n and i would also like to thank my good colleagues who spoke on this issue today i look forward to working with them on issues related to career in tech education i would urge passage of this resolution and yield back the balance of my time time the gentleman from connecticut just to close up mr speaker again congressman baird who is a passionate advocate on this issue i think that at all for all the reasons that he stated and mr bishop from utah i would urge all members to support gentleman from connecticut writes resolution nine forty four as amended the clerk will report the title of the resolution house resolution nine twenty four regulation honoring the service and accomplishments recognizes the gentleman from connecticut thank you mr speaker i yield myself such time as i might consume and ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the resolution under consideration without objection so ordered the gentleman's recognized thank you mr speaker i rise today in support of h rez nine hundred four honoring the service and accomplishments of lieutenant lieutenant general russel honore a united states army first thirty seven years of service on behalf of the united states and let me first take a moment to thank representative david scott of georgia for helping us to recognize general honore a in getting this resolution to the floor here today and i want to certainly allow him the spotlight in terms of talking about this extraordinary gentleman very briefly he is a native of lakeland louisiana graduated from southern university and i am college in one thousand seventy one upon graduation he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the united states army and during his career general honore a has served a number of infantry command positions in the army including tours in germany and his commanding officer in the second infantry division in korea he was also he had also seen action in iraq and kuwait during operation desert storm and served as vice director for operations for the joint chiefs of staff here in washington d c through his efforts and command he was responsible for the training and deployment of a half million national guard and reserve members in addition he let he lead the joint task force katrina following the hurricanes destruction of the gulf coast and two thousand and five where he commanded all active duty troops from all branches dedicated to storm recovery operations this nation owes a debt of gratitude to general honore a for his commitment to the defense of our great nation and with that nine forty four which honors the distinguished career of army lieutenant general russel honore a who is retiring as has been said after thirty seven years of service to this great nation the united states army is known for its tradition strength valor and lieutenant general what it means to be a soldier the general has had a career that young soldiers dream about heysel action in both iraq and kuwait during the first gulf war he's earned fifteen awards and decorations and served overseas in both germany and korea but perhaps as most significant contribution to the nation was as commander of the joint task force katrina following the devastation of the gulf coast in two thousand and five the general commanded troops from all branches of our military has won in one of the worst nationalists asters that our country has ever experienced it was working out only to help repair his native state of louisiana but he was working to repair his country and he did so in exemplary fashion i wish to honor the tenet general and ray and his family beverly stephanie kimberly stephen and michael the best in what in what comes next for them and i thank them for their commitment to this country as a family i can go congratulate the general on his magnificent career and i urge all members to support this resolution i reserve the balance of my time the balance of his time the gentleman from connecticut thank you mr speaker it's my honor to yield five minutes to my friend and colleague the sponsor of this resolution the gentleman from georgia mr scott the gentleman from georgia is recognized for five minutes thank you very much  mr speaker and to my two distinguished colleagues who are taking the leadership on this time on the floor i thank you for your graciousness in allowing us to bring up nine forty four and at the same time to recognize what is arguably an extraordinary and great moment in american history for this man the tenet general russel honore right the only word that comes to mind is that word great there are have been great moments and great event and the last seven years of this country that have threatened the very foundation of our country  nine eleven and two thousand and one that launched the vicious attacks on this country that led us into this extraordinary period of this war on terror and then just four years later a great catastrophe one of the greatest natural disasters are ever hit the united states of america and to the gulf coast of this country hurricane katrina great events great occasions bring forth the need to rise up to this occasion and these great occasions great men we are here today to honor a great american and we ought to pause for a moment and think about this word great that we're using to describe this great american lieutenant general russel honore on the word great means something of great magnificen when that question was put to the great philosopher aristotle what does it take to be a great man aristotle said the first thing you've got to do is know die self well i'm here to tell you mr speaker russell andre knew himself and not only that did he know who he was russell andre knew whose he was that he was foremost and first of all a child of god that had been brought on this earth for a great need and a great occasion later on in history that question was put to the great roman general and soldier marcus  the question was put to marcus a really what does it take to be a great man marcus a really is that in order to feel a great man you must first of all discipline yourself and so much has been said about the great soldiering of this great american the hallmark word is discipline focus he endured hardness and toughness as a good soldier and through that discipline came the loyalty came the courage that it took the fight in the wars in iraq and afghanistan but more than that to expound the toughness and the discipline that was needed to our fellow soldiers that came under his quarters of the national guard that had to be positioned had to be train had to be deployed into the war zones came through the hands of russel honore a at fort gillem in clayton county forest park in georgia and my congressional district and finally that question was put to the great messiah and prophet jesus christ when he was asked jesus what does it take to be a great man and jesus replied first of all in order to be a great man you must sacrifice yourself and know what a great sacrifice and you must love your fellow man as you do yourself and what greater example or of that was in going down into katrina and not just soldiering not just taking the time to protect the area but clothing the people there finding food in shelter for them and taking the time to stop beside the road the agony that they were experience put their arm around them and help that gulf coast to recovery yes greatness is the word for general russell honore ray and we are so grateful for him for the role that he has played and for the greatness of this man where he came at the most opportune time to provide the most opportune service and he is surely a great american serving a great nation expired gentleman from utah i'm pleased to yield as much time as you may consume to the gentleman from texas mr burgess gentleman from texas is recognized and i think the gentleman for yielding and i will just tell you it's a privilege stand on the floor today he time it seems our country's civil fabric was tearing before our very eyes all of us felt we saw a nation in peril the efforts of elected officials at the local level at the state level at the federal level were not up to the task of dealing with the aftermath of hurricane katrina it took officers the united states armed forces who provided the security that the whole country long to see and at the center of that  general russel honore a speaker is my honor to go with my committee to the city of new orleans in october of that year to try to help with the restoration of some of the medical care of the city of new orleans and during that trip i went to the auction or clinic which is there near downtown new orleans it's on a natural sort of rise between the mississippi river and downtown new orleans so it was buffeted by the winds of the storm but spared from the floodwaters and was struggling valiantly to keep up with the stream of human injury that was coming through the doors on a twenty four hour a day basis specifically i spoke with some doctors in the emergency room at the auction or clinic the feeling at the clinic was that they were going to be ok from the standpoint of did they have enough diesel fuel to to run their generators did they have enough medicines but the civil unrest which was building outside their walls clearly clearly continued to imperil them again these were individuals who had ridden out the storm that stayed in the hospital during the storm to see the second wounded who managed to come in and they had stayed  posts as the floodwaters rose around them not knowing if the floodwaters would stop before they got to their doors but indeed stopped as they did but you can imagine the heartbreak of this young emergency room physician who described to me three days into their three days into their turmoil three days into their task saved from the twins spared from the waters but they could hear the civil unrest boiling outside the doors they could hear the gunshots they could hear the shouts of the crowds and they knew that their facility was clearly going to be targeted because they'd seen on the news where other healthcare facilities had been targeted because perhaps drug seeking behavior who knows why but they were very much at risk as emergency room doctor had brought his wife to the hospital because he felt she wasn't safe at home he described how they spent the night under his desk in their office waiting for the end to come that survive the winds that survived the water they were not going to survive the riots outside the door and then right before dawn he heard a helicopter not unusual because there were news helicopters circling around the city on the almost continual basis but this was a different kind of helicopter headed much throw to your roar and then there was another one and another one and another one and they turned on the television to see the landing of general lieutenant general russel honore a taking command of the city taking control back i cannot tell you the relief in this young man's voice as he described that scenario that unfolded before him today i'm happy to come to the floor with my colleagues and honor the service of general lieutenant general russel honore a thank you sir for what you did in restoring order to our country thank you for helping that young family in the emergency room that day this nation will forever be in your debt are you back to balance my time gentleman from connecticut mr speaker i yield two minutes to the gentleman from louisiana mr jefferson general to louisiana's recognize for two minutes experiences we've had in connection with them in truth he belongs as roots to the people of louisiana general russell honore a was born in louisiana in the rule parish appoint q p i've known him for thirty nine years i met him when he was a brash young soldier how that may be russell andre show the attributes back then that led to what can only be described as a legendary career in the u s army he was a serious student and eager participant in everything that r t c had to offer outside of the classroom and inside and he had a big courageous fun loving heart we have known him for years now and i'm not surprised that he led with distinction the man's in fort hood texas washington d c georgia and korea and most recently as command of the u s southern command for homeland security america's i have a will always remember him most for the order he brought out of the chaos in the aftermath of the terrible storms hurricanes katrina and rita that ripped apart the lives of our people in louisiana he more than anyone else took charge of the reserves the balance of this time gentleman from connecticut we would continue to reserve to six recognition as the gentlemen have it other speakers on this resolution we have not we have not mr speed with that i your back balance of his time gentleman from connecticut thank you mr speaker this tax they have no further requests for time again i urge passage of the resolution go back to balance of our time quest the gentleman yield back the balance of his time a question is will the house to spin the rules and house resolution nine four four as amended those in favor say  provide for the continued minting and issuance of certain one dollar coins in two thousand pursuant to the rule of the gentlewoman from wisconsin ms moore and the gentleman from utah mr bush of the usual control twenty minutes chair recognizes the  speaker i yield myself such time as i may concern a woman's recognized mr speaker h r fifty four seventy eight corrects an oversight made of the native american one dollar coin act which passed the house by voice vote on june twelfth two thousand and seven and became public law on september twentieth two thousand and seven the native american one dollar coin act authorized the middle of the saga to weigh a design golden dollar coin for circulation beginning in january two thousand and nine in that legislation we purposely did not require the production of two thousand and eight sacajawea a coin for circulation how ever  products the coin collecting public is expecting to order and receive this year such as annual proof an uncirculated set will not include a two thousand eight seconds away a dollar the legislation before it would correct this oversight in immediately authorize the continued minting issuance of two thousand and eight seconds away and design golden dollars for human new mystic new and i reserve the balance of my time gentleman from utah thank you mr speaker i yield myself such time as i may consume as recognize mr speaker this bill before us is truly a technical amendment that deals with the native american one dollar coin it's a good bill for collectors it does no harm to the nation it does not cost the not taxpayers a dime or in this case it doesn't cost them a dollar and i urge its immediate passage under the provision that was the motion that was made by the thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table